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Post by elliott on Dec 18, 2017 22:03:26 GMT -5
William Regal vs Kassius Ohno (NXT - 4/10/2013)
For me, this is absolutely one of the best matches ever under the WWE banner and something that should end up on my list. This is absolutely brutal. From tendon tearing submissions to insane kicks and knees to the face, this is harrowing. However, what takes this up to the all time level for me is Regal's selling performance. It is masterful. This is definitely my pick for the best ever Regal match and that alone merits consideration.
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Post by Cap on Jan 3, 2018 17:01:53 GMT -5
Second
Regal has a few of these just classics with indie darlings turned nxt upstarts. I want to revisit this one particularly. Their dynamic was really good here. The psyhology and the brutality were great and the extinction was top notch. This is the kind of match that proves it doesn't have to be a big, epic main event to be a great match. Well worth a look and consideration.
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Post by Kadaveri on Jan 6, 2018 7:40:09 GMT -5
My 2nd favourite NXT match behind Bayley vs. Sasha. It's a shame this happened before NXT blew up so barely anyone seems to have seen it. Regal's performance is really interesting. If you describe it on paper you'd think he's working as a heel, but he's so physically outmatched by Ohno it doesn't come across like that on TV at all. He's just a proud veteran desperately trying to hold his own against some he can't really compete with anymore. Great stuff.
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Post by microstatistics on May 2, 2018 1:17:22 GMT -5
Regal's best performance ever which is really saying something. This had it all. Violence, character work, awesome facial expressions and selling and tremendous psychology. Extremely well structured and paced too, had no wasted moments. Lock for my list.
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Post by Cap on May 19, 2018 11:28:51 GMT -5
Rewatched this yesterday based on some conversation here and I think this has a much better shot at my list. This is a really careful and nuanced match that gets a lot out of every action. Regal puts on a master class in selling and setting the match apart and to me that is the story here. This could have been another arm or leg match or they could have worked any number of conventional stories here. Regal selling this classy eyed concussion the way he did makes this match stand out, gives it something relatively unique to sink your teeth into. I am not sure if it is the product of this time period, but I think that would become a strength of Hero during his last indy run, not in every single match but in bigger performances. I would actually say this was on its way to being an all timer, 5 star affair but the ending comes just a touch abruptly for me and keeps it off that tier, but it is still a ****3/4 match in my eye and could sneak into the back quarter of my list.
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Post by superstarsleeze on Oct 1, 2019 11:24:03 GMT -5
Regal is the ultimate input not output wrestler. I think we all have him in our top 100, but very few of his matches have even been nominated let alone receive votes. That's not a knock on him but a statement on his environment and opportunities and the timeframe. To me this is the greatest Regal match (not by a huge margin, but I do think it is definitively his #1) and it happens in 2013. He could have easily had a great match because in 2013 part of the purpose is to just have a great match and we know how it looks, but what makes this match special is he has a great Regal match on his own terms. This match could have happened in 1996 and it would have been glorious and would have felt right in 1996. So kudos to Regal for having a corker of a match during his retirement year and doing it on his own terms. Hero should be fucking proud in that he helped Regal accomplish this that must be a really cool feeling.
William Regal vs Kassius Ohno - WWE NXT 4/10/13
What is amazing to me is Regal had his career match in the last year of his career, but on his terms. Regal could have went out there with Hero and done a 2010s epic and had all the stars showered upon him, but they didn't. They stayed true to William Regal and had the best William Regal match they could. That's what really impresses me about this match. It is a match that is built around grit, struggle, violence and of course awesome facial expressions. The build is basic. Young gun calling the veteran not just washed up but a "never was" and now it is time for Regal to show his mettle.
As with most Regal matches, the devil is in the details. By "devil" I mean the way he dishes out the pain and punishment. The opening chain wrestling has a sneer and grit to it that most wrestlers forget. Of course, there are the cute moments like the mule kicks in the corner while the ref admonishes. "O my heavens, what do you mean, my good sir Im not mule kicking him in the testicles." It is a good spot in the shine because it is entertaining as it is violent. That's the match it is gritty. It is head shots, finger manipulation and chokes, not much in the way of highspots, but much in the way of high drama. The story of the match develops into Hero trying to disrupt Regal's equilibrium by kicking him in the ear a lot versus Regal trying to break every single one of Hero's finger. It is a brutal masterpiece of violence that is right up Regal's alley. Things that stood out to me. I loved how Regal got out of the full nelson...check that out. Hero is double jointed in one of his fingers and it is fucking gross. The only time they got me real bad was there. The number one thing stood out to me was Regal's glassy eyed look. It was so perfect. If I didnt know any better I really thought he was stone cold out. The finish run is great capper to the body of this match. Hero cant apply his cravat finish because his fingers are mangled. It becomes a stand up Knockout battle. Hero desperately tries to KO Regal gets one nearfall, but when he goes for the elbow, Regal pulls the trigger first and wipes him out. Regal Running Knee KO's KO!
Regal has had brutally violent matches with Finlay and Benoit. He has had scientific classics with Larry Z and Arn. This match combines the science with the brutality to create his ultimate masterpiece and one that truly is Regal in every sense of the word. ****1/2
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Post by lemming on Nov 10, 2023 6:33:56 GMT -5
I voted this #77.
Agree with the takes above that this is Regal's best match, and it's his incredible performance that really makes it.
There's a mentor / mentee hook in the story, with Ohno wanting to prove himself by knocking off the veteran. Regal is outmatched physically by the younger gun, so has to dig into his bag of tricks to stay competitive. Happily for us, said bag of tricks includes torturing Ohno's hand in entertainingly brutal ways. Match hits top gear down the stretch as Regal takes too many shots to the temple for his aging body to withstand and sells the loss of equilibrium as well as anyone in history, staggering and glassy eyed, but fighting on out of pure instinct at times. His body fails him but pride and stubbornness won't let him quit, even when it seems clear he can no longer win the match.
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