Brian
So, I'm watching some iMPACT! waiting for UFC 109 to start -- not a bad show, really. I dug Pope vs. Styles, fast-paced, some good stumbling selling by AJ, and the post-match build with Samoa Joe and Flair exchanging some stuff actually had me semi-excited for angle development in a TNA program! On the opposite end of the spectrum, Tomko looked like complete shit versus Angle. I mean, like easily, one of the worst in-ring performances on TV in the last couple years. He was out of position and took Kurt's suplexes worse than anybody else ever has, botching the belly-to-belly off the top, one of his Germans severely, etc.
I watched the documentary GAEA Girls which I've gushed about elsewhere -- just phenomenal. That lead to me watching some joshi, a real fun tag with Super Heel Devil Masami, KAORU and Dump Matsumoto vs. Chigusa Nagayo, Yumiko Hotta and Meiko Satomura. Chigusa bled from her head, ate some gnarly stuff, Meiko looked fabulous and right now leads the pack for my next HoF inductee in May, Devil Masami is frightening as all hell with that long, ghastly hair, Dump was beating everybody viciously with her kendo stick, and KAORU was adding some nice heel elements to the affair. A great way to spend fifteen minutes. Watched some more joshi afterwards, with Sachie Abe, Haruka Matsuo, and one of my personal new faves Yumi Ohka sticking out.
Tonight's agenda is watching UFC 109 and last night's SmackDown!. What have you guys been watching this snowy weekend?
Jessie
I'd much rather see Flair in a heated brawl than ever work a match again, i'm just being honest, i know the guy was a great storyteller in his time, but i just can't see him shirtless on my TV anymore. And i'm sure Tomko will be a guy they push.
Saw Smackdown! didn't really wet my whistle too much, actually some spots came off clean in that 3 way, but Kane looked like Gulliver getting arrows shot at him by all the flying attacks of the two smaller guys, finish was well done. Truth gets in the chamber with a Taylor Five Arm? Okay, i'll buy that. Jericho v. Matt Hardy, two guys i absolutely love watching, but Hardy's flabby exterior and unsightly necrotic skin made me ill, plus he looked terrible flailing on the ropes like a shark out of water, match was below expectations. Lawler on "Word Up" reeked of desperation to be cool again, please someone put him out to pasture, he hasn't contributed significantly to the company in a decade or more. I miss JR. Loved the idea of the tag team with McCool & Layla getting a team name and matching outfits and such, they need to do that with more teams instead of throwing 2 guys together randomly. match was so so. Main had a lot of fire though, thought itwas better than their series last year for the IC belt, Rey emitting tons of emotion behind the mask and Dolph showing desperation well, may still be a spot for him yet. Main interview segment with Edge v. Jericho showed sparks of life, but from there i tuned out.
possibly a UFC 109 review forthcoming, thanks for link brian
Adam
I thought last week's Impact was going really good until that disastrous Foley/Nash match ... early contender for worst match of the year. Really dug Pope vs. A.J., good stuff, hope they do something with Pope. The thought that Joe showed more fire in the promo afterwards than he has in the last year or so.
As a personal project, I started watching the WrestleMania again the other night in anticipation for this year's show. Not reviewing them or ranking any matches, just watching them purely for my own enjoyment. Only watched the first three thus far and Mania 2 was better than I remember and is definitely the best of the bunch thus far.
Going to finish another Clash here soon and one of the FIP discs.
Brian
ECW on SyFy was a fairly enjoyable, second to last, episode of TV. The bloodiest episode since ECW got rebooted years ago, although, having a ringside physician glue Shelton's gaping wound in the middle of a match felt obtuse. Caylen Croft bled the hard way, too; I get the impression that he and Trent Barreta are a poor man's version of CZW's team The Best Around, with some Motor City Machine Guns nonchalance tossed in. The Ezekiel Jackson squash was manly and short. Vance Archer was tolerable in the main, but personally, I'd like to see him get future endeavored pronto. Out of the three TV shows that have aired thus far this week, ROH on HDNet leads the pack, with a good Young Bucks vs. American Wolves main, as well as my first glimpse of the new Corino/Steen duo. I'm hoping Superstars brings the goods again this week, iMPACT! is always a crapshoot, and surely SmackDown! will be better than last week's, with the lone highlight then being the superplex Ziggler killed Mysterio with, and Rey's subsequent unparalleled selling of said move.
Adam
There was supposed to be a meeting at work at 3:30 today but it got canceled. So, with the afternoon free, I took a break from the ongoing projects and popped in the CHIKARA Season 8 Finale "Three Fisted Tales". Only watched the first disc thus far and it's been pretty fair overall. The opening 8-man tag was more choreographed than a sixth grade class play. The Quackenbush tag was okay but Jorge Rivera was getting so gassed by the end, it was hard for him to keep up with the opposition team. Best match thus far has to be Player Dos vs. Lince Dorado. Nothing too wild but if was scoring at home, it would be in the 5-6 range ... leaning towards a 6 for the crazy ass bump at the end where Dos and Dorado were on the apron and Dos broke out a German suplex with Dorado's head crashing into the ring steps. Probably one of the sickest bumps I've seen since Alissa Flash threw Hamada down the bleachers of the Impact Zone last fall.
Watched ECW yesterday morning when I got up. Definitely have to say that Archer/Benjamin was the best match of the show but couldn't they have cut to a commercial when Shelton's head had to be glued shut? Plus, what was up with the announcers acting like someone died while the doctor was tending to Shelton? Probably Archer's best match since he's been on ECW ... wish he would go away and never appear on my TV again. I'm still not sold on Croft and Barretta. Personally, I would sprinkle some paprika on them because they need more seasoning.
RIP Survivor Series ... may the memory of the Demolition/Powers of Pain double turn in '88 never be forgotten.
Brian
Here's some thoughts on the stuff I've watched the past night or two:
The Pope vs. Orlando Jordan (iMPACT! 2/11/10) - better than their first misfire a couple weeks back.. - Jordan, with the long dreads, looked real good selling armdrags, etc. - Orlando's dropkick looked great, too
Haruka Matsuo vs. Yumi Ohka - (2009.03.08) - really dig Yumi who made my '09 top 100 ballot.. - great 10-min. draw.. - although, seeing two ridiculously cute girls doing a Kobashi v. Akiyama strike exchange mid-match seems a little silly.. - good expressive, sympathetic selling by the youngster Haruka.. - Ohka did this unbelievable move I've never seen before where she grabbed Matsuo's hands and frontflipped over her head and the ring ropes, in effect crucifying Haruka backwards over the top rope.. - that verbose explanation doesn't do it justice..
Jun Kasai & Jaki Numazawa vs. Kankuro Hoshino & Mototsugu Shimizu - (2009.08.28) - really fucking fun hardcore match.. - can't believe some of the crazy shit they busted out for a random show.. - like, there was a bump or two that, if had taken place in ECW, would still be being pimped by fan boys.. but alas a lot of their insane work goes unnoticed.. - Hoshino got superplexed off of the top turnbuckle out onto the floor onto a construction of chairs.. - great spot!
Christian vs. Zack Ryder - (Superstars 2/11/10) - really enjoyed this, Zack almost seemed on Christian's level selling-wise surprisingly, def. one of the better guys to come through the flawed FCW system
Kota Ibushi vs MIKAMI - (DDT) - don't know if this was a ladder match or they just decided to use one.. - some violent moments and bumps, good athleticism as always by Kota, etc. - MIKAMI wasn't bad, but needs more expression in his selling
JTG vs. Dolph Ziggler - (Superstars 2/11/10) - worked very old school, with JTG doing face in peril stuff all match.. - his sells seem slow motion.. when he gets hit with something he kind of slowly teeters over like a tree.. - guess Cryme Tyme is still in the dog house
First Tiger Mask & Tiger Mask vs. Riki Choshu & Tatsuhito Takaiwa - (2009.03.01) - not bad but nothing to rave about.. - Takaiwa looked the best of the bunch.. - Sayama just threw spinkicks all match, many not landing.. - Choshu looked scary enough to frighten small children.. - Sayama did bust out the sickest tombstone on Tatsuhito, making Undertaker blush in the process
Meiko Satomura vs. Sonoko Kato - (2009.04.30) - my girl Meiko taking it to Kato.. - didn't even go 7 minutes but fought pretty competitively.. - Satomura busted out her trademark shit like the best Pele kicks in the game and her beautiful cartwheel into a knee drop
Santino Marella vs. Jack Swagger - (Superstars 2/11/10) - moment of decentness, but overall the exact type of comedy shit WWE doesn't do well.. - liked Marella's unconscious sells, like he was dead to the world, but Swagger feigning surprise I don't buy
Shinya Ishikawa vs. Ryuichi Kawakami - (2009.08.28) - typical opening fare.. - in the words of a wise man: "dojo boy done good!"
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