1) The Bella Twins & Eve Torres vs. Maryse, Alicia Fox, & Tamina – 2
Since this particular Raw is in Manchester, England, the heels are dressed in Liverpool uniforms and the faces are in Manchester United uniforms. Josh Matthews was making soccer references on commentary whenever someone would kick someone else really hard. The exchanges between Tamina and Eve were the best part of the match. Typical weekly divas match and not much else.
2) The Hart Dynasty vs. The Usos – 2
Nice flip move over the top to the outside by Kidd. How many times have these two teams fought each other on TV this year? I like the Usos intensity. This continued the slow burning cigarette that is the break-up of the Harts. Usos looked good and hit a few hard kicks, especially one on the outside on Kidd. Smith took the kick weird at the end of the match that led to a splash for the pin.
3) Goldust vs. Ted DiBiase – 3
Goldust’s career has really had a resurgence in the last few years and I’m kind of liking this feud with him and DiBiase over the Million Dollar Belt. DiBiase seemed to have a blank expression on his face the whole match while selling any of Goldust’s offense. Really liked the rotation Goldust got on the powerslam at the end. Speaking of which, the end was kind of goofy with Aksana running down to steal the Million Dollar Belt from Maryse and then the camera nearly missing on the pinfall.
4) John Cena vs. David Otunga – 3
Otunga has been consistent this year, consistently bad. I think the traveling gnome from those Travelocity commericals is a better wrestler than Otunga. It just seems to me that Otunga’s heart and passion just isn’t into it. This was just an elongated squash. Otunga must’ve read the JBL book of flat back bumps cause he damn sure took one on a Cena dropkick. Cena got all his regular shit in here with the regular combo of the AA and the STF to finish it.
5) Sheamus vs. Santino Marella – 1
This was set up by a goofy “Tea Time w/ Santino” skit where he and Kozlov spent the entire time making jokes at Sheamus. The match wasn’t even really a match. It was mainly Santino running from Sheamus and then getting DQ’ed for a low blow. Only gets a point for Sheamus knocking the shit out of Santino as Santino was doing the stupid cobra thing. This feud isn’t doing anyone any favors.
6) Randy Orton, R-Truth, Daniel Bryan, Mark Henry, & The Miz vs. Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, Husky Harris, & Michael McGillicuty (w/ John Cena as referee) – 4
I really dig Husky Harris. He’s definitely got a lot of old school southern brawler traits and his lariats are very Windham-esque. The brief mid-match exchange between McGillcuty and Bryan was really fun to watch. I think they could work well together. Until the end, I’d forgotten that Cena was the ref. Miz turned on his team at the end with Cena distracted with the interfering Otunga in kind of a sloppy finish. Bryan was the high point of the match for the face team.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Nous Observans Chaque Seconde #12
Jess:
Back doing the random thoughts thing here on the blog and I'm as happy as the people of Egypt right now. I caught a lot of stuff piecemeal this weeked as all the boys are burning through reviews like Jonah Hill's character in "Get Him to the Greek" did whiskey and weed. I'll kick it off by commenting on the first half of IWA Mid South's Prince of the Death Match. Their King tourney has always had a stigma, an aura about it as being a big deal in American stylized brutality, but there couldn't have possibly been more than 15 people here for this show. I saw Dixieland Destroyer again, the 600 pound goof who absolutely should be on the Biggest Loser, in a barb wire match, it was decent, it just bugs me because you can tell the guy's a giant pussy, as here he slowly crawls in under the wire while desperately trying not to have it touch any part of his body. Moxley fought Neil Diamond Cutter who I think was handing out key chains before the match that nary a single person accepted. It was like he worked at a flea market or something. This match was titled "the Curt Hennig Drunken Taipei Death Match" way too much going on, Moxley was belligerent, doesn't matter if he was sauced or not, and Cutter's flesh was ripped open like a 6 year old going through his presents at Christmas. Next were two guys I can't recall their names but their match had wire strung across the actual mat, so you couldn't really do too much on the ground and they even had to watch where they stepped. Two obvious rookies although they both tried hard. Finally Simon Sezz against Kyle Threat in a Barefoot Thumbtack match. This is nuts. Wearing no shoes in a match like this, sure, it proves your tough, but in the end, you still have to perform a match and the fans are expecting you to, so why hamper your chances of being able to just to prove your tough? You are in a thumbtack match isn't that enough! I couldn't believe the level of violence these guys unleashed, it was unearthly. I don't see how they got paid more than $10 bucks to do this to themselves. JC Bailey took on some chubby junior champion named Phoenix in a match that put me to sleep twice. Then in a 6 man tag Ian Rotten teamed up with the Hooligans (who I loathe) and this was one of those Ian ground work matches which are mildly amusing just for the sight of it.
Geo:
The Superstars episode on Feb 10 featured one of the best diva's matches in recent memory featuring two of the most technically sound women in the company, Alicia Fox and Natalya. It was just so good. The in ring ability of both of them puts the rest of the women in the company to shame. Such great back-and-forth mat work featuring some great moves and countermoves on the mat. Fox's kicks are great and they always seem to connect. Natalya really shows that Hart-style of wrestling with really tight holds and hard shots. Natalya botched a suplex but that was forgivable because the rest of the match was just so damn good. I'd give it a 6 -- easily recommendable.
Jess:
Makes you wonder why the hell Eve just got their belt? I'll have to check it out then. Adam and I just viewed Trish v. Lita on the High Flyers dvd and it's the best women's match I can think of WWE's produced so I'd like to compare the two.
ROH was on my agenda this weekend too, didn't finish the show for the life of me can't remember, but Danielson v. Kenny King was fun, like one of those matches were the young guy can keep up with the veteran so it had that cool back and forth play going for it. I'm quite tired of the droll Embassy, they were fine in 05 but now that they're back, they have no steam even though I think Nana is a good performer in his role. They fought Colt, Grizzly & Necro, whom i'm sure destroyed a Steak n Shake later that night, both in terms of gross appetite and outrageous and over the top laughing at their own jokes.
Speaking of fun, peeped the Godfather shoot interview. Was a fun watch, only 90 minutes long, as they breezed through pedo Feinstein's questionnaried quickly. Godfather, real name Charles Wright came off as exactly the Godfather character was on TV, light hearted, fun, a positive person. He said nearly off the bat, he's never had a problem with anyone in the ring, and only some people outside the business, Johnny Ace, Stevie Richards, among the more prominent. Seemed like a guy who liked being in the business, was all about being paid, and in a very honest admission, said he never took the business serious enough to become a main player, and he now sees how old school guys would always try to give him advice about his career. Talked about being lead through tons of matches, most of his run actually. Spoke at length about Undertaker, one of his better friends in the industry. Some awkward moments when Godfather would refute some of Feinstein's facts, such as he never worked Jericho, or Jarrett much, different angles, or when he was in the company doing what, even though most wrestling fans would remember it more clearly than he could. But he seemed up for whatever question and unfortunately held back a lot of stories, apparently one about Jarrett's late wife a story on a flight where Kurt Angle bitch slapped Big Show who did nothing in retaliation. If you're a fan of shoots, but not necessarily Godfather, give it a watch anyways think you will enjoy it.
Brian:
I saw that Alicia Fox vs. Natalya Neidhart bout, Geo; it was quite good. I can't vouch for it being better, per se, than the pimped Lita vs. Stratus singles, it may not have had the same emotional wallop, but I'd argue the in-ring portion was just as good if not considerably better. One thing I can definitely say it did better than Lita/Trish was bring the stiffness! Between the rabid ground-work, stiff slaps, and big moves it felt like an American equivalent of quality joshi (minus the screaming). That being said, not even sure if it was the best match of Superstars 2/10/10, as Reks vs. Hawkins, while squashy, was good stuff and rather vicious.
I've been slowly pushing through WWE Raw 4/21/08 which contained the '08 KotR tournament (and has been reviewed twice previously on the blog by Adam and Jessie respectively). I just caught Punk vs. Jericho before bed last night and was surprised neither of my blog colleagues pointed out how dangerously sloppy it was. Chris botched a front-layout suplex onto the ropes twice consecutively.
I've caught the first one-third of Wrestle Kingdom V. I don't want to get into much detail as I believe Jessie will be reviewing it fully later. Yano played a good Rhyno for Rob Van Dam to toss garbage cans at and squish with ladders. It saddened me Koji Kanemoto didn't even make the main card.
I screened Audinwood vs. Makdessi, an unaired undercard bout from UFC 124, which was great albeit one-sided. Makdessi trains with GSP and the crew and had unbelievable stand-up. I'd like to see what else he has up his sleeve and will get the opportunity to do so as he's on the forthcoming Toronto show in another non-televised fight.
I finally pried DGUSA Mercury Rising away from Adam. I figured I'd watch the bonus disc first and started with CIMA & BxB Hulk vs. Austin Aries & Matt Sydal vs. B-Boy & Chris Bosh - Triangle Elimination Tag Team Match 7/10/06 - Wrestle JAM - Kanagawa, Japan. This was kind of fun but not spectacular. It's been a week or more since I viewed it but I recall liking some of Sydal's facials and happy to see B-Boy across the sea.
WWE Raw 2/14/11 was a pretty hit or miss show but when it hit it hit like a Kawada kick to the back of the skull. CM Punk vs. John Cena was just terrific, no two guys are better at making every little thing mater, and that's why this was such a joy to watch. I also dug the hell out of Danielson vs. Miz. Of all of Bryan's WWE bouts save for maybe the pimped Ziggler PPV one from last year this felt the most like this ROH stuff with a few crippling highspots like the bump on the apron and the insane flying knee plus some real nasty kicks. I've never watched Modern Family but the little girl from it dancing Punjabi while Great Khali walked out to the ring was adorable.
I finally started watching TNA Against All Odds '11 -- more on that in my next update.
Jess:
trying to think of what else i got in over the weekend besides showing my wife "The Secrets in their Eyes." Saw some of a JAPW show that started out with Osirian Portal against the Heavy Hitters. The Hitters were fine with clubbing away at the Egyptian dudes whilst it stole away all their charm and charisma; except for the really poor hypnotizing sequence. After the match they called out Demolition; what Bizarro world was this filmed in? Kevin Steen showed up to play surly prick and play it he did. He terrorized a youngster I believe named Aarbo something, I liked the defenselessness (not sure if that is in Webster's) he showed, just fully giving himself to Steen's whims. There was a 4 way later on featuring Dan Maff who hasn't been seen in years, didn't look any more dangerous especially taking faux bumps for all of Eddie Kingston's back hands and strong style lariats. My memory must be atrociously fuzzy because it was a 4 way and I can't think of who else was in it. Jay Briscoe came stag to brawl with Homicide in a fun match but the fun ended when they wouldn't bring it home soon enough. Briscoe cut a great pissed off promo in the back though.
Brian:
So, TNA Against All Odds '11, overall, a damn fine show. 8 matches total with the first-half struggling to feel unlike an extended edition of iMPACT! but things ratcheting up in the second-half. Kazarian vs. Robbie E. and Samoa Joe vs. D'Angelo Dinero both felt like TV bouts. Granted, they have credible excuses, as Gen ME had flight issues or else Kazarian wouldn't have even been on the show, and the Joe match ended abruptly but it served as a cog in their ongoing storyline. The other two first-half matches were actively good. Beer Money Inc. and Scott Steiner vs. Rob Terry, Gunner, and Murphy was better than it had any right being, with the returning Steiner especially putting in a good performance, getting off a lot of his signature stuff and the crowd eating it up. Mickie James vs. Madison Rayne - Last Woman Standing match was quite good while it lasted, physical, but could have used some more time to develop and falls behind the Mickie James vs. Tara - Steel Cage match from iMPACT! last year.
Second-half of the show was consistently good to astoundingly great. Matt Hardy vs. Rob Van Dam was miles ahead of their last PPV encounter, got more time, and was Matt's best outing in TNA yet. The Bully Ray vs. Brother Devon - Street Fight was awesome. I don't know what it is, but, every time Ray's in there with Devon he bumps and sells his ass off so I'm all for this feud continuing. The brawling on the floor was firing on all cylinders and this had tons of heat. The post-match stuff with Ray attacking Devon's kids was epic. Meltzer said had this been fifteen years ago it would have been an all-time classic angle. We're too desensitized and overstimulated nowadays. Still, great old school stuff, and Devon was phenomenal in the role of concerned/angered father.
The last two matches were both stellar. Jarrett vs. Angle was very good, as expected, not on par with their Genesis '09 bout, although many consider that to be one of the best in TNA history (myself included), this was still solid. Having Karen at ringside, the storyline stipulations, etc. all just distract from the great wrestling transpiring in the ring. Does Jarrett ever do big matches sans needless ref bumps? Main event, Jeff Hardy vs. Mr. Anderson - Ladder match, was mostly satisfactory with some minor slips. All the bumps on the ladders were suitably gnarly. They botched the finish where, in mid-air, while taking Anderson's "Mic Check" finisher off a ladder, Jeff was supposed to pull the belt down with him, well, he didn't. Jeff sprung back up, scaled a ladder, and got the belt which cheapened the moment as the original finish would have been insane had it materialized. Overall, I enjoyed it, some real highlights, and next month is Victory Road followed by Lockdown in April which I'll be attending live so it's a good time to be a TNA fan. Speaking of, right now, I'm going to watch the 2/17/10 iMPACT!, finish Cyrus, and get to bed.
Geo:
Smackdown on 2/18 was kind of odd. I enjoyed that opening six man, especially the sprint finish. When they bust out that kind of finish every-so-often, I usually find myself reflecting on the match in a more positive manner. The divas match between Eve and Beth vs. Layla and Maryse didn't really go anywhere. I enjoyed Michelle's selling of the injured foot, though. Found myself laughing at the Kofi/Miz match after the interference by Del Rio. Since when is being whipped by a towel such a distraction? haha. The tag match between Slater/Gabriel and Marella/Koslov was weak sauce as nothing really happened. The Cobra was kind of funny when Santino debuted it, but now it's pretty much dull and boring. I really wish Dolph vs. Edge would've gone longer, but I loved Dolph's sell on the spear. An odd episode with weird ebbs and flows to it, but it was entertaining. Brian, AAO sounded quite solid. I was curious to how Scott would be able to perform in the ring given his absence. I was concerned about ring rust on his end. I really want to see that Ladder Match. Anderson's performance at MITB some years back was impressive and it would be cool to see him in that environment.
Back doing the random thoughts thing here on the blog and I'm as happy as the people of Egypt right now. I caught a lot of stuff piecemeal this weeked as all the boys are burning through reviews like Jonah Hill's character in "Get Him to the Greek" did whiskey and weed. I'll kick it off by commenting on the first half of IWA Mid South's Prince of the Death Match. Their King tourney has always had a stigma, an aura about it as being a big deal in American stylized brutality, but there couldn't have possibly been more than 15 people here for this show. I saw Dixieland Destroyer again, the 600 pound goof who absolutely should be on the Biggest Loser, in a barb wire match, it was decent, it just bugs me because you can tell the guy's a giant pussy, as here he slowly crawls in under the wire while desperately trying not to have it touch any part of his body. Moxley fought Neil Diamond Cutter who I think was handing out key chains before the match that nary a single person accepted. It was like he worked at a flea market or something. This match was titled "the Curt Hennig Drunken Taipei Death Match" way too much going on, Moxley was belligerent, doesn't matter if he was sauced or not, and Cutter's flesh was ripped open like a 6 year old going through his presents at Christmas. Next were two guys I can't recall their names but their match had wire strung across the actual mat, so you couldn't really do too much on the ground and they even had to watch where they stepped. Two obvious rookies although they both tried hard. Finally Simon Sezz against Kyle Threat in a Barefoot Thumbtack match. This is nuts. Wearing no shoes in a match like this, sure, it proves your tough, but in the end, you still have to perform a match and the fans are expecting you to, so why hamper your chances of being able to just to prove your tough? You are in a thumbtack match isn't that enough! I couldn't believe the level of violence these guys unleashed, it was unearthly. I don't see how they got paid more than $10 bucks to do this to themselves. JC Bailey took on some chubby junior champion named Phoenix in a match that put me to sleep twice. Then in a 6 man tag Ian Rotten teamed up with the Hooligans (who I loathe) and this was one of those Ian ground work matches which are mildly amusing just for the sight of it.
Geo:
The Superstars episode on Feb 10 featured one of the best diva's matches in recent memory featuring two of the most technically sound women in the company, Alicia Fox and Natalya. It was just so good. The in ring ability of both of them puts the rest of the women in the company to shame. Such great back-and-forth mat work featuring some great moves and countermoves on the mat. Fox's kicks are great and they always seem to connect. Natalya really shows that Hart-style of wrestling with really tight holds and hard shots. Natalya botched a suplex but that was forgivable because the rest of the match was just so damn good. I'd give it a 6 -- easily recommendable.
Jess:
Makes you wonder why the hell Eve just got their belt? I'll have to check it out then. Adam and I just viewed Trish v. Lita on the High Flyers dvd and it's the best women's match I can think of WWE's produced so I'd like to compare the two.
ROH was on my agenda this weekend too, didn't finish the show for the life of me can't remember, but Danielson v. Kenny King was fun, like one of those matches were the young guy can keep up with the veteran so it had that cool back and forth play going for it. I'm quite tired of the droll Embassy, they were fine in 05 but now that they're back, they have no steam even though I think Nana is a good performer in his role. They fought Colt, Grizzly & Necro, whom i'm sure destroyed a Steak n Shake later that night, both in terms of gross appetite and outrageous and over the top laughing at their own jokes.
Speaking of fun, peeped the Godfather shoot interview. Was a fun watch, only 90 minutes long, as they breezed through pedo Feinstein's questionnaried quickly. Godfather, real name Charles Wright came off as exactly the Godfather character was on TV, light hearted, fun, a positive person. He said nearly off the bat, he's never had a problem with anyone in the ring, and only some people outside the business, Johnny Ace, Stevie Richards, among the more prominent. Seemed like a guy who liked being in the business, was all about being paid, and in a very honest admission, said he never took the business serious enough to become a main player, and he now sees how old school guys would always try to give him advice about his career. Talked about being lead through tons of matches, most of his run actually. Spoke at length about Undertaker, one of his better friends in the industry. Some awkward moments when Godfather would refute some of Feinstein's facts, such as he never worked Jericho, or Jarrett much, different angles, or when he was in the company doing what, even though most wrestling fans would remember it more clearly than he could. But he seemed up for whatever question and unfortunately held back a lot of stories, apparently one about Jarrett's late wife a story on a flight where Kurt Angle bitch slapped Big Show who did nothing in retaliation. If you're a fan of shoots, but not necessarily Godfather, give it a watch anyways think you will enjoy it.
Brian:
I saw that Alicia Fox vs. Natalya Neidhart bout, Geo; it was quite good. I can't vouch for it being better, per se, than the pimped Lita vs. Stratus singles, it may not have had the same emotional wallop, but I'd argue the in-ring portion was just as good if not considerably better. One thing I can definitely say it did better than Lita/Trish was bring the stiffness! Between the rabid ground-work, stiff slaps, and big moves it felt like an American equivalent of quality joshi (minus the screaming). That being said, not even sure if it was the best match of Superstars 2/10/10, as Reks vs. Hawkins, while squashy, was good stuff and rather vicious.
I've been slowly pushing through WWE Raw 4/21/08 which contained the '08 KotR tournament (and has been reviewed twice previously on the blog by Adam and Jessie respectively). I just caught Punk vs. Jericho before bed last night and was surprised neither of my blog colleagues pointed out how dangerously sloppy it was. Chris botched a front-layout suplex onto the ropes twice consecutively.
I've caught the first one-third of Wrestle Kingdom V. I don't want to get into much detail as I believe Jessie will be reviewing it fully later. Yano played a good Rhyno for Rob Van Dam to toss garbage cans at and squish with ladders. It saddened me Koji Kanemoto didn't even make the main card.
I screened Audinwood vs. Makdessi, an unaired undercard bout from UFC 124, which was great albeit one-sided. Makdessi trains with GSP and the crew and had unbelievable stand-up. I'd like to see what else he has up his sleeve and will get the opportunity to do so as he's on the forthcoming Toronto show in another non-televised fight.
I finally pried DGUSA Mercury Rising away from Adam. I figured I'd watch the bonus disc first and started with CIMA & BxB Hulk vs. Austin Aries & Matt Sydal vs. B-Boy & Chris Bosh - Triangle Elimination Tag Team Match 7/10/06 - Wrestle JAM - Kanagawa, Japan. This was kind of fun but not spectacular. It's been a week or more since I viewed it but I recall liking some of Sydal's facials and happy to see B-Boy across the sea.
WWE Raw 2/14/11 was a pretty hit or miss show but when it hit it hit like a Kawada kick to the back of the skull. CM Punk vs. John Cena was just terrific, no two guys are better at making every little thing mater, and that's why this was such a joy to watch. I also dug the hell out of Danielson vs. Miz. Of all of Bryan's WWE bouts save for maybe the pimped Ziggler PPV one from last year this felt the most like this ROH stuff with a few crippling highspots like the bump on the apron and the insane flying knee plus some real nasty kicks. I've never watched Modern Family but the little girl from it dancing Punjabi while Great Khali walked out to the ring was adorable.
I finally started watching TNA Against All Odds '11 -- more on that in my next update.
Jess:
trying to think of what else i got in over the weekend besides showing my wife "The Secrets in their Eyes." Saw some of a JAPW show that started out with Osirian Portal against the Heavy Hitters. The Hitters were fine with clubbing away at the Egyptian dudes whilst it stole away all their charm and charisma; except for the really poor hypnotizing sequence. After the match they called out Demolition; what Bizarro world was this filmed in? Kevin Steen showed up to play surly prick and play it he did. He terrorized a youngster I believe named Aarbo something, I liked the defenselessness (not sure if that is in Webster's) he showed, just fully giving himself to Steen's whims. There was a 4 way later on featuring Dan Maff who hasn't been seen in years, didn't look any more dangerous especially taking faux bumps for all of Eddie Kingston's back hands and strong style lariats. My memory must be atrociously fuzzy because it was a 4 way and I can't think of who else was in it. Jay Briscoe came stag to brawl with Homicide in a fun match but the fun ended when they wouldn't bring it home soon enough. Briscoe cut a great pissed off promo in the back though.
Brian:
So, TNA Against All Odds '11, overall, a damn fine show. 8 matches total with the first-half struggling to feel unlike an extended edition of iMPACT! but things ratcheting up in the second-half. Kazarian vs. Robbie E. and Samoa Joe vs. D'Angelo Dinero both felt like TV bouts. Granted, they have credible excuses, as Gen ME had flight issues or else Kazarian wouldn't have even been on the show, and the Joe match ended abruptly but it served as a cog in their ongoing storyline. The other two first-half matches were actively good. Beer Money Inc. and Scott Steiner vs. Rob Terry, Gunner, and Murphy was better than it had any right being, with the returning Steiner especially putting in a good performance, getting off a lot of his signature stuff and the crowd eating it up. Mickie James vs. Madison Rayne - Last Woman Standing match was quite good while it lasted, physical, but could have used some more time to develop and falls behind the Mickie James vs. Tara - Steel Cage match from iMPACT! last year.
Second-half of the show was consistently good to astoundingly great. Matt Hardy vs. Rob Van Dam was miles ahead of their last PPV encounter, got more time, and was Matt's best outing in TNA yet. The Bully Ray vs. Brother Devon - Street Fight was awesome. I don't know what it is, but, every time Ray's in there with Devon he bumps and sells his ass off so I'm all for this feud continuing. The brawling on the floor was firing on all cylinders and this had tons of heat. The post-match stuff with Ray attacking Devon's kids was epic. Meltzer said had this been fifteen years ago it would have been an all-time classic angle. We're too desensitized and overstimulated nowadays. Still, great old school stuff, and Devon was phenomenal in the role of concerned/angered father.
The last two matches were both stellar. Jarrett vs. Angle was very good, as expected, not on par with their Genesis '09 bout, although many consider that to be one of the best in TNA history (myself included), this was still solid. Having Karen at ringside, the storyline stipulations, etc. all just distract from the great wrestling transpiring in the ring. Does Jarrett ever do big matches sans needless ref bumps? Main event, Jeff Hardy vs. Mr. Anderson - Ladder match, was mostly satisfactory with some minor slips. All the bumps on the ladders were suitably gnarly. They botched the finish where, in mid-air, while taking Anderson's "Mic Check" finisher off a ladder, Jeff was supposed to pull the belt down with him, well, he didn't. Jeff sprung back up, scaled a ladder, and got the belt which cheapened the moment as the original finish would have been insane had it materialized. Overall, I enjoyed it, some real highlights, and next month is Victory Road followed by Lockdown in April which I'll be attending live so it's a good time to be a TNA fan. Speaking of, right now, I'm going to watch the 2/17/10 iMPACT!, finish Cyrus, and get to bed.
Geo:
Smackdown on 2/18 was kind of odd. I enjoyed that opening six man, especially the sprint finish. When they bust out that kind of finish every-so-often, I usually find myself reflecting on the match in a more positive manner. The divas match between Eve and Beth vs. Layla and Maryse didn't really go anywhere. I enjoyed Michelle's selling of the injured foot, though. Found myself laughing at the Kofi/Miz match after the interference by Del Rio. Since when is being whipped by a towel such a distraction? haha. The tag match between Slater/Gabriel and Marella/Koslov was weak sauce as nothing really happened. The Cobra was kind of funny when Santino debuted it, but now it's pretty much dull and boring. I really wish Dolph vs. Edge would've gone longer, but I loved Dolph's sell on the spear. An odd episode with weird ebbs and flows to it, but it was entertaining. Brian, AAO sounded quite solid. I was curious to how Scott would be able to perform in the ring given his absence. I was concerned about ring rust on his end. I really want to see that Ladder Match. Anderson's performance at MITB some years back was impressive and it would be cool to see him in that environment.
Memphis by Midnight - A Mini-Series :: Gassin' Up
I'll be looking at some of the matches from the DVDVR Memphis set in this mini-series I've titled, "Memphis by Midnight."
Dutch Mantell, Steve O & The Fabulous Ones vs. Adrian Street, Jesse Barr, and the Sheepherders (3/28/83) - 3
I honestly could make heads or tails of this match. There was just so much going on. Apparently is was loaded with stipulations including a "Loser Leaves Memphis" stip. It was fun seeing the pre-WWF Bushwhackers tearing it up in the ring. Adrian Street really didn't leave much up to the imagination regarding his character in the ring. I've never seen a main with a hairdo like that in my life. My favorite part of this match was Street's selling. In particular, during a "wishbone" manuever, street sold it like he was unable to walk. Think the way Rick Rude used to sell atomic drops and then trying to walk. Other than that, though, the match struck me as incoherent with absolutely no ref control.
Bill Dundee vs. Terry Taylor (4/4/83) - 5
Both guys looked really good. Dundee was able to keep up with Taylor's mat-based offense and held his own in the ring. Taylor was just great. His mat-based attacks were to die for. The way he was able to control his opponents in the ring was way beyond his time. Taylor's offensive style really reminded me of an early 80's NJPW style which was based heavily on mat-based offense. Dundee, who was full of charisma, was no slouch either, as his offense was quite delish in some parts as well.
The Moondogs vs. The Fabulous Ones (4/4/83) - 3
This was an odd match because, despite watching it twice in a row, absolutely nothing stuck out to me as actively good. Kirn and Lane are great workers, just really, really, solid in ring performers who will get anyone over. The Moondogs, for what they were, were decent and willing to bump. I'd like to delve further into the match, but I honestly can't because there's nothing about it that jumped out as memorable in any way.
The Moondogs vs. The Fabulous Ones (5/2/83) - 6
Leaps and bounds better than the prior encounter. Kirn is a madman. He got his head caught in the ropes (think Mick Foley style) and was kicking and writing in the ropes as if he was legitimately running out of air. The Moondogs were pulling on his legs, further decreasing his air supply while Lane attempted to free his ensnared team mate. I was seriously sweating bullets for Kirn as his selling was just fucking amazing. God, it was good. The match worked much better this time and had a really great sprint near the end. Just really great selling, especially on the part of Kirn.
The Fabulous Ones vs. Duke Myers & Bobby Eaton (5/16/83) - 4
I haven't seen much of Duke Myers, but I did enjoy what I saw of him in the ring. He had that great 80s style selling ability that you don't see any more. Kirn and Lane were out-performing their opponents yet again and made Myers and Eaton look great. Eaton had this great way of making the audience focus on him even when Myers was the one in the match by throwing his hands up in the air and jumping around on the apron. Not the best match by any means, but again, a really solid showing by Kirn and Lane and a good first impression by Myers.
Dutch Mantell, Steve O & The Fabulous Ones vs. Adrian Street, Jesse Barr, and the Sheepherders (3/28/83) - 3
I honestly could make heads or tails of this match. There was just so much going on. Apparently is was loaded with stipulations including a "Loser Leaves Memphis" stip. It was fun seeing the pre-WWF Bushwhackers tearing it up in the ring. Adrian Street really didn't leave much up to the imagination regarding his character in the ring. I've never seen a main with a hairdo like that in my life. My favorite part of this match was Street's selling. In particular, during a "wishbone" manuever, street sold it like he was unable to walk. Think the way Rick Rude used to sell atomic drops and then trying to walk. Other than that, though, the match struck me as incoherent with absolutely no ref control.
Bill Dundee vs. Terry Taylor (4/4/83) - 5
Both guys looked really good. Dundee was able to keep up with Taylor's mat-based offense and held his own in the ring. Taylor was just great. His mat-based attacks were to die for. The way he was able to control his opponents in the ring was way beyond his time. Taylor's offensive style really reminded me of an early 80's NJPW style which was based heavily on mat-based offense. Dundee, who was full of charisma, was no slouch either, as his offense was quite delish in some parts as well.
The Moondogs vs. The Fabulous Ones (4/4/83) - 3
This was an odd match because, despite watching it twice in a row, absolutely nothing stuck out to me as actively good. Kirn and Lane are great workers, just really, really, solid in ring performers who will get anyone over. The Moondogs, for what they were, were decent and willing to bump. I'd like to delve further into the match, but I honestly can't because there's nothing about it that jumped out as memorable in any way.
The Moondogs vs. The Fabulous Ones (5/2/83) - 6
Leaps and bounds better than the prior encounter. Kirn is a madman. He got his head caught in the ropes (think Mick Foley style) and was kicking and writing in the ropes as if he was legitimately running out of air. The Moondogs were pulling on his legs, further decreasing his air supply while Lane attempted to free his ensnared team mate. I was seriously sweating bullets for Kirn as his selling was just fucking amazing. God, it was good. The match worked much better this time and had a really great sprint near the end. Just really great selling, especially on the part of Kirn.
The Fabulous Ones vs. Duke Myers & Bobby Eaton (5/16/83) - 4
I haven't seen much of Duke Myers, but I did enjoy what I saw of him in the ring. He had that great 80s style selling ability that you don't see any more. Kirn and Lane were out-performing their opponents yet again and made Myers and Eaton look great. Eaton had this great way of making the audience focus on him even when Myers was the one in the match by throwing his hands up in the air and jumping around on the apron. Not the best match by any means, but again, a really solid showing by Kirn and Lane and a good first impression by Myers.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Strike Force: World Heavyweight Grand Prix
1) Valentijn Overeem v. Ray Sefo- 2
2) Chad Griggs v. Gian Villante- 5
3) Shane Del Rosario v. Lavar Johnson- 4
4) Andrei Arlovski v. Sergei Kharitonov- 6
5) Fedor Emelianenko v. Antonio Silva- 5
The opening fight was quick one, as Sefo looked really confident on his feet but as soon as he got taken down, Mauro calls it and says this is not Sefo's home turf and no sooner did he get choked out. Time to go back to Extreme Couture for him and stir coffee.
Griggs came in looking akin to Starburns from Community; but he wasn't gunshy at all. He was against hometown boy Villante who seemed to just throw his gameplan out the window and flail violently because Griggs was. Griggs seemed as unpolished as my Midtown Man dress shoes but it didn't matter; his will and forward push was enough to overcome Villante in a violent but brief fight that I enjoyed.
Del Rosario is one of the promotions new golden boys rising up, and he just seemed to way too qualified against his opponent, who you kind of felt for considering in his prematch video he discussed taking a 2 year layoff because he got shot. Shane had the advantage on the feet and on the ground and got a convincing win.
Arlovski was on a 3 match losing streak, all by knockout and was fighting the darkhorse of the tournament. Arlovski's footwork was actually impressive and was able to get in a ton of his stuff, including some really nice uppercuts. This reminded me of Lidell v. Franklin where the guy that got Ko'd look good before it happened. Once Sergei found his rhythm though, he was merciless and i like his chances in this tournament overall.
Our main event provided a hell of a first round with both guys unleashing heavy artillery at every opportunity with Fedor scoring more points but "Bigfoot" landing the more significant blows. 2nd round was all Silva, passing guard easily, dropping his massive frying pan hands down upon Fedor's grill over and over again. At the end of the round Fedor's left eye was completely closed over and his face looked like ground beef. Silva looked impressive here and I think his size and power advantage didn't hurt either. Fedor talking retirement was something that totally caught me off guard as well as everyone else in the arena.
Overall not the best StrikeForce offering but all the winners came out looking better than when they went in so that's good for future business.
2) Chad Griggs v. Gian Villante- 5
3) Shane Del Rosario v. Lavar Johnson- 4
4) Andrei Arlovski v. Sergei Kharitonov- 6
5) Fedor Emelianenko v. Antonio Silva- 5
The opening fight was quick one, as Sefo looked really confident on his feet but as soon as he got taken down, Mauro calls it and says this is not Sefo's home turf and no sooner did he get choked out. Time to go back to Extreme Couture for him and stir coffee.
Griggs came in looking akin to Starburns from Community; but he wasn't gunshy at all. He was against hometown boy Villante who seemed to just throw his gameplan out the window and flail violently because Griggs was. Griggs seemed as unpolished as my Midtown Man dress shoes but it didn't matter; his will and forward push was enough to overcome Villante in a violent but brief fight that I enjoyed.
Del Rosario is one of the promotions new golden boys rising up, and he just seemed to way too qualified against his opponent, who you kind of felt for considering in his prematch video he discussed taking a 2 year layoff because he got shot. Shane had the advantage on the feet and on the ground and got a convincing win.
Arlovski was on a 3 match losing streak, all by knockout and was fighting the darkhorse of the tournament. Arlovski's footwork was actually impressive and was able to get in a ton of his stuff, including some really nice uppercuts. This reminded me of Lidell v. Franklin where the guy that got Ko'd look good before it happened. Once Sergei found his rhythm though, he was merciless and i like his chances in this tournament overall.
Our main event provided a hell of a first round with both guys unleashing heavy artillery at every opportunity with Fedor scoring more points but "Bigfoot" landing the more significant blows. 2nd round was all Silva, passing guard easily, dropping his massive frying pan hands down upon Fedor's grill over and over again. At the end of the round Fedor's left eye was completely closed over and his face looked like ground beef. Silva looked impressive here and I think his size and power advantage didn't hurt either. Fedor talking retirement was something that totally caught me off guard as well as everyone else in the arena.
Overall not the best StrikeForce offering but all the winners came out looking better than when they went in so that's good for future business.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Watts Is It #1
I was going through my DVDs the other day and came across this pile of discs just labeled “UWF/Mid-South 86”. So, instead of just setting them aside and pulling out an WWF or WCW TV episode, I figured I would at least see what, if any, buried treasures may by lurking on these mystery discs. This particular disc is only labeled “UWF 86 #1” with nothing on it that says even what month it could be from. Pretty vague if you ask me.
1) Gustavo Mendoza vs. Perry Jackson – 3
Jackson looks like a huskier version of Dynamite David Perry from the Herb Abrams version of the UWF. Mendoza hit a very sloppy looking neckbreaker for the win. Both guys seemed pretty bland. Judging by the attire he wore to the ring, Mendoza’s character seemed to be that of a Cuban militant. At least he had the Castro look down with the beard and the hair. Jackson just came across as a generic wrestler. Nothing much here.
2) Gary Young vs. Ted DiBiase – 3
This was pretty much a glorified squash match. DiBiase hit a nasty clothesline bouncing out of the corner near the finish. I think that this is the same Gary Young from late 80s/early 90s Texas territory fame but I’m not sure. DiBiase won with a figure four in about five minutes. Interesting to see DiBiase in the pre-Million Dollar Man years if anything.
3) The Sheepherders vs. Tracy Smothers & Bret Wayne Sawyer – 4
Luke and Butch are much, much better as the Sheepherders than as the Bushwhackers. They’re much more serious and violent and not as goofy and comical. Smothers ate a hard knee from Butch as he was running into the corner. J.R. was really building up Sawyer on commentary for some reason. The two double rib breakers to finish Smothers at the end were good.
4) Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. Kamala – 5
Duggan came out and took the place of jobber David Peterson (of late 80s/early 90s AWA fame) and immediately began brawling with Kamala. Holy crap, this was wild. Duggan got run into the railing and then hit Kamala on the head with a table. J.R. was yelling so loud on commentary when Duggan kicked out of the Kamala splash, I though he was going to have a aneurysm or something. The no contest finish knocked it down a point but it did what it was designed to do, and that was for me to want to see another Kamala/Duggan match.
5) Ted DiBiase vs. Michael Hayes – NR
This was supposed to be Terry Taylor vs. Michael Hayes but DiBiase came out and told Taylor he would take the match instead. The match barely started when the credits started rolling on top of it. I can’t really rate it on the fact that the show ended with the match in progress. Hopefully, the full match will pop up on another one of these mystery discs and I can score it accordingly.
1) Gustavo Mendoza vs. Perry Jackson – 3
Jackson looks like a huskier version of Dynamite David Perry from the Herb Abrams version of the UWF. Mendoza hit a very sloppy looking neckbreaker for the win. Both guys seemed pretty bland. Judging by the attire he wore to the ring, Mendoza’s character seemed to be that of a Cuban militant. At least he had the Castro look down with the beard and the hair. Jackson just came across as a generic wrestler. Nothing much here.
2) Gary Young vs. Ted DiBiase – 3
This was pretty much a glorified squash match. DiBiase hit a nasty clothesline bouncing out of the corner near the finish. I think that this is the same Gary Young from late 80s/early 90s Texas territory fame but I’m not sure. DiBiase won with a figure four in about five minutes. Interesting to see DiBiase in the pre-Million Dollar Man years if anything.
3) The Sheepherders vs. Tracy Smothers & Bret Wayne Sawyer – 4
Luke and Butch are much, much better as the Sheepherders than as the Bushwhackers. They’re much more serious and violent and not as goofy and comical. Smothers ate a hard knee from Butch as he was running into the corner. J.R. was really building up Sawyer on commentary for some reason. The two double rib breakers to finish Smothers at the end were good.
4) Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. Kamala – 5
Duggan came out and took the place of jobber David Peterson (of late 80s/early 90s AWA fame) and immediately began brawling with Kamala. Holy crap, this was wild. Duggan got run into the railing and then hit Kamala on the head with a table. J.R. was yelling so loud on commentary when Duggan kicked out of the Kamala splash, I though he was going to have a aneurysm or something. The no contest finish knocked it down a point but it did what it was designed to do, and that was for me to want to see another Kamala/Duggan match.
5) Ted DiBiase vs. Michael Hayes – NR
This was supposed to be Terry Taylor vs. Michael Hayes but DiBiase came out and told Taylor he would take the match instead. The match barely started when the credits started rolling on top of it. I can’t really rate it on the fact that the show ended with the match in progress. Hopefully, the full match will pop up on another one of these mystery discs and I can score it accordingly.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Fujinami v. Go- Double Shot
okay two more great matches from that WWWF Junior Division that I know you've all been waiting to hear about, i'm only 3 decades too late
1) Tatsumi Fujinami v. Ryuma Go (11/30/78)- 4
2) Tatsumi Fujinami v. Ryuma Go (10/02/79)- 5
The first match was a pure ground battle, they fought for 20 minutes and all accept a few standoffs and some moves near the end but the rest was on the mat. I'm as big a fan as the next guy of stuff like this, love MMA battles where it's all mat science as was this one, but with a wrestling match, where you can control what happens, there was no payoff here and there really should have been. Fujinami has some excellent facials, both on offense and off, as displayed here but when the end finally came this felt like a runon sentence of a match.
Our 2nd match really felt like they had built the first as an exhibition because they pulled out all the stops here. Groundwork dominated the first portion, but they weren't just going to stop there; they were using dropkicks to get the advantage back on the ground. Go hitting a plancha outside from the top in 79? Fucking awesome. He also had these nasty claw marks on his face like Bruce Lee from Enter the Dragon. Would have liked a more satisfying finish to wrap this one up but enjoyed it nonetheless.
1) Tatsumi Fujinami v. Ryuma Go (11/30/78)- 4
2) Tatsumi Fujinami v. Ryuma Go (10/02/79)- 5
The first match was a pure ground battle, they fought for 20 minutes and all accept a few standoffs and some moves near the end but the rest was on the mat. I'm as big a fan as the next guy of stuff like this, love MMA battles where it's all mat science as was this one, but with a wrestling match, where you can control what happens, there was no payoff here and there really should have been. Fujinami has some excellent facials, both on offense and off, as displayed here but when the end finally came this felt like a runon sentence of a match.
Our 2nd match really felt like they had built the first as an exhibition because they pulled out all the stops here. Groundwork dominated the first portion, but they weren't just going to stop there; they were using dropkicks to get the advantage back on the ground. Go hitting a plancha outside from the top in 79? Fucking awesome. He also had these nasty claw marks on his face like Bruce Lee from Enter the Dragon. Would have liked a more satisfying finish to wrap this one up but enjoyed it nonetheless.
Monday, February 14, 2011
DG USA Bushido 2010
Chuck Taylor vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Ricochet vs. Arik Cannon - 4
Rich Swann vs. Homicide - 3
Austin Aries vs. Masato Yoshino - 5
Jimmy Jacobs vs. Jon Moxley (I Quit) - 5
Brodie Lee & Akebono vs. The Osirian Portal - 2
CIMA & Genki Horiguchi vs. YAMATO & Akira Tozawa - 4
BxB Hulk vs. Shingo - 6
This was your typical DGUSA opener featuring spot after spot after spot that required the viewer pay damn near no attention. Hopefully this type of match won't lay the groundwork for the rest of the night because I'll be exhausted by the third match in. Ricochet proved just how insane he is by hitting a couple of sick dives throughout the match. All four guys got an equal amount of offense in during the match, which made them all look good. They all also ate a shit-ton of strikes as well, some of which looked good. I really wished the match would've built up instead of going 100% the entire time-- would've made the high spots seem more meaningful.
Homicide just has not been impressing me since leaving Orlando. Swann looked to be too excited during the match because there was just no downtime between anything he did. He looked to have drank too many Monster energy drinks beforehand. Homicide seemed pretty gassed near the match end, which isn't good seeing as it was pretty short.
Aries and Yoshino really had a fun showing going on on the mat. Both guys had some nice submissions worked into the match and the slower style had me digging the match. There was a very slow build. It was interesting seeing Aries (a guy who's not known to be a fast aerialist in the ring) wrestle Yoshino (who is renown for being one of the fastest guys in wrestling). Yoshino busted out some of his speedy offense, but Aries kept cutting him off, leading to a great feed into the Horns of Aries. A lot of ADD viewers probably wouldn't like this match as much as I did, but I loooove mat work. Found myself wishing Yoshino would've kept on Aries arm throughout the match.
Two of my all time faves hooking it up~! Hell yeah! Jacobs started the match off with a balcony dive. If that's not a great way to start a match I don't know what is. Mox brought out that deranged lunatic-like aura that he has about him by stabbing Jacobs in the forehead with Jacobs' trademark spike, which made Jacobs bleed like Muta after taking a bottle of blood thinners. Lenny Leonard referring to blood as "life-giving fluid" made me laugh for a bit, so I had to rewind the disc to see what I missed. Jacobs did a great job at getting sympathy. Picture this, this lunatic has mounted you on the back, tied your hands behind your back, blood on your face, flopping around like a fish. How could you not feel bad for this guy? Great work. The entire match was reminiscent of Mankind vs. The Rock some years back. Match was great just for the emotional value alone.
I gotta say I was expecting a full-on squash during this match. Portal hypnotized Akebono during the match, which was really great as Akebono started dancing and beating up on Brodie. A throw-away match definitely but it was pretty funny.
Your typical DG match rears it's head again. A lot of action with little down time to be had. Yamato seemed to be the one trying to slow down the match by breaking out submissions. Concerning the rest of the match, I felt like I was watching the typical DG match in that all the spots occurred quickly and weren't very significant. CIMA hit a double stomp on Tozawa who had his feet being held by Horiguchi on the outside. The only thing different about this from the usual spot is that it occurred with assistance from the guardrail instead of the ropes. These DG tag matches really take a lot out of me. Between the hyper wrestling and Lenny Leonard's over-modulated voice, I didn't know what to make of this. On one hand, it was a fun sprint, but on the other hand it would've been nice to have seen a more slower-paced match.
Hulk is sporting his short hair now after losing it, and Shingo's mullet is back in force. This match was really good. It built up and built up until both guys started busting out huge maneuvers and hit some heavy strikes. Hulk's kicks made solid connection with Shingo's skull, and Shingo's lariats were fierce as ever. The match was worked perfectly in a main event style match that certainly didn't let down.
Match Average: 4
Recommendation Level: See Aries vs. Yoshino, Jacobs vs. Mox, and Shingo vs. Hulk. Skip the rest.
Rich Swann vs. Homicide - 3
Austin Aries vs. Masato Yoshino - 5
Jimmy Jacobs vs. Jon Moxley (I Quit) - 5
Brodie Lee & Akebono vs. The Osirian Portal - 2
CIMA & Genki Horiguchi vs. YAMATO & Akira Tozawa - 4
BxB Hulk vs. Shingo - 6
This was your typical DGUSA opener featuring spot after spot after spot that required the viewer pay damn near no attention. Hopefully this type of match won't lay the groundwork for the rest of the night because I'll be exhausted by the third match in. Ricochet proved just how insane he is by hitting a couple of sick dives throughout the match. All four guys got an equal amount of offense in during the match, which made them all look good. They all also ate a shit-ton of strikes as well, some of which looked good. I really wished the match would've built up instead of going 100% the entire time-- would've made the high spots seem more meaningful.
Homicide just has not been impressing me since leaving Orlando. Swann looked to be too excited during the match because there was just no downtime between anything he did. He looked to have drank too many Monster energy drinks beforehand. Homicide seemed pretty gassed near the match end, which isn't good seeing as it was pretty short.
Aries and Yoshino really had a fun showing going on on the mat. Both guys had some nice submissions worked into the match and the slower style had me digging the match. There was a very slow build. It was interesting seeing Aries (a guy who's not known to be a fast aerialist in the ring) wrestle Yoshino (who is renown for being one of the fastest guys in wrestling). Yoshino busted out some of his speedy offense, but Aries kept cutting him off, leading to a great feed into the Horns of Aries. A lot of ADD viewers probably wouldn't like this match as much as I did, but I loooove mat work. Found myself wishing Yoshino would've kept on Aries arm throughout the match.
Two of my all time faves hooking it up~! Hell yeah! Jacobs started the match off with a balcony dive. If that's not a great way to start a match I don't know what is. Mox brought out that deranged lunatic-like aura that he has about him by stabbing Jacobs in the forehead with Jacobs' trademark spike, which made Jacobs bleed like Muta after taking a bottle of blood thinners. Lenny Leonard referring to blood as "life-giving fluid" made me laugh for a bit, so I had to rewind the disc to see what I missed. Jacobs did a great job at getting sympathy. Picture this, this lunatic has mounted you on the back, tied your hands behind your back, blood on your face, flopping around like a fish. How could you not feel bad for this guy? Great work. The entire match was reminiscent of Mankind vs. The Rock some years back. Match was great just for the emotional value alone.
I gotta say I was expecting a full-on squash during this match. Portal hypnotized Akebono during the match, which was really great as Akebono started dancing and beating up on Brodie. A throw-away match definitely but it was pretty funny.
Your typical DG match rears it's head again. A lot of action with little down time to be had. Yamato seemed to be the one trying to slow down the match by breaking out submissions. Concerning the rest of the match, I felt like I was watching the typical DG match in that all the spots occurred quickly and weren't very significant. CIMA hit a double stomp on Tozawa who had his feet being held by Horiguchi on the outside. The only thing different about this from the usual spot is that it occurred with assistance from the guardrail instead of the ropes. These DG tag matches really take a lot out of me. Between the hyper wrestling and Lenny Leonard's over-modulated voice, I didn't know what to make of this. On one hand, it was a fun sprint, but on the other hand it would've been nice to have seen a more slower-paced match.
Hulk is sporting his short hair now after losing it, and Shingo's mullet is back in force. This match was really good. It built up and built up until both guys started busting out huge maneuvers and hit some heavy strikes. Hulk's kicks made solid connection with Shingo's skull, and Shingo's lariats were fierce as ever. The match was worked perfectly in a main event style match that certainly didn't let down.
Match Average: 4
Recommendation Level: See Aries vs. Yoshino, Jacobs vs. Mox, and Shingo vs. Hulk. Skip the rest.
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