Monday, October 15, 2007
Nagata vs. Ishii – (NJPW 4/16/06) – 5
It’s hard to give a match that was so one-sided a score this high, but honestly as far as glorified squashes go this is easily one of the most brutal I’ve ever seen. The match starts with Ishii hitting Nagata in the face with a barrage of slaps, but after that, it’s all Nagata destroying Ishii with devastating forearms and crippling kicks. And, if the sickening strikes aren’t enough, Nagata even mutilates Ishii with a brainbuster on the bare floor. This is a clinic on how to beat the shit out of another living person.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Performer Analysis: Shinya Hashimoto
1) Innovation- 6/10
Hash was definitley not the first Japanese wrestler to kick during matches, but he made it popular again, revitalizing a stiffer style in the rings of New Japan. He also broke away from the pack right after the huge NOAH exodus from New Japan, except Hash took a different approach and invited wrestlers from all other Japanese groups to join his promotion, including Michinoku Pro, RINGS, and Big Japan. He formed Zero-One and it was a huge success. Hash also jumped to the US, and won the NWA World Title, a move common among big names in Japan now to come abroad and spread their popularity and style with the American fans on a smaller scale, namely the indy scene.
2) Conditioning- 5/10
Hash is obviously not the workhorse at the gym. His over hanging gut is actually pretty infamous now, but it did hamper him in his later years, and lessen his stamina. He never was the marathon man in the ring, but fought with heart and great strength during his career.
3) Skill- 8/10
Even though he was overweight, that didn't deter from his in ring ability. He had a great move set and knew exactly how to work different size opponents and was really good at tempo. His sells were very generous, maybe too much so, as sometimes it was hard to swallow that he could be hurt as easily has his selling would show. He worked very hard in the ring and had some excellent matches to show for it.
4) Psychology- 10/10
Hash was brilliant in the mind game of the sport. He knew exactly how to incite the fans and when to let them back on his side. He started a near riot in Japan when he slapped Riki Choshu out of his shoes and spit in his face. But, in America, he knew that stiff, take no prisoners style would be applauded and he was right. He began playing the Misawa role in later years, the silent hero and his will to win showed and the fans bought it. His facial expressions are pretty one dimensional, but it was always his temperment that would show you what side he was playing.
5) Interviews- 5/10
Hash spoke well and emotionally. He had the same interviews a lot of Japanese wrestlers do which is not to get too violent or threatening, but to get the point across that they were pissed and wanted to hurt someone. Hash is more of a silent killer and lets his kicks and moves do the talking, but he had some decent skills and the crowds seemed to respond to him.
6) Character- 8/10
When Hash had his first big run with the IWGP belt in the late 90's, he played the dominant champion who couldn't be stopped and it worked to perfection with that run. But, later in years, he proved he could play other roles and took on the outsider of New Japan and ran with it. He created Zero One and became the figure head, the man fighting to keep what he had built and did it well by bringing in outside known talent from other Japanese promotions to try and tear it down. Then, he came to America and played revered bad ass brilliantly too.
7) Fans- 10/10
Fans love violence. And they love seeing guys commit violence on each other. Hash was skilled in that area. He was a ruthless assassin in the ring and people came to appreciate his style. He played perfect foil to other long standing legends in New Japan on his first title run as the man who could not be stopped, a heel role without having to play it too much to the hilt. Hashimoto's popularity extended to the US, where he became a world champion and the fans paid to see it. He will always be remembered as an awesome performer.
8) Basics- 7/10
He didn't use them a lot, but he could go hold for hold with many people. He was an excellent striker, no doubt about that and utilized those tools with great success. He wasn't one for chain wrestling, but he understood pacing and used that to his advantage.
9) Feuds/ Opponents- 10/10
As the unbeatable champion, he faced the legend trying to defend the honor of the promotion he helped build, NHO Hall of Famer Tatsumi Fujinami. They traded the World Title back and forth in a memorable feud. Then, there was the redemption of the Great Muta. Hash took the belt from Muto(under his normal name), embarrassing him and destroying him in a rematch. Muto went off to find himself for a year while Hash destroyed every name New Japan had, as well as beating several huge US stars in Ric Flair and Steven Regal. But, then Muto came back with his famous face paint and mist and won the title from Hash in a legendary angle. In addition to that, he's faced tons and tons of great competition from two generations of New Japan names, as well as Misawa, Kobashi, Taue, Taka Michinoku, Masato Tanaka, Steve Corino and Dan Severn.
10) Gutcheck- 7/10
Hash took a big chance by branching off and forming his own renegade promotion and it paid off. He took a big chance by going to America to expand the popularity of Japanese style wrestling and making it more well known. It also paid off. He was someone who went against the grain of what convential methods of promoting in Japan and it paid off. Hash had a great passion for the business and it came through in his work. He never had a retirement and worked until the time of his death. RIP Hash.
Total:76
Ranking: Legend
PO: Thumbs Up
Saturday, October 13, 2007
TNA Hard Justice 2007
1) Jay Lethal & Sonjay Dutt vs. Christopher Daniels & Senshi vs. Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin - 5
2) Raven vs. Kazarian - 4
3) James Storm vs. Rhino - Bar Room Brawl Match - 4
4) Voodoo Kin Mafia vs. LAX - 2
5) Robert Roode vs. Eric Young - Humiliation Match - 3
6) Chris Harris vs. Black Reign - 1
7) The Steiner Brothers vs. Team 3-D - 4
8) Andrew "The Punisher" Martin, Abyss, & Sting vs. Christian Cage, A.J. Styles, & Tomko - Doomsday Chamber of Blood Match - 4
9) Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe - 5
The opener was pretty faced past but wasn't really anything new or exciting. It seemed like they were running on cruise control. There were a few nice high-risk moves including a super cool moonsault by Sonjay. Raven and Kazarian was an interesting match that would've scored a little higher had it not been the constant interference from Martyr and Havok. It was, however, one of Raven's better matches in a while. I thought the bar room brawl match was fun in the beginning but started going downhill once Rhino threw a mannequin and starting chugging Smirnoff. There were a few interesting spots like Storm slipping on the ramp while delivering a suplex and Rhino throwing Storm through a cheap-ass table that simply folded onto itself. The battle of the initials (VKM vs. LAX) was an embarassment. Kip James looks like a failed homosexual stripper in his teal bell bottoms. There was a pin after VKM's valet Roxxi threw some powder in LAX's face, and run-in by Hector Guerrero, and a pinfall thirty seconds into the restart. Ew.
Roode and Young had a superb match at Slammiversary and their match here was just as bad as the Slammiversary was good. Young slipped while going around the ringpost because he had to set up the spot were he fell into the rail. Ms. Brooks was a big distraction at ringside (literally, and in more ways than one) and ran interference at the end. Afterwards, while Roode was starting to tar and feather Young, Gail Kim ran down, Ms. Brooks ate an accidental clothesline from Roode, and was eventually feathered. Black Reign looked like a pile of shit and while Harris bled, it wasn't enough to save this from trash of the night. Even though the Steiners and Team 3-D are nearly immobile, I still thought it was cool to see these two legendary teams in the ring at once. Scotty hit a swank top-rope Frankensteiner and Rick dumped Bubba on his head numerous times. It wasn't the greatest match ever but I would watch it again as it was fairly entertaining.
Now, for the main events. The Doomsday Chamber match had potential and was pretty wild in the beginning but fell apart as soon as they all got in the ring. The first part featured a cool dive by A.J. through the cage door. Afterwards, everything fell apart. Sting got locked out of the cage and wandered around aimlessly while trying to figure out how to cut off the barbed wire from the top of the cage. Most everyone got sliced open at one point or another (because you couldn't be pinned until you were bleeding) and Abyss finally scored a fall after Christian hauled ass up the ramp to go bang that interview chick. The Angle/Joe match was pretty heavy on story but turned out to be the match I first imagined they would have when Angle came in to TNA. Joe was throwing forearms and kicking hard and Angle was just totally eating them. Joe's chops seemed like they had some authority to them. Once the match started heating up, they both ended up blatanly abusing each other. The story focused on Kurt's wife, Karen, wanting a divorce and then sitting ringside with her new lover while sipping champagne. The finish saw a ref bump and Karen teasing to slide a chair into Joe. Swerve!!! She gives the chair to Kurt who ends up getting the win. All in all, the show didn't really have any notable matches, save for the Steiners/Team 3-D match, and is better than some recent offerings from WWE. I wouldn't rush out to Best Buy and grab it but it's good to have when there's nothing on TV. Thumbs up.
2) Raven vs. Kazarian - 4
3) James Storm vs. Rhino - Bar Room Brawl Match - 4
4) Voodoo Kin Mafia vs. LAX - 2
5) Robert Roode vs. Eric Young - Humiliation Match - 3
6) Chris Harris vs. Black Reign - 1
7) The Steiner Brothers vs. Team 3-D - 4
8) Andrew "The Punisher" Martin, Abyss, & Sting vs. Christian Cage, A.J. Styles, & Tomko - Doomsday Chamber of Blood Match - 4
9) Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe - 5
The opener was pretty faced past but wasn't really anything new or exciting. It seemed like they were running on cruise control. There were a few nice high-risk moves including a super cool moonsault by Sonjay. Raven and Kazarian was an interesting match that would've scored a little higher had it not been the constant interference from Martyr and Havok. It was, however, one of Raven's better matches in a while. I thought the bar room brawl match was fun in the beginning but started going downhill once Rhino threw a mannequin and starting chugging Smirnoff. There were a few interesting spots like Storm slipping on the ramp while delivering a suplex and Rhino throwing Storm through a cheap-ass table that simply folded onto itself. The battle of the initials (VKM vs. LAX) was an embarassment. Kip James looks like a failed homosexual stripper in his teal bell bottoms. There was a pin after VKM's valet Roxxi threw some powder in LAX's face, and run-in by Hector Guerrero, and a pinfall thirty seconds into the restart. Ew.
Roode and Young had a superb match at Slammiversary and their match here was just as bad as the Slammiversary was good. Young slipped while going around the ringpost because he had to set up the spot were he fell into the rail. Ms. Brooks was a big distraction at ringside (literally, and in more ways than one) and ran interference at the end. Afterwards, while Roode was starting to tar and feather Young, Gail Kim ran down, Ms. Brooks ate an accidental clothesline from Roode, and was eventually feathered. Black Reign looked like a pile of shit and while Harris bled, it wasn't enough to save this from trash of the night. Even though the Steiners and Team 3-D are nearly immobile, I still thought it was cool to see these two legendary teams in the ring at once. Scotty hit a swank top-rope Frankensteiner and Rick dumped Bubba on his head numerous times. It wasn't the greatest match ever but I would watch it again as it was fairly entertaining.
Now, for the main events. The Doomsday Chamber match had potential and was pretty wild in the beginning but fell apart as soon as they all got in the ring. The first part featured a cool dive by A.J. through the cage door. Afterwards, everything fell apart. Sting got locked out of the cage and wandered around aimlessly while trying to figure out how to cut off the barbed wire from the top of the cage. Most everyone got sliced open at one point or another (because you couldn't be pinned until you were bleeding) and Abyss finally scored a fall after Christian hauled ass up the ramp to go bang that interview chick. The Angle/Joe match was pretty heavy on story but turned out to be the match I first imagined they would have when Angle came in to TNA. Joe was throwing forearms and kicking hard and Angle was just totally eating them. Joe's chops seemed like they had some authority to them. Once the match started heating up, they both ended up blatanly abusing each other. The story focused on Kurt's wife, Karen, wanting a divorce and then sitting ringside with her new lover while sipping champagne. The finish saw a ref bump and Karen teasing to slide a chair into Joe. Swerve!!! She gives the chair to Kurt who ends up getting the win. All in all, the show didn't really have any notable matches, save for the Steiners/Team 3-D match, and is better than some recent offerings from WWE. I wouldn't rush out to Best Buy and grab it but it's good to have when there's nothing on TV. Thumbs up.
Friday, October 12, 2007
WWE No Mercy ’07
1. Triple H vs. Randy Orton – 6
2. Paul London, Jeff Hardy, and Brian Kendrick vs. Ken Kennedy, Lance Cade, and Trevor Murdoch – 5
3. CM Punk vs. Big Daddy V – 2
4. Triple H vs. Umaga – 5
5. Fit Finlay vs. Rey Mysterio – 5
6. Beth Phoenix vs. Candace Michelle – 4
7. Batista vs. Great Khali – Punjabi Prison Match – 4
8. Triple H vs. Randy Orton – Last Man Standing Match – 8
The show started with an impromptu title match that kept a quick pace and satisfied with a surprise finish. The crowd was really into it, and both guys’ performances exceeded expectations. The six-man tag was a lot of fun, with Kendrick playing the face in peril role fantastically, and his subsequent tag to London was great, as Paul was a man possessed. It got kind of sloppy towards the end, but was still solidly entertaining throughout. Punk and Big Daddy only went about two minutes before it was prematurely ended due to interference. Punk whiffed a kick pretty badly, but I was excited to see these conflicting styles together, and was pretty disappointed by this. Umaga and Triple H didn’t work as aggressively as the opener, but the transitions between sequences as well as most the other stuff was moderately good. It didn’t compel much emotion, but wasn’t necessarily a letdown either.
Finlay and Rey was a real treat while it lasted. Rey was working quicker than he has in a long time, and actually took it to the brute Finlay. They did a stretcher angle, though, which kind of killed the match’s momentum. Hopefully this isn’t the last match we’ll see between the two. Beth and Candace worked a fairly competent match, my only real complaint being Candace needing to toughen up, as a lot of her strikes looked real awful. Batista and Khali, while not great, was a big improvement over the former Punjabi Prison match between Big Show and Undertaker. In the first, the guys wrestling seemed as confused as the audience, and it was a gigantic mess of epic proportions. You knew going into it how limited Khali is, and while slowly but surely, Batista is gaining more confidence in being a ring general, he’s still in no condition to carry Khali to anything remotely memorable. The finish was kind of hokey, with it basically being a race to escape, but I’m glad it didn’t stretch on any longer. The main event was fantastic, just a brilliantly designed and executed match, with a lot of great back-and-forth stuff, irrefutable psychology, and Orton going over huge in the end. This, in my opinion, was the best Triple H has looked since his Last Man Standing match with Shawn Michaels back at Royal Rumble ’04.
2. Paul London, Jeff Hardy, and Brian Kendrick vs. Ken Kennedy, Lance Cade, and Trevor Murdoch – 5
3. CM Punk vs. Big Daddy V – 2
4. Triple H vs. Umaga – 5
5. Fit Finlay vs. Rey Mysterio – 5
6. Beth Phoenix vs. Candace Michelle – 4
7. Batista vs. Great Khali – Punjabi Prison Match – 4
8. Triple H vs. Randy Orton – Last Man Standing Match – 8
The show started with an impromptu title match that kept a quick pace and satisfied with a surprise finish. The crowd was really into it, and both guys’ performances exceeded expectations. The six-man tag was a lot of fun, with Kendrick playing the face in peril role fantastically, and his subsequent tag to London was great, as Paul was a man possessed. It got kind of sloppy towards the end, but was still solidly entertaining throughout. Punk and Big Daddy only went about two minutes before it was prematurely ended due to interference. Punk whiffed a kick pretty badly, but I was excited to see these conflicting styles together, and was pretty disappointed by this. Umaga and Triple H didn’t work as aggressively as the opener, but the transitions between sequences as well as most the other stuff was moderately good. It didn’t compel much emotion, but wasn’t necessarily a letdown either.
Finlay and Rey was a real treat while it lasted. Rey was working quicker than he has in a long time, and actually took it to the brute Finlay. They did a stretcher angle, though, which kind of killed the match’s momentum. Hopefully this isn’t the last match we’ll see between the two. Beth and Candace worked a fairly competent match, my only real complaint being Candace needing to toughen up, as a lot of her strikes looked real awful. Batista and Khali, while not great, was a big improvement over the former Punjabi Prison match between Big Show and Undertaker. In the first, the guys wrestling seemed as confused as the audience, and it was a gigantic mess of epic proportions. You knew going into it how limited Khali is, and while slowly but surely, Batista is gaining more confidence in being a ring general, he’s still in no condition to carry Khali to anything remotely memorable. The finish was kind of hokey, with it basically being a race to escape, but I’m glad it didn’t stretch on any longer. The main event was fantastic, just a brilliantly designed and executed match, with a lot of great back-and-forth stuff, irrefutable psychology, and Orton going over huge in the end. This, in my opinion, was the best Triple H has looked since his Last Man Standing match with Shawn Michaels back at Royal Rumble ’04.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
WWF Saturday Night's Main Event - 10/5/85
1) Hulk Hogan vs. Nikolai Volkoff - 5
2) Uncle Elmer vs. Jerry Valiant - 0
3) Rowdy Roddy Piper vs. Paul Orndorff - 5
4) Andre the Giant & Tony Atlas vs. King Kong Bundy & Big John Studd - 4
5) Brutus Beefcake & Greg Valentine vs. Tony Garea & Leaping Lanny Poffo - 3
This card is backwards! Hogan shouldn't be opening the show! However, it was a lot more intense than I thought it would be. The highlight for me was Volkoff giving Hogan an atomic wedgie while executing a gorilla press slam. Elmer ate Jerry Valiant in about six seconds and spewed some incoherency with Okerlund afterward. Piper and Orndorff was a total brawl from bell to bell. Heenan was offering Piper some major dough to take out Orndorff.
The tag match with Andre was pretty basic as all four guys were pretty limited to the moves they could do. Bundy was actually the most agile of any of them. Hogan ran in at the end to set up the Hogan/Andre vs. Bundy/Studd match on the 11/2/85 SNME. The final tag match was for the tag titles and if anyone thought that Garea and Poffo were any threat to win the titles, then they should be hit in the head with a golf club.
This show also featured the infamous wedding of Uncle Elmer. This was a pretty interesting skit and Ventura was laughing every 30 seconds and Vince was trying to play it up as serious. Piper came out and interrupted by claiming the "whole damn wedding stinks". Afterwards, there was a hillbilly hoedown complete with pigs, hay, and a banjo band for a reception and an appearance by Tiny Tim. Overall, the Hogan match and the Piper match delivered more than expected and the wedding should be checked out if your curious.
2) Uncle Elmer vs. Jerry Valiant - 0
3) Rowdy Roddy Piper vs. Paul Orndorff - 5
4) Andre the Giant & Tony Atlas vs. King Kong Bundy & Big John Studd - 4
5) Brutus Beefcake & Greg Valentine vs. Tony Garea & Leaping Lanny Poffo - 3
This card is backwards! Hogan shouldn't be opening the show! However, it was a lot more intense than I thought it would be. The highlight for me was Volkoff giving Hogan an atomic wedgie while executing a gorilla press slam. Elmer ate Jerry Valiant in about six seconds and spewed some incoherency with Okerlund afterward. Piper and Orndorff was a total brawl from bell to bell. Heenan was offering Piper some major dough to take out Orndorff.
The tag match with Andre was pretty basic as all four guys were pretty limited to the moves they could do. Bundy was actually the most agile of any of them. Hogan ran in at the end to set up the Hogan/Andre vs. Bundy/Studd match on the 11/2/85 SNME. The final tag match was for the tag titles and if anyone thought that Garea and Poffo were any threat to win the titles, then they should be hit in the head with a golf club.
This show also featured the infamous wedding of Uncle Elmer. This was a pretty interesting skit and Ventura was laughing every 30 seconds and Vince was trying to play it up as serious. Piper came out and interrupted by claiming the "whole damn wedding stinks". Afterwards, there was a hillbilly hoedown complete with pigs, hay, and a banjo band for a reception and an appearance by Tiny Tim. Overall, the Hogan match and the Piper match delivered more than expected and the wedding should be checked out if your curious.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
El Hijo Del Santo vs. Atlantis – (CMLL 11/11/05) – 6
This has got all the great stuff you could hope for out of a colossal lucha main event. Two icons squaring off, and as a result we see masks get ripped, bumps on the entrance ramp, and suicide dives as they’re intended to be done. Don’t catch my drift on the suicide dives line? I mean that here, the dives are implemented as a last ditch effort to go kamikaze, putting yourself at risk, to try to hurt your opponent; as opposed to the current usage of the move, another in a soulless series of simplistic spots used to get brainwashed rubes to chant some word or phrase in repetition ad nausea. But, I digress – this match was the shit, and even though he’s got older and flabbier, Santo can still soar like an eagle, and I’ll be damned if Atlantis doesn’t get more heel heat than anyone on the WWE’s roster of the last 5 years.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
TNA Sacrifice 2007
1 Chris Sabin v. Jay Lethal v. Sonjay Dutt- 2
Since when did Sabin become a very unfunny comedy wrestler? These 3 guys, after the bell rung, let the fans settle and set up a very big match atmosphere, then Sabin made a stupid face and the joke started. All 3 guys would pick up the pace, then let it completely die down as they started their next sequence, but there were none good enough to even mention. This was like CSI: Miami, the ugly stepsister of CSI, all the worst shit i hate about what the X Division has become. At least we got a cameo of Stomper, the TNA mascot, a guy in a giant rat costume. I wish i was making that up.
2 Robert Roode v. Jeff Jarrett- 4
Jarrett's crowd brawls are so boring, like that book about the guy trying to kill a giant white whale, wasn't that about his own insecurity about his penis? anyways, both guys could throw a great strike and Jarrett took an unprotected bump on the outside. As per normal Jarrett, about a hundred weapons were used and much interference ensued. Does anyone else not remember this lame Jarrett comeback?
3 Christopher Daniels v. Rhino- 3
A mix of styles that didn't work, like Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson in that horrible bomb of a film. Rhino did a decent job of selling his hurt arm, until Daniels slipped him into the Koji Klutch, and Rhino pulled his arm, then put it back in so Daniels could transition into an armlock. The bat to the face finish was absolutely orgasmic though and probably reminded the Detroit native of the last fight he had with his wife.
4 Basham/ Damaja v. Kip James- 1
Damaja is the epitome of indy wrestler scum. He punches like a hedgehog with 2 inch arms and he sells like he's a fucking zombie. James tries to make something out of this but quickly loses interest when he spots an underage male prostitue in the front row. pitiful.
5 James Storm v. Chris Harris (Texas Death match) - 8
WOW! This was a blood feud, through and through. These guys were laying in punches like they were locked in a cage with 6 hungry tigers right from the start. The crowd brawl was typical TNA stuff, but once they got back in the ring, it was all on! You could see both men prematurely blade, but they beat the blood out of each other's heads regardless. The spear through the table off the apron was spot of the night and the emotion these two had on their faces makes you wonder a) why this was on half way through the show, and b) why either of these guys haven't gotten a chance to be a star. Kudos to both men.
6 Tiger Mask IV v. Jerry Lynn v. Alex Shelly v. Senshi- 5
This was a much better example of their X Division guys, as all 4 of them had a ring leader quality to them. Senshi held this together and all of his stuff looked spot on and top notch, even hard to aim kicks. Lynn put a lot of effort into it but he's just a tad slower than he used to be. Mask seemed like he was a little loopy from some sake or something, but still manged to hang in there.
7 Team 3-D v. LAX v. Scott Steiner/ Tomko- 3
G-D, this match deserved an even lower grade but these guys potated each other like they found out they all got AIDS from the same goat. Ouch! Anyways, Bubba was his usual miserable prick self and proved it by bullying Homicide around the whole match. He absolutely folded Steiner in a sick ass German and Steiner returned the favor with one of his own. Hernandez pulled off a crazy rope clearing tope later on. Everyone was on a different page, D-Von stumbled around the ring like Nick Nolte any day of the week, Tomko was in New Japan mode, just punching and kicking every one and Homicide was in Ring of Honor mode, trying to go from spot to spot with no pause in between. Did he see who he was wrestling? This was an utter disaster.
8 Samoa Joe v. AJ Styles- 5
These guys had much better matches 2 years ago. AJ bumped himself into a coma and Joe turned up his stiffness quite a bit, but damn it the crowd just didn't seem to care. They put together a decent match and you could tell the familiarity with each other paid off. They may be perfect career opponents for each other as you can tell they know exactly how to work each other. Given a better crowd and more middle stuff, this could have been really good.
9 Christian Cage v. Kurt Angle v. Sting- 4
10 minutes for a World Title Match? Christian was like this He-Man punching bag i had as a kid, he just got knocked about the whole time back and forth. Sting took control for most of it and Angle was booked way too strong as he pummeled both men way too much. Sting took a pretty rough Angle slam out on the aisleway as Christian just played Silent Bob to Angle's Jay. The ending was pretty contrived and i didn't buy Sting tapping out to the anklelock so quickly.
Since when did Sabin become a very unfunny comedy wrestler? These 3 guys, after the bell rung, let the fans settle and set up a very big match atmosphere, then Sabin made a stupid face and the joke started. All 3 guys would pick up the pace, then let it completely die down as they started their next sequence, but there were none good enough to even mention. This was like CSI: Miami, the ugly stepsister of CSI, all the worst shit i hate about what the X Division has become. At least we got a cameo of Stomper, the TNA mascot, a guy in a giant rat costume. I wish i was making that up.
2 Robert Roode v. Jeff Jarrett- 4
Jarrett's crowd brawls are so boring, like that book about the guy trying to kill a giant white whale, wasn't that about his own insecurity about his penis? anyways, both guys could throw a great strike and Jarrett took an unprotected bump on the outside. As per normal Jarrett, about a hundred weapons were used and much interference ensued. Does anyone else not remember this lame Jarrett comeback?
3 Christopher Daniels v. Rhino- 3
A mix of styles that didn't work, like Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson in that horrible bomb of a film. Rhino did a decent job of selling his hurt arm, until Daniels slipped him into the Koji Klutch, and Rhino pulled his arm, then put it back in so Daniels could transition into an armlock. The bat to the face finish was absolutely orgasmic though and probably reminded the Detroit native of the last fight he had with his wife.
4 Basham/ Damaja v. Kip James- 1
Damaja is the epitome of indy wrestler scum. He punches like a hedgehog with 2 inch arms and he sells like he's a fucking zombie. James tries to make something out of this but quickly loses interest when he spots an underage male prostitue in the front row. pitiful.
5 James Storm v. Chris Harris (Texas Death match) - 8
WOW! This was a blood feud, through and through. These guys were laying in punches like they were locked in a cage with 6 hungry tigers right from the start. The crowd brawl was typical TNA stuff, but once they got back in the ring, it was all on! You could see both men prematurely blade, but they beat the blood out of each other's heads regardless. The spear through the table off the apron was spot of the night and the emotion these two had on their faces makes you wonder a) why this was on half way through the show, and b) why either of these guys haven't gotten a chance to be a star. Kudos to both men.
6 Tiger Mask IV v. Jerry Lynn v. Alex Shelly v. Senshi- 5
This was a much better example of their X Division guys, as all 4 of them had a ring leader quality to them. Senshi held this together and all of his stuff looked spot on and top notch, even hard to aim kicks. Lynn put a lot of effort into it but he's just a tad slower than he used to be. Mask seemed like he was a little loopy from some sake or something, but still manged to hang in there.
7 Team 3-D v. LAX v. Scott Steiner/ Tomko- 3
G-D, this match deserved an even lower grade but these guys potated each other like they found out they all got AIDS from the same goat. Ouch! Anyways, Bubba was his usual miserable prick self and proved it by bullying Homicide around the whole match. He absolutely folded Steiner in a sick ass German and Steiner returned the favor with one of his own. Hernandez pulled off a crazy rope clearing tope later on. Everyone was on a different page, D-Von stumbled around the ring like Nick Nolte any day of the week, Tomko was in New Japan mode, just punching and kicking every one and Homicide was in Ring of Honor mode, trying to go from spot to spot with no pause in between. Did he see who he was wrestling? This was an utter disaster.
8 Samoa Joe v. AJ Styles- 5
These guys had much better matches 2 years ago. AJ bumped himself into a coma and Joe turned up his stiffness quite a bit, but damn it the crowd just didn't seem to care. They put together a decent match and you could tell the familiarity with each other paid off. They may be perfect career opponents for each other as you can tell they know exactly how to work each other. Given a better crowd and more middle stuff, this could have been really good.
9 Christian Cage v. Kurt Angle v. Sting- 4
10 minutes for a World Title Match? Christian was like this He-Man punching bag i had as a kid, he just got knocked about the whole time back and forth. Sting took control for most of it and Angle was booked way too strong as he pummeled both men way too much. Sting took a pretty rough Angle slam out on the aisleway as Christian just played Silent Bob to Angle's Jay. The ending was pretty contrived and i didn't buy Sting tapping out to the anklelock so quickly.
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