Okay, from what I know about PWG (Pro. Wrestling. Guerilla) they are an Indy fed with a loyal following of fans that runs out of Southern California using a lot of big indy names from ROH, such as AJ, Joe, Punk, Danielson and others. This is a set comprising their best matches through their short history. They are also known to give ridiculous names to all of their shows as a way of keeping the mood light and you feel some of that in the work, that PWG is a very relaxed atmosphere but takes itself as seriously as anyone else. The DVD has good quality and is hosted by some masked joker named Excalibur who looks as tough as Screech.
Now the feel of the matches: the crowds are very small, probably not even 100 people at most shows and the arenas they work in can hardly be called anything close to even a small local armory, more like badly funded high school auditoriums without a drama department. But, you are in close with the action, I'm talking very close- they're are cameraguys on the apron getting you as near the action as possible- it's the closest thing I've experienced on home video that makes you feel like your at the show or even in the ring. Now, of course there's some shitty amateur stuff like seeing the camera man's hand on the ropes or cutting heads out of shots but that's the expectations for a production like this. It's a great way to watch your wrestling- you can see so many little things that you were never able to before. Before the DVD starts, you have an option of listening to the "hilarious and sometimes controversial" commentary by hitting a button; folks, i gave it a listen and I wasn't impressed, so I turned it off and left the ring mic on. It is so much more engrossing to get all the sounds of the ring, the audience and the workers during the matches than to hear two shmucks who think they are the wittiest two dudes making less than $8,000 a year you've ever met. Plus turning the commentators on lessens all the sounds from the matches and that's no good. With that all being said, let's get to the work:
1) Bryan Danielson v. Samoa Joe (The Musical- 04/17/04)- 8
okay the facts are that these are two of the most exciting stars in the world today, and even back in '04. They put on a match like they're at Wrestlemania, both guys laying in their strikes the whole match and with you being up so close you hear the smack or sting and you see the welt. Joe doesn't sell any strike for more than 1 second and you see that too. They have some fun in there, mocking the show name by doing some West Side Story finger snapping.....or were they mocking that Royal Rumble commercial? Anyways, the ground work is all very stellar as well with close ups on both guys just pulling for all their worth on their holds. They do some stuff in the crowd, where it's pretty much like request hour on a lame radio station as Danielson climbs into the dirty stadium seating chair and the fans immediately chant "Ole,ole, ole, ole!" So, Joe switches up from the brawling and hits one of his more famous spots....twice per request.
The pace is really great too because it's not a million miles aminute, take every move in the book don't get hurt at all ROH uses too much, this one was real slow, but it succeeded admirably from the care and time taken to build this into a cool match. Even the usual scientific spots leading into close submissions or near falls were carefully constructed as not to rush through anything- almost like reading a book line by line, word for word several times over to make a great page last longer. The match went to a 30 minute draw and the fans demanded a 5 min. overtime but they did some stupid angle where Ricky Reyes helped Joe beat down Dragon for a moment, cementing the fact that actual wrestling is far more entertaining than some stupid storyline that some geek who watches every Highspot shoot can come up with.
2) Super Dragon v. CM Punk (The Reason for the Season- 07/10/04)- 5
This looks more like a traditional indy show, bad lighting in a darkened building, like putting on a show inside of a cave. You immediately can tell that Punk and Dragon don't hit near as hard as Joe & Danielson, especially after seeing some of Punk's stomps which looked more like Tiny Tim tiptoeing through the tulips. This match features a ton of boring ground work, and Dragon doesn't impress me at all. Punk is funny making great comments through the match, like after backdropping Dragon, who's a little portly, screams "Oh, you fat mother fucker!" and clutches his back. The match kicks into another gear in the final act though, and congrats for it. Dragon starts hitting diff. variations on the Michinoku Driver and they're sinister- Punk completely being folded up like your after shower towel. One of these gets the win for Dragon in a mostly underwhelming match that had a great finish.
3) Adam Pearce v. Kazarian (Steel Cage Match-The Reason for the Season- 07/10/04)- 2
Pearce begins with a Shane Douglas-esque tirade in the aisleway, throwing out every profanity in the book to little or no reaction. Kaz comes out and chases him around the ring which is very reminiscent to a Benny Hill skit. There's a crowd brawl for the first 10 minutes or so that goes everywhere, including outside into a Uhaul truck, but we don't really see any of it due to the cameraman lagging behind the crowd. This already flawed match turns into a scene from Cloverfield with shaky camera movements and people's backs clogging up my TV screen. Actually, my mind was just on wanting to see this chump's face, as he palms people's backs saying, "camera guy, get out of the way." He's so lost during the outside brawl, he actually walks away from where the action is to shoot a garbage can commenting to someone in the crowd, "can't see shit." Aren't you getting paid for this, you fucking amateur? Anyways, back to the match: Pearce gets cut behind the ear during the melee and they meander back towards the ring. Now, the cage: You have several guys around ringside holding it in place because every time you hit the cage, it moves and goes past the ring. Did I mention it's held together with large, industrial zip ties? Yeah, that's right, you're in the fucking depths of Indy Wrestling Hell now. Pearce puts some fat douche in front of him so Kaz can't get in the cage, but he belts the tubby shit in the cocksucker in a moment that made me burst out in stunted laughter, causing my nine month old daughter to begin laughing as well. Crap, we gave Pearce what he wanted: a reaction.
The in ring stuff didn't impress me at all. You had a bunch of elements that would seemingly work but here they just felt like overkill. You had a double massive blade job, long ground work periods that went nowhere, more Pearce cursing and some near falls near the end with less heat than the Abominable Snowman's nutsack. In one of the goofiest spots of the match, Kaz attempts a Spanish fly on Pearce which looked sloppier than a Steak n' Shake waitress. You can only imagine Pearce's subsequent sell on the move. Kaz hit some good looking piledrivers near the end when Pearce was kicking out of everything, and I enjoyed those two moves more than anything else in this stinkhole combined.
4) Christopher Daniels v. Jack Evans (Free Admission (Just Kidding)- 11/10/04)- 4
This one was using crowd interaction a lot in the early stages. Evans was really playing up his 8-mile hip hop character by flipping out of snap mares and telling the crowd he "served Daniels." Daniels was getting a kick out of the antics but kept the wrestling on the mat for the first portion, seemingly making a choice not to go high risk at all. This would have fit into a ROH show midcard slot very well, with both guys doing what they do best fairly competently. Daniels kept a lot of it grounded, with Evans taking to the air quite a bit, including an outrageous 450 splash to the outside where he landed on Daniels feet first. Daniels hit a tilt a whirl backbreaker with 5 successions in a row without dropping Evans in a very impressive spot. Other than that, this was decent wrestling and the styles went together nicely but not a ton of crowd heat unless for a big spot and the finish was just kind of there.
5) Super Dragon v. Samoa Joe (All Nude Revue, 02/12/05)- 5
OH MY GOD!!!!! So I"m sitting here watching this Joe v. Dragon match and there it is: The sign I"ve been waiting for , the banner that read my soul like a tawdry novel, hanging majestically in the background of the arena (which was more like a corner of an arena tapered off): FRANK & SON CARDS & COLLECTIBLES SHOW! OMG! I don't know where it is, what the fuck it is, or how I get there but I need to be there when the doors open up and the smell of sweating fan boy drifts out. I need to stare at overpriced maquettes and sci-fi porn mags until my eyes bleed. I need to.....I need to review this match.
The crowd started out molten hot, just popping for every spot, including Dragon bum rushing Joe from the bell. I liked this match because Dragon wasn't the slow pansy he was against Punk, here he took it to Joe, belting him with forearms throughout the match, just cracking the big Samoan with them repeatedly in the jaw. The place they were in was well lit and aesthetically pleasing, yes, even Frank's big banner. Looking closer at the work, I saw Joe's facials a lot of times and they looked real fake to me, and he was breathing heavy from early on. Dragon setup a move at one point and forgot how to lock it in and just stood there, kind of working it out in his head. I think the strike exchanges were the star of this match, even though all the spots themselves were fine, the strikes from both men looked deadly and realistic. The end of the match was a real downer and hurt the score, they did one of those dumb countout finishes based off the first Rocky movie where Dragon makes it back in as Joe falls down at 20 (yeah, they do a 20 count here and in several of the matches they really play up the danger of being coutned out.) Then, another momma's boy in a red super dragon outfit comes out to pounce on the winded Asian fatty before being saved by nameless babyface.
OH, Frank end this madness and reveal thy location of thine eternal card & collectible show?!?! The suspense is killing me!
6) AJ Style v. Samoa Joe (All Star Weekend 4- Nov. 12, 2006)- 4
No doubt about it these two have had some classics in the past- this certainly wasn't one of them. The whole tone of this match was off, starting with the darkened arena; it felt like some shady convenient store where 2 aisles of halogens don't work. Anyways, AJ started off strong, i mean like Strong Guy strong, just picking up Joe left and right and giving him big power moves. This felt wasted, as that could have been a much better built up spot for later in the match. Then, they went to ground work for a good portion of this match, sprinkeled with some crowd brawling and outside dives, going into the finish which was a Styles Clash pinning Joe clean in the middle of the ring. A lot of things felt off here and this didn't deliver the strong type of match these two usually do.
7) AJ Styles v. James Gibson (Guitarmaggeddeon, June 11, 2005)- 6
Interesting clash of ring styles here while both men don't even crack the 6 foot height mark. Gibson, I believe, is one of the best scientific wrestlers of the new millenium, meaning the last 10 years. Just watch his methodical approach to this match, slowly turning and bending AJ in different ways, working and grinding against his legs and elbows and neck in a great display of puro technique. AJ did a little mat wrestling himself, but he realized he needed his high flying and high impact arsenal to throw off Gibson. AJ was definitley getting the best of the strikes, just blasting off forearms like Nolan Ryan pitches into Gibson's head and side of neck area. Their chemistry was on, as to be expected, and Noble's fluidity kept a lot of AJ's indy roots of wildness at bay. He didn't overly bump like a crazy man per usual here either, Gibson keeping him mostly on the ground so as not to go that route and it worked as an effective wrestler v. arielist type match. Styles Clash clean again and that's the match.
This was a disc of high's and low's. This mostly felt like an ROH show in dingier arenas and without half the fans. Some good matchups throughout (save the abysmal cage match) but nothing quite captured the spirit and raw feel of the Joe-Danielson match, and definitley not the impact of everything they did in it. PWG ain't bad though.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Performer Analysis: Mark Henry
Born Mark Gordon Henry on June 12, 1971 in Silsbee, Texas. His accomplishments include being the All time World raw Squat record holder (430 kilos), Silver Medalist in Pan-American Games in '92, Olympic team member in '92 & 96, Arnold Classic Strongman winner in 2002, former European champion and most recently, ECW World Champion. He drives a Hummer and has braided hair. His hero is Luke Cage.
1) Innovation- 1/10
World's Strongest Man is not a new concept, it's been done over and over again, and yes, even some of the men who played the character were legitimately "The Strongest Man in the World," as was Henry, yet that time was 14 years ago and I don't think that title fits him any more. His style isn't unique, nor is his character. The only thing interesting he has done that we've never seen before was impregnate an 80 year old woman.
2) Conditioning- 5/10
Henry's a big dude, obviously, with most of his body being comprised of fatty tissue. The guy actually isn't how I would describe overweight, he's just has a wide frame and there is a lot of solid muscle on there. Henry has always been just as big as he is now, and I've never heard of any usage of steroids or muscle enhancers, but he comes from the two sports most known for them which is pro wrestling & power lifting. I know he's a fan of comic books, so maybe that kind of thing isn't very useful to him. Henry's never had to go the distance in a match, maybe 15 minutes but that's his breaking point, as evidenced in Unforgiven 07 with Taker; he completely gassed out. But for his size, he is in good ring shape.
3) Skill- 4/10
When you're a bigger guy, you aren't able to physically do the things most normal sized athletes do in the ring. Henry has decent speed, decent enthusiasm in the ring, a good power-based move set that he can perform well, and that's as much as you could expect from someone. Even his sells are becoming better, giving himself more to a move than most of his career to make it look better. But other elements just aren't there, the facials, ring movement, being able to think on your feet if something goes wrong, it's very unusual for Henry to have a good match unless he's with someone who can work around him. I wonder if being in the same company for the last 12 years has anything to do with not being able to learn more outside the box?
4) Psychology- 4/10
Henry is improving on his selling, particularly with the body part (ex. leg) as evidenced by his recent outing with Matt Hardy. There' s a certain element of psych that comes with being a big man and that's when to go down or how much punishment to take. A lot of WWE big men use it sparingly, implementing it when the writing team gets a hair up their butts about wanting to make a monster and forgetting about it most of the other time. Henry is the same way, sometimes like in his recent run , being the monster you can't take down and earlier times in his career, being just like any other guy. It's not really his fault, but you don't see a lot of the work there. And Henry's face isn't made for much of anything, it's so scrunched up it's hard to get a read on him.
5) Interviews- 5/10
I think Henry is perfectly fine on the mic. He's been given opportunties. The Sexual Chocolate stuff was priceless and showed a lot of range. Even recently he has some unique splits to his personality, such as being a dominant force but still bowing out of matches when he feels like it and other times he can play off his strength and intimidation. He's had several managers throughout his career but I think he's okay without one.
6) Character- 4/10
Henry's mostly played the hulking brute who could just overpower people to a degree of the silent strong type, usually letting a manager speak for him. Pretty standard stuff, as far as heels go. He never really did anything out of the ordinary to garner any additional heat. His "Sexual Chocolate" run as both a face and heel showed Mark's fun loving personality and was probably his most vocal character which got a decent run until it was eventually turned into another bland heel character.
7) Fans- 4/10
As I keep reiterating, fans mostly cared when he was trying to woo the man-beast Chyna back in Attitude era days, by both semi-rooting the big man on and later chastising him for being a jerk and a man whore for old women. Most of his subsequent runs have all been heel and while he's a good guy to root for against an underdog, I think most fans are pretty blase on their hatred towards Henry.
8) Basics- 3/10
He's never really shown an penchant for the ring basics, as far as mat work- i think he can do a side headlock but it probably looks sloppy. He can throw a forearm that's for sure, but I'm not a fan of rope work either, as far as his run but he has a good rebound for a big guy. His bumps are getting better too.
9) Feuds/opponents- 3/10
Besides getting to take on most every big name in the last 8 or so years, Henry really hasn't had many big money programs to speak of. He has been embroiled in several feuds that had some mileage in them, such as Undertaker, D-lo Brown, Chyna, and most recently Matt Hardy. But none of them amounted to much, in the case of all but Matt, most of the feud was settled in badly executed matches and various vignettes.
10) Gutcheck- 6/10
Henry debuted over 12 years ago to not a lot of fanfare. He was immediately taken out of the active roster after his first match and given more training. But, here we are 12 years later and he is still employed with World Wrestling Entertainment. They obviously see something in him, whether it just be his size or talent, either way, he's had a 12 year run so far (more like 9 years, he has been absent a few) and he himself has kept on trucking along, and I think he has improved over the years as a performer. It's got to be hard to keep doing a job for that long when you know you're not great at it, but I think Henry has shown he's got the willingness to keep at it and has put forth a tremendous effort to improve, despite the public opinion about him.
Total Score: 39
Ranking: Jobber
PO: Thumbs Middle
1) Innovation- 1/10
World's Strongest Man is not a new concept, it's been done over and over again, and yes, even some of the men who played the character were legitimately "The Strongest Man in the World," as was Henry, yet that time was 14 years ago and I don't think that title fits him any more. His style isn't unique, nor is his character. The only thing interesting he has done that we've never seen before was impregnate an 80 year old woman.
2) Conditioning- 5/10
Henry's a big dude, obviously, with most of his body being comprised of fatty tissue. The guy actually isn't how I would describe overweight, he's just has a wide frame and there is a lot of solid muscle on there. Henry has always been just as big as he is now, and I've never heard of any usage of steroids or muscle enhancers, but he comes from the two sports most known for them which is pro wrestling & power lifting. I know he's a fan of comic books, so maybe that kind of thing isn't very useful to him. Henry's never had to go the distance in a match, maybe 15 minutes but that's his breaking point, as evidenced in Unforgiven 07 with Taker; he completely gassed out. But for his size, he is in good ring shape.
3) Skill- 4/10
When you're a bigger guy, you aren't able to physically do the things most normal sized athletes do in the ring. Henry has decent speed, decent enthusiasm in the ring, a good power-based move set that he can perform well, and that's as much as you could expect from someone. Even his sells are becoming better, giving himself more to a move than most of his career to make it look better. But other elements just aren't there, the facials, ring movement, being able to think on your feet if something goes wrong, it's very unusual for Henry to have a good match unless he's with someone who can work around him. I wonder if being in the same company for the last 12 years has anything to do with not being able to learn more outside the box?
4) Psychology- 4/10
Henry is improving on his selling, particularly with the body part (ex. leg) as evidenced by his recent outing with Matt Hardy. There' s a certain element of psych that comes with being a big man and that's when to go down or how much punishment to take. A lot of WWE big men use it sparingly, implementing it when the writing team gets a hair up their butts about wanting to make a monster and forgetting about it most of the other time. Henry is the same way, sometimes like in his recent run , being the monster you can't take down and earlier times in his career, being just like any other guy. It's not really his fault, but you don't see a lot of the work there. And Henry's face isn't made for much of anything, it's so scrunched up it's hard to get a read on him.
5) Interviews- 5/10
I think Henry is perfectly fine on the mic. He's been given opportunties. The Sexual Chocolate stuff was priceless and showed a lot of range. Even recently he has some unique splits to his personality, such as being a dominant force but still bowing out of matches when he feels like it and other times he can play off his strength and intimidation. He's had several managers throughout his career but I think he's okay without one.
6) Character- 4/10
Henry's mostly played the hulking brute who could just overpower people to a degree of the silent strong type, usually letting a manager speak for him. Pretty standard stuff, as far as heels go. He never really did anything out of the ordinary to garner any additional heat. His "Sexual Chocolate" run as both a face and heel showed Mark's fun loving personality and was probably his most vocal character which got a decent run until it was eventually turned into another bland heel character.
7) Fans- 4/10
As I keep reiterating, fans mostly cared when he was trying to woo the man-beast Chyna back in Attitude era days, by both semi-rooting the big man on and later chastising him for being a jerk and a man whore for old women. Most of his subsequent runs have all been heel and while he's a good guy to root for against an underdog, I think most fans are pretty blase on their hatred towards Henry.
8) Basics- 3/10
He's never really shown an penchant for the ring basics, as far as mat work- i think he can do a side headlock but it probably looks sloppy. He can throw a forearm that's for sure, but I'm not a fan of rope work either, as far as his run but he has a good rebound for a big guy. His bumps are getting better too.
9) Feuds/opponents- 3/10
Besides getting to take on most every big name in the last 8 or so years, Henry really hasn't had many big money programs to speak of. He has been embroiled in several feuds that had some mileage in them, such as Undertaker, D-lo Brown, Chyna, and most recently Matt Hardy. But none of them amounted to much, in the case of all but Matt, most of the feud was settled in badly executed matches and various vignettes.
10) Gutcheck- 6/10
Henry debuted over 12 years ago to not a lot of fanfare. He was immediately taken out of the active roster after his first match and given more training. But, here we are 12 years later and he is still employed with World Wrestling Entertainment. They obviously see something in him, whether it just be his size or talent, either way, he's had a 12 year run so far (more like 9 years, he has been absent a few) and he himself has kept on trucking along, and I think he has improved over the years as a performer. It's got to be hard to keep doing a job for that long when you know you're not great at it, but I think Henry has shown he's got the willingness to keep at it and has put forth a tremendous effort to improve, despite the public opinion about him.
Total Score: 39
Ranking: Jobber
PO: Thumbs Middle
Sunday, November 2, 2008
WWE Raw - 10/27/08
1. Kofi Kingston and CM Punk vs. Priceless - 6
2. Layla, Katie Lea, and Jillian Hall vs. Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, and Candace Michelle - 4
3. Rey Mysterio vs. Evan Bourne - 6
4. JBL and Chris Jericho vs. Batista and Shawn Michaels - 4
The first match of the two was a tag team encounter pitting the champions Priceless against the fan favorite upstarts Kofi and Punk. It also had a story built-in, as Punk was seeking retribution for Priceless’ involvement in jumping him at Judgment Day ’08, a result of which cost him his WWE championship. Kofi and Punk have a good dynamic, not sure how much mileage they’re planning on getting with them as a team, but the crowds are really reacting to them and they’re high energy which I think is a boost of adrenaline the tag division really needs. They gave the at least ten minutes, which is especially nice for TV, and it built up well. After taking a slew of Punk offense, Priceless were able to grasp control, doing old school heel tactics and clever things like quick, effective tags. Kofi got a hot tag to swing momentum back again, exploding all over the champs like he did the night previously after Cyber Sunday ’08 in a hotel room on several of the divas still adorned in their Halloween outfits from the night’s show. There were two sloppy spots, one, Kofi propelling Punk out of the ring onto Priceless, as CM was launched awkwardly and barely made it over with his crossbody splash; the second, a roll-up where Punk got away from Rhodes and Cody did this real big, over exaggerating, reaction of shock in response to realizing Punk was in tag range of Kofi, then there was a delayed reaction by Punk until he hopped over to make it. The ending segment really picked up again, with Punk destroying DiBiase in the corner, drilling Manu’s Samoan ass on the apron, then hitting the “Go to Sleep” on Ted in the middle of the ring, for the win and the titles which elicited a huge crowd eruption and a aftermath celebration from Kofi and Punk that seemed truly genuine and ecstatic.
The women’s match was fairly good stuff, for a short, throwaway TV bout. Candace started and looked surprisingly competent, even remembering to work the wrist after a roll-through spot, etc. Mickie, though, held it down for the most part for the faces and that’s fine with me. Kelly got in last and got the victory, it appears they’re building her up, presumably in time for WrestleMania and the big reveal she’ll be posing nude. Her tits are admittedly perky, or so Mike Knox told me over blueberry scones last week.
The Bourne versus Rey match was so tits. Rey’s facials were just transcendent, and they did a great mentor versus student, or more accurately, idol versus fanboy styled match. The fast-paced stuff was mostly spot-on and perfect. Rey’s stuff actually came off looking hurty, too, especially the seated senton he did off the apron onto Bourne on the floor that crushed Evan’s head. Rey did slip once doing a springboard, but Bourne capitalized quickly, which was the best and most believable response. Rey got the win in the end, continuing an Evan roll-through until Mysterio held dominate position and kept it just long enough to get the three count. I really dug this, hope to see them work each other again on a bigger stage later down the line.
The main event was kind of a letdown. Shawn didn’t even show up until the last minute, as he was beat down in the back pre-match, in what was actually a fun segment, as JBL just pounded Shawn’s leathery, deceitful, old ass including destroying a fluorescent lighting grid with Michaels’s skull. The opening stretch with Batista dominating the heels was fun, but when we returned from break gears had shifted and the heels were wearing down big Dave in a slow, plodding, and directionless bit just eating time until Michaels hobbled down. I didn’t mind Batista, the new champion, pinning JBL clean, but did find it odd besides a sloppy Thesz press and three punches that didn’t connect, Michaels didn’t really do anything to get revenge on JBL, even when Bradshaw was lying motionless on the mat after the match.
Overall, workrate wise about as good as Raw gets these days, and I enjoyed the bulk of it. The promos, including an incredibly dry in-ring with Michael Cole and Batista, were mostly ass. Goldust in high-definition is a real fucked up experience.
2. Layla, Katie Lea, and Jillian Hall vs. Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, and Candace Michelle - 4
3. Rey Mysterio vs. Evan Bourne - 6
4. JBL and Chris Jericho vs. Batista and Shawn Michaels - 4
The first match of the two was a tag team encounter pitting the champions Priceless against the fan favorite upstarts Kofi and Punk. It also had a story built-in, as Punk was seeking retribution for Priceless’ involvement in jumping him at Judgment Day ’08, a result of which cost him his WWE championship. Kofi and Punk have a good dynamic, not sure how much mileage they’re planning on getting with them as a team, but the crowds are really reacting to them and they’re high energy which I think is a boost of adrenaline the tag division really needs. They gave the at least ten minutes, which is especially nice for TV, and it built up well. After taking a slew of Punk offense, Priceless were able to grasp control, doing old school heel tactics and clever things like quick, effective tags. Kofi got a hot tag to swing momentum back again, exploding all over the champs like he did the night previously after Cyber Sunday ’08 in a hotel room on several of the divas still adorned in their Halloween outfits from the night’s show. There were two sloppy spots, one, Kofi propelling Punk out of the ring onto Priceless, as CM was launched awkwardly and barely made it over with his crossbody splash; the second, a roll-up where Punk got away from Rhodes and Cody did this real big, over exaggerating, reaction of shock in response to realizing Punk was in tag range of Kofi, then there was a delayed reaction by Punk until he hopped over to make it. The ending segment really picked up again, with Punk destroying DiBiase in the corner, drilling Manu’s Samoan ass on the apron, then hitting the “Go to Sleep” on Ted in the middle of the ring, for the win and the titles which elicited a huge crowd eruption and a aftermath celebration from Kofi and Punk that seemed truly genuine and ecstatic.
The women’s match was fairly good stuff, for a short, throwaway TV bout. Candace started and looked surprisingly competent, even remembering to work the wrist after a roll-through spot, etc. Mickie, though, held it down for the most part for the faces and that’s fine with me. Kelly got in last and got the victory, it appears they’re building her up, presumably in time for WrestleMania and the big reveal she’ll be posing nude. Her tits are admittedly perky, or so Mike Knox told me over blueberry scones last week.
The Bourne versus Rey match was so tits. Rey’s facials were just transcendent, and they did a great mentor versus student, or more accurately, idol versus fanboy styled match. The fast-paced stuff was mostly spot-on and perfect. Rey’s stuff actually came off looking hurty, too, especially the seated senton he did off the apron onto Bourne on the floor that crushed Evan’s head. Rey did slip once doing a springboard, but Bourne capitalized quickly, which was the best and most believable response. Rey got the win in the end, continuing an Evan roll-through until Mysterio held dominate position and kept it just long enough to get the three count. I really dug this, hope to see them work each other again on a bigger stage later down the line.
The main event was kind of a letdown. Shawn didn’t even show up until the last minute, as he was beat down in the back pre-match, in what was actually a fun segment, as JBL just pounded Shawn’s leathery, deceitful, old ass including destroying a fluorescent lighting grid with Michaels’s skull. The opening stretch with Batista dominating the heels was fun, but when we returned from break gears had shifted and the heels were wearing down big Dave in a slow, plodding, and directionless bit just eating time until Michaels hobbled down. I didn’t mind Batista, the new champion, pinning JBL clean, but did find it odd besides a sloppy Thesz press and three punches that didn’t connect, Michaels didn’t really do anything to get revenge on JBL, even when Bradshaw was lying motionless on the mat after the match.
Overall, workrate wise about as good as Raw gets these days, and I enjoyed the bulk of it. The promos, including an incredibly dry in-ring with Michael Cole and Batista, were mostly ass. Goldust in high-definition is a real fucked up experience.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
NWA Cincinnati Handheld - Sept. 1986
1) Baron Von Raschke & Ivan Koloff vs. Mando & Hector Guerrero – 4
2) Wahoo McDaniel vs. Jimmy Garvin – 2
3) Ric Flair vs. Ronnie Garvin – 7
4) Arn Anderson vs. Dusty Rhodes (Steel Cage Match) - 3
5) Magnum T.A. vs. Nikita Koloff (Steel Cage Match) – 6
I’m not really one for fan-cams or handhelds of shows, mainly because you pick up a lot of verbage from the clowns filming the show, and the picture is often shaky. This is a handheld video of an NWA live event from the Cincinnati Gardens in 1986. I did notice two aisleways, one for faces and the other for heels. Not to mention, the matches are edited, like someone had only put in the good parts, which really detracted from the ebb and flow of everything. I wanted to review this tape beacuse it's not everyday you get to check out the action from a show that took place 40 minutes down the road from 20 years ago.
The antics of Von Rashcke and Koloff in the first match really didn’t intrigue me much. The Baron’s limited offense and Koloff’s over-selling were the big notes for me. On the other side, the Guerreros were working fast and hard like the evil foreign bastards pissed in their cocaine. Their fast-moving offense was really tits, mainly because it was ’86 and high flying hadn’t been run in the ground. Wahoo and Garvin was total garbage. Garvin was stalling like a used clunker on the highway. Wahoo’s chops were on the money, probably because he got tired of Garvin’s shit. Garvin bailed and Wahoo was declared the victor via count-out. Next, please.Flair and Ronnie Garvin absolutely tore down the house. Garvin came in with a taped fist for some reason. The ref removed the tape and Garvin was doing a great job of selling the injured hand after a set of chops. Flair’s selling was awesome as usual and the crowd was absolutely on fire for Garvin. Flair bled after some hard shots, which I give him kudos for doing on a live event. The match ended in a double count-out but was a load of fun and, as usual, a Flair/Garvin match didn’t disappoint. I would’ve like to have seen the match in its entirety as it was edited to about 20 minutes.
Arn and Dusty was about ten minutes long and there wasn’t really anything to note of, aside of Dusty’s bleeding. Those damn, dirty Russians ran in (wait, a run-in in a cage match?) and the brawl manifested into the Magnum/Nikita match, which was totally hot. These two absolutely destroyed each other by ramming themselves into the cage and slugging it out. There was blood, the crowd was hot, and I was totally glued to the action. They beat each other so bad that the ref said that the first man to his feet was the winner. This was filled with drama as Nikita almost made it, then fell, and then Magnum barely made it to win the bout. Overall, there was some interesting stuff presented but nothing I would go hunting for.
2) Wahoo McDaniel vs. Jimmy Garvin – 2
3) Ric Flair vs. Ronnie Garvin – 7
4) Arn Anderson vs. Dusty Rhodes (Steel Cage Match) - 3
5) Magnum T.A. vs. Nikita Koloff (Steel Cage Match) – 6
I’m not really one for fan-cams or handhelds of shows, mainly because you pick up a lot of verbage from the clowns filming the show, and the picture is often shaky. This is a handheld video of an NWA live event from the Cincinnati Gardens in 1986. I did notice two aisleways, one for faces and the other for heels. Not to mention, the matches are edited, like someone had only put in the good parts, which really detracted from the ebb and flow of everything. I wanted to review this tape beacuse it's not everyday you get to check out the action from a show that took place 40 minutes down the road from 20 years ago.
The antics of Von Rashcke and Koloff in the first match really didn’t intrigue me much. The Baron’s limited offense and Koloff’s over-selling were the big notes for me. On the other side, the Guerreros were working fast and hard like the evil foreign bastards pissed in their cocaine. Their fast-moving offense was really tits, mainly because it was ’86 and high flying hadn’t been run in the ground. Wahoo and Garvin was total garbage. Garvin was stalling like a used clunker on the highway. Wahoo’s chops were on the money, probably because he got tired of Garvin’s shit. Garvin bailed and Wahoo was declared the victor via count-out. Next, please.Flair and Ronnie Garvin absolutely tore down the house. Garvin came in with a taped fist for some reason. The ref removed the tape and Garvin was doing a great job of selling the injured hand after a set of chops. Flair’s selling was awesome as usual and the crowd was absolutely on fire for Garvin. Flair bled after some hard shots, which I give him kudos for doing on a live event. The match ended in a double count-out but was a load of fun and, as usual, a Flair/Garvin match didn’t disappoint. I would’ve like to have seen the match in its entirety as it was edited to about 20 minutes.
Arn and Dusty was about ten minutes long and there wasn’t really anything to note of, aside of Dusty’s bleeding. Those damn, dirty Russians ran in (wait, a run-in in a cage match?) and the brawl manifested into the Magnum/Nikita match, which was totally hot. These two absolutely destroyed each other by ramming themselves into the cage and slugging it out. There was blood, the crowd was hot, and I was totally glued to the action. They beat each other so bad that the ref said that the first man to his feet was the winner. This was filled with drama as Nikita almost made it, then fell, and then Magnum barely made it to win the bout. Overall, there was some interesting stuff presented but nothing I would go hunting for.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
WWF/ SWS Super Wrestle 91
Tokyo Dome; Tokyo, Japan
12/12/91
1) Masa Funaki v. Jerry Flynn- 3
Okay, Funaki looks like a killer (no, not Ichi) except for the pink do rag on his head. I swear Jerry Flynn played a goon in an 80's Schwarzenegger flick- his mullet is almost touching his ass. Oh, shit yea, this is going to be a "worked shoot", for those of you who don't know this is basically a UFC contest worked in the confines of wrestling logic where the winner is already pre-determined but they let the participants build the match. This one didn't go long but had a good story of Funaki just schooling Flynn on takedowns and completely controlling him on the mat. Flynn was known for his kicks, which one errantly caught Funaki in the eye and put him down, but not for long. Armbar submission and we out!
2) Ultimo Dragon v. Jerry Estrada- 5
Dragon comes out wearing one of the most foolish looking head dresses ever captured on camera- it's so damn big and lopsided he has to hold it on with two hands. Estrada is apparently Mexico's answer to Alice Cooper working out to the Oldies. This is worked Lucha style for the first few minutes but both men are green here, Estrada flubbing some simple arm drags and Dragon falling off the turnbuckle as he was trying to do his headstand; it was one of those pitiful but sad moments as he lay on the outside, looking stupider than Vince with his pants down and just puts his head onto the mat and feels sorry for himself. He definitley makes up for it in the remainder of the match, pulling off spectacular high flying moves, including an Asai moonsault that takes both men 3 rows deep in the crowd in an amazing spot. Dragon gets the win with the ultra-acrobatic German suplex with rolling cradle into a bridge.
3) Haku/ Yoshiaki Yatsu v. Davey Boy Smith/ Ashura Hara- 4
We got the intros here, but I think they may have jumped into the match a bit here as well, because Hara and Yatsu were sucking wind like they had been on the treadmill with the steep incline. Both guys threw some effective strikes though. There was a good sequence where Haku and Yatsu were both delivering bone crunching backbreakers and piledrivers to Davey. You could tell the WWF guys were put in as the young stallions to carry the old horses who should be taken behind the barn and shot. Still, a decent way to spend 8 minutes.
4) George & Shunji Takano v. The Rockers (joined in progess)- 3
Not sure if these guys are related but they looked nothing alike and neither one were really very good hands in the ring. This was definitley under way but not sure how long. Pretty bad stuff here, a lot of people jockeying for position, some no selling from both teams, particularly one part where Michaels had just tagged in and would not go with something, then lured the big one into their corner driving hard knees into the stomach. Marty looked real uncomfortable controlling a 6 foot Japanese guy who didn't like him. Jannetty hit a pretty cool superkick at one point but that's the highlight, they were running the Rockers breakup angle at this time so ole' HBK got to do some bad dramatic acting after the match. They left seperate but most assuredly found each other later on at a transvestite's coke party.
5) Kerry Von Erich v. Ted Dibiase- 5
God Von Erich looked like he had just left a clambake and he was the clam. He looked like he was using an Easy Bake Oven and he was the tasteless brownie you get at the end. He looked so disoriented but got a pop. Dibiase turned into Larry Z here with the stalling but all of his offense was really good, punches, chops, suplexes. Damn it I hate Kerry's bumps here, delayed protected shit that doesn't work at this level unless you're sixty years old. I do like he keeps teasing the claw on Dibiase, causing him to take a powder. Teddy gets all IWA Japan on the future suicidalist and throws his ass into the crowd for a quick beatdown with some chairs. Sherri takes the claw and Dibiase hits a DDT that even the high, embarrassingly lumpy, shriveled dick Jake Roberts of today would be ashamed of and that's it.
6) Rick Martel v. Naoki Sano (WWF/SWS Junior Title Match)- 6
Martel was fucking awesome here coming out from the entrance like royalty, brushing imaginary dust off of his spiffy ring jacket. Sano i recently discovered in his brutal affairs with Jushin Liger, here he slips on some gold confetti on the ground on his way to the ring and can't seem to let it go. I'd love to have the history of this Title on a disc somewhere. As soon as they get in the ring, Martel's pomp and circumstance turn into Baiscs 101 as he is snapping off armdrags and headlocks like nobody's business, lightning quick too. He came to rassle and he looked better here than in 6 years of the WWF characterized bullshit. Martel just dominating with tons of great offense, Sano only had the advantage in power and highflying, which he compresses Martels' chest with a front flip from the top rope to the outside at one point. We never see the Boston Crab but a lot of other back work from Martel who's hair, incidently, never moves an inch it's so geled down. Sano gets the surprising win with a German suplex thrown the way it was meant to be, sixty miles an hour and higher than Von Erich was earlier. Martel looks genuinely shocked as his head gets jammed into his chest. Very fun match.
7) Ishinriki v. Yoshiaki Fujiwara- 5
I think this is some kind of teacher v. cocky student match, lots of feeling out, Ishinriki does a ton of palm strikes and slaps but i found most of them quite pussy. Fujiwara doesn't sell much either but he's not quite the walking dead yet, as he knocks his opponent outside then runs the ropes as if he will hit a plancha, then stops and gives a sly grin in a funny moment. You old Jap Codger you! You got 'em on that one! He is probably still telling stories of that spot. He only sinks the famous armbar in once but quick escape to the ropes. The veteran ultimately wins with a nifty bow and arrow move; this match had a great story and it's almost recommendable except both guys can't really do much.
8) Legion of Doom v. Natural Disasters (WWF Tag Title Match) - 4
LOD come out to "Iron Man" and are real favorites here in Japan. I'm not sure if Disasters just don't lay their stuff in or not but both of them were going real easy on the strikes here. They really needed to exert their authority and drop a big fatty forearm down on these guys instead of just nice and easy strikes. Quake did get a little rowdy at one point dropping Hawk through a ringside table which he sold like he was going down a waterslide. The match was slow paced and pretty disorganized until the last sequence where LOD made their comeback and wrecked shop on their heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy........heavy opponents.
ps. hey brian, didn't you meet typhoon at a meijers store years ago, wearing some heinous threads?
9) Genichiro Tenryu v. Hulk Hogan- 6
Crowd reactions here were worth the price of admission. Don't let anyone ever tell you a man can't be a badass with a perm because Tenryu is the balls. Hulk looked motivated and started the match out with the quickest transition into a cross arm breaker I think i've ever seen. Hulk's ground work actually looked quite superb in most of this except his chinlock which looked more like he was holding the guts of a pumpkin before depositing them down his ex-wife Linda's pants. Tenryu didn't like getting schooled so he erupted with a thunderous chop across Hulk's chest that he didn't like too much. We got several more throughout the match and obviously Tenryu could have cared less how many shitty movies Hulk had made in the US and how much merch he pushed; millionaire or no millionaire, you better be able to work! Some great strong style clotheslines, weak enzugiri's (from both men; Hogan's looked like a senior citizen jumping out of a plane) and a folding powerbomb to Hulk were the highlights during most of the middle. Hulk adapted well and the crowd sounded torn a lot of times and really turned it up in the later stages of the match with hard right hands and a near decapitation of Tenryu's head with a lariat that would make JBL revert back to childhood, pissing his pants and collecting Cabbage Patch Dolls. Hogan followed up with a lousy head kick to win after that lariat and both men hugged after the brutal match. In a side note, Tenryu kicked out of 2 legdrops at a time when no one kicked out of Hogan's finish. Pretty impressive stuff.
2 recommendable matches, the rest is all decent with no match really getting the time it needed to properly have a classic, except the main.
12/12/91
1) Masa Funaki v. Jerry Flynn- 3
Okay, Funaki looks like a killer (no, not Ichi) except for the pink do rag on his head. I swear Jerry Flynn played a goon in an 80's Schwarzenegger flick- his mullet is almost touching his ass. Oh, shit yea, this is going to be a "worked shoot", for those of you who don't know this is basically a UFC contest worked in the confines of wrestling logic where the winner is already pre-determined but they let the participants build the match. This one didn't go long but had a good story of Funaki just schooling Flynn on takedowns and completely controlling him on the mat. Flynn was known for his kicks, which one errantly caught Funaki in the eye and put him down, but not for long. Armbar submission and we out!
2) Ultimo Dragon v. Jerry Estrada- 5
Dragon comes out wearing one of the most foolish looking head dresses ever captured on camera- it's so damn big and lopsided he has to hold it on with two hands. Estrada is apparently Mexico's answer to Alice Cooper working out to the Oldies. This is worked Lucha style for the first few minutes but both men are green here, Estrada flubbing some simple arm drags and Dragon falling off the turnbuckle as he was trying to do his headstand; it was one of those pitiful but sad moments as he lay on the outside, looking stupider than Vince with his pants down and just puts his head onto the mat and feels sorry for himself. He definitley makes up for it in the remainder of the match, pulling off spectacular high flying moves, including an Asai moonsault that takes both men 3 rows deep in the crowd in an amazing spot. Dragon gets the win with the ultra-acrobatic German suplex with rolling cradle into a bridge.
3) Haku/ Yoshiaki Yatsu v. Davey Boy Smith/ Ashura Hara- 4
We got the intros here, but I think they may have jumped into the match a bit here as well, because Hara and Yatsu were sucking wind like they had been on the treadmill with the steep incline. Both guys threw some effective strikes though. There was a good sequence where Haku and Yatsu were both delivering bone crunching backbreakers and piledrivers to Davey. You could tell the WWF guys were put in as the young stallions to carry the old horses who should be taken behind the barn and shot. Still, a decent way to spend 8 minutes.
4) George & Shunji Takano v. The Rockers (joined in progess)- 3
Not sure if these guys are related but they looked nothing alike and neither one were really very good hands in the ring. This was definitley under way but not sure how long. Pretty bad stuff here, a lot of people jockeying for position, some no selling from both teams, particularly one part where Michaels had just tagged in and would not go with something, then lured the big one into their corner driving hard knees into the stomach. Marty looked real uncomfortable controlling a 6 foot Japanese guy who didn't like him. Jannetty hit a pretty cool superkick at one point but that's the highlight, they were running the Rockers breakup angle at this time so ole' HBK got to do some bad dramatic acting after the match. They left seperate but most assuredly found each other later on at a transvestite's coke party.
5) Kerry Von Erich v. Ted Dibiase- 5
God Von Erich looked like he had just left a clambake and he was the clam. He looked like he was using an Easy Bake Oven and he was the tasteless brownie you get at the end. He looked so disoriented but got a pop. Dibiase turned into Larry Z here with the stalling but all of his offense was really good, punches, chops, suplexes. Damn it I hate Kerry's bumps here, delayed protected shit that doesn't work at this level unless you're sixty years old. I do like he keeps teasing the claw on Dibiase, causing him to take a powder. Teddy gets all IWA Japan on the future suicidalist and throws his ass into the crowd for a quick beatdown with some chairs. Sherri takes the claw and Dibiase hits a DDT that even the high, embarrassingly lumpy, shriveled dick Jake Roberts of today would be ashamed of and that's it.
6) Rick Martel v. Naoki Sano (WWF/SWS Junior Title Match)- 6
Martel was fucking awesome here coming out from the entrance like royalty, brushing imaginary dust off of his spiffy ring jacket. Sano i recently discovered in his brutal affairs with Jushin Liger, here he slips on some gold confetti on the ground on his way to the ring and can't seem to let it go. I'd love to have the history of this Title on a disc somewhere. As soon as they get in the ring, Martel's pomp and circumstance turn into Baiscs 101 as he is snapping off armdrags and headlocks like nobody's business, lightning quick too. He came to rassle and he looked better here than in 6 years of the WWF characterized bullshit. Martel just dominating with tons of great offense, Sano only had the advantage in power and highflying, which he compresses Martels' chest with a front flip from the top rope to the outside at one point. We never see the Boston Crab but a lot of other back work from Martel who's hair, incidently, never moves an inch it's so geled down. Sano gets the surprising win with a German suplex thrown the way it was meant to be, sixty miles an hour and higher than Von Erich was earlier. Martel looks genuinely shocked as his head gets jammed into his chest. Very fun match.
7) Ishinriki v. Yoshiaki Fujiwara- 5
I think this is some kind of teacher v. cocky student match, lots of feeling out, Ishinriki does a ton of palm strikes and slaps but i found most of them quite pussy. Fujiwara doesn't sell much either but he's not quite the walking dead yet, as he knocks his opponent outside then runs the ropes as if he will hit a plancha, then stops and gives a sly grin in a funny moment. You old Jap Codger you! You got 'em on that one! He is probably still telling stories of that spot. He only sinks the famous armbar in once but quick escape to the ropes. The veteran ultimately wins with a nifty bow and arrow move; this match had a great story and it's almost recommendable except both guys can't really do much.
8) Legion of Doom v. Natural Disasters (WWF Tag Title Match) - 4
LOD come out to "Iron Man" and are real favorites here in Japan. I'm not sure if Disasters just don't lay their stuff in or not but both of them were going real easy on the strikes here. They really needed to exert their authority and drop a big fatty forearm down on these guys instead of just nice and easy strikes. Quake did get a little rowdy at one point dropping Hawk through a ringside table which he sold like he was going down a waterslide. The match was slow paced and pretty disorganized until the last sequence where LOD made their comeback and wrecked shop on their heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy........heavy opponents.
ps. hey brian, didn't you meet typhoon at a meijers store years ago, wearing some heinous threads?
9) Genichiro Tenryu v. Hulk Hogan- 6
Crowd reactions here were worth the price of admission. Don't let anyone ever tell you a man can't be a badass with a perm because Tenryu is the balls. Hulk looked motivated and started the match out with the quickest transition into a cross arm breaker I think i've ever seen. Hulk's ground work actually looked quite superb in most of this except his chinlock which looked more like he was holding the guts of a pumpkin before depositing them down his ex-wife Linda's pants. Tenryu didn't like getting schooled so he erupted with a thunderous chop across Hulk's chest that he didn't like too much. We got several more throughout the match and obviously Tenryu could have cared less how many shitty movies Hulk had made in the US and how much merch he pushed; millionaire or no millionaire, you better be able to work! Some great strong style clotheslines, weak enzugiri's (from both men; Hogan's looked like a senior citizen jumping out of a plane) and a folding powerbomb to Hulk were the highlights during most of the middle. Hulk adapted well and the crowd sounded torn a lot of times and really turned it up in the later stages of the match with hard right hands and a near decapitation of Tenryu's head with a lariat that would make JBL revert back to childhood, pissing his pants and collecting Cabbage Patch Dolls. Hogan followed up with a lousy head kick to win after that lariat and both men hugged after the brutal match. In a side note, Tenryu kicked out of 2 legdrops at a time when no one kicked out of Hogan's finish. Pretty impressive stuff.
2 recommendable matches, the rest is all decent with no match really getting the time it needed to properly have a classic, except the main.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Burning Spirit: The Best of Kenta Kobashi - Disc #2
1. Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Akira Taue (1/26/92) – 6
2. Kenta Kobashi vs. Terry Gordy (5/21/93) – 8
3. Kenta Kobashi vs. Steve “Dr. Death” Williams (4/15/94) – 6
4. Kenta Kobashi vs. Toshiaki Kawada (1/19/95) – 10
The focus in the tag match was mainly Kikuchi and not Kobashi. Kikuchi was controlled by Jumbo and Taue for the majority of the match with submission holds and hard shots. The chops were kept to a minimum but they weren’t totally non-existent. Jumbo was just being a total prick and was bashing Kikuchi and Kobashi in the face just for fun. Every time the opposing team would go for a pinfall, Jumbo would jump in a kick them in the face. Taue executed a nice suplex on the floor on Kobashi. All four guys worked a good pace and kept the action fast and furious. I liked the finish with the numerous false finishes from big moves. The match-up with Gordy was jaw-dropping. Gordy is known as one of the baddest men to ever step foot in a wrestling ring and he definitely showed it here as he took Kobashi’s best shots and just smiled in his face. The two men matched each other move for move, chop for chop. They kept the pace up as well. The match ran under 14 minutes as was a hell of a battle. Kobashi hit a moonsault to try to put Gordy away and the look on his face after Gordy kicked out was priceless, as it was a look of astonishment and almost tears. Kobashi would hit another moonsault to get the win in a hard hitting and fantastic match. As good as the Gordy match was, that’s how much I was disappointed in the Doc match. I expected much the same thing that was presented in the Gordy match. The match had its moments and was a good contest that was more based on the ground than the hard-hitting style of Gordy. Doc and Kobashi still traded some chops but not as much as I’d like. I was toying with giving it a “5” but in the end, I settled with a “6” because the finish was nice and clean.
Behold my first-ever “10”!!! I was saving it for a match that would be so incredibly awesome that nothing else I’ve watched since I’ve been reviewing for NHO could possibly eclipse it. Well, I’ve found that match and it’s Kobashi vs. Kawada. Remember what I said about their match on the first disc being just a sampling of what they’re capable of? Good, because this match is two epic gladiators pounding it out to see who is better. Kawada controlled the first portion of the match while working Kobashi’s leg. He did so by ramming it into the canvas and by wrapping it around the barricade. Kobashi gained the upper hand when Kawada tried to kick him coming off the top and hurt his leg. Kobashi upped the ante by working over Kawada’s leg harder. There was a nice spot where Kobashi had the figure-four applied and Kawada was trying and trying to get to the ropes. Everytime Kawada would inch closer, Kobashi would pull him back and apply more pressure. At the 40 minute mark, these guys were completely gassed. As a testament to their fortitude, they pressed on for another twenty minutes with some more holds and then some chest chops. The two were trying to gain momentum when the bell rang as both men fell to the mat exhausted because they had just gone 60 minutes non-stop. Afterwards, Kawada is presented with the Triple Crown, helps Kobashi to his feet, and raises his hand in the air in a moment of class. This was a breath-taking match and one that must be seen by all.
2. Kenta Kobashi vs. Terry Gordy (5/21/93) – 8
3. Kenta Kobashi vs. Steve “Dr. Death” Williams (4/15/94) – 6
4. Kenta Kobashi vs. Toshiaki Kawada (1/19/95) – 10
The focus in the tag match was mainly Kikuchi and not Kobashi. Kikuchi was controlled by Jumbo and Taue for the majority of the match with submission holds and hard shots. The chops were kept to a minimum but they weren’t totally non-existent. Jumbo was just being a total prick and was bashing Kikuchi and Kobashi in the face just for fun. Every time the opposing team would go for a pinfall, Jumbo would jump in a kick them in the face. Taue executed a nice suplex on the floor on Kobashi. All four guys worked a good pace and kept the action fast and furious. I liked the finish with the numerous false finishes from big moves. The match-up with Gordy was jaw-dropping. Gordy is known as one of the baddest men to ever step foot in a wrestling ring and he definitely showed it here as he took Kobashi’s best shots and just smiled in his face. The two men matched each other move for move, chop for chop. They kept the pace up as well. The match ran under 14 minutes as was a hell of a battle. Kobashi hit a moonsault to try to put Gordy away and the look on his face after Gordy kicked out was priceless, as it was a look of astonishment and almost tears. Kobashi would hit another moonsault to get the win in a hard hitting and fantastic match. As good as the Gordy match was, that’s how much I was disappointed in the Doc match. I expected much the same thing that was presented in the Gordy match. The match had its moments and was a good contest that was more based on the ground than the hard-hitting style of Gordy. Doc and Kobashi still traded some chops but not as much as I’d like. I was toying with giving it a “5” but in the end, I settled with a “6” because the finish was nice and clean.
Behold my first-ever “10”!!! I was saving it for a match that would be so incredibly awesome that nothing else I’ve watched since I’ve been reviewing for NHO could possibly eclipse it. Well, I’ve found that match and it’s Kobashi vs. Kawada. Remember what I said about their match on the first disc being just a sampling of what they’re capable of? Good, because this match is two epic gladiators pounding it out to see who is better. Kawada controlled the first portion of the match while working Kobashi’s leg. He did so by ramming it into the canvas and by wrapping it around the barricade. Kobashi gained the upper hand when Kawada tried to kick him coming off the top and hurt his leg. Kobashi upped the ante by working over Kawada’s leg harder. There was a nice spot where Kobashi had the figure-four applied and Kawada was trying and trying to get to the ropes. Everytime Kawada would inch closer, Kobashi would pull him back and apply more pressure. At the 40 minute mark, these guys were completely gassed. As a testament to their fortitude, they pressed on for another twenty minutes with some more holds and then some chest chops. The two were trying to gain momentum when the bell rang as both men fell to the mat exhausted because they had just gone 60 minutes non-stop. Afterwards, Kawada is presented with the Triple Crown, helps Kobashi to his feet, and raises his hand in the air in a moment of class. This was a breath-taking match and one that must be seen by all.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
ROH Vendetta II
1. Rhett Titus and Delirious vs. Alex Payne and Silas Young - 4
2. Jay Briscoe vs. Erick Stevens - 5
3. Chris Hero vs. Pelle Primeau - Lights Out Match - 3
4. Kevin Steen and El Generico vs. Tyler Black and Necro Butcher - 5
5. Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli - 6
6. MsChif vs. Sara Del Rey vs. Daizee Haze - 4
7. Brent Albright and Roderick Strong vs. Go Shiozaki and Adam Pearce - 5
8. Nigel McGuinness vs. Jerry Lynn - 6
9. Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Jacobs - 7
The opener was originally a four-way scramble, but Titus is persuasive so we get him and Delirious teaming up instead. Payne and Young, surprisingly, a
ctually run the match and dominate most of it, looking quite well. It’s a story development match (some sordid love triangle with Rhett, lizard boy, and Daizee) but entertaining and fast-paced. Jay and Erick is a throwback to old school ROH, or at least the philosophy they once embraced: just two dudes throwing big bombs and all they’ve got at each other in attempt at proving who’s the better on that particular night—really good stuff.
When Pelle throws strikes, mostly forearms, they’re decent so he doesn’t look completely inept against Hero and his Taue impersonation but the problem here was that it was a match where the goal is to knockout your opponent and Primeau’s offense consisted of mostly elaborate, flashy armdrag spots. Granted, they’d look rad and at home in Chikara, but they’re certainly not going to KO anyone. The tag was great, story as I perceived it was Black wasn’t getting the job done, but Necro constantly turned the favor to the side of AofT, like blocking a Generico flying spot by simply putting his clenched fist out and popping him in the face. Of course, you get a Necro bump off the apron on the floor, fast-paced tag stuff by fan favorites Generico and Steen, etc. so it’s enjoyable.
Danielson and Claudio do an extended giant swing sequence; they both trade them, and then even try spinning the plump ref in a fun spot. They switch gears as Bryan is tired of joking around and works over Claudio pretty thoroughly, with Castagnoli unable to stage much offense. This helps the surprise ending, as Claudio ends up scoring a victory by tossing Bryan into the air and hitting him with a European uppercut mid-flight. This was a good sampling of more to come between these two, but still for what it is, you’ll be satisfied by Danielson’s controlling segments and dig this.
The women’s match, while sloppy in parts, was pretty physical and better than the standard ROH women’s fare. Del Ray brings the stiff boots and could be a good hand for either major American company, should they invest some money and “enhancing” her look. The following tag was awesome stuff. I was afraid Pearce would sandbag it, but he actually tried to step up his game to everyone else’s level, the end result being some of his more solid work of ’08. Of course, with Strong and Albright you’re going to get great, intense stuff, they’re too hot to be anything but singles right now but could make a hell of full-time pairing. Go looked good, go figure, and busted out a devastating sidekick that’d make you eat your turkey club out of a straw.
Nigel and Lynn, Lynn’s first ROH match since ’04 I believe, and it was terrifyingly tits. Adam, who bought this disc solely for this match, wasn’t feeling it as much as I, saying he expected Lynn to “fly around” more. Dude, he’s 45! All kidding aside, this was all about slow methodical arm work and Nigel treating Jerry like a chump. Lynn’s hope spots were hot, including a surprise tornado DDT off a guardrail which was the first effective in-ring homage to ECW possibly since they’ve closed (eat that Stamford!). The near falls were fantastic, I thought Nigel had convincingly won a couple times in a row and was completely wrong.
The main event is a good payoff to the Aries versus AotF feud, as it had been built well and it’s also an interesting character study of Jacobs, getting one of his first solo main events in his career. It’s basically a half-hour of ass kicking, some crowd brawling, athletic spots, strikes, etc. all blended together in a nice hatred purée. Big props to Jacobs, while it bordered on unbelievable how many kickouts he was able to pull off, I was sincerely surprised at his fortitude and guts as he was getting murdered in the third act and kept getting up for more. This show would rank in my top three ROH events of 2008.
2. Jay Briscoe vs. Erick Stevens - 5
3. Chris Hero vs. Pelle Primeau - Lights Out Match - 3
4. Kevin Steen and El Generico vs. Tyler Black and Necro Butcher - 5
5. Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli - 6
6. MsChif vs. Sara Del Rey vs. Daizee Haze - 4
7. Brent Albright and Roderick Strong vs. Go Shiozaki and Adam Pearce - 5
8. Nigel McGuinness vs. Jerry Lynn - 6
9. Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Jacobs - 7
The opener was originally a four-way scramble, but Titus is persuasive so we get him and Delirious teaming up instead. Payne and Young, surprisingly, a
ctually run the match and dominate most of it, looking quite well. It’s a story development match (some sordid love triangle with Rhett, lizard boy, and Daizee) but entertaining and fast-paced. Jay and Erick is a throwback to old school ROH, or at least the philosophy they once embraced: just two dudes throwing big bombs and all they’ve got at each other in attempt at proving who’s the better on that particular night—really good stuff.When Pelle throws strikes, mostly forearms, they’re decent so he doesn’t look completely inept against Hero and his Taue impersonation but the problem here was that it was a match where the goal is to knockout your opponent and Primeau’s offense consisted of mostly elaborate, flashy armdrag spots. Granted, they’d look rad and at home in Chikara, but they’re certainly not going to KO anyone. The tag was great, story as I perceived it was Black wasn’t getting the job done, but Necro constantly turned the favor to the side of AofT, like blocking a Generico flying spot by simply putting his clenched fist out and popping him in the face. Of course, you get a Necro bump off the apron on the floor, fast-paced tag stuff by fan favorites Generico and Steen, etc. so it’s enjoyable.
Danielson and Claudio do an extended giant swing sequence; they both trade them, and then even try spinning the plump ref in a fun spot. They switch gears as Bryan is tired of joking around and works over Claudio pretty thoroughly, with Castagnoli unable to stage much offense. This helps the surprise ending, as Claudio ends up scoring a victory by tossing Bryan into the air and hitting him with a European uppercut mid-flight. This was a good sampling of more to come between these two, but still for what it is, you’ll be satisfied by Danielson’s controlling segments and dig this.
The women’s match, while sloppy in parts, was pretty physical and better than the standard ROH women’s fare. Del Ray brings the stiff boots and could be a good hand for either major American company, should they invest some money and “enhancing” her look. The following tag was awesome stuff. I was afraid Pearce would sandbag it, but he actually tried to step up his game to everyone else’s level, the end result being some of his more solid work of ’08. Of course, with Strong and Albright you’re going to get great, intense stuff, they’re too hot to be anything but singles right now but could make a hell of full-time pairing. Go looked good, go figure, and busted out a devastating sidekick that’d make you eat your turkey club out of a straw.
Nigel and Lynn, Lynn’s first ROH match since ’04 I believe, and it was terrifyingly tits. Adam, who bought this disc solely for this match, wasn’t feeling it as much as I, saying he expected Lynn to “fly around” more. Dude, he’s 45! All kidding aside, this was all about slow methodical arm work and Nigel treating Jerry like a chump. Lynn’s hope spots were hot, including a surprise tornado DDT off a guardrail which was the first effective in-ring homage to ECW possibly since they’ve closed (eat that Stamford!). The near falls were fantastic, I thought Nigel had convincingly won a couple times in a row and was completely wrong.
The main event is a good payoff to the Aries versus AotF feud, as it had been built well and it’s also an interesting character study of Jacobs, getting one of his first solo main events in his career. It’s basically a half-hour of ass kicking, some crowd brawling, athletic spots, strikes, etc. all blended together in a nice hatred purée. Big props to Jacobs, while it bordered on unbelievable how many kickouts he was able to pull off, I was sincerely surprised at his fortitude and guts as he was getting murdered in the third act and kept getting up for more. This show would rank in my top three ROH events of 2008.
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