[2016-04-01-EVOLVE 58] Zack Sabre Jr vs Will Ospreay

[GOTNW]

Pretty great performance by Sabre and a not so great one by Ospreay. I've tried to but I just can't like to guy. He'll drop selling in order to move on to the next MOVE all the time, the selling he actually does doesn't look convincing and doesn't last long enough and his shit just isn't impressive. It doesn't look good. He's good at jumping around but not good at incorporating his leaping ability into creating good pro wrestling sequences and moves. Chad compared him to a young AJ Styles in his article-I couldn't disagree more. I think young AJ Styles actually had a really good basic sense of pro wrestlng, certainly a million times better one than Ospreay. I'm sure Ospreay would be better if he watched a bunch of Ohtani tapes and went to work southern indies for three years. Half of his offence just looks ridiculously bad and the other half I've seen done better by any number of CMLL guys. I imagine people would be losing their shit for Triton if he was british, signed by New Japan and looked good in a suit. Anyway. Onto Sabre and how he made this match good. He totally carried Ospreay on the mat (hardly surprising). Sabre is so much better than the catch point guys it's ridiculous, a Gulak or Tracy Williams may use a forearm during a hold to remain in control but they do it without any purpose and it doesn't add to the match like it does in a Finlay or Regal one. Sabre will also do something similar like step on Ospreay's hand for a transition, and will both give the move meaning by doing so and milk it out more. Furthermore he has so many escapes that he can basically have Ospreay slap on a wirstlock and work a whole segment AROUND Ospreay. He may not be at that Billy Robinson level where he's reversing all his own submissions and making it seem like Jumbo knows how to work but he did do the next best thing in making the narrative of the match fit him releasing Ospreay from holds. He busted out some really neat suplex counters to Ospreay's flips as well. ***1/2