Jump to content
Pro Wrestling Only

Comments that don't warrant a thread - Part 4


TravJ1979

Recommended Posts

Okada is having such a ridiculous year that I can only make a case for AJ Styles as a distant number 2 for Most Outstanding this year. And AJ is dragging much lesser talent to compelling and varied TV matches and now carrying a 2 hour show on his back.

 

Not looking to debate Okada/Omega as I understand why those aren't a fan are not fans, but I thought it was an incredible match that felt absolutely flew by despite its length. I still can't wrap my head around the point that Omega made the match as from my seat Okada very much held it together and controlled the narrative even if Omega absolutely left his stamp on the most memorable moments of the match.

 

The Suzuki & TM W matches were also terrific main event title matches in their own right, and most impressively, so different from each other and Okada's other big matches this year. The Suzuki outing did feel a little long, but he's such a unique character who can easily work what they were going for between his act and his offense.

 

Haven't gotten around to commenting on the Shibata match yet but that's easily my MOTY to date, and I'll go further and say that while watching it without spoilers it felt like the best match I've seen since the WK10 main event and a legit all timer.

 

He seems to get an unusual amount of criticism from someone with so many highly touted matches, but I get that the epics aren't for everyone. He's pulled them off in such a fashion that they not only haven't gotten dull but have individually and collectively made a hell of a statement about his diversity as a worker and ability to get over challengers by strongly and persistently putting them over throughout each match before prevailing. Hell, if you go back even a few months further and add in the Ishii, Tanahashi & Marufuji G1 matches its been a remarkable run.

 

Big Naito fan, but I don't see him as near Okada's level. May be my own island there and I can appreciate why others may value his approach more, but its not a contest here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 6.4k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

See, I feel like all of Okada's matches FEEL like they have a lot of downtime even when they don't. There's always a 10 minute chunk where he seems completely uninterested in what he's doing. To me at least. But it's not hard to see why he's getting so much criticism: A guy being touted as being the best in the industry/in decades is going to get a more critical eye than anyone else.

 

I want to be clear I'm not saying Okada isn't great. What I am saying is I don't think he's having as good of a year as he was having at this time last year, let alone the best year in 28 years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fair point, I guess it just comes with the territory. I'd understand it more if he was knocked for being touted as more talented than he is, but it feels like some of the criticism is to say he's outright bad, which is a point I can't see. Perhaps I'm misreading it.

 

Can easily see why some of his matches, particularly this year, may drag a bit for some. Hit that spell briefly in the Suzuki match, but otherwise I've found them all compelling the whole way through. If they're thinking about pushing 40 with Fale then everybody needs to slow down, but I can't imagine anyone is thinking those thoughts.

 

The one thing I think they need to slow down on, and its a minor quibble, is the spot where Okada maintains a wristlock on his opponent and keeps it gripped to build to another Rainmaker. It was one of the biggest spots at WK10 because it hadn't been done before, but I think they've done it in every title match this year. It was a great callback at the Dome, but not sure you want to make it run of the mill.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The story they're building to is the Rainmaker is no longer a death move, which is why he doesn't even try to make a pin after the first one anymore. Matches that used to take 15 minutes take him 30 now, so he's working harder and struggling to put opponents away, which will eventually lead to him being stretched beyond his means and dropping the title. Which is a fine story and all, but I don't think his matches this year are as good as last year. Or the year before. And maybe even the year before that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think what they are building towards is he is now after 6 years unable to finish any top guys with the Rainmaker. At the Dome it took like 6 Rainmakers to put down Omega, however Omega never hit the One Wing Angel which he kept going for. And sometime this summer Omega wins the title with the One Wing Angel in a match where Omega kicks out of at least 4 or 5 Rainmakers. So then after having the Rainmaker as a finisher for 5 years and a half years, Okada comes up with some sort of ridiculously dangerous super finisher with which he wins the title back at the Dome.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I actually have Okada/Suzuki as the New Japan MOTY by a pretty good margin, but I agree it's not as good as Okada's matches with Tanahashi/Ishii/Marufuji the previous year. In fact, I kind of feel like the New Japan style as a whole has degenerated since Tanahashi was demoted as a tippy top guy in favor of the likes of Omega and Naito. There seems to be more emphasis on big spots for the sake of big spots and going long for the sake of going long.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Was thinking is Rick Rude the only wrestler to get pinfall victories over Ultimate Warrior and Sting? Don't think Savage ever pinned Warrior and Hogan never technically pinned Sting. Any others?

 

I think Dr. Death may have pinned each in the UWF as well. Hogan did get a pin on Sting in a Nitro tag match in 1999 (Hulk/Flair vs Sting/Luger), but I'm guessing you just want single's matches.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The main event NJPW style is something that I think is hugely flawed. Like NintendoLogic said, they feel like going 45 minutes just for the sake of going 45 minutes. Okada/Omega featured 20 minutes of meaningless matwork that served no purpose to the match, making it very disconnected. The following half was a very good bombfest, but as a whole it wasn't great.

 

Okada/MiSu suffered from a similar problem. Even though Okada really won me over on that particular match with his performance - his knee selling was spotty at times, but he could convey that he was struggling and suffering throughout the match, and it was a nice touch -, 30 minutes of someone sitting on a leglock is not an easy watch at all.

 

Shibata/Okada was the best out of those three (I've yet to watch the match against TMW). It felt better paced, and even the early matwork felt like it had a purpose to be there. It does have a major downside of effectively ending Shibata's career, which again is a problem with the match structure they seem to be going with this year - hard hitting matches shouldn't be going over 20 minutes, let alone 40.

 

 

I am curious though, as to Okada/Fale. Do they keep that short or are they going over 30 minutes as well?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sgt Slaughter won via pinfall against Ultimate Warrior albeit after Randy Savage interfered (Royal Rumble 1991). Hogan pinned Warrior at Halloween Havoc 1998 - obviously amidst many "swerves".

 

Savage got wins over Warrior during his first title run in 1989 after his heel turn. I don't know if it was specifically pins, however.

 

They were all countouts, iirc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sgt Slaughter won via pinfall against Ultimate Warrior albeit after Randy Savage interfered (Royal Rumble 1991). Hogan pinned Warrior at Halloween Havoc 1998 - obviously amidst many "swerves".

 

Savage got wins over Warrior during his first title run in 1989 after his heel turn. I don't know if it was specifically pins, however.

 

They were all countouts, iirc.

Savage also won some cage matches with Warrior in 1991, but those were escape the cage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This might end up warranting a thread of its own (just so everyone can get their digs in) but it was announced that everyone's favorite pipebomber CM Punk would be appearing as a "Pro" on a new MTV spin-off of The Challenge, a reality show where (I believe) former Real World cast members square off against each other to determine the best athlete and, I'm guessing, who can escape the shoot with the least venereal diseases/documented instances of alcohol poisoning?

 

While Punk is competing on the show for charity (a good thing), it is impossible to ignore that this is the same guy who, in his DVD, openly criticized the WWE for pushing The Miz in 2010-2011 as he felt the WrestleMania 27 main event should've been "the best bad guy vs. the best good guy" (himself vs. Cena), more than suggesting his superiority to Miz - and its undeniable that most Miz hate stems from him being a former Real World cast member. Miz actually won a season or two of the original Challenge series, though (I think), so its kind of put up-or-shut up time for Phil Brooks.

 

In summation, CM Punk is "Benjamin Buttoning" The Miz's life and will be enrolling at Parma High School around 2020.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have no idea why Punk would open himself up to that again. Exposed in MMA to getting exposed by a Real World cast member. he's almost 40 and at his absolute physical peak wasn't really an athlete. If it comes down to Punk vs Puck, I'm taking Puck every time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...