http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?automodule=blog Community Blog List Syndication Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:28:07 -0500 do.not.reply@ProWrestlingOnly.com (ProWrestlingOnly.com Forums) IP.Blog 60
I was able to eliminate 50 matches that made the initial cut through 2004. Most of these matches looked good to great while viewed in context of complete shows, but somehow either fell short when compared against other top matches from the same company or somehow were actually not good and slipped through the cracks.

That sums up everything listed so no further review With one more cut to go, I'm down to 118 total matches for 00-04.

Super Crazy v. Taijiri - Mexican Death Match - ECW on TNN 1.15.00
Triple H v. Chris Benoit - Non-Title Match - WWE Smackdown 2.3.00
HHH v. Chris Jericho - RAW 6.12.00
HHH v. Rock v. Kurt Angle - RAW 6.26.00
Chris Benoit v. The Rock - WWE Title - Fully Loaded 7.23.00
Rey Mysterio Jr. v. Juventud Guerrera 9.19.00
Booker T/Jeff Jarrett vs. Scott Steiner/Sting, Nitro 10.2 2000
Chris Jericho v. X-Pac - Cage Match 10.22.00
Sean O'Haire/Mark Jindrak v. Alex Wright/Disco Inferno v. Rey Mysterio Jr./Kidman - WCW Tag Titles 10.29.00
Chris Jericho v. Kane 11.19.00


C.W. Anderson v. Tommy Dreamer - I Quit Match 1.7.01
Air Paris/AJ Styles v. Evan Karagias/Jamie Knoble 2.14.01
Kurt Angle v. Chris Benoit - 30 Min Iron Man Submission 4.29.01 - Backlash
HHH v. Kane - Chain Match 5.20.01 - Judgment Day
Steve Austin/Kurt Angle/Chris Jericho/Kane/Undertaker v. Booker T/Rhyno/DDP/Dudley Boys - 7.22.01 - Invasion
Rock v. Chris Jericho - WCW title - 10.21.01 - No Mercy


Jeff Jarrett v. AJ Styles - NWA Title - 2.19.03 - TNA Weeky #32
Jerry Lynn v Juventud Guerrera - 2.26.03 - TNA Weekly #33
Steve Austin v. The Rock - 3.30.03 - WrestleMania XIX
America's Most Wanted v. Christopher Daniels/Elix Skipper - # 1 Contender Match for NWA Tag Titles - 4,23,03 - TNA Weekly #41
Jeff Jarrett v. Raven - NWA Title - 4.30.03 - TNA Weekly #42
Frankie Kazarian v. Chris Sabin - X Division Non-Title Match - 6.25.03 - TNA Weekly #50
Undertaker v. John Cena - 7.27.03 - Vengeance
Undertaker v. Kurt Angle - WWE Title - 9.4.03 - Smackdown
Rey Mysterio Jr. v. Yoshihiro Tajiri - Cruiserweight Title - 9.4.03 - Smackdown
Rey Mysterio Jr. v. Yoshihiro Tajiri - Cruiserweight Title - 10.19.03 - No Mercy
Kurt Angle v. John Cena - 10.19.03 - No Mercy
Brock Lesnar v. Undertaker - WWE Title - 10.19.03 - No Mercy
Dudleys/HBK/Booker T/RVD v. Chris Jericho/Christian/Randy Orton/Mark Henry/Scott Steiner - Elimination Match 11.16.03 - Survivor Series
Brock Lesnar v. Rey Mysterio Jr. - WWE Title - 12.11.03 - Smackdown
Triple H v. Shawn Michaels - World Title - 12.29.03 - Raw


Chris Sabin v. Christopher Daniels v. Low-Ki v. Michael Shane - Ultimate X.2 X Divison Title - 1.7.04 - TNA Weekly #75
Bryan Danielson/Samoa Joe v. Briscoe Bros. - ROH Tag Titles - 1.10.04 - ROH Battle Lines are Drawn
CM Punk v. John Walters - Pure Wrestling Title Tournament Round 1 - 2.14.04 - ROH 2nd Anniversary Show
Doug Williams v. Chris Sabin - Pure Wrestling Title Tournament Round 1 - 2.14.04 - ROH 2nd Anniversary Show
AJ Styles v. CM Punk - Pure Title - Steamboat Ref - 3.13.04 - ROH At Our Best
Eddy Guerrero v. Kurt Angle - WWE Title - 3.14.04 - WrestleMania 20
Eddy Guerrero v. Rey Mysterio - WWE Title - 3.18.04 - Smackdown
Triple H/Randy Orton/Batista/Ric Flair v. Shelton Benjamin/Chris Benoit/Mick Foley/Shawn Michaels - 4.12.04 - Raw
Triple H/Randy Orton/Batista v. Shelton Benjamin/Edge/Tajiri - 5.3.04 - Raw
Shawn Michaels v. Chris Benoit - World Title - 5.3.04 - Raw
Petey Williams v. Hector Garza v. Chris Sabin - World X Cup: Ultimate X Match - 5.26.04 (5/12 - 5/19) - TNA Weekly #95
Homicide v. Samoa Joe - ROH World Title - 5.22.04 - ROH Generation Next
Samoa Joe v. Mark Briscoe v. Homicide v. Austin Aries v. Colt Cabana v. Bryan Danielson - 6.24.04 - ROH Survival of the Fittest
Eddy Guerrero v. Kurt Angle - 8.15.04 - SummerSlam
Samoa Joe v. Doug Williams - ROH World Title - 9.11.04 - ROH Glory By Honor III
Homicide/Rocky Romero v. Jack Evans/Roderick Strong - 10.16.04 - ROH Joe v. Punk II
Alex Shelley v. Jimmy Jacobs - I Quit Match - 10.16.04 - ROH Joe v. Punk II
Low Ki v. Austin Aries - 12.4.04 - ROH All-Star Extravaganza
Bryan Danielson v. Low Ki - 12.26.04 - ROH Final Battle
]]> Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:05:28 -0500
I thought both the 8/1 and 10/13 Black Terry/Negro Navarro vs Super Astro/Solar maestro tags were excellent. In fact, I thought they were the most balanced, best worked maestro tags since Black Terry Jr began filming their matches. That may be time and distance talking since I was so wildly out of the loop last year, but I watched these matches more than once before commenting and enjoyed them immensely each time. They're not story matches and they don't even have much of a narrative, but what I liked about them was that they captured the spirit of pure lucha exchanges. I don't have much time these days and I've been trying to multi-task, so I've been watching these matches while listening to 60s jazz, and while 60s jazz and lucha libre may not have a lot in common, I've been able to get into the groove of these matches. The Solar/Navarrro stuff in particular cranks, but the stories of Super Astro's demise have been greatly exaggerated. He's not the worker he once was, but he rollled around on the mat with Black Terry in cracking fashion and was able to do his tope. I can see folks wishing they'd do more -- perhaps more Terry/Solar or Terry and Navarro being the murders' row tag team that we know they can be -- but when you see some of the counters and reversals that Solar and Navarro can do you can understand why the others clear out of the way and let them do their thing. When I first got into lucha, one of the things I loved most was watching a guy like El Dandy hit the ring. When Dandy stepped through those ropes it didn't matter whether the guy on the other side of the ring was Emilio or Casas or Super Muneco, you knew the exchange was going to be amazing, and that's the feeling I get from these matches. To tie it back into music, it's like this cool bar I went to recently that was stacked with wall to wall soul records. The barman would drop another record while you slipped on your drink of choice and you just kicked back and enjoyed the music. Watching these matches, I kicked back and enjoyed the lucha.

I have no idea when Cerebro Negro returned to IWRG and why he was feuding with Dr. Cerebro. I'm not sure I could even recognise him with the look he's sporting at the moment, but I thought their 12/16 match wasn't too bad. Better than a kick in the pants at any rate. There wasn't much to the falls, but the work was direct and physical and the finishes were cool. I could have done without the weapon shots, but they weren't too bad. The match stalled a bit in the third caida and the lightbulbs weren't really necessary, but there was more good than bad on show here. I really dug the spot where Dr. Cerebro was draped over the ropes from the apron in and Negro dropkicked him in the face. That was badass. The doctor turning his submission finish into some form of sitdown driver was ultimate badass too. I always forget that the good doctor is out there being probably a top 10 luchador at any given time. I've got to keep tabs of his work.]]> Sat, 09 Feb 2013 06:27:43 -0600
It seems I've hit a wall with this project, but I seem to be coming around and finishing up some lose ends.

I've finished all of WWE TV (RAW, Smackdown, ECW, etc) for 2007 and about the first six months of TNA Impact!. So far I have seven TV matches picked as contender's for MOTY.

I felt I needed a change of pace half way through Impact for 2007 so I went back to try and finalize 2000-2004 narrowing it down to the best of the best. I still haven't dove into Japan, Mexico or much of US Indy's for the first half of the decade due to difficulty acquiring footage for cheap, but for the major US promotions through the end of 2003, here is my current count:

WWE 2000 - 2003: 20

TNA 2002-2003: 10

ROH 2002-2003: 9

ECW 2000-2001: 5

WCW 2000-2001: 10

My plan going forward is to finish 2004, then try my best to find anything I may have missed between 2005-2007 including finishing up Impact for the year. After that I will either try to work on Japan/Mexico/US Indies for 2000-2004 or go ahead and finish out 2008-2009. Either of those are virtually brand new stuff for me as I haven't seen but a handful of matches since 2007 so it should be fun.

I hope by the end of 2013 I will have Top 25 for each company for the decade and Top 10 per company, per year.

Note: I am also keeping "second tier" level matches for use in case a poll comes up that requires more than 50 or so matches for a company. I also have a "third tier" that consists of stuff I eliminated through the second round of watching, but it is more for a "worth watching for some reason" type of record keeping.

]]> Sun, 27 Jan 2013 13:00:55 -0600 http://tvluchadelpasado.wordpress.com/

Solar vs. Navarro is still the best mat wrestling on the planet as evidenced by their 8/17 match. The excitement of seeing this match crop up isn't the same as when we only got to see it once a year (or not at all), but that's the funny thing: as lucha fans, we're always wishing we could see more -- more from a worker, more from a specific match-up, more TV from the 80s, most of which we'll never see. It's something you have to come to terms with if you become a serious lucha fan otherwise you'll be sorely disappointed. Yet when we get more than we bargained for, such as with Solar and Navarro, we tend to get all analytical and go into critique mode. I've done it many times in the past and am by far the worst offender, but if you'd told me five years ago that we'd get to see this match-up on a regular basis and people would get fed up with it, I'd have told you they were looking a gift horse in the mouth.

That's not to say that this match-up is perfect. Despite the fact that they're able to organise the events in the match into a reasonable narrative structure and that there are clear stretches of one worker in control and the other selling well, they don't make much of an effort to create the same sort of drama as Casas/Panther or the Santo tag. If you were to label their bouts as exhibition matches you wouldn't be too far off the mark. I tend to prefer their work in trios because of the speed they work at, and I'm still hoping that one day (just one day) we'll see a Black Terry vs. Navarro match in full, but... this is still the best mat wrestling on the planet. Casas and Panther are nowhere near as quick with their holds. Virus and Valiente are slicker, but don't have the same submission knowledge. Navarro still looks like the best worker in Mexico to me and I don't think Solar gets enough credit as a worker, a mat wrestler or for being one of the three or four best masked technico workers in modern, taped, lucha libre history. The familiarity that people have with Santo or Atlantis should be extended to Solar, in my opinion. The lifeblood of lucha is its masked technicos and few have been better for longer than Solar I.

The 4/9 Gran Apache/Trauma I/Mari Apache vs. Negro Navarro/Trauma II/Fabi Apache trios was a blast. One of the things I love about lucha the most is that it can be so off the cuff and fun. This was only a single fall, but it was a great ensemble piece. Loved the quick exchanges between Gran Apache and Trauma II, thought the father and son stuff was really good without being overbearing and that Fabi and Mari's stuff was a nice change up. To my mind, rhythm is the most important thing when watching wrestling. If you can't get into the rhythm of what the workers are trying to do or the rhythm of a particular style, you're going to struggle. You often hear people say that a lucha fall was rushed because it wasn't long enough or shorter than the falls surrounding it, but I sometimes wonder if those people haven't gotten into the rhythm of lucha libre yet. This match had rhythm. The exchanges built on top of each other and it was worked at a fun pace. The ending was the kind of mano-a-mano showdown that I love in IWRG matches and I came out of the whole thing as satisfied as I would've been had it been three falls. Gran Apache is so underrated. I always forget him when it comes to judging the best workers in Mexico. If you asked me tomorrow who the ten best workers in Mexico are, he'd probably slip my mind. I don't even know how active he is these days, but man is he good. Those opening exchanges I mentioned were so much snappier than the usual IWRG matwork and like the match in general made a nice change from the norm.

I went into the 12/20 Fuerza Guerrera vs. Black Terry match with low expectations as I'd read it wasn't the type of match they could have had if they'd put their minds to it and that it was basically an angle to further the hostilities between their two wrestling schools, but it was Fuerza and Terry in a singles match. It wasn't a Black Terry special like some of the carry jobs he's done in the past, but there was plenty to like from the point of view of it being two of the biggest legends of my time taking off the gloves. Would've been nice to see them settle it like men, but the interference was what it was. Can't say I blame them for trying to give the rub to their students.

Another match I really enjoyed was the 4/28 Black Terry/Negro Navarro vs. Solar I/Super Astro maestros tag. I'm not sure if it's because I haven't watched a maestros tag for a while and was watching with fresher eyes, but this seemed to have a better flow to it than the last round of maestro tags I watched. The Navarro/Solar exchanges were excellent without being overbearing, they changed dance partners more often and the match had more of a three part rhythm than usual. I'd read all the comments about Super Astro's decline and while he does have trouble doing his signature spots these days, the fact that I'd braced myself for it made it less jarring than I expected. He's the guy I'd most like to see everyone in the lucha world wrestle and for that reason takes my top spot.

This was all pretty fun stuff, and again, thanks to Black Terry Jr for making it possible.]]> Wed, 23 Jan 2013 23:05:53 -0600 Loss has requested that any willing PWO users start blogging, in an effort to make this a "calling card" for the forum. With that in mind, I've decided to write about the current WWE product, focusing on things like storyline direction, career progression/relegation of wrestlers, and any interesting happenings that might require further analysis.

So, without further ado, let the blogging begin!]]> Mon, 07 Jan 2013 13:54:56 -0600
So where does leave Ryback, arguably WWE's breakout star of 2012? Well, there is still The Shield to consider, the group of NXT outsiders that have made a point of laying waste to Ryback in recent months. Their purpose is still undetermined, sure, their initial motive was said to be "anger at the likes of Ryback receiving opportunities at stardom before them", but then there is also the potential association with Punk/Heyman and even Brad Maddox to consider. It was Maddox who initially attacked Ryback, allowing Punk to retain the WWE Championship, stating that he wished to "make a name for himself" and velhemently denied any association with CM Punk and Paul Heyman. This mirrors The Shield's attitude when questioned about a potential association with CM Punk and Paul Heyman. It could be a red herring, it could be an aborted story arc, but WWE needs to book some pay off.

Lets assume that the match with CM Punk doesn't go ahead. The Shield run out and attack Ryback before the match even gets started, Brad Maddox then runs out in a referee shirt and KO's the designated official. Maddox will then urge Punk to climb the ladder and bring down the belt as The Shield are keeping Ryback busy. Once Punk does this, Maddox mockingly ends a match that never even started. At this point, the game will be up, Punk and Heyman will reveal their association with both Maddox and The Shield, with Punk and Heyman revealing that they used their collective influence to ensure that The Shield and Brad Maddox had continued access to WWE. In effect, Punk and Heyman gave them opportunities to make a name for themselves, in exchange for assistance with the Ryback problem.

The pay off in this scenario would be a match between CM Punk and Ryback at Wrestlemania, which could be done regardless of whether Punk loses or retains the WWE title when he meets The Rock at Royal Rumble. If WWE are serious about making Ryback a big player, then I can think of no bigger rub than him meeting CM Punk at Wrestlemania for the WWE title (bonus if Ryback goes over). This raises questions about whether the inevitable rematch between The Rock and John Cena should be for the title. I personally don't think it does, after all, it won't be about the title, rather the title will be providing them a reason to have a rematch (should Cena or Rock win the RR or EC to be match against one another at WM), which isn't really the point.

I am by no means a big fan of Ryback. However, I am enthusiastic that WWE have taken steps to make a new star, such a big player from near the start. As a prime example, NJPW showed in 2012, that such actions can have hugely positive outcomes, with their booking of Kazuchika Okada. The returning rookie, upset NJPW ace, Hiroshi Tanahashi, to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, and then went on to win the G1 Climax tournament, succeeding the great Masahiro Chono, as the youngest wrestler ever to win the tournament. Such occurrences are unthinkable in American professional wrestling, indeed, not since Brock Lesnar's rookie conquering of WWE in 2002/03, have we seen any rookie or new wrestler be booked so strong, so early.

Can the building of Ryback as a premier attraction in the star-strapped WWE continue?]]> Mon, 07 Jan 2013 13:54:52 -0600
Apparently, CMLL had an awful year business-wise. Personally I enjoyed the in-ring product more than I have in years.

Virus vs. Fuego, 10/1 was an excellent, old-school style title match. The matwork wasn't as fluid as classic lucha, but it was similar to IWRG matwork in that both guys seemed to be laying down a challenge. I thought Fuego's bridging spots were a fantastic response to that challenge, and although many of the holds were static, I was impressed that they managed to avoid the pitfalls of "your turn/my turn" through natural athleticism. Fuego impressed me in general. I thought he hung with Virus tremendously well and even added plenty of his own touches. The transition on the outside where Fuego pulled Virus from the apron after the big tope spot was clever stuff. I think that's what I've noticed most about CMLL this year: instead of the same telegraphed transitions in every match, the work has been tighter and the rhythm a whole lot better. I'd probably put this third behind Panther/Casas and that Santo tag at this stage.

Casas/Oro, 9/2 was also good. Someone once joked that Casas sleeps upside down in the CMLL booking office like a vampire bat, but I think the key to his longevity is the way he's tweaked and adjusted his offense over the last decade or more. There was a period where I hated watching Casas work these modern matches, but I've got to admit he's really good at the tit-for-tat modern style. This was counterrific and extremely even. Casas gave Oro a hell of a lot, and while I don't watch many Oro matches, I assume he looked better than usual. So it was a job well done. Casas/Maya Jr, 12/25 was soft, though. Some of the spots were okay, but Maya didn't seem up for it. You know it's a bad sign when I'm looking at the grey in Casas' hair and thinking how distinguished he looks.

Hijo del Fantasma/Rey Cometa/Valiente vs. Niebla Roja/Puma King/Virus, 9/21 had a typically excellent opening exchange between Virus and Valiente who arguably work together better than any other pair in lucha. The rest of the match was "there" and I had a hard time giving a fuck about what anybody else did.

Shigeo Okumura vs. Valiente, 5/1 was a cool showcase for Valiente, who is still obscenely underrated. He's such a fantastic worker. I really have no idea who Shigeo Okumura is, but considering how I usually dislike watching non-luchadores in lucha I thought he did a pretty good job. Match was far from a Match of the Year contender, and I lost interest in the street run partially because the sound was out of sync, but a Valiente singles match is always worth watching.

Lastly, the Rush vs. El Terrible, 9/14 hair match. I didn't know anything about the storyline going into this match. I'd never seen either guy and I didn't know this was the main event of the Anniversary Show as I wasn't aware of anything that was going on over the summer. The Rush guy seemed significantly better than El Terrible, but Terrible got better as the match wore on. Usually, I'd have a quiet bitch about how there's no-one who knows how to work a hair match properly anymore and how much it pisses me off, but this was like watching something like Rayo de Jalisco, Jr vs. Universo 2000 on speed and how a cool "CMLL is where the big boys play" vibe to it. And there was even blood, lo and behold. Some cool spots in this one, especially Rush's dropkick off the apron and both men's use of the barricade. The finish confused the fuck out of me as I was expecting all of the bullshit that's surrounded CMLL hair match in recent years and instead it ended clean as a whistle. Had to "rewind" it as I didn't know what was going on. Fun match, but neither guy has quite mastered the type of Perro Aguayo/Los Hermanos Dinamita flair for the dramatics in this sort of big match setting.]]> Thu, 03 Jan 2013 09:39:45 -0600
Emilio Charles, Jr was one of the first luchadores I became a fan of. In fact, it was Dean or one of the other playa's review of the 12/89 Charles/Dandy title match that sparked my interest in lucha in the first place. After I saw that match, I tracked down the rest of their '89 feud, kick starting one of the more satisfying love affairs with any style in my wrestling fandom history. I was shocked to hear of his passing the other day, as I'm sure everyone was, and decided to watch one of his matches.

Having read about Charles before I ever saw him, the first thing that stood out about him was his name. In a world filled with Satanicos and Villanos, Emilio Charles, Jr seemed a tad bit ordinary for a heel. It reminded me of a cross between Emilio Estevez and Charles in Charge, but it had a certain ring to it, and sure enough if there's anything to be said about Charles it's that the man had personality. He was as entertaining doing apron work as he was in showcase matches, and even in the smallest of bit parts his trios work was always memorable. He had a face only his mother could love and hair that practically goaded opponents into wager matches. And above all, like every great heel, he had a shit-eating grin the size of the gulf of Mexico. He was a great worker, as equally adept at grappling as he was brawling, and he was a fantastic bumper, rivalling at times even Pirata Morgan. Like all the great bumpers, his body eventually broken down, as I've mentioned a thousand times on this blog, but he was always savvy even if it was a slippery slope down from his late 80s peak.

This was a much better match than I remembered. I think I was turned off it the first time because people had praised it as a mat classic. I don't think some arm work and a couple of cool submissions from Emilio make for a mat classic, but this match is something different. You don't often see the type of sustained armwork that Emilio works here or the long term limb selling that Atlantis exhibits, and luchadores usually tap instantaneously rather than fight for all death like Atlantis does here. I don't know what prompted them to work the match like this. Emilio wasn't Atlantis' best opponent (that would be Blue Panther) and Atlantis wasn't Emilio's best opponent (that would be Dandy), but they had a certain chemistry together which is best evidenced in their match from '88, which is sometimes confused as being from '84 and is really fast paced, cutting edge lucha. Rather than being great on the mat together, they were awesome at fast paced rope work, slick counters and exciting nearfalls. All of those trademarks can be found in this match, but there's also the narrative of Atlantis surviving a ton of work on his injured arm. It's actually quite a superhuman effort if you look at it from a technical viewpoint of what Emilio actually did his arm, and I suppose there has to be question marks over how believable it was, but I kind of looked at it from the perspective that Atlantis had held the belt for over two years and defended it at least twenty times (with a worked, possibly real number that was even higher) and they really wanted to put Emilio's challenge over out of respect or some other reason. That's what I'd like to believe anyway as they really went out of their way to make it seem like Emilio could win. I didn't think it was one of the truly epic lucha title matches, but it was rock solid. I've never had a problem with the rapid fire, equalising fall as I think it's a great storytelling tool and helps turn the momentum, and the finish didn't bother me other than the fact that the rhythm could've been better. All told it was a fine defence and Emilio looked good for 1992 Emilio.

It's hard to believe he's gone, but y'know, I was having this conversation with my co-worker the other day about how weird it is when you're watching an old movie and you suddenly realise that everyone in this movie is dead, and I guess that Emilio's career will keep playing out on youtube and grainy VHS tapes for decades to come. Always young, always great, always one of the very best. Emilio Charles, Jr.]]> Mon, 31 Dec 2012 05:43:21 -0600
So my copy of ROH Unscripted III from 12.1.07 is unwatchable so I had to skip it for now and am actively looking for another source.

TNA Turning Point 12.2.07

Such a bad PPV. The tables match opener was terrible despite having MCMG's and Black Machismo involved. This just strengthened my case that Team 3-D does and has always sucked. Johnny Devine is right there with them.

The Knockouts tag was sloppy, but short.

Next was Eric Young v. James Storm. Now, due to the absolute absurdity of this angle (Young beat Storm in a drinking contest last PPV and got his "belt") I wanted to hate this. However, even though I started at about a -3, by the end I was thoroughly entertained. That is what a match should do and so that's why I've pegged it as a match to re-watch. Normally, I wouldn't expect it to hold up, but since this is TNA 2007 it may sneak through the next cut as well.

The "Feast or Fired" match was a complete cluster fuck.

I loved Gail Kim v. Amazing Kong, but strongly disliked the DQ even though it built to a rematch and made sense. I tabbed it for a re-watch in my women's category.

OMG. The 10,000 thumbtack match may have been the worst thing on the PPV. Fat, useless Raven teaming with "You do thumbtacks every match so I'm numb to it" Abyss vs. Black Reign (Dustin Rhodes at his absolute worst) and Rellik (a/k/a Johnny The Bull). So, they fell in tacks.

Booker T/Kaz v. Christian Cage/Robert Roode laid an egg.

Angle/Tomko/Styles v. Nash/Samoa "I shootz~! now" Joe/ and Sco..... err, Eric Young. Hall no-showed. Joe tried to get fired on the mic which went way to long and was repetitive as fuck. They had a bad, short match.

WWE Armageddon 12.16.07

Really liked Rey Mysterio v. MVP, but this is during MVP's "Fuck it. I'll get counted out" phase which brought it down considerably.

Big Daddy V/Mark Henry v. CM Punk/Kane - Big Daddy V pinned Punk. Focus was V using his fat to smash Punk

HBK v. Kennedy - THE best match of KENNEDY's career by far. Miles above the Matt Hardy/Kennedy Smackdown match I recently saw. Very good.

Jeff Hardy v. HHH - This was like the big brother trying to toughen up the little brother only for the little brother to come out on top. That's what happened here and HHH took the loss as a joke.

Finlay v. Khali was awesome for the six or so minutes it lasted. If it would have went about five more minutes I may have noted it for a second look.

Jericho's return to PPV v. Orton was good, but fell short of me noting for a second look due to finish.

Beth Phoenix v. Mickie James was short and tolerable.

Edge v. Undertaker v. Batista was nothing special with Hawkins and Ryder making their debuts as fake Edge's to help him win the strap.

ROH Rising Above 12.28.07

Typical ROH with most matches just being "there" with nothing to set them apart. The boring Delirious vs. Hangm3n feud, Claudio v. Hero feud both fit in that category.

Just for the cool spots, Generico/Steen v. Age of the Fall v. Hangm3n v. Vulture Squad tag scramble was fun, but technically not "good."

The Shimmer tag was good and I noted to rewatch it for the women's side of things for the decade.

Davey Richards beating Erick Stevens with a Kimura after Stevens is distracted by Daniel Puder in the audience was a snooze fest as well.

Briscoes v. No Remorse Corps 2/3 Falls was solid, but they've had better.

Danielson v. Takeshi Morishima had their usual sub 10 minute DQ match. I'll have to watch all of these to see if they hold up to the big two.

Finally was Nigel v. Austin for the belt. OUTSTANDING match and a strong contender for ROH MOTY.

ROH Final Battle 2007

The worst Final Battle since probably 2003.

Three generic or squash matches (Vulture Squad v. Matt Cross/Bobby Fish, Claudio v. Larry Sweeney, and Rocky Romero v. Ernie Osiris)

Two exciting matches while they lasted, but forgotten about when I turned the show off (Necro Butcher v. Jack Evans, Roderick Strong v. Erick Stevens)

Two matches that should have been very good, but left me underwhelmed (Davey Richards v. Naomichi Marufuji, and Morishima v. Dragon v. Aries v. Hero)

One match that made no fucking sense (hangm3n vs. delirious/steen/generico - tables legal) So, when are tables not legal? I'm not sure in the entire history of ROH I've ever seen a DQ due to the use of a table. I will say this match was crazy and fun to watch, just not over and over.

Only one match made my cut which was the Briscoes v. Age of the Fall with the Briscoes FINALLY losing the straps.
]]> Fri, 28 Dec 2012 09:04:30 -0600 Glory By Honor VI: Night 1

Out of the nine matches on the card, I found four to be standard for ROH. Nothing bad, nothing great, but everything was fine.

The top of the class trophy match between Ernie Osiris and Mitch Franklin wasn't good, but I didn't expect more. The other below average was Hero v. McGuinness since Nigel was working hurt. I just think they shouldn't have had the match at all.

The tag titles match (Briscoes v. No Remorse Corps), The Austin Aries v. Danielson match and the NOAH main event tag were great and worthy of a second look. Aries and Danielson have such great chemistry; they always put on a great showing. In its native setting, the NOAH tag would probably be average fair, but in the states with the ROHbots going crazy just made it fun. My favorite part of the match was when Misawa actually showed personality. He had KENTA in a headlock and motioned for the ref to check Morishima and he gave him an elbow to the nose and then gave the sssh motion to the crowd. I actually lol'ed.


Glory By Honor VI: Night 2

This was a loaded show with eleven matches and a lot of things happening. Two matches were squashes as Tyler Black and Austin Aries beat Alex Payne and Shane Hagadorn respectively. Aries disbanded his faction, the Resilience here saying he wants to concentrate on the ROH title.

Another quick match was a one minute DQ between the Briscoes and Age of the Fall where the crowd was super pissed, but this was just a setup for a street fight main event which actually was disappointing especially compared to the brawls between the Briscoes and Steen/Generico.

Chris Hero had two matches, a win over El Generico in the opener and a loss to Austin Aries. Both were disappointing. I'm not sure if I've seen a really good Chris Hero match yet. Two other standard ROH matches saw Hangmen 3 beat Steen and Delirious and the No Remorse Corps downing the Vulture Squad. One cool thing was the huge brawl/dive sequences here. I heard Gabe talk about after coming back from Vegas he had the idea of having this sequence like the fountains in Vegas, where each subsequent burst gets bigger and more spectacular.

The GHC title match between KENTA and Misawa was okay, but I was a bit let down by it. It didn't make my cut of matches to rewatch. However Claudio v. Marufuji and Morishima v. Danielson did. Even though I didn't like the finish of the Danielson match, it was still super fun. Danielson is just an amazing wrestler.


TNA GENESIS

Abyss v. Black Reign in a shop of horrors match - SUCKED. Dustin as Black Reign is absolutely awful.

MCMG v. Team 3-D - I hate Team 3-D as they may be the most successful terrible tag team in history. Nothing special.
Gail Kim v. Angel Williams v. ODB v. Roxxi Leveaux - This wasn't good either, especially Angel Williams. I am looking forward to the Knockout division going forward though.

Jay Lethal v. Sonjay Dutt - Okay match.

Steiners v. Styles/Tomko - Tomko v. Rick Steiner? Ugh. Passable Match.

Samoa Joe v. Robert Roode - Pretty good Match, probably this or the ladder match was Best on the card. Tracy Brooks, OMG.

Kaz v. Christian - Ladder Match; Fight for the right Final - This was put on TNA's Best of 2007 DVD, but not sure it belongs. Cool, innovative spots, but a little too contrived, even for a ladder match.

Angle/Nash v. Sting/Mystery Partner - Booker T was the mystery partner. Typical TNA tag main event.
Nothing on the show worth a second look, IMO.


WWE SURVIVOR SERIES

Since Cena has been out with the injury, they've had two PPV's and both were really good. This was no different with three matches worth a second look (Punk v. Miz v. Morrison, HBK v. Orton, and Undertaker v. Batista HITC)

The women's 10 man tag and Khali v. Hornswoggle were awful as one would expect. Cade/Murdoch v. Rhodes/Bob Holly was okay, but definitely nothing special. The Traditional Elimination Tag was good, but nothing memorable.


ROH Reckless Abandon

This seemed like a placeholder show. No big angles, nothing progressing and just one great match (Aries v. Strong Iron Man). Those guys wrestle each other so frequently it gets tiresome, but they work well and it's always going to be above average. The only thing notable story wise is the Vulture Squad pinning the Briscoes in the main event tag scramble to earn a title shot.

I was looking forward to Danielson v. Necro Butcher, but was let down.

All the other matches were typical ROH matches with nothing at all standing out.]]> Wed, 19 Dec 2012 10:36:27 -0600