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Matt Franklin

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About Matt Franklin

  • Birthday 01/01/1984

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  1. Just watched this tonight for what I think is the first time (I know I have seen at least the first half before, but cannot for the life of me remember watching past that for some reason), and I’m wavering between ****3/4 and *****. I am firmly in the ‘hate-filled epic’ camp, and didn’t find it boring at all. I know that some have mentioned the stretch of move/pause/another move by Liger, I found it to be more of him methodically fucking this dude up and making him pay for his disrespect rather than boring, but I guess that’s a matter of how you view it. For a guy who had a costume that covered him head to toe, has there ever been a wrestler more effective at using body language to convey meaning? I thought the spots playing off their match two weeks earlier, such as the blocked low blow and hurricanrana - resulting in Samurai having to use a different entry (almost a Toyota roll) to catch him, were awesome and it seemed like the crowd was in on the story, as they also popped big for them. The low blow in the previous match also helps play into the viciousness of Liger in this match. It is interesting to see the perception of Samurai as being carried by Meltz in ‘92, as when I watch with 2021 eyes I think he is solid as hell in there and is much more than just the ‘other guy’ in this match. Liger could have still had a similar layout and a really good match with someone not as talented as Samurai, but I don’t think it reaches the same heights. El Samurai is becoming almost a forgotten talent these days, but the dude was soooo good! Never as flashy as some of his peers, but when you look at his resume it is actually pretty damn strong. I’m hesitant to go full 5* yet, as after reading this thread I feel like if I was in a different mood on rewatch it may not pack quite the same punch (or shotei even) that it has on this watch, but it is as close as you can get to five without being a slam dunk.
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  4. This was a great title match, a step below the elite NXT matches but a damn fine TV match. Both guys looked great, Ciampa continues to deliver some career-best work and Black showed some great fire and aggresion here. Liked the trading of taunts, and some of the near falls, like Ciampa’s roll up on Black Mass, were timed perfectly. It’s a shame the 3 way fell through due to injury, think it would have been fresher than running Ciampa vs Gargano for the third straight event, in what will likely be a fantasic match but eill seem a bit stale at this point. Excellent TV title match that you should go out of your way to check out. ****1/4
  5. This was such a fun beating by Jarrett, totally one-sided but a refreshing match layout rather than having the traditional long heat segment. Everything looked really good, Travis was a bump freak here, loved the backdrop on the floor. Post-match was tremendous, all of the punches looked awesome and those guitar shots, with the legit guitar rather than balsa wood, were brutal. As a whole, using the new rating scale Loss is using would give this whole segment 8.5.
  6. Yeah I’m with the crowd that thinks this was the better match than New Orleans, if only slightly. There was more intensity and a fight feel, they limited the amount of ‘moves’ they did to fit the stip, which I liked. The level of violence was probably as high as we’ll get in this day and age from WWE, which is a good thing as it was stiff and hard hitting as all hell but didn’t go into ridiculous death match territory (which I am not a fan of). I really liked how they teased the cuffs and exposed ring earlier, then they played into the finish organically. Very well laid out spectacle match. As far as the finish goes, yes Ciampa kind of no sold the damage he had just recieved, but I saw it as he’s mustering his strength for one last shot, which just so happened to be the one that put Johnny Westling down. Ciampa needed to win this one, otherwise there was no real point in running it back the Takeover after their last main event. Will be interested to see how they top this. I Quit perhaps? ****3/4
  7. Just watched this and yeah, it was awesome. Kyle O’Reilly is doing so much better in NXT than I figured he would, and if I was Bobby Fish I’d be worried as Kyle has great chemistry with Roddy. All four guys were really great in this, they kept up a great pace but never fell into a mindless spotfest. I like how much they gave Birch and Lorcan in this one, they were made to look tough as nails and showed great fire. One of my favourite matches so far this year. ****1/2
  8. Just rewatched this after their July match, and it is even better than I remembered. What a fucking fight, Id say this and the July match are the two best Piper matches Ive ever seen. This is just a violent masterpiece, the violence is simple but so effective. Both guys bleed buckets, and whike the territory leaned too far into the bladejobs, it was a needed element to put over the brutality. Pipers blade job to the ear is an all timer in terms of effectiveness, really puts the match over the edge. I like the way they used the chain, there were no cute creative spots just grinding and hitting each other with it like a dog fight, pun kinda intended. Watching this back, I didnt mind the finish as much as I remember. Yes, as Superstar said the bump off the ropes was probably the safest of the match, but the shots afterwards were great and the match really didnt feel like it could go on much longer with the damage they had inflicted. That being said, a more climactic finish probably would hve put it at the full 5 for me, but it is one of the best brawls I have seen and the best use of the collar/chain gimmick I can remember. ****3/4
  9. This kind of discovery is what makes having the Network worth it. My god what a brawl, as has already been stated the striking was absolutely off the charts great from both guys, Pipers punches were some of the best I can remember seeing from him, and Valentines foreams and punches to the ear looked amazing. Gregs gutbuster looked brutal, as did his follow up knees. Brutal is a great word to sum this fight up. This had a sense of hate that most wrestling cannot reach, I need to rewatch the dog collar match stat to see how well that holds up after watching this. Essential viewing, so glad this showed up and I am so excited to see what other unseen footage is found. Great time to be a fan. ****1/2
  10. I had never seen this famous match, and thought it was great. Terrys performance is out-of-this-world great, his selling of the leg has to be one of the all time great sell jobs. I loved the frenetic pace and how there was no quarter given by either team. Of course, the post match with Hamsen wreaking havoc and the famous forever promo puts this over the top as oneof the best all round presentations of the 80s *****
  11. Yeah the crowd heat helped make this one. There were a lot of cool moments in this - Fuchis rolling short arm scissors, Chavos electric chair drop to the turnbuckle being teo ones that stood out to me - and everything escalated logically. Chavo was really good at this point, and both did the small detail work that really makes a match for me. ***3/4
  12. Yeah this was really good, just an all action match with great finishes for the first two falls and an out of control feel to match the double DQ finish. I was pleasantly surprised with how clean the finish of the first fall was, the knee drop really did look like it could end a fall. On a tangent, but WCCW was a very kneedrop heavy territory, it seems like we see multiple in each match I watch! Really fun stuff. ****
  13. I wasnt as high on this match as you, Superstar. I am finding these Von Erich tags to be frustrating in the sense that I think they could have a really good heat segment on them, as all three are quite good sellers (especially David), but it seems like the Freebirds never get a sustained advantage over Fritzs boys. I think a more traditional southern style tag between the teams would be amazing, but if I accept that this is what we are going to get, then this was fun enough. This is a side note, but were the ropes in WCCW lower than in other territories? If so, that would explain why a lot of the rope running looks a bit clumsy and awkward in these matches. I really liked Gordy in this one, especially his punches and elbows to David. I also like the finish as a way to keep the feud moving along. Fun stuff, but not at the level of their best work. ***1/4
  14. Like all of the other Fujinami/Choshu matches Ive seen, this was an intense, mat based war. They were able to convey an intensity going back and forth in their exchanging of holds that is not seen too much these days. The way they would work holds and treat them was more realistic than the typical body part weakening/selling that is more prevalent in the US. An example being Choshu hitting a shoulder breaker and then going into the scorpion. Yes, his previous attack was on the shoulder, but the scorpion deathlock is a deadly hold and when the opportunity arises, why wouldnt you go for it. An analogy would be in MMA, if someone is working a leg kick game standing and then when it goes to the ground a choke is available, should they pass and dive for a knee bar on the leg theyve been kicking? Of course not, you would go to the hold that is most likely to finish. They did a great fake out of a typical 80s count out finish, with Choshu lariating Fujinami from behind and sensing him headfirst into the post, resulting in Fuji coming up bloody. After the tease, they end up delivering on the count out finish, with Fujinami hitting an enzuigiri and backdrop suplex on the floor to sqeak out the win. This obviously sets up rematches down the line, and plays off of previous finishes. Overall, I thought this was really good and look forward to seeing the rematches later. ****
  15. Works dominating my life at the moment, I think I might have to skip this week so I can catch up on my reviews, which I will get to as soon as I have the time sorry
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