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Loss

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Everything posted by Loss

  1. You know Pierroth gets it when he has the decency to wear all white when he's about to do a five-alarm blade job. Great selling here from him with Ano throwing weapons of all kinds at him and brutalizing him all over the arena. This is kind of a Jerry Lawler brawl without the strong Jerry Lawler comeback, although Pierroth does take more of a measured rally back that works on its own terms. Screwy finish with the ref didn't bother me as the hopeful beginning of a Pierroth vs Dinamitas feud. I liked this a great deal more than Chad, probably even more than the hot trios match earlier on the same show, which I loved too. ****
  2. This was amazing as a go home match before the big match. Amazing to think that this is it -- we've seen two months of hype with some insane matches and the moment is almost here. They go for broke the final time out, going more mugging than match to start and never really coming down from that sense of urgency, even when the technicos start getting in some shots of their own. Villano just goes there and takes off Atlantis' mask, getting DQd because fuck it, and leaving Atlantis to cover his face with his hands in humiliation. Atlantis does come back and get the win with the backbreaker in the third fall, but his satisfaction doesn't last long before the other Horsemen Villanos IV and V come through the crowd in street clothes and gang attack Atlantis to make the final point. This feud has been quite the ride, and this match was quite the match. ****
  3. WCW in 2000 is about as far from a model wrestling company as has ever existed, but they even had some moments that were aesthetically redeeming? Does AAA in 2000 have any such moments? Even one? We'll keep going along in hot pursuit. Agreed that the first two minutes was a promise that went unfulfilled by a circus of bullshit that lasted four times as long.
  4. We see five minutes of a spectacular 8 minute match. Liger obliterates the late El Samurai and does a great job getting the crowd to rally for his kickouts, turning Samurai into quite the underdog. This is a new dynamic for these two, with Liger as the heel bully and Samurai as the sympathetic underdog. Pretty cool how these two have had so many very different and interesting matches against (and alongside) each other in the same promotion for 8 years. This further establishes Liger for his imaginary heavyweight run that we can bitch about later and Samurai gave a terrific performance, which has me wondering just how long he had fuel in the tank. Short, but unique with big impact. ***1/2
  5. Awesome match with everyone just jovial and upbeat the entire time, especially Wagner, who seemed to be having the time of his life. Kendo Kashin would be my Most Improved Wrestler of 2000 at this point. He used to drag juniors matches down to an extent, and while I still wouldn't classify him as a great worker, he is more than capable of holding his own in these matches now. Wagner just adapted so seamlessly to New Japan, far better than Casas did. He was the biggest star of this. Very lively match -- the kind that reminds me why I love this stuff so much. ****
  6. I think the belief is that Dave's influence is so massive among hardcore wrestling fans that his star ratings will either turn them on or turn them off to watching or caring about lucha libre, and I don't disagree. And if you are like me, when you see something great and appreciate it, you want others to see it and appreciate it, because at your core, you like seeing other people experience joy and happiness, especially when it's for the same reason you experienced joy and happiness. And when you see something awesome that no one has talked about, after you get past the initial reaction of, "Wow, it's awesome that we discovered this", there is a little disappointment that the performers were not celebrated for the greatness of the match when it actually happened, a process that Dave has more or less controlled for nearly 40 years. But anyway, it's not so much about one guy having a divergent opinion as much as it is about the weight that opinion carries. When people like the things we like, it's a nice reminder that we aren't alone in this world, it gives us a sense of community and it fulfills the human need to connect with other human beings, using professional wrestling as a medium to do so. I think that's generally true of any hobby with a social component.
  7. Dave has given more lucha matches ***** than that, mostly in 1993-1995 AAA. He was answering a question that didn't make sense in a format with limited characters more than he was saying that this match is the only match in the genre that's 5*, I think. His past rankings reflect that.
  8. This was indeed awful. This was during the time Nova was even trying reinvent himself as a serious wrestler. Is it possible Nova invented reinventing? I would have expected more, and Corino is not a guy I usually see taking nights off on small shows, but so far, that's what ECW guys appearing in other promotions while ECW was still around has been. I don't fault them that, considering the risk vs reward and likely difference in pay, but it makes clear where our priorities are and are not in footage watching in the future.
  9. I thought this was just awesome! I think this may be the March match where we end up the farthest apart. Less than 10 minutes in total, but wow did they deliver, cutting a breakneck pace and doing a fully fleshed out shine, FIP, hot tag, restart, big false finish and actual screwy finish, which I enjoyed as a way to set up a rematch. There were times I wish they'd slowed down just a tad or done moves a little less try hard (hint: less moves whose names end in "driver", "buster" or "plex"), but those are small issues. This was tremendous fun and a total adrenaline rush -- a superb mix of modern, all-action style with an old school layout. Looking forward to more matches. ***3/4
  10. I liked moments of this, but I don't think it had enough time to develop. I've seen shorter matches that have been better, but this one felt too short in a way others haven't. It was cool to see how they kept the action moving, but Tarzan Boy's long hesitation before taking action when he has Satanico down annoys the shit out of me. Lots to love here, but this still falls short overall.
  11. Murahama was kind of a fly in the ointment in Osaka Pro. This wasn't his debut, but he had only been around a few months at this time, and his style ran counter to the house style of the group, and he was being set up as a challenger to Super Delphin, Osaka Pro's ace, in a feud that would go on and off throughout the rest of the year. I'm not sure what the post-match angle was about, but I thought this was a good way to continue establishing his style as something different, and I have a soft spot for Quallt. This match was more about booking and angle advancement than anything, as seen by Murahama socking Delphin when he comes to his rescue, but it worked in advancing things. I'm looking forward to that match when we get to it.
  12. Purple and red, Ric? That doesn't really match. WCW often tried to get Flair to get the opposite reaction in North Carolina because reasons, and I don't get it at all. I don't care if he's a heel at this point in time, resistance is futile -- for one night, just let the guy do The Ric Flair Show when it's clear that's what the audience wants to see. They didn't pop at all for much that Hennig did unless he was working on Flair's terms, retaliating to Flair's chops and allowing him to take his high elevation back body drop. I guess they did do that, but with Flair as the heel. Tony lies and says fans are chanting for Hogan in North Carolina when there's not a chant to be heard. And why would Flair be doing a job to Curt Hennig of all people? In 2000 of all years? This match was pretty well-worked and probably Curt's best match in ages, but they didn't have the crowd like they could have because they were insistent on fighting them tooth and nail too much of the time. It's a shame. I liked the match otherwise, even if it's nothing you haven't seen a million times.
  13. Very good match that benefitted both guys, both from a booking and wrestling standpoint. Benoit amped up the aggression even more than usual, which, combined with HHH and Show being at ringside, really gave Rock lots of odds to overcome. I also liked how Rock made his own save in the post-match. Good night for him. Rock doing the powerbomb on Benoit was pretty awesome as something unconventional for him, even if it was made easier by Benoit's cage positioning. Hard fought win against a worthy opponent paired with good booking. This is the ideal way to present a top babyface. ***1/2
  14. Good work, but had no heat and Jim Ross tried, but Lawler and Terri Runnels had no interest in talking about the match. For Saturn and Malenko having left WCW, the more things change, you know the rest. I have nothing against Terri Runnels, but this reeks of them just trying to find a place for her more than having a place for her.
  15. Another strong match between these two. I thought HHH looked really good here on offense, not so much in what he was doing but how he was doing it. His punches looked good and he wrestled with a lot of intensity. I still hate that he hasn't come up with a better way to do pedigree counters than just letting go voluntarily so he can be back body dropped out, but that's a thing in every HHH match. I liked that they protected Rikishi here, even though HHH going over on the Road to Wrestlemania would have been perfectly justified. It was time for Rock to get at least a little retribution, so the run-in was well done. Agreed it was a step down from January, but I still think these two have good chemistry.
  16. Enjoyed the pre-match insults from both of them. Ok action while it lasted. Jericho is really over. Backlund showing up and going crazy is awesome, and I like the Angle-Backlund pairing, which is mostly forgotten and didn't last at all.
  17. An overbooked mess with brief moments of fun from Mini Abismo Negro and Charly Manson. The definition of a match that couldn't get out of its own way because the booking was so overdone, and there is no such thing as a match made better by a Tiger Steele run-in. The work itself was good when they were left alone to work a match, then the booking kicked in and this completely fell apart, which is a shame.
  18. Good match that I liked more than anything we've seen out of AAA so far. The interference from the seconds was weird in that I don't really know what it added to the match, and it made for a few awkward moments. Otherwise, the wrestlers were perfectly fine. I don't know, a three-star match for this company feels like something worth celebrating. I agree that it was in no way what a hair match "should" be for those of us who formed that standard based on CMLL, but just as a match, it was well-worked. ***
  19. I thought this was pretty awesome. After the long entrances and mic work (which I really enjoyed), the match proper wastes no time and gets straight to the point. Despite a couple of crazy spots involving tables, all-in-all, this is a pretty old school affair because of the hate behind the brawling. Ian is Dusty Rhodes and he's WALKING TALL, bringing in a few pals to hold off his chief rival and his cronies. The props were there, but the focus was way more on the brawling, which is always the better approach. ***3/4
  20. Cornette calling everything a half-second before it happens is one of those you can't un-see once you pick up on it, and it's very distracting. OVW still doing nothing for me. Competing with AAA as the worst promotion we've watched.
  21. Is it possible that as late as 2000, the Rock N Roll Express were still the best working tag team in wrestling? I watch this match and seriously wonder. This was pretty awesome. It's always a trip to see just how good the Rock N Rolls are as heels, seamlessly blending their opponents spots with their own signature spots in new context. Here, they decimated Rick Michaels' knee and did an outstanding job of working it over, playing off the pre-match angle. This was a master's class in tag team wrestling, and I'm glad they got the time to strut their stuff. Great finish with the chain shot right to Michaels' knee when it looks like he might have made a strong enough recovery, followed by a double dropkick and pin. The first match in a while that I've *loved* just as much as I've thought it was great. ****
  22. Thanks. I'm not really a fan of MMA, so I was asking just out of genuine curiosity more than I was saying "I don't see a difference" as a statement. But that makes sense.
  23. Wow, that Jeff G. Bailey pre-match promo sure embodies the Go Hard or Go Home mentality. I don't even know what to do with that. Really good. AJ Styles looks green, but only by the standards of how he looks today. His potential is obvious, and he's already good in the ring. Not much in the way of high risk stuff here, as they work a mostly solid, even-paced old school match with AJ working from underneath and doing lots of selling. Eddie Golden runs in, which is part of the build to their ladder match in April. I enjoyed this quite a bit. ***
  24. This was the best MCW match so far. It would be cool to see something get more time, but these guys do a lot with the time they have here, giving us a wild brawl full of energy. I have always liked using the chair as a choking weapon. All four of these guys are really good. Even Road Dogg is in the type of setting that highlights what he does well, and he more than holds up his end.
  25. It's just interesting that when people like HHH and Stephanie cut promos like that in wrestling dressing people down, the same people who love that stuff in MMA tear them apart. What's the difference?
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