WingedEagle

Colon vs. flannel LeDuc with barbed wire! LeDuc is someone I've read a lot about but never seen in anything significant so looking forward to this. LeDuc smartly comes with with taped fists and wrists to protect himself. He's bumping around for Colon early on and quickly bleeding from his forehead because Puerto Rico. After a low blow, LeDuc starts grinding the wire on Colon's head and we get double juice. In the spot of the match, and maybe the disc or entire set, Bobby Jaggers says says LeDuc probably ties up his girlfriend with barbed wire. Really great intensity from both here along with outstanding camera work filming LeDuc using the wire. Match is almost nothing but punches and wire, but Colon sells everything so well, particularly having his shoulder ripped with the wire. I actually thought they handled the wire to the mouth spot very well. Great visual -- particularly for the live audience -- but it looked like LeDuc was incredibly careful with it. Colon uses a couple low blows to put LeDuc down, then stomps away. LeDuc safely bumping into the wire for Colon's punches. Really fun match. Now attacking the knee and then Figure-Four. LeDuc soon submits. Really good, quick match. Blood, intensity, no wasted action whatsoever. Tops on this disc and contender for #1 overall thus far. ***3/4

I can't get enough of the stadium settings for WWC shows. Just love it. Invader bleeds early from biting, and we settle into Kamala chops & strikes vs. Invader punches. Just a solid, effective big vs. small that's absolutely made by Invader doing a monster juice job. Just bleeding buckets, but oddly it doesn't make its way to the mat for quite some time. His face is a total mess and super gross. Love it! The ref eventually calls for a blood stoppage and doctors check on him as his face looks like the handiwork of Dr. Lecter. Best Kamala match ever? With added time and a hot comeback this might've risen to something great, but it was still an incredibly fun spectacle. **3/4

This is basically a tornado brawl from the start. We then settle into heat on Perez that sets up a Colon hot tag. He comes in on fire with the cartwheel, headbutts and punches. Just a really awesome babyface hot tag. Colon dropkicks both Sheepherders, with one bumping to the floor, then goes to work on the other's leg. Figure-Four but they make the save. A bit more babyface dominance before Perez rolls one up for the win. Solid but enough meat to rise above that. Again this feels like a really good match for TV. Enjoying disc 2 a whole lot more than disc 1. **3/4

Embry already acting like a boss heel before they even lock up. And them more stalling. Literally for many solid minutes. Would want the crowd to be near a riot at this point but that's not the case. Feels very much like a Memphis heel routine transplanted to Puerto Rico for a bigger crowd. After an eye rake Embry takes it to the mat and they somehow manage to quiet a hot crowd that was just loving Chicky vs. Invader #1. Embry is soon bleeding around his hair line, but they soon return to working holds rather than play up the violence. Completely baffling. #3 is now finally punching and kicking the leg to pay off some of the holds, but we're again back to some odd psychology with the babyface picking apart a heel's body part from the start rather than as payback. #3 stays in control almost the entire way until Embry catches him with a punch and piledriver that leave both men down. A couple near falls down the stretch that builds to Invader 3 hitting an AWESOME tope suicida. Embry doesn't beat the count and Invader wins by countout. Great spot, but weak finish even if crowd seems to dig it. I'm apparently very much the low man here but this didn't approach its potential even if they teased it at times. **1/4

Enjoyed the Prime Time show but it seemed they focused on a few specific stories rather than fleshing out regular details about the show and production, which is what I was more interested in. Still an easy listen and little bits like Prichard's insights on Heenan & Monsoon's relationship make this very worthwhile.

We get clips of a Sport Shop segment to set up the match. Had I known then what I know now, high school me would've taken Spanish or Japanese instead of Latin. Looks like we join in progress as Invader is on the floor already bleeding. Another rabid crowd. It feels like I'll be noting that and the blood on just about every match on this set. That is a not a bad thing. Chicky looks like such a trashy, contemptible heel. Nice work from him roughing up Invader at ringside and then mixing in punches around an armbar. Looks like a jump cut. This is really one-sided domination with Invader getting in nothing. Don't mind it though as we've got the heel destroying the fan favorite. Nice to see proper psychology open up disc 2 after some of the strange layouts on disc 1. It eventually builds to an Invader comeback with punches and slaps that look pretty weak, but that's irrelevant to the crowd which is really heating up behind him. He's hopping around like a madman to fire people up. Chicky eventually bails after a fistrop for a countout finish. Quick, simple match with strong psychology and a great crowd. Oh, and blood. The staples of disc 2 if not the territory. Felt like a fun TV match. ***

The tone and judgment are what really got me here. In what world would you want an employee speaking to a client or customer like that? There's no reason he needs to directly engage with people at all, so why go out of your way to do so in this fashion? Presumably he doesn't realize how it comes off but its just horrible. To say nothing of his now shattered trust in the confidence of complete strangers on Twitter. Just so strange.

Case, appreciate the long explanation and additional recs. Much of what you explained is similar to what I've heard from DG fans in the past and can at times even see quite a bit of it myself. Really fascinating to trace the evolution of the roster, and I can certainly see why for those who are invested in the history and day to day there's a lot of depth that would make the promotion more enjoyable and easier to follow. Perhaps that why when I watch a big match (like that 11/1/15 tag) it doesn't rate nearly as high for me as for the diehards, but is nonetheless enjoyable. For whatever reason I've found Yoshino one of the most accessible guys on the roster, particularly in a tag setting. What stands out beyond his incredible speed is how his execution doesn't suffer at all or seem to require any unnatural pauses. Haven't gotten a chance to check out the other matches you highlighted yet, but Kondo/Dragon Kid was a fun and tight little match with a clear dynamic that had some impressive spots by each within their roles. Felt like a really high end TV match, perhaps ***1/2 or so, but definitely merited a bit of a bump for the post-match attack and mask ripping.

Seems like incredibly poor judgment on Foley's part to engage with strangers on this level and believe any of it will remain confidential. To say nothing of the incredibly condescending, scolding parental tone he took with the fan.

Then book her on doing 3 minute squashes. Exclusively. And headline PPVs with it. If, on the other hand, you want to offer up a legitimate challenger, present said legitimate challenger. Simply don't see that person on the roster as of 10/15/16.

Exactly, absolutely nothing's been done to suggest a single other woman on the NXT roster is anywhere near Asuka's level. Its exactly why there isn't much heat around her. She's basically on an island there.

Good man. Hope to check out a couple this weekend.

Done. Hopefully this thread sees some more DG soon. Where's the list at? I try to check out the big matches on big DG shows but am sure I'm missing something by not closely following the product. The pace can get weary at times but there's absolutely room for what they do in my wrestling viewing and the big stuff that doesn't fall too heavily into the comedy are often thrilling.

Agreed, this cracked me up on almost every occasion. The condescension could become overdone and unnecessary, but it was still interesting and the bingo calls were some damn fine comedy.

Boricua, thanks as always for the info. We're definitely talking Bobby Jaggers here after watching a bit more. He sounds like something straight out of a Grand Theft Auto game. Really enjoy them together on commentary. Finishing disc 2 today and will post some specific thoughts on the matches and the set more broadly then. After a slow start I am loving the set now.

1) Who's on English commentary with Hugo Savinovich? This guy is a riot and has the most hilarious heel laugh ever. 2) Why does Invader #1 wear a mask when teaming with #3 but not when working singles?

Finally watched this last night and was reminded again just how incredibly smooth and quick Tamura is on the mat. I'm sure I'd appreciate it more if some of the nuance on the mat came to me more easily, but he's still operating at a ridiculous skill level. I can't rate it much higher because outside of a few big strikes this never felt like much beyond a tremendous exhibition, but can totally see why fans of the style would love it. ***1/2

I'm just about done with the 2008 feud and concur. Forgot to mention it in my earlier post, but 2008 is a hell of year for Michaels. The Jericho matches & angles are all great, I think the Flair match it awesome and he pulls some good things together with Batista as well.

That's basically exactly what I had in mind when voting.

Let's hope she's able to clean up her act, if that's in fact what's needed. She's not looking well lately.

Great, now I need to rewatch that Kobashi-Akiyama match from 2000. I had it about ***3/4, so very curious why we might really be that far off. Very much in line on Mania 19. Hogan-Vince was an incredibly pleasant surprise that was well laid out and never dragged. This was also the show where it hit me that my thoughts on Michaels might need to be tempered. I'd remembered him as this GOAT worker who hit home runs on big shows every time out. Those matches are there as I still think the Angle and Undertakers matches are classics, but those are few and far between. The meat is comprised of 3-3.5 star matches that if anything leave you wanting more because the expectations are so high going into them.

Generally agree with this, as I simply want it to be active and look painful. Don't just lay there. The proponent should work to make it look like he's going out of his way to wear down his opponent and inflict real damage, while the man selling should actively put over the position he's in and work to escape. Don't just lie there.

From recent photos, Paige looks like she's on an unhealthy diet. Possibly one that's consumed nasally rather than orally.

You missed the good stuff. They also booked the main event before intermission.

Jack Swagger vs. Baron Corbin Niki Bella vs. Carmella The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss (Lynch is apparently a scratch) Heath Slater & Rhyno vs. The Usos Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt AJ Styles vs. John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose Smackdown TV is very fun of late and Backlash was a very good show so I'm looking forward to this. Interestingly, they just announced on Twitter that the main event will open the show. Afraid of debate competition even with it as Network programming or an angle to set up another title match later in the night?