WingedEagle

New Day vs. Anderson & Gallows - Enjoyed this a hell of a lot more than I expected. They kept it tight at roughly 8-9 minutes and was all action the entire way. Hot start with the Club jumping the champs for a big near fall, and then near falls down the stretch seemed to matter as well -- perhaps because of how they've hyped the length of New Day's reign? Seemed ripe for a title change, but then came the finish which is apparently why we were here, as New Day debuted a Kofi-assisted Big Ending called the Midnight Owl. So it was a marketing opportunity. But solid stuff until then.

Not sure how that's consistent with pushing her as a monster heel in matches. Would make more sense when the time comes to begin teasing a face turn, but its just something they harp on during her entrance and on commentary. Doesn't seem to add a whole lot to the overall package at this stage.

I love the ear attack because its unique, brutal, and fucks up your equilibrium. A monster like Abby is going to ignore/only be further angered by something like arm work. Abby isn't some mere mortal so you have to approach him differently from a normal wrestler. Ear work fucks up his balance and his ability to think clearly (well as clearly as Abby can). I dug it. And Colon was so focused and forceful attacking the ear. I haven't seen a single Abby/Colon match yet that would contend for my top 5, but I've really liked every one of them and they take different approaches to each of their matches which you wouldn't expect. Awesome, great to hear that they're all so different. The ear attack was completely unexpected and not something I sure I've ever seen right out of the gate. Its one thing were there's a storyline or blood that makes it a focus, but this was so unique and grabbed your attention right away because of it.

You are the man. That power outage did not sound like a great time.

You are a maniac. Love it. I will be moving at a much slower pace

Opening the set with Abby having his head stitched together is quite apropos. This was the blood and violence you want and expect from these two but without the insanity of a gimmick or blow off match. From Colon attacking the ear (I'd ask why, but will opt instead for why not?) at the start to Abby's thrusts to the throat -- always a favorite and something I constantly forget how much I love, to the double juice this was a hot way to kick off Puerto Rico. A blood stoppage finish that felt a bit premature along with some extended stalling early on hold this back a bit, but just a bit. Very fun and a very different vibe from most territories and promotions. We'll see how far into the set I keep saying that. *** Some other random likes and thoughts: - Abby looks pretty terrifying and insane when he mutters to himself as his lips vibrate as blood flows down his face after jabbing someone in the throat. - We weren't on the verge of a riot, but when that crowd was right up next to the ring and you could see policy gathering a few rows deep it felt like something crazy could happen. Have a feeling this is not your PWG / west coast Brooklyn crowd. - Speaking of the crowd, loved the Ed "Too Tall" Jones lookalike in the first row who couldn't even be bothered to uncross his arms early on. - Again expected a riot when someone clearly hit Abby on his way out. All involved were fortunate things didn't escalat.e - Colon looked older with the stache and for whatever reason looked quite dusty.

Looking forward to the show. Ideally it'd come in under 3 hours like Backlash, but I'm not optimistic. Every match is promising and a couple look like they could be really good. Hopefully we get a few surprise performances. Also, its somehow apparently Clash of Champions. No "the."

Boricua, hoping to dive in today and generally plan to jump to the appropriate extras as I come to them in chronological order. Any reason to avoid/jump around certain bonus footage?

Presumably removed when it switched to MLW.

Listened to the first 2 episodes today and found them an enjoyable breeze. Nice to have something in the mix that doesn't require a marathon session or callbacks to my specific thoughts on older matches and angles, even if I love those as well. Great production here as well.

Would seriously rather watch you guys go than the debate next Monday. Yours won't see me make bad jokes (but am I kidding?) to the wife about moving to Canada, and there will undoubtedly be a greater mix of substantive issues to go along with the biting personal jabs. Never quit.

Always enjoy these summaries as sometimes its tough to follow someone's progression through the Yearbooks. Still never gets old seeing folks' fresh takes on things.

I think being the focal part of a Wrestlemania -- and a successful one -- is a strong point in Bryan's case. I almost look at that as tantamount to a QB winning a Super Bowl, where winning one isn't on its own grounds for inclusion, but a factor for discussion when you can count on a couple hands the number of wrestlers who've been responsible for buys at the biggest show of the year.

Last night was unusual. Almost as though they were afraid to give us the full match. Hasn't been the case week in and week out.

Love this topic and any others like it that have the potential for ID'ing a ton of matches I haven't seen. Onto what fits where: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bad Luck Fale (6/21/2014) AJ Styles vs. Lance Archer (2014 G1) - A pair of matches with ace-level talent working against bigger man. Neither approach MOTYC territory but step out of the traditional comfort zones you'd see Nak or AJ work and for that and their execution are good fun and variety. The Club vs. Reigns & Usos -- all of their 6 man tags from TV build around the Reign/Styles feud at Payback and Extreme Rules. Just about perfect for what they set out to accomplish. AJ Styles vs. Amazing Red (TNA 2002) -- nice heel showing from a young Styles where's just a cocky prick and bullying the smaller man for a change. AJ Styles vs. Sean Waltman (TNA No Surrender 2005) -- Waltman was long since forgotten in my eyes by this time, but this was no AJ carry job. Both more than held their own and kept a great pace. Rhyno vs. Abyss vs. Sabu vs. Jeff Hardy (Monster's Ball, Bound for Glory 2005) -- shockingly great spotfest where everything clicks and there's little wasted time moving from murder to death to kill. One of the best of its kind. Samoa Joe vs. Rhyno vs. Monty Brown (Hard Justice 2006) -- Not at the level of the above, but yet another really fun, spotty brawl. Rhyno brings great intensity while Joe holds it together. Rockers vs. Orient Express (Royal Rumble 1991) -- Some are in the great match camp on this one, and I might be there if I watched it in '91. But I didn't. Very good and stands out for its time though. Slaughter vs. Warrior (Rumble 91) -- Underrated Slaughter performance with tremendous bumping, great booking and a memorable finish. Curious why this is never mentioned with Rude & Savage matches among Warrior's best. DDP -- mentioned above, but his feud with Savage and the Raven/Benoit/Saturn/Goldberg/Sting matches from this period are the epitome of this list. Could go on and on. Hope I do at some point. But now time to watch a little.

Cosign all the Styles love here. The way he positioned himself to take that dropkick and make the bump that much more spectacular was just terrific. Everyone simply looks better when in with him and his positioning.

Absolutely loving the heel Usos. Not breaking any news here, but book Reigns the same way and he will have a ton of steam come eventual babyface turn.

Women's match started pretty strongly with Alexa Bliss shockingly looking great, but once the eliminations got going they really rushed through them in short order without a whole lot in between each one. Felt like a big win for Lynch, but not sure why it had to be that rushed, especially given the long promo to open the show.

Crews vs. Corbin was worlds better than I thought possible. Possibly both men's best match yet.

Ha that sounds pretty nice. Would've gone but couldn't convince a single non-wrestling fan friend to skip the late games for it. Shocking, I know.

I'm very excited for a long AJ Styles PPV match. Hopefully he begins an extended reign with the title tonight but I could easily see them delaying that. Double Usos action also looks promising. After that? Its going to be a long show.

Exactly what supremebve said. This isn't about pro wrestling. This is about MMA. Its preposterous to think that anyone in any athletic shape is going to step into the highest forum of the sport and succeed without even a background in any of the sports / martial arts that are within the scope of the rules. The Brock talk is just silly. Wrestling is a significant aspect of MMA. Success at the higher amateur level in the country is a pretty formidable base upon which to build.

Did UFC make any extraordinary money here? Haven't yet heard anything suggesting this fight did numbers beyond what would be expected ex-punk. I didn't think expectations were that high to begin with.

You can say he tried something. Not entirely wrong. But the reason he "tried" it here is because Dana & co. saw a potential payday when absolutely nothing about his background, skills or potential suggested a remote possibility of anything more than what we got tonight. If not for his name he'd be "trying" the exact same thing on a minor league level, albeit with the exact same outcome. Not taking anything away from him as by all accounts he legitimately trained for the fight. But let's not pat him on the back for some great accomplishment either. A little perspective never hurts. One might also "try" participating in a discussion without immediately resorting to referring to those in said discussion as losers, but hey, that might also require some gym time.