WingedEagle

Quotes like that make me hate myself for my primary hobby. Thanks god I've got a lot of Japan to catch up on.

BOSJ was very disappointing this year. I'd like to say especially so given the lineup, but perhaps its due to that as they have so many great flyers but all they do is fly and put together choreographed sequences. I'm also firmly a believer that Hiromu Takahashi is overrated. Some fun stuff with Dragon Lee during that feud, but his work since returning to New Japan has been mindlessly spotty. The Liger booking was undoubtedly a downer as every live crowd wanted a reason to get behind him and never got one. Even the wrestlers were relishing their matches wit him despite finishes that didn't build any mini storylines for purposes of the tourney. That being said, there were some legit highlights. Kushida vs. Taguchi was an awesome match with real psychology rather than the prototypical my turn/your turn antics. Ricochet/Ospreay 2, on the other hand, was exactly that. Some people seem to think this surpassed last year's outing. It was certainly longer but I didn't find it any more compelling. Given their objectives and approach, it was pretty damn impressive. Its just not something I think is well served going nearly half an hour. But if you enjoy that kind of showcase you will like this. The tourney final of Kushida vs. Ospreay was absolutely spectacular. This was a legit MOTYC that told a story, featured selling and did a great job incorporating some truly outrageous spots for maximum impact rather than simply crossing them off some sort of to-do list as the match progressed. Highly recommend that everyone check this out. ****1/2 stars at a minimum, and my initial reaction was to go slightly higher, something I rarely do for all but truly classic matches.

Hoping to catch the main event live, but that depends entirely on the basketball game. Will otherwise need to work this in during the week. Finals definitely wins out against a PPV.

Love Liger! Really excited to see this develop and am glad that you're going back to Yamada rather than starting with him under the mask. Tons of great work in that period as well.

Riddle needs to drop the Pele kick. Looks terrible almost every time. Actually, he's developed a lot of bad habits. I agree about the match though. O'Reilly's return to EVOLVE has clicked for me in a way I didn't expect, given how hit and miss (more miss) he was in ROH and New Japan. Agree about the Pele kick and many of Riddle's strikes. As shoe noted he's become very formulaic and his matches will really turn on the type of opponent. I haven't been impressed against the KOR or Cobb types that can grind a match down. As I'm admittedly down on the style, I thought a whole lot less of this match than most and disappointed by the apparent need to prove they could go long. Very much prefer him working near sprints with wrestlers who can cut a pace, but think he really shines when pushed by someone big like Elgin or Walter. They've been responsible for my favorite Riddle matches to date and do a great job taking him out of his apparent comfort zone, forcing him to sell and work from underneath while presenting a real challenge.

This was my favorite BOSJ match thus far. it was a great showcase for Kushida on the mat while Taguchi hung with him the entire way. Taguchi is quick to rely on comedy spots these days, but they were all business here with fast, crisp action that highlighted the juniors division as a contrast to the rest due to the speed and precision, while also incorporating a number of seamless transitions that worked within the context of the match and the overall strategies of both performers. They also put together an unpredictable, well executed finish that didn't run too long at all. I liked night 1, but between teasing and then killing a prominent final run for Liger, as well as other promising pairings opting for mindless spotfests, the tourney has progressed without too many highlights. This was very much a worthy standout. ****

Pretty much every other major promoter got a shot at national TV in some form in the 80s. I just don't see any of them being successful in 1988 (you can create other counterfactuals for periods earlier in the 80s). Verne, Fritz, Jerry Jarrett... they're all going to be disasters. The idea of Watts coming in is sort of interesting, but I just don't think his philosophy works nationally, or in the Turner corporate structure, based on how badly things went in 1992. Many had an opportunity in the 80s, but who hadn't flamed out by this point? I believe the AWA was still on ESPN, but that wasn't going to list. Not sure who else has the product, presentation and relationships to turn up a fresh opportunity.

Is there any reason to think Turner buys Crockett without Flair in the picture? If we assume for a moment the answer is no, what other promotion have a chance of making any impression on TV? Watts is out of the picture by this point -- can he quickly come up with a compelling proposal for Turner to counter program Titan? Does Turner care enough about ceding the market to Vince that he even entertains other options? Curious how territories develop and die off absent WCW, and whether ECW ever takes off, and in what form.

The buzz about Hiroyo Matsumoto caught my eye. Even if Asuka moves up, you're talking 3 frontline Japanese women coming in soon, never mind the domestic or Euro talents that will likely be added. Meltzer even reported that Shirai took less money than she was making in Stardom to come here. I can't imagine its a priority in Stamford/Orlando, but it seems odd to stockpile all this talent without a plan to feature it. The Japanese women's scene doesn't seem to be such a threat that they need to take it down, but perhaps the talent budget is such that there's no hesitation on hoarding workers at this price point.

AJ Styles is so freaking great. What a smart, creative finish that was built to throughout the match. Can't wait for the rematch.

These are exactly my thoughts on this match. Loved the opening with a focus on the arm, then they basically dropped that approach to get their spots in. ***1/4 that felt like it was heading much higher.

This is all pretty crazy. Sounds like Maximo & Mascara have been fired.

Got it, thanks.

Yeah I'm admittedly new to Stardom so this doesn't quite feel like quite a positive reset as I'm far from burnt out on the roster. Is Watanabe injured? Haven't seen her for months. Will be interesting to see how they book things heading into and coming out of the Grand Prix. They'll presumably have to jump start a couple acts in that time frame to set things up going forward.

Interesting take. Do you think they have the youngsters to promote to the top in short or even medium term? Mayu, Matusomoto & Jungle seem like obvious fits up top for the moment, but that really guts the middle. Curious to see how HZK develops. She's held her own as Shirai's partner but haven't seen her deliver in a singles setting yet.

This is typically the case on most arguments/discussions. But people love black and white and don't seem to have much patience for grey anymore.

Yeah! So awesome you loved it this much. I hope to get back on the January train soon enough, but Takayama's coming out parties with Kobashi here and Misawa next year were absolute eye openers. Like you said they fit right in with the best of 90s All Japan.

Arn Anderson. The best ever to me. Strong pick. Daniel Bryan? AJ Styles? Those feel like the big ones in my mind.

Meltzer has confirmed that Io Shirai is signing with WWE. Not sure how Stardom holds things together with her, Hojo and potentially Toni Storm gone as well.

Finally catching up on the show, and yes, the Roderick Strong videos are terrific. So frustrating that these could seemingly be effectively put together for anyone on the roster, yet are verboten on the main shows.

Do you disagree? I love the show. One of my favorite podcasts. I just find it puzzling that the same people bash it every week yet continue to listen. Must love punishment I wish there was simple adware free place where all of the newsworthy/interesting bits from Prichard/Tony/Jericho/Ross/Bischoff/etc.'s podcasts could just posted quickly by someone in quick list form. I don't have hours and hours to listen to this stuff but I'd be curious if we learned something new about a production meeting Bischoff had with Tony about Glacier or something (I don't know). I could absolutely see people try to listen to something like Bruce's show for new information and not necessarily entertainment. Not an option for everyone, but I'll always listen to podcasts at 2x speed and with a 45 minute drive to work each way every day, and the gym in the morning before that, there's ample time to get through most of what I want even if not in the most timely fashion.

Always fun seeing how these lists develop.