WingedEagle

Cena vs. Styles There is never a time I won't love these two doing their thing. I was concerned early as they basically went right into the big, non-finisher moves, but once it slowed down and they started selling this was great. Plus they didn't run too long with the finishers (at least compared with what they usually do). Love the AA & Styles Clash kickouts, loved the exection on the big stuff down the stretch, and loved how it was a super clean finish. A real highlight were Cena's lariats, which were built up and sold so well, featured terrific bumps from Styles and given time to really matter. Plus this absolutely makes the Rumble that much more of an open question. Loving this show. ****1/4

Crowd has been checking their phones but this is a very solid match thus far.

Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens This was how you work a plunder brawl. Big spots, big weapons, almost all action without too many prolonged setups. Reigns selling just enough as he always does. Midway through I thought this was the best match they've had, which given the last PPV and nonsense on Raw isn't a high bar. But they had a lot of leeway and Reigns's willingness to take and sell so many major spots and bumps made this a terrific match. Fully expect AJ/Cena to top it, but these two went out in hour one and literally said "beat this." I wasn't a fan of Owens for most of the past year, but he held his own tonight as well. Wow. That finish. Didn't love it, but it certainly raises more questions than it answers about the Rumble match and Mania. Not sure it holds up on multiple viewings, but this match was awesome for what it was. ****1/4

Charlotte vs. Bayley Easily Bayley's best outing on the main roster. Thought the transition and early action on the floor were solid, as well as a nice middle featuring Charlotte's control and Bayley's comeback with really strong offense from both. It almost felt like they got a cue to hit the finish out of nowhere, as things escalated very quickly and the end saw some awkward transitions. Still a very good match and another feather in the cap of wrestling's best heel. ***1/2

Finally finished the show today after a late start. I expected this to be mediocre at best and was quite pleasantly surprised. Absolutely nothing was bad as every match was solid and enjoyable, although nothing out of this world. A few thoughts on each match -- Dillinger vs. Young -- Thought this would be my chance to catch up on emails, but they gelled pretty well together and with the crowd so hot for Dillinger it was a very fun watch. Tye losing was an understandable buzzkill, but they tried protecting him to an extent with all of the interference, and in truth have never seen any kind of commitment to pushing him so it wasn't all that disappointing. Hopefully he eventually finds himself in this kind of role on the main roster. **3/4 Strong vs. Almas -- Roddy has some of the best offense in the game. Everything he hits looks so crisp and vicious. I miss La Sombra. This act does him zero favors whatsoever. I didn't think there was any chance of a Strong win here, so this was quite the pleasant surprise, especially with such a decisive finish. ***1/4 DIY vs. AOP -- Johnny Gargano is so terrific. Ciampa is an awesome tag team wrestler and hot tag. I freaking love DIY. I knew their names for quite a while but really hadn't seen them a great deal before NXT, and they're easily one of my favorite acts in the company. This was nothing short of a miracle given AOP's limitations. Very interested to see the next direction for them and the division. ***1/2 Asuka vs. Cross vs. Aussies -- Again, much better than I expected and well laid out as most WWE three- or four-way matches are, for whatever reason. They simply do a great job of laying out a wrestler and letting the others work cleanly. Nikki Cross was the highlight for me here as it was her first opportunity to wrestle a serious match with some time, and she looked great. Hoping we get to see her and Asuka have a proper singles match. ***1/4 Nakamura vs. Roode -- Nakamura's shine was pretty pedestrian and Roode's selling certainly wasn't going to make that segment. The bump to the floor and ensuing heat on the neck & shoulder were solid. Thought they did a nice job escalating things down the stretch with big moves and near falls, properly peaking with the knee injury. Just a great job selling that and teasing it without going overboard and extending it too long. I couldn't believe it when I saw the match time, as it didn't feel that long at all. Job well done. ***3/4

This still felt very much like a match to firmly establish Kobashi & Akiyama's personal issues and build towards a more epic encounter. The work was solid, particularly Kobashi's early shine and control on the floor, as well as Akiyama's focus on the leg. But although Kobashi sold it well for a while, they didn't stick with it long enough for it to develop into a huge issue rather than something to fill the time. The match also seemed to shift into big moves and attempted finishers a bit suddenly for this crew, as they usually make the journey more meaningful. All of which is to say it was still a really good match that I probably underrated a bit, but not anything I'll remember as one of their signature encounters. ***3/4

You're the man. The '84 Gauntlet and 6/9/95 are immediately the first 2 that came to mind. Henning/Bock is also definitely in the discussion on the domestic side of things, likely along with some of that Flair fella's work from 1989.

I'm firmly behind 90s All Japan as the greatest thing ever, but still had to go 80s. I think New Japan, NWA & all the various territories and satellites are much better, while All Japan isn't exactly a slouch that decade.

NO to Shibata/Riddle, per my thoughts in the MDA. A good, solid match but far from MOTYC.

I haven't seen much LCO and its possible that once I do the act won't be as impressive. But we're not there yet, and this was so much fun. Absolutely loved the strong heel routine that they carry throughout the entire match, even when Korakuen Hall got behind them. Between the brawling around the building and little touches like Mita repeatedly pulling one of the pawns up before a three count, this was a textbook destruction. A ton of fun with a presumably unusual finish that worked well. ***1/2

I did watch it again! Thanks for the reminder -- will post my thoughts tonight.

My thoughts on this this match seem similar to many Riddle matches I've seen. Everything is very sound but missing something that takes it that next, great level. Its interesting that some seem to overlook the no selling and trading forearms that are often criticized in Shibata/NJ. I didn't think they were overdone here and generally don't have an issue when that's the case, but also didn't find that they were incorporated in any particularly unique or gripping fashion. My biggest issue with the match is that I found it lacking any logical progression or escalation. Its as though they got a time cue and decided to abandon some of the early things that were working and go into finishers, counters to finishers and no selling. It may sound as though I'm down on the match, but that's definitely not the case. Loved the opening headlock action from Shibata which was worked & sold very well, in addition to showing great technique rather than an opportunity to stand around. They also worked towards establishing a nice dynamic where Riddle was throwing a lot of shots at Shibata that he was able to match with essentially one big shot. There was a great match in here, I just think they got away from it. Shibata's always comfortable going the no sell route and while I think Riddle is a fantastic seller in the moment, he also seems much too quick to move past it and not register any sustained or callback selling throughout a match at this stage. Those are the type of things that make this a pretty good, efficient match rather than a great one. ***1/2

If it is indeed Taker/Reigns, hopefully they've decided to try rehabbing Reigns as a heel. It seems so easy and a natural fit at the moment, but they haven't been willing to go there. On the other hand, the prospective Smackdown Title match at Mania leaves me quite apprehensive and is killing the major buzz I had for the Rumble this weekend.

I'm at a point now where Styles losing on Sunday would be an incredible upset. Cena's been strongly put over him in angles and on the mic in recent weeks with AJ getting almost no shine at all. Just can't see taking that approach and having him drop it at the PPV.

Probably have to give Bret the nod here when weighing entire careers, but peak Martel smokes him in my eyes.

We could adopt a five-tier approach and go Classic, Great, Very Good, Good, Worth Watching For Other Reasons if you think that would be easier to read. Ha I appreciate it but its perfectly easy to read -- just need to figure out how to fit and balance everything from here alongside all the other wrestling I try to catch a bit of during the week. First world problems!

Outstanding. One other request -- next month try to have Tier 2 a little smaller. Overwhelming!

Very excited for this! Unless I'm missing something, I don't see the list of match recs at the link above.

70s -- Brisco vs. Baba (12/5/1974) 80s -- NJ Gauntlet (4/19/1984); with reservations to swap in Flair/Steamboat Clash 6 as I haven't watched it recently enough to put it over the top. 90s -- Misawa & Kobashi vs. Kawada & Taue (6/9/1995) 00s -- Misawa vs. Kobashi (3/1/2003) 10s -- Tanahashi vs. Okada (1/4/2016) I need to watch a lot more 1970s.

Solid match that seemed like the Japanese equivalent of a TV main event designed to build an upcoming PPV between the various squads. While the juniors did most of the heavy lifting and Kobashi's presence was felt, Takayama made the strongest impression during his limited time in the ring. Between the force of his explosive knees and the way he'd sell without going down to put over his size, you saw pieces of what would make his matches with Misawa & Kobashi over the next couple years true classics. There was no way to tell from here that he could translate these moments into a complete singles match, let alone become one of the decade's best workers before injuries took their toll. But you could see that there was potential for more than simply being the big half of a tag team. ***1/2

It is all very subjective and goofy, but still fun. Handy reference for checklist purposes and such.

Plus, he's clearly secured an incredibly favorable work schedule for Brock. The man knows how to negotiate a work/life balance without compromising compensation.

Amazing that "publishing" anything online automatically seems to give it a certain level of credence. Then again, perhaps its not so amazing.

Always enjoyable to follow you through the year and see your recaps. Looking forward to '99.

Is that the one where Evie worked on Mayu's back quite a bit? If I'm remember it correctly it was quite the performance and one you didn't necessarily expect to be so terrific. Just love how she can turn on the fire almost out of nowhere and bring the crowd with her after selling for so long. Mayu's absence on the latest show due to injury was definitely notable as she's one of the best sellers and babyfaces on the roster. You know there's another big Mayu/Shirai match, if not more, in the pipeline this year.