WingedEagle

That was very much one line in the promo, but it was only a piece of the picture.

It can be, but it plays differently when delivered against someone established at Cena's level. Had they used that tact against Styles early in his run it would've been exactly that.

I think squashes would reintroduce a valuable element to the shows and may even allow them to work around some of the 50/50 booking issues people often complain about. There's a lot to be said for the value of them both as matches and as a booking device.

Its been a very good show for a number of months now. I think it stands in stark contrast to Raw which has felt like an incredibly long show since growing to 3 hours and especially since losing Bryan & perhaps Punk. For a while, Smackdown felt like hours 4 & 5 after a lengthy intermission. The split this summer has definitely given each show their own distinct vibe and feeling, and they've maximized the 2 hour window and the roster rather than coming off as a an extension of Raw. But any best ever talk seems a bit premature and dismissive of the comparative environment its occurring in.

5/28/1510/29/15 Can also add: 6/26/16 -- 6-man that sees Okabayashi team with the Twin Toweres against Sekimoto, Hama & Kamitani 10/31/16 -- BJW tag league match between the 2 teams

I have no doubt it is all the same to you. Enjoy your life.

This was fucking criminal and disgusting. I don't understand how Yoshiko and the ref didn't face criminal charges for this, but it was a fucking travesty. Not sure I've ever seen anything worse than this in wrestling. If you really do enjoy this, best of luck to your shrink and family.

Based on what I've read from you here, don't listen to these guys. When Shibata & Sakuraba first came back in 2012, they were pretty dull. Shibata adjusted and became the uber masculine, more-guts-than-brains, dick measuring asshole that you seem to be enjoying in these reviews. Sakuraba stayed dull, didn't get over, never got out of the midcard, and is now out of the company. I don't think the style gets redundant like others are saying, either. I though the Dome match was fucking awesome, just like the Ishii Dome match, just like all of the 2015, 2014, 2013 G1 stuff... You should watch the Ishii/Goto matches, too. More pure, unadulterated, stupid men doping stupid things and defiantly no selling until one guy dies. How that can ever wear thin is a mystery to me, but to each his own. Cosign all of this. Caveat that it doesn't wear thin, but the impact and innovative aspect of it that's there the first couple times does wear off eventually. Its always good but that shock to the system can't last forever.

CMLL really needs to cut down on the crowd shots. They make WWE look moderate by comparison in that department.

I think there's always more to take away from a crowd down the stretch and for a finish than the beginning.

I'm happy to rave about the last 3 matches, but very much on board with you with respect to the undercard. Nothing there was bad, but like you said there are routinely better WWE TV matches. The fact that Satoshi Kojima' sschtick popped the crowd more than anything else on the undercard says it all. Plenty of other things to enjoy there, especially Roppong Vice, Ishii and even the return of Toru Yano, who I personally dig and never overstays his welcome in any match. But nothing at all approached a blow away match.

Agree with all of this, particularly the first point, as it gets to my note above about how a number can do a better job, over time and across matches, of clarifying a given reviewer's taste & standards. I'd hope the second point about ***** matches is true as well. Personal favorites are great, but everyone should have some perspective that allows for easily distinguishing them from those matches that are true classics.

I like star ratings because as much as a well written and considered review may be, short of saying something was atrocious or an all-timer, those snowflakes provide some context for comparative purposes that a qualitative evaluation simply doesn't. Whether we have different scales or I agree or disagree, that number helps distinguish preferences which I think are very important.

For those who do so, how do you watch New Japan World on the TV? Any options other than Chromecast?

To Dylan's point about the crowd being a bit down during the open of the match, I don't disagree but also think there's something to be said for coming right after the Tanahashi/Naito finish as well knowing a long match was ahead. Not sure its unreasonable to think everyone in the Dome was pacing themselves to an extent.

I don't know. My point is simply that if they are regularly adjusting their game to him, I hold them responsible rather than him. That's shortsighted and silly, and coming from someone who's read the Observer for over 20 years now (Jesus Christ) and credit him with exposing me to more new & different wrestling any other source. But I'm a fan on my couch, not doing this for a living. Hopefully wrestlers have more and broader influences & perspectives.

Yes! My new fix!

But this WK main event has become this internet community sensation. Not sure that happens without Dave. Bayley wasn't tweeting about NJPW's big September main event or whatever. 1) WK is their Wrestlemania. Its reasonable to expect more discussion & noise about this than September's Destruction show, just as there will be more chatter about Wrestlemania than for Battleground or Night of Champions. 2) A sensation on this or similar internet communities is a sensation on this and similar internet sensations. Not among the mass casual audience that companies like WWE or NJPW should be promoting towards.

I can't imagine Bayley watching Wrestle Kingdom has anything at all to do with Dave Meltzer. His name is Meltzer, not McMahon or Levesque. Let's not confuse the influence.

I'm sure he'll be in as soon as he says he's ready for it.

At what point do we blame the workers rather than Dave Meltzer? If their ultimate goal is to make him happy that's great. But if they have career objectives beyond that -- whether it be building live show attendance or buys at their current company, increased bookings and paychecks from a variety of companies due to greater exposure, a full time job at a bigger company, working or headlining WWE PPV shows, or whatever the case may be for each individual, perhaps they'll consider a wider variety of influences and map out the best path to get them where they want to go. There are likely many paths towards all of these ends and it at once both giving Meltzer too much credit while simultaneously not holding wrestlers responsible for their own independent decisions. I also think its important not to inflate Meltzer's impact beyond what's realistic. How much did he drive the crowd and crowd response for Wrestle Kingdom? If NJPW wasn't satisfied with the gate and with NJW subs, shouldn't that have more of an impact on the direction of the company than anything Dave Meltzer thinks? Let's not inflate this tiny bubble to something too big.

Totally agree. You've got both: 1) the bodyslam that's used as a transition spot as part of an overall build during the body of the match that clearly works the body without being trivialized, as well as 2) the bodyslam that follows a sustained attack on the back, which after a series of kicks, stomps, strikes, backbreakers can be used for an effective near fall. Its all about conditioning an audience to where moves beyond those that make up a finishing arsenal matter, and is just as much as using those big spots sparingly as it is mixing in simpler offense. Both are necessary and effective to healthy, varying matches.

They certainly don't have to be used for near falls, but rather building towards bigger, more devastating moves that should produce near falls or finishes. All about the escalation.

Lot of great points here that I think hold true for how most people view a given match, whether they realize it or not. We all go into a match or show with certain concepts, points of reference, expectations and and levels of familiarity. Especially going into something completely cold -- at times it may very well accentuate or hinder what you take away from a match, but its no less of a distinct perspective.