Superstar Sleeze

World Heavyweight Champion Triple H vs Shawn Michaels - RAW 12/29/03 Terrific match! I have a lot I want to say about this, but it is getting pretty late. Probably the greatest American 80s match not to happen in the 80s. HHH does one of the best Flair impersonations ever and I mean that with respect and admiration. He was a consummate heel champion in this match. Michaels was an awesome, awesome fired up underdog hometown babyface. Both of them were constantly fighting back at each other. HHH was was getting outwrestled early in a great shine, but Shawn earned it. Awesome transition to the heat. HHH worked a great heat segment. Great transition to Shawn's figure-4. Not the best strike exchanges ever in terms of execution, but I liked the frequency of them and I liked the sense of the effort and struggle. Loved the lighthearted moments with Shawn abusing HHH's testicles. That's what made the 80s so great is having dramatic struggles but incorporating bits of fun to keep you entertained in a totally comprehensive way. Loved the drama with the ref bumps and Bischoff coming in. All this 80s goodness culminates in a Dusty Finish in the babyface's hometown. HUGE BABYFACE POP FOR MICHAELS! That's just cruel. They aren't coming back to San Antonio the next week so they have to blow it off right them and there. Loved this! I really want to analyze this in full because both guys gave awesome performances. ****1/2, easy.

Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho - Wrestlemania XIX I feel like I have to be missing something with this match. It is just so underwhelming given the praise heaped on it. It just does not do much for me. I get the fan trying to prove he had surpassed his idol at his craft story and there were a few nods here and there to that. I never felt like Jericho was proving himself to Michaels. Michaels' main motivation in this match seemed to be have a good time at his first Wrestlemania back and prove he have a great non-gimmick match. Besides me, I think that was everybody's conclusion and this was a significant step in his full-time return. I think it would have been better they had a more light-hearted affair like a Midnight/RnRs match where Michaels gets to have his fun early and Jericho clowns and bumps. Jericho gets vicious and violent during his heat on the back. Then they hit the finish. The match they had just lacked any sort of hook. It was seemingly totally bereft of any story or struggle. The early part of the match was the most blase and lame matwork you will ever see. Lawler sucked a big one on commentary. He basically claimed mat wrestling was passe and an anachronism in 2003 to open an match. Jericho and Michaels were doing their best to prove him right. Jericho takes over with a spin kick and then misses a move so Michaels can get the figure-4, but this all abandoned once they go to the outside where Jericho catches HBK into a Boston Crab. Jericho's heat segment was definitely the best part of the match. He worked the back over well and was pretty cocky. Then they do my least favorite transition, the I stand up and hit you with three strikes. Jericho steals HBK's moves (Flying Burriot/Kip Up), who is then like fuck you with Kip Ups galore. They run through a nearfall sequence. Hilariously, a bridge out spot has been their biggest pop of the night so far. Jericho runs through his finish sequence. Literally no transitions. Just Im going to do my shitty version of a bulldog on you now. Being a heel and having a submission finish in the WWE is so silly. Michaels makes it to the ropes twice in this match, some finish. Jericho punctuates his sequence with his own Sweet Chin Music. Shawn says my turn and hits a reverse crossbody. I did like that Shawn had to earn his top rope elbow, which was a nice moment. Sweet Chin Music outta nowhere (Jericho was bitching and moaning that no one submits to the Boston Crab) and that should have been the finish. They go the cradle route to put it over as an OMG CLASSIC~!, because classics end in cradles! Jericho punting Michaels' in the balls after the match was the best part of this by far. I think this is one of the most overrated matches in the 2000s. No flow. No story. Two just guys doing their moves. Their 2008 series smokes this. I am open to arguments on why this is great because I am genuinely curious why this is so well-regarded. I feel like there is something I am just not getting.

WWE Champion Kurt Angle vs The Undertaker - Smackdown! 9/4/03 Another Kurt Angle match, I thought could have been a classic, but just veered off the tracks. I thought this was an absolutely fantastic Undertaker performance. He is clearly an MMA mark and loves wrestling Brock and Angle. I saw the pre-match promo to this and loved it. Taker says he will let Angle break his ankle and that he will combat Angle with his fists and then tap him out beating him at his own game. I loved how focused this was on strategies. I am such a mark for strategy-based pro wrestling and I think Undertaker was committed to the striker vs the wrestler in this. Angle was fine in the early going. I thought they did a great job putting over Taker's raw power early, but Angle was able to take him down at will. Then that huge soupbone that floored Angle. I loved Angle's selling of this and it really felt like a game changer. Taker goes to work using that power. Angle desperately grabs a sleeper, but Takers uses power again to counter with a slam. Taker runs through a hot series of moves only for the dreaded AngleLock to rear its ugly head. They trade minor finishers (Chokeslam, Olympic Slam) for a while and pepper in the AngleLock. i did like Taker's counters into an armbar and Triangle Choke at least they were unique and paid off that Taker wanted to make Angle submit. Lots of AngleLock reversals eventually Taker does get Last Ride, but Brock runs in. Really dug the opening wrestler vs striker and loved the commitment from the Taker promo, to commentary (Cole actually opened with asking Tazz about strategies) and Undertaker. Angle seemed content with just throwing shit out there and let his AngleLock reversals get cheap pops. Could have been great, but finish run and Brock run-in hurt this. Still a really entertaining TV match and great Undertaker performance. ***1/2

Kurt Angle vs John Cena - No Mercy 2003 Some things never change like people kicking out of the FU. I forgot how foul-mouthed Cena's promos were at this time. He is like the reverse Bob Saget. Total random note, but I watched the opening video package to this PPV and the Vinny Mac & Steph storyline was some fucking dark shit. Really strong fundamentals-based match for the vast majority of this match. It is nothing that really pops, but it is just solid, entertaining. Some Kurt-isms pop up late in the match where he just starts suplexing Cena as his hope spots, but there are no real transitions to the Germans or out of the Germans to get back to Cena on offense. I forgot how crucial the kick to the midsection was in every match from like 1997-2005 in setting up your most lethal move. I think they could have done more with the street fighter vs Olympic wrestler if they wanted to have a classic, but as a meat and potatoes match this was fine. Angle outwrestled Cena early and then got pissed, flipped him off and took fight to him, which I thought would lead to more of a battle of fisticuffs. Angle eats the post (not my favorite transition as it does not put heat on the heel). Cena wrestled a fine heat segment. His clothesline has not changed nor how he sells punches. He was moving around great. It was weird there were no shoulder tackles. Cena went for his leg drop and Angle dropkicked the knee, which seemed like a sound strategy. He did get the ankellock, but they ended up on the apron and Angle took his DDT/apron bump that is needlessly nasty. Spot of the match was Cena finally hitting that legdrop in a way that does not make me roll my eyes. Angle was trying to get back in the ring, head-first and BANG! nailed the leg drop. Perfectly organic. Angle of course snapped off a suplex right after this. It was a fun finish stretch. They kicked out of each other's finishes. I loved Cena going for the chain, the ref takes it away, but he has stolen the gold medals! I did not even see that. Cena, you sly fox! He nails him and that should have been the finish, except Cena was turning face I believe. Angle kicks out nice pop and victory roll into AngleLock gets the win. It was just a very good match. Cena looked fine and had all his mannerisms down. He definitely worked big. Since Cena was not a workrate guy, I think that helped reign Angle in, which was a boon for this match. ***1/2

It is either on yt or DM. Should be the first hit via Google. Yes surprisingly I believe this is their signature match. Both spent so much time as faces is the reason for the dearth of matches.

WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs Undertaker - No Mercy 2002 Hell In A Cell If you described this finish of this match, most people would think you were describing a murder scene. Undertaker was drenched in his own blood and was spilling blood all over Lesnar. Brock was covered in Taker's blood by the end of it. 2002 was a pretty underwhelming year, but featured some of the all time best bladejobs in pro wrestling history. This match and the Nagata/Murakami match are the standout matches for 2002 to me. I don't yet, which I would place on the top of the heap. Violence is never been the strong suit of the WWF. Character-driven wrestling and Clash of the Titans is where Vince buttered his bread. Occasionally, he dipped into championship wrestling with Bret and out of control brawl with Austin. Austin's out of control barroom brawls are fun and entertaining, but they are not violent in the same way this is. This really feels like two men trying to maim each other very much in the vein of a southern blood feud brawl. It really is something different and something that Brock Lesnar excels at. Brock has proven to be so versatile in his criminally short first run on the the WWE roster. In this match, he plays caged animal to perfection. At first, he is discombobulated and confused by the nature of the Hell In A Cell. He is young and inexperienced. Perhaps he has even bought into The Undertaker's mythos. This is Undertaker's boneyard. He tries to fight, but also tries to escape. There is a real sense of desperation. Taker is confident, but Taker is a veteran and knows how dangerous Brock is. Brock is stronger and quicker than him. He is virtually unbeatable. How many wrestlers could say they have that dual edge on Taker. Taker has his experience, his ability to withstand punishment and brutality on his side. Throughout the match, Taker almost never gained a fair advantage on Lesnar and was always using something to sustain that advantage. I loved the duality of the cast. Undertaker's hand had been broken twice in the lead up to this match. The cast covered up a weakness for the Undertaker. Remove it and he is vulnerable. With it on, he had a weapon. It was this weapon that scored the first big blow in this war. Brock was sent reeling and was busted open. Paul E. was awesome with his shrieks of horror outside the cage. Taker laid down a savage beating on Brock using the cage, steps and cast at will. But Paul E. got to him. He just could not resist kicking Paul E.'s ass. One big boot into the cage sent Paul E. flying and he bladed. Then he got by the tie and pulled him into the cage repeatedly. I loved the spot where Brock went flying in trying to take advantage of the distraction only to eat the cage and send Paul E. flying. It was the perfect punctuation on the Taker shine. I loved that old school efficiency. You get the punctuation mark and you move on. It never lingers. Brock catapults Taker into the cage. He immediately pounces and throws Taker around. Nobody, but Brock could manhandle Taker this way. It is scary strength. My favorite spot of the match is Brock and Paul E. tying the belt around the cast hand and Brock going to town on the cast. It is so violent those swings ultimately snapping the belt. I loved the struggle over trying to rip off the cast. When he does Brock becomes cocky, he is swinging from the cell roof like Tarzan kicking Taker's ass. Without his cast, Taker pulls out another wily trick: the low blow. Again, Undertaker needed an underhanded tactic to bring Lesnar to heel. Lesnar is so great at heel selling and the style that reeks of cowering and desperation. Being more afraid to lose than you want to win. Big bumping Brock came out here with a crazy bump off a big boot from the apron into the cage. Taker hit a suicide dive, but it backfired as it took a lot out of him. Brock BLASTED him with the steps twice. I mean he fucking smoked him. Taker came out bleeding an absolute gusher. Between this and cast, I thought this a perfect example of a caged animal becoming extraordinarily violent. Up until here, the match was perfect. It does lose some points because Undertaker is able to use the bad hand to hit some rights and gain an advantage, which kinda sucks. I did like the finish run of Brock teasing a big move and Undertaker countering with a big move only to have Brock kick out. I hated the ref not counting because Brock grabbed the rope, when it was established pinfalls counted on the floor. That is shoddy. Undertaker having to level up each time to finally the Tombstone, which had the crowd going crazy was great build. I loved the tombstone reversal into Brock hositing Taker into a F5 from a totally awkward spot. One F5 and it was over. Oh how I long for this efficiency! Writing this review, I think there are enough details that marr this match to stop from being my choice for 2002 match of the year and I would have Takayama/Ogawa over it too. However, this is easily, the 2002 match of the year. It is crazy to think that Brock Lesnar in his rookie year as champion had a WWE Match of The Year where he was the dominant force in the match. What is there left to say other than BROCK ROCKS~! ****1/2

Shawn Michaels vs Triple H - Summerslam 2002 There may be no two more polarizing wrestlers in WWE than Shawn Michaels and HHH. It is almost entirely due to their "real life" personas (or what we know them to be from second hand accounts). I am not going to pick a dog in the race, but analyzing their matches always evokes a lot of emotion and passion. WWE pushes these two as two of the all-time great pro wrestlers in the ring. They are uttered in the same breath as Flair unlike Austin and Rock, who are usually associated with Hogan as great superstars as the WWE dictates. When HBK/HHH entered the ring for Shawn Michaels' first match in four years, it was a mere formality that this could become a part of WWE canon as one of the all-time classics. They would have had to put on a stinker the caliber of their Hell in a Cell match (I have never seen it, but it sounds atrocious) for this not go down as one of the premiere matches in company history. For hardened wrestling fans, this match is considered to be no good and vastly overrated. Where do I lie? I am closer to the WWE camp and I think this does belong best matches of WWE in 2000s, but in the greater scope of pro wrestling this can not compete. I will say I felt a lot more emotion for Kobashi's comeback match in 2007 than I did for Michaels' comeback here. I watched the Kobashi match last year and to me that was just one of most emotional matches I have ever seen. Maybe it is because I knew Michaels would eventually make a full recovery or that I have seen this before, but it did not hit me as hard this time. The beginning shine was perfectly acceptable. It was not great, but not bad. Michaels was brutally betrayed by his friend so I would have liked to seen more anger, but overall he was pressing the advantage proving to fans that he has his trademark mobility by hitting a dive over the top to the outside. HHH was fine bumping around for him. This felt like a really good standard opening to a character-driven face vs heel match, not a blood feud. It was important to me that Shawn stay on top and suffocate HHH at the very least. Loved the teased Sweet Chin Music into a backbreaker. That was straight money. HBK did a great job selling the back. HHH worked over the back like a champ. This was an incredibly strong heat segment, maybe the greatest HHH's career. The backbreaker on the chair was fucking awesome. I loved the set ups for Michaels' hope spot like using Earl and getting the sledge hammer to give time for HBk to recuperate. The low blow and Sweet Chin Music into the chair was perfect, perfect one-two combo to get Shawn back on top. After taking such a hellacious beating, he needed two quick bombs to make this even remotely credible and those were perfect. Ok, so now onto the controversy. The kip up. Yes after the awesome heat segment, he kipped up. For the rest of the match did not really sell the back (he did after a couple dives). It did not kill the match for me. I can understand the issue. There is no hard and fast rule about this at the end of the day. Sometimes, it is just going to bother certain people more than others. I still think it is a great match just not an excellent, classic one. Mostly because Shawn actually delivers one of his best comebacks of all time. Marty was usually the hot tag in the Rockers and Shawn's greatest weakness in his career was probably credible offense. I thought he was laying in some really great rights here and was really tearing into HHH. HHH tapped a gusher (one of his best qualities) and sold really well. The match did get a bit long in the tooth. For instance, I don't think he needed to dive off turnbuckle onto the table and dive off the ladder. The dive to the table got a huge pop and is a great spot. That was sufficient. Also, it get a little back-y n forth-y towards the end, but not as bad as some of the modern matches. They did a great job with the finish in relation to the rest of the match teasing each finish before HBk got the jackknife win. Yes, the match was wrestled as more of a championship bloodbath than a blood feud match. Yes, Michaels did not sell the back down the stretch. Yes, it was a bit too long. I think the match accomplished more important objectives. if this was truly a one-off, Shawn Michaels would be able to go out on his own terms unlike Wrestlemania XIV where the amount of pain he was in affected his performance. If it was not and was to lead to something more, it proved Shawn Michaels of 2002 was every bit the Shawn Michaels of 1997 and he had not lost a step. He gave one of the best comebacks of his career and I think it was much more important he looked credible on offense in this match. HHH gave him more of the beginning and end because this was Shawn's match. I know they felt the need to put Shawn in gimmick matches to hide any shortcomings he may have had upon comeback, but I think it was the wrong move as coming right out of the gate with a bloodbath is tough. I think for the match they wrestled the jacknife cover was fine because it showed Michaels had just enough to win, but left it open for rematches. It fit the theme of championship bloodbath. HHH attacking the back with the sledgehammer was a perfect post-match beatdown and particularly gruesome. Call me crazy, I liked this one. Currently my WWE 2002 match of the year, but that should change shortly. ****1/4

All Hail Satan! Yes Hail Satan!

The Rock vs Hollywood Hulk Hogan - Wrestlemania XVIII If I had to use one word to describe this match, it would be overachieving. Based on Hogan's mobility and physical health, this match should not have been as good as it was. Even The Rock's character is a modern day version of Ric Flair, no one would confuse him with Flair inside the ring. Yet, Rock put on maybe the best individual performance of his career in this match. This is what the Michaels match should have been. Rock created so much movement and bumped huge for Hogan up until the finish stretch. Anytime Rock got anything going, Hogan would cut him off and thats when Rock take that big bump for Hogan. I think a lot of emphasis gets placed on Hogan's timing and understanding of psychology on why this match is so good. I think that is a good portion of what makes the match great is Hogan feeding the crowd what they want to see the poses and the Hogan spots (which are mostly cheating spots anyways!) it is Rock that is really giving them red meat. He was selling the crowd reaction with his eyes. He was floundering out there running around like a chicken with his head cut off. He would hit one move and end up on his ass the next move. It was pitch perfect. The match got weird during the finish stretch. I don't get why Hogan taps out to the Sharpshooter only to lose the match. I have watched this match three or four times and always forget who wins. I swear I always see the Sharpshooter think they are protecting Rock and going to give Hogan the win. Then Rock kicks out of the Atomic Legdrop!?!?!?! I lose my shit. I am not happy because like the Toronto crowd I am always all in on Hogan. Then The Rock wins and it is like what the fuck! This is clearly Hogan proving that he is willing to play ball. Hogan turning on the NWO and doing the posedown gets all his heat back. This match proves that wins and losses are a merely booking tool, but do not necessarily have to matter. I think you should book wrestling so wins and losses matter in the context of the storyline. Ultimately, though heat is generated from a myriad of different sources. Hogan not only lost this match, but Rock kicked out of his finish and Hogan tapped to the Sharpshooter! His goose could have been cooked, but because of how strong he was at the little things in this match and a hot post-match angle means that Hogan has enough heat to win the belt the very next month. The three jobs to Cena (Ryback, Wyatt, Rusev, and Owens) does not have to be a death sentence it only is because WWE is so bad at the follow-up. But I digress, this is a breezy, fun Clash of the Titans match. It showcases Hogan's timing and Rock's bumping and leadership in that ring. I enjoyed the first 2/3s and the post-match more than the finish run, which was very 2002-y with the finisher stealing. Holy shit though that Hulk-Up was one of the most fucking awesome things you will ever see. ****

It is not nice to call Kelly, Anvil!

Any idea what was wrong with the crowd? I'll watch it within the next week and I will let you know. For a great Brock performance, check out the Rey Mysterio match from Smackdown in December 2003. Great, great TV. Brock does one of the best Flair impressions ever while staying true to his monster character. It is so amazing to watch.

Brock Lesnar has such a comprehensive grasp on pro wrestling psychology that it is so disappointing he did not stick around through 2000s. Early Brock is one of the most impressive big bumpers in history. I have a lot more to say once I finish off 2002-2004 watching. Brock is a mortal lock for my top 100. He is just too damn entertaining. Like Rock and Austin to an extent, these guys are like the Sandy Koufaxes of wrestling.

WWE Champion The Rock vs Brock Lesnar - WWE Summerslam 2002 Really interesting crowd dynamics. Big Rocky Sucks chant early. Lets Go Lesnar when Lesnar is in the Sharpshooter. When Rock breaks out of the bearhug, big Rocky chants and as they push to the finish Lesnar sucks. Almost Japanese like in how they would cheer for the underdog of different points in the match. The match is an entertaining main event, but it is just a hodgepdoge of the best hits of each and really does not have much rhyme or reason. Lesnar tried to be sensible in his approach, but Rock was all over the place. They start the match with Lesnar as the monster heel ala his Cena performance in 2014 where he throws Rock around and Rock looks like he has no hope. They have this injured ribs story that Lesnar goes back to, but Rock does not seem to give a fuck about. Then Rock is like fuck it lets do Clash of the Titans. So Lesnar does that. Then Lesnar goes into cheating, big bumping heel mode, but also does a monster bearhug. Early Lesnar is one of the most impressive bumpers ever. Rock starts to work underneath and then he is like fuck it lets do Attitude Era brawl spot. Lesnar takes a fucking ridiculous bump off a Rock right hand over the top rope and then catches wicked air on the catapult into the post. Rock puts Heyman through the table which was awesome. Finish sequence time. I forgot this was the height of finisher stealing so we get the Brock Bottom after a Rock Bottom. I liked the teases before we get the F5 to crown Brock as the new champ. Rock is selfless in the ring and did the job clean as a sheet in the middle. This match was all over the place. Still entertaining. Brock is just awesome to watch. ***

Parv, I am doing 2002-2004 myself. I needed something to shake it up from the 70s and 80s. There are a lot of fun TV matches on Smackdown in 2002-2003. Brock and Eddie is one of my all time favorite matches. My defense for Eddie vs Rey Rey is that Rey Rey cant match Eddie's violence and never could. So why play into Eddie's hand. On the biggest night of his life with his mask on the line, he has to employ what brought to the dance and that is his aerial assault. I don't think these were overly fancy moves. These were moves that made sense in the context of the match. These were treated like high-risk moves because on more than one occasion Eddie countered them and really made Rey pay with some badass offense. It is one of the most superb matches from an execution standpoint. Everything is just so fucking crisp. I could go either ****3/4 or *****. I love that match. To aid you in your Eddie vs Someone Else quest. There is a great, hard hitting Nitro sprint between Eddie and Benoit in late 97 that is must see.

WWE IC Champion Randy Orton vs Cactus Jack - WWE Backlash 2004 Street Fight Never seen this one before, but remember it getting raved about even from those that hated Orton though they pinned it all on Foley for carrying it. This was a pretty awesome violent spectacle. This is just great old school booking putting the young pretty boy against the maniacal sadist to prove his mettle to all the fans that he is a man. The crowd was clearly cheering for Foley and Orton is a great obnoxious douche tool, but this match was clearly crafted to get Orton over as a babyface, which within four months he would be the babyface World Champion (way too soon, one of the more boneheaded decisions). Pretty much the whole match was wrestled with Orton taking heat and building sympathy for him against the crazed lunatic. Foley comes out swinging that crazed barbed wire wrapped baseball bat and Orton learns quickly if he does not fight back that he will be killed. This is Foley's domain and he weathers the three brutal trash can shots to keep moving forward. Orton blades and there is something about the blood flowing on his very young, smooth face that is very disturbing. You really garner a lot of sympathy for him. Jack is playing to the crowd, but in a lot of ways he feels like the Cactus of the early WCW shows that is just absolute violent psycho. Foley is looking svelte and I don't think I have seen his normally huge ass so skinny. He is moving well. Foley takes two of his patented back of the head cracking against the steel bumps that always sick and shows Orton is willing to fight fire with fire. Foley is the horror movie monster that keeps coming back. The most famous part of the match is the Orton thumbtacks spot on the failed RKO. It was pretty nasty finally seeing it. I remember this earning him a ton of street cred, which was clearly the point of this match was to build him into the next big face. Orton trying to get the hell out of Dodge plays more to his heel tendencies and natural inclination to abandon the mission. Cactus's false finishes are Cactus Elbow from the ramp and the Double Arm DDT in the ring. The crowd bit hard on both. I really liked the RKO out the Mandible Claw and thought that should have been the finish. The RKO onto Barbie was fine but the point of diminishing returns had been reached. This was great old school booking proving Orton was not just another pretty face that he could some serious punishment and earn the fan's respect. Jack was awesome and had a real old school performance in him. Orton needed to prove that only could take the punishment but he could dish out and I think one big run of offense would have helped. The one-sided ultimately was counter-productive and hurt the match, but still one of the better matches of the era, ****1/4

I have only seen the London match and I stand by the hype, but I know how controversial and polarizing the match is. Oh Magpie, yeah when I am excited I tend to say Fuck quite a bit. I am very rarely angry. So no I was not angry. They are happy Fucks not angry Fucks so I hope that mollifies some of your concerns.

WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs Chris Benoit - Smackdown! 12/04/03 Holy shit was 2003 a great year for Free TV matches from WWE or what! The Mysterio match was awesome. I remember really digging HHH vs HBK on RAW from later this year. I need to refresh my memory on Angle/Lensar Ironman match. Benoit and "You Tapped Out " chants directed at Lesnar were wicked over. Why the hell did they switch Benoit to RAW for Wrestlemania XX? There was all this great build. Did they know Brock was leaving already? I am not going to complain because Eddie vs Brock is one of my all-time favorite matches. I really liked the dynamic of this match and I hate to start off on a sour note, but I think these two had an all-time classic in them. All the pieces are there it is just the transitions and the little things did not add up. Benoit is so great at struggle in his matches and he creates so much movement. Brock is never shy of bumping and shining up a face. Benoit just did not get the real awesome string of offense until late. It made sense because Benoit had wrestled Cena earlier in the night so Brock jumpstarted the match. Benoit got his licks in and even teased the Crossface (love finisher teases early), but Brock nailed him with a great hotshot to take over. Brock settled into a chinlock with a bodyscissors, which is my least favorite hold because it is hard to work it in an entertaining fashion. My biggest pet peeve in wrestling is when the hold is just magically broken and the victim just gets up and does the three elbows to the midsection. They did it not just once, but twice! Eye-roll! That was pretty annoying. Cole actually did a great piece of commentary reminding Brock guaranteed to force Benoit to submit so that justifies these shitty holds to an extent. I would say the Brock heat segment was kinda dud. Some nice power stuff, but the holds just did not do it for me. Once, they got to the stand up portion I thought Benoit was just awesome as a babyface always moving forward and Brock as the desperate heel. Benoit's diving headbutt and crossface were super over and great work into the crossface. Then we get the ref bump and Brock hits a shitty F5, but thats because he is selling the arm. Genius! So Benoit kicks out there is a huge pop, but the finisher is protected by the ref taking a while to crawl over, Brock not getting all the F5 and Brock having a hard time covering with the bad arm. Great stuff! Brock has to use a chair and then applies the Brock Lock. What an awesome visual! Way better than Kimura. Yes, I know the Kimura is super dangerous, but wrestling is all about visuals BRING BACK THE BROCK LOCK! Benoit passes out. Brock snaps and has been driven mad by "You Tapped Out" that he applies the Crossface and takes Benoit's hand and taps him out. Wow, I really wish they had a chance to blow this off. Not one of the best TV matches from a wrestling standpoint, but a great one in terms of building the program to the climax. That we did not even get! Great beginning and finish, but middle kinda drags. Still a very good match. ***1/2

WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs Rey Mysterio - Smackdown! 12/11/03 I don't think there is a wrestler that has debuted after 2000 with a higher wrestling IQ than Brock Lesnar (maybe AJ Styles, but it is close). Brock just completely and totally understands pro wrestling. It is a total shame that he hates travel. He works a classic Ric Flair vs Hometown Hero match (they were in San Diego), but stays true to himself and updates the style to 2003 flawlessly. Brock is so selfless in that ring that what you need to be as a heel. He is a monster, but he is never afraid to show ass and shine up anyone including tiny Rey Rey. They do a great job establishing that size differential. It is freaky how much bigger Brock is than Rey Rey. He slings him around. I don't want to undersell Rey in this match as this is an all-time great babyface performance in front of a raucous hometown crowd. They do an extended track meet sequence that is awesome so Brock gets so frustrated he picks up the steps, but argues with the ref only to have the steps dropkicked into his face. Brock catches him at one point, but Rey just keeps moving. Then Rey is just busting all this great aerial offense. You totally believe Rey can take it if he can stay in the air and just totally suffocate Brock. Brock is just so great at selling that discombobulation of Rey coming at him from all angles so he punts in the balls. That is too sweet. This 300 lbs monster needs to take that short cut on a diminutive opponent. That is a money heel. He understands desperation and viciousness in a way no heel nowadays seems to get. I love Brock taunting Rey Rey throughout this and finally it gets him caught with a wicked kick. Brock does staggered selling as well if not better than everybody in history. 619 around the post. The crowd is going nuts and just like Flair in the 80s you totally believe Rey has a shot to win the title. The cherry on top is Brock catching Rey with a sitout powerbomb and then just falling to his ass Kawada-style. You really felt like Rey Rey had pushed him to his limit and Brock had just one last gasp and used his power to hit a home run. The Brock Lock, which was an amazing visual with the size difference, put Mysterio away. Even though Brock let Mysterio shine, he never lost his monster status. There was an impending doom that loomed over this match. Brock's hubris and frustration was getting the best of him, but at the end of day he did not have enough fire power. Brock was able to crush him into submission. Rey gave a great underdog performance and Brock wrestled as the best heel champion since Flair. He was scary good. ****

I really hate Akeem. Fuck I forgot about that series. Detour to Crockett or All Japan both before and after that series, may be necessary for my sanity, Kelly.

Kurt Angle vs Rey Mysterio - Summerslam 2002 Finally a raucous 2002 crowd! Long Island was rocking for this double hot opener. I can't believe I watched this match and did not remember anything from it. They ripped it up in there. I did think in the middle that was maybe because they going all Ultimo Dragon World War III '96, but this had a way hotter finish to it with Rey really looking like a champ. I like Rey jumpstarting the match early and his first flub being trying to Irish Whip Angle that is a great nod to the size differential. Angle going for the AngleLock early and Rey thinking 619 is one of my favorite ways to open a sprint. Loved Angle yanking Mysterio off the apron into a belly bump on the floor, nasty. Angle worked a focused heat segment on the lower back and had some really impressive throws and counter for Mysterio's hope spots. Mysterio was doing his job creating the movement and keeping the crowd alive with hope spots. The ref stopping Rey from following up sending Angle to the outside only to jump over the ref into a somersault plancha was pitch perfect. The boos into the massive cheers and chants of Holy Shit! That is pro fucking wrestling, right there! I was surprised Angle took the 619/West Coast Pop only to kick out. Does not hurt the match just surprised. They do the flub the intricate finish of Angle trying to counter a top rope Latino Frankensteiner (TM Michael Buffer) with the AngleLock, but he gets it for the win. Awesome sprint. Perfect opener. Loved the somersault plancha spot. Angle was on point as the cocky, jock bully and Mysterio rocked it as the underdog showing him up. Highly entertaining! ****

Chris Benoit & Kurt Angle vs Edge & Rey Mysterio - No Mecy 2002 WWE Tag Team Titles Here is an early 00s classic that I have never seen before. The Survivor Series Triple Threat made a DVD, but did not seem to get as much love as this did at the time. I will say this had a double hot finish stretch that in a very weak year for the wrestling world (guess I have not seen any ROH, but this is a weak Japan year) makes this a match of the year contender. I love the Angle & Mysterio interaction early and definitely need to rewatch their Summerslam match. Angle is great as the cocky jock and the look on Rey's face when he realizes he needs to stomp on Angle's foot to break the waistlock is priceless. Mysterio was great at showing up Angle with speed and Angle was bumping and stooging for him so well. Benoit and Edge was fine. Credit where credit is due, Edge actually worked a nice, tight heel in peril based on Benoit's ribs and laid in his stuff well. They did a good job playing off some Angle interference with Benoit selling the ribs on the first one, which led to Angle getting speared off the apron, but on the third go around Angle caused enough damage to get Benoit out of there. Edge is not particularly good at any one facet of wrestling, but in his defense he is not particularly bad at anything (I guess emotion is his greatest weakness). It is annoying that with Rey right there we get an extended FIP with Edge. I forgot about Angle's lame chinlock/bodyscissors. Angle and Benoit throwing Edge was fun. I know a lot of people don't like the rolling Germans, but I always dug them. Edge could have done more in the way of hope spots. The superplex is the transition of the heat segment and Little Rock does not give a fuck. REY IS IN!!! The crowd is awake. Rey is rockin n rollin. Didn't love the set up for the leg drop while Benoit was dangling, but it was pretty sweet. Benoit counters the wheel barrow by splating Rey and then going for the Crossface. That is perfect counterwrestling. Edge saves and Rey looks 619, but Benoit counters looking for shoulderbreaker and Edge hits a nifty missile dropkick. That should have been his finisher! Zack Ryder is crying somewhere. Angle overuses that pop-up belly to belly, but when timed right in a match, it is the perfect interjection and this was one of those moments. That sets up the Rey FIP. Double Face in peril, shades of AWA! Rey is so much better at selling than Edge. Loved Angle and Benoit throwing him around. Up until this point, I would say I watched a great match and the finish stretch does a great job to kick up a notch. I can see why action-oriented fans dig this match. Edge is a decent hot tag. He has lame offense, but at least he showed some energy. Credit where it is due, he did hit one of his best spear ever on Benoit during this run. Rey was great double teaming with Edge and giving this run a bit more pep. Edge goes for the cover sees Benoit diving headbutt and lets Angle take it. I have always liked that spot in all its variations. Though nobody ever loses to the diving headbutt and nothing changes here. In the spot of the match, Benoit has Edge in the Crippler Crossface and Rey hits an awesome 619 to break it up. I popped huge for that. Edge throws Rey Rey onto Benoit, before the usual Angle Anglelock reversalfest ends with Angle on top. The Rey stuff was really awesome. He had really good chemistry with both Angle and Benoit. Edge was alright. I thought the finish stretch was hot. Needed more of a story hook to kick it into next gear for me. Still a very entertaining bout, even if a little overrated. ****1/4

Eddie Guerrero vs Edge - Smackdown! 9/24/02 No DQ I have watched this match twice previously and neither time to leave much of an impression. Now I am going to record my apathy so I don't have to go back and watch it again. This is one of the most blatant carry jobs I have ever seen. I am usually the worst at noticing that or think people are exaggerating, but Eddie literally set up Edge for every single one of his big spots from the monkey flip to the powerslam to the Electric Chair to final Edgecution off the ladder this was the Eddie show through and through. I loved the amount of effort Eddie gave. I love his energy. It is totally infectious. I don't know how someone wrestling fan or not could not smile when Eddie is on camera. He is so charismatic. He was doing too much in this match and nothing really stuck in your craw. Early on the fans were really restless and he thought movement was the solution, but he was doing his offense and then bumping too so there was no real sense of story or momentum. He tosses out a superplex and then here is me taking an Electric Chair. It could be also that crowd was just waiting for the weapons to be brought out. Eddie looked mean and he was laying his stuff in but just way, way too much. It would have helped if Edge could contribute something. He is so fucking bland. Edge is the definition of mediocre. The spot of the match is clearly the Sunset Flip Powerbomb off the ladder. It was so weird not hearing "This Is Awesome" to follow that spot. It would be such an obvious trigger spot. I liked the paucity of highspots after that big move, it was Edge's counter and finish that took us home. That minimalism would be perfect nowadays. Definitely one of the most overrated match in WWE canon. Finish run and Eddie's effort brings this above average. I have no idea why this considered a WWE classic. ***

The year 2002 is the only year since 1997 that I did not watch any wrestling at all during a calendar year. I was still smarting from the WCW buyout and the pathetic Invasion. Even bringing back the NWO did not get me to give a fuck about wrestling. I have gone back and watched a handful of matches from 2002, but I thought I look at the 8 or 10 best. This period of time will be crucial for how I rank Benoit, Mysterio and Guerrero for GWE. Chris Benoit vs Rey Mysterio - Smackdown! 10/3/02 This was a tremendous TV bout! It is amazing that this is pretty much their signature singles match. For all the time spent in WCW and WWE, they very rarely crossed paths in a singles setting. They had tag feuds in WCW 99 and as part of the Smackdown Six, but this match represents their most famous signature encounter. It is even more surprising because they were both signature Smackdown stars during the Brand Split era. Guess you can chock it up to them both being babyfaces for the majority of their runs. Hearing Tony Chimel's voice took me straight back to high school. That was crazy. This match needs to be shown to the entire modern day locker room. This is the blueprint for an action-packed match where storytelling and selling are still critical aspects to the match. It is clear that Benoit and Mysterio are huge influences on today's wrestling, but I think a lot of wrestlers/agents have the wrong takeaway from matches like this. Yes, there are a lot of moves and the moves are over, but the characters, context and motivation around the moves are really what gives these moves their impact. I love how all of Benoit's cool moves are counters to Rey Mysterio getting a little too cute. Rey due to his size disadvantage needs to use speed and finesse. I am not trying to demean this technical acumen, but when compared to the cold, rigidity of Benoit's straight-forward assault, these are very cute moves, but they are effective. My main point is Benoit is robbing you of seeing Mysterio hit his cool armdrag, wheel-barrow, and 619 and Benoit is countering with badass impactful moves like backbreaker, wheelbarrow suplex and shoulderbreaker. Since Benoit is robbing of these moments, he and his moves are not getting over like a babyface, but instead it is putting him over as a badass heel and Mysterio as an underdog face. Another credit to this match is the beginning. I have been all over the extinction of the babyface shine from pro wrestling. I think it is incredibly crucial in getting a crowd invested in a babyface before the heat segment. I think it is 100% essential when a wrestler is new or not that over. Nobody wants to cheer for a loser. An unestablished babyface that goes into a heat segment without a shine is an almost guaranteed death sentence. Not does Rey Rey necessarily need a shine no, but I think it is a great way to get a crowd going. I love how this shine plays out with Benoit firing all cylinders early really laying in his shit early only to have Rey use his finesse to counter and then setup 2-3 really slick high spots and I loved the somersault splash to the outside. That was a perfect punctuation on a great shine. Now when his fancy armdrag gets countered into a vicious backbreaker, I am spending the heat segment cheering to see more cool Rey offense and see his bully get his comeuppance. That is why the shine is important. The finish sequence was very nicely done. Rey was able to set up the 619, but Benoit countered into a nasty shoulderbreaker. From there, it was the typical Benoit full court press with the diving headbutt and Crippler Crossface (too close to the ropes). Rey is able to use movement to create opportunities for an awesome legdrop onto Benoit that was quickly set up and totally credible into the 619. Angle, who was Benoit's partner that did not like Benoit, interferes to set up the Latino Frankensteiner (TM Michael Buffer) for the Rey Rey win. One last point, Rey Rey's strikes were on point and he surprisingly had not problem going blow for blow with the heavy handed Benoit. One of the best TV matches I have seen in quite some time. Really well-executed. A perfect, action-based, movement-oriented match that stayed true to face, heel dynamics. ****

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race vs Giant Baba - AJPW 10/31/79 Having seen a handful of Harley's matches from the 70s and another dozen or so from the 80s, I think his entire wrestling psychology can be captured by one particular bump as he takes a huge flat back bump off a Giant Baba chop but still maintaining his forward momentum. It looks ridiculous and awesome at the same time. Race believed in bumping big, always keep the action moving and the babyface is always right. This has led to some less that stellar matches that ought to have been classics, but on this one night the stars aligned Harley Race pulled off his personal masterpiece. The beginning of the match was what you would expect Baba working a headlock, Race working an angle up against the ropes not giving the clean break, but ultimately when he tried to create movement succumbing to the headlock. You get great bumps off a big boot or a back drop out of the piledriver. It is established that Baba is a better wrestler and it is a consistent thread. Eventually, Race is able to combine some offense off work in the ropes working the neck with a swinging neckbreaker, piledriver, knees to head and neck and then a head crank. This has been a drawback of Race is his ADD in the ring where he will just throw out spots and bumps willy-nilly. Here was working more focused and more vicious as we will see. Going for the gutwrench suplex was a deviation from strategy and Baba made him pay with one of his own. When Race put his foot on the rope, Baba came back with a huge double stomp. Race takes a great tumble over the ropes remsicent of HHH (so thats where he got it from!) and then takes a back drop on the outside. Baba misses a dropkick, which is a favorite Race transition move. Race unloades heavy knees to the forehead and busts Baba open who rolls to outside to escape the punishment. Race works the cut efficiently with fists and even diving headbutt, but Baba rolls out again. Baba bleeding profusely, This time, Baba slams Race's head into the post and busts him wide out. DOUBLE JUICE! Race is bleeding all over his arms. Baba swats him multiple time with huge double chops which Races sells like gunshots! Awesome! The violence of this match is really carrying the day over the usual Harley Race spotfests. Harley Race gets one more hope spot, but is press slammed off the top. Baba riles up the crowd, running clothesline for the 1-2-3 and crowd goes wild as Baba wins the World's Heavyweight Championship for the second time. Harley was able to focus his offense more and the blood helped him ratchet up the violence. A lot of his matches will feature a lot of throws without struggle so by focusing on one body part and working a cut it lent itself to more drama. Baba is a great opponent because he is so large and such a force of nature that you can buy all of Harley's ridiculous bumps. The finish stretch brought this match way up, but still could have used more struggle, right about the level of most the top tiered All Japan stuff from this era that I have seen. ****1/2

Fujita Jr. Hayato, awesome 08-09 M-Pro, hope this leads to more recs for matches more recently in his career. http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?/topic/22035-koji-kanemoto-vs-fujita-jr-hayato-njpw-super-j-cup-122209/ http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?/topic/22013-fujita-jr-hayato-vs-ou-kobushi-michinoku-pro-090509/ http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?/topic/21998-fujita-jr-hayato-vs-great-sasuke-michinoku-pro-061909/ Katsuhiko Nakajima, the boy wonder, I wonder if he has petered out since his hot start. If anybody has any match recs for 2010 & after he could make my big board. http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?/topic/21760-kenta-kobashi-go-shiozaki-vs-kensuke-sasaki-katsuhiko-nakajima-noah-3rd-great-voyage-110505/ http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?/topic/21825-shuji-kondo-vs-katsuhiko-nakajima-ajpw-excite-series-021707/ http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?/topic/21968-kenta-vs-katsuhiko-nakajima-kensuke-office-021109/