Superstar Sleeze

Stan Hansen vs Kenta Kobashi - AJPW 7/8/92 This is non-title even though Stan Hansen is the Triple Crown Champion. Definitely their least interesting match thus far. It looks like it was very hot on July 8, 1992 in Aomori, Japan as these two are sweating profusely like two minutes in and all the fans have their hand fans going. I dont know if the heat played a role in them taking it easy or if it was because Hansen had Triple Crown defenses coming up. Kobashi controls with the side headlock early. Hansen tries a number of different tactics to re-establish control (bullying in corner, attacking the bandaged knee, sleeper hold, and just straight bludgeoning), but Kobashi is a pugnacious pitbull and will not be denied. It is a back suplex that buys Hansen some time. He starts to hitting Kobashi in the head with knees and elbows. Kobashi starts a comeback on the outside with some kicks to the head. There were a lot kicks/strikes to the head in this match by both men. I really liked Hansen sliding tackle at one point. There were a lot of good Hansen tackles in this match in general really bowling Kobashi over. Business picks up on the outside when Hansen bounces a chair off Kobashi's back not once, but twice. Kobashi retaliates with a tackle of his own off the apron then sends Hansen ass over tea kettle on the guardrail. DDT ON THE FLOOR! Kobashi looks back in control, but in the ring he leaves his feet and Hansen makes him pay takes his head and driving into the mat. I love that spot. Hansen has a great powerbomb. His second powerbomb could be the first ever Turnbuckle Powerbomb and it is fucking gnarly. He signals for the Western Lariat, but Kobashi evades and SLEEPER! I love how they work the sleeper into their matches. You really feel like Kobashi has a chance as Hansen sells the Sleeper like he is KO'd. Fist pump! Moonsault! 1-2-NO! Kobashi makes the cardinal mistake of trying to pick Hansen up into an abdominal stretch. He was doing so well LegDropping Hansen to the death. Hansen starts hitting gnarly elbows and a tackle. Kobashi just keeps coming but on one charge Hansen SMOKES HIM WITH THE WESTERN LARIAOTOOOOOOOOOO! The finishing stretch was awesome as usual but a very pedestrian opening makes this the most skippable of the Hansen vs Kobashi series. ***1/2

Toshiaki Kawada vs Akira Taue - AJPW Champions Carnival 4/12/93 Definitely feels like they are going 30 minutes in the Handheld I have found. Mind you, the work is really solid, but they are clearly presenting a story of eveness and symmetry. They are also not going balls to the wall. Taue is definitely the more dynamic performer (pun fully intended). He baits Kawada to the outside where he whips him into the railing. He dropkicks him off the apron, he does one of his crazy Taue dives. Kawada is more content to do his usual Kawada stuff. Bodyslam->Rifle Kick. Kneedrop, Single Leg Crab attempt, lots of back drops from Kawada as counters. I have seen their glorious 1991 brawl this is not that. This is much more respectful which pushes the angle of the Holy Demon Army forming at the end of this. Taue is still playing the heel in this taking control and getting heat. He is hotshotting Kawada, single leg crab. My favorite moment of the opening section is the NODOWA~! on the floor. Since it is NOT 1995, this is NOT a death sentence. I feel like the transitions are solid, but they do not grab me. Kawada just goes back to trying to kick him in the head. I have enjoyed this, but reading the reviews, it seems like business picks up in the second half. I am pretty sure I have seen the clipped version because I known I have seen The Handshake. Just as I hit play again, boy did business pick up in a big way! Super symmetrical. Very-well scouted. They kicked into 6th gear and really rocked it. I dont know if it was because it was a 30 minute draw or they knew ahead of time this would be JIP on TV they definitely took it easy in the first 15 minutes or so. Taue had the kicks scouted. Kawada had the throwdowns scouted. Taue hits a powerbomb and immediately goes for a rear naked choke when that does not get the job done. Next moves, Kawada gets a powerbomb and immediately goes for a rear naked choke when that does not get the job. It was like this throughout. Taue had a great block of the Fujiwara armbar as Kawada was taking him down Taue hit an Enziguiri why did Takada never do that. Nodowa, no dice, Kawada gets the Fujiwara armbar and then a stiff clothesline for two. After that Taue gets his NODOWA~! for two. They both hit clotheslines simultaneously to level the playing field. Again the symmetry through the end is outstanding. Taue goes for the Octopus Stretch and hits a missile dropkick. Kawada gets the Stretch Plum and hits Tenryu's top rope reverse elbow drop. Great symmetry! Taue Big Boot and one more NODOWA~! 1-2-NO! Lots of Taue fans in the crowd even though he is the heel. Now heres comes their transitions that couldnt hit before. Kawada hits the Spinning heel kick and goes for Stretch Plum. You could say Stretch Plum was equal to NODOWA at this point. Kawada does his jumping high kick. Kawada Kicks and Taue does his eyerake/head throwdown. Kawada hits one last powerbomb, but the bell rings before he can win. Draw! Strong reaction for The Holy Demon Handshake! I like how it was symmetrical right up until then. Kawada got one more big bomb than Taue. He was also in the dominant position compared to Taue at the end. But still it was a draw. The idea was to make Kawada a first among equals. He is slightly better than Taue, is higher on the pecking order, and will be Misawa's archrival, but Taue is right behind it. It makes the Holy Demon Army the super team. They needed to band together in order to have a chance against Misawa. The draw finish also fuels The Handshake of Respect. Great angle and really well done finish stretch. ****

Stan Hansen vs Kenta Kobashi - AJPW 3/27/92 Championship Carnival Hansen vs Kobashi RULES! Hansen is the Champion going into the Carnival and Kobashi came pretty close to beating him six months ago. Lets see how this breaks down. At first glance, I thought this was going to be another spirited, sprint brawl. Hansen bounces a chair off Kobashi back very early on. There are their trademark spots: Hansen powerbombing Kobashi on the floor and Kobashi DDT'ing Hansen on the floor. Overall, this does not reach the level of their '91 classic. Still I would not complain if this was on RAW every week and this was still awesome. Kobashi is going after the Lariat arm and Hansen goes into Grizzly Bear mode and mauls Kobashi. Kobashi gets his hope spots in but this is a drubbing. The crowd comes alive for Kobashi after he kicks out of a second powerbomb. Hansen pours it on with a big suplex and a piledriver. He signals for the Western Lariat, but Kobashi grabs a DDT. Crowd is pumped. Kobashi pugnaciously grabs a Sleeper, shades of their '91 match, he is so overzealous I think he busts his nose on the top of Hansen's head as he is bleeding after that. He weakens him enough to hit a top rope legdrop, fist pump, YES, Moonsault, no one home! Too bad! Hansen goes for his third powerbomb but collapses under the weight! Great selling by Hansen he really put Kobashi over. Kobashi goes head-hunting and pours it on with a ton of leg drop variations he cant get it done. Hansen is fighting back but Kobashi is just chopping through it. Kobashi tries a backslide and inside cradle. On an Irish Whip, Hansen reverses, Kobashi ducks the Lariat, but Hansen SMOKES him on the rebound! Awesome finish! Great TV match! Efficient and compact! These two are just plain awesome together! ****

All Japan Triple Crown Champion Stan Hansen vs Mitsuharu Misawa - 8/22/92 I have seen a couple of their matches and didnt think much of them at time and cant even remember which ones I have seen. At the very least, it is a monumental match as Misawa wins his first Triple Crown and basically replaces Jumbo as the Ace of All Japan. As is customary, it is gaijin doing the honors of transitioning the championship. I am surprised this match has such a bad rep. The first 15 minutes have been great thus far. It is really gritty and tight. Lots of effort. Everything feels like a struggle. Apparently, Misawa had a shoulder injury coming into the match which is why Hansen is targetting the left shoulder. Misawa is right hand dominant. They set the tone early. A very stiff exchange up against the ropes. I liked the holds early, really tight. Hansen really wrestled him down with the top wristlock and when Misawa POPPED him with that Elbow to the head there was no need to sell because that looked like it fucking hurt. We got a close up camera angle, he fucking rocked Hansen with that Elbow. Awesome, awesome side headlock by Misawa, super tight, great struggle. Loved Hansen's counter, moving his body so that he butt Misawa's chin with his head. It looked violent. Hansen knows how to get under a Japanese audience's skin they hate when he does moves when it should be a rope break. Again, we see Misawa use the Elbow to bail him out this time going after Hansen's arm with wicked shot. Hansen is really great at using his size to bully Misawa. He is not doing his Bull In The China Shop routine but he still uses his mass effectively. He really goes to town on the arm now. The shoulderbreaker on the guardrail popped me huge. Hansen is now in full bully mode. He wont let Misawa back in the ring and the crowd is pissed. Misawa is fighting from his back on the apron just throwing stiff knees to the head. This is a fucking fight. Slingshot back in for two. Misawa is trying to tear Hansen's arm off as revenge! Hansen pops Misawa in the head with a wicked elbow. Receipt! Yeah, people who call this a "chore", "Awful", "boring" or "lazy", I have no fucking clue what you are watching. This is a nasty fight where everything is a struggle and it is dripping with effort, but it has been only the first 15 minutes. Finish is very strong making this an easy slam dunk great match. I dont think it ranks high up in the pantheon of great All Japan 90s classic but in any other promotion this would be lauded as something special. The struggle over the arm psychology is really good around the 15 minute mark. Misawa is really trying to work that angle. Hansen and him end up in some really stiff fire fights standing up. I love how Misawa has to switch up so many strategies before he fully gets control which is realized when he smokes Hansenin the back of the head on an Elbow when Hansen was blocking an German. That was wicked! It is 1992 so we get FACELOCK! Misawa missed the frogsplash. Now we get the big Hansen finish stretch. He goes back to the shoulderbreaker and even busts out a Cross Armbreaker and when he does not relinquish upon a rope break, the Japanese crowd really lets him have it. I dont think I have ever heard the Japanese boo so loudly. He goes for another arm attack, but he leaves himself open for a wicked Elbow to the head. Hansen keeps coming and throws a kick, but he is not covering up and BOOM KO ELBOW! Hansen's sell is awesome! He totally puts Misawa and that Elbow over like death. I am shocked that people do not like this. It is not typical All Japan 90s workrate with a lot of strikes and bombs. It is grittier and more minimalistic. It was a strong Misawa formula match. Misawa took a lot of heat and had to dig himself out of a hole. Hansen was great at using his size, staying focused on the arm, creating a mountain for Misawa to climb and getting heel heat. Misawa just kept coming with that Elbow and withstanding all the punishment. I wouldn't say it was fluke per se. I would say this match showed that Misawa had a Puncher's Chance in any match he was in. He would go onto show he was the Ace, but it was firmly established that the Elbow was the key to victory. ****1/4

Stan Hansen vs Toshiaki Kawada - AJPW 2/28/93 Man when Youtube really started to get going in what like 2005/2006, this was one of my favorite matches to watch again and again. I had read so much about All Japan through the late 90s and early 2000s. I was so excited to finally see it and it delivered in spades. Funny though I have not watched this match in a good ten years I would say. It is matches like this that remind me I did have some damn good taste as a teenager. There are two things I remember about his match the beginning and the end. This maybe the greatest bar room brawl in the history of pro wrestling. This is match pretty much universally praised, I have run across some criticisms of it being disjointed and/or aimless. I would replace those words with "chaotic" and "mayhem". This is what a bar room brawl should feel like. If you are caught flat footed, someone is going to bowl you over. Hansen is the king of that. Anytime Kawada thought he was safe, Hansen would just lunge at him and wipe him out. Kawada was fighting for his life in there against Hansen at the outset. There was a great Kawada sell. He was trying to bottle Hansen up with a front facelock, but got clipped by a punch and just went down on his ass. Even though at first, it felt like Kawada was fighting for his life against the human version of the Tasmanian Devil. Soon Kawada turned the tables on him. At first, it was something like ramming his head into the post. You knew Hansen was hurt because he was stomping around outside. Kawada kicks him in the brutally in the ropes. Then it was Kawada going for the leg. This however backfired and inspired Hansen to target Kawada's leg. This was Kawada's second great sell around his knee which is his bread and butter. There was some great verbal selling in this from Kawada. Kawada ends up kicking him off his leg and sending him crashing into the railing. I just need to say this somewhere. This match is crazy fucking stiff. Especially those KICKS! Each men was just rifling the other with these crazy stiff kicks. It sounded like gunshots going off. When Hansen starts going for pinfall attempts after punting Kawada in the mouth a kick I knew Hansen was in trouble. It sounds counter-intuitive. Hansen was not his usual confident self. When Hansen goes for a pin, it is usually over because he has kicked so much ass. Here, Kawada gave him a helluva fight and it feels like Hansen wants to get out of this match with the win rather than mauling his opponent. Hansen's heat segment here feels more like a normal monster heel (big move, cover, big move, cover) less of his style of Bull in the China Shop. Hansen gets more and more desperate. Busting out a dropkick and then A SUICIDE DIVE THROUGH THE BOTTOM ROPE! HOLY SHIT! MARK OUT CITY! You really get the feeling that Kawada has pushed Hansen to the limit forcing him to take these high risks. Hansen wants to slam Kawada on the exposed floor, but Kawada blocks and it is Hansen that is slammed on the floor! Amazing selling from Hansen...clutching the ribs and verbal selling. Kawada hits a stiff clothesline to the back of Hansen's head on the apron. Kawada's clothesline is so wicked. Hansen sells it like he is KO'd. Hansen has really put Kawada over. Kawada knee drop 1-2-No! See these pinfalls feel different. This feels like a man in the dominant position looking to get the win. STRETCH PLUM! A great one at that. Looks really tight! Kawada Kicks! Anyone who says Stan Hansen cant sell, needs to watch this match and tell me that. Kawada SLAPS THE TASTE OUT OF Hansen's mouth. So Hansen punches him right in the face! KAWADA IS OUT COLD! Great Kawada sell #3! Honestly that should have been the finish or shortly thereafter the Western Lariat. My slight criticism of this classic is they go a little overboard in the finish making sure you know that Kawada is just inches away from beating Hansen, but I think it was clear in the body of the match and we didnt 5 minutes to remind us of that. Hansen throws down the defiant Kawada head first multiple times and then delivers a big time Powerbomb! He signals for the Western Lariat, but we get all sort of evasions. This is what I mean it was a little much. Kawada was throwing clotheslines and kicks at Hansen trying to win, but it seemed too much. The one spot I remember from this match that I still think is epic is when Hansen hits that first Lariat and he hits it so hard that he is going flying out of the ring. He was so out of control! You knew the end was nigh. Hansen comes up selling his head so well. Kawada again puts up token offense (his patented Spinning Heel Kick to get two) but Hansen nails him in the back of the head with a right handed lariat. The first twenty minutes of this is just excellent. It is a 5 minute bar room brawl sprint that feels uncooperative, chaotic and like a shoot. Then as each man becomes fatigued it becomes a slugfest first trying to take out each other's legs and then just hitting each other as hard as possible. Hansen sold his ass off for Kawada and really busted out some neat stuff. Kawada felt like a superstar in this match. He was at a disadvantage and turned it around and made you feel like Hansen was the one that was surviving. I think they could have cut out 2-3 minutes of the last 5 minutes of the match and tightened it up. One nearfall for Kawada would have been plenty. Regardless, this match is epic and really shows Hansen's range all in one match and how much of an asskicker Kawada is. ****3/4

Stan Hansen vs Kenta Kobashi - AJPW 9/4/91 To think the only Hansen vs Kobashi match I have ever watched before today was 7/29/93. What have I been doing with my life? This was fantastic and a total contender to make my Top 100 matches of all time list. Hansen OBLITERATES Kobashi with the Western Lariat. Covers him, but wait it happened before the bell! Joe Higuchi refuses to count the pin. We have the ultimate underdog Kobashi in a 6 foot hole against the Grizzly Bear from The Revenant. It is every bit as epic as you would hope it would be. Hansen MAULS Kobashi. He is besides himself that Kobashi is kicking out. Then it becomes Kobashi just getting his foot on the ropes. He powerbombs him on exposed concrete. He hurls a table down on him. He exposes the knee smashes it into his head. He steps on his head for great heel heat. Kobashi just will not die! I loved the touch of Hansen starting to sell exhaustion. Kobashi is weather the storm and Hansen is starting to slow down. We see little openings for Kobashi here and there where he will get a strike in. It is the full nelson by Hansen when we know he is fatigued. He is going for a hold so he himself can recover. Once Kobashi gets out, thats when he starts his onslaught. It is gradual. Kobashi is selling an epic beating. He will hurl himself at Hansen but need to stop to collect himself in between. Eventually Hansen powders, Kobashi gives chase and slams his head into the post. Then it is enziguiri on the apron that sends Hansen head first into the exposed part of the turnbuckle. Finally it is the DDT on the exposed concrete. It took 5 minutes but Kobashi EARNED that comeback. Now it is a level playing field. Sublime pro wrestling. Is there a better moment in pro wrestling than Kenta Kobashi's fist pump before he goes for the Moonsault. It is so electric. It is so passionate. How could you root against Kobashi? Kobashi HITS the Moonsault! 1-2-NO! Awesome! He goes for another top rope move. You need to take risks against a Monster like Hansen, but they need to be calculated. This time Hansen is standing so he evades the dropkick and immediately goes to work on the back with a Boston Crab. Kobashi makes the ropes and powders. Hansen BODYSLAMS Kobashi on top of the railing and then puts him in a Boston Crab on the floor. Thats when the match from ok this is a great novelty match to stone cold classic. Hansen then Oklahoma Stampedes Kobashi's back into the post. WOW! Back in, Hansen starts lighting Kobashi up in the corner, but the ref tells him to break and this is Kobashi's chance. Great stuff to break up the onslaught. Then the match takes yet another interesting twist. Hansen misses wildly on a chop and Kobashi wraps him up with a sleeper. Hansen suplexes Kobashi, BUT Kobashi HOLDS ONTO THE SLEEPER! I am such a mark for that spot. Kobashi puts the Grizzly to sleep! 1-2-NO! Kobashi does his barrage of leg drops, still no dice. Right back to the sleeper. They end up rolling to the floor, but Kobashi will not relinquish the sleeper in the crowd. He does however to beat the count. Kobashi is the personification of determination and perseverance. However, his honor gets the best of him. He goes back out so that he can collect Hansen so he can beat him in the ring. Hansen SMOKES Kobashi with a Lariat on the floor! MARK OUT CITY! They do a second countout tease this time with Kobashi. I think it could have ended there and I would have been happy. They tussle on the apron. Kobashi shifts his weight on the back suplex into the ring. I love that finish and it was a great nearfall here. Kobashi dodges the first Lariat, but Hansen FUCKS HIM UP ON THE REBOUND! 1-2-3! I love Pro Wrestling! ****3/4

Stan Hansen vs Kenta Kobashi - AJPW 7/7/90 I believe the first singles match between these two epic rivals (please correct me if I am wrong). I found the clipped version but I am only missing 3 minutes of 12 minute match from the beginning so I feel I can still say with confidence that these were awesome from the beginning! Absolutely claustrophobic! 95% of the match it spent within punching or kicking distance. No bullshit rope running or Irish Whips. This was a fight. Kobashi as a Young Lion came in with a simple strategy rip off Hansen's Western Lariat arm and take it home with him. Easier said then done, but watch how many times from his back Kobashi grabs that arm. Hansen had just rocked him with a sudden suplex throw and Hansen was crawling over to attack and Kobashi reached back and grabbed wrist control. Hansen is jumping on him at one point and I think goes for a pin and in that one second of lost concentration, Kobashi comes up with a double wristlock. Kobashi was the definition of a scrappy fighter. Either Hansen loved Kobashi or Baba loved Kobashi so much he made Hansen love Kobashi, but either way this is one of those rare Hansen generosity performances. Dont get me wrong he is still Stan Hansen. He is stiff as fuck. He is sudden. He does not let up. However, he took the time to sell the arm, howling for Kobashi and he let Kobashi work the arm psychology. He worked the line perfectly. I liked when Kobashi did have Hansen rocked and in a prone position thats when the doubled up leg drops come. Thats when it makes sense. Hansen is a beast. He definitely has to double up but he is patient and he finds the right time. This eventually costs him in a little bit. He comes charging at Hansen, but this time Hansen is on his feet. Hansen dodges and uses Kobashi's momentum to drive him to the mat. Hansen signals and NAILS THE LARIAOTOOOOOO! 1-2-3! Beautiful pro wrestling. Everything is sound. The characters are well-developed. The strategies make sense. The timing is excellent. This is a portent of things to come. I really liked this. ****

AJPW Double Cup Tag Team Champions Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada vs Miracle Violence Connection - AJPW 1/30/93 The last gasp of early 90s All Japan as this is Misawa & Kawada last title defense and perhaps even their last tag match as partners. Kawada and Taue would have their first tag team match against Misawa & Kobashi on 6/1/93 ushering in the Golden Age of the Four Corners of Heaven. However, before we get to that I wanted to check this out so that I can do a proper match of the year countdown for 1993 in totality. Very solid opening 15 minutes, lots of strong tag psychology. Gordy and Kawada start. Gordy is the bigger of the two and they establish Kawada is at a disadvantage. He hits his sudden spinning heel kick before he gets into any real trouble tagging out to Misawa. Gordy wisley tags in Doc. I love their match from 1994 and they show shades of their great chemistry in their opening contest. Everything is stiff and tight. Great elbows from both men here. Doc tags out and Misawa hits a quick suplex on Gordy before getting the fresh man. I like the psychology of not wanting to be left in there with a fresh man. Kawada takes advantage and hits a senton. Gordy powders. Misawa & Kawada earn the first advantage. Trapping Gordy with frequent tags. They focus on holds but throw in a couple slams and suplexes. Kawada gets a little cute on an Irish Whip. Gordy take advantage of the separation to use size to knock Kawada down and get Doc in there. Williams proceeds to beating the tar out of Kawada. I liked the dropping him throat first on the railing and the top rope. Solid heat segment. Not focused. Just beating him down some good holds. Kawada hits his patented Spinning Heel Kick to escape from Gordy and tag in Misawa as the 15 minutes elapses. Like I said everything has been solid but nothing has been inspiring yet. Business really picked up immediately in the second half. Misawa was a red hot tag. Making his presence felt and totally changing the game. Diving elbows all over the place. TIGER DRIVER! Doc bowls him out of he ring. Picks him up and slams him into the post. That was wicked! Gordy hits an Oklahoma Slam in the ring. Then Doc hits a Top Rope Oklahoma Slam! This is a way better heat segment. They really kick Misawa's ass. Doc is focused on the back and uses a Boston Crab. Gordy switches it up going for the leg and gets an STF. Gordy gets sloppy and goes for an Irish Whip. Misawa takes advantage of this separation puts on the brakes and turns around and SMOKES Gordy with an Elbow! Tag to Kawada! Kawada mows everyone down! Powerbomb! Stretch Plum! Misawa tackles Doc. This shit is hot! Gordy hits a quick DDT and gets Doc in there. Doc is a game changer. This match has definitely been a portent of things to come for him. Great spinebuster from him. Misawa dropkicking Kawada on top of Williams during the Oklahoma Stampede was the spot of the match. MVC goes for the Nodowa/BackDrop Driver combo, but Misawa stops Gordy so it is just a BackDrop Driver. Kawada goes back to his best move the Spinning Heel Kick combined with a Jumping Head Kick to get himself out of trouble and tag in Misawa. I love that as soon as Misawa comes in Misawa picks him up and throws him with a tremendous powerslam. It really makes Doc feel like a force. He snuffed out the Hot Tag that is really special. Misawa does get a German Suplex on Gordy and here is Doc to clean up the mess. Misawa wins the battle with a clothesline/Frogsplash combo. FACELOCK! STRETCH PLUM! IT IS BREAKING DOWN IN CHIBA! Gordy rakes the eyes and breaks up the Facelock. TIGER DRIVER! Gordy saves again. They do a great job protecting the Natives here. As you feel that Misawa and Kawada would have won with either the Facelock or Tiger Driver if it was not for Gordy saving. Gordy powerbombs Misawa! Misawa evades a second, but Doc clobbers him with a lariat from behind. OKLAHOMA STAMPEDE! Kawada saves, but Gordy detains Kawada and a Second Oklahoma Stampede wins the Tag Titles for the Miracle Violence Connection. In a way it may be surprising that Misawa gets the pinfall loss in the last match of the Misawa/Kawada pairing, but I think it is good booking as it sets Doc up as a singles challenger later in the year for Misawa. Again this match is a tale of two matches. The first half there is nothing wrong with it. These are four of the best. It is solid work, but you can really see how good these guys are in the second half. They really build the drama and the action is off the charts. Dr. Death was the MVP in my opinion. He looked so explosive and was a real game changer in there. ****

Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshikai Kawada - AJPW Champion's Carnival 1993 I have seen all their title matches before but I dont think I have seen all their Carnival matches so I think I havent seen this and if I have I had totally forgotten about it. Now this is more like it. I thought this was a substantial improvement over the October match. It being a Carnival match with a 30 minute time limit you know you are going to get a much faster paced match and they dont disappoint. They come out swinging. Kawada is just stiffing Misawa with chops and Misawa is ready to fuck shit up. I like Misawa being overzealous on the dropkick but still persisting and getting the Tiger Driver early for 2. I like when finishers are at least teased or hit in the beginning as it makes me feel like they are trying to win the match from jump. Also it mirrors the Backdrop Driver start from October. I liked Misawa having the sudden Spinning Heel Kick scouted and dumping Kawada on his ass. Now it was Kawada turn to persevere and he nails a jumping kick. Misawa powders to sell it. The opening was about 2 minutes or so and then he just go into delicious, delicious heat. Kawada is so much nastier in this match. He is such a dick to Misawa. I liked how he went progressively higher and higher with his kicks when Misawa was against the ropes until he kicked right across the eyes. Misawa sold this so well. I loved how much Misawa powdered during the heat segment. It really put over the punishment and I liked how Kawada never made it easy for him when he came back in. There was a great bulldog from the apron to the floor. They started to incorporate their surroundings a bit more. Kawada has a great clothesline. Not quite as great as Hansen and Kobashi, but it is STIFF as fuck. Kawada was all about the powerbomb and the Stretch Plum! I think he nailed three powerbombs and went for the Stretch Plum at least three times. Misawa does show he is still alive throughout this with flurry of wicked Elbow Uppercuts, but Kawada just kept head-hunting and he would not relent. After all the powerbombs and stretch plums, Misawa was able to armdrag to avoid a suplex. He grabs a FACELOCK! I love how much the Facelock and Stretch Plum are still over. They execute them really well. Misawa is right up against the nose. Kawada grinds his forearm bone along Misawa's jaw. I liked how Misawa used the Facelock repeatedly to sap Kawada of his energy and then hit his big bombs. This is so much better than sudden counters all the time. It is great escalation. We get the Tiger Driver but it is still only 2. Frogsplash and an AWESOME ELBOW SUICIDE DIVE! Misawa is two for two on these diving elbows outside the ring. Misawa misses a missile dropkick and here comes Kawada. Stiff clothesline. Misawa gets a spinning heel kick. Kawada OBILTERATES HIM WITH ONE OF HIS OWN! WOW! Kawada hits an insane Back Drop Driver on Misawa! How Misawa did not break his neck right there I dont know! Kawada goes for another kick, but Misawa blocks and BLOWS HIM AWAY WITH AN ELBOW FOR THE KO WIN! In the end after all the powerbombs and stretch plums, it felt like Kawada just didnt have that extra gear to beat Misawa, which is the story of their rivalry. He would have to go deeper and deeper inside himself. Whereas, Misawa always had the trusty elbow to bail him out. I liked the efficiency of this match a lot more. Long Kawada heat segment that built to his nearfalls. Logical transition to Misawa running through his offense. Then a HOT 2 minute finish stretch. Misawa did a great job in typical understated way of selling the damage and trouble he was in. Kawada is always great at being scrappy. Im back on the All Japan train and I think I am going to stay on. ****1/4

AJPW Triple Crown Champion Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada - AJPW 10/21/92 It has been a while. When you are having a bad day, theres nothing like Misawa flicking the sweat off his brow to let you know everything is going to be all right. The only thing I remember from this match is "FACELOCCCCKKKKKK!". You know it is 1992 because the Stretch Plum and Misawa's Facelock are still over. This is ostensibly still babyface vs babyface but Kawada does play the subtle heel in this as he is the junior tag partner with a chip on his shoulder. In the front half, there are moments of future greatness: Kawada's at the bell Backdrop Driver, Misawa's response to be kicked in the eye and Kawada's first heel kick counter. These were the moments that made your eyes go wide and remind you why these are a couple GOATs. I didnt think everything was full capitalized on early. It felt like they were going through the motions when Kawada was working the arm. The cheap kick to the face when Misawa was in the ropes was great thought. Misawa's "Now you done did it" was great. He rifled Kawada with those elbows! Great register by Kawada. They went back to the mat and the Misawa started working the back. It was textbook back work but was lacking that same oomph that we the fans are accustomed to. Then Kawada damn near took Misawa's head off with that spinning heel kick and they sucked me back in. They got a great nearfall out of it and Misawa powdered to sell it. Kawada wrestled him down by the arm playing off the original limb psychology. I am interested to see where they go from here. So far the match has been solid, but has not really wowed me. They picked it up in a big way in the second half. This sets the narrative for the rest of their matches. Kawada pours it on but can never put Misawa away. I loved that Misawa's response to Kawada's stiffness is more stiffness in this match. Misawa is the first one to go for the killshot with a Tiger Driver. Kawada evades and then goes headhunting. Everythign after that is a kick to the head. He is looking to win. Powerbomb! Stretch Plum! Stiff Clothesline! Kawada was in the zone! Misawa mounts his comeback with a quick snap German. Misawa hits the Tiger Driver! FACELOCKKKKKK! I like the symmetry. Everyone is in kill mode looking for their finish. Misawa hits an INSANE ELBOW SUICIDE DIVE! Like the Ultimate Warrior he was totally OUT OF CONTROL!!! Kawada hit another flash kick to the head. That was really was his calling card in this match was quick kicks to the head. I love a great Maximalist King's Road finish stretch but this was a little much even for me. I am surprised this was 1992 it felt more like 1997. They go nuts throwing all sorts of suplexes and vicious stiff headshots (Kawada sells two elbows really well at one point) at one another. Kawada kicks out of another Tiger Driver and Elbow to the back of the head. It takes TWO Tiger Suplexes to put him down. It was the tale of two matches. Interesting, I thought the front half lacked the usual passion and spirit of All Japan Pro Wrestling, there were bright moments but it felt more solid than anything else. I thought from the 15 minute to 25 minute mark was gold. It was the type of wrestling that makes All Japan the best. Big moves that have consequence, excellent escalation, wrestling with urgency and great selling. The last 5 minutes honestly felt like 21st century Indy overkill. One big nearfall each plus the finish would have sufficed. I gotta admit the crowd was with them every step of the way. I know from the memory they do manage to top this. For me, there was a stretch when they were wrestling at around ***** clip but the match as a whole is not at that level in my opinion. ****

Horsemen (Ric Flair, Barry Windham & Arn Anderson) vs Lex Luger, Nikita Koloff & Steve Williams - NWA Houston 6/10/88 After a lot of 21st century wrestling, need some 20th century wrestling to change it up. Crockett is on the road to the Great American Bash and more specifically Wargames. Flair is feuding with Luger as the main event program. Luger is red hot chasing Flair before he can even get in the ring. The Horsemen are bumping and feeding big for the the babyfaces. It is a total melee to start with the babyfaces dominating. I really like how the Horsemen throw offense at the babyfaces like kicks and eyepokes only for the babyfaces to absorb, no-sell and overcome. Lots of military presses. Flair eats one from Luger. Dr. Death is only in the match but actually has the most impressive part of the match. He does reps with both Barry and Arn over his head in the Military Press. Those are not small men. Koloff is steamrolling the Horsemen. The Horsemen look totally out of sorts. Luger comes back in. I could watch Flair sell Luger's flexing forever. It is so ridiculous and just so pro wrestling. Flair suckers him and hits him in the balls. Double A comes in and also hits him in the balls. It is a pretty straightforward heat segment. The transition is Press Slamming Flair off the top. The hot tag to Koloff is more of a lukewarm tag as Double A focuses on the injured ribs (bandaged) and that stops Koloff in his tracks. BW tries to apply the dreaded Claw with the Black Glove but Luger saves. Arn gets busted open on the post for really no reason but hits a DDT. Koloof breaks free from Windham and tags in Luger. It is Luger and Flair. They brawl a little and get counted out. This is just really solid feel-good 80s Horsemen action. I have seen better, but it never fails to entertain. ***

WWE Women's Champion Melina vs Mickie James - Backlash 2007 Thanks to Stacey for the recommendation. Very good match. Mickie was a Teen Sleeze favorite, hot and good at wrestling! Melina is 2 for 2 in having good matches so it looks like I overlooked her. They do some really nice NWA championship style chain wrestling (headlocks, wristlocks, headscissors). Mickie gets the better of this for the most part. Melina feigns getting her fake eyelashes in her eye. This draws Mickie into a suckerpunch. What I like about this is that it was NOT the transition. Instead, Mickie overcomes and bullies her into the corner. It shows that Mickie wont succumb easily and that she can overcome the dirty tactics of Melina. The transition is Melina pushing Mickie off the top rope to the floor in a nasty bump. The match is memorable for two spots. One is Melina applying a Full Nelson with her legs, which takes advantage of her flexibility. The other is Mickie and Melina fight while both are doing splits. It was wicked cool which Mickie wins. Mickie runs through a decent comeback. but doesnt hit her finish because protecting your finish was still important back then. Melina rakes the eyes and hits the Slop Drop for the win. This would be an above average women's match today and really goes to show you that good women's wrestling existed before 2014. ***1/2

Matt Hardy vs Edge - Unforgiven 2005 Steel Cage Match At the core of the first known story in Western Civilization is Helen of Troy having been abducted from her family and country taken to Troy launching an international Trojan War and a years long saga. Think of the countless, books, TV shows and movies centered around love and the crazy actions men & women alike do because of it. It is without the single strongest driving force in humanity. Love is at the heart of so much what we do as humans good and bad. So when JR says "this goes beyond boyfriend/girlfriend stuff" he is dead wrong. There is nothing greater than love. Love is glaringly absent in pro wrestling storytelling for the most part (Randy Savage/Elizabeth being the notable exception, but there are a few others). I do think it should be incorporated more as it would increase the emotional connection of the story. That being said I don't think every angle should have a love component. I think one a year makes sense. The current Rusev/Lashley/Lana angle should be the 2020 version of this would be perfect if Lashley was not as wooden as a 2x4 and Lana was not the worst actress in the history of pro wrestling. I never realized anyone could scream so loud with no passion behind it. Anyways, Edge/Lita are such a great sleaze couple. They would get even better in 2006 feuding with John Cena. Matt Hardy still really hadnt found his public voice but he was shoot cheated on so all hed had to do was show up be angry and throw some stiff rights and the crowd would go apeshit that's what happened. Even though neither one of these guys is a favorite of mine (I know a lot of people really like Matt, but he never connected with me), but they hit it out of the park in this match. It was a classic steel cage match asskicking. Both men were in there to fight and it wrestled for maximum violence. They blocked the steel cage shots early which really put over how important the steel cage was and whoever tasted steel first would be at a decided disadvantage. Matt Hardy hit two of the greatest right hands this side of Jerry Lawler you would ever see that really rocked Edge. I liked that once Edge got punched in the mouth, now it was time to run and escape. Up until then, he was full of piss & vinegar. That's difference between a face & heel. Edge was just as geared up as Hardy but once he faced adversity he tucked tail & ran because he is a coward at his heart. I liked how Edge needed three moves to really take control because that how fired up Matt Hardy was: the eyerake, shoving Matt Hardy off the Twist of Fate into the cage and then ramming the back of Matt Hardy's head to block the Side Effect into the cage repeatedly. This was just vicious. Every Edge blow was delivered to the head. It was shot after brutal shot to the head. It was his fist, elbow, boot, the steel cage, powerbombs into the cage. Everything targeted the head. It was Edge's greatest heat segment and one of the best all-time. Matt did a great job having the glazed over look and really milking it, but still showing signs of life. Matt Hardy hits a desperation Side Effect. Again, just like when Hardy cracked him at the beginning with those two big time rights, Edge is headed to the hill. The first sign of trouble and he takes off. He goes for the door and Lita gets him the MITB briefcase. Hardy evades and BEATS THE SHIT OUT OF HIM. This is Lawler teeing off on Bockwinkel level shit. The CROWD COMES ALIVE FOR THIS! THEY GO NUTS! He ties him up in the ropes and unloads. Definitely the best of the match and very cathartic. Hardy rams Edge into the steel cage a bajillion times and draws BLOOD! Lita is worried tries scaling the cage but Hardy scares her off. He tries to crack Edge with the briefcase, but Edge pushes the ref into the ropes and Hardy takes a nasty spill. Best Edge spot is he spears Hardy through the ropes and into the cage. It looked awesome! Edge looks to leave, but Hardy stops him and Side Effect from the top! Lita saves Edge but getting into the cage. TWIST OF FATE ON LITA! I am 100% against man on woman violence and would be 100% against him punching her, BUT pro wrestling is wish fulfillment. It is not much different than wanting to Stone Cold Stunner your boss. It was great pro wrestling theater and catharsis. Hardy takes his eye off the prize and Edge spears him. Hardy kick out! MATT HARDY WILL NOT DIE! Edge goes for the escape. Matt Hardy rams the back of Edge's head into the cage and Edge falls from the top rope. Matt Hardy hits THE MUTHA OF ALL LEGDROPS FROM THE TOP OF THE STEEL CAGE ONTO EDGE! HOLY SHIT! HOW DID HE NOT BREAK EDGE'S FACE! WHAT A FINISH1 Incredibly violent match, it was all fists, all head shots, tons of steel cage, great escalation, great cutoffs, great use of Lita, Matt Hardy exacts his revenge on both of them, Edge is a bloody pulp, that Legdrop could have not looked better, it was safe but looked like a million bucks, he could have easily broken his face or his own ass. Love charges everything up and love supercharged this match to be one of the greatest steel cage brawls of all time. *****

You know I haven’t gotten a chance to respond this line of thinking. I know Jordynne Grace and Jim Cornett got into this among others. Here’s the thing. Pro wrestling exists in our universe. It is presented in front of us. It is the original version of reality TV. Like if Rusev and Lana took pictures on vacation together during their divorce angle it would severely undercut their storyline. Pro wrestling is more like music. I’m inclined to keep kayfabe for best viewer experience. Taylor Swift has to be Taylor Swift at all times that means posting a billion pictures of cats and being lovey-dovey. The rappers have to be drinking their alcohol of choice and be at strip clubs. I mean we know now that Alice Cooper is a super nice guy but it is important back in the day that he was a creep. Music is presented in front of you live and so the gimmick exists beyond the stage in a way that TV/movies isn’t. I’m in favor of keeping kayfabe but we live in a different era but for some crucial storylines it is critical. I think the best way to keep kayfabe is be yourself and in turn the performance would be better.

Naoki Sano vs Minoru Suzuki - PWFG 7/26/91 Because sometimes in life you need a break from rope running! Never seen this before, this rocked! If Pancrase doesnt happen and Minoru Suzuki ends up in New Japan in the Mid-90s, he would be a contender for Greatest Wrestler Ever. He was already superb in 1991. Suzuki vs Hase would be insanely good and of course Suzuki vs Hashimoto in the Dome would have been bonkers! I liked the story of this match a lot. The younger punk Suzuki comes out of the gate hot full of piss 'n' vinegar and is looking to prove his mettle against the veteran New Japan star Naoki Sano. Suzuki gets a crazy legbar takedown at the start and then catches Sano in a guillotine choke when Sano fails to muscle Suzuki around. Liked how this showed the younger Suzuki as flashier and more offensive-minded. The flip side to this is that it shows that Sano is the true experienced veteran because he counters all these holds and shows he is the better the wrestler. Sano does a get a tight rear naked choke in and Suzuki tries the usual counters such as crossing the ankles and pulling a toe hold and eventually Sano releases. Two things that were great throughout this match were the crossfaces and the Greco-Roman wrestling. We dont see much in the way of Greco-Roman wrestling in Pro Wrestling, but these two were body on body a lot and there were a lot of crazy double underhook takedowns. My favorite takedown even though I think it would be a Freestyle takedown is that Suzuki goes for a Greco-Roman takedown cant negotiate it, so he palm strikes Sano and then drops down and Fireman Carrys him. Excellent! Suzuki does seem to be winning the early portion of the match and even gets a piledriver, but I like how Sano worked right for the Boston Crab. I thought around the 20 minute mark it was clear they were working for the draw and not because they were exhausted, but because they were going for finishes that should have been finishes but instead they became rope breaks. It is was essentially the 2010s equivalent to too many nearfalls. Now I enjoy this style a lot more so I didnt mind it, but I need to call a spade, a spade and thats why it felt like the match ran out of steam. Some really good spots from the ending sequence was the fire fight that breaks out after the piledriver. Suzuki starts it, but boy does Sano finish it. He cracks Sano real good and the ref is left counting him down. It looks like Suzuki maybe bleeding from the nose. I think the next exchange Suzuki sells it by deadweighting on the throw. However, I think shortly after this, Suzuki just explodes with a second wind. He throws a MONSTER BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX! He goes for a Cross-Armbreaker and then BEZERK trying to break the clasp of Sano. That was electric! I really liked that sequence. I really liked how Suzuki got an organic German Suplex. Sano definitely controlled the ending with a combination of palm strikes and chokes. Suzuki just starting going for broke with a missed dropkick but hits a flying spinning round kick. Nice! They end the draw in my least favorite spot of all time, the bundle of leg locks. Lame! I actually liked this more than the Shamrock match. The Shamrock match is a blur of catch wrestling virtuosity. As a casual grappling fan, it was hard to follow the narrative and get the beat of the match. You can just see these two are technical masters. Suzuki blends in more pro style and you can get the beat of the match. Suzuki is the young kid who wants to bring the fight to Sano and prove himself. Sano is letting the kid come at him and always has a counter. I thought the stand up here both in terms of the strikes and especially the grappling takedowns were phenomenal. Dont sleep on this match! ****1/2

To be fair, my ROH resources are limited compared to other eras. No DVDVR polls, no Smarkschoice, no Yearbooks. I was relying on a VOW thread where I don’t think it got brought up. It has not been nominated for Greatest Match Ever. Chad was telling me about Cagematch ratings. Whenever I glanced at them I never felt like people a lot of thought into it I guess. What is ROHWorld? is that their network service? I probably should post a thread on here. I definitely don’t understand ROH canon as well as others. In reality it is probably cause canon was never really established in the new millennium like it was in the 20th century.

WWE Champion CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan - WWE Over The Limit 2012 It is still amazing that this happened in a WWE ring on a WWE PPV for the WWE Championship but here it is and they delivered the goods. This is the last major WWE match I had never seen at least once before and it lived up to the hype. The simplistic story to this match is that of dual limb psychology with CM Punk targeting the leg of D-Bry and Bryan working over Punk's midsection. However, there is a lot more meat on the bone than just a story of dual limb psychology. The match is decidedly lo-fi and rooted in the fundamentals. This is not simply a Greatest Hits Collection of two of the best Indy wrestlers. Punk never even hits a Go 2 Sleep. There are not a zillion nearfalls. There are no overwrought sequences. It is a wrestling match. Just men playing the human game of chess. In addition, the psychology of their characters play a role into the match. I loved Daniel Bryan's character at this time. He was a size too small, but the chip on his shoulder was three sizes too big if ya catch my drift. He had a great Napoleon complex that would cause him to whip himself into a frenzy and we would see that rage in this match. As Michael Cole likes to say that pugnacious pitbull, he would become enraged at losing control of the match and suffocate Punk with a barrage of knees to the midsection. On the other hand, Punk is a cool customer, nonchalant smartass. He enjoys saying he has a count of 5 and has a huge shit-eating grin on his face after this. However, he is also the babyface and he is the one delivering the fiery comebacks. I loved the grit he shows in the match. He comes off like a DIY Punk in all his matches because how raw his performance is, but in this match he keeps it even simpler which is great. The best part of the whole match may have been Bryan is going to stretch Punk out and Punk fights it off by grabbing his own kneepad to avoid it being cinched in. What a spot! The match begins with Punk targeting the leg of Bryan by attacking it in the corner. He eventually makes strong in-roads into injuring the leg. There's a nice part where Bryan does his customary flip in the corner, but he can explode into his all-out assault because he clutches the knee and so Punk is able to tease Go 2 Sleep and when Bryan evades kick him in the knee. Working Bryan's leg is like working KENTA's leg, it is a risky proposition, but here Bryan is mostly on his best behavior. You could claim this is heel in peril as opposed to a shine which it is, however it fits the story of the match. Bryan is being shown up in his own style and this will be cause to piss him off. In addition, Punk is the champion so he needs to establish why he is the champion and why he is the better wrestler. The highlights of the first segment is Punk's wicked curb stomp and then Kneecrusher and dumping him over the top rope. The second segment begins when Punk tries to follow Bryan outside but not with his trademark suicide dive but rather with a baseball slide because Bryan had moved to the apron. Bryan duck and hid. He tackles Punk and drives him ribs first into the barricade. He then hands him out to dry gut first on the ribs establishing the abdomen as his target. Bryan hit a missile dropkick and again the knee keeps him from pressing his advantage and so he settles for a sitting abdominal stretch which will hurt Punk and allow him time to recuperate. This is when Punk grabs his kneepad to stop the stretch from taking place, but Bryan breaks his grip. I like Punk going for the figure-4 when he gets out. Bryan fights him off twice. Then Bryan toe kicks him in the gut to re-consolidate the advantage, kneelift, swift kick to the back, all great. Mexican Surfboard! Perfect! Dragon Clutch, Punk breaks his grip and goes to town with elbows. Punk is relentless and he gets on top and gets a cover for no count. I loved that exchange. It was so gritty and so smart to go for cover on that. Punk gets a Fisherman Suplex at one point and then stomps the knee. Bryan kicks the abs again and gets a suplex. The first big highspot of the match goes to D-Bry with a top rope diving headbutt for two. They then hit a double crossbody which levels the playing field. Minor quibble is the double crossbody probably should have hurt Punk more but Punk is the one who comes out firing on all cylinders and hits his usual comeback sequence with the neckbreaker, powerslam and suicide dive. What I like about this is Bryan makes him earn the powerslam and Suicide Dive. He is still fighting back and Punk has to fight through Bryan's offense. One of the best spots of the match is Bryan hitting a dropkick to the injured ribs when Punk is sailing through the air on a Springboard Clothesline. Bryan is pissed. He goes for his Yes! Kicks! but they dont have the same zip on them so Punk counters into a Dragon Leg Screw->Figure-4! OH SHIT! That's awesome! This is when Punk says I have until 5. Punk goes for a kneecrusher but Bryan wriggle free into a Sunset Flip. Punk becomes inspired and drop toeholds into a La Magistral Cradle. He tries again, Bryan has it scouted BANG! WICKED KICK TO THE HEAD! Punk deadweight sells but kicks out at 2! Now thats a damn great pro wrestling exchange. Bryan exposes the injured knee and buries it repeatedly into Punk's midsection. Ok, thats the best spot of the match! What a great Fuck You! You think you hurt me? Well here's my injured body part and I am going to use it to further fuck you up. Holy shit! Thats great! Bryan goes for a superplex, but Punk desperately knocks him off and Bryan takes a bad spill crotching himself on the top rope, recovers and Punk nails a Springboard Clothesline for two. That was Punk's first big nearfall. This resets things again for the final hurrah. They fight on their knees work up to base each missing wild kicks to the head. They tease Go 2 Sleep and YESLock. Punk nails a huge kick to the head and this is his second big nearfall. He goes up to the top rope for the Macho Man Elbow with bad ribs and his face says it all. "This is gonna hurt" and boy it does as he is left writhing in pain not able to capitalize. Instead Bryan goes into frenzy with a barrage of knees to the midsection and Bryan looks triumphant. The ref rips him off. Bryan is YES! He does the Psychosis dropkick ass-bump into the corner. Punk nails the big step-up knee. Bryan puts on the brakes and wrestles him into the YESLock. Punk rolls him on his back to get the pinfall but as the ref counts three, Punk is tapping. Ooooooooooooooo DRAMA! Again, I dont like the step-up knee leading to someone else's offense. I just got knee'd in the head should not be leading to F-Us and YESLocks. If you wanna shove Punk off and take a moment for you to both sell thats fine, but the Knee to the Head should not be the Macho Man Reviving Elbow of the 2010s. Besides a few minor selling quibbles like above, this match is tremendous. It is a match wrestled organically and they take what is given them. They are not shoehorning their stock highspots into the match. They incorporating them based on how the match presents them. Great counterwrestling throughout, they wove the injured bodyparts from beginning to end and a great sense of struggle and urgency. This is an all-timer! ****3/4

John Cena vs CM Punk - RAW 2/25/13 Cena comes into this match 0-2-1 against Punk in match since Money In The Bank '11 and I dont think there was anyone Cena had a losing record against since 2005. This is the very reason Cena is putting up his No. 1 Contendership (Royal Rumble Victory) against Punk. If he can't beat Punk, he doesnt deserve to go against The Rock at Mania. The year 2013 was all about Cena exorcising his demons. The two biggest bugbears were The Rock and CM Punk. Cena has to prove himself against Punk (who was not in the Rumble, he was busy losing the title to The Rock) and prove he can beat so he can head into Mania with a clear conscience. I loved this match in 2013 and remember thinking it was one of the best matches of the year. The match totally holds up and it is the best of their series. They take all the best elements of their previous matches and add on a badass finish. They have the great opening of the Summerslam 2011 match, the excellent counterwrestling of the 2012 match, a great story like the Money In The Bank Match and by adding a really great finish they top them all. Yes the story is different than Money In The Bank, but it is a great sports story. Punk has Cena's number and Cena needs to get the monkey off his back. They really built great chemistry together and it shows in how much tighter the opening of their match is. I love Cena stepping on Punk's calf into order to break out of the headlock, one of my favorite escapes. Cena's wristlock looks great. Cena's hiptoss comes off like a big deal and it is little victories like that that are treated huge in this match. Punk is full heel in this match suffocating Cena at every turn and this creates a hole for Cena to dig himself out of, which is where Cena thrives. What truly makes this match great and memorable is how Cena wrestles this match like Misawa with this amazing extended comeback. It was almost like Cena had to unlock every part of his comeback. There is so much I remember from this match which is impressive for a match that is almost 7 years old and I have not watched since I watched it live in Feburary 2013. The spot I remember the most is Cena missing that first shouldertackle and going flying out of the ring. When I saw it, I popped all over again because I knew what was coming and that was the excellent extended comeback. Punk dove out on Cena and wiped him out. The rest of the match is just balls to the wall and it is paced so beautifully. What killed the Night of Champions match was the pacing and the over-escalation early, here they did not run out of things to do. Cena would go every step of the way first getting the Shoulder tackles off a hiptoss out of an abdominal stretch. The Protobomb got countered into an Anaconda Vice, but Cena flipped that into a cover to force the break. An underrated aspect of this match is that Cena is just as good at countering. Punk gets his neckbreaker and signals Go 2 Sleep, but Cena teases STF however Punk makes the ropes. From there, he hits his springboard clothesline only for two. The second one Cena turns into an STF. The submission trade here was actually really good. They actually struggled in and out. In WWE, they are usually terrible about that. Cena ducks a big kick to the head to get the Protobomb showing that Cena can evade just as well as Punk. However, he does You Cant See Me gesture only for Punk to kick him in the head. The next spot shows Cena's grit and his never give up attitude. He eats a knee to the head and on the customary bulldog that follows Cena struggles and stops Punk's momentum and wrestles it into a Protobomb and then a Five Knuckle Shuffle. It should be noted that Punk did not get a lot of his spots in. He never gets the Bulldog. Cena opts for the Powerbomb because Punk has the FU scouted, great spot. They do a great job making Cena earn his top rope leg drop to the back of the head. Punk hits a desperation big kick to the head and then the big knee. This is my one quibble in the whole match which is otherwise perfect, Cena hits a Flash F-U for two! After two big head-rocking blows, I dont like hitting a flash F-U. The finish is amazing. Punk powders after kicking out. Cena wants to win fair & sqaure. Punk sends him into the post and leaves him for dead. Punk is ok with a countout win. This is great. Cena makes it back at 9. Now we get the Go 2 Sleep! 1-2-NO! HUGE! Unlike the Night of Champions, where they let things peter out and Punk dawdles, Punk immediately goes back to the well which is the wise thing to do. Cena counters into the STF and this is the big STF nearfall before Punk could still struggle now Punk is so spent he can only go for the ropes. Punk throws a wild kick to the knee and then HITS A PILEDRIVER~! This is definitely one of the famous spots of the match and it is totally what the match needed. This is way better than the errant moonsault from Night of Champions. The Piledriver felt so big! Huge nearfall. I love how they saved the Macho Man Elbow for here as it gave Punk one last thing. He misses it. Missed moves are huge and this is the key. Punk was in control and here it is Cena that evades. Cena uses a Hurricanarana perfectly, it discombobulated Punk and he would never expect it and after that discombobulation this allows him to hit the F-U to win! Had he gone for the F-U first theres a chance Punk could have scouted it but the Hurricanarana allowed Cena to mask it. Genius! This match is the epitome of what I like in my pro wrestling really logical progression that is rooted in the fundamentals of the two wrestlers and their story. Absolutely fantastic and one of the greatest matches of all time. *****

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton vs Batista vs Daniel Bryan Wrestlemania XXX It is amazing how much of an emotional impact this match still has. It has not been deadened one iota by the disappointing aftermath. In fact, I think it resonates only more strongly because it reminds that no matter what the future holds, he will always have this. We will always have this to remember the night that an impossible dream came true and to put a smile on our faces. Thank all that is holy, that Batista vs Orton was not the main event of this show. I actually like Orton just find as an in-ring heel. I think his work usually looks good, he knows when to bring a match up and down and everything feels like it has a sense of purpose. I can leave Batista at the door. We saw snippets of the Bastista/Orton singles match it was just so bland. They were just going through the motions. I loved how Daniel Bryan would come flying into our screens from outta nowhere. First, it was the missile dropkick to both of them and then flying headbutt. It was the perfect way to reintroduce Bryan whenever he was off selling his arm injury for extended periods of time. The match really picked up when HHH & Steph brought out Scott Armstrong to put the screws to Bryan. It is funny how all the shitty booking up until this match actually made all these nearfalls credible. It is strange how shitty booking actually enhanced the drama of this match. Would they really be that stupid? The answer is yes they really could be that stupid. I just love how invested this crowd is in the Daniel Bryan story. It is not about MOVEZ~! It is not about Daniel Bryan winning clean. Fuck, we will take a goddamn fluke rollup just give him the damn title. I loved it! Bryan cleaning house on the Authority only to get double teamed by Batista/Orton was a great last ditch attempt to make people believe that Bryan maybe not be winning after he got RKO/Powerbombed through an announce table and was put on a stretcher. Damn, does Orton have the worst luck with gimmicks or what? That looked gnarly as fuck landing on the monitor like that. I really thought Orton was good in this match in being violent. I think they could have milked the Bryan on the stretcher for even longer to really freak people the fuck out. Instead they get everybody pretty good with Batista wiping out Bryan by accident and Orton hitting the RKO on Batista for a close nearfall. I think that was the loudest collective sigh of relief of all time. True to form, Bryan come flying into our camera to hit the Exploding Knee, but Batista looks to steal his glory. Ooooooooo another good one. Orton get taken out by a Batista Bomb and Exploding Knee. to Batista! YESLOCK~! The rest is glorious history! The purely joyous response of the crowd is so overwhelming and still moves me to this day. . Also, I love how it started the tradition of one wacky Attitude Era-overbooked clusterfuck per PPV, which is just good popcorn fun that is easily differential from the normally sterile product. This match is the cure to any malady or bad day ****

Daniel Bryan vs Bray Wyatt - Royal Rumble 2014 Who is this Bray Wyatt and where the hell has he been? He was the King of the Explosive Cutoff in this match. He reminds me of Dr. Death in his ability to combine size with acceleration. You will see that in snippets in other matches, but it was in full effect here. In a lot of Wyatts matches, he does not have an opponent with as deep an offensive arsenal as Bryan so when he cuts off his opponent it is after each move, which makes it feel like he is trading moves and it becomes an exhibition. Bryan's depth affords the ability to have Bryan have longer spurts before a cutoff and Bryan's natural ability to exhibit a sense of overcoming the odds engages the viewer more. One of the best things about Daniel Bryan is the overwhelming crowd support he gets and that was evident early as the crowd was very hot for this. There were periods where they dipped out, but they were staunchly behind young Daniel Bryan throughout. We get that first taste of how Bray Wyatt will use Bryan's momentum against him with an explosive elbow cutoff, but Bryan keeps coming and takes Harper out with a suicide dive. The ref sends the Wyatt Family packing. Bryan hitting two badass cross bodies was just a great rabble rousing moment. Bryan gets on top and Wyatt chops him off the top rope. Bryan takes a nasty fall. I would have liked that to have been a transition instead Wyatt goes head over heels on the steps. Bryan doing leg work is something I like because it gives his offense direction. I know unless it is a Rusev match that most likely the leg work would not be a factor and that does not annoy me as much as Daniel Bryan no selling head injuries later on. Bray Wyatt gets an snap arm wrench onto the apron and then blasts Bryan's head with elbows as he is up against the post. I like my heels, violent and sadistic. Wyatt's back senton is awesome. I really liked the spot where Wyatt snapped Bryan into the middle rope. I had just seen that for the first time in Styles/Tanahashi and thought it was cool as all hell maybe they got it from here. The Wyatt chinlocks did seem to sap some energy from the crowd, but overall I think his attack on the head of Daniel Bryan was really spot on. I was disappointed a little bit that this did not seem to impact how Daniel Bryan would overcome the odds. I really think Bryan adjusting his game plan for a serious head injury would have made this a bonafide match of the year contender. Don't get me wrong, the finish stretch was very exciting, but felt like a departure from the rest of the match. The match becomes about Bryan gaining more and more offense. First it is some elbows off a missed Wyatt elbow, but that is cutoff by a sweeeeeeet cross body block.Then Bryan fights through nailing a tornado DDT off the apron and a missile dropkick. He is feeling it and goes into frantic running dropkicks, but on the third one Wyatt nearly decapitates him with a lariat. Wyatt is the heir of Stan Hansen. His swinging lariat is a thing of beauty. Wyatt going for Sister Abigail, but Bryan getting a roll-up nearfall is so WWE. Bryan goes for the Yes-Lock, but Wyatts bites him. At this point, I am just going to say it, Wyatt is the better wrestler in this match. He is just on point in every way as a heel, whereas Bryan is being arbitrary and capricious about his move selection. Then in a moment that actually shocked me and blew me away Wyatt caught Bryan on a suicide dive attempt and delivered Sister Abigail. He hit one more time in the ring to win the match. Great definitive finish, but also shows that at the time of the Rumble they really did think of Bryan as a B+ player as he had no protection in that loss. Wyatt looked better here than he has in his whole career. Great heel work mixed with excellent timing made for one helluva performance. Still I thought this lacked an interesting match hook. They could have gone body part with Wyatt's leg, or Bryan's head, but WWE does not care for that. Then it could have been can Bryan overcome the monster, Wyatt, but instead we were getting weak transitions like a roll-up or Bryan just starting up offense. The match was exciting, had some great spots and a great individual Bray Wyatt performance, but it was missing that overarching storyline to make it a match of the year contender. ****

IWGP Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles vs Tetsuya Naito - G-1 Climax 2014 Day 2 The champion comes in with a loss and looks to get things back on track against Naito, who seemed poised on the cusp of breaking out earlier in the night. In fact at the 2014 Dome Show, he was the challenger for Okada's IWGP Championship, but the fans selected the Tanahashi/Nakamura I-C match as the main event, which showed that in the fans' eyes Naito just was not quite there yet. From what I read, his career was on the verge of collapse until a series with the hard-hitting Ishii over the NEVER title resuscitated his career. I have seen about one or two Naito matches, but don't remember much. I will definitely remember this match as Styles and Naito put on a very dramatic, intense match on the second day of the 2014 G-1 Climax. AJ continues the chattiness of the Okada match and I am already hooked. Tie up in the ropes "Get him off me! Do your job!" You tell em, AJ! They go tit for tat early trading headlocks and Naito even hitting a Styles-like dropkick. AJ will not be shown up and unleashes a Jim Brunzell-beastly dropkick that reopens Naito's wound on the top of his head. AJ is just all over that wound. He pretty much does everything you want him to do short of gnawing on it. He elbows, knees, and claws at it. This is AJ at his most violent. I always thought he was good at taking the lickin' and keep on tickin' in the violent matches, but I loved seeing him dish it out here! Naito looks to create some offense, but on the apron AJ trips him and takes a header right onto the apron. Damn! Great cutoff! DId not milk it. Rather they milked a double clothesline for a teased double countout. That would not have been my choice. Just when you think Naito was going to take over with a superplex AJ drops through his legs and hotshots him head first into the turnbuckle. If they just had a little more time and had Naito really sell these cutoffs, this would be a strong MOTYC. AJ runs through his usual high impact spots: pele, brainbuster to set up the Styles Clash. Naito fights out of the Styles Clash and looks for a Super Frankensteiner. BLOCK! He has him in the Styles Clash, but he fights out. Naito dropkicks him as he comes off the top. German suplex by Naito and he fights through AJ's strike combination. Star Dust Press wins it! Can't believe I am going to say this, but I wanted this match to be longer. I know, I know I kept bitching and moaning about loooooooooooooooong NOAH matches, but if they had more time to flesh this out. This would have been awesome. Styles was violent and Naito was a great scrappy underdog. Let some of those cutoffs breathe and let Naito build towards a satisfying finish (a bit out of nowhere). This is match of the year. As it stands, it is very damn great ****1/4

IWGP Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles vs Kazuchika Okada - G-1 Climax Day 1 2014 I was super pumped to get started on some AJ Styles in New Japan and what better place to start then where he really opened people's eyes in the G-1 Climax. Coming into this match. AJ Styles was riding a two match win streak over Okada having defeated him for the title in early May. I have seen about three Okada matches in my life, two were back in 2012 when he broke out and then one a couple months ago when he was a young boy. I don't have a real feel for him. This match while great did not really lend me anymore insight than I had previously. He seems like he is an all-around capable wrestler who knows how to carry himself, which is critical. Okada's entrance is really cool with the robes and chains. American wrestling needs a colorful figure like that. He is definitely someone I will be exploring in the near future as I plan to catch up on New Japan. For someone (*cough*Meltzer*cough*) to say this is Styles' best match or best performance is pretty disrespectful to AJ, in my opinion. I have seen a lot of AJ and he has had plenty of matches that are a total level above this match. I am not trying to slight the match. The match was a great match, but it was opening day of the tournament match. It is going to whet your appetite not satisfy it. Plus with AJ's title not on the line and AJ being up 2-0 in his personal series against, Okada you knew it was time for Okada to get his win back so the same level of drama was not there. To make a comparison to American wrestling, I would say this would be a candidate for the Best RAW match of the year, that's level it was at. AJ yapping it up during the match was awesome. It is a new part of his arsenal (unless something changed late in his TNA run) and I loved it. He was trash talking Okada asking him if that's all he got when he was in a straitjacket surfboard or after he took control, mocking the Okada chants. The verbal beatdown added a lot to the heel heat section. The opening part of the match was well-worked armwrenches before they tease hitting their finishers. From there, Okada takes over with a big back body drop on Styles. Styles lunges at Okada with two fists to the throat. I love that as a heel transition. Like I said Styles heat segment was definitely taken up a notch by his trash talk. Styles brings back the jump over the railing on an Irish Whip. Okada follows up with a cross body. They tease the double countdown. Not much has changed since 2009, I see. Okada puts AJ in a wicked STF (Take notes, Cena) and Styles is very vocal about how much it hurts. AJ uses the suplex into the turnbuckles as a desperation transition as we have seen before. I like that spot utilized for that purpose. He follows up with a torture rack into a powerbomb, damn that was nice. AJ is thinking it is time to end this. First he crashes and burns on the springboard 450. Then he goes for the Styles Clash, but nothing doing. The ref gets bumped (oooooooo that's different from the 2000s). Okada hits a sweet top rope elbow drop, but there's no ref! Here comes Yuijro of the Bullet Club, but he gets taken out with a dropkick to the head. Okada goes for the Rainmaker, but reversed into a German and Pele. The Pele kick is the usual set up for the Styles Clash, but Okada reverses the Clash into a TOMBSTONE! RAINMAKER~! After succumbing to the Styles Clash twice, Okada had a counter this time with the Tombstone leading to his Rainmaker finish. The early part of the match was carried by AJ with his trash talk. The last part was very solid escalation. AJ took over with the suplex into the corner and began working towards putting Okada away. At each turn, he was just too premature and could not make the most of Yujiro's help. Okada had an answer for pretty much anything Styles threw at him and conquered him with the Rainmaker. It never reached that next level, but it built to a very satisfying conclusion. Can my boy, AJ, pick up the pieces and gain some momentum in night 2 against the up and coming Naito? ****

IWGP Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles vs Hiroshi Tanahashi G-1 Climax 2014 Consolation Prize The biggest star of the company facing the champion for the very first time in the 3rd place match of the G-1 Climax may seem like bad booking, but I think it is really, really good. AJ showed up and won the IWGP Champion and I believe some of that credit is shared among the Bullet Club. Thus AJ has never faced most of these guys. Sure, he is the champion and an experienced vet, but he is inexperienced against this competition. So it only makes sense he slipped up early against Naito. As we know from real sports, it is hard to beat the same twice or three times in the same season so it was bound that Okada would get his win back. He tied with Okada in the block, but Okada had the head to head tiebreaker. It also shows the clear divide between the top four stars (Tanahashi, Okada, Nakamura, and Styles) and everyone else. There is a parity among those four, but they are in a level unto themselves. Now onto the match, which I think was laid out very well for what it was. People have said it was a bit off, clunky, awkward. I disagree with those negative words. Instead, I think they were showing this was their first match against each other and thus they were feeling each other out throughout the match. Their basic strategies were similar put myself in a position to hit my finish. It was a great first match in the series because they never give away too much, but they are both looking to win. The start was very even, which really helps Styles' credibility, who looks like a real New Japan star after the G-1 Climax. One weird element was that Tanahashi did a spot that is usually done to heels. The one where you lay out on the top turnbuckle get kicked and then land crotch-first onto the top rope and the babyface shakes it. It was just weird to see the reverse happen. Knowing 2007 Tanahashi as well I do, he must have been drooling to reverse a quebrada into a dragon sleeper and lo and behold he did! Tanahashi cuts off an AJ springboard by tripping him up and that was a nasty fall. My favorite AJ spot ensues, he jumps over the railing, thinks he is so smart and then eats a cross body. Never gets old! In the long standing debate of does Tanahashi's offense looks like it hurts? I think his elbows do, but yes his body punches are Kofi Kingston-light in this match. Styles obliterates Tanahashi with a spinwheel kick, but Tanahashi grabs a Sling Blade. When Tanahashi pulls down on the head like here, it is a great looking move. The struggle over the Dragon Suplex into a Human Capture Suplex was the best part of this match. AJ really put over how much he does NOT want to go over in this suplex, but his damn arms are trapped, which makes lifting his shoulder very difficult. Tanahashi hitting a Dragon Suplex out of Styles' strike combination was so awesome! AJ has cut off the High Fly Flow twice and the Styles Clash has been cut off once. Tanahashi struggles again on the Styles Clash so AJ hits a GANSO BOMB~! A word on that later. Styles goes for his own High Fly Flow, but eats knees and then Tanahashi hurries to hit his own, but the same fate awaits him. Styles goes for the Styles Clash for a third tim, but Tanahashi is able to get a reverse victory roll to win the match. Bullet Club attacks, Double J feigns the save and smashes a guitar over Tanahashi's head to join the Bullet Club. As a first match this is perfectly fine. They both had each other well-scouted and Tanahashi was finally able to turn a counter into victory, but it was not definitive. It earns him a title shot, no doubt, but it leaves intrigue open for the winner. Overall, it was just a lot of each wrestler's highspots used against each other without much creativity, It lends itself to that storyline that they were both tentative and working with what brought them to the dance rather than responding organically. Lastly, I wish the Ganso Bomb (it is a safer version than Kawada used as opponent's head does not hit the match) was used more like the Burning Hammer or Emerald Flowsion as AJ Styles' super duper finisher rather than the move that Tanahashi gets up and runs around from 30 seconds later. It is a cool match up and entertaining throughout. I think they set the championship rematch up well. ***1/2

IWGP Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles vs Minoru Suzuki - G-1 Climax Day 7 Minoru Suzuki is pissed. He is pissed that some arrogant, punk outsider just waltzed in here and is now the champion. This is not time to stick out tongue and play mind games. That shit is reserved for those who earned it. He is here to teach a lesson in respect. Minoru Suzuki walking tall is the best thing ever! I would say this is probably the greatest heel vs heel match ever, but I would hear the argument that Suzuki is just a babyface using violent heel tactics to kick some ass. AJ Styles proves he is here to stay. He can take a lickin' and keep in tickin'. He is going to earn his stripes. Even if that means losing the use of his right arm, he is going to earn the respect of Suzuki and the New Japan crowd. It is amazing that the two biggest heels in New Japan basically play babyfaces in this match because they believe in what they are doing. Minoru Suzuki is going to send this Johnny Come Lately a message and AJ Styles is here to make a statement he won't back down. It just depends on your own sensibilities who your root for and on this night the crowd was 100% behind Minoru Suzuki. Minoru Suzuki slaps the taste out of AJ's mouth early, but AJ scores a dropkick to retaliate. AJ uses his jump over the railing offensively by hitting a springboard forearm from the railing. I love Suzuki's angry selling. He is pissed that he is getting his ass kicked by Styles right now and there is nothing he can do. There is just a real sense of struggle to everything. Suzuki sees his opening and pounces. He trips up AJ on a springboard move and applies a hanging armbar and then kicks ever loving shit out of that arm. Suzuki is out to rip that arm off and beat him with it. I love him whipping AJ into the railing and then trying to pry the arm off while this Japanese girl just screams the entire in the background. AJ's verbal selling was so good in this. His yelps of agony really took this to another visceral level. AJ is able to roll through a couple arm drags to snap off a suplex into the turnbuckles to stop the bleeding. At this point one of Suzuki-Gun jumps AJ and here comes the Bullet Club. I like the heel gang vs heel gang warfare in the middle. AJ is so committed to selling his right arm, he hits all his strikes with his left hand and they look damn good! I love how quick and explosive this strike exchange was. There was no waiting out, goading people to hit each other. They just both desperately wanted to knock the other out and they ended up knocking each other out. Then the match goes from excellent to instant classic in one simple moment. AJ does the Bullet Club Gun signal and puts it to Minoru Suzuki's head. Suzuki did not like that. Not one bit and AJ you aren't going to like Minoru Suzuki when he is angry. Minoru Suzuki grabs that finger and tries to wrench it off of AJ's hand, who is screaming in pain. The ref is even trying to tell Suzuki to watch the fingers. Styles tries to come back with springboard forearm, but that is caught into an armbar and Suzuki is going to snap that finger off. AJ is trying to everything and Suzuki just has an answer for everything. It feels almost hopeless for AJ. Suzuki goes for the piledriver, but AJ blocks. AJ knows it is Styles Clash or bust. Suzuki counters into a heel hook and Suzuki sniffs out AJ's second counter and grabs a cross armbreaker. AJ is dead to rights. Oh shit! Oh Shit! OH SHIT! STYLES CLASH OUT OF THE CROSS-ARMBREAKER!!! The kid may just got it. Suzuki spits at him. You feel like they are about to enter into Mortal Kombat. AJ is totally relying on left handed slaps as his right arm is fucked. Suzuki punches him in the face and thinks he has him. PELE~! Suzuki is knocked loopy. Go AJ GO! AJ wastes no time, he fights through the pain, hoists Suzuki up and STYLES CLASH! AJ wins! AJ did not just win a G1 Climax match. He won the respect of the New Japan fans worldwide with that performance. Both wrestlers were wrestling on a out of this world level. Styles felt overwhelmed. His arm was toast and he could not get anything going. Suzuki was just ripshit the entire match and had every intention of beating AJ into submission. Then just like that a desperation Styles Clash while in a cross-armbreaker and AJ salvages his match. The selling from AJ was off the charts. His desperation in trying to survive was something most of wrestlers could never convey. The true anger of Minoru Suzuki is something you also do not see. This was not hatred. It was anger. It was amazing. Every move felt huge, consequential and urgent. It is a coin flip between Shield/Wyatts Elimination Chamber in this. It does not really matter because at the end of the day, wrestling fans win! ****3/4

HOG Heavyweight Champion Ricochet vs AJ Styles - HOG 12/19/14 Wow, an actually pretty decent indy commentary team! I thought they did a fabulous job putting over Ricochet while still mentioning his weaknesses. They stressed how important the championship is and that the goal of the match is to win, not to entertain. Really I think that is basic stuff, but so many commentators totally whiff on that. What really impressed me was their discussion of the Styles Clash. This was after Styles broke Yoshi Tatsu's neck. The commentators explained how critical the Styles Clash has been to his career and agreed he should use it, but were worried about the danger. It really increased the drama around the match and the Styles Clash. Ricochet had quite the 2014 and seems like he is poised to breakout this year in a big way. He won NJPW Best of the Super Juniors and Battle of Los Angeles tournaments. He was the inaugural Lucha Underground champion, a key mainstay in Dragon Gate (decorated titleholder), and of course House of Glory champion. I was excited to take a look at Ricochet. I came away thinking he felt really Dragon Gate-y. He is good at incorporating extra flips into his offense and likes modified slams. He is not very good at strikes and is sort of all over the place as a wrestler. AJ did not seem to intent on reigning him in until the end of the match. This was a pretty tame spotfest. The first portion of the match was the best with some good mat wrestling until the finish. Ricochet would gain the advantage do some gloating and AJ would retreat to the corner. Ricochet is established as a grandstanding hot dog that may let his attitude get in his way of winning. AJ shows his veteran experience. Ricochet calls his shot, a People's Moonsault and AJ rearranges his face with a kick. The next five minutes were pretty spotty. AJ's offense looked crisp at least. There was an AJ legsweep and Ricochet started to sell the knee. I was hoping they could salvage something then Ricochet did two backflips and a Pele kick. But wait! Ricichet's knee is really starting to bother him and he struggles to hit a Shooting Star Press. and crashes and burns. Styles drags him over and figure-4 around the post. AJ looks to hit the Styles Clash, but Ricochet flips out. AJ wraps up the leg and CALF-KILLER! Ricochet makes the ropes. AJ is tenacious with a spinning toehold into a wicked STF. Bell rings, but it due to the time limit expires. He agree to five more minutes, but then the Bruiser Brody Midget attacked the both of them. The beginning and the ending were pretty entertaining, but the body of the match was them just throwing shit out. AJ's offense especially elbows looked great. I really how he is into Styles Clash teases. They could have salvaged a good match with an appropriate ending to the knee work. It must be tough to book AJ because he is not going to job, but you want your top star to look good. It is kind of like the old NWA travelling champion philosophy. I think tag team main events that set up singles matches would be better. It is fine, but nothing that great.