Superstar Sleeze

There is only one thing WWE is consistently great at and that is video packages. It is not shocking to me in the slightest that WWE did such a great job with AOP. This is their bread and butter. I think it was this year's MLK day celebration (may have been last year's) but it was the best video package on the subject I have ever seen. Honestly, instead of films, that is what WWE should branch out into.

William Regal vs Dean Ambrose - FCW 11/6/11 I am always hesitant to call any match a carryjob but I think I would classify this as Regal carrying Dean Ambrose to a very good match. The match is supposed to be heel vs heel but this match puts Ambrose in his best position to succeed and that's a babyface selling his ass off. I always thought selling was what Ambrose was best at. I feel like he should be in a tag team permanently and in the Ricky Morton role. I figure others probably disagree with me but I dont think Ambrose is very good at all on top. Ambrose at this time was doing an impersonation of Dick Slater. with a hint of Dick Murdoch. His selling is not always for me, but it is definitely not bland so I will give him that. On top of that, he does a great job selling his arm when he is on offense. He basically wrestles the match as if he was the drummer from Def Leppard. However, this match was Regal's through and through. He takes the bulk of the match and on top of that it is his spots that are the most memorable. Regal is the one forcing the action and basically leading Ambrose by the hand through the match. I love how Regal adds little bits of struggle throughout the match. One good example of this is Ambrose tries to target the arm early, but Regal claws at his nose. This forces Ambrose to FIGHT THROUGH it and EARN the wristlock. Damn good shit! That's on Regal for fighting back and not taking it lying down. Ambrose takes a nasty spill on the apron when Regal does a single leg pick up right before the break. Ambrose comes out favoring his arm and Regal just tortures him. I would not say this is quite on the level of some of the great Dick Murdoch arm work matches, but it was fun. I really liked the turnbuckle and stairs spot. I thought Ambrose's comeback was pretty weak. The selling of the dangling arm was great, but otherwise it left me cold and uninspired. Watch Regal sell the back elbow as Ambrose escapes the Regal Stretch. What a great fucking sell! Regal destroys the kid with Exploders and a Running Knee. I was not expecting such a decisive win. This was pretty much a shellacking, but it was great to watch Regal kick ass and be a ring general. ***1/2

FCW Jack Brisco 15 Champion Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose - FCW 9/18/11 The FCW Jack Brisco 15 Championship is Ironman Rules for 15 minutes, which I think is a cool concept. I like the idea of shaking the rules up like this. It creates a new division that rewards endurance without being something ambiguous like the X Division. I will say the one thing that has always bugged me about Ironman matches is that a DQ in a fall should end the match immediately. Heels should not be able to game the system like that. That would be one change I would make as a booker. Going into this match, they have had two prior Ironman matches that both ended in scoreless ties, one for 15 minutes then one for 20 minutes. So they are giving them 30 minutes to see if they can break the dead heat! First Ten Minutes: The chain wrestling at the beginning was dry, but did establish Rollins as the better wrestler. I would liked to seen more energy and fire out of him so I knew he was the face. The match picked up once Ambrose started stooging for Rollins in the corner on his chops. I was surprised how fun these two could be. I dont usually associate fun with either one but this felt like an 80s Southern match with Ambrose doing some Arn stooging. Ambrose feels the match is getting out of control so he ballshots Rollins. He loses the fall, but wins the war so to speak by picking up two falls in short order. I hate that because heels didnt really break the rules, they used a flaw in the system to game it. Is it underhanded? Yes and should be booed, but it can be rationalized. If they make the DQ an auto finish of the match, then when Ambrose cheats behind the ref's back and doesnt get caught. All the heat is on the heel, not on the rules. Second Ten Minutes: I want to commend them for not doing so many speed walking spots that plague today's wrestling. That being said this is very bland wrestling. Ambrose's heat segment not much happens and Rollins is not lighting the world on fire with his selling. Ambrose gets caught playing with his food and Rollins scores a sunset flip to tie it up. Rollins' comeback happens now. It just feels like it happens all of a sudden no transition. The somersault plancha popped me, great highspot. I loved Ambrose's Terry Funk impression on how he bumped and sold the clothesline from Rollins, good shit. The suplex from the ring to floor is always a crazy highspot. Didnt have much connective tissue, but the last two minutes of this stretch was more exciting. Overall very mediocre match. Third Ten Minutes: Holy Melodrama! Will Rollins turn over to cover Amborse? Hand in the air for all eternity, oh my god yes, he draped it over Ambrose! 1-2-NO! Ambrose bumblin, stumblin can he cover Seth? Oh my God, he collapsed on him! 1-2-NO! Japanese Fighting Spirit! Kawada Kicks! Curb Stomps! Missed Phoenix Splashes! Finisher Steals! Rollins hits his finish and Ambrose kicks out before the time limit expires! BWAHAHAHAHAHAH The whole point of that spot is to protect the finish! Lol he kicked out of the finish and it goes to a draw. This fall sucked! There will be a sudden death period, I will watch for completeness. I hope Ambrose vs Regal is better than this. Sudden Death: I actually liked this because they ditched the terrible melodramatic selling and just went balls to the wall. Rollins' Suicide Dive was fucking sick. That was the best move. Kickout of Ambrose's finish is par for the course. Rollins needs Bucklebomb and two of his finisher kicks to the head to win because this match and feud is so DAMN EPIC~! There were good spots sprinkled in here, but for the most part it ranged from dull to being way too overdramatic. That's kind of WWE's problem right now and it all started in developmental.

William Regal vs Kassius Ohno - WWE NXT 4/10/13 What is amazing to me is Regal had his career match in the last year of his career, but on his terms. Regal could have went out there with Hero and done a 2010s epic and had all the stars showered upon him, but they didn't. They stayed true to William Regal and had the best William Regal match they could. That's what really impresses me about this match. It is a match that is built around grit, struggle, violence and of course awesome facial expressions. The build is basic. Young gun calling the veteran not just washed up but a "never was" and now it is time for Regal to show his mettle. As with most Regal matches, the devil is in the details. By "devil" I mean the way he dishes out the pain and punishment. The opening chain wrestling has a sneer and grit to it that most wrestlers forget. Of course, there are the cute moments like the mule kicks in the corner while the ref admonishes. "O my heavens, what do you mean, my good sir Im not mule kicking him in the testicles." It is a good spot in the shine because it is entertaining as it is violent. That's the match it is gritty. It is head shots, finger manipulation and chokes, not much in the way of highspots, but much in the way of high drama. The story of the match develops into Hero trying to disrupt Regal's equilibrium by kicking him in the ear a lot versus Regal trying to break every single one of Hero's finger. It is a brutal masterpiece of violence that is right up Regal's alley. Things that stood out to me. I loved how Regal got out of the full nelson...check that out. Hero is double jointed in one of his fingers and it is fucking gross. The only time they got me real bad was there. The number one thing stood out to me was Regal's glassy eyed look. It was so perfect. If I didnt know any better I really thought he was stone cold out. The finish run is great capper to the body of this match. Hero cant apply his cravat finish because his fingers are mangled. It becomes a stand up Knockout battle. Hero desperately tries to KO Regal gets one nearfall, but when he goes for the elbow, Regal pulls the trigger first and wipes him out. Regal Running Knee KO's KO! Regal has had brutally violent matches with Finlay and Benoit. He has had scientific classics with Larry Z and Arn. This match combines the science with the brutality to create his ultimate masterpiece and one that truly is Regal in every sense of the word. ****1/2

Brock Lesnar vs CM Punk - Summerslam 2013 No DQ If someone wants to declare Brock Lesnar the GOAT, I would not bat an eye. He is like Volk Han to me, the only real knock against him is that he does not have the volume that other wrestlers possess. In terms of a per match basis, it is hard to argue against The Beast. His rare combination of size, power, speed, offense, selling, bumping and most importantly a high pro wrestling IQ make him a once in a lifetime wrestler that I am so glad I have seen multiple times live. He is imposing and without lifting a finger is inherently a mountain for a babyface in this case CM Punk to climb. His power is awe-inspiring as he hurls these men around or he just shoulder tackles the ring steps. How many times did he catch CM Punk and just chuck him across the ring or sling him over the announce table. His speed well the woman in the front row said it all when he was peeling around the corner to blast Punk, "Oh Shit!". I have said before and I will say it again I have seen LeBron James live about 10 times in my life and I am not sure he is the greatest athlete I have ever seen...that's how crazy Brock is. Brock's offense is brutal and engrossing. Watching him three vertical suplexes in a row...I dont think I have ever seen a vertical suplex look so violent and so impressive. His selling is his bread and butter. It is the thing that no one talks about, but it is the lynchpin that makes everything else work. No one is better at making the babyface look they have a chance than Brock Lesnar. He did a great job for CM Punk throughout this match. That was the thread of this match was that CM Punk had come up with a strategy to defeat Brock Lesnar. That strategy is a combination of head shots and an aerial assault. The strategy only works if Lesnar sells it. Lesnar was committed to getting Punk over as worthy challenger. Up until this point, the babyface shine against Lesnar did NOT exist. Punk was the first to get one against Lesnar. It makes sense, Punk was the smallest Lesnar opponent to date (he is not that small, but compared to Cena and HHH I am saying). The babyface shine exists to excite the crowd AND to invest the crowd in the belief that the babyface can win. America loves an underdog, but the caveat is that underdog has to have a chance. You don't need to establish that Cena and HHH have a chance they are who they are. You do need for Punk. This was not Punk running through his standard moveset. This is Punk with a clear game plan: hit Brock Lesnar in the head and hurl his body at Brock. Brock did Brock things at the beginning, but that existed so that Punk had to EARN his shine. I love that. Punk comes in with flying knees to the head. There is no one who does knocked loopy better than Brock. Watch how he registers it by going down to one knee but he is clearly discombobulated. Then Punk comes flying in with another one. Brock is the best big man bumper in history. Watch how he falls through those ropes. Then Punk comes flying out of the ring to pulverize Brock. Another example is Punk shoves Brock into the ring post to evade destruction and then comes flying off the top rope with a clothesline. Punk is smaller than Brock. He needs to use the top rope, speed and jumping to create enough momentum to hurt Brock and that's what I love about this match is how much sense it makes. Punk does a great job using the head-rocking strikes to set this all up. The issue with Punk's strategy is that he can get distracted. The crux of this match is NOT Punk vs Brock. It is Punk vs Heyman and that's so crucial to understand this match. Brock is simply Heyman's mercenary, his proxy in battle. Punk's real beef is with Heyman, his supposed friend that betrayed him at Money in the Bank. I think they should do more matches like this to keep the Brock character fresh and to give Heyman a different angle to promote Brock matches. Punk does get distracted by Heyman and it costs him. Brock wrecks him and throws him around like a ragdoll. I love the spot where Brock double stomps the announce table guard and splits it over Punk. It probably didnt hurt Punk at all, but it looked cool. Brock works the bearhug and lower back. I love how scrappy Punk is. Again he sticks to the mantra of constantly hitting Brock in the head and then trying to jump off something high onto Brock, but Brock keeps catching him and throwing him. The drama was just great. I want to put over Brock a lot because in my opinion I don't think he gets enough credit for being a phenomenal wrestler, but Punk is great in this because he does NOT sell too much. He does NOT die. There is a tendency in pro wrestling today to sell what too much in the moment and then blow it off. He keeps a very consistent register. I am in fucking pain but I am fighting through it to win the match. That's selling I can get behind! Now Punk adds a new dimension to his strategy, survival. After being caught and thrown across the entirety of the ring, Punk realizes he is not in there with a man, he is in there with The Beast. So now he is not too proud to bite the ear, punch him in the balls or use a steel chair. The name of the game is survival. He is using those tactics to still set up the head-rocking shots (tons of knees to the head) and his aerial assault. Those tactics become incorporated out of desperation. The knees to head after the ear biting especially the flying knee from the top rope were incredible! The best part was how Brock sold them. Like I said no one does discombobulation better than Brock. The roundhouse kick to the head that preceded the flying elbow POPPED me and the crowd HUGE! This is one of the few WWE matches of the 2010s where I felt like the crowd was fully invested in the match and the pro wrestlers. That they werent there to have fun or chant "This is Awesome". They were Ooooh and Aaaahing and were invested in Punk winning. They forgot they were supposed to be aware they were watching wrestling and they were just watching pro wrestling and going on this thrill ride. After the elbow drop, normally Punk would go for the G2S. Now this 100% deviates from the strategy, BUT Punk does need a killshot to slay the Beast. He ultimately decides this is the best route to go even if it makes him every vulnerable to Brock. Brock ends up putting him in the Double Wristlock. Punk counters into an attempted cross armbreaker and then a Triangle. This was a great way to introduce some submission wrestling and give the fans a change of pace. Punk shows he can go on the mat but ultimately succumbs to Lesnar's inhuman power. He did survive the first slam, but the second full on Running Ligerbomb by Lesnar was too much. Thats when Lesnar hit those three vicious vertical suplex slams. At this point, Lesnar's pride has been wounded. The knees/kicks to head, almost tapping to the Triangle was too much for The Beast to bear and so he went to get a chair to annihilate Punk. Punk comes flying into our screen from the top rope onto floor wiping out Brock, chair and all. What a moment! What a hope spot and comeback! Punk slams the chair into Brock and the crowd goes wild. Punk uses the low blow to set up more chair shots. Chair Shot from the Heavens! It fits so well with the rest of the match! Great nearfall! Now Heyman is worried and starts interfering. GO 2 SLEEP! The best part is Heyman breaks it up. I love it! I love it! I love it! You dont know would Punk have won, would Brock have kicked out, Heyman robbed us of that, but the fact that Heyman interfered means he was worried. His anxiety tells the story that the every fan should believe that Punk would have won the match right then. Terrific booking! They do it all over again. Punk chases Heyman and Brock lies in wait. Brock thinks he has Punk in the F-5, but Punk does the Eddie Guerrero and DDTs him. Again, a head-rocking shot that sets up a nearfall and then the Anaconda Vice. This is Punk's other finish and again Heyman is worried so he interferes. He robs us of that conclusion, but we know from his anxiety that Brock had nowhere to go and was on the verge of tapping. The finish is excellent! Punk hauls off and PUNCHES HEYMAN RIGHT IN THE FACE! YES! YES! YES! Anaconda Vice on Heyman! So blinded by his rage for Heyman and Brock SMASHES THE CHAIR INTO PUNK! F-5! 1-2-3! FUCKING PERFECT! Genius match! I have already wrote a ton of words about it so I don't think I can summarize it really. CM Punk's best match ever and in Brock's Top 5. *****

Two things from Makai review: 1. You nailed it, the time length was perfect. Given how vicious the head attack was, they couldnt go long or they would have undermined the story. 2. I disagree the live crowd took it. This was Chicago at peak Smarkdom (2011-2013) when they were CM Punk sheeple. I think they already liked Ziggler because he was a smark darling, but I dont think they even noticed he was getting his ass kicked extra hard. They liked chanting RVD and enjoying the entertainment, but they werent invested in the character development story. World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler vs Alberto Del Rio - Payback 2013 I would not have watched this in a million years if it was not for Jimmy Redman and her Top 100 2013 WWE Matches. So shoutout to her! I figured it out watching this match Dolph Ziggler was not meant to Mr. Perfect v2.0, he should have been the Ricky Morton of his generation. He should have been dying for our sins in tremendous face in perils then hit a dropkick out of nowhere and tag in his partner for a ferocious hot tag! I think Fantasy Dolph Ziggler will make my top 100 wrestler of all time. Anyways, real life Dolph Ziggler did pull off one helluva a babyface selling performance in this match centered around Ziggler's concussion from five weeks previous. Del Rio was the babyface coming into this match coming off that Swagger/Colter feud. Ziggler was the heel with AJ and Big E, which is such a classic heel stable that I remember wanting it to be the greatest thing ever, but alas it was not to be. Probably because Ziggler has been miscast as a heel his whole life! They waste no time getting to the meat of the match when Del Rio headbutts Ziggler and it is off to the races. That's a pretty dick move, but at first you are like all is fair in love and war, but after a couple minutes you realize this goes beyond just trying to win that Del Rio is trying to maim. As Michael Cole says he is being "vicious & malicious" there is your double turn. Ziggler is the valiant babyface that is doing a great job acting concussed and he uses his great bumping skills to enhance the match. It is such a simple match, but it is so violent and elegant that everyone will love it. The hope spots for Ziggler are timed so perfectly like the perfect amount of salt & pepper on the steak of Del Rio trying to kick Ziggler's head off. The cutoffs are even more brutal and depressing. One thing that can be easily overlooked is that Del Rio was nursing his own injury which was a kayfabe leg injury from the Swagger feud, which Ziggler uses a couple times to setup his scant, but impactful offense. It is such a simple story that I dont feel like I need to write much more to explain why this match is absolutely awesome. So that brings me to my last point is that this match went the perfect amount of time. Any longer and they would have undermined their own story because it was such a vicious attack to Ziggler's head that if he kept kicking out or getting more offense it would have undercut all the brutality. So kudos for them for being efficient! Don't let the names in this match make you overlook this one...it is a gem from an absolutely amazing time in the WWE! ****1/4

World Heavyweight Champion The Big Show vs Alberto Del Rio - Smackdown 1/11/13 Last Man Standing Match Where the hell has this Alberto Del Rio and where did he go? I have always thought Del Rio was mercurial. One week, he would be intense, passionate and urgent. Now the next week, he would look listless, bored, going through the motions and looking he would rather be anywhere else in the world. I thought he squandered a surefire amazing heel gimmick as the Mexican Million Dollar Man mixed with a little of Randy Orton's Legacy/Destiny gimmick based on Del Rio being second generation. Here he looked like an amazing babyface. His selling was off the charts great, definitely his strong point in this match. I really liked how scrappy and plucky he was in this. He was always peppering in shots. His performance dripped with effort against impossible odds. Now it is time to introduce what really made this match a classic in my eyes and that was Big Show's performance. Del Rio's performance was enhanced so much by how fucking great Big Show was in this. Big Show looked like The Giant he should have always been. He was Mount Everest in this match. He was registering pain. He was not selling. He was never bumping. He was just going down to one knee if he must and that was after wicked chairshot after wicked chair shot. He was pulverizing Del Rio. Swatting him like an annoying gnat. He was imposing his will with ease. So all the work Del Rio was putting in was magnified by how well Big Show played the Giant role. I really liked how they built the hope spots. They went from wild strikes to chairshots to Del Rio trying to rip Big Show's arm off (Big Show's howling was almost Vader levels of awesome). I liked how Big Show dropped Del Rio hard on the apron and then Del Rio just let himself bounce onto the floor. It was Del Rio that had to take the count. I liked how many Pyrrhic victories there were for Del Rio. It made you believe the situation was hopeless. From this hope spot, we get the big one when Del Rio hits a desperation dropkick and Big Show falls through a table and now Big Show is finally counted down, but gets up. I LOVED the part where Del Rio is trying to desperately to fell the Giant Redwood with clothesline only for BIG SHOW TO CHOKESLAM HIM! YES! Big Show does not bump for shit! Yes! They do a great job now escalating the "nearfalls" for Big Show. Big Show PLOWS Del Rio through the barricade. Great sell job by Del Rio how he goes limp and his upper is right up against chair exposing his teeth. He gets up and then Big Show hits his KO Punch and Del Rio is fucking out. Then in clever spot he slides out of the ring and lands on his feet! He is up! I dig. Now it is time for the grand finale. Big Show charges at him with the stairs but knocks himself silly with the stairs against the steel ringpost when Del Rio ducks. Del Rio RAMS Big Show multiple time with the Steel Stairs selling through the pain the whole time and then topples the announce table on Big Show! I cant say enough about this match. I thought the character work was superb! Amazing babyface performance from Del Rio and an even better Giant Heel performance from Big Show. I thought the plot of this match was flawless, just perfect escalation. Dont sleep on this match! ****1/2

Paige vs Emma - NXT 7/24/13 NXT Women's Championship To crown the inaugural NXT Women's Champion, in a lot of ways this is the start of the Women's Revolution as this championship is what made WWE fans take women seriously and this was the launching pad to get Paige on the main roster after WrestleMania. I thought this was a good match, serviceable, but not very memorable. I really liked their February 2014 NXT Takeover match. I remember it being physical and gritty. I re-read my review and it sounded like a banger of a match. I had forgotten how good Paige was at working the midsection. We see that here at times like right after the DilEmma Paige hits that side kick to the midsection or towards the end of the match. I just didnt feel like there was enough connective tissue. I thought Emma was the on delivering the highspots like Emmaite Sammich and the Superplex. I felt like the match meandered a lot and here's an odd complaint. I thought there were too many pinfalls attempted. Theoretically, I shouldnt really complain because pinning is the point of winning, BUT it came across more like they had run out of things to do so they might as go for a fall to kill time. I thought we saw flickers of Paige's intensity, but it would wax and wane. I could see the potential in both of them, but it didnt really materialize into anything great. ***

Emma & Santino Marella vs Fandango & Summer Rae - NXT 10/2/13 This match has intrigued me for years as Jimmy Redman placed it in her Top 10 out of 100 WWE Matches of 2013 (a very loaded year for the WWE). I really liked the original Emma gimmick and her liked her match with Paige on the first NXT Takeover. This is the Rockers vs Rougeaus of the Modern Era except it stays comedy throughout. I am not going to review every comedy spot because my words won't do it justice. The pre-match is pretty hilarious and there are some really funny spots in the match and one that did really get me. I think what holds this back for me is just how useless and bland Fandango is. I have always thought he could so much more with the gimmick. I grew up on dancing gimmicks like Alex Wright, Disco Inferno and La Parka. You really need just one signature move and you would be good. I never felt he went full bore with the comedy of the gimmick. The Fashion Police he became more entertaining as a character, but still left something to be desired in the ring. I will forever remember him coining the term "Aerogigantic" which still cracks me up. I dont think I have gotten to say my piece on Fandango. Emma and Santino ruled with better heels, I thought this could have been really special, definitely still worth checking out. I wish Emma got a better break. I can see that the gimmick has a shelf life, but weird palmless gloves and blue lipstick were not the solution. ***1/2

WWE Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett vs Sheamus - Main Event 5/29/13 This has to be Wade Barrett’s career match right? Holy flying fuck this was awesome! I really need to re-watch Sheamus vs Cesaro from Main Event because I think this maybe even better. Hard-hitting, stiff brutal contest with a bomb-trading finish run and an insane finish. I loved Sheamus taking everything Barrett and hitting him twofold so he has to powder. Most impactful back heel trip ever by Sheamus. Look at those knee lifts by Sheamus in order to hit a Suplex. I love knee lifts. So manny great kneelifts. Barrett bum rushes Sheamus on a criss Cross sending him over the top rope and Sheamus whacks his funny bone. Sheamus sells like a champ. Barrett spends the entire middle third trying to knock Sheamus’ head off in unique and brutal ways. Sheamus is is peppering in hard, stiff hope spots and Barrett is snuffing every rally almost immediately with wicked shots of his own. Everything is so urgent! This is pro wrestling! Sheamus just says fuck it and basically hits Barrett so fucking hard he can’t cut him off. This is match that got over on stiffness and struggle. Not nearfalls! They actually chanted “This Is Awesome”. Insane. Then they traded Bombs but everything was convincing and made sense. These two have deep Arsenals. White Noise, Battering Ram, Cloverleaf, Beats of the Balrog, Irish Curse Backbreaker vs Mule Kick, Blackhole Slam, and Wasteland. The way they did the finish with both men charging and who could pull the trigger on the killshot was fucking epic! Loved this to death! Sleeper pick for WWE MOTY for 2013 watch it and weep manly tears of joy! ****1/2 P.S. Redman Report WWE MOTY 2013 Countdown is the greatest list ever Made.

Sheamus vs Cesaro - Smackdown 6/14/13 Isnt 2013 WWE TV wrestling just the best? Isn’t Sheamus vs Cesaro just the best? Isn’t big, meaty hoss battles just the best? This is the meatiest meaty matchup ever. Bill Watts would have creamed himself every time. This is such a change of pace from these zombie speed walkthrough matches we have now. They break the pace by actually showing fire and caring about the match. Watch how pissed Sheamus gets at the beginning after Cesaro slaps and crowds him in the corner. The crowd comes alive because it is a real, organic response to what happened. They just alternate between beating the shit out of each other and doing insane strength spots on each other. Sheamus doing a fall away slam to the barricade was great. The Irish Curse Backbreaker over the top rope was eye-popping. The finish was perfect. Each had gotten reasonable nearfalls. Nothing too excessive. Cesaro shoves Sheamus in a corner. Nobody puts Sheamus in a corner! BANG! BROGUE KICK! 1-2-3! Big mistake never give your opponent separation. I love how he pays for it. I love the sell by Cesaro. I love out of nowhere KO in a big time stand and bang slugfest. It was the fucking perfect finish on so many levels for this match. I remember loving the MAin Event match when I watched it in 2014. Now I couldn’t tell which is better but who cares you should watch both your life will be better for it. **** P.S. Thanks to Stacey (Jimmy Redman) for pimping this

WWE Champion The Rock vs John Cena -WrestleMania XXIX I don’t really remember much from this match because well there is not much that’s memorable. I think this match really hurts Cena’s legacy that he put on such a pedestrian main event on the biggest show of the year and arguably his career. You can blame Rock’s freak intercostal injury all you want but they does not excuse Cena’s soulless performance. These two looked like they were walking through rehearsal out there. The first ten minutes are a total waste. Once Cena goes for his trademark shouldertackles the match at least attempts to tell a story. The story is they both remember everything about the other from last year. So every move gets countered. There’s two problems. First, after two or three times, fans pick up on the pattern and there’s no surprise to the counter because everything gets countered. It becomes routine. Second to compound the problem there’s no struggle. These two fall into each other’s counter. I can’t believe how many shitty counters to FU and Rock Bottom there were. Oh hey Rock, you want to get down from my shoulders, Why sure buddy let me place you down. John is my arm wrapped around your upper torso? Let The Rock turn The People’s Side to you so you can hoist me up on your shoulders you big strapping lad. Yes pro wrestling is a work but Jesus there has to be some semblance of a shoot. Anyways all the usual moves are hit. They play off the 28 finish with Rock going for 5 Knuckle Shuffle and Cena is trying to lure Rock into an FU with a People’s Elbow attempt. The former should have been the finish. Instead it was some lame-ass do-see-do FU that had zero heat. I can’t believe two men so charismatic could have such a bland match.

Brock Lesnar vs Triple H - WrestleMania XXIX No Holds Barred What I remember from being at this match live was zero crowd heat like you could hear a pin drop. This was to the glee of the HHHaters at the time. I was disappointed because I absolutely loved their Summerslam 2012 match (still do! See my review). Looking back now the match is very good, but it is nowhere near the level of their overlooked Summerslam classic. i actually really liked the very, very beginning of the match. It was a good brawl mixed with some great Brock bumping. I loved the HHH High Knee that intercepted that chair shot. How fucking cool was that. Brock caught HHH with a belly to belly Suplex on the floor and then hit a tremendous Suplex slam through the announce table. After this match ground to a halt. It was Suplex City Brock with a bland babyface. It was a ragdolling. No hope spots. No seeds of hope. The Summerslam match HHH just kept chipping away at the abdomen until it paid dividends. All of HHH’s openings came from HBK distractions which is lame for a face. It climaxes with Brock hitting an F-5 over HBK but HHH hits a Pedigree. HHH goes for the sledgehammer and Brock hits an F-5. Again, the match grinds to a halt. I usually like Brock on top but there’s not much going on. Brock tries to break HHH’s arm with the Double Wristlock which had been totally forgotten yo until this point. The match kicks up here once HHH breaks free and decides he wants to return the favor by breaking Brock’s arm which I am a mark for that story. It is a great badass breaking down of the arm and Brock does a tremendous job selling and fighting back in HHH’s Kimora. The DDT on the stairs, sledgehammer, Pedigree on Stairs was a great finish combo. There’s more greatness to this than people want to give credit to but I rather spend my time beating the drum for the far superior Summerslam match. ***1/4

CM Punk vs The Undertaker - WrestleMania XXIX This was the second WrestleMania I attended and I have much better memories from this because I had much better seats. I was sitting in the lower bowl about halfway down directly into side of the ring. No obstruction. It was a great time and I remember this being our (my brother & mine) favorite match. It has been six years. The only thing I remember crystal clear was Punk’s elbow drop to the Taker on the announce table. Totally forgot the build, WWE video packages are the best. It is really what they are good at and they do useful five years or so after the fact. Punk was so great as irreverent well punk mocking Paul Bearer’s death and doing everything he could to get in Taker’s head. This theme of disrespect would be a consistent thread throughout the match. This match was very stripped down compared to the epics of the HBK & HHH Matches. This made for much more consumable viewing. Punk slaps Taker at the bell and it is on. For the most part there is a great vigor to this match. Punk really unleashes the strikes only for Taker to go on a tear. Taker had to earn his shine and he kicked Punk’s punk ass on the floor. He goes for Old School but Punk drags him down. Then in a sign of disrespect Punk hits old school! Oh shit! I had forgotten that but as soon as I saw it the memory came back. I liked the brief flurries to break up the Punk Control segments. It made it feel more competitive. Punk runs out of ideas apparently...tries Old School again, but he lands on his balls. Big punch by Taker. Taker wants the five but Paul E. Makes himself useful as a human shield. Punk hits a flying clothesline and his elbow drop. This is when Match picks up into a rousing home stretch. We get G2S attempt into a MASSIVE CHOKESLAM! That memory came rushing back. Great strike exchanges follow. I could watch these two stand and bang. There is a longer exchange toward the end of the match but the short stuff ahead of that was great. Taker goes for The Last Ride through the table but Punk evades and hits a tremendous roundhouse kick. Then comes that famous elbow drop from the the top rope and it doesn’t break! I forgot that! They milk the countout as part of the story Punk said a DQ or countout Counts as a loss. Different from the HBK and HHH that wanted clean wins. So this was a good nearfall. They do the submission exchange. Hell’s Gate -> Anaconda Vice. Best part of this was Taker did his Zombie Sit-up and CM Punk damn near crapped his pants. Now that’s something I totally missed by being In the stands. That’s my new favorite moment. I thought everything after that is gold. G2S into Tombstone was molten hot. They stood and banged in a great strike exchange, good stuff shots. I loved the red bump and Punk hits Taker with the urn to Avoid the Last Ride! What a great heel nearfall! Punk does the throat slash wants the G2S but it is a Tombstone! Great finish! The first half was solid but the second half was red hot. A really great stadium style Match with lots of highspots and drama. ****1/4

John Cena vs The Rock - WrestleMania XXVIII Thanks to this match I ended up with front row tickets to Machine Gun Kelly, Sia and Flo Rida. I totally forgot MGK rapped. God he fucking sucks...he made for a great Tommy Lee in The Dirt. Flo Rida is good craic as the Irish would say. This match is also good craic and better than I remembered. I talked about this in my HHH/Taker review but I had shit seats at this Mania so I. Don’t remember a lot because I couldn’t see. I said prematurely that Punk/Jericho was the MOTN but this match was a frog’s hair better as Stone Cold would say. Very well-laid out Clash of Titans. All the highspots popped and Cena played a good subtle heel ring general guiding the rusty Rocky through the match. Lots of good symmetry in this match which makes sense as this is being billed as Icon vs Icon so they are equal footing. Each shoving the other off during the opening lock ups was a nice touch. Rocky doing La Magistral was great to establish Rock still remembered how to wrestle. Rocky goes for the Sharpshooter and Cena heads for the hills. Cena looks like he underestimated The Rock. He STEAMROLLS The Rock with a clothesline in the best move of the match. Cena plays heel in the control segment working the midsection. Rock still sells well. Rock hits his DDT and they do an extended finish stretch that is well-paced. Rock does his little comeback routine and when he goes for the People’s Elbow. Cena picks the ankle. I like how the camera still went wide. It sold it well. Cena does his comeback sequence. They trade the FU and the Rock Bottom early. That’s smart because it put heat on the bear falls after because people already saw the big hits. It also was not rapid fire. They would re-build to the highspots. Sharpshooter vs STF was good. I popped huge for The Rock top rope crossbody into an FU! Cena is the Man. Great nearfall for Cena. Glad they went home right after that with Cena looking to steal the People’s Elbow but getting stuffed with a Rock Bottom! The finish makes sense given the rematch the following year. Really well-structured clash of titans match where they played all the right notes even if it could have used a little more soul. O I really liked the slugfests in this much better than the NJPW strike exchanges, I liked Cena’s punches and the register of each men. ****

100% this. It should have been face vs face going into Mania and when Jericho loses he becomes a sore loser and turns heel. WWE Champion CM Punk vs Chris Jericho - WrestleMania XXVIII I remember thinking this was the best match of the night but was pretty underwhelmed. I remember nobody could hear John Laurinitis so we had no idea what happened. Given where I was sitting the entire beginning of the match made no sense to me. I think last minute rule changes need to be announced better if they are done and thought this was a dumb narrative for a stadium match. The beginning was Jericho trying to get under Punk’s skin to goad him into overreacting and getting DQ’d to lose the belt. It climaxes with Punk contemplating using a chair. Punk has become mentally compromised. Jericho hits a dropkick and really seals the deal with a wicked Suplex inside out and Punk lands hard on the floor. I thought that was the best spot of the match. Punk sold well and Jericho targretted the back. I thought what this match did best was symmetry. With both men claiming to be “best in the world” symmetry not trying to get DQ’d was a better narrative. Jericho used a double undertook backbreaker which is a move associated with both men. I liked how each man countered the bulldog. How each hit their finish but in both cases the opponent was outside or too close to the ropes. I didn’t like how inconsequential a lot of the big moves felt. There was a lot of hit a big move and follow that up with the opponent hitting the next big move. Punk hit a really nice Standing Shining Wizard causing Jericho’s head to hit the post. The next move is a Codebreaker. I thought the Codebreaker was shit on. The ending sequence with the submissions the battle of Boston Crab vs Anaconda Vice was the best part and is when the crowd finally came alive. I love how Jericho fought to survive in it. Knees to the back of the head, grabbing the hair to pull him into a pinning predicament only for punk to re-position in control and move his head out of the reach of Jericho for the win. The symmetry of the match especially the dueling submissions at the end would have been perfect for a babyface vs babyface match to determine who “the best In the world” is. Then you have Jericho be a sore loser and turn heel to set up the more personal grudge. I don’t know why they shot that angle before Mania and the didn’t deliver the street fight. There were times when the match felt flat where it could have used character work. It was solid but definitely not “best in the world” ***3/4

Crusher Blackwell vs Butch Reed - St. Louis 11/82 Loved the simplicity of the first fall. It was all about establishing the impressive strength that Butch Reed possesses. He is constantly overpowering Blackwell into the ropes. He even lifts Blackwell into a bearhug which is an incredible feat of strength. Blackwell has to resort to eye gouges. I love when giants cheat. There is something so purely scummy when a dude with a significant size advantage is forced to cheat. On the second eye gouge, Blackwell finally turns the tide and he sticks with good heel wrestling of choking and strangling. Reed gets a solid kick out out of a elbow drop that shows he doesn’t give up. Nice comeback from Reed before he runs into a big forearm smash in the corner and then he drops down prematurely on a criss cross and Blackwell hits the big splash for the first fall! Reed is only a three year veteran so you can explain those two crucial late mistakes to inexperience whereas Blackwell’s experience allowed him to capitalize. One more thing, Blackwell is the king of heel registering but never bumping to really put himself over as a mountain. He did some really great heel selling. Awesome face/heel dynamics, just pure American wrestling at its most basic and finest. Per tradition, the second fall is short and this one sure is sweet. Great babyface selling from Butch Reed! I love how he is staggering. Blackwell bullies him in the corner. Just ramming his massive girth into Reed sandwiching him into the corner. Then it is headbutts to the small of the back remember that Big Splash was on the back of Reed. Blackwell bearhug! Reed fights back! Big running forearm knocks the Big Man off his feet for the first time! Holy shit! Fist drop! Leg drop! 1-2-No! Are you shitting me? Reed goes for the powerslam but Blackwell is just too fat and squashes Reed as His Back gives out. 1-2-No! Damn! I bit on that too! Now it is Blackwell trying a bodyslam but it is WM III finish with Reed rolling through with an inside cradle. Blackwell kicks out at three. They put together a really strong, compact fall with lots of drama. I had forgotten that one of my favorite Blackwell tropes was that person who can do the most damage to him is himself as he misses the big splash after an eye gouge & Suplex set up Reed. This supercharges the match! Then Reed misses a flying fist drop! Huge heat! Slugfest erupts big & meaty. You can feel the time limit draw. One last nearfall...Reed goes for the crossbody...Blackwell catches...here comes the slam...wait...Blackwell loses him and Reed ends up on top for 2. Liked the tension. Slugfest goes to a draw and Reed keeps fighting. Perfect adequate finish to get Reed over as a contender with a big time heel. So simple but so gratifying. Man I missed pro wrestling! This was great! ****

Thor got a huge pop in Infinity Wars when he made his entrance to the battlefield with his BattleAxe!

I’ve long thought Big E as a potential Ace Face. Is my correct in the Fall of 2013 there was a power struggle over whether to pick Big E or Roman as the heir apparent? Big E deserves a shot at the top and I constantly tweet that he should be in Kofi’s position.

Thank you Cap! Thank you Cap! Thank you Cap! Love the Summerslam move! Still have not rewatched All Japan 90s yet. Starting to get back into a regular routine. Hope to finish WWE 2005-2014 soon.

Yes Agganis Arena is in Boston proper. It is Boston University's hockey arena (college hockey is pretty big in New England, well as big as college hockey can be) and it holds about 5000-6000 people. I have seen NXT there, a TNA PPV and a RAW house show. Perfect arena for AEW.

I didnt see the Blind Guardian one (I would have loved that), but I popped huge for Kreator! Rowan definitely wins best dressed week in and week out!

My Dad did the same thing. I am going to AEW for sure. It was amazing. So we all (Dad, Mom, Brother) went to RAW in summer of 2018. Really boring show. Been going to shows by myself since then. Sent out a text to the family about the new company featuring Jericho and huge buzz. My mom is pumped for an alternative. It is hilarious. I will probably go to New Japan too. Need to get on that.

Brock Lesnar vs Triple H - WWE Summerslam 2012 This is the match that actually inspired me to join PWO. I found PWO in the spring of 2012 and fell in love instantly, but like most people started out as a lurker. I loved this match so much and was surprised a lot of people here didn't like it so I decided to join and speak up. The rest is history. I still think this is one of the most underrated matches in WWE history. I am a huge, unabashed Brock mark and this is a stellar Brock performance. Brock has a pro wrestling IQ so much higher than everybody else it is scary. He just has a great feel. He knows exactly what makes sense for Brock Lesnar. We start with the usual Brock bullying and crowding the corner, which is the perfect start. Now watch how HHH clotheslines him over the top rope twice. First off you see the impressive athleticism of Brock. I have seen LeBron James in person live and I am not sure if he is the greatest athlete I have ever seen because Brock is just that damn freakish. Brock is a great bumper and at his size all his bumps look great. The key is how does he sell it. He is NOT selling pain. He is selling shock. Big difference! That's pro wrestling IQ. Then we go into Brock Beast Mode. He literally takes the gloves off. How does he take control a cheap shot to the back of the head. Michael Cole does a great job pointing out you would be docked one point in UFC and the next time would be a DQ. Brock is an asshole. He is a bully. That is not a respectful move. Great job by Cole putting over this heelish action. Then it is a focused attack on the arm. It is Brock Lesnar in all his reigning offensive glory. Slamming HHH on the bad arm (he broke it in the build to the match). I loved the King Kong Spot where Brock tips the announce table on its side, ascends it and then leaps into the air and crashed down on HHH. HHH was great with peppering in hope spots and shots to make Brock cut him off. His arm is in pain, but he can still fight back and he showed that. This was the Brock show but HHH was doing a good job. Brock was great with all the cutoffs. What is also great is how they foreshadow the big turning point. HHH is throwing kneelifts and punches to Brock's gut constantly. By the time we get into the latter stage of the match, we see the best Brock, the wounded bear Brock. Andre and Vader had this special charisma when it came to selling. They were even more dangerous as these "wounded bears". Perhaps the greatest of them all is Brock Lesnar. I have consistently said that Brock Lesnar is the seller on the WWE Roster since 2012. AJ Styles is a close second just as AJ is the best bumper and Brock is a close second. You can already see Brock selling those shots the stomach. How it is slowing him down and the grimace on his face. Then when HHH pulls him into the pointed edge of the announce table stomach, wow, some of the best selling of all time. Brock Lesnar put on an absolute master class in selling. HHH to his credit stayed on it. Every punch and kneelift was to the gut. Brock was milking it. It had me on the edge of my seat just like back in 2012. Pedigree was a great final hope spot. Then the BALLSHOT~! I forgot about that. The match was effectively No DQ, No Countout because HHH told the ref to let everything go. Here you have the man who is supposed to bring legitimacy back to WWE. He is the Shootfighter and he has to stoop to a low blow. That's great fucking heeling! I love that shit! I love when a monster heel cheats because it just much more terrible. It also puts over how desperate he was. I liked the F-5 kickout to give HHH a little love and protection. The one part of the match I didnt dig was the finish. I think first Double Wristlock (I refuse to call it a Kimura, we are in pro wrestling) should have ended it. The Pedigree -> Flash Submission is stupid modern day wrestling where moves don't matter. What is so great about this match is every move up until the finish had consequence and had meaning. I am sour on the finish, but it does not negate how tremendous this match is especially as a standalone Brock performance and you see all three aspects of Brock that make him great, Brock the Bumper, Brock the Asskicker and Brock the Seller. Come in with an open mind and give this a shot. ****1/2

Man between the hate for Seth Rollins' badass theme and Dolph Ziggler's glorious 1989 straightened Hair Metal hair, I'm so out of touch with PWO. There's probably no bigger glam metal fan on Earth than me so I have been totally digging his glam metal aesthetic for years now.