Superstar Sleeze

Rewatched this match because I forgot everything about it. The Codebreaker spot got me again (lol!). I love when I forget a spot and get to mark out all over again. I agree with myself that is the best split-legged moonsault I have ever seen and I still hate the split-legged moonsault. Things I noticed this time around was that the Rey senton splash to the outside was awesome and a great transition to the mini-Rey comeback. I don't think this was as Rey driven as I said in my previous review. I think Jericho continued to use his weight late into the match. Great catch and powerslam late into the match. I loved the counter to the spinning Argentine Backbreaker which was a great payoff to the previous match. All the Boston Crab counters were money and the crowd was super into them. I loved the powerbomb from the top by Jericho and following up with the feet on the ropes. Really terrific finish stretch. Still a classic. ****1/2

I have totally fallen off in my watching. A real shame. Work & real life getting in the way. I hope the fire burns anew so that I can cram some more in before the end of the year. I will definitely be down to the wire. My last day of work is tomorrow, which will help.

TESTIFY MY BRUTHA!!!

I agree Jinder worked really hard and stuck to the script with laser focus. Someone on twitter said AJ could have had that match with Shelton Benjamin totally disagree I don't think Benjamin would have been that focused.

I will say I went to this show with three cousins, my brother, my mom and my Dad, and none of them liked this match as much as me. There were a good amount of AJ Styles chants, but I agree overall there was not much heat on this match. It is twofold: 1. Jinder is not over in the slightest and 2. traditional wrestling is only over if both men are wicked over. However, the structure of this match was beautiful for a traditional pro wrestling fan. I was very happy throughout this match.

At the show live in Boston, OH MY FUCKING GOD! AJ STYLES IS THE MAN! He is the King of Traditional pro wrestling. Jinder established power game so AJ goes for legs. Then AJ gets hung out to dry on the ropes in a great transition to heat. EVERYTHING is directed at the midsection. AJ puts on a selling clinic and takes like 8 million belly flop bumps! Could have peppered in some more hope spots but best Jinder heat segment ever! great extended comeback. AJ's offense is so good. The Colossal was a nail biter for me. I'm such an AJ fan and being live total mark transformation for me wanting AJ to kick out. I popped huge. Loved the submission finish! Great call! AJ is a miracle maker getting a fucking great match out of Jinder Mahal. Pope Francis canonize this man! ****1/4

WWE Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio vs Chris Jericho - Extreme Rules 2010 No Holds Barred I loved that angle where Jericho disguised himself as a Rey Mysterio fan in the crowd and then headbutted him and hopped the rail and attacked him. My brother and I marked out for that angle. Great promo by Jericho before the match really laying into Rey's commercialism and the deception of the mask. I loved how he said he sat among the Damned. Great line. Much better than at Judgment Day, but now there is more on the line. Rey is pissed and takes it out on Jericho. Jericho does a good job bumping for Rey Rey, not amazing but it is solid. Rey comes outta the gates hot. Throughout the match, I thought Mysetro gave a more inspired performance than the previous match. I liked that Rey got a lot more offense in this one as each Jericho's heat segments were not as long and they weren't as good as the previous match. I liked him hanging Rey out to dry on the top rope. When Jericho goes for the springboard dropkick, Rey has seen this before and dropkick him on the apron outta the air. Nice spot. Again, Rey goes on a hot little run, 619 using the post, bodyblock from the apron and then Dropping the Dime. Like I said really good Rey offense. Jericho's offense left a lto to be desired. He finally goes for the mask and Rey is pissed and DIVES out after him outside the ring. Great spot! Lots of electricity. Now they go back to building around finishers but they have a lot more heat built up from Rey just kicking ass so the finish run feels extra hot. 619 attempt and this leads to the Lucha Style spinning backbreaker. I am glad they went back to that spot because it is great. Jericho powerbombs Rey on a Rana attempt, I liked the one from Judgment Day better, it is like reverse Misawa spot. Lionsault misses and Jericho falls backwards into the ropes. 619 to the back of the head->Rey springboard ->CODEBREAKER. The whole finish run is very late 2000s workrate. No selling just crazy moves out of nowhere, but I will admit I popped for the Codebreaker. Jericho is shocked. He gets a chair, which is a good idea given this is no DQ. This leads to Rey dropkicking the chair into Jericho, but then Jericho gets the Walls, Rey cracks him in the skull (so unprotected head shots were still a thing in 2009) with the chair while in the move. Rey goes for 619, but Jericho unmasks and then rolls up. Lots of 2000s workrate with tons of spots but no selling in between. Like Jericho gets hit with 619 but hits the Codebreaker or Jericho eats the chair shot and still umasks him. Just kills the move before it. I did think the finish was excellent and played into the story. Better than last month, a much more inspired Rey performance but some glaring errors down the stretch makes this fall short of greatness. ***3.4

WWE intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio vs Chris Jericho - Judgment Day 2009 My post got eaten, grrrrrrr. - Jericho got drafted to Smackdown. Good move, fresh matchups. - Rey beat JBL for IC title at Mania, sent him packing. Rey hard time staying healthy after 2006, looking to get back on the right track - Built around 619 attempts, smart. made the crowd invested late - Rey immediately goes for the 619 as the first move. Jericho bails. Sets the tone - Nobody knows how to work beginning of matches anymore. Terrible, meandering shine - Jericho actually works really well on top. Don't usually think of him like that. - Shoves him off top rope to begin heat segment proper - Cool moves like springboard dropkick to back of head and lucha style spinning backbreaker - But also good temper tantrums and trash talk - Liked the enziguiri->619 attempt->hip check block as a hope spot-cutoff - Jericho goes for the mask and this starts the Rey comeback - Felt a little lukewarm. I wish Rey was more pissed. - Finish stretch is built around Boston Crab and 619 attempts which really gets Chicago into this. - Boston crab out of a 619 attempt was awesome, crowd totally into it - Drop toehold when Jericho charges and 619, splash wins it for Rey. Good, solid match but nothing really memorable. Working around finishers is smart and I always appreciate it, but it was basic and there was nothing extra to really hook me, but they did get Chicago into it. I do think it is bumped up a little by Jericho's very good performance. ***1/4

Oh, I didn't know about the Akiyama/No Fear alliance, that sounds badass. Plus Akiyama does have possibly not only the MOTD but maybe the greatest match ever against Misawa in 2000. Yeah the more I think about it, the more I want to put Kawada at number one, but I don't think Akiyama can be denied.

I thought the first two nights of NOAH is some of the best puro booking of all time with Akiyama running through Misawa & Taue, turning on Kobashi and then choking him out the next night. What came in between that and the December match? Six-mans?

I'll be surprised if Kawada is not your number one puro worker. Akiyama and Kobashi do have solid cases, but Kawada was fantastic in the NJPW vs All Japan stuff. Looking forward to what you think about Kawada vs Tenryu. It will go down to the wire as Kobashi, Akiyama and Kawada all have big MOTYCs in December.

I don't buy that Brock Lesnar does not love wrestling. I think he really does. I think he hates travel and he hates the bullshit that comes with being a pro wrestler or really any job. I see a man who really enjoys himself in the ring. Someone who has better a grasp on pro wrestling psychology than 99% of pro wrestler I have ever seen. He is not just a monster. You can see in 2002 he is a big bumping heel. You can see from the Goldberg match that he can sell nuanced psychology better than the entire roster. You can see from the Punk and AJ matches how he can make things work with a smaller wrestler. Yes, Brock will never be the greatest wrestler ever because he doesn't wrestle enough, but he is one of the best pro wrestlers ever from a understanding of psychology standpoint. I think that comes from a true love of the actual wrestling part.

Wait. Is that really true? Did Inoki create his own civil war? Because that's fucking genius. I have never heard this before.

Titus vs Samoa Joe was an AWESOME 5 minute hard hitting match. Why did they give up on Titus?

My friend told me about the Cena/Toyota ad that's awesome! Delivery's time is up! Pick-up time is now!

They have a cream form of Viagara? Does it act as lube too?

I don't know I always thought Newbury Comics was more music-driven and "funny" catchphrase on a shirt driven than comic driven by the time I went to one in 2004 and even more so now in 2017 to point where I feel like the name of the store is a misnomer.

They had those in MA in the late 90s at least. I think they still do now. Im pretty sure the issue is you and your Mean Street Posse mentality, my friend.I may not be from Brockton or Lawrence but I ain't from Lexington or Concord either. Don't make me out to be some boojie mutha. Matt D, you'll get this being from Mass, it sounds like Hot Topic is like a more widespread Newbury Comics. Genius idea! I make a West Newbury Comics and devote to selling Cena merch!

The Bullet Club design is really cool. Even if I wasn't into wrestling, I'd dig the shirt. Also don't know what Spenscers Gifts is.

I didn't even know what Hot Topic was until this thread and I am 28. I feel really out of touch. Is it a big deal? Is it a popular clothing store? Is it like Abercrombie & Fitch or Aeropostale? (Tangent: Is how Michael Cole says Aeropostale the correct way to say it? Because if so there is a whole shit load of New Englanders that aint saying it right). Those were two big ones that all the "cool" teens went to when I was a kid.

I didn't think about the Loss factor. A PWO convention in Chi-Town could be a big drawing card.

This is actually kinda fun in the fantasy book how to get 10k people to watch a non-WWE event. I think if CM Punk is NOT coming don't do Chicago. No major nearby cities. It is not a destination (East Coaster speaking here, so all you Flyover States bruthas can flame me if you want). I don't think it is worth IT. This is the obvious answer, but because it is obvious is why they should do it. New York City (Largest Metro Area). Biggest city in America. Rabid fanbase one hour away in Philly (Seventh largest metro area). DC is four hours away (sixth largest metro area in US). Boston is four hours away (tenth largest metro area). I have driven to shows in NYC four times. Three out of four times AJ Styles was on the card and the other time was for Mania. So clearly the way to get me to go is to have AJ on the card. Also if they do it in UK, it totally doesn't count. Has to be in America. If it happens outside of America, did it really happen? (Now all non-Americans can flame me) One out there thought, how about Spring Break in Florida. Large gathering of young people anyways and a bunch of 20-somethings from the Northeast may say fuck the cold lets go party with the Bullet Club and college kids. Wet t-shirt contest with Brandi Rhodes would totally draw 10k. Lol

I see everyone's point. Wrestling is ultimately a carny business and the goal is to pretty much get people in the door by any means, necessary. I agree the more competition the better. However, I think I am more aligned with Matt, it just feels disingenuous (yes, I know wrestling and being genuine), but it would mean a lot more if instead of promoting as a way to stick to Meltzer or do something that has not been done since WCW, that Kenny Omega or Cody Rhodes was actually that over. ROH, wrestlemania weekend with the Hardys on top at the height of the Broken Universe, 3500. Yep, CM Punk in Chicago, get that or just give up. I feel like there is some weird Indie or maybe even a lucha promotion that has hit 10k since 2000?

Matt, I can see your point and clearly that will be what they try to draw on. Dave Meltzer says we cant do it, lets show him! But I really don't think that is a strong enough drawing card. Doing some quick research: TNA Lockdown 2013 - Alamodome (they ran the Alamodome?!?!) - 7200 TNA Slammiversary 2012 - Arlington, TX- 5500

I went to an ROH Show that had AJ Styles, Tanahashi, Okada, Nakamura and Liger on it and they sold out the Ballroom, but they weren't turning away 8k-9k. Bryan's return maybe? Maybe? I don't know. Cody vs Bryan was a mediocre match in 2010 and I have no interest in it now. CM Punk in Chicago, their best chance and I think their only chance. Well heres the logical followup question what is the largest non-WWE show in the US since the demise of WCW?