peachchaos

Yep, they half-assed the presentation of the whole thing and it really showed. Not just the hack job editing, but even the live atmosphere seemed hushed. Which is a shame since this is a truly unique and intriguing concept. On top of that, this came at the worst time for a Network special, released on Super Bowl weekend sandwiched between Rumble the previous weekend and Halftime Heat. Between this lapse in exposure and not appearing in action on the recent TakeOver, it's a deflating moment for The Dream, who should be on top of the NXT world but seems to be getting the short end of the stick. If anything, the tournament viewed in whole only poses Tyler Bate as the top worker and prospect of the respective divisions. Which is not a slight on Dream, just another example of how this whole push seems like an uphill battle despite how inevitably over he is and will be. Actually it's a huge compliment to VD, who will persist despite some rough patches of booking. The match itself is really strong TV and a fitting cap to a blue collar tournament full of hard work and little shine. ***1/2

The six man works really well as a primer for the cage. The most CZW I've ever seen besides this feud was in the movie The Wrestler and I felt like everything came across pretty clear from just those two matches.

Also ROH vs. CZW - Cage of Death

Really great. Worked like one of those epic lucha 3 fall brawls condensed into 6 minutes. Lothario was one of the revelations of the Houston footage and this feud highlights his appeal. Not to be undersold is Guerrero, who brings his A-game with top notch selling and a hellfire heel attitude. When it's all said and done, after the brutal punch exchanges that have Hector flying out of the ring at one point, this turns out to be almost an angle setting up a Mexican Death Match. But not before what turns out to be less of a sprint and more of a knockdown drag-out brawl. These two have the crowd soaring as Guerrero is knocked silly and frustrated to the point of throwing a chair that somehow lands perfectly into Jose's hands. And Lothario has no problem using it, pounding Hector into oblivion and eventually the whole thing is thrown out and both guys vow vengeance on the other. ****1/4 360 seconds of blood, punches, and selling. It's pretty simple.

Working my way through 1984 Mid South Wrestling on the Network. I've only seen the highlighted matches from the DVDVR set and a few of the angles all out of chronology. Being able to see the weekly TV only enhances the obvious in-ring greatness on those discs. Some of the footage was in pretty rough shape, so being able to watch this crystal clear & blown up on an high def screen is really nice too. Plus I'm supplementing the experience with all the matches from Houston, almost like a monthly Network special. Can't understate how much this adds to the experience. The Midnight's feud with TA and 2 feels like a more complete journey as we're able to see the set up match and the blowoff that leads right into the next chapter. Special moments with insane heat we didn't even know existed 5 years ago like the aftermath of the Duggan-Volkov caged finale. Previously Memphis was my favorite TV, but this moment in time of that style of booking on high heat blended with what I knew already was the best in-ring US work wins the pony. Currently in May 1984. Right up there with Horsemen era Crockett, easily some of the most entertaining professional wrestling top to bottom I've seen.

Some really good posting and writing about rasslin' there. I've never read anyone go thru that particular set, so it's a very cool read. Are you still going on with the set?

^Agreed. This is the Ernie Ladd match we've always been looking for and Magnum is pretty much hitting his prime.

My bad, I was thinking this was a WWE related signing for a second as I had another tread open. There is a difference there since they set an awful precedence for both gay men and women during the attitude era and have actually despite their best efforts repaired both. It's good for them to sexualize gay men, that is progress. It would be lame for them to backtrack to the Eve Torres era with the women doing sexualized dance moves before moonsaults, and I think that particular audience would have a right to complain since it would be a huge regression. A woman can twerk all she wants, but a woman working for WWE has to be more aware due to their history. But none of this applies and I'm really happy with AEW's presentation so far.

And rightfully so since they're not the same thing. There is no way to sexualize a gay man to an audience of straight men and men can't really be objectified in that sense anyway, especially by a minority of the audience.

"Think shoot, but work" - Stone Cold Steve Austin Someone actually took this quote literally for a change and somehow we now have Full Sail Shoot Style. The fact that this match presents a complete innovation of style for WWE is just the icing on the cake. It's really the complexity of this match as the surprise payoff to a handful of angles perfectly built over the past month that makes it even more impressive as a viewer. Kayfabe will always be dead but we are still in the era of prestige television. Or the Kliq have been binging a lot of ECW on the Network. Either way, what brought us to the dance was the near perfect debut of Matt Riddle and immediate feud with Kassius Ohno, which cemented Riddle as the Top Prospect for NXT while also presenting his character as a unique submission specialist and full of surprises. Simultaneously, Gulak came into NXT for a cameo run backed with a clever angle to garner heat by seeking to "clean up" NXT by making it a "no fly zone". So you have the perfect setup of the fresh babyface against the invading heel on the surface, and the two most focused submission based workers in the whole company in the same building for one night. Let's make it happen. Drew Gulak vs. Eric Bugenhagen Before any talk of a shoot fight can emerge we get the incredible debut of Bugenhagen, working a hair metal gimmick straight outta Spinal Tap. It's an idea bad enough to work if pulled off just right and somehow Bugenhagen makes it happen through sheer force of will. It's campy and fun and when it comes time to show off his musical chops, Bugenhagen plucks the ring ropes as if they were guitar strings. Amazing. Not to be impressed, Gulak breaks up the shenanigans and goes to work quickly. Gulak shows some impressive strength before Bugenhagen gets a bit of shine that includes an Air Guitar Abdominal Stretch. It doesn't last long and Gulak hooks a dragon sleeper (the Gulock) for the tapout. *1/2 Gulak immediately runs down the lack of competition and claims to be the best submission specialist in WWE, which brings out Matt Riddle and his pink flip flops. Riddle basically tells Gulak to leave NXT or he'll tap him out. Gulak accepts and it's on. Drew Gulak vs. Matt Riddle Very tentative start with both guys keeping their guards up and going to the ropes. This transitions quickly to a ground game as Riddle goes for an armbar early but Gulak powers out and the two trade throws while staying locked up. Riddle persists with the armbar and Gulak keeps powering out and trying for the dragon sleeper. Any reset to a standing base is met with takedowns before they move back to a vertical base and Gulak gets a takedown into a head scissors. Riddle finally lands the first huge bomb with a big kick, follows up with the senton bomb but can't keep control. Gulak hits a pair of heavy dropkicks and ties Riddle up on the mat. A headlock segment in this environment is a legit struggle, with Gulak switching his hold around in various ways to keep control using the arms as leverage. Palm strike exchange yields a big suplex for Riddle. Both guys are down but Riddle makes it up first. Big kicks to the chest but Gulak catches one and hits a dragon screw leg whip. Riddle catches a rear naked choke but can't hold it and hits a huge German suplex instead. Look out though, because Gulak hung on to the arm, eventually locking in a crossface chickenwing. Riddle breaks free and we get a punch-and-chop exchange. Riddle deadlifts Gulak into a powerbomb and follow up with a knee to the face. Sick. Gulak kicks out! Elbows from Riddle to the face (how he just beat Ohno) followed by the Bro-mission and Gulak has to tap. ***3/4 So we got a fun segment with the debut of a really entertaining new face putting over the badass invading heel, only for the heel to get his ultimate comeuppance from the rising babyface in a unique style of work we haven't seen even attempted in this company since the Attitude Era. If nothing else, this was highly entertaining television and proves without a doubt that shoot style has a place in the corporate world.

If you had one opportunity to show a casual fan what wrestling is in 2019 and what is special about NXT, this is the match you put on. WWE manufactured this chance out of thin air by pulling the Halftime Heat gimmick out of their ass, and while I don't believe for one second that any casual viewers even switched over from the train-wreck Superbowl that was airing at the same time, these 6 workers took the ball and ran with it. This was a high-scoring affair with All Star Game vibes, where team pride translates into brand awareness by extension. If this was 2020 and had aired live on FOX, it would be a total touchdown and some of these guys would still be trending. If WWE makes all the right plays with that kind of exposure, there's no reason guys like Ricochet and The Dream aren't household names. But while we're still in this holding pattern of rasslin' being a nerd secret for whatever reason, here is your go-to primer for casuals who want a WWE fix and can't get into the foreign stuff. ****1/4

Was this on before Riddle came out?

There is submission based matwork happening on the WWE Network, BRO.

Sent a PM. Not sure if I ever made it all the way through this set, but I remember enjoying most of it.

Realistically, a chop is safer than a DDT since broken blood vessels do not equate to concussions in any circumstances. Nothing a little aloe vera won't soothe. We've come a long way from unprotected chairshots and workers slicing their foreheads open with razorblades.

Dynamite's very best stuff was his heel work in Portland. The match and angle where he breaks Curt Hennig's neck is about as good as wrestling gets.

What?!

Bumping this since it's a great list. I went through everything and there's so much goodness throughout the years. If you're looking to get your Mysterio fix, read this list.

Right, 94 has the awful commentary but a good Bret-Nash title match and an incredible sprint from Owen & Kid. Can't imagine Jarrett-Kid and the tournament finals being terrible either. There is absolutely nothing good about KOTR 95 and it belongs in the bin along with IYH 4.