donsem43
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Everything posted by donsem43
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[2017-07-14-WWE-Mae Young Classic] Bianca Belair vs Kairi Sane
donsem43 replied to ShittyLittleBoots's topic in July 2017
This match was just nuts. I enjoyed how these two played off of each other in the early going with it leading to Belair snapping and getting super aggressive. Things just nasty after that with Belair breaking out some brutal looking offense while Sane fires back with her typical stuff. Belair did look awkward at times but it's scary to think how great she could be once she irons that out with experience. Hopefully these two get a rematch with more time down the line because that could be something amazing. **** -
I was looking forward to this because Santana is usually, solid and occasionally great, while Niven is always fun to watch. This was clearly the best laid out match of the first round. The whole thing flowed really well with some nice transitions and worked in both of their offenses in smoothly. The finish was nicely done to considering they were working a TV length match. Very good stuff. ***3/4
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This is a match up of a pair of indie vets who have been all over the place. Logan (formerly Crazy Mary Dobson) looked great here. All of her offense hit well and had a degree of polish that she lacked on the indies. Yim worked a more calculated, slower pace than she usually does. It was weird to not see her bust out a couple of big highspots. Still, I though her kick combos looked good and built well to the finish. A fun first round TV match. ***1/2
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Watched this yesterday and I agree with the sentiment that the first round did what it had to do. While most of the first round was solid watchable stuff, the only two matches that you need to see are Yim/Logan and Garrett/Niven. The one problem i had was that they booked so many monster/powerhouse wrestlers that it felt like every other match had a big/small dynamic to it. Combine that with workers who don't have a moveset that works with a big and can't bump big for them either (i.e. Toni Storm and Nicole Savoy.) Switching in either Nicole Matthews or Deonna Purrazzo would have been better to use here rather than one of the monsters that they used. The second round should be pretty good, especially Deeb/Niven and Savoy/LaRae.
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This is a non-title match, (don't get me started on WAVE's booking.) Despite this, it doesn't stop this two from going all out and producing the best joshi matches so far this year. The opening exchanges are fantastic, especially how Mizunami works her headlocks in a grinding fashion. Shida doesn't get any momentum till the action spills to the outside were she is able to out-brawl Mizunami. The transitions in this match were great as well, with Mizunami needing a good three tries before gaining control, while Shida sneaks in cheap shots with her kendo stick. The finish is a draw, but they still end it with a great finishing run before time runs out. ****1/2
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This is a rematch of the 10 minute draw that these two had back in March. Chihiro is just an absolute beast here, dominating early on with matwork then making an awesome surging comeback. Yamashita works a smart, tactical match in response. She picks her spots well while focusing her offense on trying to slow Chihiro down. The finish has some very physical back and forth leading toward a draw. Best match so far this year for both women. ****1/4
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqt7KuIvhqA&t=17s
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Watching this in hindsight, I don't think that Io was really *selling* the neck as much as her being in legit pain. You don't see anyone selling there neck by having the ref and the doctor check if you have feeling in your hands. The Hokuto level tape job on the neck was noticeable as well. Anyway, neck stuff aside, this was great. I really like how Iwatani took a more patient, tactical approach in the early going. It showed that she knew that she couldn't just throw everything at Io and hope for the best. The transitions where fantastic, especially Io reversing Iwatani's dragon attempt into German on the floor and Mayu breaking up Io's attempted entrance way dive into one of her own. The biggest strength of the match is how it managed to swing back and forth in both a smart and dramatic fashion. ****
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[2017-06-28-WWE-NXT] Asuka vs Nikki Cross (Last Woman Standing)
donsem43 replied to ShittyLittleBoots's topic in June 2017
This has to be as brutal a match that anyone can have in the current corporate/PG environment. They managed to make a few of the usually trite WWE hardcore spots look really nasty. It amazing that Nikki Cross can create a different character and work a different style from how she worked of the indies and somehow become a better worker. Asuka came off as incredibly tough after going toe-to-toe with Cross in a match that favoured her opponents style. Terrific build to the finish as well. ****1/2 -
[2017-08-19-WWE-NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III] Asuka vs Ember Moon
donsem43 replied to ShittyLittleBoots's topic in August 2017
I was worried that if Ember lost this match that she would be toast career wise but this match managed to do the exact opposite. She looked great here and came off as well as anyone could in defeat. Her selling of the shoulder throughout was fantastic and was key to story of the whole match. Asuka kept going after it repeatedly, including an awesome STO armbreaker. The finish was unbelievable as they mixed it up between finishers and rollups, even playing off of the finish of the previous match. Tremendous match. ****1/2 -
I thought this was really good. The dynamic was a bit different because this was more of #1 vs. #2 of a group rather than vet vs. youngster. Io shows HZK respect while still making sure to not create any doubt as to the pecking order of Queen's Quest. Nothing epic with the story here but in a way that's what makes this match enjoyable. ***1/2
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So, Io Shirai lost to ROH's Mandy Leon via submission. Some people are upset but it sets up a major storyline for the tournament and establishes some unpredictability early on in the tournament. For the long term, Jungle Kyona losing to Toni Storm was a worse decision. I hope Kris Wolf gets a WWE tryout for putting over Robbie Brookside's daughter.
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The lineup for Stardom's 5*GP: Red Stars Block: Mayu Iwatani Yoko Bito Hiromi Mimura Kagetsu Hana Kimura Viper Xia Brookside Kris Wolf Blue Stars Block: Io Shirai Jungle Kyona HZK Konami Tora or Nakano* Toni Storm Kay Lee Ray Mandy Leon * Natsuko Tora and Tam Nakano will have a qualifying match on August 13. While the Red Block will have good matches, I don't get why you would put the current champ in the same block as four of the women who have had title shots against her in the last two months. Viper vs. each Oedo Tai member should fun, as well as Oedo Tai facing off with each other, but other than that they are just recycling matchups they just did. Even if you took Io out, the Blue Block looks really fun. You have the younger stars of Stardom (Kyona, HZK, Konami) and two of Stardom's best foreigners (Storm, KLR,) that alone creates a lot of interesting matchups. Putting Io in mix makes it even better. The only negative is that it makes it very unlikely that either Kyona or HZK get the push that both need to help establish them higher up the card.
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Hiroyo's performance was smart tactically, if unspectacular. She learned that your best chance to beat Chihiro is to keep her from getting a snowball effect going because if that happens, good luck trying to stop her. Her attack on the neck ended up saving her at the finish, which was also a nice way to protect Chihiro as she was still able to get a nearfall off of it despite not being able to hold the bridge. It was a nice change of pace from the typical hard hitting, power move filled matches you get with these type of wrestlers. ***3/4
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This is a terrific performance from Best Friends. At the same time, it's an interesting look at the inexperienced duo of Kyuri and Ozaki. While both of them have some rough moments they also show flashes promise. Maika has some nice Hiroyo Matsumoto-style power spots and Kyuri pulls off some really nice counter and comeback spots. A good match to check out if your interested in getting a look at some of the other girls on Ice Ribbon's roster. ***1/2
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This is the final of the 2017 Catch the WAVE tourney. These two had a great match a month earlier in the block stage so I was excited to see a rematch. Ohata does the smart thing in the early going by grounding Yamashita to keep her from using her power. As a result, Yamashita has to be smarter about her comebacks as she simple can't bullrush her way into control of the match. A nice contrast from their harder hitting match from the month before. ****
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Uh oh... So, by my count, this is Sane's third concussion in less than two years.
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More curious than anything. I'm shocked at how front and center Kairi Sane has been for the MYC. I wasn't expecting that. I don't think Asuka will do any better than Nakamura on the main roster, probably worse. I do think that Io's style will translate well to WWE. She's had a couple of really good short matches so far this year.
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If they space the debuts apart enough they might. Kairi Sane is front and center with anything the WWE has done so far with the MYC. If Asuka moves up to the main roster in the fall they can move Sane over to NXT then probably introduce Io a few months later. The three of them act/work differently enough that you would think that the WWE would trust fans to be able to tell the three of them apart.
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Well the guy that runs the Square Circle Sirens website said on twitter that Io is just finishing up dates then going to WWE. Meltzer commented on his message board that he was told that Io's neck is "fucked up." I'm not a doctor, but I doubt that rest and physio is going to fix a bad neck in less than two months. I don't think that how Io is booked in the 5*GP is going to tell much either because if Stardom is committed to pushing a new era then Io might be booked to put over the younger wrestlers anyway. The whole situation seems like the definition of "wait and see." I'm on the fence as to whether I'd like to see Io go to the WWE or not. Obviously, she would have a better chance at having great matches in Stardom but at the same time all of the talent that the WWE has brought in gives Io quite a few fresh, interesting matchups. I don't know, maybe I'm the only person who would be excited for Io vs. Charlotte or even vs. Ember Moon.
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If you need something like a program to what this, WWE.com has this.
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Io did a run in at today's Stardom show then announced that she was entering the 5*GP. Two big questions are, just what condition is her neck actually in and what is her relationship with the WWE at this point?
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A nice touch with them showing highlights of the awesome match that they had in 2008 when they were both youngsters. Really enjoyed Hiroyo using her strength to force transitions while Arisa had to be more aggressive and creative with her opportunities. Quite a few of the transitions in this match were fairly creative. They also managed to do a strong job of pacing out the match toward the finish. Tremendously well worked match. ****
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It's no coincidence that the amount of attention and praise that Hiroyo Matsumoto has received recently has coincided with the number of high profile opponents that she has had. Here, she takes on Ice Ribbon ace Fujimoto. While this was a pretty good match, it felt like they were previewing a more meaningful match in the future. Still, there was a lot of really good work here making it more than worth your time to watch. ***3/4
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Apparently, Tsukushi was arrested for trying to stab Kagetsu.