AstroBoy

I thought it was really fantastic but I just did not dig the ending at all. I found myself wondering how they could credibly bring Gargano back and put him over after the beating he had taken to that point. I hoped for maybe a rollup or gradual overtaking of Ohno through quickness, smarts, etc. But Gargano essentially jumped up from a killshot, hit some superkicks, slapped on his submission and got a quick tap. It's a fine finish but I just did not think it worked in the context of the match and really undid a lot of Gargano's awesome babyface work up to that point. I think he would be pretty well-suited to add some Bret Hart-ish rollup finishes to his offense against workers like Ohno or Sullivan or any other guy that towers over him. So yeah, a really good match that kind of got cheapened for me by a sort of unsatisfying finish. ****

I thought it was fine but just didn't feel the intensity was all the way there. Mascara Ano in particular I thought failed to bring a ton of intensity at least in the earlier portions of the match. And while the action throughout was pretty solid I just didn't feel it was incredibly propulsive or urgent. That being said, it did have high drama, and built to a very good ending. I just didn't think it was consistently intense enough along the way. ***1/2

This was a triumph of patience, pacing, and structure. The opening fall beatdown by Bucanero and Ultimo was good but not anything special. The second fall comeback has a few stilted moments and isn't world-beating. And the final fall puts it all together and finally clicks with the missed dive to the outside allowing for the final act to come into full focus. All these individual moving parts of the match build to the taking out of Villano, followed by the clever turning of the tables and the elimination of Bucanero. And a short but impactful stretch between Ultimo and Niebla ends this definitively. As a whole, the match just took its time and built and built to that final hook which paid off tremendously and elevated fine work into something more fulfilling. I thought Bucanero stood out in a good way making offense look good and Niebla put in a good effort trying to appeal to the crowd and get them behind his comebacks. ****

Lots of fun stuff built around Porky. The big splash onto everyone in the second fall, which looked like it hurt tremendously. He and Salvaje slaughtering each other with punches outside the ring. Porky using his fat to turn defense into offense and pop the crowd. I really thought that Casas looked great in this. A really solid match that didn't rise past that level but this is good stuff. ***1/2

I don't recall it being that bad really. I had to sleep with glasses on for a week or whatever but I don't recall it being much of a hassle.

I've gotten it done. So far so good, it really worked well. It's been about 5 or 6 years now and I see great. The laser thing is kind of weird and momentarily uncomfortable but it doesn't take super long and it's just part of it, so what can you do.

I'm probably not the best person to expand on all the intricacies and great moments in this but this was absolutely fantastic. Blue Panther and Solar were amazing here and not just when paired off with each other. Solar in particular was a total blast in every single pairing that he had and pulled off a ton of fancy stuff flawlessly. Some crazy dives here including a ridiculous headscissors off the top from the apron to the floor at one point. It really is a drama-laden final segment with blood, grit, and near finishes before the culmination. I will cop to not knowing the ins and outs of the rules as this started but it became pretty clear and easy as it transpired and the building sense of stake is just palpable and great. One of the best matches I've seen in the project. ****1/2

Yeah this got some time to space out and build into something though I didn't love it that much. The Blue Panther exchanges early on with Black Dragon were really fantastic and then Dragon got sloppy as the match progressed. Escarlata's antics were a highlight as she and Rivera carried some of this with some lightheartedness. Safari looked pretty fiery. **3/4

Yeah this was not so good and took a long time to even get going. Everyone looks pretty shitty compared to Matthews and York in this. Disappointing because I've liked Matthews and York a good amount in the stuff they've been in up to this point but this just gave them nothing to work with. *3/4

This was fantastic. Two guys aggressively slugging at each other in the rain while blood pours down their faces. Great submission work from Apache and great intensity too. Sevilla is always flying all over the place both with bumps and offense and comes off scrappy as hell here. A little sloppy in spots but that's totally offset by the uniqueness of the match. ****

Togo seemingly gets busted open hardway here by Murahama. So much intensity brought to this by Togo with vicious clothesline and disdainful slaps to Murahama. Also him shrugging off the parade of kicks to build to the finish with the senton. I liked Tsubasa a good deal here too sprinkling in a tiny bit of grappling with his flashy offense. ***1/4

An incredible and brutal spectacle. The video package is indeed awesome. Onita DOES look like the baddest man on the planet walking to the ring. And Choshu repeatedly kills him in violent ways, sending him into the wire again and again setting off the explosions. Onita tries to fight back with awesome punches right to the groin but Choshu overwhelms him and finally makes him pass out. ***1/2

Both Kanda and Mochizuki looked good in this one, particularly Kanda. Really liked the snap to his offense and the way he controlled things. Especially loved his interactions with Stalker, who is fantastic in this role. Perfect blend of underdog spark plug and comedy enough to be believable but also inevitable that he will take these beatings. Really good match with a nice conclusive ending. I thought it was about on par with the other tag from this show. ***1/2

Suwa and CIMA are a quintessential heel team here using both cheap tactics and shtick with a nice array of quick and methodical offense. Kid and Arai match up seamlessly with them and this all leads to a predictably good stretch run. Arai's springboard headbutt is really nice and I especially liked the attitude that Suwa brought into this. Great finish to continue the feud with a beautiful and definitive reversal leading to the win by Suwa. ***3/4

Taylor has the look and explosiveness as he tosses Styles halfway across the ring. Styles uses a litany of low blows and that goofy snap swinging neckbreaker. I did not care for Taylor's light comeback punches. Styles throws his whole body into a lariat that looks good and he's believable and effective working over a much bigger opponent. Taylor is caught of in the middle where he doesn't maybe have the capacity to be really sympathetic but he does a good enough job selling and making his comeback with the big belly to belly. Good little match. **

Yes this was fine stuff and then the turn comes and it's simultaneously nonsense and also an electric moment. I have never cared for people turning on their partners mid-match as it makes absolutely no sense to wait like that but this was pulled off well enough and the crowd popped big for the teaming up of Hayabusa and Shinzaki. Hayabusa almost slips off the top rope before hitting a perfect 450 for the win. ***1/2

Pretty pedestrian stuff though I did enjoy Inoue muscling guys around. The kendo stick stuff felt like little more than a winding diversion or trick to keep the match moving at the expense of any real meaning but it was not offensive or anything. Finish felt a little abrupt but this was fine for what it was. **1/2

This was mostly them running through a bunch of stuff for a few minutes while the commentary and in-ring angle detracted from the actual work. Dragon threw some nice chops and folded up Spanky with a nice back suplex but not much else noteworthy before the screw finish. *

This was a ton of fun. Mamaluke brought lots of intensity to this and Tajiri and Whipwreck get to have a lot of fun with crowd-pleasing spots in a tag match that goes off without a hitch. Good house show match. **1/4

Lots of this felt like a pretty big Niebla showcase as he outsmarts all the rudos and works comedy spots with them before finishing Shocker for the first fall. Niebla has been fine to me if a bit hokey for lack of a better word. Everybody looks crisp here and Shocker takes a really nice bump off Niebla's shoulder block. This was a fine trios match, nothing memorable, but a pleasing wrestling match through and through. ***

I always liked Jindrak and O'Haire and they should have been cornerstones of a new WCW but oh well. Weird quirk that bothered me was O'Haire running through offense and then Vampiro takes over leading to O'Haire taking a back bump off of. . . a single chop to the chest. Seemed odd with the way they were presented as future champs that O'Haire and Vampiro couldn't come up with anything better to let him walk over and tag Muta. Just a stupid little thing. O'Haire also seems out of place for Muta's elbow but other than this it's pedestrian action and the painted team goes over for some reason. *1/4

Cabana looked really polished here in a lot of ways and fed for Hero's offense nicely early on in the match. Hero's strikes still seem really tentative and don't carry much oomph to them. Cabana hits his hand on the post when he misses a chop and gives a cringeworthy sell job as he stumbles around the ring. Hero definitely has a following and plays plucky babyface better than you would suspect at this point. Big chaos at the finish for a Cabana small package victory. ***

SUWA certainly controls the match with lots of scummy working over and heel charisma. He has a great presence in this and this just has a nice comfortable build until Arai turns a missed charge in the corner to offense and mounts a comeback. We get a nicely paced back and forth with nothing too crazy to build to the finish with Arai taking the match in satisfying fashion. ***1/2

Murahama does have that kind of something that sparks his comebacks and makes him believable, cheerable, etc. He pulls off the courageous scrappy fighter more than the sympathetic seller and that works fine here. Daioh is pretty straight ahead and methodical in his attack and uses cheap tactics with the interference playing a bigger role around the match this time. This doesn't build and erupt the way the Murahama-Buffalo match did but it is also a more compact and direct route to the comeback win from Murahama. ***

The promo does suck as does Filthy Animals making fun of Karagias's injury. There is really no semblance of a story or build here but for the short run time they pack in a lot and all guys are working hard, particularly the 3 Count team. I think all the stuff Moore does looks awkward and light and pillowy but he seemed more on his game here than he typically has looked. Helms and Juvy paired off well and I liked this for what it was. **1/2