AstroBoy

If I'm not mistaken, this is the year with Doink tearing it up over the summer in a handful of awesome matches. Look forward to that.

I was the legit high voter on Mikey. I think I found the best inspirational photo of the guy i could.

I'm gonna go ahead and argue that Tracy Williams is one of the most underappreciated and best wrestlers of 2016 so far. He is so bland on the surface and didn't really stick out to me at first but I'm starting to feel that his blandness sort of helps him as a really great fiery babyface. He had the Hero match at 56 which was spectacular and I think he brought a ton to the table. I never feel like he engages in bullshit no-selling strike exchanges. Everything he got against Hero was a struggle and well-earned and coming out of that match I think the logical goal is you want to see him topple Hero at some point. I haven't the Riddle match from 55 but the one from the Supershow was awesome and he looked great taking a lot on offense. It told a great story of him finally having enough to one up his teammate and then keeping his cool down the stretch to put him away. This is going to sound weird but it goes back to the blandness thing. There is a real sincerity to what he does in the ring even if he looks like he shouldn't be standing toe to toe with these guys. It makes him believable and and easier to get behind and I really think he's a darkhorse to hold the EVOLVE belt in the near future. I see people fawning over Hero, Riddle, Sabre, etc. . . and rightly so but I don't think this guy should get undersold on what he's brought to the table over the past few months.

Yeah I thought Yehi/Gulak was pretty damn great with a kind of abrupt finish. Check out Yehi selling his foot even after the following match, that dude has dedication.

I thought Ricochet/TJP was a lot of fun but I was much lower on Ricochet's leg selling than others. I also was higher on Sabre/Ospreay as a really spot-on showcase match for both guys.

I must be in the minority because I thought that women's match was a lot of fun, a very good spectacle, and a great moment. . . but I don't think it was that great. Still the best thing on the show along with the ladder match.

Yeah Evolve 58 was my first attempt to watch a live Evolve show and, well. . . not so smooth. It's a shame because I really just want to order Mercury Rising and enjoy it ASAP but the way they have tried to handle these problems has been so haphazard and on-the-fly and really has shown how horrible their refund policy is. I'm so fed up by honestly not even knowing what "make good" I'm entitled to because they just have no organization or clear line on some of this stuff. Not to mention the whole five dollar increase if you order a show the day of, which I would be more accepting of if they just made it clear somewhere on the website. Ah well, I'll still be buying their shows and supporting them but I hope they get a little more organized for rainy day situations like they ran into this weekend.

EVOLVE 58 was very good live even with the technical problems. Thatcher vs. Riddle was very good but marred by a pretty underwhelming, if smart, finish. TJP's win over Ricochet and continuing Global Cruiserweight push is making him seem like a real star on these shows. ZSJ vs. Ospreay was a fantastic exhibition for both guys and a real cool moment. The crowd was just losing it and I think Ospreay is really solid with the potential to get really really good. The main event tag was real good but hindered by the fact that Tommy End is super bland to me and the ending stretch I think got a little too long and too cute for its own good. Still a rock solid show overall and EVOLVE is just great right now.

Will have to see how Nak/Zayn holds up but watching it live was like an otherworldly experience. Just total joy and the exhilaration that being a fan of this stuff is all about.

I'm looking forward to every match, even Drifter vs. Crews. They succeeded in taking that minimal effort to make a slightly intriguing midcard match and I think it will be really solid. Corbin has basically won me over and I think he will go over but would not be surprised either way. I really think Revival will retain and Alpha will continue to chase into the summer. Can't see how the last three matches won't be at least good. Asuka/Bayley feels like it could either not really click or be out of this world great but it really feels like the closest thing to a Hogan/Warrior match you can run right now. As long as Balor and Joe have a good enough match, there's enough drama and intrigue surrounding how it will finish to make it really captivating. Haven't been this pumped for a single card in a pretty long time. Can't wait.

Formula is surely a good foundation but I agree that more variation here and there would be a good thing to me. For what it's worth this is coming from someone else more on the sports side of fandom than comic side. I just think there's a place for both in wrestling and if used sparingly, getting off formula can lead to lots of interesting possibilities. I'm talking as simple as things like multiple finishers, main events not going super long, a fluky kind of match. I actually really enjoyed Thatcher vs. Riddle at EVOLVE 56 because it went short and ended abruptly. Because of that difference, I am now super invested in the rematch.

I'll be watching NXT and Wrestlemania for sure. Really on the fence about getting EVOLVE 58, 59, and the Supershow.

Just turned in ballot. Process was simple and helpful.

Would it be wrong to compare the Flair Flip to the 619 in some ways? Both signature spots that can be annoying to some viewers, but spots when used to their full effect that can either be applied creatively (619) or can lead to different possibilities coming out of them (the flip).

More than specific things, I learned that it's futile to worry too much about organization and planning. Diving in is really the only starting point and just trying to immerse myself in as much stuff as possible. Once I stopped worrying about where to start, what exactly to check out, etc... I was able to start making a lot more headway on previous blind spots. Just as crucial was learning to just be true to myself. Today I'm watching Marty Jannetty and he'll probably sneak onto the bottom of my ballot. I loved Jannetty as a kid and I love him when I watch his matches today. It's easy when you start trying to expand and watch a wider scope of wrestling to fixate on having a "right" or "smart" opinion and that's not really any reason to watch wrestling. Some of my opinions fall in line with lots of other people. Others don't and that's the whole point. We all like different things. That's why I'm voting Matt Borne based primarily on his Doink run. Also why I'll probably rank Jannetty over other more highly regarded names. Last thing is it's immensely easier to watch things in context. Watching 90s AJPW in order has helped shape my opinions of that crew so much better than just Youtubing Greg Valentine and picking and choosing from those options. After the project wraps up I'm taking a break to focus on other hobbies as this has been the most intensive wrestling heavy year of my life. But come late spring I'm going to be ready to undertake some new deep look at something. But yeah, context matters and it will shape how I approach my future viewing.

I have never gotten totally into Gulak and I think that's because I haven't been watching the right stuff. Just watched this match and Gulak absolutely blew me away. So many small touches like striking the knee to try escaping the gutwrench. . . going to the head then body and alternating during the strike exchange. I totally loved this.

When was the last time any of these special events or PPVs ended on a legitimate happy note? I seriously cannot remember. Maybe Survivor Series 2014? Although the wrestling is fine I legitimately find myself just getting bummed out from watching these shows at this point. Every event ends with a totally deflated crowd. The Sami/Stardust match was so frustrating to watch unfold. You have a new guy coming up in his home country and he actually gets a nice pop, some chants. So they work the match with Stardust controlling, and controlling. . . and controlling. And they're lucky enough to actually have the crowd keep trying to get invested in the match. But after like the 9th cutoff spot, is there any hope to gain a reaction? I understand the layout in theory but come on. Have a six minute match, let Sami shine, and make the fans want more of him. Instead they did that and it was utterly soul crushing. Thought the NXT tag was great and is being slept on a bit. The transition for Revival to take over on Enzo was a really cool spot. Jack Swagger is functionally fine and deserves better but he does nothing with conviction and looks embarrassed to play his spot on the roster. It's amazing how much Roman Reigns is an afterthought of an afterthought in the build to Wrestlemania.

Zayn/Joe was very good but stopped just short of great I thought. My thoughts are a little mixed in that I thought if anything the first fall was a little TOO methodical and tedious. But that slow slow build made the escalation of the final fall so much more satisfying. And it is something just how much they had everyone with them for that final stretch. If anything I think Zayn oversold every little thing in both his matches with Joe. I'd rather someone sell too much than too little but I don't think he needs to sell every jab and chop like a lethal gunshot five minutes into a match. And I love Zayn, don't get me wrong. Even the hulk-up spot near the end worked perfectly for me. Does anyone else get the idea from the last few weeks that they're trying to really condition crowds on simpler, slower-building matches? Really felt like that during the American Alpha/Blake and Murphy rematch and this main event.

Not knocking your system it's just still weird to me to see something like Mark Henry getting a point for playing the Sexual Chocolate character but Kawada doesn't get that arbitrary bonus point because he never played a character other than Kawada. Entertaining seeing where everyone is starting to fall in place though. Looks like this was a ton of work and thought.

This may sound strange but how does someone like Sting get a point for getting over in WWE but not Matt Borne? What exactly did Sting do IN WWE other than come in and wrestle 2 matches after his legacy was already made, whereas Doink clearly got over to a big degree and had a very very good 1993 both in ring and as a character.

Glad to see a few kind words about Omega/Tanahashi. Upon first watch I thought it was really solid and avoided any stupidity (besides the interference, which was a fine, designed stupidity). Hopefully Omega can put it together and have a string of successful showings in a bigger role going forward.

Bayley/Carmella produced about as good a match as could have been hoped for and the post-match with Bayley and Asuka was absolutely electric. That has to be the biggest match NXT could put together right now. The Drifter is supposed to be getting go away heat, right? I know this point has been beaten to death lately, but Baron Corbin is someone who I went from hating to begrudgingly tolerating to now . . . well I kind of enjoy him if only for his character work. Their patience with him is really starting to pay dividends.

Very good match but it seemed to lose the crowd for portions. I think at this point the crowd was expecting a wild back and forth brawl and maybe that would have worked a little better in this setting. That said, it was a fantastic dissection of the leg by Bret and Austin showed good fire. I got the impression the crowd wanted to watch him kicking ass though, not selling a beatdown. And for a match built so heavily around the injured knee, Austin's selling was spotty enough to be a bother. Still, really good addition to their series.

Blake and Murphy vs. American Alpha was everything I could want from a TV match this week. Such a fun eight minute or whatever match. Jason Jordan is a great hot tag and Blake and Murphy have developed into super fun douche heel characters. Total sleeper match that I liked more than anything on Royal Rumble. Super pumped for that spoilered match as well. Easily my most anticipated match in a long time.