Parties

13) The Usos vs. Karl Anderson/Luke Gallows (Extreme Rules, 5/25) I was stunned by how good this was. This is how you deliver a “PPV performance”. This is how you make people forget that these two teams have already faced each other on TV like 5 times in the last three weeks. I would have to go back and watch/rank the RAW six-man of Reigns/Usos vs. The Club, but this is the likely the best Usos outing of the year. Which sounds like a dubious achievement, but the Usos have had like at least 10 matches on TV this year and I think I’ve seen all of them. The brawling gave this a new flavor and the Usos here adopted the approach that topes should be an attempt to missile yourself and crush your opponent. I’m also genuinely impressed by how much better Anderson/Gallows are in WWE than they were doing wank-ville NWO idiocy in New Japan. Even Anderson’s version of the Yakuza Kick that looks like the way Little Tokyo would do the move has a weird charm to it. Hell, I’ll even say Anderson’s selling is really good here! And he’s a guy who I’ve outright disliked for most of his career. Frankly it makes me wonder to what degree this is a) them trying harder, having better opponents and in some ways a better platform, and c) my own biases against the Bullet Club and in favor of the current WWE roster (and to a lesser degree PPV match style). Also in the interest of fairness: I get on Kevin Dunn as much as anyone here. I’m a guy who think camera work can make or break a match, and that WWE’s approach often breaks them. But damned if this match wasn’t actually enhanced by some great cuts and angles that made some of the big bumps look even crazier than they were (esp. the moments where the Usos were wiping out and getting falling from the top rope to the floor). The Club’s finisher is still pretty dumb, but I loved this and think it's probably the best Usos match I’ve ever seen, and I say that as an avid fan of the team. 47) Kalisto vs. Rusev [uS Title] (Extreme Rules, 5/25) I would agree with Dylan that this is Kalisto didn’t deserve to get squashed this hard after a strong 2016, but I do think this was notably better than the acclaimed Del Rio and Ryback matches, which I liked but didn’t love. This however was really good. Rusev’s selling was weak at times (esp. in Kalisto’s sleeper, where he walked to the ropes and made mugging faces that John Waters would deem over the top). But then he broke it with a backdrop and gasped for air brilliantly with a great look on his face, so clearly no one can do any wrong on this show so far. The corkscrew plancha from Kalisto here was incredible, and Rusev scoop-slamming Kalisto on the apron was your ROH Mooov of the Night. The finish is as nasty-looking as advertised and for Rusev felt like a Bonafide Renaissance (which coincidentally is also the name of my barber). 86) Big E/Xavier Woods vs. The Vaudevillians (Extreme Rules, 5/25) I like that Woods has gotten to work more lately, for the same reasons why Michael Hayes made my GWE 100, but this felt like a deal where they put in the second-string guy because they knew their opponents were losers. Of the two, Gotch is more dynamic (as in he’s the guy who goes at his opponent full tilt and has watched enough 90s All Japan to apply a Stretch Plum solidly), but English is still competent. While there wasn’t a ton to this, I thought everything was Well Dunn and this was still above what they would likely do on TV together. In particular the bonanza that is Big E’s freakish tope. Woods hitting a wacky Shining Wizard and looking like he needs a hit off his inhaler afterwards made me smile. I also think this show is 100x better if you watch it on mute, as I did for these first 3 matches.

46) Negro Casas vs. Rush (Elite, 5/4) Doing a six minute version of this match is deranged, but “don’t be sad that it’s over, appreciate that it happened” as the old lady saying goes. Rush is a true beast here, steamrolling Casas early and basically working the way I wish Roman Reigns would: roaring at the crowd, spitting at announcers until they throw drinks at him, stomping mudholes, and beating up midgets in bird costumes. Casas responds with fiery comebacks. I won’t talk about everything that happens here, but know that it’s tons of chaotic fun and that Casas at some point ends up covered in some kind of weird powdery silver paint. Locura! 51) Drew Galloway/Johnny Gargano vs. Premier Athlete Brand (EVOLVE 58, 4/1) At first I thought this felt like I’d seen this matchup too often, but I also don’t much like the Premier breakup angle or Gargano, so the dosage of both on recent EVOLVE shows has been too high pour moi. That said, the wrestling here is night and day to much else happening in the States right now, and this was a hugely refreshing upgrade from all the bad WWE TV I’ve watched this month. For storyline purposes this is kind of a squash, but a really entertaining match in which even as the heels bumble, they still look like talented contenders (albeit ones who are getting outplayed by the superior champs). This was also maybe the best Gargano’s ever looked to me. Genuine charisma, really on point in his flying and highspots, working at a fast pace while maintaining good composure. Lots of cool moves and the much heralded Dylan appearance were lots of fun. 22) Timothy Thatcher vs. Matt Riddle [EVOLVE Title] (EVOLVE 58, 4/1) Thatcher’s felt like a total afterthought in this company all year, but this was strong stuff. This is kind of the RINGS version of Evolve’s shoot style, as they’re on the mat almost the whole time and the defense is some of the more interesting stuff that happens. I’d like to see them focus a little more on the drama of good escapes rather than just releasing holds at arbitrary moments, but this Riddle’s selling was tremendous and I give Thatcher props for working his match to re-educate crowds, such that a leg lock becomes vicious death. I enjoyed Lenny Leonard on commentary saying that Riddle had more experience on the mat than Conor McGregor and thus wouldn’t give up his back in the same fashion. The Fisherman Buster from Riddle here makes you want to see what he could do as stoner time traveler to 90s All Japan. I liked the finish but wish it had been more decisive, but perhaps that’s simply savvy booking: get fans to crave the rematch. 55) Fred Yehi vs. Marty Scuril (EVOLVE 58, 4/1) We all want Yehi to be pushed hard, but it feels like they’re doing the right thing in making him this Kobashi figure who keeps looking elite in defeat. Where there’s no wasted motion with Yehi (seemingly transitioning kicks into rollups into escapes into grappling), Scuril (like many of the Rev Pro guys) is all wasted motion: doing showy leaps around the ring and useless handstands for the purpose of getting off one superkick to a prone opponent directly in front of him. Once Yehi reclaims control with his signature rapid stomps spot and some awesome suplexes, I’m back in. Good finish as they try to injure each other’s wrists and fingers. 27) Sami Callahan vs. Ethan Page (EVOLVE 58, 4/1) Wow was this good. Really physical stuff, and probably as good as Page has ever looked to me. He seems to be getting stronger with his power offense, hitting a lot of power bomb variations and backbreakers that make him into something unique in the promotion. This was likewise vintage Callahan: a mix of feral, gross, and technically on point, as he manages to abuse Page while also giving him a lot in return. The finishing stretch is violent and really competitive, as it feels like either guy could hit the deathblow at any moment. Impressive. 59) Ricochet vs. TJP (EVOLVE 58, 4/1) Liked this even if the usual Ricochet gimmickry still feels like overkill. Perkins as cheating heel and submission specialist grounding the high flyer was good stuff. Finish felt smart and well executed, telling a cool and unpredictable story. 131) Zack Sabre, Jr. vs. Will Ospreay [best in the World Challenge Series] (EVOLVE 58, 4/1) It’s weird to me that on commentary they keep calling this World of Sport-style action. Ricochet and TJP was more like WoS than this was: these dudes are just British. I was zoning out watching this and had to keep rewinding to correct my boredom with it. Sabre tries, but I don’t buy him as elite and having him do a Best in the World series feels like if you had like, Phil Lafon do one of these in 1991. It’s fine, but it’s a gimmick more than it is reality. I liked the section of Sabre pretzeling Ospreay, but in the inevitable comeback, Sabre has to stand and wait like a goof for Ospreay to hit over-the-top flippy kicks and it all feels contrived. Sabre with a bad triangle choke that the crowd adores. “This is awesome” chants follow. Mamma mia. 11) Drew Gulak/Tracy Williams vs. Chris Hero/Tommy End (EVOLVE 58, 4/1) Hero has been the great abuser of almost everyone this year, but he seems to have particular distain for Williams, which establishes a good ace heel/young lion vibe. End gives him the same with the Peter Aerts business in the corner. Williams’ comeback is great to see as you can understand how Hero is getting the kid over. Gulak’s hot tag and the Catch Point double-team that follows is a lot of fun as well: you get watching this why they won the titles on this weekend. So much entertaining stuff throughout: all of Hero’s striking is great, and the vibe of this - much like the Hero/End matches in the tag title tournament - feel in step with the best Japanese tags of the 80s and 90s: smart interference, team strategy, and a sense that you’re watching a test of wills and a bunch of violent dudes clashing together. The tornado third act to this felt a bit hazy, but the out-of-nowhere finish was well done.

I always remember that public relations survey that WWE did maybe four years ago in which they asked non-fans who they considered to be the best looking of the various workers. It was a smart thing to do, but as is the case with a lot of corporations, WWE reacted poorly when they realized the results contradicted their own views/weren't to their liking. To the surprise of the company, Cody won. (Maybe not surprising then that he could pull Eden, but still.) This result led to the "Dashing" Cody Rhodes gimmick and eventual supervillain face mask. Point being that regardless of the Stardust gimmick and who liked it, Vince and co. get really creepy and weird whenever any other guy is deemed attractive or has success with women. It would be unfair speculation to say if/how Dusty's death plays into any of this, but you have to wonder if his passing may have changed Cody's view on the business in some fashion. Also, Meltzer tacks onto the end of his bulletin on this that this may all just be an angle, which seems pretty odd.

105) Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens (Smackdown, 5/19) Initially it felt like the problem with this pairing is that Owens isn’t really capable of working Cesaro’s match, so Cesaro always ends up working his. Which leads to them doing the same routine they did at Summerslam, and every time they worked before or after that. But this goes long enough that they do take it up a notch: you see Owens as desperate cheating heel getting knocked around and looking for shortcuts, and you get Cesaro as technical marvel doing gigantic gut wrench suplexes and springboard uppercuts. Plus they do some good stuff in countering each other’s big spots and jaw-jacking with the Miz and Zayn at ringside. Really horrible finish that you can both see coming away and is so lazily executed that it’s kind of amazing people actually book this show. 138) Dana Brooke vs. Paige (Smackdown, 5/19) Holy hell is Paige getting buried right now. Someone mad about her hooking up with Del Rio? She does a two minute loss here that would typically be reserved for a jobber, but there are only four babyface women on the roster right now and she happens to be the lowest of them right now. Brooke actually looked quite good here with some aggressive power moves and a sense of genuinely adept heel mannerisms. 126) Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler (Smackdown, 5/19) Remember when Sheamus was champ six months ago? Remember when these two had a long feud right at this time last year, including a Kiss Me Arse match at Extreme Rules? I had completely forgotten, until looking it up just now because I was curious how many completely forgettable singles matches these guys must have had. Anyway, this was fine. I love seeing Sheamus lariat and clobber dudes, and while at times these guys look visibly depressed to even be doing this, they do get the crowd going and make this into something by journey’s end. 139) The New Day/Big Cass vs. The Vaudevillians/The Dudley Boyz (Smackdown, 5/19) I love multi-man tags, but this really tests that premise. That said, pretty much everyone’s good here. Woods again proves as he did at Mania that he’s a very good FIP. Kingston’s barely in the match. Cass is the powerhouse powder keg in wait on the apron. Simon Gotch and Aiden English are more competent than people think. D-Von stays out of the way, and Bubba shows a more cartoonish old man version of his loud-mouth peaks in ECW and TNA. I wouldn’t even call this a good match so much as a competent one, but given some of the guys in the ring, low expectations here walk tall. 108) Roman Reigns vs. Luke Gallows (Smackdown, 5/19) While this isn’t as phenomenal as I want it to be, it is what I want it to be in principle: stiff strikes and a juggernaut vibe. The fisticuffs are fun, but this has too many of the bad hallmarks you’ve seen in other matches on this very show: ridiculous distractions, goofy brawling, pointless nearfalls, an over reliance on signature moves and forced tropes. One of the weirdest things about the WWE agents (or at least them in relation to Vince) is that they end up booking such similar matches within the same show. This entire episode felt like another SD lame duck show. Smackdown in fact tends to be at its worst on go-home PPV weeks.

108) Shinsuke Nakamura/Austin Aries vs. Blake & Murphy (NXT, 5/18) Two minute squash that was good while it lasted. This transitioned into a really bad Bailey promo, an Asuka promo video set to a horrible Evanescence-style track, and a different really bad promo from No Way Jose. Highlight of the match was Nakamura’s theme music, even if it’s a bit too similar to Balor’s, 129) Carmella vs. Peyton Royce (NXT, 5/18) Carm has a charisma wherein even as she’s probably trying too hard, I find the act endearing. Peyton Royce’s character appears to be that she wears too much makeup and holds a flower during her entrance that she smells and chews upon as the “Venus Fly Trap” of NXT. Graves quickly chimes in to in so many words explain, “Look, she’s doing a Poison Ivy gimmick.” Royce was surprisingly good here, with smart heel offense and a really well done Three Amigos suplex series into a bridge. 131) Tommaso Ciampa/Johnny Gargano vs. Rob Ryzin/Danny Birch (NXT, 5/18) Ciampa may end up on the low-end of the Inaugural Viaje del Parties Mid-Year Top 50 Workers list, and a big part of it is his tremendous consistency live in EVOLVE, on other taped indies, and here as an almost weekly workhorse in NXT. Where Gargano does a series of forced arm drags, Ciampa punches opponents in the teeth and chops the hell out of chests. He’s gone from being a guy I thought was a total scrub to a bonafide “killer”, even if his selling is hit-or-miss. 33) Bailey vs. Nia Jax (NXT, 5/18) Meltzer deemed this to be nothing, so I can only assume he was preoccupied fixing the antenna on his cell phone. This was shockingly good if imbalanced in its goodness, and felt like a return to form for Bailey after the questionable Asuka match, notable for her truly awesome selling throughout. Great opening as Bailey’s showing tons of speed and fire trying to outpace Jax, until she gets stopped by some pretty vicious slams and throws. Early on this largely worked like Sting-Vader, which is pretty much the model for how to work this type of matchup, until it later becomes more like Matt Hardy-Mark Henry. There is a turnbuckle bump in this that puts any Bret Hart ever took to shame. This even has a tremendously worked sleeper hold spot. Like, a genuinely great sleeper that makes you believe in the sleeper again. Bailey’s comebacks are a true thrill and technically superb. Of Jax you can say that she’s a bit slow here, but I think it’s slow in a very effective One Man Gang type of way, which feels fresh and different amidst so many big dudes who nowadays work like small dudes. The only glaring critique you can make of her is that she’s clearly still hesitant about taking bumps, so you have sort of awkward moments where she’s supposed to take some fatal spill to the floor but instead gingerly braces herself on all fours. But the end to this is satisfying, and tells a pretty cool story.

Disappointed to hear that Maria isn't as smart as her testimony during Bischoff's trial from mid-2000s RAW would have us believe.

Nominating: Virus vs. Hechicero (Lucha Memes, 5/15) This is pretty much the lucha dream match of the moment, and Hechicero is making a strong case for WOTY by going on this tear of having several top-shelf matches each month in taped tags and singles. First: this match happened on Sunday afternoon and I’m watching it now. Incredible. Second: remember how I’ve been annoyingly talking for months on this board about how the way matches are filmed is way more important than people acknowledge? Watch this and see what a difference it makes. You are in the ring with these guys like it’s the first thirty minutes of Saving Private Ryan. The tightness of the holds. The fluidity of the matwork. The strength needed to move like that on said mat. The speed of the rope running and Virus’ amazing counters out of submissions. You get the sense these guys are pulling out wild stuff that they can only do with each other (or an elite few at this level). The flying in and out of intricate pins feels like a lost art being rediscovered here. Fantastic finish that shows the logic of the limb work being done throughout. If this was five to ten minutes longer, it could be MOTY. As is, it might be the best uncut eleven and a half minutes of wrestling this year.

Eleven minutes of Virus vs. Hechicero happened this past Sunday. It's free for the taking online and as good as you want Virus vs. Hechicero to be. From the Viaje del Parties thread: "Added: 9) Virus vs. Hechicero (Lucha Memes, 5/15) This is pretty much the lucha dream match of the moment, and Hechicero is making a strong case for WOTY by going on this tear of having several top-shelf matches each month in taped tags and singles. First: this match happened on Sunday afternoon and I’m watching it now. Incredible. Second: remember how I’ve been annoyingly talking for months on this board about how the way matches are filmed is way more important than people acknowledge? Watch this and see what a difference it makes. You are in the ring with these guys like it’s the first thirty minutes of Saving Private Ryan. The tightness of the holds. The fluidity of the matwork. The strength needed to move like that on said mat. The speed of the rope running and Virus’ amazing counters out of submissions. There’s also an incredible sense to this where you get the sense these guys are pulling out wild stuff that they can only do with each other (or an elite few at this level). The flying in and out of intricate pins feels like a lost art being rediscovered here. Fantastic finish that shows the logic of the limb work being done throughout. If this was five to ten minutes longer, it could be MOTY. As is, it might be the best uncut eleven and a half minutes of wrestling this year."

Added: 9) Virus vs. Hechicero (Lucha Memes, 5/15) This is pretty much the lucha dream match of the moment, and Hechicero is making a strong case for WOTY by going on this tear of having several top-shelf matches each month in taped tags and singles. First: this match happened on Sunday afternoon and I’m watching it now. Incredible. Second: remember how I’ve been annoyingly talking for months on this board about how the way matches are filmed is way more important than people acknowledge? Watch this and see what a difference it makes. You are in the ring with these guys like it’s the first thirty minutes of Saving Private Ryan. The tightness of the holds. The fluidity of the matwork. The strength needed to move like that on said mat. The speed of the rope running and Virus’ amazing counters out of submissions. There’s also an incredible sense to this where you get the sense these guys are pulling out wild stuff that they can only do with each other (or an elite few at this level). The flying in and out of intricate pins feels like a lost art being rediscovered here. Fantastic finish that shows the logic of the limb work being done throughout. If this was five to ten minutes longer, it could be MOTY. As is, it might be the best uncut eleven and a half minutes of wrestling this year.

102) Atlantis vs. L.A. Park (LLE, 5/4) Disappointing that this only goes like seven minutes, but Liga Elite’s a weird promotion. Huge waste of a rare Park sighting for that reason, but what you do get is often excellent. Gigantic tope from Atlantis that Park sells like a gunshot, while minutes later Atlantis fails to return the favor by not selling Park’s at all. Park kicking the ref into the ropes to knock Atlantis off the top was outstanding. Even when this sucks, it’s still compelling, if that makes sense. And suck it does at times. Hopefully we get more week to week Park, even in these quick shots. 29) Pentagon Jr. vs. Fenix (AAW, 5/6) This was truly fantastic, and a match made better by being a fan cam as it gives you the scale and incredible agility of Fenix’s dives and Pentagon’s mix of stiff matwork and power offense. You also get Pentagon wearing a fan’s baseball hat for a while, viciously loud chops, and tons of stunningly crazy moves. This is pretty short, but unlike the Park-Atlantis match this feels like a complete experience rather than an abrupt end. A celebration of what wrestling can look like when Kevin Dunn isn’t directing.

There was also the super simple "Rollins vs. Lesnar" poster from last year that people loved because it actually appeared to be advertising a high-caliber fight of some kind. But yes, generally speaking the advertising is meaningless. "It's about the brand!"

Sabre Jr. is the guy for me who continues to be in some of the best matches of the year despite not seeming to be a great worker. I don't think it's fair to say that he's being carried in all of them, but when you're having long matches every month with dance partners like Gulak, Thatcher, Styles, Hero, Callahan, End, etc. - you get to be in some amazing stuff even if you're the weak link.

103) Rusev vs. Sin Cara (Smackdown, 5/12) Competitive squash. On commentary Kalisto keeps referring to how angry Rusev is, which I guess is sort of a Camron-O’Reilly “U mad doggy” approach. Kalisto’s corny, but as an uber-earnest babyface I can see why they think he has some promise. Mauro is pretty amazing at making this into something during play-by-play. Rusev looked solid, but it’s brutal to see where he is now vs. two years ago for having the audacity to love his fiancé. Marginally better than the prior week’s Rusev SD squash of Zack Ryder, so there is that. Hopefully this just leads to a weekly run where he squashes a new guy on this show every week until he finally works his way up to Lesnar or whatever. 112) Becky Lynch vs. Dana Brooke (Smackdown, 5/12) Lynch is getting really over based off this crowd reaction, and I like that she has developed signature babyface offense and hulk-ups that she gets to rally around here. Way too short to be anything as in typical WWE fashion they kind of keep hitting the same note over and over again with these characters in the abrupt finish, but Lynch’s case for being a top 50-100 worker in the world right now continues. She’s been an absolute workhorse this year with a match or two on TV every week. 119) Kofi Kingston vs. Aiden English (Smackdown, 5/12) Two guys who at times have each sucked in the past having a good little match. Kofi has genuine babyface fire and good backup from E and Woods in this gimmick, while English has managed to develop a believable man’s man asskicker gimmick despite having a 98-pound noodle body. This even has distraction stuff that doesn’t feel forced. Too short to be exceptional, but perfectly solid stuff. 85) The Usos vs. Karl Anderson/Luke Gallows (Smackdown. 5/12) Third time they’ve run this match in a week if you count the RAW trios: this started mediocre but improved a lot. Initially it felt like a time where a match suffered from Kevin Dunn editing, as everything’s an abrupt zoom in that looks like shit and kills the flow of the match. Gallows’ strikes are weirdly bad for a guy who used to be a hoss killer and now looks like a dad gardening out there. Really neither Anderson nor Gallows are up to the current standard of WWE workers right now, but once they got on offense and could work double-team stuff, this got better. Strong Usos comeback too. 56) Cesaro/Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens/The Miz (Smackdown, 5/12) Best WWE match of the week, and the best variation we’ve seen of the round robin stuff these four have done all month. Huge tope con hilo (or “toupee con hero” as Lawler calls it) from Zayn here. Miz and Owens bickering and later Owens chastising Byron Saxton is actually entertaining rather than forced. I also dug that Miz is now adding a bunch of neck breakers and other similar stuff into his arsenal as a means of setting up for the Skull Crushing Finale, which tends to be an otherwise weak finisher. Owens’ frog splash and Zayn’s Helluva Kick were on point too.

76) Tortuga Ninjas vs Mariachi Locos [Mexico State Trios Championship] (IWRG, 5/1) Three guys doing their bootleg Ninja Turtles gimmick against three heel champs who’ve recently decided to work a faux-babyface Mariachi gimmick is everything pro wrestling should be. Mariachi Locos are Hijo del Diablo (the love child of Jake Roberts and Manny Fernandez) Diablo Jr., and Imposible. This is worked as a legit lucha title match, where everyone shakes hands and keeps things on the up and up. Two-thirds of the IWRG roster now wear the exact same black shirt, long black tights, and plain black mask, but Diablo Jr. is the one who wears a wifebeater and works more singles matches. Like if you told me this team and Los Panteras are saving money together by sharing one set of gear, I'd buy it. This opens with some awesome matwork from Leonardo (“Leo” as he’s known south of the border) and Imposible. Lightning fast and I love the little stuff that Leo’s doing, like wag his finger Dusty Rhodes-style to indicate he’s not tapping. Raphael (“Rafy”) seems to be hitting the pizza harder than his cohorts these days, but is still pretty swift on the mat and basically stays on top of an intricate wrist-lock for several minutes. Michelangelo (“Mike”) looks like the worst worker of the three Turtles based on his loose, gaga approach to submissions, but what more can we expect from a party dude? There’s one really funny-bad moment here where Hijo del Diablo taps to an armbar, but is then caught on camera not once but three times, sticking his tongue out in a goofy manner, not selling anything, then corpsing when the ref comes over to massage his shoulder. Totally exposing in this weird way where you don’t get why they keep repeatedly putting the camera back on him in close-up. Matwork and flying are not Hijo’s strong suits, so this picks up in the tercera when it breaks down into a tornado brawl. Eventually you get big dives, including an incredible Diablo Jr. tope con hilo. 101) Diablo Jr. vs. Leo [intercontinental Welterweight Title Quarterfinal] (IWRG, 4/24) Here’s how many titles there are in Mexico: this is billed as the quarterfinal of a tournament to crown an Intercontinental Welterweight Title seemingly recognized only by IWRG. A week later these guys fight for the Mexican State Trios Titles, not to be confused with Mexico the country or the Mexican State Welterweight Title or the Western States Heritage Mexican Title. These are the two best workers from the trios discussed above having a six minute singles match. I like how fast this moves, with almost a Beat the Clock element of both guys going for a lot of pins and trying to hit the deathblow ASAP. It suffers a bit from attending the Paul Levesque School of Irish Whips, but everything they hit is stiff, including a whiplashed spinning neckbreaker for the finish.

62) Shayna Bazler vs. Colleen Schneider (PREMIER XII, 3/6) Call it ShEvolve. This is billed as Schneider’s first ever pro wres match, and if that’s the case she may prove a genuine prodigy in the vein of Matt Riddle. Odd opening in that Bazler was throwing really fake kicks that I guess you could argue are sort of how you’d pull them in a shoot if retreating in defense, but here it just ended up looking awkward. Throughout I was surprised that Schneider was way better here than the Billy Robinson-trained Bazler. Their grappling is much better than their stand-up in that they can roll very quickly on the mat together and pull off a lot of dynamic escapes in and out of armdrags. Good ankle lock from Bazler, but she still looks weird in there. Schneider’s even good at selling, which I would not have guessed. This has kind of a slow-then-sudden finish, but they told a good story and it felt pretty true to the legitmacy vibe they were seeking, even if I’d recommend these two watch more BattlARTS than Pancrase if shoot style is their future. Certainly not the best match you’ll see this year, but definitely one of the most interesting, especially if you’re a Horsewomen fan and watched the Rousey-Tate season of TUF.

I presume the idea was that he would get some kind of Punk-at-MITB reaction in Chicago, which did not seem to be the case. The hometown kid makes good story wasn't effectively told IIRC.

For context, back in 2006: Cena (#30) would not have been top 200. Nor would Styles (#39). Or Punk (#46). Maybe not even Bryan (#5) or Samoa Joe: #59. Certainly not Cesaro (#87), Zayn (#88), Low Ki (#107), KENTA (#119), Necro Butcher (#159), Austin Aries (#176), Edge (#182), or Jay Briscoe (#196). (Also, how did Aries get this high? I get that KENTA has massive modern puro backers, but who are the major Aries fans?) Probably not Triple H (#120). Okada at #137 might have had the fastest recent route to top 150 status. Mark Henry (#156)? '06 is considered the start of his renaissance, so probably not. So that's 16 modern top 200 guys who wouldn't have made it ten years ago. Within that mix you have American indie darlings, WWE main eventers, the most popular Japanese junior for a span of at least 5-7 years, and the ace of New Japan for the last 4+ years. Point being: you likely have to be pretty huge and pretty not-Mexican to make a jump like this. In some ways it becomes harder given that we haven't really had any major new American companies emerge since 2002 or so? Unless you could count something like Lucha Underground, which ten years from now might feel like a Wrestling Society X? I do think enhancements to the web will help greatly, in that I think in 10 years we'll all have exponentially more access to everything past and present. Yehi, Riddle, and Thatcher are all sound ideas. But I'll be even more curious to see if anyone can make a dramatic shift a la Edge or Okada from where they are now. It'd be pretty fun/wild if someone surprising like Bushi kicks off the next big Japanese boom, or if one of the Panther kids becomes a long-term ace of CMLL. What would be truly great is if someone totally dismissed like Titus or an Uso goes on to have a Henry or Edge-type run. For some reason I feel like we'll be talking about Bray Wyatt in that capacity. Weather permitting, he's gonna have enough of a run, push, and character legacy that he could achieve a Taker-like status ten years from now.

45) Cibernético, Mephisto, Rey Escorpión vs Ángel de Oro, Máscara Dorada, Volador Jr. (CMLL Guerreros del Ring, 4/28) As you might guess, highlight here was Escorpion. He works on the mat with Oro and serves as a great base to all three. CMLL is basically the all-time greatest promotion for easily watchable fifteen minute tags. Even if you’ve seen hundreds of lucha trios this good, everyone’s entertaining and it’s a nice mix of genuinely impressive high flying and fast chain wrestling. 114) Curtis Axel/Bo Dallas vs. The Vaudevillains (Smackdown, 5/5) I now watch matches like this the way I assume the DVDVR crew were watching The Pro in 1997, looking for gold in situations where undercarders would accidentally be allowed to have a good match on TV. Axel is a sad bro whose cargo shorts feel like his most apt gimmick yet. Dallas is a guy I really loved during his debut year on the main roster, but the singlet doesn’t work. Vaudevillians are a horrible gimmick, but they showed some decent teamwork in this two minute match. 52) Charlotte/Emma vs. Natalya/Becky Lynch (Smackdown, 5/5) Emma-Becky should be the title feud, but people with accents can’t draw, so that’s that. Emma ruled doing Regal pins, smashing Natalya’s face into the mat at top speed, and bumping big for Becky’s hot tag. Even Charlotte was a good heel here, and you can see that Vince has really changed his tune on playing to the crowd. I think all four women acknowledge the audience at some point here. The finish with Emma and Natalya was outstanding. I plan to do some kind of mid-year top 50 workers list, and it’s possible that both Emma and Lynch end up on it. 100) Rusev vs. Zack Ryder (Smackdown, 5/5) These two have no chemistry at all, and it’s pretty much all Ryder’s fault. His offense is only slightly less ridiculous than his overselling for everything. He’s like a taller, bulkier, far less agile Ziggler. Rusev hits an amazing scoop suplex where he lifts Ryder from the floor up over his head in one quick motion, reminding you that this guy used to be the best act in the company. The new facet of Lana’s continuing punishment is that she now has to dress like Joan Rivers. Russell gets a goose egg on his forehead off a ref bump: Lana scolds Ryder post-match for potato-ing her man. Kalisto’s recent gimmick as tiny babyface who jumps heels from behind, beats them up with cheap shots, then scurries away continues. 42) The Usos vs. Karl Anderson/Luke Gallows (Smackdown, 5/5) Really good match with a twist halfway through that makes it better. Anderson and Gallows still aren’t great, but they’re much improved, and the Reigns-Styles exchanges here look like the hottest thing in wrestling. Even the Usos seem to be getting a good rub off this feud as they were being booed just weeks ago against the Dudleys.

Even Sin Cara gets a singles win. (Against Rusev.) Weird finish with Kalisto causing really heelish distraction for a face, but a solid outing. Crowd seems up for everything too.

RAW highlights thus far: Wacky Flair ejection from ringside Perfectly decent Zayn-Miz match Cesaro holding a large coffee and nodding

92) Hiroshi Fukuda vs. Terry Boy [Hardcore Match] (BASARA, 4/14) I’ve been out of this crew’s loop for a while, but Fukuda coming out with really long hair in an American flag jumpsuit while waving an actual giant American flag that he then uses to hit ring boys with cheap shots is a pretty killer way to start a match. Match itself reminded me that I watched hundreds if not thousands of Japanese indie matches between say 2005 and 2010. Teioh was in a bunch of them as he works everywhere. Then at a certain point I just stopped, as it so much of it felt joylessly repetitive and half-formed: perennial mid carders going through the motions in front of dead crowds. Each guy had their same crowd brawls, same shtick, same match structure, same hulk-ups every match. You could predict what any given NOAH match would be, as was the case with DG, DDT, Z1, and others. The strikes in this are pretty darn bad: even with Funk/Murdoch tribute spots and a lot of blood, there’s no drama at all. But this does heat up at the very end, with a really cool finish that makes this feel like a smart usage of “hardcore” rules. You do get the sense throughout that these guys are trying to have something resembling a gritty lucha brawl, and even if it never really gets there, it still feels kind of novel if nothing else, esp. with Fukuda having maybe the greatest look in pro wrestling today. 16) Negro Casas vs. Hechicero (Monterrey, 4/24) Great leg locks on the mat from Casas. Hechicero powering out of the arm-bar was cool. Hechicero’s assault in the third fall - huge Muscle Buster, moonsault, the wheelbarrows - all looked stellar. 68) Dalton Castle vs. ACH vs. Roderick Strong vs. Adam Page (ROH Global Wars, 5/8) Castle’s entrance may have been the highlight. Strong’s chops were good. Castle’s suplexes and power moves were really cool too, he looked to be killing dudes with those forearms. The big tope spot was awesome and props to Page for flipping in and lariat ACH in the process. Really nice finish as well. 108) Jushin Liger/Cheeseburger vs. The Addiction (ROH Global Wars, 5/8) Loved the faces’ teamwork here. Finish was effectively creepy, I guess? Not a great or even particularly good match as the heels are pretty lame in their offense and mannerisms. The feud over who has the best Meltzer Driver is the very sort of thing Baron Corbin pledges to erase from our lives. Kind of a nothing bout. 94) War Machine vs. The Briscoes (ROH Global Wars, 5/8) Fighting spirit moments here didn’t work for me. Well worked match but this being for the 9th title run for the Briscoes in ROH feels like the same old song. Everyone in this was fine and worked hard, but for me it lacked much drama or structure: I don’t know what story they were trying to tell beyond 2.9 counts and War Machine looking for their first win over the Briscoes. 65) Tetsuya Naito vs. Kyle O’Reilly (ROH Global Wars, 5/8) Liked the Regalplex and the finish. My feed was quite bad during this, but what I saw looked solid. 122) Hiroshi Tanahashi/Michael Elgin vs. Kazuchita Okada/Moose (ROH Global Wars, 5/8) Really weak looking neckbreajer from Okada to Tanahashi. Aside from the second rope senton I didn’t much like their stuff. Elgin was bland as ever and Moose works too small for a guy so big. He’s flying around for everyone when he could been the grounding powerhouse to the other indulgence on display. 48) Tomohiro Ishii vs. Bobby Fish [TV Title] (ROH Global Wars, 5/8) Loved the brainbuster, big lariats and suplexes from Ishii. Fish sold well throughout and told a story of challenger having to take a beating to stand a chance. Good match. 88) Kushida/Matt Sydal/The MCMGs vs.The Young Bucks/Tama Tonga/Tunga Loa (ROH Global Wars, 5/8) Bucks have a certain charm at times even if their work isn’t superb. Faces were all interchangeable, though I think Kushida’s pretty likable in his work and character. Match was the usual Bucks overkill, and probably on the low end of their recent ROH work even with some nice dives and an amusing subplot in their super kick counter. 73) Jay Lethal vs. Colt Cabana [ROH World Title] (ROH Global Wars, 5/8) Lethal’s a better promo than Cabana. Lethal’s entrance theme and video is totally weird but kind of effective. Match of the Night until the finish, which was worse than nearly anything WWE’s done this year. Like, some part of me thinks this sucked more than Taker-Shane, in that I had a more visceral negative reaction to just turn this off than to the unintentional comedy of Mania. Thought Lethal and Colt both looked very good. I suspect this is building to some kind of Wargames match where ROH has to defend against the invaders.

One of the dream match pairings in lucha right now. Great leg locks on the mat from Casas. Hechicero powering out of the arm-bar was cool. Hechicero’s assault in the third fall - huge Muscle Buster, moonsault, the wheelbarrows - all looked stellar.

Tetsuya Naito vs. Kyle O’Reilly (ROH Global Wars, 5/8) Liked the Regalplex and the finish. My feed was quite bad during this, but what I saw looked solid if unexciting. Hiroshi Tanahashi/Michael Elgin vs. Kazuchita Okada/Moose (ROH Global Wars, 5/8) Really weak looking neckbreaker from Okada to Tanahashi was the most glaring moment in the match, but this whole thing lacked heat. Aside from the second rope senton I didn’t much like their stuff. Elgin was as oafishly bland as ever even if his power is legit, and Moose works too small for a guy so big. He’s flying around for everyone when he could be the grounding powerhouse to the other indulgence on display. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Bobby Fish [TV Title] (ROH Global Wars, 5/8) Really liked the brainbuster, big lariats and suplexes from Ishii. Fish sold well throughout and told a story of challenger having to take a beating to stand a chance. Good match. Kushida/Matt Sydal/The MCMGs vs.The Young Bucks/Tama Tonga/Tanga Roa (ROH Global Wars, 5/8) Bucks have a certain charm at times even if their work isn’t superb. Faces were all interchangeable, though I think Kushida’s pretty likable in his work and character. Match was the usual Bucks overkill, and probably on the low end of their recent ROH work even with some nice dives and an amusing subplot in their superkick counter. Jay Lethal vs. Colt Cabana (ROH Global Wars, 5/8) Lethal’s a better promo than Cabana. Lethal’s entrance theme and video is totally weird but kind of effective. Match of the Night until the finish, which was worse than nearly anything WWE’s done this year. Like, some part of me thinks this sucked more than Taker-Shane, in that I had a more visceral negative reaction to just turn this off than to the unintentional comedy of Mania. Thought Lethal and Colt both looked very good. I suspect this is building to some kind of Wargames match where ROH has to defend against the invaders.

Dalton Castle vs. ACH vs. Roderick Strong vs. Adam Page (ROH Global Wars, 5/8) Castle’s entrance may have been the highlight. Strong’s chops were good. Castle’s suplexes and power moves were really cool too, he looked to be killing dudes with those forearms. The big tope spot was awesome and props to Page for flipping in and lariat ACH in the process. Really nice finish as well. Jushin Liger/Cheeseburger vs. The Addiction (ROH Global Wars, 5/8) Loved the faces’ teamwork here. Finish was effectively creepy, I guess? Not a great or even particularly good match as the heels are pretty lame in their offense and mannerisms. The feud over who has the best Meltzer Driver is the very sort of thing Baron Corbin pledges to erase from our lives. Kind of a nothing bout. War Machine vs. The Briscoes (ROH Global Wars, 5/8) Fighting spirit moments here didn’t work for me. Well worked match but this being for the 9th title run for the Briscoes in ROH feels like the same old song. Everyone in this was fine and worked hard, but for me it lacked much drama or structure: I don’t know what story they were trying to tell beyond 2.9 counts and War Machine looking for their first win over the Briscoes.

It's certainly a good point that the WWE idea of "it's about the brand, not any individual stars". Bad booking perpetuates it. You also have a situation in which every other person who could potentially run a #2 brand seems deeply flawed in their approach. Gabe, Sinclair/Delirious, Konnan, Bauer, Dixie and the weird Corgan team at TNA, DeJoseph and the Lucha Underground bookers. Guys like Cornette, Jerry Jarrett and Ross are probably too old and have one foot out the door. Heyman seems resigned to who he now is, and had his own issues that kept him from being a true threat. If the increased ESPN-ification of WWE continues, it's possible that someone in the next 5-10 years could come out of WWE - a Ryan Ward type - who is the right mix of a smart wrestling mind, corporate professionalism, and a personality that contrasts all of Vince's difficult craven weirdness (thus making for a better, more approachable partner for media, production deals, sponsorship). But even if you are that person - or think you're that person in the case of someone like Court Bauer - there are questions as to whether a Grantland-style vision of wrestling would be as profitable as a lot of us think, where you find years of necessary capital, and all the other usual questions. TNA had more money than God, but stupid beats money every time. And to the subject question of this thread: even with a Vince-caliber booker/promoter at the helm, you need the talent, but the current indie scene is a lot richer than it probably should be given the current state of wrestling. Unless something changes in those 5-10 years, it seems like there will always be enough talent. But being a talent and being a star are different things.