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Agreed here. They are transforming the product a good bit right now and honestly i think it is really exciting. I just finished the hulu version of smackdown (I only watch the hulu version of either show really) and I just keep coming away from both Raw and Smackdown lately impressed. This brand split has been a massive success to me. It feels like at least some of the wrestlers are seeing increased levels of freedom, people are getting chances to shine, the stories are coming together, the emotion levels are jacked up... I just really love it all right now. I don't remember the last time I liked the entire product top to bottom this much. Of course there are things that could be improved and things I could pick apart, but man, its just good right now. I have never been a huge Ziggler fan, but his performances recently have been so packed with emotion. I am all in on this match and this feud and I honestly liked the stuff he was doing with Ambrose more than most I think too. The final segment was fantastic. Everyone is doing their part to make that match as interesting as possible. I thought the whole Austin calling Ambrose thing out was a little cheesy and maybe overstated. I was wrong. No clue if that was legit or not (don't care either). Ambrose has been fire and this might have been his best promo performance in the E. Ok, I am in overstatement mode, but I have been texting similar stuff to my friends every week after I finish Raw and Smackdown so I decided to bring it here. This was a really good smackdown that is symptomatic of a really good direction for the WWE right now. I think Smackdown has been better than Raw, but Raw has been an improved product to me. The way the are implementing the cruisers is fun and interesting. The dynamic between Owens and Jericho is awesome (Jericho might just be the best personality on the roster). The women's division has been killing it, bringing out those personalities even more to compliment the ring work. Seamus and Cesaro's feud was/is so much fun and did EVERYTHING it was supposed to (a wrestling showcase that allowed for sustained focus on both men, their work, and their characters).

Ohh God... this has already hurt my brain. I sort of informally demarcated a lot of the Lucha guys and japanese guys who would be on this list if it were framed differently. I just think that without speaking the language I can't get the nuance I'd want for a top 4 with regard to the character articulation here. Ric Flair: Resume speaks for itself, truly elite as both a heel and a face, top tier in ring and on the mic. Terry Funk: Maybe the most pro wrestling wrestler ever. A pure entertainer that could do anything he wanted in the ring Eddie Guerrero: I don't think anyone touches Eddie at his absolute best (though it was too rare). He could be the most lovable face or the most despicable heel. Wonderful balance. Bryan Danielson: Exceptionally underrated heel/tweener work, especially as ROH champion, where he really helped got a lot of guys over. In ring there are few better and his baby face run to Mania was all time stuff.

I feel like every time I watch or think about these matches my answer changes. I think they are all classic and they bring something a little different to the overall picture of the trilogy. I also can't really remove the matches from the trilogy, which really makes me think more fondly of WW than I probably would if I analyzed it in a vaccuum. I think it uses the learned psychology of the trilogy really well and executes urgency really well. One of my favorite things in a match is urgency. I think that brings a wrinkle to this feud that is one part hatred, one part desperation. The last time I watched them all together I came away loving it and thinking it might be my favorite. As time has gone by though, Clash returned to its spot at the top for me. I love the match and it is just so beautiful and - to steal a descriptor from Parv - mesmerizing. Id probably go Clash, WW, Chi. However, WW and Chi are really close to me.

I thought this was a really really good show. It did lack a little overall in finishes, but it wasn't a real negative because I thought (with the exception of maybe the Cesaro/Seamus match) that the finishes made sense for where they are in the storylines. New Day vs Club was a lot of fun, their best match together pretty clearly to me. I was pretty surprised they didn't go with the Club winning here, but I like long title runs and I still don't think they have run out of steam. I liked how the Club came in looking like they were ahead of the game here. The New Day comeback spots seemed more unique and meaningful because of pacey offense they were taking early. The Zayn/Jericho match was somewhat forgetable to me. I don't think it was actively bad, but it didn't hold my attention much. I agree with the idea that Zayn needs a real blood fued that isn't Owens. I could watch them wrestle forever, but Zayn needs a true, dominant heel to work against and have a long run comeback against (rusev or Seamus or a post full heel turn Reigns come to mind). Cesaro vs Seamus was match of the night to me. I thought they were absolutely ON. The whole match looked good and they were laying into each other, great hass battle. The spill Cesaro took could have wound up being a horror show. he looked legit surprised he was ok. I didn't LOVE the finish. i thought giving this to Cesaro made too much sense and having a best of seven with no payoff is sort of counterproductive, but they are thinking outside the box, clearly trying something new I think. I am ok with it. Cruisers - I love Kendrick and don't think he can do anything wrong. This was good, for sure. I liked it a lot. I want to rewatch the Women's title match. I was sort of doing stuff around the house during part of this and even rewound it a few times because I knew I was missing a good match. I just don't have a clear picture of it overall, but it was solid in all the places I did see it. Rusev vs Reigns. I love this feud. Rusev is so good it is unreal right now. He and Reigns have good chemistry and can throw their heavy artillery at each other in a believable way. I think they need a good epic to finish the feud. This was a really nice brawl where they could throw the kitchen sink at each other, but it felt restrained in a way. It felt like a middle chapter. I am not a huge fan of Reigns getting the strap, but again, I am ok with it. I can see it being a good way for him to build some momentum while not being in the title picture. It sucks that Rusev had to lose the belt though. Rusev as US champ is just the best. I also need to go back to the main event, but I quite liked what I was seeing. It felt like a PWO main event had a baby with a WWE main event and I was into it. Again, I didn't see quite enough to get a full picture so I'll rewatch it soon. The interference was fine actually. I love the Owens/Jericho connection and I think its really adding a lot to Owen's reign without making it a joke. I don't buy that he is the least important person in the story. I buy him as the young bully champion who isn't as good as he says or thinks, but is still pretty damn good. Sure he is a pawn in a variety of other games, but his performances have been good and I am willing to be the comes out of this whole long term plan looking pretty good. I think this is a good way to build him back up quickly from the pseudo goofball/insufferable suck up he turned into after his initial debut. Plus the way they are booking Rollins is some really good slow build face turn stuff.

I am not entirely sure how to say this without jumping down the predictable slippery slopes. I hope Terry Funk does whatever makes him happy and that whatever his choice is leads to many more years spent with his friends and family. Terry Funk is an absolute legend and any wrestling fan worth her/his salt has the absolute utmost respect for him and what he has done in and for wrestling.

yeah, i love how much they played up the gameplan stuff in that Ibushi match. I agree (or at least I think Astroboy and I agree) that the sensible approach was best, especially effective for the story of Perkin's journey to the tourney win. If he had gone more flashy he would have been crucified for being so spot heavy and every match being a repeat. All of the credit then would have gone directly to his opponents. He was damned either way I suppose.

I'm sorry, I don't buy for a second TJP was MVP of this tournament, nor do I have any problem with the fans who booed him after he beat the 3 biggest local favorites in the tournament (Gargano, Swann, and Ibushi) in a row. Also, his story felt minor in comparison to Kendricks, and him beating Ibushi when neither Alexander nor Kendrick could with what felt like better efforts actually hurt the entire story to me. I said he was one of. He would be below Kendrick for me for sure and probably Ibushi if I had to pick MVPs, but he is certainly - once it is all tallied up and in the rear view - one of the top contributors to the tourny. I understand the boos. The rationale is not lost on me. I just have no time for the. They run in stark contrast to my understanding of the show. They didn't change my enjoyment they just really really stupid to me. TJP was fantastic. His character was endearing and redeeming. His matches weren't just solid. They were good. The boos seemed to miss the forest for the trees to me. Again, I really don't get mad at fans for making their voices herd and it isn't something I tend to focus much attention on. This just seemed like really misplaced pouting in the middle of an otherwise really really cool story being told really really well (to me at least). maybe I agree with Matt D that his story (maybe) could have been framed and executed better, but I also kind of think in hindsight (intentional or not) it was executed just as it should be. It added an element of surprise (if you weren't reading too much on line). It also jived with him being an underdog. His story was told, but it was always told as the story of someone they kind of expected to lose eventually. It made every win feel a little more special, each building on the momentum of the last to where they were simultaneously a little more surprising and in another way a little less. Finally, I don't necessarily disagree with the reading that others (especially Kendrick) had better efforts that may have created a disconnect with the end product, but I just don't see it that way. I just have a completely different read. Those loses helped pay off the importance of TJP going over Ibushi in a big way. It made TJP's win feel so much bigger and added the layer that Ibushi might have had two of the hardest matches in the tourny that JUST MIGHT have caught up to him. It was balanced though. They didn't lay that on in a way that took away from TJP, it was just part of the larger story.

I just finished the show. I won't go on too long because most of what can be said has been said about this. Just a few quick thoughts. Ranallo is really growing on me. I never really hated him, but I pretty much like him now. He is so different and I just find it kind of refreshing. I am also getting better at just ignoring his references/jokes that I don't like and enjoying when he hits. I don't have a ton of complaints but this whole process did sour me a little on ZSJ. I don't have the hate some people have for him. i still think, when put with the right person doing the right stuff, he can have a fantastic match, but this is probably the most I have seen him in a relatively small time period and it made me notice some things that bother me. His selling was always a weakness, but here it really stood out. Ultimately, how this guy is not a heel is beyond me. I think where some people must see a natural babyface I see a born-to-be-heel. I still like him on the whole, but he took a fairly big drop in my eyes. That TJP/Ibushi match was off the charts good. The double KO tease spot was maybe the best of the tourny, so well placed and so well executed. I think I probably still like the Kendrick/Ibushi match a little better, but it is REALLY close. I have NO time for fans that boo TJP... NONE. That guy was one of the MVPs of the tournament, he was the center of an amazing story that was woven through the tournament as a whole and came to a head in the finals, and he wrestles with a passion that is palpable. I think the boos for him are the epitome of fans not getting the product fan dynamic. I am actually all for fans responding to the product on a variety of levels, but we live in a post-dragon wrestling world where fans sometimes (not all the time) respond viscerally to any minor result or aspect of the show that even marginally upsets them. In that, they miss the sort of power/magic of what happened in Dragon's rise to WMXXX and are effectively deluding their own voice. That is another topic for another time, but the response to TJP when he came out and more-so when he beat Ibushi was so infuriating to me and one of the few times fans actively pissed me off watching wrestling. I love the surprise that the belt was on the line, but the HHH nut-hugging made my eyes roll out the back of my head. I didn't so much care that he came out to make the announcement but they way they frame him and the way Orlando responds to him just feels like nails on a chalkboard to me. Regal's answer to what makes a good cruiser weight was the best because he made sure to mention that high flying was only cool if it made sense and you didn't waste energy. It was such a beautiful Regal-answer. Overall this tournament was fantastic and the finals paid it off really well. I have liked TJP for while, but there were probably at least 10-15 guys I would have picked to win above him (just based on liking them more, not predictions). However, I came to be a big fan through this tournament and THAT is the absolute highest compliment I could pay this whole thing. They told a story that made me buy a wrestler more or less from the ground up and by the time the final four hit I was outright rooting for him. THEN HE WON! As JS said, this was outstanding theater. It was fun from the get go and it felt rewarding to watch. It wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it was DAMN good.

It is an intersting question. I actually think I could make an argument for a lot of recent-ish WWE and NXT stuff. Really good has been sort of right in their wheelhouse when it comes to the big matches. A few of these came to mind right off, a few I looked back at my ratings and thought qualified. Ric Flair vs Jerry Lawler (2/14/1982) - Such a fun little match/segment, never meant to be great, but so so good. Stan Hansen vs Nick Bockwinkel (4/20/1986) - I really just liked this match a lot, but it is sort of in that top tier of the 4 stars group for me Necro Butcher vs Joe (6/11/2005) - I am not as high on this as some people, but it is certainly memorable and a "very good" match that I could go back to Negro Casas vs Mistico (9/18/2009) - Predictably fun and one of the first matches where I really started to get Casas when I was doing a lucha dive. Tommy End vs Mike Bailey (8/30/2015) - I am probably high on this one, but this was actually probably my favorite match of bola that year, just a great showcase that really stuck with me. Brian Kendrick vs Raul Mendoza (6/23/2016) and Tony Nese (7/14/2016) - I can't express how much I love Kendrick in this tourny. These two were VERY good and his last match was "great" to me.

I really love and hate ZSJ. I tend to like his work more than dislike, but his style is such that it can really hit or really miss. I think his WOS influence - because it is so much more pronounced than others - really needs to reach a sort of fusion with the style of his opponent and surroundings. I agree that it hasn't really hit full on in this tournament, but I don't think he has been terrible because so much of this tournament has been showcase stuff and that is what he has been doing in a lot of ways. I like ZSJ, he just hasn't really jumped off the page and has seemed a bit disconnected in places. It is all made worse by their clear highlighting of him.

I am relatively new to Lucha (been watching 80s and 90s only within the last year or so), but honestly everything Sangre Chicana is at the top of my list, especially the El Satanico stuff. I love the two matches between them I have seen. When Sagre Chicana was on he was absolute fire.

A good point. I tend to mean it as sort of a sideways negative, that the match doesn't have sort of staying power. Though, like every evaluation it says as much (more) about me as a fan/viewer than it really does about the match. That sort of "you had to be there" evaluation is exceedingly important in wrestling because the VAST majority of wrestling ever has been performed for the moment, not for the sort of archival viewing paradigm that I think we (internet fans, hardcore vans, etc) tend to intuitively reference and operate within.

Yeah, that phrase bothers me sometimes and I am also guilty. I tend to use it to refer to the sort of timeless stuff that I look for in a match (emotional investment, narrative coherence), but there does always feel like there is a weird connotation when something "doesn't hold up".

Point taken. I think we are pretty close to on the same page. I am not talking about drastic changes. Shitty matches are shitty matches. I am talking about taking a match from good to great or from great to elite. I hate to harp on the Buzz/Tommy match, but that is what is really inspiring a lot of this in my mind. I don't hold a ton of stock in star ratings and comparing two people's star ratings, but as a thought exercise, I'll flesh it out a second. I really like the match, but I like it even more because of its place in wrestling history. I love it and part of my love for it is that it was kept from us for so long. We are talking the difference in my own little ratings of 1/4 star MAYBE 1/2 star in extreme situations. Again, insignificant, but it reflects how in certain cases I have trouble uncoupling the match and its context, its history, and in some cases my own emotional attachment to it. I am not talking about drastic changes, more nuanced rises and falls in my evaluation.

Parv brings up a dimension of the question that I wasn't necessarily thinking about here, but certainly ponder a lot when I am watching, so i will touch on that first. I agree pretty much to a tee here. I try to be very mindful of the time period, the expectations, the norms, and so on when I am evaluating a match. Sometimes that is harder than others which is why I like to watch a match or two at least in a given time period before I really start to think critically about it. It just helps put me back in that mode. That might honestly be why the second watch of Buzz/Rich was so much more rewarding for me. I have been watching a lot of CWC, NXT, and WWE almost exclusively the last few weeks (simply out of time restraints and convenience), so the shift a GCW blood bath was substantial. I feel the same every time I go to an 80s set, especially lucha. I need to watch a few matches to get my eyes and my brain back in mode of watching those matches to not just evaluate them for some meaningless star rating I may give, but also to just enjoy them to their fullest. To sort of extend this, I haven't really found a style of wrestling yet I don't like. There are pretty big blind spots, but I really took to a lot of styles that I know others have trouble with (lucha and joshi most notably). Sure there are things that annoy me in different eras/styles, but usually that sets up a sort of hurdle that, when cleared so to speak, a match can really set itself apart. For example, I think Dragon's ability play the indy crowd and balance their expectations of pace and with good psychology is a huge feather in his cap. It makes his best indy matches really stand out to me. As a result, I - more often than not - analyze a match within its context. If I say something is "elite" or "5 stars" or whatever vocabulary I might be using I am saying it is up there as the epitome (for me) of great wrestling and great wrestling comes in a lot of different forms and can be judged by a lot of different standards. The way I was thinking about context was really more a direct response to the Final Battle of Atlanta match, which really almost has a mythic status at this point. I feel like I get it extra points for being such a good match and having such an important place in wrestling history. I think not having it for so long makes it feel more important and it is hard for me to separate that from how I evaluate the match itself. There are some other examples where the historical significance of the match is hard for me to separate from the match itself. Steamboat/Savage from mania is a canonical match in not just the WWE world, but in the sort of history of American wrestling more broadly I think. I love that it was the best match on the biggest card, a match that represents what I like in wrestling that sort of outlived Hogan/Andre in some ways (certainly not all). The match itself though is something I always feel let down by. I hate the finish (for another topic perhaps), but I still like the match and think fondly of it. Punk/Cena at MITB is a match that feels like the product of a moment/story, and feels like it gets sort of mythologized a bit too and that is hard for me to separate from the match. For me, there are matches that just have a "place" in wresting history. They resonate either with the popular audience or the online community or both and that can affect how I evaluate the match and it can be positive or negative. I try to demarcate that, but sometimes it seems impossible. I think the second question is easier. I think storyline can add a lot to a match. Idol/Lawler cage match is the perfect example. That is a match I like better because of the story being told more broadly. For me, Eddie/JBL (Judgement Day) is maybe the best example. I think that match in a vaccuum might just feel like a blood bath, but in the context of the story they are trying to tell, a story that appropriates much of Eddie's real story and the emotional investment people have in his career success, makes that match other worldly to me. I feel like this has been beat to death in some cases, but I only brought it up because I don't think you can detach it from the first question about historical position. The Punk/Cena match is somewhat iconic because of the storyline more than the match, for example. Finally, I completely agree with Loss. Matches that you can pluck out of their context and still be in awe of are special in some ways. Again, it isn't the only way to achieve greatness, but its a unique and somewhat rare quality.

Apologies if this exists elsewhere, but the question has been percolating in my mind and some of the recent talk about the Last Battle of Atlanta (http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?/topic/35434-last-battle-of-atlanta/)and the importance of finishers (http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?/topic/35447-how-important-is-the-finish-in-giving-a-match-five-stars/) got me pondering it again this morning. I didn't want to bog down the Last Battle thread with this or turn the Finishers thread too far off track, so I thought this could use its own thread or at least a revisit given the big unearthing one of the holy grails and the conversation about evaluation coming from it. Ultimately, I have two questions: How important is historical context and/or historical significance of a match to you when you are evaluating matches (whatever that looks like for you)? Can you separate a match's place in wrestling history from what happens in (and before and after) the match itself? Do you even try to do that? and How important is the story or the program or the storyline when you are evaluating matches? Do you judge or rate matches in a vaccuum or do you place an emphasis on the broader context? I assume obviously that depends on what we have access to, but when given the choice, how do you tend to think about? I'll chime in later probably when I get a minute to flesh out my thoughts.

I sort of waffle a bit on how important finishers are and generally think it sort of depends on the context. Even still, I waffle between them being really important and maybe the most important thing. I think of a match as a story and an elite match builds and and builds to that crescendo and if the finish falls flat it can really kill it for me. At the same time, an epic finish can elevate a match pretty significantly in my mind. I tend to rate matches based on how much I buy in, how much they are able to tell a compelling and emotional story through the match itself and how much that story gets me to invest during the time I am watching. Matches that do that and take that emotion to the next level, sort of shoot past where I thought we were going in an already great match typically get the 4.75 or 5 rating from me. So in that way, the finish is extremely important because if a match doesn't at least maintain the connection and elevate it it wont get there for me. That all said, I don't think it has to be clean and it doesn't have to be "iconic" or "epic". I love the exhausted finish. I love the simple, satisfying finish of someone just finally hitting the move or locking on the hold they have struggled for the entire match. I can also get behind a really well done DQ (ex, Eddie/JBL), though I am somewhat picky about that. As for what "defines" a match, I typically go with the whole segment, though I am sometimes willing to just demarcate the match by the bells if I don't like the post-match that much and am always willing to include the pre and post match stuff if I love it. For example, for me (as a dragon mark) Orton cashing in on Dragon after he beat Cena clean as a sheet really detracted from what was otherwise a fantastic match. I am not sure I ever fully put that aside, but I like to think of that match as bell to bell because that is how I would rewatch that match. On the other hand, the aforementioned Eddie/JBL match is a great example of something elevated by the post match. Buzz vs Duggan (no dq) is another match example. I am generally not crazy about that when I am putting together my ratings, but then I remember that my ratings are just for me and only reflect how I watch at wrestling. Those sorts of inconsistencies are things I think about though. Ultimately, I tend to "rate" or judge a match for myself by what I would watch of it again if I were just putting something on (within reason - bell to bell being sort of the smallest measure), but I think the segment, story, historical context and all that can be and should be fair game when thinking of matches as talking points or subjects of conversation.

The first time I watched this match I felt underwhelmed, but I kept wanting to like it more because of its historical significance. I felt a real dissonance between what I saw and what I felt and it was clear to me that my first watch was just functioning to shed my expectations and get that whole "this is it" out of my system. I watched it again and the second watch was almost completely different. The whole thing made more sense to me. Buzz did feel like a crazed animal in the match, trying to figure out what he was working with. That really set a tone for me. The first time I watched it I also felt a little lack of energy and a little lack of urgency, but on second watch that early part read very different to me. These are two big bad dudes in a fist fight behind the bleachers. They know how to fight. This isn’t their first rodeo and they are showing their experience early on. They don’t get worked up. The match builds beautifully from there. First Buzz cuts everything off well on the way up, then Tommy's comebacks build on one another wonderfully. They devil is really in the details to me. I love how Tommy works around the arm in parts. I love how Buzz uses his cutoffs. I loved that final jab when Tommy missed off the top. It felt like the bad guy had really gotten the best of him. It made the finish that much more special. Tommy goes all in and it feels like there is finality here to me. Like some, the finish snuck up on me and felt flat on the first watch, but again, the second watch was totally different. After I pealed away those expectations I thought the finish actually made sense. I could have dealt with 3-5 more minutes, but that is just because I liked the match so much and wanted more. I think this is every bit the match Duggan/DiBiase is and it ranks up there with the best of Memphis. I probably like it more than the Sgt. Slaughter canonical bouts with Patterson and Sheik. This is pretty elite stuff in my book.

I am torn on the Slater bit. On one hand, the "poor white trash"thing in wrestling is more or less tired to me. I am from West Virginia and I am not personally offended by any instance of those stereotypes being summoned, but the easy use of them is off putting and boring. Visceral responses to those kinds of things are even more off putting. It is really just a regurgitation of classist tropes that people have internalized at this point. I just don't have much time for it. On the other hand, SLATER IS SO GOOD. He has been fantastic when given the chance for a long time (I think), but especially since the draft. When he does stuff like this I buy in because I think he legit gets the politics of it and executes it beautifully. It is very wink and nod to the region, much like how Regal describes his exaggerated English act. The impressive thing to me is that he isn't just doing shtick stuff, he is taking these goofy situations and pulling glimmers of real emotion and storytelling out of them (at least to my eye he is). I really want Slater to be on my TV as much as possible.

Yeah, I can't do much else but echo the love for this whole thing and especially for Kendrick. I think at this moment, judging by just this tournament, I would put him as one of the top 5 (maybe 3) wrestlers in the world. I said that after his second round match and this solidified it. I can't overstate how much I have loved his work in the CWC. This match was lights out and the Burning Hammer made me jump out off my couch. I thought Ibushi has been a pretty great offense machine in this tourney and we all knew he was winning, but this might have been the best possible way to go about it. I wish we were going to get Kendrick in NXT for a bit and think he belongs on Smackdown as well, but if they take the CW division seriously he could be crucial in its rise.

I would argue that "aura" and "carrying yourself with charisma" really pushes the whole thing into the subjective. I love Owens aura and think he is very charismatic, always have. I think at his best he paints himself as a very unique competitors that can register a variety of threats to other wrestlers. I think his "sloppy" in ring style is very strategic and part of the aura he is building. I think there is - again, at his best - a lot of subtly in his work and think he absolutely knows how to draw real heel heat. Admittedly, he was made a little too comical and cute recently, but he isn't reducible to his last four months on TV either. To me, he makes a lot of sense and is the kind of guy I trust to add something to a match, a segment, or a feud precisely because of his subtle character work, his charisma, and his aura. But none of that is objective or measurable, so speaking in absolutes seems counterproductive. I just see a lot of that as a matter of how many people buy in and a lot of people over the years have bought in. I will say, there there has to be a reason he has been THE champion for a number of "indy" organizations, NXT, and now WWE. For someone who has no business being on top... he has been on top of a variety of wrestling promotions.

Updated: 8/13/2018 Five Star Matches (*****) 1960s Gilbert Cesca vs Billy Catanzarro (1960s) 1970s Adrian Street vs Jim Breaks (2/12/1973) Steve Grey vs Clive Myers (11/20/1975, [air11/22/1975]) Terry Funk vs Jumbo Tsuruta (NWA Title – 6/11/1976) Billy Robinson vs Giant Baba (PWF Title – 7/24/1976) Billy Robinson vs Jumbo Tsuruta (NWA United National Title – 3/5/1977) Terry Funk vs Harley Race (NWA Title – 7/1/1977) 1980s Steve Grey vs Johnny Saint (1/28/1980 [air: 2/2/1980]) Pat Patterson vs Sgt. Slaughter (Alley Fight – 5/4/1981) Stan Hansen vs Andre The Giant (9/23/1981) Ricky Steamboat/Jay Youngblood vs Sgt. Slaughter/Don Kernodle (Cage Match – NWA Tag Titles – 3/12/1983) Jerry Lawler vs Bill Dundee (Loser Leaves Town – Southern Heavyweight Title – 6/6/1983) Greg Valentine vs Roddy Piper (7/9/1983) Sangre Chicana vs MS-1 (Hair vs Hair – 9/23/1983) Buzz Sawyer vs Tommy Rich (Cage Match – 10/23/1983) Sgt. Slaughter vs Iron Sheik (Bootcamp Match -6/1/1984) El Satanico vs Gran Cochise (NWA Middleweight Title – 9/14/1984) Ted Dibiase vs Jim Duggan (Loser Leaves Town – Coal Miners Glove – Tuxedo – Cage Match – 3/30/1985) Devil Masami vs Chigusa Nagayo (WWWA All Pacific Title – 8/22/1985) Tully Blanchard vs Magnum TA (Cage Match – US Title – 11/28/1985) Jerry Lawler vs Bill Dundee (Loser Leaves Town - Southern Heavyweight Title – 12/30/1985) Jumbo Tsaruta and Genichiro Tenryu vs Riki Choshu and Yoshiaki Yatsu (NWA International Tag Titltes – 1/28/1986) Sangre Chicana vs Perro Aguayo (Hair vs Hair – 2/28/1986) El Hijo Del Santo vs Espanto Jr (Mask vs Mask – 8/31/1986) Jim Duggan vs Buzz Sawyer (No DQ – 11/11/1985)** Nick Bockwinkel vs Curt Hennig (AWA Title – 11/21/1986) Stan Hansen vs Carlos Colon (Texas Bullrope Match – 1/6/1987) Stan Hansen/Terry Gordy vs Genichiro Tenryu/Toshiaki Kawada (AJ Tag Titles – Real World Tag Finals – 12/16/1988) Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat (NWA Title – 2/20/1989) Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat (NWA Title – 3/18/1989) Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat (2/3 Falls – NWA Title – 4/2/1989) Jumbo Tsuruta vs Genichiro Tenryu (Triple Crown Title – 6/5/1989) Ric Flair vs Terry Funk (NWA Title – 7/23/1989) 1990s El Dandy vs Angel Azteca (NWA Middleweight Title – 6/1/1990) Mitsuhara Misawa vs Jumbo Tsuruta (9/1/1990) Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Nobuhiko Takada (10/25/1990) El Satanico vs El Dandy (Hair vs Hair – 12/14/1990) El Hijo del Santo vs Negro Casas (UWA World Heavyweight Title – 5/17/1991) Jushin Thunder Liger vs El Samurai (Super Juniors Final – 4/30/1992) Negro Casas vs El Dandy (CMLL Middleweight Title – 7/3/1992) Manami Toyota/Toshiyo Yamada vs Dynamite Kansai/Mayumi Ozaki (WWWA Tag Titles – 11/26/1992) Stan Hansen vs Toshiaki Kawada (2/28/1993) Shinobu Kandori vs Akira Hokuto (4/2/1993) Manami Toyota/Toshiyo Yamada vs Dynamite Kansai/Mayumi Ozaki (WWWA Tag Titles – 4/11/1993) Stan Hansen vs Kenta Kobashi (4/16/1993) Stan Hansen vs Kenta Kobashi (7/29/1993) Kenta Kobashi vs Steve Williams (8/31/1993) El Satanico vs Pirata Morgan (Hair vs Hair – 11/26/1993) Aja Kong vs Yumika Hotta (WWWA World Championship - 1/24/1994) Shinobu Kandori/Akira Hokuto vs Bull Nakano/Aja Kong (3/27/1994) Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada (Triple Crown Title – 6/3/1994) Shinobu Kanori vs Bull Nakano (Chain Match – 7/14/1994) Mitsuharu Misawa vs Akira Taue (Champions Carnival Final – 4/15/1995) Holy Demon Army vs Kenta Kobashi/Mitsuharu Misawa (Tag League Final – 6/9/1995) Shinjiro Otani vs El Samurai (UWA World Jr LHW Title – 1/21/1996) Volk Han vs Kiyoshi Tamura (9/25/1996) El Hijo del Santo vs Negro Casas vs El Dandy (Hair vs Hair vs Mask – 12/6/1996) Holy Demon Army vs Mitsuharu Misawa/Jun Akyama (Tag League Final – 12/6/1996) Kenta Kobashi vs Mitsuharu Misawa (Triple Crown Title – 1/20/1997) Volk Han vs Kiyoshi Tamura (Mega Battle Final – 1/22/1997) Bret Hart vs Steve Austin (I Quit Match – 3/23/1997) Koji Kanemoto vs El Samurai (Super Juniors Final – 6/5/1997) Negro Casas vs El Hijo del Santo (Hair vs Mask – 9/19/1997) Kiyoshi Tamura vs Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (6/27/1998) Kenta Kobashi vs Mitsuharu Misawa (Triple Crown Title – 10/31/1998) Kenta Kobashi vs Mitsuharu Misawa (Triple Crown Title – 6/11/1999) Kiyoshi Tamura vs Yoshihisa Yamamoto (6/24/1999) 2000s Atlantis vs Vilano III (Mask vs Mask – 3/17/2000) Bryan Danielson vs Low Ki (3/30/2002) Kenta Kobashi vs Mitsuharu Misawa (GHC Title – 3/1/2003) Eddie Guerrero vs John Bradshaw Layfield (WWE Title – 5/16/2004) Kenta Kobashi vs Samoa Joe (10/2/2005) Bryan Danielson vs Nigel McGuinness (ROH Title vs ROH Pure Title – 8/12/2006) John Cena vs Umaga (Last Man Standing – WWE Title – 1/28/2007) 2010s El Hijo Del Santo and Villano IV vs Angel Blanco and El Hijo Del Solitario (2/25/2012) Daniel Bryan vs John Cena (WWE World Title – 8/18/2013) Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kota Ibushi (IWGP IC Title – 1/4/2015) Black Terry vs Wotan (8/21/2016) Canis Lupus vs Trauma I (Mask vs Mask – 9/4/2016) Andrade Almas vs Johnny Gargano (NXT Title – 1/18/2018) Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada (2/3 Falls – IWGP Title – 6/9/2018) Four and Three Forth Star Matches (****3/4) 1970s Johnny Saint vs Jim Breaks (British Lightweight Title – 3/5/1973 [air 5/5/1973]) Jim Breaks vs Vic Faulkner (UK Welterweight Title – 7/5/1977 [air: 7/16/1977]) 1980s Bob Backlund vs Ken Patera (Texas Death Match – WWF World Title – (5/18/1980) Devil Masami vs Jackie Sato (11/27/1980) Nick Bockwinkel vs Billy Robinson (12/11/1980) Terry Funk vs Jerry Lawler (No DQ – 3/23/1981) Steve Grey vs Jim Breaks (5/12/1981 [air: 5/16/1981]) Steve Grey vs Jon Cortez (7/27/1981) Jerry Lawler vs Dutch Mantell (Barbwire Match - Southern Heavyweight Title – 3/29/1982) Stan Hansen vs Terry Funk (4/14/1983) Ric Flair vs Jumbo Tsuruta (NWA Title – 6/8/1983) Nick Bockwinkel vs Wahoo McDaniel (AWA Title – 8/26/1983) Stan Hansen/Terry Gordy vs The Funks (8/31/1983) Greg Valentine vs Roddy Piper (Dog Collar Match – U.S. Title – 11/24/1983) Nick Bockwinkel vs Rick Martel (AWA Title – 9/20/1984) Terry Gordy vs Killer Khan (Texas Death Match – 11/22/1984) Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Super Tiger (Real Death Match - 12/5/1984) Chigusa Nagayo vs Dump Matsumoto (Hair vs Hair – 8/28/1985) Jumbo Tsuruta vs Rick Martel (AWA Title – 9/29/1985) Ric Flair vs Ted DiBiase (NWA Title – 11/6/1985) Ric Flair vs Barry Windham (NWA Title – 2/14/1986) Stan Hansen vs Curt Hennig (AWA Title – 5/31/1986) Jerry Lawler vs Bill Dundee (Loser Leaves Town – 7/14/1986) Riki Choshu vs Killer Khan (Death Match – 7/31/1986) La Fiera vs Babyface (Hair vs Hair – 8/15/1986) Buddy Rose/Doug Sommers vs Midnight Rockers (8/30/1986) Bam Bam Bigelow vs Jerry Lawler (Texas Death Match – 9/7/1986) Terry Gordy vs Ted DiBiase (Cage Match – 10/17/1986) Invader I vs Al Perez (Street Fight – 10/26/1986) Buddy Rose/Doug Sommers vs Midnight Rockers (Cage Match – 1/17/1987) Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat (IC Title – 2/15/1987) Ric Flair vs Barry Windham (NWA Title 4/11/1987) Jerry Lawler vs Austin Idol (Cage Match – Southern Heavyweight Title – 4/27/1987) Barry Windham vs Dick Murdoch (Western States Heritage Title – 7/11/1987) Negro Casas vs El Hijo del Santo (Hair vs Mask – 7/18/1987) Midnight Express vs Fantastics (US Tag Team Titles – 4/26/1988) Shinobu Kandori vs Devil Masami (7/14/1988) El Dandy vs Pirata Morgan (Hair vs Hair – 9/23/1988) Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat (NWA Title – 5/7/1989)* Sangre Chicana vs El Satanico (5/26/1989) El Dandy vs Emilio Charles (Hair vs Hair – 7/28/1989) Ric Flair vs Terry Funk (I Quit Match – 11/15/1989) 1990s Jushin Thunder Liger vs Naoki Sano (IWGP Jr. HW Title – 1/31/1990) Mitsuharu Misawa vs Jumbo Tsuruta (6/8/1990) Southern Boys vs Midnight Express (NWA US Tag Titles – 7/7/1990) Hiroshi Hase vs The Great Muta (9/14/1990) Aja Kong vs Bull Nakano (Cage Match – 11/14/1990) Pirata Morgan vs El Faraon (Hair vs Hair – 11/16/1990) Randy Savage vs Ultimate Warrior (Retirement Match – 3/24/1991) Vader vs Keiji Muto (G1 Match – 8/10/1991) Keiji Muto vs Masahiro Chono (G1 Final – 8/11/1991) Enforcers vs Dustin Rhodes and Ricky Steamboat (WCW Tag Titles – 11/19/1991) Sting’s Squadron vs The Dangerous Alliance (WarGames – 5/17/1992) Can-Am Express vs Kenta Kobashi/Tsuyoshi Kikuchi (All Asia Tag Title – 5/25/1992) Arn Anderson vs Barry Windham (2/3 falls – NWA Title – 6/6/1992) Ricky Steamboat vs Rick Rude (Iron Man Match – 6/20/1992) Hiroshi Hase vs The Great Muta (12/14/1992) Sting vs Big Van Vader (White Castle of Fear Strap Match – 2/21/1993) Holy Demon Army vs Kenta Kobashi/Mitsuharu Misawa (Real World Tag League Final – AJ Tag Title – 12/3/1993) Bret Hart vs Owen Hart (3/20/1994) Holy Demon Army vs Kenta Kobashi/Mitsuharu Misawa (Tag League Final – 5/21/1994) Super Vader vs Nobuhiko Takada (Pro Wrestling World HW Title – BotW Final – 8/18/1994) Kenta Kobashi vs Steve Williams (Triple Crown Title – 9/3/1994) Mocho Cota vs Negro Casas (Hair vs Hair – 9/23/1994) Los Gringos Locos vs El Hijos del Santo/Octagon (Double Hair vs Double Mask – AAA Tag Title – 11/6/1994) Shinya Hashimoto vs Hiroshi Hase (IWGP HW Title – 12/13/1994) Aja Kong vs Dynamite Kansai (WWWA Title – 8/30/1995) Bret Hart vs Steve Austin (11/17/1996) Cicloncito Ramirez vs Damiancito El Guerrero (CMLL Mini Estrella Title – 1/7/1997) Jushin Thunder Liger vs Shinjiro Otani (J Crown Title – 2/9/1997) LCO vs Karou Ito/Tomoko Watanabe (Cage Match – 9/21/1997) Volk Han vs Kiyoshi Tamura (9/26/1997) Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels (Hell in a Cell – WWF World Title – 10/5/1997) Kenta Kobashi vs Mitsuharu Misawa (Triple Crown Title – 10/21/1997) Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Misterio Jr (Title vs Mask – WCW Cruiserweight Title – 10/26/1997) Shinobu Kandori vs Yumiko Hotta (LLPW Title vs WWWA Title – 3/21/1998) Kenta Kobashi vs Jun Akiyama (Triple Crown Title - 7/24/1998) El Hijo Del Santo vs Felino (10/18/1998) 2000s Bryan Danielson vs Low Ki (7/21/2001) Brock Lesnar vs Undertaker (Hell in a Cell – WWE World Title – 10/20/2002) Eddie Guerrero vs Brock Lesnar (WWE Undisputed Title – 2/15/2004) Kenta Kobashi vs Yoshihiro Takayama (GHC Title – 4/25/2004) Kenta Kobashi vs Akira Taue (GHC Title – 9/10/2004) Samoa Joe vs CM Punk (ROH Title – 10/16/2004) Bryan Danielson vs James Gibson (ROH Title – 9/17/2005) Bryan Danielson vs Roderick Strong (ROH Title – 11/5/2005) Necro Butcher vs Super Dragon (No DQ – 2/9/2006) Bryan Danielson vs KENTA (ROH Title – 9/16/2006) Bryan Danielson vs Takeshi Morishima (ROH Title – 8/25/2007) 2010s LA Park vs el Mesias (AAA – 12/5/2010) CM Punk vs John Cena (WWE World Title – 7/17/2011) Eddie Kingston vs Mike Quackenbush (Chikara Grand Title– 11/13/2011) Walter vs Daisuke Sekimoto (wXw Unified Championship – 3/3/2012) John Cena vs Brock Lesnar (Extreme Rules Match – 4/29/2012) LA Park vs Dr. Wagner Jr. (TXT – 5/11/2013) Daniel Bryan vs HHH (4/6/2014) Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kazuchika Okada (G1 Final – 8/10/2014) Atlantis vs Ultimo Guerrero (Mask vs Mask – 9/19/2014) Roderick Strong vs Zack Sabre Jr. (PWG Title – 4/3/2015) Chris Hero vs Zack Sabre Jr. (6/26/2015) Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kazuchika Okada (8/15/2015) Sasha Banks vs Bayley (NXT Women’s Title – 8/22/2015) Atlantis vs La Sombra (Mask vs Mask – 9/18/2015) Shinsuke Nakamura vs Sami Zayn (4/1/2016) Black Terry vs el Barbaro Cavernario (6/11/2016) Trevor Lee vs Andrew Everett (Mid Atlantic HW Title – 6/18/2016) Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito (G1 Climax Semi-Final – 8/13/2016) The Revival vs DIY (NXT Tag Titles - 11/19/2016) Trevor Lee vs Chip Day (Mid Atlantic HW Title – 3/25/2017) Katsuyori Shibata vs Kazuchika Okada (IWGP HW Title – 4/9/2017) Kento Miyahara vs Shuji Ishikawa (Triple Crown Championship – 8/27/2017) Walter vs Zack Sabre Jr. (10/21/2017) Walter vs David Starr (10/28/2017) Brock Lesnar vs AJ Styles (WWE Universal Title – 11/19/2017) Walter vs Timothy Thatcher (Atlas Title – 1/28/2018) Walter vs Darby Allin (6/23/2018) Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kota Ibushi (G1 Climax Final – 8/12/2018) * Moved from 5 to 4.75 ** Moved from 4.75 to 5 Added

Man Bryan Kendrick might legit be one of the best 3-5 wrestlers right now. his performance in this tournament has been out of this world good. I wish he was at least getting into the final four. This Ibushi match is one round too early.

I watched half of the show last night and had to do some work before bed so I finished it today after work. Just my highpoint thoughts. I am sad to see the way some people seem sort of lost or used in ways that don't really excite me. Steen and Zayne had a fantastic match last month and now they both seem to wandering into the tag division in a way that probably wont amount to much. That said, I actually enoyed JerichKO vs Enzo/Cass. I thought it was a fun opener. I wish the finish was different, but eh, not a big deal to me right now. I sort of agree with Jimmy Red about the women's title match. It was better than I think people are giving it credit for. The mistake was there and the execution wasn't quite as tight as it could have been, but that is what you get sometimes, especially with Sasha, who clearly watched a bunch of Joshi and requires a "holy shit she might be dead" moment in every one of her big matches. The more I think about it, the more I think the result is ok. I think Sasha should climb the ladder again and work to go full heel. Her ring work gets a lot better when she is a heel. I think she is just better at it. It will take some time and some doing, but I think it will be worth it long term. A true heel champ is probably what is best for the division to stay more well rounded and exciting, at least right now. I thought Cena vs Styles was the match of the night. It was a little heavy on the big time wwe style for me personally, but it was really good and it delivered. I don't think it is 4.75 or 5 (but I am going to rewatch it and rate it tomorrow I think), but it was good. I think they did well to tell the story of two elite guys on a collision course and both men having to pull out all stops to win. Sometimes that is the story. Sometimes that story makes sense to tell. I think it made sense here. I would have loved another layer or two, sure. There were things that bothered me, sure. They should probably tone down the finishers and build more around people avoiding them and working harder to get them, yes.... but I still think this was a good match with some rewatch value to it. I liked the world title match a little more than most too. I wasn't under the impression Ziggler was going to win, but those two work pretty well together and it served its purpose. They were debuting another title, of course the WWE World Title had to take a back seat this time. Personally, I am not bothered by the two titles just yet. I don't think they have failed misserably at it or anything. it is way too early to tell. This match did what it was supposed to do, kept Ambrose looking good, gave him a good match, and let the other belt get some momentum. Balor vs Rollins was really pretty fun. I was pretty low on Balor for a while, but I think he really stepped up in the Nak match and since his debut. He looked to wrestle with a lot more urgency here. The demon thing felt significant (where it lost that for a while). I think this match was really pretty good and I anticipate it holding up better on rewatch. Sure, the title is ugly, but who the fuck cares right now. I don't mind the branding really. I at least think the backlash has gone too far. They have done much worse when it comes to titles. They can change the title's look if they want, tweak it. The main was interesting. It was obviously a work to me. At worst, it was an accident that happened in the moment and Brock ran with it to the moment over. I tend to think this is what they wanted. They let the camera sit on that blood for a while. Randy was defending himself and then puts his hands down for a minute and THAT is when Brock throws the sharp elbow, an elbow designed to cut, not KO. I think they planned or planned something like it and it might have gotten out of hand a little. The match itself was solid. I thought it was on its way to being pretty damn good. Planned or not, it ended prematurely and could have wound up being something really good. I tend to think they might be setting up a rematch for either the Survivor Series or Rumble... Maybe even Mania.

I also really like how they seem to be planting the seeds for Champa to turn on Gargano. I am not 100% sure they will do it, but it seems teed up and I think they will do better as singles wrestlers in NXT/WWE