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Microstatistics

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  1. Microstatistics
    Yet again Lesnar proves that, whenever he shows up, he is the best guy in WWE by a mile. Great performance where he was able to display his resourcefulness and toughness while constantly projecting vulnerability and putting Joe over as a huge threat. He sold the hell out of all of Joe's offense and was very consistent with the selling, basically from the prematch ambush to the end. He even sold when he was on top (for example selling in between executing suplexes). I liked him busting out new stuff like the sideslam or the between the legs switch around which showed he was being forced to dig deep. Joe was good too with the relentlessness and the cheap tactics which put over his desperation. Great finish with a creative use of a finisher. It was almost like a flash pin where Brock took advantage of Joe poor positioning and stunned him just long enough for a 3 count rather than it being anything decisive. Nice post match selling of the neck by Brock as well. *** 1/2
  2. Microstatistics
    Assuming you are talking about the HHH matches, 2001 or 2007?
  3. Microstatistics
    I feel the finish of that match would have been more dramatic if the scoreline was 3-3 instead of 4-3 because even if the Hardys had evened it up, the champions would have retained.
  4. Microstatistics
    This might be true but I have a feeling the simpler explanation is that Meltzer (and his contemporaries) have just not seen much of 90s CMLL Negro Casas and might be basing the assessment on a few Japanese matches.
  5. Microstatistics
    Thank you.
  6. Microstatistics
    Alexander Otsuka, if he counts. Otherwise, probably one of the lower ranked shoot style guys like Yoji Anjoh or Masakatsu Funaki.
  7. Microstatistics
    Here is my case for Shawn Michaels as #1 for GWWE. I know it's kind of boring to talk about the people at the top of your list but I wanted to try and make a strong argument for him, something I regret not doing during GWE.
  8. Microstatistics
    Gritty brawling with lots of blood, a nice heel-face dynamic, stiff strikes and good-looking punches, fire and hate. Well paced with an interesting structure as they start off slowly with some chain wrestling before tensions quickly boil over and it just disintegrates into an absolute fight. A great tag match. ****
  9. Microstatistics
    This. I completely agree. That is such an elitist line of thinking and, unfortunately, I have seen it occasionally pop up in the PWO/WKO circles.
  10. Microstatistics
    The first third did a great job establishing Benoit's strength and Eddie's speed. Then comes the legendary stretch with Benoit's energy sapping sleepers where he would repeatedly grab a sleeper whenever Eddie built up any sort of momentum. Eddie's selling of the effects is just masterful and the segment brilliantly turns him from subtle heel at the beginning to a sympathetic babyface as the crowd gets behind him. The escalation in the last third is superb. The nearfalls are some of the best of all time, the top rope tombstone tease is great and Eddie powering out of Benoit's control to setup his big run of offense is a great finish. Strong MOTYC in one of the most loaded years in wrestling history. Best Benoit match by a massive margin and up there with Halloween Havoc 97 vs. Rey for singles Eddie matches. **** 5/8
  11. Microstatistics
    That one I was back and forth on about whether it was truly a squash but I went with yes because Ogawa never looked in any real trouble and reversed all of Hashimoto's offense pretty easily. Ogawa pretty much owned him from start to finish. Also all of those pop-ups near the end from Hashimoto did not resemble any sort of comeback and seemed to be fueled by defiance and pride. I get if people like it as much as Misawa vs. Kawada or something but the one-sidedness of it classifies it as a squash.
  12. Microstatistics
    I am not totally on board with the Dick Togo: Super Worker narrative just yet but matches like these certainly help his case. A commanding heel performance as the arrogant champion vs. the smaller challenger. Taunting, mask ripping, cheapshots and lowblows, sadism, it's all there. Great desperation from him in the finishing stretch as BKK was able to overcome all of that and Togo was running out of steam. The interference spots were very clever and well done with respect to the narrative and payoffs. Great match. ****
  13. Microstatistics
    What is the best squash match of all time? Top 3? Top 5-10? Right now I am leaning towards Brock vs. Cena at SS14. Volk Han vs. Mitsuya Nagai (4/24/1993) and Shinya Hashimoto vs. Naoya Ogawa (10/11/1999) are up there with it. Definitely Top 3 for me, there are other really good matches that are squashes as well but those 3 I consider to be legitimately fantastic matches.
  14. Microstatistics
    Charlotte, no contest. One of the best workers in the company today. Honestly I feel the Miz is and has always been pretty awful. The only time he looked remotely good was the Lawler feud but babyface Lawler makes everyone look good.
  15. Microstatistics
    Initially I could understand the idea behind a 6 star match, to convey that he thought 1/4/17 (and 6/3/94 which he bumped up later) were a cut above the other matches he has at 5 stars. But the 6 1/4 rating sort of negates the 5 star scale system. By that logic he can have 5 3/4 stars and 7 1/2 stars matches and the usual rating scale is rendered irrelevant and ratings become completely arbitrary .
  16. Microstatistics
    Greatest squash of all time? Definitely a contender for me. Incredible sequences and great character work. I can understand the exhibition criticisms but that was part of narrative for me. Han was so dominant that he literally started showboating and busting out ridiculous holds just because he could. This match sets a great foundation for the rest of the feud as we see how Han deals with Nagai's growth and improvement in their future matches. **** 1/4
  17. Microstatistics
    After another rewatch, this might be my 2000 MOTY. Absolutely brilliant Hashimoto performance, probably the finest of his great career. The way he managed to convey the story of the match and feud as well as the stakes through body language, subtle mannerisms, intensity and desperation is what pro wrestling is all about. They did a great job building off the narrative of their 10/1999 semi-squash. Hashimoto gets eaten alive again when he goes toe to toe with Ogawa but this time takes a step back and employs a more cerebral and calculated approach to turn the tide. He is in control for a surprisingly large chunk of the match but Ogawa can turn it around at any point so there is a constant sense of danger. The finishing stretch is simply epic (in its original definition) with Hashimoto doing everything in his power to come out on top before the STO barrage overwhelms him. Genuinely emotional finish and postmatch. Booking wise, probably not the wisest decision but as a pro wrestling story, it worked wonderfully. **** 1/2
  18. Microstatistics
    As noted, Chicana is absurdly great here. Super charismatic, provides a ton of memorable moments (grabbing a fan to shield himself, slipping and falling on the apron, parting his hair back so Aguayo can look him directly in the eye before being punched). One of the all time great trios with crazy, out of control brawling, tons of hate and a great technico/rudo divide. The match has a chaotic feel but, importantly, it maintains a clear structure and narrative which is why it is so great. **** 1/4
  19. Microstatistics
    I rarely outright dislike a match but I hated, hated this. The structure was a complete mess, everything was aimless and disjointed. The counters and submission stuff in the middle were boring. The finishing stretch was beyond terrible with nonsensical finisher spamming and absolutely zero selling. DUD
  20. Microstatistics
    Beautiful match. Fluid and intense chess match like matwork you only get in Lucha + nice story of the young technician testing his wits against the old maestro. *** 3/4
  21. Microstatistics
    Liger is just ageless. His selling is still world class, he did a great job building sympathy for himself and added neat little touches (falling off the top rope because the mask ripping disoriented him or falling backwards to emphasize how strong his powerbomb was). Not a fan of the ref bumps and constant interference trend that has invaded NJPW but it worked really well here as whenever Liger built up some momentum, Suzuki-gun would just cheapshot him or Taichi would simply attack the referee/s and instantly curb it. Taichi's arrogance and all his heelish antics were awesome. My MOTY at this point. ****
  22. Microstatistics
    Given the hate and violence that followed, in hindsight, the pre-match handshake is surprising. A total dream match that delivers in spades. Wonderful Fujiwara performance as he brought the violence and the tenacity while working as the aggressor while adding tons of neat little touches (complaining about Tenryu's arm being too slippery, wiping Tenryu's blood on the turnbuckle, completing disregarding the rope breaks). Tenryu was great working from underneath and selling for most of the match. Fujiwara's "no sell the smaller strikes but sell big when the opponent lands big" approach at the end worked well because of how drained Tenryu was. Finish itself was also logical and something fresh. Fantastic match. **** 1/4
  23. Microstatistics
    Seems both challenging and fun. Top 2 for me is easy 1. Shawn Michaels 2. Bret Hart Both guys are insanely underrated in the PWO/WKO circles and are subject to, what I feel are, a lot of unfair and wildly exaggerated criticisms. 3-100 is not so straight forward. Is there a particular forum for the final list submission?
  24. Microstatistics
    The last point is key. A part of me wishes we could do GWE (or something similar or even different) again. I am much better prepared to make a list like that now than I was in 2015/16. Looking back, excluding the Top 7 or so, I don't like the ballot I had submitted at all. In hindsight, say what you will about the process, the final list and people's reactions, I found it to be very informative and it certainly expanded my knowledge of pro wrestling.
  25. Microstatistics
    No comparison, Volk Han hands down. Rey is amazing but Tenryu is a GOAT contender for me, so Tenryu This is harder but I'll go Bryan. While, Jumbo is an all time great but Bryan is the best US wrestler ever and the best wrestler since 2000. Brock Lesnar, easily. Tremendous pro wrestler. Not a fan of Ki, I find him very overrated Necro Butcher. I checked him out post-GWE and he surprised the hell out of me. I used to think he was just a gorefest type death match wrestler but he really is a superb pro wrestler. Excellent bumper, great punches, very good seller, had great matches with people I am not particularly high on (Super Dragon, Ki, Toby Klein). Not a fan of Harley Race, I find him boring unless he is against a super worker like Terry Funk or Jumbo. I didn't realize this thread existed during GWE.
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