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Microstatistics

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  1. Microstatistics
    The babyface world champion faced his biggest challenge yet in form of the behemoth Vader. Great start as Sting got absolutely pummeled whenever Vader got a chance to corner him. But he possessed enough strength and athleticism to knock Vader off his feet. Sting made use of some clever tricks to gain the advantage but primarily relied on high impact offense to topple his opponent before Vader’s brutality crushed him. But Sting’s strategy was a double-edged sword due to the high risk, high reward nature of the maneuvers. He ended up going for one move too many and hit his head on the post, which allowed a rattled Vader to recover and put him down. Maybe the model David vs. Goliath type matchup. ****1/2
  2. Microstatistics
    Lesnar vs. Cena is a good comparison. Maybe an Ogawa vs. Hashimoto 10/1999 parallel works too since it was a sign of the progressive decline and impending dark ages. At least Cena and Hashimoto went down fighting though. Also, I couldn't help but laugh at the Coutinho brace and assist. Barcelona looked set in 2019 though, until they completely shit the bed in the second leg vs. Liverpool, in a manner that makes Kawada's bottle jobs seem tame. But I guess some home performances papered over the cracks.
  3. Microstatistics
    This was a 30-minute Iron man match and the conclusion to a bitter rivalry. Right out of the gate, Steamboat damaged Rude’s ribs with a gut-buster and zeroed in on them in vicious fashion. But, completely against the run of play, Rude took a 2-0 lead with some devastating blows. He then sacrificed a fall to further incapacitate Steamboat, while maintaining the two-fall margin. But as the rib injury continued to impede Rude, he wasn’t able to inflict critical damage, allowing Steamboat to tie things up 3-3. Rude had broken Steamboat’s nose a few months earlier and frequently targeted it here. Cutting Steamboat’s momentum off with a jawbreaker to the face was tremendous psychology. Rude decided to run the clock out but Steamboat employed the Bret Hart counter to go up 4-3. This left Rude in no man’s land timewise as he desperately tried everything in the final seconds but to no avail. Similar to Piper vs. Valentine Dog Collar, it is disappointing that this was a non-title affair since Rude’s strategy backfiring would have been even more rewarding if he lost the US title in the process. Regardless, truly unique psychology and great action make for a WCW classic. ****5/8
  4. Microstatistics
    This was their third meeting of the year after Kohsaka’s skill had placed Han in perilous situations twice, leading to two desperation fueled finishes. Kohsaka had only become more dangerous and perhaps Han realized this as he displayed an unusual level of urgency. Kohsaka had proven himself to be a mat wizard during their previous encounters, and this time even grappled his way out of several deadly Han holds, resorting to rope breaks only when it was absolutely necessary. His mat game allowed him to make some major in-roads during stand-up fighting. Han’s defeat seemed certain, as Kohsaka grabbed a final, definitive submission, until he pulled a rabbit out of the hat counter to lock in a fatal submission and secure a series clean sweep. ****3/8
  5. Microstatistics
    The rematch of the famous Wrestlemania X match with the roles reversed since Razor was the heel intercontinental champion this time around. The pre-match ladder portion included some gigantic bumps and I liked the mixture of learned psychology and repetition of mistakes. For instance, Razor evaded Shawn’s baseball slide into the ladder but when he tried the Razor’s Edge too close to the ropes, he got backdropped to the floor again. Shawn’s knee got entangled in the ladder at one point and Razor’s attack on it was creative and brutal. There was a little too much downtime near the end and Razor probably oversold but I didn’t really have a problem with the ‘blown’ finish. In fact, it was quite realistic since Michaels was pretty battered. Maybe the best match of its kind. ****1/4
  6. Microstatistics
    Shirai was the cocky champion who constantly belittled Iwatani leading up to the match. So, Iwatani had a real chip on her shoulder and started off with a great deal of fire. But Shirai casually grabbed her knee and began to assault it while strutting around. But she grew complacent, opening the door for Iwatani to blitz her neck with high impact moves. She was forced to take Iwatani more seriously from then on and finally breached her resistance with a huge string of high impact moves. Iwatani pushed Shirai to the limit, but her quest was ultimately a failure since she failed to capture the title and Shirai refused to be humbled. One of the best women’s matches of the 2010s. ****3/8
  7. Microstatistics
    This was the Shield’s in-ring debut as they took on Team Hell No and Ryback in a TLC match. Ryback was the single most dangerous wrestler in the match and Bryan and Kane managed brief flurries of control but the Shield’s divide and conquer tactics put them ahead on several occasions. JBL wasn’t exactly some wise sage on commentary but he made a great point about how the numbers game feel was an illusion since the Shield simply worked better as a collective pack. A key part of the Shield’s strategy was keeping Ryback away as they focused on one of the other two wrestlers, so Ryback menacingly stumbling back to the ring as Reigns finished Bryan off just in the nick of time made for quite the finish. The action was violent, chaotic and creative but the story of how a good team always beats a collection of great individuals was the focus. ****1/2
  8. Microstatistics
    This was a Six Sides of Steel blow off to their feud and the losing team had to permanently disband. Both teams wrestled like well-oiled machines until Triple X handcuffed Chris Harris in the corner in order to isolate and take out James Storm. However, they grew complacent at various points, specifically when Christopher Daniels taunted Harris with the key (hence facilitating his escape) and they mockingly utilized AMW’s finisher. Perhaps it was poetic justice when it was Daniels who ended up being handcuffed in the corner and had to helplessly watch the dissolution of his team when AMW pinned Elix Skipper with Triple X’s own power-plex. The selling was a little suspect at times, but they melded strategic tag wrestling with the cage violence and huge bumps really well. ****1/4
  9. Microstatistics
    This was the blowoff to the Satanico vs. Ultimo Guerrero feud with the winner getting to keep the ‘Infernales’ title. The stipulation was Infierno en el Ring, a steel cage with escape only rules until the final two wrestlers, who then had to compete in an apuestas. The rudos used the numbers advantage to their favor and rapidly ambushed Satanico and friends. But they got greedy and tried to escape earlier than was permitted, allowing a technico fightback. The technico’s made a similar mistake, leading to a more even back half. Eventually, guys like Tarzan Boy and Bucanero began to abandon ship to save their own hair, which was in superb contrast to Satanico’s altruism when he aborted his own escape to instead facilitate Averno’s. It boiled down to Satanico’s hair vs. Magica’s mask with Magica’s rudo tactics not being enough to save his mask and Satanico prevailing. The action was a bit pedestrian, though some intense, hateful brawling made up for it. But Satanico’s journey and triumph was definitely the main story here. ****1/4
  10. Microstatistics
    This has quite the reputation but I was skeptical so delayed watching it for the longest time. But it blew me away. One of the clearest babyface/heel divides I've ever seen, a unique and well executed story, violence, awesome head psychology and a climactic finish. A revenge tale as Hardy got back at the person who betrayed him and the slimy sleazeball for making his life hell. ****1/4 By the way, the date should be 9/18/2005.
  11. Microstatistics
    Not to derail this thread too much but @KawadaSmile, did you have any thoughts on Bayern vs. Barcelona? I think it might have been the most one-sided game since Germany 7-1 Brazil, not only because of the scorelines but because of the absolute domination and the fact that the victors could or should have easily hit double digits.
  12. Microstatistics
    That's nice to hear, Cactus.
  13. Microstatistics
    I had never actually constructed a proper review for this match, until very recently. Kawada’s desire to beat Misawa had become an obsession while Taue was determined to make amends for his crushing Champion Carnival final loss. Tag champions Kobashi and Misawa were both in their primes, but were coming in with leg and eye injuries, respectively, and hence were more vulnerable than usual. The manic start really set the tone for the match as it was clear that the Holy Demon Army (HDA) was going to do anything and everything to win. In the ‘worst’ segment of the match, the pace settled down slightly as Kobashi and Misawa asserted themselves. That was until the Holy Demon Army established dominance by savagely attacking their opponents’ wounded body parts. Misawa and Kobashi slowly fought their way back until it looked like Misawa was going to kill Kawada off yet again. But Taue stamped his authority, attacking the eye to setup the Nodowa Otoshi off the apron while Kawada kept a virtually immobile Kobashi at bay. Kobashi’s leg selling might be the best of all time and of course him covering Misawa was the standout moment. I like to think that initially it was to thwart the HDA and buy Misawa some time to recover. But later on, he couldn’t care less about the tag titles and simply wanted to protect his friend. Misawa teased an epic comeback, but Kawada’s singular objective was all-consuming and finally proved too much for Misawa to overcome. Everyone came out looking like a million bucks. Kawada exorcised his demons, Taue got his redemption, Kobashi was the biggest babyface in history and Misawa looked like the toughest wrestler ever. You can nitpick here and there, like a spot on the apron where Kawada could have kicked Kobashi in the knee rather than the chest. But, as a whole package, this is as close to perfection as you can get in pro wrestling. *****
  14. Microstatistics
    The shooter Baszler showed up in Stardom to challenge Shirai for her title. Baszler was a deadly submission artist and damaged Shirai’s arm right from the onset. Shirai used her athletic offense to target Baszler’s back, while trying to evade the arm submissions Baszler could grab from seemingly anywhere. Eventually, Shirai survived the holds and wore down Baszler’s back enough to setup her winning moonsault. A worthy invading shooter vs. promotion ace match. ****1/4
  15. Microstatistics
    A classic world title bout. Rogers was, in many ways, the perfect heel challenger. He was skilled and tough but also incredibly arrogant and had no problem utilizing underhanded tactics to gain the advantage, eventually leading to a one fall lead. Thesz was the no nonsense champion who continued to be extremely aggressive, regardless of the circumstances. Though, you could argue that Thesz shrugged off all those blows a little too easily to go back into attack mode each time. But he sold the accumulated damage well, particularly at the end of every fall. Thesz weathered the storm and used his situational awareness to get himself out of a hole in the second fall and also pull off the third fall. ****1/2
  16. Microstatistics
    Satanico, the challenger for the middleweight title, was younger and fitter and oozed confidence as he coolly outgrappled Cochise to take the first fall. He continued to dominate by attacking Cochise’s arm while Cochise retaliated in identical fashion. Satanico didn’t really sell the arm, which I think was for the sake of the story, as he continued to smirk and casually walk around. But Cochise’s resourcefulness allowed him to seize a second fall pin. Satanico offered an ambiguous handshake but Cochise preemptively kneed him in the back and launched an impressive submission-based assault, primarily targeting the back and neck. The arrogance turned into urgency and desperation as Satanico was forced to weather the storm, in almost underdog fashion. A smart, well timed counter turned the tables and secured him the win. Exemplary mat wrestling, particularly in the third fall, and an interesting, well done narrative shift. ****1/2
  17. Microstatistics
    For a combination of quality and influence, this is probably the quintessential striker vs. grappler match. Sayama wasn’t a bad mat worker. In fact, he was pretty good but every time he took it to the mat, he got absolutely demolished. His striking ability, particularly his kicks, were his bread and butter and kept him in the match. The incorporation of pro-style moves such as piledrivers and top rope dives was well done. This was high end BattlARTS, twelve years before the promotion existed. Eventually, Fujiwara started to shark away at Tiger’s leg and turn the screw. But the kicks to the head took their toll by the end and softened him up enough for the crossface chickenwing, leading to a huge upset. ****1/2
  18. Microstatistics
    A compelling battle between two proficient technicians that maintains the classic heel-face divide as Costello was more than happy to consistently play dirty while James was sporting but refused to back down. Tight wrestling and snug strikes peppered with some unorthodox holds and counters. Costello wearing down James’ arm enough to hold him down for three with the Australian suplex was nice psychology. James eventually roared back with headbutts to the jaw to even things up but Costello turning the tables by sidestepping them in the third fall was fantastic learned psychology. ****1/2
  19. Microstatistics
    The proud IWGP world champion Nagata was less than amused with Makabe’s cavalier attitude and disregard for rules. Makabe used roughhouse brawling, foreign objects and help from his cronies to bust up Nagata quite badly. Nagata was itching to strike back though and finally managed to explode with a series of shoot elbows that cut Makabe open hard way. A spot of blood landing onto a ringside camera after a stiff Nagata slap was quite the visual. This led to a more bomb-heavy, attritional stretch with the referee finally catching on to the interference from ringside, negating Makabe’s advantage and allowing Nagata to put him down. I didn’t care for some of the no selling, but this was a pretty awesome bloody brawl-title match hybrid. ****3/8
  20. Microstatistics
    The highest stakes possible prompted Espanto to come in with a clear strategy, which he executed to near perfection for almost two whole falls. He consistently targeted Santo’s back and neck and smothered him at every turn, leading to a one fall lead and continued domination into the second fall. But his frustration got the better of him as he started to rip away at Santo’s mask after the latter refused to roll over. This allowed Santo back into the match with a huge running knee, and he managed to tie things up. Espanto regaining control in the third fall after Santo’s damaged back came back to haunt him was outstanding psychology. The match then turned into a war of attrition with aggressive mask ripping, blood, desperate pins, and some huge dives. Santo eventually capitalized on a mistake to apply the camel clutch and claim Espanto’s mask while saving his own. The poor quality and some jump cuts are far from ideal but don’t hurt the match too badly. Overall, one of the best apuesta matches. ****3/8
  21. Microstatistics
    HHH pushed Mick Foley too far and now had to survive Foley’s most dangerous personality: Cactus Jack. HHH was quickly forced to match Jack’s level of violence and adjust to the plunder brawl setting. Despite getting badly lacerated, he displayed impressive fortitude and even lived up to his ‘cerebral assassin’ moniker as he repeatedly took advantage of Foley’s hurt knee to stop him in his tracks. The continuity with the handcuffs from the I Quit match the previous year was a nice touch, though a cop randomly showing up to unlock them was maybe a little too convenient. All-time great finishing stretch with an epic Pedigree kickout and a climactic and brutal finish. Post-match beatdown was neat since it reiterated that Jack could only be kept down but never put down. Still, ultimately, HHH beat Jack at his own game to retain the world title and prove he belonged at the top. ****1/2
  22. Microstatistics
    The elitist JBL made this challenge for the beloved champion’s world title extremely personal by tormenting Eddie’s family and spewing racist rhetoric. Eddie was absolutely seething at the onset and began to aggressively rough up his larger opponent. A desperate JBL made use of his strength and employed smothering holds to extinguish Eddie’s momentum and power moves to damage Eddie’s back. Eddie ended up absorbing a chair-shot that busted him open extremely badly as a smug JBL sensed the opportunity and went in for the kill. Eddie displayed his immense resilience though and launched a fiery comeback, forcing JBL to cowardly resort to cheating tactics. This backfired as Eddie’s vengeful, animalistic side took over when he cracked JBL with the title belt (getting disqualified in the process) and utterly destroyed him in the post-match. One of the best WWE matches of the 2000s. ****3/8
  23. Microstatistics
    Taichi challenged Naito for the Intercontinental Title but coordinated a pre-match assault with Takayuki Iizuka to injure Naito’s neck. Taichi feigning ignorance and prancing around as they assessed Naito’s condition was pretty funny, but they really could have shaved off several minutes from the segment. Naito made his inevitable return but was in a weakened state and it looked academic for Taichi. But Naito reversed Taichi’s attempt to permanently incapacitate him and Taichi ended up injuring his neck in a pretty fantastic momentum-shifting spot. Naito recovered to an extent, leading to a dueling neck-work section with focused offense, well-paced action, and consistent selling. Naito weathered some of Taichi’s surprising resilience and heel tactics, before giving him a taste of his own medicine and finishing him off. They probably did one near fall too many, but this was a slow-burning modern NJPW classic. ****3/8
  24. Microstatistics
    Kobashi was a step or two slower than he was in 2003-2004 but he smartly used his strength advantage to neutralize Marufuji’s speed. In response, Marufuji attacked Kobashi’s famously bad knee in creative fashion to stem the tide. Kobashi relied on his chops to fight back and slowly built to his bombs, though the knee hampered his mobility (his bazillionth great knee selling performance). So Marufuji decided to throw caution into the wind and unloaded with high impact offense. I want to highlight Kobashi’s half nelson suplex spot since it was the type of ideal transition that is sorely lacking in modern wrestling. It was a big move that curbed Marufuji’s flurry but, instead of immediately following up on it, Kobashi went back to selling the damage he had just sustained. In the process, they subverted the back-and-forth trap and the match was organically back on an even keel. The finishing stretch was also well done as none of the near-falls or big moves were excessive, Marufuji came off as a credible threat to a heavyweight and Kobashi’s win was definitive. ****1/4
  25. Microstatistics
    Marufuji had proven himself capable against heavyweights earlier in the year and so earned an opportunity for the GHC title. Marufuji utilized his usual strategy of targeting the knee of his larger opponent and it worked quite well until he ate a brutal backdrop on the ramp, which allowed Akiyama to somewhat recover. They worked over each other’s back and neck and Akiyama even had to resort to using unusual moves like a top rope frankensteiner since Marufuji had pushed him further than expected. A final Akiyama control stretch looked to be the end of Marufuji, but he shockingly kicked out of the Sternness Dust α and recovered enough to take advantage of Akiyama’s famous susceptibility to flash pins and pull off a stunning upset. The crowd didn’t really buy a potential title change until that near fall, which was slightly disappointing, but they definitely worked a match worthy of the occasion. ****1/4
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