SmartMark15

Still a little too long. Not too much going on until Kenny hits the springboard double stomp then we get a pretty great title match from there. A little anticlimactic to end but there was a lot of good stuff in the middle. Their usual brutality and some nice moments of personality from Ishii. Ishii hitting the V Trigger made me lose it, I won't lie. I also bought into him signalling that he'd win the title. He's usually so stoic that that little show of brashness really stood and made me believe in him. Still easily one of the better IWGP Title defenses of the year. ****1/4

Awesome twenty minute exhibition of all action, highlighting some of the best that these four guys can do. A hot Kouraken crowd made even better by action that kept escalating and escalating makes this a must watch. Some best spots? The Stereo Golden Triangles, the OsCutter into a V Trigger, and pretty much any of Omega and Ishii's interactions. I think Omega has the benefit of having shown the best chemistry with most of the New Japan main eventers. He's really the best opponent for most of these guys which makes his run with the belt incredibly exciting. Can't wait for the Ishii title match. ****1/4

Only match of the night that I saw. Thought Kenny looked excellent here. None of his usual goofing off. Paired up against the taunting of Penta, Omega looked like the serious, urgent Ace ready to put down any competition. Penta's Zero Miedo stuff is overdone, yes, but it brought out some good fire in Omega which I appreciated. Both guys had great looking offense and they built up quite nicely to some really good nearfalls. Thought Omega did a pretty decent job selling his arm after the break too. This made for a great US indie style match. ****

We have Hansen's WWF run vs Bruno and his great gaijin run in Japan but I think this is comfortably John Cena. Top ace of the biggest company in the world for over a decade. Longest top babyface run at the top of the card since Bruno (please feel free to correct me on that). Picked Goldberg for the second one for his role in the Monday Night Wars and the Streak really stands out. Angle clearly put in far much more quality but I don't know how much we can ascribe "historical importance" to him. Angle was never the top guy and never the top draw for the company that he was in. Had a hard time picking between Orton and Styles. Styles innovated and perfected a certain style of wrestling and took it all over the world refining his act before landing in the WWE. Orton, meanwhile has always been near the top of the card in the WWE but never really the biggest attraction. And as far as significant impact on wrestling history? I mean, this is Orton we're talking about. So little about his career really stands out and he always seems to be overshadowed. Very tough call here. Went with Daniel Bryan for this next one. Top babyface for a significant period of his career -despite- booking. One of the innovators of the US style that became far more popular internationally. Forced a change of WrestleMania creative by sheer force of his connection with the crowd. Hardy gets points for his Attitude Era tag runs and late 2000s singles run but I'd say Hardy's biggest contributions might be the TLC stuff. Lastly I went with Edge although this was a very tough call for me. I picked him for his TLC stuff which really helped to define a certain style of match that's going to this day. Batista, while a far bigger draw consistently than Edge ever was, doesn't significantly affect the business in the same way that I perceive Edge helped too with his gimmick match performances.

Thought this was really good and more proof that Rollins is having probably the best year of his career since maybe 2013 with the initial Shield run. Fast paced, exciting wrestling, mixed with some really good grounded storytelling. Owens attacks the arm early and uses it to transition himself back into the advantage at multiple points in the match. Not just that but Rollins sells it consistently throughout as well as introducing some really creative spots. Having to change the way he performs an Irish whip because of the damage to the arm? Come on, that's just awesome right there. Toronto crowd got way behind Owens by the end which only added a lot of fuel to the fire these two were working with. ****1/4

Miz and Bryan have the kind of history, depth, and meaning that Cena and Orton have always pretended to have. I liked how so much of the match was centered around Daniel Bryan wanting to punch Miz in the face. His punches have been insanely good since coming back so it made for a solid offensive foundation throughout the match. I enjoyed the stuff with Miz apeing Bryan's moveset only for Bryan to really show him how it's done. Probably the highlight of this is Daniel Bryan leaning into the It Kicks. Amazing. Old school finish with the dirty heel using brass knuckles to punch Daniel Bryan in the face. A sneaky move that deserved to end the match and also stays in the thematic scope of the feud. So excited for this to continue and what else they have in store. This was great and easily match of the night. ****

If the rumors of the Chicago match originally meant to be a Last Man Standing are true then this felt like the leftovers of that hypothetical match mixed with some new spots to try and keep it fresh. No, it's not at the same quality as the first two...but the first two were (in my opinion) five star classics and some of the best of the year so we're not talking about anything horrible here. I can understand why people have soured on it with three matches at back-to-back-to-back Takeovers but I'm willing to offer it a fair amount of leeway for the simple reason that as far as anyone can tell: this was not the original plan. Lots to like here including the pile on spot, the DDT onto the hardwood callback, and even how Gargano's able to keep up the energy in the opening sequences to really sell the hate after a full year of feuding. Are there drawbacks? Sure. Ciampa's attempt a headlock heel spot didn't really work, the crowd weren't as invested, and diminishing returns are a real problem. Otherwise though, I thought this was still excellent wrestling, a brutal spectacle, and just a whole lot of fun. Gargano continues to be probably the best big match worker of the year. ****1/2

I can't wait. This looks like it'll be a lot of fun. Was hoping for Trish vs. Sasha after their Rumble interaction but this is just as good if you ask me.

I generally enjoyed the show, finish of the main event included but then I'm probably one of those highest on the Ciampa-Gargano feud on this forum. Of course, it's nowhere near their first two matches but still a pretty great match if you ask me. Hopefully this knee injury angle lets Johnny take some time off for the feud to cool off a bit. Let Tomasso go wild with the belt and bring back Johnny after a few months and things will be hot again. Still, another great Takeover and still the most consistently enjoyable stuff in wrestling today for my money.

Well, goddamn. I remember thinking as the match was going on just how damn impressive Tanahashi looked. He really brought all his strengths to this particular match. Not only showing his abilities on top by dominating much of the early half but also showing enough of those weak points to make anyone believe that Ibushi could win. Thought that their strike exchange in the middle of the match was a really compelling moment. It drew me in to see Ibushi power up against Tanahashi only for the Ace to come right back and absorb the punishment. Flaws? Sure, Ibushi more or less no sold his leg but comparatively speaking, this was far more consistent than any of the other matches I've seen him in this year. Not to mention that Ibushi really did bring the fire and stiffness from a match like the Ishii block match to really match up against Tanahashi here. I thought this was far and away the best G1 match of the year, maybe Ishii-Goto as a close second. The Budokan crowd pulling for Tanahashi all weekend was amazing as well. ****3/4

I haven't seen the first two singles matches these two had in DDT. This was pretty great though. I enjoyed Omega taking the control early and Ibushi fighting his way back into the advantage until they were just dropping bombs left and right. Thought the Kneesault was one of the better spots of the match but it was the missed Avalanche Dragon Suplex that really marked an upswing in the pace and action. Those double lariats did look quite brutal and this was one of the times where Omega's strikes really seemed to hit flush. The Reverse Rana block and turned into a straight up spike driver was probably my favorite of the match. I have my misgivings about Omega kicking out of an Avalanche Tiger Driver but it ended one move after so I won't complain too much. Really exciting stuff, very dangerous too. ****1/2

They clearly had a plan and that plan was interrupted by an unfortunate event. They're trying to make the best of what they have and they've won enough good faith from me that I'll look forward to it. Ciampa and Gargano have yet to disappoint this year, for me at least, so this is just an extension of my favorite stuff going on in wrestling.

We all know the great chemistry these two guys have together as well as the pitfalls many of their matches fall into. Still prefer their match from earlier this year, but this was a fun bout with the story of Okada needing the victory and Tanahashi needing only to run out the clock. I enjoyed the leg work for what it was even though (of course) it doesn't really go anywhere. I still liked that there were hints of the leg selling towards the end. Just hints though. Of course, the good stuff is in the finish and these two are quiet great at it. I'm a big fan of the finisher counter style they work so all the near misses for the Rainmaker especially that sudden left hand were some of my favorite spots. The finish was a big shock for me despite the track record and made for a nice surprise for me. Really good stuff here. ****1/4

As a Filipino, it was quite disheartening to see Crystal removed from the tournament with no reason given at all. Local sources have nothing on it either. Real shame.

Looking like Aleister Black is gonna miss Takeover which drastically changes the dynamic of the main event.

A wild Smackdown TV main event accompanied by a red hot crowd. Not much to say other than just excellent back and forth tag team action that escalates and escalates until one of the most cheer-inducing awesome finishes you could think of. Amazing tag team work from all four guys and it played out to perfection. ****1/4

Another fantastic trio chapter in the build to LA Park and Rush's big apuesta match. Thought the Lucha Bros and The Briscoes had great chemistry with each other. Phoenix and Penta had some excellent double team moves to contrast the brawling and wild punches of The Briscoes. Of course, Rush and LA Park brought the hate here with their chop exchanges and crowd brawling. Great match. ****1/4

This just did not click for me the way their match last year did. The pace was fairly one note with only a big spike in the last minute or so. Ibushi's no selling also really took me out of the match. This one kind of just plodded along until the finish. The crowd not being so hot played into that as well. ***1/2

Thought it started out fun enough with Omega taking Ishii lightly. The problem with this match is that Omega's offense just doesn't match up to Ishii's and the wide gap between them isn't really acknowledge. Instead, the match is worked the way any other Omega or Ishii match might. As such the middle portion of the match does sag. It's held up decently by Omega targeting the neck which plays into the really incredibly hot finishing stretch. Ishii headbutting the corner pad to get fired up for his comeback? That's just good pro wrestling right there. Loved the visual of both their busted lips at the end. ****

The throat murder was great with Ibushi punching towards there and Ishii chopping there to act as transitions. Otherwise, this is a pretty straightforward Ishiii match with all the strikes, no selling, and goodness that comes with it. Probably a trial by fire for Ibushi if he does go onto the finals as I suspect he will. ****

All the more proof that NXT is the most consistently high quality product out there. Fantastic title match.

Ciampa is just a remarkable bastard, isn't he? The guy just goes out of his way to embody as much of what being a heel is as possible. Not only does he play dirty and aggressive, but he's also a coward. Not only will try to DDT you onto concrete, he'll also grab the tights. And let's not forget GRABBING THE TOP ROPE ON AN ABDOMINAL STRETCH. That's the kind of classic old school heel heat that I can really get behind. It's a spot I don't even see that often anymore which makes it stand out all the more brightly. Black for his part played a decent babyface champion walloping the dastardly heel with some great kicks. Enjoyed his back selling in the early half of the match but that faded away as time went on down the stretch. The last half is dedicated to Ciampa just pulling every trick out of the book possible to get the win. Gargano's involvement was limited but a necessary step based on what the tapings show the direction they're going in is. I thought it only added to the match especially considering how big the pop for Gargano's attempted save was. Overall, a great title match featuring the best heel working in the world right now. ****1/2

I've seen a few matches of Jake De Leon and I'm familiar with Robin Sane's work but this is my first time watching The Horrors. They string together a fun indie-style tag team match here. JDL shines with his heel mannerisms. Classic cocky heel who gets brought low with humiliation. The best heels make their defeats feel all the more satisfying for it. Robin Sane had his fun high flying offense and both Manila guys took some really good bumps off of Gore and Butcher here. For their part, The Horrors made their offense look pretty clean and fairly devastating. I particularly liked how big JDL would bump for some of Gore's kicks. All in all, just a very fun tag match that keeps a fast pace and has a hot crowd. ***3/4

Thought the match started off pretty slow even with the fun character work they tried to pull. For ten minutes or so the offense and spots just seemed a little aimless and plodding. But these guys are two of the best at stringing together wildly exciting finishing stretches and this was no exception to that. Fast paced, tense, and exciting down the finish and you have a match that highlights the undeniable chemistry these two have together. ****1/2

This was fantastic. Yano creates such believable nearfalls that there are no wasted seconds in any of his matches. It's so rare to find a match where legitimately any pin attempt or fall attempt could actually end the match. It's a brilliant and unique atmosphere. ****