Boss Rock
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Everything posted by Boss Rock
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This. Not to say I think Ohno has been bad, he's been very good at times. But he's come nowhere near to the run he had in 2016. Bryan already has a case for best in-ring worker in WWE history.
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I think if push really came to shove, I'd go with Kobashi over Misawa.
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Flair>Bret: Bret was great but so many of his highly-pimped matches just come off as "really good". The Austin Mania match is the only one I really consider a classic. Kawada>Okada: Okada is my current favorite wrestler and I think some sell him short, but Kawada is a GOAT contender whereas Okada would make my top 100 but not sure my top 50. Misawa=Kobashi: Really too hard to judge. Both were tremendous for similar reasons yet both had their own unique approach. Danielson>Tsuruta: Have never been a fan of Jumbo pre-86 whereas Bryan looked like the best in the world for most of his career. Taue>Tanahashi: Tanahashi is another one I think some folks sell short and he'd probably make my top 20, but Taue is top 10.
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I mentioned in the G1 thread that this was sort of like Okada and Tana's G1 match in that they played the hits from their previous match. But while that match felt more like a showcase, this felt more like a proper chapter in the Tana-Ibushi series. Ibushi's leg selling has always been spotty and he doesn't get nearly as much flak for it as Okada, Kenny, or Kento have gotten, but thankfully that was not a major point of this match. Instead, this felt like an intense struggle between a man and his idol. Ibushi considers Tana to be a god, but he was not going to take being slapped in the face lying down. The fact that they packed this much action and drama in a nearly 16 minute match is astounding and evidence that NJPW should run these matches more often. Best match of the tournament and MOTYC ****3/4 -
He's an excellent historian on wrestling but has always had his stylistic preferences. And being the only major wrestling journalist in the world, that inevitably shaped a lot of folks' and wrestlers' opinions on what good wrestling is.
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I love Yano every year but this definitely feels like his best in a while, especially since he's been made an actual player in the tournament and hasn't been eliminated already like he was in the last two. My pick for MVP would probably be Shingo, Ishii, or Moxley. Ishii is a given as he's great every year, but Shingo has yet to have a lackluster match and even if Mox's matches haven't always been the best, they've all managed to stand out in some way.
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Really wish they had picked up the pace instead of going slow the first 15-20 minutes, but it was still solid stuff and both guys sold the damage and struggle well. The last 10 minutes are a dang near masterpiece though. Very few times my heart has skipped a beat during a match this year, but it did when Okada countered the first moonsault. Tremendous final act for a match that could have been the best this year, but still very much worth watching. ****1/4
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Can't remember the last time I've seen Naito use a Dragon Suplex and probably the first time I've ever seen him hit a destroyer.
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Absolute bloodbath and is probably the most violent match this year. Almost like they saw Cody-Dustin and said "Hold our beers". The hammer stuff was sick and Demon going for the Fujiwara after nailing Wagner in the arm was great stuff. Wagner sold it beautifully as well although I wouldn't be surprised if his arm was seriously injured. Wasn't crazy about the finish basically being "distraction, cinder block to the head" and Wagner looking like he tapped earlier on in the match, but it was still pretty thrilling stuff. ****1/2 and I still might be underselling it.
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Ishii-Yano ***3/4 They recaptured the magic of their match last year with Yano having more of a traditional match with Ishii interspersed with his usual cheating. Thought it was a bit strange for Yano to get the better of Ishii in some of the exchanges, but it's always great to see Yano prove he's more than just a comedy wrestler. Juice-Taichi *** This was fine and some the shenanigans worked better here than they did in the Jay match because Juice is a likable babyface. Juice also having the kicks scouted was a nice touch. Still, this never rose above "fine". Cobb-Goto *** These two have had much better matches together, but this was still solid. I still don't really see the "Goto is underrated and underutilized" argument as he's been quite inconsistent this tournament. Moxley-Jay ***3/4 As good as I think Jay has gotten, his tournament has been a tad disappointing. This was still a really good match though, although not on the level of a lot of Mox's other matches. Mox baiting Gedo to use the brass knucks was awesome as was his attacking Jay before the bell. Naito-Shingo ****1/2 Started off strong but then took off to a completely different level down the finishing stretch. Excellent bombfest with Naito busting out some new moves. Just a shame Shingo is the only one still at 4 right now although I expect that to change (possibly with a win over Ishii).
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They look at the tiebreaker wins for each tie. They had something similar last year with Kenny, Ibushi, Naito, and Sabre all being tied at 12 but since Ibushi beat the other three, he went to the finals.
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How has Demon still not received medical attention yet?
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Absolutely insane match but not crazy about the finish.
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It looked like Wagner tapped but I guess not?
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My God. Demon is bleeding like crazy.
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This is pretty dang violent.
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That was a pretty awesome entrance/video package.
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A bit too much standing and waiting for spots, but that was a really fun spotfest.
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Agreed, really liked the approach of that one and the fact that it was short.
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Think I'm gonna give this one a watch this year.
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Also, am I missing something or haven't Tana and KENTA been eliminated? There are only two block matches left and they're both two wins down to Okada who's already beaten them. Why did Kevin Kelly keep saying they were still in contention?
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Fale-KENTA *** This actually wasn't bad! Fale still sucks in heat segments (and in every other regard quite frankly) but KENTA's aggression was very good against a bigger opponent and made this watchable. The shenanigans were also not as prevalent this time around and Fale using a roll-up on a smaller opponent was actually pretty smart. Sabre-Archer ***3/4 Really good stuff. Sabre attacking any available limb and Archer still finding ways to overpower him. The counter of the pounce into the guillotine was great. Ibushi-EVIL ****1/4 EVIL is such a frustrating wrestler to watch because there are times when he's a pretty effective bruiser and other times where he's really just "there". It helped immensely that he was working a quicker opponent like Ospreay so he could counter all his high-flying stuff with power moves. Ospreay's selling continues to be on point and when it comes to output this year, Ishii is really the only one who comes close. Ibushi-Tanahashi ****3/4 Match of the tournament. Sort of like Okada-Tana they worked the hits a bit, but there was more of a narrative here was as Okada-Tana was more of a showcase. Surprisingly brisk match (by G1 standards) with tons of action and drama. Ibushi's leg selling continues to be iffy but thankfully Tana working it over wasn't a huge part of the match. Okada-SANADA **** It's a shame the first 15-20 minutes were worked so slowly because the last 10 were incredible. Not to say everything prior was bad and I wouldn't be surprised if they knew they had to let the crowd cool following Tana-Ibushi, but there was just no urgency for much of this. This could be seen as a more cautious approach for SANADA as he knew he was behind the 8-ball, but man this could've been the best match of the year had they stepped on the gas earlier. Still, there may be no wrestler better than Okada at creating drama and putting the result of a match in doubt.
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Gave Tanahashi-EVIL another watch and it's definitely better the second time around though I'm probably still not quite as high as most on it. I think I'd go **** Cobb-Shingo **** Hard-hitting sprint which is exactly what it needed to be. Shingo was a good match for Cobb who, while still not great, is proving that he's still capable of a strong performance here and there. Very good stuff. Mox-Yano ***1/2 Yano special! Super fun match aided by the fact that Mox indulged in Yano's schtick. Finish was great. Naito-Juice ***3/4 Though I've been more optimistic than most about Naito's future, the 2-3 flubs we saw in this match definitely gave me cause for concern. Still, these guys have really good chemistry together and Juice's continued focus and aggression is very welcome. Sloppiness aside there's a lot to love as El-P said. Taichi-Jay **1/2 Not terrible but just really didn't have much going for it. I actually thought the overbooking shenanigans at the end helped though as it really put the finish in doubt (which is not easy to do when the winner isn't in doubt). Still, this just fell really flat for me. Maybe due to the fact that they're both conniving heels, it just never got the right kind of heat for me. Ishii-Goto ****1/4 If you liked their match last year then you'll love this. Hard-hitting war of attrition. Nothing more really to be said other than watch this.
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Ibushi-Fale *3/4 Two years ago Ibushi got a really good match out of Fale in the G1. History did not repeat itself. I can't even think of a word to describe how bad and boring this was. Ospreay-Sabre **** If you've seen any of these guys' matches together than you know what to expect. Very fast-paced action of Sabre's grappling vs. Ospreay's high-flying athleticism. Ospreay's selling has been really good over the last two years and this match was no exception, although I worry the guy's neck seriously screwed. Some of Ospreay's kicks missed the mark a bit but overall this was really good stuff. Okada-Archcer ****1/4 I didn't think this was going to top or even be as good as Ibushi-Archer but I was wrong! A bit more of a deliberate pace with Archer steamrolling Okada who in turn sold everything like death. Speaking of, I think Okada is a really underrated seller. He made KENTA's offense look great and he did the same for Archer. The longer the match went on, the more difficult it was for Okada to capitalize on any counter or comeback, giving Archer ample time to reassert his dominance. Some awkwardness in a Rainmaker transition, but that's pretty much a nitpick. Great stuff. And Archer continues to rule. KENTA-SANADA **1/4 I've generally enjoyed KENTA's run in the G1 but this was easily his worst outing. Very slow-moving trudge and as good as I think SANADA has gotten over the last few years, he's not the best at making comebacks. A few decent spots but proof that KENTA might be better off working quicker-paced matches unless he's in the ring with someone like Okada, Tana, or Ibushi. EVIL-Tanahashi ***1/4 Not as bad as KENTA-SANADA but this was another slow match. EVIL really needs to stick to just clobbering dudes rather than work over limbs and do submissions. Tana's selling was really good but there were times I seriously thought he was breaking down. They thankfully saved everything with a really hot finishing stretch. It's a credit to Tana's charisma and starpower that he kept the crowd in the palm of his hand after such a rough start.
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WWE TV 07/22 - 07/28 RAW Reunion! Candice Michelle is back!!!
Boss Rock replied to KawadaSmile's topic in WWE
Reigns was always the better singles worker of the three and was always in the discussion for best in the WWE even if I would stop short of calling him THE best.