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Boss Rock

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Everything posted by Boss Rock

  1. Boss Rock
    My God. Demon is bleeding like crazy.
  2. Boss Rock
    This is pretty dang violent.
  3. Boss Rock
    That was a pretty awesome entrance/video package.
  4. Boss Rock
    A bit too much standing and waiting for spots, but that was a really fun spotfest.
  5. Boss Rock
    Agreed, really liked the approach of that one and the fact that it was short.
  6. Boss Rock
    Think I'm gonna give this one a watch this year.
  7. Boss Rock
    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?
  8. Boss Rock
    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.
  9. Boss Rock
    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.
  10. Boss Rock
    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.
  11. Boss Rock
    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.
  12. Boss Rock
    I do think Seth has always been a really good tag wrestler. The teams with Roman and Mox and the Shield trios matches really allowed him to shine because he got to show off his flashy offense in hot tags and tornado settings and hide his inability to carry a singles match.
  13. Boss Rock
    I think it has a lot to do with this attitude over the last few months, lashing out at fans and his remarks about Moxley. But at the same time, I wonder if folks are seeing his in-ring work and realizing it's just not all that impressive. For the fast-paced athletic style he works (often derisively referred to as "crossfit wrestling") there are so many folks who do it better than him.
  14. Boss Rock
    This was pretty dang great. Lots of violence and hard-hitting action but really intelligent limb work as well. I love how Mox has not only turned up the intensity of his offense, but he's displayed some truly great psychology as well (see the Cobb match). Shingo's selling was great and he still brought the fire as always. A must-see. ****1/4
  15. Boss Rock
    Besides the lack of urgency in the first part of this match, I enjoyed this a lot. It almost felt like a sort of re-telling of Okada-Shibata but with Okada as the face this time. Basically, Okada's in the ring with a much better striker who's going to beat the shit out of him and try to force him to play his game. KENTA's definitely not the same wrestler he was 10 years ago and no one should expect him to be, but he's been so much better lately due to how he can really let loose on his strikes. Okada also did a great job selling, which I think is a very underrated facet of his game. He knows how to make his opponents' offense seem devastating and always plant the TINIEST bit of doubt that he's going to be able to win. A bit too slow at the beginning but this was really good stuff. ****
  16. Boss Rock
    I wouldn't be surprised if Naito is slowing down due to his history of knee issues and the fact that he's nearing 40, but he's still managed to deliver in a lot of high impact matches.
  17. Boss Rock
    Goto-Yano (NR) Too short to really give this a proper rating. Still, thought it was fun enough for what it was. I agree that Goto should use that pin more often. Juice-Ishii ****1/4 Really great back-and-forth fight. Loved Juice's aggression and how he continues to be more focused post-Mox loss. Ishii is great as always. He's a case study in how no-selling CAN work. If you have the charisma and carry yourself like you're the toughest dude around, no-selling is far more believable. Some pretty nasty bumps though and Ishii landing on his head after that Juice Box made me gasp. Cobb-Taichi **3/4 Taichi really needs to cut out the crowd-brawling and overbooking shenanigans. He can actually have pretty good matches if he just wrestles, but this kind of stuff just completely sucks the life out of a match. That being said, I thought they did a decent job bringing this one back in the second half and I give a lot of credit to Cobb. The moment he exploded on Taichi and beat the crap out of him in the corner really felt like the turning point. But it still wasn't enough to save this rather skippable affair. Shingo-Jay ****1/4 Most of this was very good but it felt like Jay was getting a little bit TOO much offense on Shingo. I think having Shingo beat up on Jay more would have made for a more compelling match. Still, it was good 50-50 action and the finishing stretch was great, really putting the ending in doubt and creating a true sense of drama. Jay's final comeback came a bit too easy but I still liked this a lot. Mox-Naito ****1/2 I seem to be in the minority because I loved this. Did a tremendous job carrying over the tension from the previous tag match and bringing it to a boiling point. I feel that 95% of the time plunder and crowd brawling in NJPW is contrived and pointless, but Mox does a terrific job weaving both into a match by making both seem important and consequential. Naito being comfortable in this environment went a long way as well (as evidenced by the Jericho WK match). Also liked how Mox was prepared and had an answer for a lot of Naito's offense while Naito was a bit more disrespectful than usual. And oh boy does that finish really shake things up for this tournament.
  18. Boss Rock
    Given how they haven't done the winner of the tournament being in the same block as the champion since 2014 (and even then they put the title on Tana), I remain convinced that the winner is going to be in the B block. I also think with Naito and Jay being the clear main event of the B block final, one of them is winning. Mox losing four in a row seems like a stretch, but I don't see how they mathematically eliminate Naito before the final day. I suppose it's possible that with doing two dome shows, it's possible Okada beats Mox in the finals and picks both Jay and Naito, who were the runner-ups, to face him. But that seems like a really lousy way to build to the two biggest shows of the year by giving title shots to the losers. At any rate, I'm kinda glad they're keeping the winner from being too obvious, even if it does make me worry that they deny Naito again.
  19. Boss Rock
    Exactly. The ref bump interference only to have another ref comes out has always seemed dumb to me because...did they seriously not see what happened on a monitor backstage?
  20. Boss Rock
    Briefly watched WWF on Saturday mornings in the mid-90's (not sure which show). Never watched WCW. When I began to seriously get into wrestling in 2002, only WWE was around and in 2005 is when I also started watching TNA.
  21. Boss Rock
    Yano-Juice: **1/2 Not up to par with Yano's other matches and was very much just "there". Still, liked the psychology of Juice knowing Yano well and not falling for any of his tricks. Goto-Taichi: **3/4 I thought their Power Struggle match last year was pretty solid, but this just fell flat. Really felt like Goto was half-assing it with drama and intensity but putting nothing behind his moves. Taichi's effort was admirable though. Have never been the guy's biggest fan but he's been acquitting himself fairly well. Shingo-Mox ****1/4 Great stuff. Really fun bombfest with smart limb work. It continues to amaze me how much better and focused Mox has been since leaving WWE. Shingo's selling was also good. Jay-Cobb *** Not a bad match and had some cool moments, but there was just no spark to take it to the next level. I agree with the consensus that Cobb has been exposed, although his past few years outside LU don't hold up super well either. Naito-Ishii ****1/4 With their chemistry, it was going to take a catastrophe to screw this one up. Super compelling bombfest that made me question the ending even if the victor was a foregone conclusion. Ishii continues to solidify himself as tournament MVP. Ibushi-Archer ****1/4 If you still weren't sold on Archer being good now, look no further than this match. Awesome sprint with Ibushi putting on the fieriest David performance in recent memory. Archer is everything Fale is not: an explosive, intimidating, big man wrestler. The last 30 seconds might be the best of the tournament so far. Ospreay-Fale *** The overbooking actually kind of worked in this match considering how bad Fale is, but it definitely got out of hand near the end. Still, a great babyface performance by Will. I seriously hope this is Fale's last tournament as every solid match he's has had this year has been solely on his opponent. EVIL-Sabre ***3/4 The opening minutes had impressive mat work but not much substance. Things definitely picked up in the second half though with lots of cool learned psychology, submission battles, and pin reversals. EVIL is pretty inconsistent but he and Sabre have very good chemistry together. Tanahashi-SANADA **** Not as good as their NJ Cup match, but sprint-ier Tana is always fun to watch. Good back-and-forth action and quite a bit of reversals (the Skull End reversal spot is a bit overplayed). Definitely worth a watch. Okada-KENTA **** Expectedly a bit slow in the beginning. I really wish Okada would show more urgency in the opening stretches of these longer matches. Still, a very good match with KENTA disrespecting Okada and getting his dander up, only to cut him off at every turn. Okada managed to add a few twists with a sort of modified Northern Lights Suplex and a corner dropkick. Very good but could have been great if they picked the pace up a little.
  22. Boss Rock
    Phantasmo vs. either Ospreay or Liger seems likely.
  23. Boss Rock
    Excellent match and worked at much more of a breakneck speed than you normally see in WWE. Tremendous chemistry between these two and wouldn't mind seeing more from them. ****1/4
  24. Boss Rock
    It was going to be hard for this match not to deliver considering the roll Mox has been on as of late and the fact that Ishii has been one of the most consistently great wrestlers over the last few years. Still, this was an absolute joy to watch with some rather unexpected twists and turns. The crowd brawling and of course Ishii doing a gosh dang splash through a table stick out the most. An absolute war and perhaps the best match of the tournament so far. Seriously, just go watch this. ****1/2
  25. Boss Rock
    Pretty excellent match. Takeshita may very well have the best offense of any wrestler and that was on full display here. The first few minutes were a bit slow given the 31 minute run time, but they picked things up rather quickly. Really enjoyed the limb work and the payoff of the exposed turnbuckle was great. Whereas NJPW can get a bit heavy on finisher reversals, there wasn't really a whole lot of that in this and I think it was better for it. Highly recommended. ****1/2
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