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.

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.

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

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. ****

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

Phantasmo vs. either Ospreay or Liger seems likely.

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

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

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

Star ratings from last few days: Archer-KENTA **3/4 Disappointing match considering how much I liked the beginning with KENTA chopping Archer's legs out from underneath him. They moved on from this pretty quickly though and had a rather listless David vs. Goliath match with a few cool spots scattered about. But KENTA's LaBell Lock is better than Bryan's. EVIL-SANDA ***1/2 Pretty good match but the beginning was way too slow. I liked the psychology of both guys knowing each other so well with EVIL putting SANADA in a Paradise Lock and SANADA hitting EVIL with an Everything is EVIL. Okada-Fale *** Typical decent Okada-Fale match with the added twist of Fale attacking Okada before their entrances which I thought was clever. Okada mostly worked from the bottom and had to overcome outside interference. Perfectly fine but not on the level of their New Beginning match this year or the awesome Invasion Attack 2015 match. Fale just sucks. Okada continues to get his groove back against the folks who beat him last year with a decisive win and dropkick to send Fale packing. Tanahashi-Sabre **** Loved that they worked a sprint here with both guys in a must-win position struggling on the mat. Tana and Zack have such good chemistry together. Ospreay-Ibushi ****1/2 Match of the tournament contender and even better than their WK match. I liked the approach of both guys going after the other's injury, although the mat work went a bit too long for two guys who are known for fast-paced action. Wish Ibushi sold the leg more but Ospreay did a good job selling the neck. Incredibly dramatic finishing stretch that really put the ending in doubt even if Ibushi getting his first win was a given. Taichi-Shingo: **** The Taichi heat segment at the beginning wasn't great but this turned into an exciting, fast-paced match. I just don't get why Taichi needs to be able to withstand so much damage and kick out of a Last of Dragons. Still, another standout match for Shingo and a pretty good showing from Taichi. Cobb-Juice: ***1/4 Decent match where Juice surprisingly dominated the first half. Really like how Juice has more focus and intensity since the loss to Moxley. Cobb has his faults, but he's still fun to watch toss people around. Finishing stretch was good but still never quite took off. Yano-Jay: ***1/2 Another Yano special. He'll never have any MOTYC's, but he's always one of my favorite people to watch in this tournament. And holy crap was not expecting him to win! Glad he's been more of a spoiler this year than the last two. Naito-Goto: **** Really liked Goto attacking Naito from behind. It's one thing to say you've reinvented yourself, but you better show your work and Goto did here. Naito did a good job rallying back and working the leg. Some nice drama in the end that put the finish in question. Mox-Ishii ****1/2 Welp, this was as good as you'd expect. Ishii did a top rope splash through a table. Must watch and possibly the best match of the tournament. Ishii is the clear frontrunner for tournament MVP and Mox has continued to impress. Fale-Sabre ***1/2 Fale is usually a drag in this tournament but loved Zack's approach here. He knew he was in a must-win situation against a guy much bigger and stronger than him, so he immediately tried to go for the submission win. We got some interference from Jado and Chase, but it led to a pretty fun crowd brawl where Zack outsmarted Fale for the win. Tanahashi-Archer ***3/4 Haven't been as high on Archer's last two matches as most, but this was really good. Loved Tana's urgency by attacking Archer before the bell and Archer in turn nearly murdered him in retaliation. Really good David vs. Goliath match and further proof that Archer is capable of a good match. Tana is also still the man. EVIL-KENTA **** KENTA has acquitted himself well this tournament but thought he disappointed in the Archer match. And combined with EVIL's inconsistency, I wasn't expecting a good match here. But holy crap did they prove me wrong. KENTA was in perfect dickhead form, trying to wipe off EVIL's eyeliner and put it on himself. The crowd brawling was also really fun and didn't feel contrived. The finishing stretch had some really good, hard-hitting action. A definite sleeper hit. SANADA-Ibushi ****1/4 Don't think they quite topped the match they had last year, but this was really good. No real underlying story except two excellent athletes going fast and furious. SANADA continues to prove he can hang with the top stars in the ring. Ospreay-Okada ****1/4 Arguably the best match they've had against each other. Unfortunately, like their last two, it started off a bit too slowly. Okada is my favorite wrestler but I really wish he'd pick up the pace during these opening stretches. Still, liked how Okada wasn't afraid to go after Ospreay's neck and Ospreay in return hit him with the loudest chop I've ever heard. This became the fast-paced, reversal-heavy match you'd expect from these two with a few extra twists like Okada hitting the dropkick early and Ospreay hitting an Oscutter on the outside from the guardrail. I agree with Coffey that it got a bit overkill near the end, but I honestly though Ospreay might pull it off, so it definitely worked. Ospreay continuing to prove he's the best in the world when it comes to output this year. Great stuff.

Ospreay cleared for tomorrow.

Ishii unsurprisingly with match of the night again. But hat's off to Jay. Not only is he mechanically excellent but he heels it up so well against tough guys like Ishii. Yano-Shingo was a lot of fun and pretty much what you would want out of a Yano match. Mox-Cobb wasn't great but I really dug Mox's psychology. Went after the shoulder to take away Cobb's power, stomped on his foot to escape the suplex on the apron, hit him with the knee to set up the rope-assisted DDT because he couldn't lift him. Juice-Goto was solid but definitely the worst of their matches together. Taichi-Naito was a lot better than their New Beginning match and even if the overbooking got to be a bit much, it was at least saved for the end and the execution was much better.

Ospreay has a neck injury and will miss the 15th show. Won't have to forfeit any matches yet and there's a chance he's cleared for the 18th as the injury isn't nerve or bone damage.

Riho did a commendable job in that match given the circumstances. Tons of potential.

Agreed. I like Page, he's got a good look, and he has his moments in the ring. But he still doesn't have the star power I think would be necessary for an inaugural champion. I personally would've gone with Moxley but considering where we are, Jericho is still a good pick due to his name recognition and the fact that he can still get things done in the ring. Definitely not who I'd build the promotion around long-term, but a good pick heading into TV.

Good but not great day. Archer-Fale wasn't terrible but not very good either. Ospreay-SANADA was a tad underwhelming but really liked the second half. Ibushi-EVIL started and finished strong. The middle dragged a little but EVIL's work on the ankle was logical. Okada-Sabre was surprisingly short but I liked the story of Okada outmatching Sabre in most departments but was just one pin or sub attempt away from losing. The ME would've been amazing 6-7 years ago but was very good as sort of an aged, gunslingers fight. KENTA's offense for the most part looks good but his GTS is definitely kinda weak now.

Were there issues with Fyter Fest? I don't recall.

Mixed bag show. Allie-Brandi and Britt/Riho-Bea/Nakajima were very bad. Dark Order is a good tag team but not over. Page-Sabian was OK but way too long. And the camera cuts are still too choppy. But the six-man tag, the triple-threat tag, and Lucha Bros-SCU were very fun spotfests. The Aja-Awesome staredown was fire. Really enjoyed Kenny-CIMA and the ME. I even liked the Jericho-Page brawl. Only their third major show so they still have time to work out the kinks and I expect All Out to be much better. But there's still work to be done.

I really liked it a lot. Sort of a more reserved approach from the Bucks and I think it worked. Matt's arm selling was great as well.

Drunk, middle-aged rockstar brawler has been a good fit for him.