Boss Rock

I think my biggest issue with Cornette (obviously apart from his offensive comments) is the hypocrisy when it comes to folks he doesn't like. I get not liking folks like Janela for what they bring to the table as a wrestler (I have no strong opinions on Janela either way, he's had matches I've liked and matches I don't like) but to criticize folks for not working out or looking out of shape when the guy managed Eaton, Condrey, and Del Ray is just silly.

Makes sense as Tana can't lose at the Dome to a heel gaijin and Jericho would need to get his win back at some point.

I was never a fan of the "pinfall followed by a 10 count" thing. And as much as I love Cactus-Vader, the break period made even less sense.

1,159 people are talking about this Supposedly won't be on the broadcast but still pretty cool and was actually surprised they didn't announce it sooner.

I think Mutoh is too.

Sorta wish they'd have given at least Shingo a singles match but it is what it is I guess.

2 hours seems ideal especially if you have a larger roster. Although I think for a while LU and NXT did a great job with just 60 minutes (although both shows had the advantage of a smaller roster where they could simultaneously avoid overexposure as well as folks going weeks without being on TV).

Taue not getting in and getting even less votes than Jun seems rather poetic.

My tentative top 30 with only the top 5 being for sure ranked: 1. Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki (NJPW Royal Quest 8/31) ****3/4 2. Shuji Ishikawa and Suwama vs. Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi (BJW To Was Gat Early 1/13) ****3/4 3. Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay (NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 6/5) ****3/4 4. WALTER vs. Tyler Bate (NXT Takeover: Cardiff 8/31) ****3/4 5. Blue Demon Jr. vs. Rey Wagner (AAA Triplemania XXVII) ****3/4 Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kenny Omega (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13 1/4) ****3/4 Kazuchika Okada vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW New Japan Cup 3/23) ****3/4 Jake Lee vs. Kento Miyahara (AJPW Champion Carnival 4/29) ****3/4 SHO vs. Shingo Takagi (NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/13) ****3/4 SHO vs. Dragon Lee (NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/15) ****3/4 Rocky Romero vs. El Phantasmo (NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/24) ****3/4 Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes (AEW Double or Nothing 5/25) ****3/4 Big R Shimizu and Eita vs. Naurki Doi and Kaito Ishida vs. KAI and YAMATO (Dragon Gate Kobe Pro Wrestling Festival 7/21) ****3/4 Kota Ibushi vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW G1 Climax 8/3) ****3/4 Shingo Takagi vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW G1 Climax 8/8) ****3/4 Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi (NJPW G1 Climax 8/10) ****3/4 Jake Lee vs. Kento Miyahara (AJPW Raising an Army Memorial Series 10/24) ****3/4 Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley (AEW Full Gear 11/6) ****3/4 Shuji Ishikawa and Suwama vs. Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi (AJPW Dream Power Series 3/19) ****1/2 Zeus vs. Yuji Okabayashi (AJPW Champion Carnival 4/21) ****1/2 Konosuke Takeshita vs. Tetsuya Endo (DDT Wrestle Peter Pan 7/15) ****1/2 Kota Ibushi vs. Will Ospreay (NJPW G1 Climax 7/18) ****1/2 Jon Moxley vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW G1 Climax 7/19) ****1/2 Yuji Okabayashi vs. Takuya Nomura (BJW Osaka Surprise 42 7/21) ****/12 Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Will Ospreay (NJPW G1 Climax 8/10) ****1/2 Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White (NJPW G1 Climax 8/12) ****1/2 Kento Miyahara vs. Naoya Nomura (AJPW Summer Explosion Series 9/3) ****1/2 Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks (WWE Hell in a Cell 10/6) ****1/2 David Starr vs. Jordan Devlin (OTT Fifth Anniversary 10/26) ****1/2 WALTER and Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Yuji Hino and Yuji Okabayashi (BJW Ryogokutan 11/4) ****1/2

With Okada he tends to lean more heel if the crowd really likes his opponent.

That would be awesome but yeah unlikely.

It's definitely a good line-up, but I agree for a two-night card I guess I was just expecting more.

I'm really curious about the result for Tanahashi-Jericho. Jericho will still be champion and I really don't imagine AEW would allow him to lose, but Tanahashi losing on this stage to a heel part-timer seems rather bold.

I know it was wishful thinking that Shibata would get cleared, but Goto getting the KENTA match after seeing how physical Shibata got is the most hilarious (and saddest) bait-and-switch. I don't hate Goto, but seeing him in this spot instead of Ishii or Shingo is incredibly disappointing.

New pick for 2019.

The contrast in presentation between Bryan and Rollins is pretty stark. Rollins would cower in fear, but Bryan stood strong and blitzed the Fiend right at the bell. The aura of the Fiend has been irreparably damaged thanks to the Rollins feud, but I really liked that this was a more narrative-driven match rather than the finish-fest the Rollins matches were. Bryan was aggressive and focused the entire match but the Fiend would not stay down. While I wish they would do more with the Fiend instead of him just no-selling or recovering too quickly from finishers, but this was still a good match. ***3/4

This was a really good match, but while I'm not a huge stickler for long-term selling, the fact that they were able to go through the finishing stretch with the injuries they had (particularly Cole) knocked this down a few pegs for me. There were some pretty outrageous spots and the final Panama Sunrise was probably the most logical way you could do a destroyer in a match. Just wish they had sold a tad more. ***3/4

Match of the Decade: Okada vs. Shibata (Sakura Genesis)-Understandable if folks don't consider this match due to Shibata's injury, but as a whole the match is still a masterpiece. Not just with the stiffness and intensity of Shibata's assault, but the character work of Okada as the cocky, hotshot ace who tries to beat Shibata at his own game. Wrestler of the Decade: Hiroshi Tanahashi-Arguably the most consistent big match wrestler of the decade. Even if his body is broken down, you can still count on Tana to deliver the goods in a main event match. While Okada can be more attributed to New Japan's rise as a global promotion, his rivalry with Tanahashi was a huge part of that. Feud of the Decade: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada-As stated above, this feud and the acclaim it received was a huge part of New Japan's upswing in the 2010's (especially in regards to its popularity in the U.S). And while the matches are great (the lowest I've gone is 4 on the WK 7 match), the story is one of the best in recent memory. Tanahashi was the established hero of the promotion having his claim to the throne challenged by this guy who was first seen as a joke but quickly revealed to be a wrestling prodigy. Okada's over-confidence would get in the way of his natural talent however, with the Rainmaker unable to defeat Tanahashi at the Dome. While he should have probably gone over at WK 9, Okada's triumph at WK 10 is what truly established him as a reliable draw and ace for New Japan (the maintaining of wrist control is one of my favorite visuals ever). Tanahashi would continue to nip at his heels, but Okada has been nearly untouchable since. Best Development: All In and the creation of AEW. With the fall of TNA on cable television and WWE's over-farming of the indies, AEW has been a real game-changer for wrestling in the U.S. Best TV Show: Season 1 of Lucha Underground. A bit of a sentimental pick as LU brought back the spark of my wrestling fandom after countless disappointments and frustrations with WWE. It would never quite be the same after the first season, but the combination of storytelling, unconventional presentation, characters, and great matches was a godsend and ultimately led me to exploring other promotions/eras outside of modern WWE. Also, without LU I question whether or not guys like Fenix or Pentagon would be where they are today. Major Show of the Decade: There's still a ton I haven't seen but I'll go with either Dominion 2017 for Takeover: New Orleans. Dominion 2017 to me remains the peak of the Bushiroad era of New Japan. A near-perfect card from top-to-bottom with hot angles and wrestlers. Takeover: New Orleans is my pick for the best show NXT has ever done and while the Gargano-Ciampa feud went downhill afterwards, their match was executed to perfection.

I pretty much agree with this. And if he cant adapt his character and promo skills, let him be the guy to have TV bangers. It doesnt seem like AEW is interested in midcard titles, but he'd be the perfect person for it.

The men's Survivor Series match is basically WWE booking in a nutshell. Dink out over acts with promise, put an insane amount of emphasis on Corbin, and try to give someone a rub without actually letting them win.

Its remarkable for a show attempting a sports vibe, a giant dinosaur man is one of their most over acts.

I've long thought that they need to just merge the two tag divisions to add some much needed depth.

I think PAC is way better than Spears. I wanted to get behind him but it really seems like lower card was his ceiling.

The tag title match seems like a stop gap until Proud and Powerful get a shot. My guess is that SCU gets another solid defense under their belt, Santana and Ortiz beat the RnR Express, and they build the tag title match off that. Definitely against another Pac-Page match, although if Pac goes over I'll be OK with it as it makes sense to do a Mox-Pac match to set up the next contender for Jericho.

Great tag match that was much more narrative-driven than most tag matches we see in AEW. Proud and Powerful did a great job working over the leg of Nick who, to his credit, sold it incredibly well. In a day and age where most limb work becomes inconsequential or just straight blown off, stuff like Nick being unable to hit the Meltzer Driver or even jump off the turnbuckle made everything much more meaningful. That's not to say there wasn't a ton of great spots and offense either. But the story they were telling made things matter more than they usually would. There was also little stuff like Santana forcing Nick to tag in as he was more vulnerable than Matt that I really enjoyed and I wish they had allowed the tag to the foot rather than have Knox prevent it (a ref should not be able to call heel team shenanigans that early into the match). And the post-match with the RnR Express was great, can't wait for an eventual match between then and P&P. ****1/4