Makai Club #1

Forgive me if you've explained this before in any detail (feel free the point me in that direction if you have), but I'm curious to know what makes you a non-believer and why?

Both Usos really got exposed as limited as singles acts. Jey showed himself to have more personality, but he's largely unimpressive in-ring as a singles act. He was lacklustre against Gunther, which should've been where he rose to the occasion. Instead he was a bit of a dud and ultimately unconvincing which is more criminal as anything. If the Usos are to be measured in any way and ranked at all, for me personally, it'll largely be on their excellent team work which I enjoy greatly. But am I going to knock someone off for the sake of Jey Uso? Probably not. Honourable mention perhaps.

Not a chance for me. As much as I admire the stiffness, I often think he's unwatchable. As long as he relies of the strike exchanges as a clutch, as well as his unbearable 'Mad Lad' gimmick, he'll always rank as one of my least favourites to watch. Any time he steps out of that role, he shines. But that's once in a blue moon. He will go from matches like against Omega, to that tediously dull match against Ishii. Shame.

What's more surprising about the reaction from the crowd was that the Korakuen Hall crowd was so HOT for Umino on the 23rd of December. Like they would die for him. I realise it's a hardcore audience but it seemed like the fans rejecting him felt like a one time thing, at least in that moment in time. But there seems to be a ways to go for Umino.

Forgive me for the large review dump, but I need to express my thoughts on Umino vs Zack at Wrestle Kingdom. I wrote the match's big body as it was happening, so forgive the length and the gramatically errors that allude my skimming. Very technical opening, beginning with a classic roman knuckle-lock into a full-nelson with Umino using his strength to keep the hold applied, and then used his smarts to reapply it when Zack attempted to roll away. Umino quicked in pace with a flurry, before settling back down to work on the neck some more. Zack then replied with an awesome arm pull that forced Umino into the ground. So far, so good. Umino is showing he’s capable of keeping up enough, whereas Zack is nasty but full of skill to carry out his game plan. There was an awesome cut off spot where Umino low balled Zack, sending him into the ropes in the 619 position, only Umino hits a springboard DDT with Zack going face first into the apron. And bizarrely, the fans actually begin booing Umino shortly after this moment, specifically when he sent Zack into the barricade. It was initially small and brief but noticeable. And then it grew after Umino coldly glanced in the distance after another DDT. You might think it was intentional, but Umino tried to get a reaction after they returned to the ring with an arm gesture, quickly getting zero response. Oof. I actually think Umino was having a good match upto this point, as is Zack. Now this portion does seem to ponder as both are distracted by the not so great response, but it does flare up when Zack baits Umino into a strike exchange. Umino shows fire but his elbow strikes are really shit, especially in comparison to Zack’s uppercuts. After it’s clear Umino is no match in the stand up, Zack takes him back to the floor, snagging the arm for a cross armbreaker and then double shoulder lock. Zack transitions again into the arm-triangle that Umino powers out off, before hitting a running uppercut. Umino then lamely tries to do a Hidden Blade, which doesn’t help the identity crisis issues, but misses, leading to a decent counter sequence that ends with Zack brutally hitting a lariat that sends Umino inside out. This somewhere awkwardly strays away from the arm focused spots and moves into a strike exchange sequence - not ideal. At least the strikes were upper cuts and were stiff, on both sides of the ring too. And, again, to their credit, I did sense there was a story being told, told through Zack’s selling and Umino’s facial expressions which grew more aggressive and determined. The fans gave Umino one of the first decent babyface reactions since the start of the match after Umino’s last big uppercut. This escalated into a back and forth match with both doing their bigger spots in the match with Umino getting some momentum being able to hit his DDT but then Zack did something both bizarre and awesome. He completely bent Umino’s knee to its side with a sort of twist. While the arm work has been lost, Zack has now began working the knee, applying a cross legged knee bar with Umino desperately fighting to the ropes in an incredible sequence. The fans really bit on whether Umino was going to tap out or not with both selling the hold and the moment itself really well. Umino’s selling afterwards was tremendous, as was Zack’s heel work which simply consisted of stomping the leg. Zack pulls Umino to his feet, who looks empty. The fans start booing again which pisses Umino off who fires up but Zack sweeps Umino off his feet with a kick twice. Umino is able to get some reprieve after Zack charges into the corner and gets caught with a DDT. Umino’s selling was still great, even when he threw a knee into Zack in the corner. And the fans were still not really buying into him. What a dichotomy of a great performance and the fans reacting. Umino and Zack fight on top of the corner post, first fighting for a front face lock and ending with a glorious superplex. Umino rises to his feet and finally plays into the fans booing him, angry stomping on Zack while glaring at the crowd. And then the bastard throws his father to the ground! Now the boos are finally earned. Umino has flown the coop. He continues the distasteful stomping before walloping Zack with an uppercut. Zack desperately kicks Umino’s legs, whose no selling them (THAT’S HOW YOU FUCKING NO SELL SOMETHING) and stomps on Zack in response. Zack bitch slaps Umino hard enough to knock him to the floor, then stomping on Umino to return the favour. Zack still flirts with his heelish persona which isn’t ideal but Umino doesn’t back down either. They both slap the heck out of each other, both getting great shots in but t’s Umino who falls first. Umino rallies and hits an uppercut version of the hidden blade to a two count. Umino goes for a move but get’s tripped by Zack. Umino escapes and lariats Zack off his feet. He seems ready to hit a big move but his knee buckles! Zack capitalises with a Zack Driver. Only a two count though!! Zack continues. A big pile driver is hit, and then a leg crossed version of the Zack Driver that looks like an Emerald Flowsion! And that finishes the match. Woah. What a match. I am really surprised at the criticisms. I get the booing, somewhat. Umino has been a lame duck since day one of his return really and I feel like this is an extension of that, rather than Umino’s performance here. But the general critiques of the match I don’t really get. I don’t understand how people can conflate Zack expertly working a roman knuckle lock and working the arm from there with the usual tedious drizzle that other NJ main eventers call technical wrestling. If you can’t see the difference between Okada bumbling his way through an opening stretch and Zack skillfully needling an opponent, I dunno what to tell you. Furthermore, Umino had a really strong match. His strikes were tame (bad) early on, but he quickly moved on to the much sweeter uppercuts, and later slaps, matching Zack’s energy and storytelling approach to the usual tedious spot. And his selling was glorious for not only his arm, but later his leg. It was phenomenal. And I thought him finally turning heel and playing into the crowd was excellent, if anything Zack’s unwillingness to deviate from his heel persona really made that stand out as an isolated incident. I thought that both wrestlers were splendid. And if the crowd didn’t settle on the idea of booing Umino, who is clearly not as good nor cool as Zack, I’d see little reason for the major criticisms of the match. The length is another thing, and that’s simply relative. I didn’t mind watching a 43 minute match because I enjoyed the quality of wrestling. Others might prefer a tighter match. Understandably, but at the end of the day, I liked what I saw. Loved it even. I’m calling this a great match, because it was. I found it quite enjoyable to pick this apart move from move and found that I got more and more invested despite the detached approach of watching the match. That’s how I know it was great. ****1/4

Five years later, I've emotionally matured enough to come to the conclusion that Triple H is indeed as great as I remembered in this match. The context of the match is known to everyone: after four years off, Shawn Michaels is making a comeback to face someone who he called a friend but was assaulted by for reasons I forget. The important aspect of the match was seeing if Shawn Michaels still had it. And even if you don’t believe that Shawn Michaels was the greatest wrestler ever, which I don’t, it’s a good hook because he was still a headliner who had to retire and is making a comeback. A story that is universal in all sports. The match begins with punches as Michaels is quick to hit HHH first and gain an advantage. A plancha to the floor transitions the match into a brawl around the ring where Michaels gets a trash can and a lid out. It’s easy to take it for granted that Shawn Michaels is able to move around as well as he does in the first five minutes. He had injuries but obviously that wasn’t the only reason he stayed away. But there isn’t much rust on show which is common and understandable. Michaels goes for the early finish, attempting the superkick but it’s cut off by two well executed backbreakers by Triple H. Also the first attempt at the injured back which is #psychology. More work on the back follows which Michaels sells well. He attempts to fight back but this is cut off. And blood is soon drawn as this is 2000s WWE. Triple H escalates things once more and uses a leather strap to both whip Michaels in the back area and use the metal belt buckle to open up the cut more. A great move from Triple H. Triple H’s sadistic strategy escalated more when he got the sledgehammer out from beneath the ring, but it also undermined the opportune moment he had and Michaels was able to throw some punches. The hammer is thrown from his gasps but Triple H regains momentum via an abdominal stretch. This is the first flaw in the match that introduces itself - Earl Hebner and Triple H. Triple H while in the aforementioned abdominal stretch, grabs the ropes which in this contest and its rules is perfectly legal but Earl Hebner breaks it up which is where wrestling breaks its rules for “entertainment” and I’m a grump on stuff like this. Then they argue for what seems like an age. It’s a nuisance. And it seems to serve as a potential hope spot for Michaels but it’s cut off once more. Finally, Shawn Michaels gets some chance with a low blow and then a superkick into a chair. Triple H is now bleeding. Shawn Michaels is able to kip-up in a state of adrenaline which does work because Shawn continues to show that pain less than a minute later, keeping that consistency. It’s time for Shawn Michaels to get his own back. He nails Triple H with the trash bin lids and a steel chair as Triple H bleeds a gusher. The fans chant “we want tables” and get a ladder instead which gets a big pop. It gets used as a weapon and Michaels gets a nearfall. The match flows into a more momentum heavy, back and forth sort of bout, with the momentum slightly edged in Shawn Michaels’ favour. The tables actually do come into play finally, but at the beat of the wrestlers, not the fans which is great. Fuck fans. Shawn Michaels hits a big splash on the outside floor to a big pop. And then he hits a flying elbow off the ladder which brings the arena alive. Triple H’s leg selling, which is almost missed as the coverage focuses on Michaels, is great too. Michaels is feeling the moment and goes for the superkick once more. Triple H reverses and goes for the Pedigree but he’s scooped from below and pinned in a surprise finishing sequence. I thought it was a very good finish that wasn’t nearly as over wrought as some of the bigger matches today. Highly effective. Shawn Michaels wins in his big momentum, what a tim-- Oh no, Triple H assaults him with the sledgehammer, targeting his back and neck. RIP Shawn. We hardly knew you again. I think this really delivers in both a wider context and as a match insolation. Both bring enthused performances, with good selling and good penchant for basic storytelling. I think the Hebner side plot was a distraction but that’s the biggest ding in the match. I think they touched on the story of the return nicely, before then isolated it nicely through back work and then Shawn’s incorporation of weapons and his risk taking. All was done very well. I rarely feel an emotional connection with Shawn Michaels, but he resonated with me. I still think Triple H shined in the match in a more underlying way but Shawn was the star of the match as he was positioned to do so, and held up his end just as much. Great match. ****1/4

I'll find a place in my top 100 for TripleH because he was my favourite wrestler as a child growing up, and I do think he has enough very good-great matches that many other wrestlers I will also include will dream of having. However, he won't rank that high because of his really bad stretches in the ring and how his presence at the top devalued Raw for such a long time. Triple H is a wrestler of extremities. And it's more fustrating than anything.

El Samurai is always someone I consider “the best wrestler I don’t like”, and while I do think this match is build around Kanemoto’s excellent work on top with the heat he generates, the escalation he pushes and seeing him get beat, Samurai is excellent towards the end with what he brings to the table which is his high-end offence. Structurally this plays loose with the transition into the closing stretch with Samurai basically popping up in a sea of energy which is a shame. But I can’t deny the fact that what came after was so explosively entertaining that I didn’t really care. Disjointed somewhat? Perhaps but I think you can still see some link to Kanemoto being killed again and again as revenge for all he did throughout the match. This was an energetic final that’s got a major reputation and for good reason. Watch out for the brutal neck bumps, hot crowd and terrific bomb heavy performances. ****1/2

The beginnings of this inner NWO Civil War story that was meant to carry WCW through the rest of the year. This is a big deal as every Hogan vs Savage match is, and with the cage being around the ring, that added even more stakes. And as a match goes, the ideas were solid. Savage was game for taking bumps, selling wonderfully and dishing out big bombs. Hogan, however, lacked that midas touch that he usually has. I don't think he suited the cage gimmick in this cowardly hellish role. He needed to be a bit more of a brute and he felt a little light. Too light for this match. But I did think Savage put in a good performance. The crowd responded to him very well. It's not a surprise that WCW would put the title on him at Spring Stampede which leads me to the horrible finish and angle that truly gives this match its reputation. The match is thrown out (a cage match is supposed to prevent that) when the Disciple attacks the refs and enters the cage. Savage looks to be trapped and out numbered when Sting repels from the ceiling to rescue Savage. There is an awkwardly long standoff between the four, before Savage shockingly turns on Sting. We are first to believe that he's in cahoots with Hogan but thankfully, Savage makes a point to spit at Hogan and tells him that he doesn't like him. Savage is indeed a tweener. He is a lone wolf, aiming for the title but he won't let that affect his issues with Hogan. Bad match despite Savage's best efforts. It wasn't to be for him. **

If I remember correctly, Page and Omega were like two partners who weren't really friends but linked in someway and happened to work well as a team. The whole story a small chapter of what AEW will focus on in the next year as Kenny Omega turns heel and joins with the Bucks and Page drifts emotioanlly until he's ready to confront the Elite. Edit: I find it a little amusing that you didn't LOVE this match, considering everyone was ready to declare it the greatest tag team match ever once the closing bell rang. I never thought it was too amazing myself because of my near-fall fatigue but I enjoyed it much more than most Young Bucks matches. Even a few years removed, you'd might come across people still raving about how great this match is. So yes, this has a major reputation.

Ospreay is pretty great but he's layerless. Goes one speed, does his thing regardless of opponent and it either clicks or it doesn't. Compares to the true all time greats, with the exception of maybe Flair, they all are much more varied and layered in what they have to offer. Ospreay is about as good as you can get for someone who doesn't emotionally move me. But there are plenty that I think are better and do move me when I'm watching them. And that's what this is about. If there is any mention of objectivity when it comes to wrestling, you've adopted the wrong mindset already.

That's the issue with replacing the booker. The guy you bring in may not work either. Jun Akiayama did okay in All Japan but he didn't grow them past the occasional show at Ryogoku. Is there any indication that he would be able to help New Japan? Liger has potential because he was the one booking the Jrs during the 90s boom. But whole knows if he could do it 30 years later. I think Gedo just needs to get off the pot with Yota Tsuji and Shota Umino. Tsuji is on the cusp and Umino is a little inauthentic in the role but he has something and the fans like him. Stop cutting them off by having them lose like you have options.

Been following Ospreay since he was 20 working the British Indies. I'm glad that he has gotten as far as he has. He's always been a fun but flawed wrestler but emphasis on fun. He's excelled in every role he's undertook. He was a great Junior Heavyweight, transitioned to Heavy well, had good-great matches with almost every he's had with maybe the exception of Shingo Takagi. Something about those two together leaves me cold and unmoved. And he seems to have instantly connected with the American audiences, although he's been in and out for years, so it's not exactly an instant thing. If I had to rank him among the european peers, I'd rank him beneath Gunther (AKA WALTER) and Zack Sabre Jr and that it. I would put Jim Breaks but I haven't seen enough in my mind to justify it. Ospreay just isn't my particular tastes to rank him over these two, let alone some of the best wrestlers of all time but I'll find a spot for him somewhere.

The AEW run has been a cool run but it ultimately doesn't change him being a 70-80 ranked wrestler for me.

One of the more underrated rivalries of the 90s. Far from the high level bouts of Hart/Austin, Sting/Vader or Kawada/Misawa but they had some memorable moments, drew some great houses and helped establish AAA during their infancy.