EnviousStupid

I planned on revisiting all these NXT War Games matches after watching how the concept was used in WCW and paid homage to across various independents over the 2000s. In hindsight, that was probably the worst thing I could've done. This is a disappointing match on its own, but to call it War Games feel like an insult to its history. Match starts with three guys churning out clusterfuck moments devoid of emotion and in front of a silent crowd, like we're all just waiting for something worthwhile to happen. Undisputed Era are the only heels I can recall that get the advantage in War Games and still can't work a proper heat segment. AOP managed to elicit a few pops once they enter the fray, but it's clear by that point how soulless this entire affair is. Garbage spotfest where the cage is only there for people to jump off of. The introduction of weapons by Dain and Wolfe only reinforce this. No one can bleed because the stipulation is only here for marketing. The spots have all been seen and done before on WWE programming, probably without the wrestlers standing around to base for moves. You have Adam Cole kick out of the biggest moment of the night (superplex from the top of the cage) and the way he wins is with a Shining Wizard to Eric Young, who is basically holding a chair to his own face. Awful, awful stuff. Ages like milk. Excluding the women's one in 2019, I have zero expectations for these knock-offs.

Neither Roddy nor Riddle are guys who I'd call myself a big fan of, but they pull off a pretty organic heel/face dynamic from the opening grapple. Riddle has the size and skill advantage on the mat, consistently able to apply submissions that leave Roddy scratching and clawing for a rope break. Meanwhile Roddy is easily the harder striker of the two, which comes into play really well with the several combinations he puts together in his offense, mostly targeting the ribs and back of Riddle that commentary reminds us of were damaged sometime before the PPV. It's that kind of tenacity on display that helps Riddle look genuinely sympathetic in spite of his outlandish personality. If I was to really fault anything here, it's that I thought the wrong person won. Riddle never felt like he adapted to Roddy's gameplan or outmatched him during the finishing stretch, and even his high-risk attempts ended up with him eating a couple knees to the back. Hitting some weak elbows followed by lifting Roddy up for that shitty Tombstone Press Slam to win just wasn't my cup of tea.

The whole angle with Kip Sabian and PAC being over a minute long and the referee "not seeing any of it" just takes the cake.

My bad. I've been confused for the last hour as to what constitutes as British, as someone who's clearly not from that part of the world.

Recently a list of Ariel Helwani's top 10 British wrestlers of all time was posted on various WWE accounts: While I find quite a few placements very interesting, it got me thinking what a list would look like from more experienced wrestlers like those on sites like PWO. Other questions popped up while thinking about it further: Is WOS where the majority of Britain's greatest wrestlers lie? How would the likes of Ospreay, McIntyre, PAC, Sabre Jr., etc. fare when stacked against other generations & eras? I'd be interested if anyone here has some kind of list already in mind, or even a group of names that stand out in regards to the best from Britain.

This was Bryan's return match after his injuries sustained in the Anarchy in the Arena match two months ago. There was a lot of hype surrounding this match, and rave reviews made it sound like one of the best matches from 2022 so far. Unfortunately, I'm in the minority when it comes to this. I think there's a lot of great ideas packed into it that I can admire, but a lot of what's done from both men actively frustrated me. For example, they play to the idea of Bryan not being at 100%, the past head trauma that initially had him retire, even commentary pointing out that Bryan may have suffered a concussion after hitting a missile dropkick and landing flat on his back. It's clearly effective going off of how the live crowd reacts, but from my view, there's a handful of issues that just kill my investment to the story. For one, I'm not a fan of Bryan's selling here after the first instance of a potential head injury. I can see the appeal of Bryan harkening back to his offense/comeback during his WWE tenure, only to fail him as he's gotten older, but he's landing his signature backflip, and it's only when he hits the ropes that he collapses. He also takes a DDT onto the exposed floor a little over 5 minutes into the match. It's sold well in the moment - unable to stand on his own, blood emanating from his forehead, giving Garcia plenty of time to work over the cut - however it gets egregious once Bryan is into his comeback. No pause of grogginess from Dragon until after he's thoroughly kicked the crap out of Garcia. Manages to stand up while a Sleeper hold is applied. A bridging Tiger Suplex and Regalplex executed without flaw. The high risk maneuvers he tries don't leave a mark on that head injury. It's not about having to commit so hard to an angle that you can't do any of these actions, but this is a lot done in a single match that stands out in my eyes. And of course, the ending with Bryan passing out to a submission again, this time a Sharpshooter, is starting to be a recurring trend that I am not happy about. As for Garcia, I'm not really sure how he looks better coming out of this exclude just the victory on paper. His work during the heat wasn't particularly vicious or eye-catching; more scratching and biting at the forehead every so often, taking his time during the heat. More concerning though, is when the match asks him to show remorse, or have a conflicted look on his face at key points. Garcia is a great young wrestler, but he's never been a very emotive one. He's very rarely, if at all demonstrating that degree of emotional depth in his performances. I'd go so far as say his defining characteristics as a wrestler are his intensity and sternness brought consistently to his matches, even when paired with the likes of 2point0. So in a situation like this, where it asks him to put on a different face than usual, the drama falls flat, and if Excalibur hadn't been explaining it on commentary, I probably wouldn't have picked up on it. Furthermore, when comparing to Bryan's own offense, Garcia's look especially weak. His hammerfists don't have anywhere near the degree of force or impact displayed like Bryan's elbows. The lariat he hits late into the match did more to expose his smaller frame out of the two than look convincing. The match comes across to me as one with very specific objectives in mind, and despite how great both of these wrestlers are, things just didn't click for me. Wouldn't call it a bad match. Just one with many problems.

I think the layout of this match supersedes the emotion and heat of the feud, which puts a ceiling on what they can accomplish here. Most of the meat here is Rey dominating, and it still looks good and entertaining in large part due to how creative his standard offense can be, but it doesn't really come across as hard-hitting like what I'd hope. You can put some of the blame to WWE's move to PG the year before hamstringing rivalries like this of much-needed blood, however Rey has never been the type of wrestler to give a thorough beating in his matches (and he really shouldn't ever be asked to). Jericho's also past the point in his career where his offense looks like it hurts, so he can't really compensate for what Rey naturally lacks. He is a good base here though; taking every dive and consistently feeding into Rey's moves, only ever getting his shit in off of counters. Because of this, I'm not too fussed over how Jericho hit the Codebreaker, the Walls of Jericho, or how he won the match - very sleazy, cheap, easy to hate the heel moving forward. I just wish that Jericho had taken a greater deal of punishment beforehand.

I watched this for the first time last week and was pretty blown away. Real scrappy affair from the offset and ends up being this epic slugfest I was fully invested in. The core story is pretty straightforward, but they both manage to weave in several ideas and themes into the match that alongside added context, elevate it into something distinctly great - 2000s New Japan in particular seems to be a treasure trove for matches like this. Takayama is presented as an obstacle for Nagata to overcome in a few different ways; obviously being an invading challenger from NOAH, but also for the majority of the match, is either working on top, or rarely down long enough for the champion to really take advantage. One of my favourite moments here is when Nagata hits a Saito Suplex, only for Takayama to grab a headlock while still on the mat. Nagata can get some offense in early, but momentum doesn't really swing in his favor like you might expect. On the other hand, when Nagata does start putting together a comeback, it only takes a knee to the gut to turn the tide upside-down. Takayama also tries to win by various means throughout the match: pins, submissions, knockout and countout attempts are all made at different points that helped accentuate the clash of styles that comes with this example of Inokiism. Moreover, it also makes Nagata's eventual comeback more earned and important than usual (it's probably more accurate to describe it as a breakthrough). When his initial throws and suplexes fail to give him an advantage, Nagata's offense almost exclusively targets the leg. A well-placed flurry of kicks has Takayama slightly stunned. An ankle lock keeps him grounded on the mat. When he goes for a German, Nagata rolls it into a kneebar. While Takayama can dominate with all kinds of moves at his disposal, a well-focused attack like chipping away at the leg can still win out and does with the memorable sweeping counter. By this point, people in attendance are all firmly behind Nagata as they enter the finishing stretch, now on more equal ground. I think the finish could've tied in better with the meat of the match, but it's not something that really detracts from the quality and significance. Nagata successfully defended his title from an invading force, someone who represents a style/background that Nagata was embarrassed by (his loss to Mirko Cro Cop in late 2001) and a wrestler from a promotion that had beaten him previously on his own turf (the Jan 4 Dome show against Jun Akiyama).

They're both called Dick and are pretty good at the wrestling. That's kinda it.

Watching this, I'm reminded of a passage in Foley's autobiography Have A Nice Day! A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks: 'Terry then looked at me and said in his soft, West Texas mumble, “Cactus Jack, Norman tried to be an angel out there, but you wouldn’t let him, because you were not the devil. People can talk about your bumps all they want, but until you learn to be the devil in the ring, you will never fully be all that you can.” I nodded in agreement with Terry, who seemed pleased to have had me sit for a spell underneath his learning tree.' Funk's matches, at least during this run in All Japan, tend to live and die on this simple dynamic. The heel acts in dastardly ways, while Terry sells his ass off and gets the crowd fully invested in the action. It's a big reason why his 2/3 falls match with Lewin the following year has never clicked for me; Terry can be the best face in peril in the world, but if the heel can't match him as stark opposition, the drama falls flat for me. This match, even in the worst video quality I've come across, easily excels in this dynamic. Abdullah's shtick is perfect for embracing "the devil" here: closed punches obscured from the referee, introducing his trademark fork into the fight, taking said fight to the outside, just classic heel stuff of the time. The visual of Terry busted open isn't really here from the footage we have, but the effort is clearly effective in drawing heat and sympathy. The reaction to Terry's kickouts get louder each time, until finally the Funker pushes back. His punches start landing, no longer wild swings and misses. He finds his rhythm and the crowd are fully behind him like he's Stallone in one of the Rocky movies. Now it's Terry's turn to dish out the punishment, throwing Abdullah to the outside and turning this into a wild brawl. The comeback is less a babyface triumphing over evil than it is a good guy driven to violence, and it still works given the prior work done. Terry using the fork is the kind of payoff that something like this absolutely deserved. The match does end prematurely, building to a tag the following week, so they don't deliver on a proper finish here. Nothing amazing, but two masterful wrestlers in the roles they play is always worth seeking out.

Very hard match to get into once they get to the comeback. A case of prioritizing spots over storytelling, and while that's not an inherent problem, I'm left disappointed having familiarized myself with these two over the past year or so. It's also jarring in hindsight with how heated Rush was on the outside early on, only for what felt like the entire second half of the match to be plagued with a plodding back-and-forth of big bumps with little weight given to all of them. The layout, along with the change in production, appeared more a Takeover match than anything from the past 20 years of Ring of Honor. The tope onto Rush's dick was great though.

I've come to view HARASHIMA as a litmus test for his opponents. The dude is great in a reliable sense, where his style of match stays relatively grounded, compact, focused, with intelligible psychology and satisfying climaxes. Think of it like a formula that you could place any wrestler into, regardless of size or speed, and see something that in theory should deliver. If he can get a great match with you, it's a good sign. If for some reason he can't, it's probably not HARASHIMA's fault.

I'm not sure if I have any good reason why I'm not super high on this match, since it has a lot you can appreciate and invest in, but watching it for the first time since I saw it live, I think it's just a great match with incredible parts to it. Goldust puts on an all-time hot tag like he hadn't skipped a beat. Cody has most of the shine here and for his first stint in WWE, was the most over with a live crowd that he'd ever be. Dusty hit Ambrose with his belt and a bionic elbow, which reliably got a strong ovation, and was followed with a perfect sequence of everything working out for the Rhodes family, beating the Shield and saving their jobs for the time being. Maybe the connective tissue wasn't as strong as I'd have hoped for, but matches like this are always more about the moments. For my money, they're still pretty effective nearly nine years later.

Fun match. There's the core idea of size vs. speed from the first lockup, but from then on is more about taking the opponent by surprise with the distinct abilities each wrestler has. Marufuji is quick and can avoid some standard offense, but a flurry of his own can't keep someone like Taue grounded, as shown when both try a dropkick and it's Taue who knocks his opponent down. Taue's still willing to try for moves you'd never expect a guy his size and age to do, like a running sunset flip, top-rope maneuvers and ALMOST pulling out a suicide dive. He's also able to regain the upper-hand through adapting his Nodowa to throw Marufuji into the ringpost - something I can't recall having ever seen before. It's not a long match, however it's clear than both Marufuji's strategy and signature moves aren't working; he manages to kick out of a Chokebomb and Dynamic Bomb (impressive feats for a Jr. at the time), but the match is no longer his to win, so much as it is Taue's to lose. Unfortunately for Taue, that's what ends up happening. I'm guessing this relates to Taue having lost the GHC Heavyweight Title earlier in the year, but he opts to finish the match quickly instead of sticking to his strengths. He goes for a top-rope Chokeslam and Marufuji does one of the most beautifully-timed backflip counters you'll ever see, then strings together a superkick followed by a wrist-clutch cradle pin to snag victory from the jaws of defeat.

I've just finished watching all the matches recommended there for Invader 1 and now view him as maybe the only wrestler from Puerto Rico that has a chance of making my list. Superb brawler and willing to put himself in extremely risky situations in one of the wildest promotions at the time.

This was an exhausting affair, and I mean that in the most complimentary tone. Hayato came back like he hadn't missed a step and MUSASHI made sure not to pull any punches. The multiple striking exchanges between these two would put even the best of present-day NOAH and New Japan to shame. Well worth the time investment. You'd be hard-pressed to find another match from this year that feels as monumental as what these two crafted together.

I would have never thought that Dick Murdoch vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara ever took place, let alone in 1996. Just a lovely piece of wrestling that felt more like a throwback to the 70s - they weren't particularly concerned with the match length or having a clear sense of direction, but rather took things at their own pace, maximizing each move and strike thrown. Murdoch especially was intent on making each of Fujiwara's punches leave an impact. Surprisingly, he's also still really good on the mat at his age. One of my favourite moments had Murdoch catching Fujiwara in a headscissors, and keeping it locked in for well over a minute, through all the standard tricks most wrestling fans have likely already seen before. On the other hand, you have some comedy bits sprinkled in, like both holding down the ropes for each other to enter, before acting like it could be a trap. Somehow this mix of styles works out, and under the banner of a shootstyle promotion no less. They also manage to follow-up on minor limbwork done towards the finish, with Murdoch applying his own version of the Fujiwara Armbar, and Fujiwara countering by going back to the leg. This is full of fun, noteworthy things that should keep anyone watching entertained, but more importantly, it works as a showcase of the breadth of both men's abilities, even when past their physical prime.

Amy Weber Says Bullying by Edge and Randy Orton Drove Her from WWE

Surprised at how well-received (or at least, not criticized online) Christian's promos on Jungle Boy have been so far. While I don't take any significant issue with cheap heat done well, I just would've expected to see some sort of backlash to it by now. I'll be a very happy man when he brings back the classic jacket.

I've been gradually diving into Superhero comics and recently finished Mark Waid's Superman: Birthright. I wasn't sure how much I would like reading an origin story for a figure so well-known in the pop-culture, but it turned out being one of my favourite Superman stories. I had been poisoned in the past with the idea that Superman is a boring character for being the clear-cut good guy and having all the powers you could dream of, not recognizing the human side to him that had me getting so invested in why he became a hero in the first place. Waid adds a few extra story beats that build on this, as well as establish the importance of a symbol to people, before bringing that idea full circle in the final issue. It's surprisingly captivating despite never really doing anything that I wouldn't have expected, and that's probably the best outcome for a tale like Superman's. No need to compensate when you've great characterization already.

What even are Raven's best matches? It's easy for a wrestler to say they never had a match where their potential and ceiling was fully realized (arguably no wrestler does), but I'm not even sure of the quality we're working with here. Just in regards to Tito, he does have a match with Bockwinkel in 81 that I'd consider a classic and one of the best from around that time.

We're still a few years away, but currently I'm holding Megumi Kudo as my #100. She lacks the kind of longevity that I look for in a project like this, but I think spending most of her career in FMW and several deathmatch stipulations on a fairly regular basis makes her decision to retire when she did very understandable. On top of being a great hardcore wrestler during her career, she showed herself to be quite capable in normal matches, with her title match against Aja Kong being especially noteworthy as the invading challenger who convincingly worked on top for most of the match. She also worked at a more preferred pace for me than most of the AJW workers around the time, making her one of the bright spots for me watching through 90s Joshi.

I've been watching quite a lot of Santito lately and something I've started to really notice is the way that he carries himself like a symbol to the lucha crowd. You could chalk it up to him bearing the same iconography as his father or donning all white gear, but I think that's underselling his actions and gestures away from the big spots. The ways in which he interacts with audiences, selling an attack by falling to the floor without any excessive movements, or leaning onto something to hold him upright is quite distinct from many other luchadores I've seen that I'm almost certain is intentional. These are very simple, basic things that I would expect just about any wrestler to be able to do, but the difference with Santo seems to be in how essential they are to how he builds his matches, portraying struggle and hardship at the hands of his opponent, before an inevitable sense of triumph. It's a very fundamental approach to wrestling, coupled with some of the best execution of high-flying moves and comebacks in general. He's not the kind of candidate that excels in the micro-level details, but he also never needed to. His appeal was entirely in the spectacle, and Santito was often spectacular at what he did.

I'm ready for Christian to make Jungle Boy look like the next top face of the company. That's just how he rolls. There's no good reason in my mind why The Hardyz should be AEW tag champs in 2022. Hell, they don't need to be around the title scene. Everyone knows the Hardy Boyz. They were over af during that big multi-man fuckfest months ago. We saw that they can be thrown in a main card PPV match with barely any build behind it.

Just last week, WWE released a video of John reacting to his debut match with Kurt Angle and one of the big takeaways for me was how much he values a crowd's reaction.