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tcg91

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Everything posted by tcg91

  1. tcg91
    This was a great match. Long and competent limb work by Bock, who massacred Tsuruta's arm repeatedly, taking all the time he needed to carry the bout in a very suggestive way. Jumbo's sold well up to the last 5 minutes, when he suddenly forgot about it, and his painful face expressions when he tried a power move were amazing. I loved how Bock feared the comeback and tried to cheat in any way he could, even though it got too overbooked. We were all waiting for a non-finish, but then the cleanest pinfall happened, which was great but a bit out of nowhere. Pretty fantastic stuff, but the overbooking and lack of selling towards the end were a pity ***3/4
  2. tcg91
    This was pretty much on the same level of the previous bout between these two teams. The story sees the champions being angry and eager to punish the challengers this time, it got MW2 quite motivated as he was featured in a decent shine segment that went a bit too long, despite MNX being fun even when stalling. MNX was at their best when they got heat on TA and the non-finish got tons of heat from the crowd, getting the leather belts involved so the ending could easily lead to a gimmick rematch down the road ***1/4
  3. tcg91
    This wasn't as good as the match they had the previous week, but it was still a very good one. I liked the storytelling progression, as Rocca was still angry about being screwed out of the title, so he was more aggressive and driven against poor Cota, who tried in vain to wrestle a more friendly bout. The first caida had great matwork, but then things weren't as exciting, as they failed to keep the very high bar they set. Cota gets another tainted victory in a fun finish, but the last fall felt rushed and poor, especially if compared to the meticulous way this match started ***1/2
  4. tcg91
    A typical Flair title defence, so a good one, even though it wasn't a memorable match in any way. This felt like they didn't have enough time to do all they wanted to, because the limb work was fine and even the crowd interaction was there, but the match clearly lacked something in the middle part of the contest. Adams never really looked like a threat, apart from the finishing stretch when he hit the superkick and then Flair started to work on his leg very late, trying to stay away from the lethal kick. Fine Flair-like finish, but even the ending lacked that something to make this special ***
  5. tcg91
    Heated match between these two, for the vacant title. This was quite short at 10ish minutes bout, but they still managed to come up with a pretty uneventful first part. Precious and Sunshine standing on the ring apron, in a cage match, just so they could do their silly catfight aged very bad, but the crowd was into it so who am I to criticise it. It got better once Adams started bleeding, plus the counter finish into a superkick was a incredibly smooth and satisfying way to end the match. This ended on a high note, despite a dull first part, the cage wasn't even used that much **3/4
  6. tcg91
    Insane crowd heat for this match, thanks to a hit and run beginning, as the Midnight tried to surprised the champions but ended up stalling to save their butts multiple times. The MNX had a long heat segment on MW2 that I didn't love, it was good but I wish they targeted the more mobile TA instead. Again, great reaction to the hot tag and the MNX sold TA's stuff really well. The babyfaces getting disqualified is an unconventional finish, but it made sense as TA was tired of the heels' antics. Pretty lovely piece of business here, good match and great angle ***1/2
  7. tcg91
    Another great bout from EMLL. This was a technical masterpiece from the very start, a smooth beginning with outstanding ring presence and high quality matwork. Then, of course, Cota got meaner when he was 1-0 down, as his armwork became less "pretty" and more effective on poor Rocca. Really good shoulder selling from the champion, even his comeback in the last caida was mostly made of kicks as he tried not to use his bad arm and expose them to more holds. Good piece of frustration for Cota, who dominated but couldn't find a way to win until the tainted pin, who was executed very well from the referee's visual ****1/4
  8. tcg91
    This was a great match. The climax was gradual, as Atlantis had a good start in a very "classic" first fall and then he got slowly destroyed by Satanico, who used the most subtle low blow ever as a cheeky turning point. Top notch selling from Atlantis and good visual on his bloody masked face once the rudo took over, trying to rip the mask of the tecnico countless times. While Atlantis sold for most of the match, his desperation comeback in the last caida was also fun and Satanico sold the back from the very first fall. This was so easy to follow despite the bad TV signal for the bout, even the finish was simple and effective ****
  9. tcg91
    This was a very interesting match, as they clicked just great thanks to their respective styles and skills. Santana showed a lot of fire, but his offense was limited and he mostly sold when Reed dominated the middle part of the match thanks to a good neck work, that got triggered by a vicious looking belly to belly. I can't overrate the control segment, it was a success but it never moved the match to the next level of greatness for some reason. Great finishing run, when Santana finally came back after some nice teasing here and there. The finish was also well done and fitting for a babyface that fights from underneath ***1/2
  10. tcg91
    This was a nice crescendo, but the first part of the bout dragged a bit with some basic, albeit solid, armwork from David after the usual Flair antics that only helped the crowd support the von Erich boy even more. I liked how David fought Flair in a different way compared to his brothers, with a mix of Kerry's fire and Kevin's mat focus. And the referee involvement was fun this time, as David Manning refused to disqualify Flair a bunch of times, seeing it as an easy way out for the Naitch. Flair went to the extreme when the claw was used and Manning had no choice but to finally disqualify him. Passable beginning, great central part and poor but logic finish ***1/2
  11. tcg91
    This was fun. As usual, I don't get why, in cage tag matches, two wrestlers need to be on the apron... but oh well. The stipulation and the good crowd hid all of their limitations, MW2 looked very inspired and this helped TA's pace and comeback. I liked the use of the structure, as it was effective but they didn't do too much. Quite good double babyface in perils segments, even though Reed did well and Neidhart looked a bit lost at times. Classic double mask spot by MW2, very clever and well executed finish by TA. This never overstayed its welcome ***1/4
  12. tcg91
    Really good showdown between the best All Japan talents and the most menacing group of gaijins. Tenryu and Jumbo were also fine with a time limit, but Brody and Hansen immediately went all out and it was quickly clear that this wouldn't last 30 minutes, win or lose. This was all about Tenryu finally getting to hang with the big boys in a big match, he showed plenty of courage and helped Tsuruta working on Hansen's arm, which affected the gaijins' chances at the beginning. Even Brody was very good here, bumping for the opponents and showing great chemistry with Hansen. Good and credible final, poor Tenryu got isolated and did all he could before Hansen's lariat ***1/2
  13. tcg91
    This was quite underwhelming, despite the good presentation. I get the idea of the cage being there to keep them in the ring and everyone else away from it, but at the end of the day we got lots of rest holds (in a cage) and DQ finish for interference (in a cage), so what the hell. The bout itself wasn't terrible or anything: good Lawler punches, Savage used the structure well a couple of times and decent selling. With a good finish or a more "rough" approach, this would have been so more enjoyable despite all the political restraints **1/2
  14. tcg91
    Fine match, but it was missing something and the crowd wasn't that great either, they only popped a few times (like when Flair used the ropes for leverage, which led him to do that over and over to gain more heat). This was a C show Flair performance, which was still pretty good, but he went through the motions at times. Rich looked good on his comeback, but he was clearly a few notches below the Naitch when trying to build up the action. The finish was also disappointing, from the weak belt shot to the bad crowd reaction **3/4
  15. tcg91
    Fujinami and Choshu went at it again and this was nicely paced, also thanks to their respective partners. Maeda showed potential and lack of fear towards the opponents, but of course he ended up suffering during the heat segment, as the mean Choshu and the veteran Hamaguchi did not go easy on him. This also went to a time limit draw, but it didn't drag too much, thanks for frequent tags and Fujinami having to work extra hard to fix things. Very hot finishing run, much better than the 29/11 All Japan time limit draw from a few days earlier, even though that match surely had a better feeling due to its participants. The Choshu/Fujinami stuff was top notch and the non-finish only enhanced the feud ***1/2
  16. tcg91
    Santito was still a rookie at this point and this is a showcase for him, which worked very well. He got plenty of time from the beginning, indulging on the mat against los rudos, but also stealing the show later on when things became flashy and quick. Atlantis was just a great partner here, selling big time and also assisting Santo in their high flying attacks. Guerrera and Rubio shined when isolating Atlantis, but also in their frustrations against the quickness of the tecnicos. Good heat, solid action and good spots, including the finish, but this felt a bit too long at 25+ minutes and dragged in a few parts ***1/2
  17. tcg91
    This can't be everyone's cup of tea, but it was a fun and tight 45 minutes draw. While the action is wisely paced and "just" good, the limbwork never reached a dull point and this was made better by intangibles like Tenryu being a prick instead of respecting the legends, Dory stepping up to support his limited partner or Jumbo and Baba going at it, when they would normally team up in the RWTL. But yes, while they were smart enough to work around their flaws or limitations, this kind of dragged at some point and it's not an all time great match ***
  18. tcg91
    This was an historic match, but such a huge disappointment, especially considering the big time angle that they did to build the bout. The best part of the contest was Race trying to destroy Flair's neck again with some very stiff knee drops, but the match went too long at 25+ minutes, when Flair comeback 10 minutes earlier could have easily closed it in a more fitting way. Nothing was "bad", but the second part really looked like a filler, even though the finish was epic due to Flair always failing his top rope dives. Referee Gene Kiniski also hurted the match, as there were No DQs but he kept stepping in to enforce the rules ***
  19. tcg91
    This was an incredible match and probably the reason Dog Collar matches got a decent success in the later years. Their ring psychology here was off the charts, going back to Valentine injuring Piper's ear in their July bout and now whipping him there with the chain, some shots looked very harsh and Piper was bleeding from his poor ear. Heel Piper was a blast, but babyface Piper was so underrated: he showed plenty of fire and used the chain in a simple, but creative way to make Valentine suffer. Too bad the finish was too "simplistic" too, despite being perfectly fine: with a better ending, this is among the best matches of all time ****1/4
  20. tcg91
    Great blowoff atmosphere here, but unfortunately the match was short and also JIP, so we only got to see 8 minutes of it. It ruled anyway, obviously. Such a nice non-nonsense brawl between these two and it was perfect for the feud to finish in the cage, where it all started the previous Xmas day. Nuclear heat for Hayes using his tape to choke Kerry, like they were squaring off in jail. The KO punch finish was simple and effective, especially with the revenge of the cage headshot, but the cameras kind of missed both the cage bump and the pinfall, doing a terrible job. A satisfying spectacle and blowoff, but not an all time bout ***1/2
  21. tcg91
    This is JIP, as the first 4 minutes were not broadcasted. It was not as good (or famous) as the best von Erichs vs Freebirds stuff, but it was still a damn good spectacle, even on a B or C show. I usually hate the referee involvement stuff, but the addition of the second official and the double DQ elimination was well done here, as the brawl got out of control. David got to play the rare part of the surviving brother (usually reserved for the pushed Kerry or the experienced Kevin), he overcame the odds and managed the use the claw to tame Gordy. The "reverse claw" to stop the giant from behind was very creative ***1/4
  22. tcg91
    This was such a simple, but well worked match. The crowd made it so easy, as they played their respective roles perfectly and the fans couldn't wait for JYD to get the upper hand here. Even the pre match staredown meant something. I liked the simple segments of Reed using the chain to enhance a headlock, or JYD bruising Reed's belly before his headbutt. It all made sense, even the overbooked finish, which still led to a satisfying pinfall from Dog. Very fun spectacle, this was a blast for the whole 10 minutes ***
  23. tcg91
    Very nice contest. The limbwork was solid, I liked Tenryu trying to limit DiBiase's punches by working on his arm, even though DiBiase was a bit inconsistent with his selling, especially in the second part of the match. However, the last 10 minutes of so were a blast in terms of action and drama, there was a fun finishing run between a hard hitter like Tenryu and DiBiase's smart ring awareness. The non-finish was a bit of a letdown as usual, but at least it put over the fact that the gaijin was a smart cookie and that Tenryu's bombs were a big threat ***1/2
  24. tcg91
    There is a lot of mystique around this match, as it originated the original Hell in a Cell concept and the footage was only released a few years ago, but this was good and not great. It was a nice spectacle and a fun brawl, that got bloody, despite resulting a bit redundant at times. Rich put on a convincing performance, selling and then coming back with heavy punches of his own. My problem with this match was probably the "my turn, your turn" dynamic, as some parts didn't feel organic and the finish also wasn't the strongest one for a blowoff match. Still, a very intense brawl that didn't overstay its welcome ***1/2
  25. tcg91
    This was a very good match and a master performance by Roberts. The only issue I had with this bout were some dragging sequences at the beginning, as it took them almost 10 minutes to finally get to the point, but it made sense as Wayne desperately tried to keep Roberts away from his bad knee and got him distracted with his armwork. Jake had the most unorthodox but awesome limbwork and Wayne was selling the leg big time, triggering the crowd's response. This also got bloody and so even more dramatic, it looked like Roberts was ending Brett's career. I loved the finish of the towel and even Buzz Sawyer getting worried about his brother, despite being a heel ***3/4
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