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This felt important, as it was the first main event of the new UWF version, but it lacked too much to be a classic. They featured compelling storytelling, as Yamazaki wanted the Ace spot and Maeda always struggled when his opponent was a great kicker (like in his Fujiwara matches), which led to Maeda eating a lot of kicks and Yamazaki desperately trying to resist the opponent's holds. The strikes were great and the matwork was fine too, but this lasted 25 minutes and it dragged more than once, because these two would need to 'reset' after a crazy striking sequence, almost like there was an imaginary round system, so the pace made little sense. Like many other UWF matches, this one is a tough one to rate. ***1/4

I actually agree on both points, but these are not very popular opinions.

This felt like a big deal as Lawler finally got his hands on a (dying) World Title, plus him and Hennig had enough chemistry to make this look easy. However, despite some awesome punches and good selling from Lawler, this was too slow at times and it featured the usual Memphis big match restholds/stalling that I dread so much. The crowd was into it at least and so it felt fine, despite dragging a bit. I also get the suspence of having an exhausted Lawler getting the pin, but a catapult wasn't exactly the best choice to end the match. ***

Another typical enjoyable New Japan elimination match from the 80s, however this was more spots driven rather than based on pacing and drama, as this mostly featured young lions. Hase/Koshinaka was the best pairing, Hase was bleeding and sold tons for the opponents, while Yamada was clearly the most athletic guy out there. Some of the eliminations got very loud pops from the crowd, despite the finish being a bit cold. ***1/4

Another great match in their series and I really wish we had the whole thing, as this is very hard to rate due to the continuous TV commercial cuts. Still, they showed 25+ minutes of incredible action, easily some of the best southern tag stuff ever shown on national TV. The great thing about the MNX was how good they were at selling their opponents' stuff, but then also cut them off and isolate them in a very oppressing way, like they did with Rogers here. Outstanding drama and blood (only harmed by the breaks), with such a surprising and feel good finish, without going to the classic scheme of the hot tag. ****1/4

Roughly a notch above the COTC title change, but a completely different match, as they had more time here and this made Luger in terms of babyface performance, thanks to the juice and his convincing leg selling against the relentless tactics of the Horsemen, but also fuelled by Windham's incredible form and fluid limbwork. The Windham heel turn was a good and shocking angle; it kind of hurt the match from getting even better maybe, but it came out of frustration and it made sense, despite being unfair to Luger. ****

I won't call this a miracle, but this was as good as a 30 minutes Brody match was ever going to get in 1988, so props to him and Tenryu. Some of the limbwork wasn't that great and a part of Brody's stuff went nowhere, while Brody himself sold his leg quite consistently at least. The pace got a bit more frenetic later on and this got quite pleasant towards the end, also thanks to a couple of good nearfalls. The non-finish was well done too, but it makes me wonder why they didn't just opted for a tighter 15/20 minutes bout. ***1/4.

CommercialMania! This is 'Turner buying WCW and not having a clue on how to run it' all over again, only 10 times worse.

Thank you for taking the time to reply in such detail! I appreciate that. My point was mostly around ringwork rather than being over, as unfortunately being attractive seems to be enough to be popular with the current fanbase. From the very little I have seen, people like Liv Morgan and Jade Cargill are very poor in the ring and were featured at 'Mania, along with the likes of the Bellas and AJ (who weren't even good in their prime). So, as people keep telling me the roster is actually good, I assume it's a creative issue then? Can't say I am surprised.

Can I spend a minute on the women and can anyone help me, as I haven't watched the product in forever and so I might have missed something? While the creative is terrible for everybody, we can all agree that WWE has some very competent male wrestlers at least, but I find the women's roster to be absolutely poor. Why is WWE overexposing them with 3 matches on yesterday's cards? You can't possibly tell me anyone seriously believed those matches would be good. What's the need of multiple, meaningless belts in the division?

Embarrassing.

Somewhat clipped in the middle, but hard to track as there is no official time for this match. The stalling at the beginning was whatever, but this got pretty good once they started doing something. Gilbert used a rope to tie and choke Lawler, which made him look like a threat, plus his cheap ways generated some good heat. Usual fun Lawler punches, but they abruptly went to the non-finish without a gradual transition, despite the fireball spot getting a huge pop. Fun bout, despite a few issues, but great angle advancement. ***

Famous match and mainly a Flair masterpiece, considering how green Sting was at the time (or the fact he's never had a match this good for the rest of his career!). The best part about this was making it an even match for the judges, which did wonders for Sting, as he looked resilient while selling and got a lot of offense in, much more than Flair usually would concede in a broadway draw. Tons of good drama and the last few minutes were very exciting, they did a good job at teasing that Sting could win with the deathlock before the time limit draw. Flair made Sting, despite not dropping the belt here. ****1/4

This was another 10 minutes masterpiece in a tag team setting, on the same night of Fantastics vs MNX. Really solid stuff from the Horsemen, even though Luger's legwork went nowhere after a bit, and that was the only real issue with the flow of the match. Great, great crowd in supporting Windham and then for the final moments, with a good feeling finish for the babyfaces and the title change. This was so different than MNX vs Fantastics on the same card in terms of style and pacing, which was very appreciated. ***3/4

All they had was 10 minutes and they did great. This was a notch below their previous TV bout, but they still planted some outstanding storytelling pieces, as they continued their heated brawl here and it was very enjoyable, clearly leading to a stipulation match down the line too due to the use of weapons. Very good heat segment on Rogers, even though it was very quick due to the TV restraints, but the crowd here added that extra boost. Very cool finishing run and even the Dusty finish was well done. ****

Great rematch of their previous bout, it was a clear upgrade, also thanks to the storytelling of Hansen having to prove a point after his shocking loss. Tenryu bled and ate a lot of offense this time, due to the aggression of his opponent, however Tenryu finally managed to work on the ribs on the gaijin with some nasty strikes, finding once again an opening to weaken the former champion. The match was the proof that Tenryu's victory was no fluke, as he hanged well with Hansen here too, both on the mat and when striking. Hansen stopping his own pin was a silly in terms of psychology, as both titles were on the line, but at least the DQ finish was done very well and it captured Hansen's fury and Tenryu's refusal to be bullied. ****

This was some amazing stuff, especially for a minor TV show and despite the commercial breaks. The Fantastics made their JCP debut with a incredible shining sequence, as the Midnights sold their actions big time, immediately putting them over as a major team in the division. Bookers should take notes? The MNX gradually got more and more frustrated, until they finally got the upper hand on Rogers, who was not Ricky Morton in terms of struggling babyface, but he did amazing. The end was electric as well, with a roaring crowd and the Fantastics stealing the rocket launcher for the upset. ****1/4

Not on the level of the legendary All Japan six-men of the 90s, but pretty close. Most of this was about Jumbo being a d*ck to Kawada and Fuyuki, which got an angry Hara to hit hard on Jumbo's seconds too. Kawada was outstanding with his selling, but also showed plenty of fire against Kabuki and Ishikawa, as he had more of a chance there. This was lacking a dramatic heat sequence, but the pace was very enjoyable for almost 20 minutes. Cool and tight finish. ***3/4

Great match and they did better than the previous month, also thanks to a very hot crowd. This time, Hase was the one to attack Takada during the introductions and get the early upper hand, which made for a better pacing and some crisp action early on. This had a very good climax, as Takada gradually managed to hit more and more kicks, getting Hase in trouble. This had one of the most credible ref bumps ever, which added to match drama until Hase barely got to retain in a somewhat clean way. ****

Fun unification match, that had an actual finish instead of a predictable no-contest. It felt like Hansen vs Terry Funk at times, as Hansen dominated his opponent with oppressing strikes and Tenryu had to fight from underneath, playing a great underdog and being brave/stupid enough to go toe to toe with Hansen instead of attempting body work or other strategies. Good selling by Tenryu, whose back was hurt by the gaijin's attacks, and Hansen was bound to teach his opponent a lesson after the heated tag matches. Good flashy finish, as Tenryu kind of stole one in a perfectly acceptable way. ***1/4

This is fascinating in hindsight, knowing who Misawa would become, but also a very good match in its own way. Good progression and underdog psychology, as TM2 was trying his luck with long headlocks and a stalling approach, before Jumbo got tired of it and dropped the opponent on his head. Mask got to look competitive on the mat later on, working on Jumbo's leg and getting the Ace to sell for him quite generously, which was also why Jumbo didn't put him away easily and Mask got a couple of impressive nearfalls before eventually losing. Textbook match on how someone can look good while losing. ***1/2

This was a match that had plenty of heat, even though it was clearly a skirmish bout and they were all holding back. Cool control segment by the gaijins on Hara, but of course the highlights were the strikes between Tenryu and Hansen, even if they were obviously rare and didn't spoil their upcoming title match. This match is relatively famous for the 'nobody potatoes me' angle from Hansen, as the match got out of control to justify the non-finish. ***

Clipped. Of course, this didn't have a lick of the buzz this feud generated in 1983-1984, but the crowd was still hot and the chemistry was there. This looked like a nostalgia act from a dying promotion (which it was), with some awesome Freebirds selling to make the von Erichs look good. Good out-of-control brawling, inside and outside the ring; the finish wasn't very good, but it gave us a pretty big moment in terms of Michael Hayes taking a new role in this rivalry. ***1/4

Very cool match between two promising young stars, that clearly had plenty of greatness in them. Yamada worked on Hase's arm very aggressively, which drove Hase to still sell it throughout his late comeback. Hase didn't really back down from limbwork either, so Yamada tried his luck with risky moves to put and end to his opponent's physicality. This led to Yamada's demise via a flashy pinfall, as he took too many chances and Hase seized the right chance. This was a perfect example of young stars showing their skills. ***1/4

Fun Kawada vs Misawa bout, even though this was nothing special compared to their classics from the 90s. The two young boys did their part, with some nice interactions and then mostly selling for the heavyweights. Yatsu and Misawa worked Kawada's leg quite consistently, while Tenryu showed his striking dominance. The non-finish was good, as Tenryu snapped by powerbombing Misawa on a table, then using a chair on Yatsu too to make Kawada follow suit, which was a great indicator of Kawada's future character. ***