Tawren

I was into the build and excited for the match, but wary of Jericho's ability. 1) he's 47, 2) he's never really been that good anyway, 3) Omega is either great or terrible, 4) how would the Dome crowd react? This blew away my expectations. Jericho brought the heel act fully and was a great jerk, and Omega played into the brawl style well. Lots of crazy moves and big spots, and the crowd got really into the match. Best spots were the early Lionsault, Jericho giving the Walls to the refs son, Jericho throwing Omega into the chair, and the finish. Felt a bit too long, but it was a spectacle, so I really didn't care. This was something special - Omega isn't my favourite, but he has incredible matches for his style, and Jericho had his best performance of all time. I wouldn't go 5 stars. But it's a really interesting match that everyone should see I think.

This was really good. Suzuki still has it, and while he is slowing down every year his aura and charisma and unique style keep him a believable top end star. Goto can be boring in random matches but always delivers on the big shows, and he does here as well, drawing tons of sympathy and a great fight back. Great crowd heat as they get fully behind Goto and a really satisfying finish and post match. ***3/4

Yeah this match is lots of fun. Crazy to think how this is a run of the mill 1990s AJPW match. I agree with everything JDW says above, of course without the depth of AJPW knowledge but it all clicks. It's something I've never understood: why more promotions don't make broader use of six and eight man tags. Modern NJPW undercards are all multiman tags, and lucha of course is born on it, but the 1990's AJPW six man structure really stands out as a booking style that makes the promotion special and the big tags and singles matches extra special. Modern NJPW and WWE could stand to use a lot more TV taping main event six man tags that half-matter. Anyways this match is strong - Misawa especially stands out as looking extra strong. Kawada and Kobashi gets huge pops and the finishing stretch with Taue and Kawada vs Kobashi is lots of fun. Well worth watching.

I don't go in for much discussion on Dave's star ratings. They're usually a good enough guide, and if you know Dave's tastes you know where a match will land or at least what range. His real 'crazy' rating for WK12 is Jay White vs Tanahashi at ***3/4. Jay White sucks.

Finals of the IWGP title tournament on this show. These two are just beasts - I'm on a Hashimoto run right now but might just start watching Vader matches for a while. There's a great moment at the start where Vader has smoke come out of his mask and does a war cry or something and the camera cuts to the most unimpressed Hashimoto ever. They just clobber and stiff each other and Vader hammers Hash with a lariat to win the belt in around 15 minutes. Good, stiff fun that is outshined by Hashimoto vs Zangiev earlier in the card but still absolutely worth watching.

Yeah this fucking rules. What a special match - the unpredictability of the Russians and their weird shoot-style works perfect here. Zangief murders Hash with a few suplexes. As a big hockey fan, I'm familiar with the craziness of the 80s/90s Europeans coming over to the NHL and all the defections, signings, and unique personalities and incredible skill that came over. It's really interesting to see the wrestling version. What a unique atmosphere this must have been to be at live.

The Hash vs Misawa interactions are fantastic. They both knock each other down with strikes but Hash follows up with a stiff kick to the chest that leads to a standoff with the ringside support. Awesome heat. Otsuka and Ogawa are great secondary team members. This match is a lot of fun, and the post-match is fun too. I need to see more early 2000's NOAH because everything I have seen I have enjoyed. I wish we had Misawa vs Hash in a singles.

"How many times have you seen it on tape, now you get to see it live!" says the announcer at one point, which is why this match was so fun. I mean, I watched it on tape still but the point stands. 2002-2007 ROH is some of my favourite wrestling, even with some very major flaws, but as a younger fan into this style at the time it was really cool. 2004-06 Bryan Danielson is one of my favourite runs ever. This match matters more for context and for building the ROH brand, and for the ROH and online fan view at the time. Re-watching it is a fun match but nothing crazy, certainly someone watching this from a 2017 perspective wouldn't see why this is special when Liger was just in NXT and PWG last year. But if you were around for the time, and remembering how hyped people were for Liger live, and Danielson continuing to develop into such a special wrestler, and this coming right on the heels of a great Samoa Joe vs Danielson match, and ROH really turning into something that felt like must-see wrestling, this match was a lot of fun. Good times.

I think the general consensus is that this has been a tremendous year for top end matches and for the most part I agree. I have gone back and forth all year on my 2017 MOTY and could see myself changing, but in the end I'm going with three matches that epitomize what I like about modern wrestling and what were the best output of those styles. 1. LA Park vs Rush, 3/11 Barracal 2. Kazuchika Okada vs Kenny Omega, 1/4 NJPW 3. Brock Lesnar vs AJ Styles, 11/19 WWE

I watched this because it's getting some high-end 2017 potential MOTYC hype in a few modern puro fan circles. This match has some hype but fell under the radar, taking place at the same time as the G1 and also NOAH has such little fanfare these days. I can't remember who said it but the idea is that the first time you see Brian Cage, your mind is blown, but by the fifth time you have seen everything. I agree with that. It's not really a huge criticism, he isn't terrible, but he really feels like he is just playing wrestler and guys with more presence like Jeff Cobb or Keith Lee have just blown right past him. This is 20 minutes of bombs and a finishing sequence from the start. It's fun for sure with some cool moves. But in a crazy year like 2017 this doesn't stand out, especially comparing it to almost forgotten contemporaries from the G1 like ZSJ vs Tanashi, ZSJ vs Ibushi, or Ibushi vs Naito, before even getting into the real crazy matches throughout the year. Nakajima is good too. It's a strange decision from NOAH to give Eddie Edwards the title later in the year. Worth watching, no star rating.

It's insane to think that Brock doesn't like wrestling because he is so insanely good at it. A lot of the suplex city era matches are not as good as they could be but he still has an incredible list of top performances. This is one of them. I didn't get into the hype before watching this match but halfway through I was all in. AJ puts everything into his flying moves and makes his near falls and the submission really credible. I hate WWE camerawork but the shot of the outside ring-steps forearm is spectacular. They get the crowd into a frenzy for the end, fully buying the submission attempt and a few near falls, and the F5 to finish is vicious. Only thing I didn't like was the announcing. ****3/4 and I think my 2017 MOTY; I was thinking LA Park vs Rush from March but this stands out more to me right now.

Watched this after it was reviewed on Segunda Caida as a 1998 MOTYC. It's definitely an awesome match. Kobashi has so much support, the level of crowd heat doubles whenever he enters the ring. Hansen and Vader is an awesome team and it's a shame they didn't tag more together, but Vader's late-90's AJPW run is always fun to watch. Vader and Hansen are great monster jerk heels here, beating down Akiyama and clobbering both faces with wild swinging punches. This never gets to the next level that the classic AJPW tags, for example the 1988 final w/ Kawada as the young star, but it's a ton of fun. ****

I think this is a match that would be enjoyed way more live than 6 months after the fact, and also as part of a whole card and a great Takeover atmosphere rather than watched on its own with no build. No doubt they had the crowd going absolutely insane, and the spots in isolation were really cool. Bate is technically super solid and has a great look - he has the feel of a guy who is going to be top tier in 3-4 years. Dunne does nothing for me. Bate's missed dive at the end was just absolutely insane, but my favourite spot was the airplane spin. The match certainly had some memorable spots - airplane spin, missed dive, moonsault, the brawl, but that's all it really is as a collection of proficient spots with no connective tissue. Hard to deny they had the crowd going nuts but in isolation months later this didn't click for me, but I can see why fans of the style and the UK indy scene would dig it. Not a 2017 MOTYC for me but worth watching to see what you think of the hype. ***1/2

Ehh. I don't know. I should have liked this more. I don't think I'm down on either guy, but this just doesn't click for me or switch to the level I'd expect from a match that's kind of hyped as a top-end 2017 match. The good was a lot of the actual wrestling. Awesome counters, reversals, creative submissions, and a really hot crowd. Indy matches rarely have a crowd this genuinely hot for a match and not just spots or wanting to get their chants in. Here they are 100% behind ZSJ and when he wins they absolutely go nuts and celebrate with him. It's great. And the finish is brutal - I can't think of many who could take that octopus hold. But the Evolve trappings, announcing, and ref kind of hurt it for me. And I don't know if they should. The ref is nowhere near as bad as lots of indy refs, he is in position, isn't yelling "twooooooo" after every nearfall, isn't fake-dramatizing the submissions - but he messes up a few counts slightly near the end, and the announcing is similar in that it is fine but the end of the match and post-match calls just don't work for me. Especially Thatcher going to hand the title over and the fake-dramatic call, just be quiet for that. Maybe others like it more than I do. I like ZSJ vs Hero more. I think I'd like this more in a few years if they have more good matches against each other in other environments. On this watch, it's not at the level of LA Park vs Rush in March, or the Okada vs Omega matches, for me. This is such a negative review for a match I actually liked! ***1/2

This was amazing. I don't know how it took me 8 months to see this but this is everything I love about wrestling. Their 2016 Arena Mexico brawl was one of my favourite matches of all time, a big part of it as how crazy the atmosphere was, and this just takes it to the absolute next level with an actual match around it. EricR on Segunda Caida called LA Park "captivating"...I think that's a perfect word for him. And the same for Rush. I can't wait for 2027 fat Rush. Park hits one of the greatest topes of all time. As graceful as a Santito tope is, this was gritty and violent and they just crash into the concrete. This is immediately one of my favourite spots of all time. The interference at the end fits the match and the ongoing feud, and there's a great shot of a fan just whipping a beer as soon as the ref is pulled out. This is a violent, bloody, mask-ripping modern lucha brawl at its best and right now my 2017 MOTY. I don't know how Park does it. ****3/4

First time I have ever seen either of these guys. This is like the Cara Lucha version of the Dragon Lee vs Kamaitachi matches in that is two luchadors going absolutely crazy and killing themselves for the audience. This is in the Cara Lucha concrete arena and after a short indy respect sequence opener these two just flip the switch and start killing themselves with some of the most insane dives and head drops you will see in modern lucha. It's like late 90's AJPW bombfests meet early 2000's US indies head-drops meets 2010's lucha. I mean that in a good way although it has the obvious downsides. I think I use ***3/4 ratings as a way to say "this isn't a classic, but worth watching" and I think people should watch this match but I still don't know what I make of it. Fun. No rating.

I'm really digging Hideki Suzuki. I think this wasn't as good as his match vs Okabayashi from earlier this month but still really good. "Big boy strength" from up-thread is an amazing phrase for Kamitani and I 100% agree. This match has great tension and builds to a strong finish. As I said in the Suzuki vs Okabayashi 5/17 thread, I haven't seen enough BJW and every match I watch makes me want to see more especially in the strong heavyweight division. Good finish but kind of out of nowhere, I suppose that works for Suzuki's weird throwback style. This never quite gets to the next gear for me but absolutely worth watching. I understand they have a rematch in Nov 2017 so I'll watch that soon too. ***3/4

Hahaha. Wow that sucked. I watched the main event...absolutely reminded me of why I don't watch WWE regularly. I'm going to stick to my policy of only watching NXT live, or highly recommended WWE matches after-the-fact. Can't imagine investing time into that garbage.

I thought this was another awesome Takeover and WWE really has the formula nailed down to make these fantastic NXT events. NXT has probably rolled over the roster 3 times-ish since it got hot and I think it's really impressive how well they have done. Takeovers are fun, a good length at 5-6 matches in 2.5 hours, good work, awesome entrances, hot crowds, big moments, and really good matches, and they feel way more special than the uninteresting bloated main roster shows. The more I think about last nights show the more I liked it. No MOTYC like some Takeovers but it is just really fun big match mainstream wrestling. NXT Takeovers are what I wish they would do with the main roster wrestlers but they never do. Aleister Black vs Velveteen Dream was great. They told a great story and did the best job of getting the crowd into the actual match all night. Dream has tons of charisma. They fit in unique spots tied to their characters and had a great finish. Women's 4 way was good, probably too short but a good spotfest. Almas vs McIntyre was really strong. I'm glad they've figured out Almas and his character works now, I was scared that La Sombra would end up like KENTA/Itami in NXT where it has never clicked. Almas is so smooth and has great spots. Crowd is always a little out of sorts for NXT title matches for whatever reason but they got them into it. Good finish again, looking forward to Almas' reign and hopefully he gets multiple matches and settles the title for a bit. War Games was fun. Maybe not good or great in terms of a match, especially a War Games match (ROH vs CZW is still the best War Games ever), but it was exactly what Mauro called it at one point - "a human demolition derby". The problem was the rules structure kind of hurt the match, for example the first 10 minutes were disjointed because they were just waiting for the real action to start while a back and forth traditional War Games structure creates interest throughout. Lots of crazy spots though. Best moments were Killian Dain's Van Terminator and EY's splash on Kyle O'reilly's arm bar. On the whole a great spotfest and Adam Cole will be a big star.

Finals of the 2017 Leyenda da Plata. First two falls are typical modern lucha, just rushed through but with a nice dive in each. The third fall is fantastic, with lots of heat and great near falls. Caristico hits several great dives including a standing one over the barricade into the crowd. Volador Jr wins with a top rope huracanrana. Not an all time classic but definitely a fun match worth watching to get an idea of modern CMLL. Both of these guys deserve more credit and attention in my books. ***1/2

Awesome old-school match with some great spots and creative arm-work. I need to dive deeper on Big Japan - every time I watch one of the pimped matches I find myself really enjoying them but I've never done a deep dive or watched consistently. This was a great counter swing to the NJPW and PWG I've been watching lately, much slower pace but better build to spots and everything felt way more snug. Suzuki has a fantastic performance and I'm really curious to see more of his 2017 work. Okabayashi is always fun to watch but Suzuki is the star here with really good submission work and a strong finish. ****

This was great fun wrestling. Trevor Lee goes all in on his TNA schtick and comedy jackass, and it works great especially for this audience. Lots of fun moments and spots, lots of creativity and everybody gets a chance to shine. 2016's PWG 10-man at BOLA wasn't for everyone with the overt comedy and slo-mo spot but I really think everyone would enjoy this.

Going into a hyped match like this is weird. It's hard to know what to expect. This was fantastic though with great performances from both guys. These two are special and going to be big stars. I agree with Maciej above that sometimes "these two are monsters and want to destroy each other" is enough and it really was here. I thought the no-selling spots wouldn't work but I felt it did, especially the crowd reaction - they knew their audience. Best spot was Lee's dive, or Lee kicking out of a G2S at 1 and throwing Dijak out of the ring. These two teamed up vs Jeff Cobb & Matt Riddle on day 1 of BOLA 2017, and played on it during the match too. I really want to see more of both. ****1/2

Just watched this match on day 2 of 2017 BOLA. This is my first time seeing Travis Banks wrestle. I'm watching the whole thing right now, still in round 1, and on the whole it's a good tournament so far but the spotfest style really hurts it from my view. I really didn't enjoy this, the crowd would pop for the big moves but had already seen a crazier match just before in Janela vs Guevara, and better spots in Dijak vs Lee. Neither guy had much of a presence for me. I didn't like Haskins in the 2016 BOLA either. I think the part that didn't work for me most was the back-to-back low tope suicidas. It just felt like, why bother doing two? The crowd had seen crazier dives, these weren't built to, and the one was good enough. Botch on the finish didn't help either. *1/2

I just watched this the day after watching their June 2015 PWG match, and the tag they were in in January 2016 in Evolve. This was a great match. Hero and ZSJ pair together so well - these are easily the best ZSJ matches I have seen. Hero sells so well and his big moves fit with Sabre's submissions and reversals in a way that Sabre matches often don't. This also stays away from the exhibition feeling. Just a brutal match too, Hero just nailing Sabre with kicks and elbows and sentons, and the finish is just really harsh too. Weird to think this was the opener on this show. I think this is on par with the 2015 PWG match, which stood out more for the unique finger submissions. This has great Hero smack talk and bully segments - Hero really came into his own over the years and always flew under my radar. This is a really great match. Best spot is a tie between Hero missing a senton into an armbar, and Hero swinging a chair at Sabre into the ringpost. ****1/4