soup23

Rush vs. Negro Casas 5-6-16 My god was this a war. This has been a really good year for sub 10 minute matches with the likes of Riddle and Yehi, but this was my favorite so far as they busted out tons of brutality and the match felt sustained and grueling for the short amount of run time it actually existed. Rush getting embarrassed and then going on the attack is one of my favorite things in wrestling. He is a dick here to the extreme jawing with Shocker and throwing a drink at Casas. His strikes and beat down is brutal. Casas' comeback was beautiful in that he presented himself perfectly as an aging legend that was never going to back down but he was sort of grasping at straws and coming to the realization that he is in there with someone younger and stronger. The final blow that Rush gives him to put him away was brutal with a great camera angle of Casas' head snapping back. ***3/4

Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr. 2/7/16 Rev Pro has this for free the next couple of days on their demand service. I usually am not distracted by production and announcing but I did think both were a detriment here. The way some of the moves were filmed were not flattering to Ospreay and the announcers were overselling the action in general. Ospreay overall had a slight off night on his high flying moves. The Cockpit does feel like a condensed space so I don't know if that played into or not but he wasn't really accurate on his big dive at the closing moments of the match. I thought Sabre was fantastic here. I liked him emphasizing the neck as that means Ospreay can run through all his flashy offense in the comeback and it wont cause any selling issues. Sabre really attacks the neck here with some great variations on straight jacket submissions, a brutal Tiger and Dragon suplex, a sick dragon sleeper with his arms locked behind his back and finally finishing Ospreay off with the submission where he sits on the neck that I really should learn the name of. This was a match that didn't have the ambition of the Evolve match but it told a great story and Sabre was a wonderful ring general throughout the match. ****

Evolve 62 is already looking really nice. I don't really like the Bravado's but am interested to see what Catch Point can get out of them. Hero vs. Thatcher could be a title change. We also get the TNA/WWN drama unfolding in what hopefully will be a chaotic scene. Add something like Cedric vs. Yehi and a couple of other matches to round out the card, and you have another winner.

I actually thought that this was going to set up Hero returning with Lethal beating Colt and again proclaiming that he had beaten everyone. If Cabana did refuse to job, that is shitty on him and something the company should have cleared before bringing him in. I am really conflicted on Young Bucks. They never will be my favorite act but I have liked their isolation a good bit in the tag division within ROH. The shows I have caught this year have had them as a cog of the system but in a compartmentalized portion of it. Now with the Global Wars angle, that is out of the picture. The thing is that the Bucks do still feel a bit special when they come out much like Brock still does in WWE for me now. I definitely see the potential detrimental situation of being too attached to them, but it feels like a necessary evil that ROH has to take in a certain way.

Shingo/Naoki/Cyber Kong/Mondai Ryu/Kotoka vs. Tozawa/T-Hawk/Big R/Shachihoko/KZYGood match but I couldnt help but think it felt a little B-squad after the stuff the month before. Shingo needed one more really huge bully on his side to really make the odds go against the opponents. Kong tries but fails in ways were Yamato and even Doi exceeded the month before. We do get the KZY segment at the end again which once again was well done. It isn't like KZY is a nonfactor leading up to the finish but much like the previous month, he isn't overpowering and it becomes an integral storyline that he is going to have to go at it alone in the end. ***1/2

Wednesday is a TV taping but apparently it wont be airing until June. I have no idea why and agree that it stunts the momentum. A shame too because the tv up until the Honor Rising break was good this year with the blowoff to the Young/Castle angle and the fun Top Prospect matches.

Masaaki Mochizuki, Dragon Kid, Big R Shimizu, & Kzy vs. Akira Tozawa, Masato Yoshino, T-Hawk, & Shachihoko BOY vs. YAMATO, Shingo Takagi, Naruki Doi, & Kotoka: Dragon Gate 2/4 The past few years have been difficult for me with Dragon Gate. I compare it with Chikara in my mind in that I think the storytelling and angle development is usually done well with intimate attention to details. It is the actual in ring actual and execution that feels foreign and souless to me in many ways. I have watched the highest rated stuff from the past couple of years that guys like Case, RIch and Lanza recommend and usually come out really cold. An exception is that I did like the Ricochet stuff from the Spring of 2014. This was on another level though. This had a great pace but also had immaculate execution. This may sound like blasphemy but it did feel like the Dragon Gate version of the 1984 New Japan Gauntlet match. There were so many intricate parts in this match that shined. My history with Dragon Gate is pretty dated but it does seem naive and fun to see guys like Yoshino and Doi interact with each other given their partnership for many years. The dive trains and brawling aspects were perfectly timed and the personalities were on point. Mochizuki's face when he gets eliminated is aces and Shingo getting pinned by Shachihoko was the perfect moment for an underdog to obtain. The match really shines from having that defiant heel stable. LIke in the Kaientai days of 1996, Yamato, Doi, and Shingo work as a well oiled unit in this match and dish out complete destruction on their foes. Combining stiff strikes, power moves, and cohesion, they really felt like a unit that was not going to be stopped. That is until Kzy keeps getting enough offense on them and keeps kicking out on the arsenal of Yamato that the glimmer of hope emerges. He even essentially neutralizes Doi. The resistance is too much against him though and he falls pray to Yamato making his unit disband. This was an amazing match that really conveyed the consequences of the stipulation. This was the most I have been invigorated and invested in a Dragon Gate match in a decade. ****1/2

The New York card will be telling. There is a ton of New Japan vs. ROH matchups where they could give ROH a bone in one of the underling matches beating Gedo and NJ going over in the other matches. I think that will be a nice indicator of the parity between the two companies at the moment.

EVOLVE 61 Lio Rush vs. Matt Riddle I understand the thought of having Riddle rush through Rush here, but it felt a bit too brief for my liking considering Nese got in more offense the night before and I would expect Rush and Nese to be pretty evenly matched based on presentation and that Rush just beat Nese’s former partner. Also, the ending looked a little awkward. I was really anticipating this and thought it could have used a few more minutes to develop. *1/2 Bravado Brothers vs Chris Dickenson/Ethan Page Woof, of the four guys in this match, only Page is someone I find tolerable. The match was about as good as it could have been but again I fail to see anything in the Bravado’s and think they don’t let the match work to a natural structure and are too quick to use flashy moves that don’t look as smooth as I would hope. Dan Barry comes out afterwards. This talent grouping is consistently the low point for me in watching Evolve shows. **1/2 TJP vs. Fred Yehi I was interested in how well this match would gel simply because I see both guys as being the contrasting style to offset their opponent. It is a testament to both that they had an organic match that was distinctively characteristic of both Yehi and TJP. The bell ringing was a bit of a buzzkill but they covered for that gaffe nicely and it was good to see TJP win it with the 450 splash which is a rare type move he busts out in WWN making the win feel special and giving Yehi some credibility. Yehi has done really well for himself in getting over with the crowd given his dismal win/loss record. Time for him to start at the bottom and pick up some wins as he rises up the ranks. **** Tracy Williams vs. Drew Gulak Tough not to META think this match but it is amazing that these guys had an amazing tag in Baltimore, worked a matinee in another city with two fun matches and then came out here and absolutely killed it in a match that will likely get them more eyeballs than they have ever had before. This is my current MOTY now and the culmination of what the Catch Point style is trying to achieve up to this point. The gradual progression of everything from the wrestling to the power moves and submissions was amazingly conveyed. I thought the facials in particular were fantastic. Gulak has this deeply intensified look throughout the match that really could toe the line into being goofy but it feels believable here. The grimacing and struggle during the crossface segment was incredibly engaging. This match soaked me in and really stood out even while watching 8 hours of wrestling throughout the day. I also thought the crowd really was engaged by the work and playing to the crowd that the workers did do in certain moments. I am still a big Thatcher fan but I do think these two have passed him by in that regard and this type of match is the apex of that. Gulak’s dragon sleeper is really becoming a deadly submission that can be hit out of anywhere and looks amazing. Wonderful stuff. ****3/4 Marty Scurll vs. Zack Sabre Jr These guys have a tough act to follow. Remember how I mentioned right before this that Gulak did good not to overshoot his facials into unbelievable territory. Out comes the Villain that all goes by the wayside. A very good match but one that was hindered from being great due to Scurll’s tendencies and it being pretty bloated overall. There was still a ton of nice work involved even from marty when he is doing the actual mechanics of the match. Sabre never falls to get me to audibly say “ohhhh” once per match and he did it here with some of his armbar attempts while he was elevated by Marty. Afterward, we get more development with the EVOLVE title and I am ready for some resolution there. Also, I like Sabre only being beat by Hero and think him losing here lessens the previous night to a degree. ***3/4 Drew Galloway vs. Johnny Gargano Actually a really good match too. Hate filled style brawls is not something I associate with Gargano but he did well here making the hate feel palpable. Galloway does a really good job at being the glue for a lot of these matches and while his offense isn’t the most flashy, it is really effective and helps benefit the matches he is in. I am optimistic (maybe the only one) about ROH ending angle so I will be the same way about the stuff going on here. In some ways the feel similar in that I don’t think Catch Point are good guys to be foils to the TNA invasion in the same way I don’t think Lethal is in ROH. EC3 does his shooty promo and this looks like a big direction for the promotion going forward. ***1/2 Another good show for EVOLVE with my current MOTY. This promotion keeps rolling.

Alright I have Hechicero vs. Casas lined up, what else do I need from this week?

Just finished the main event of Global Wars. First with the negatives: 1. The pricing model for PPV is insane. Everyone knows this at this point. $45.00 is a hell of a ask for the people I come in contact with on the IWC. I have no idea how profitable they are overall for the company. 2. The main event angle does feel like a retread but it is a difficult situation. Using the muse that most people on here are subscribers of NJ World, the reboot of Bullet club feels like something that has been drawn out and seen multiple times elsewhere. However, I do frequent other parts online where the only interaction people have with NJ talent and Bullet Club in general is when they are involved with ROH. Last two times I have went to ROH live, one shirt has sold out and that was the Bullet Club one. It may end up blowing up in ROH's face but less face it, they aren't the in vogue promotion for our stratosphere right now anyway. They have consistently kept up good gates and are doubling down on the NJ and Bullet Club approach until they see significant diminished returns. It is a delicate game to play and could alienate hardcore fans but I am still invested in the product and promotion overall. The show overall I thought was really good as a standalone show. I have watched this and Evolve 60 back to back this morning (having a sick kid does have some small dividends), and the shows felt on par in a vaccumm with ROH being more consistent but Evolve building to a greater peak and having greater highs in the final two matches. I do think the burial of ROH by NJ talent is overblown on Global Wars only as Moose was presented as equal with the pillars of NJ, Fish defeated Ishii and O'Reilly was presented as worthy challenger to the IWGP champion. I also thought it was clever the Young Bucks didn't superkick in their match to heavily emphasize the main event angle. Overall, the show may have ended in a dud for many but the action leading up to that was very good.

Evolve 60 thoughts Lio Rush vs. Caleb Konley Good high impact opener. I seem to like Caleb more than most and thought he did good here feeding for Lio when necessary and keeping up the tempo of the match. I kind of like Lio in ROH more than EVOLVE as I think he fits their style better but he had an impressive showing here and this was a really good way to start the show off. ***1/4 Devastation Corporation vs. Bravado Brothers This was my least favorite match of the night. I thought the Bravado's took way too much of the match and really didn't have the offense to look convincing in taking it to the much larger Devastation Corp. I sort off found it funny that Lenny Leonard announced Devastation Corp as one of the more decorated teams in chikara history and then proclaimed they had to impress EVOLVE management in a tryout to get a shot on the show. I don't know if they will be used in the future but they looked good enough here and my issues with the match revolved around the structure and me still not being high on the Bravado. ** Matt Riddle vs. Anthony Nese If you ever need confirmation that Riddle already is one of the best wrestlers in the world, this is it. Nese is generic as they come and Riddle allowed him to have a compelling match with getting in his high spots that were timed perfectly along with the grappling and striking of Riddle. Riddle has an out of control nature where every match feels intriguing but yet the opponent doesn't lose their identity either. ***1/2 Marty Scrull vs. Johnny Gargano It really feels like people either love or hate The Villain. I am still not buying him or his heel mannerisms and see them as appeasing the crowd too much. I think Hero in the main event did a much more dickish job at being the heel. This did have a lot of stuff I liked, but it also had a lot of stuff I didn't care for. The end result was a good match overall and probably one that many will enjoy more than me, but it felt uneven overall. *** Ethan Page vs. Drew Galloway Not really my bag. Page's angle of redemption has been interesting on screen but he doesn't have much of an identity inside the ring and fails to mesh well with certain people. i thought that was the case here as the story of the match wasn't conveyed to me and it just seemed like a match full of a collection of spots. **1/2 Drew Gulak/Tracy Williams vs. Fred Yehi/TJP I am so in the bag for Catch Point it isn't funny. The biggest gaffe I have with EVOLVE booking right now is with Stokley Hathaway's involvement with Catch Point. I thought Catch Point was on their way to an interesting fight club type dynamic where they face each other a lot but remain a part of the stable when all is said and done. i find it very interesting if they won the championship and just kept rotating through each other with the other members vying as gatekeepers keeping the challengers out of contention. Unfortunately, it looks like we are going with a more traditional split with Stokley recruiting TJP and Riddle. This match has gotten good reviews but I thought it was fantastic. It had a relentless pace and really had so many little touches that put it over the top. All of the Catch Point guys have amazing chemistry with each other. Stuff like Yehi stepping on the heel, Gulak doing the slam into the ropes, and then the finish that looks really clever and great on tape. I thought this was right on par with any tag match I have seen worldwide this year. ****1/2 Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre Jr. This really felt like the culmination of the feud with the progression and the uncertainty of Hero as WWN gets more involved with WWE. However, it a great piece of booking, this was simply the next chapter in the best in ring feud of the past year. Sabre is able to beat everyone except his main nemesis. Hero knows this and acts like a dick and bully to him at all costs. It works for me psychology wise that he isn't as aggressive as why should he be. Hero thinks he can afford to clown around and still come out on top. I liked the way that Sabre was able to gain the advantage with his soccer kick and his selling of the neck was top notch throughout. The final tombstone blow by Hero was disgusting. The Mercury Rising match is my current MOTY and this was only a shade below that one IMO and a great chapter in the feud. ****1/4 This show built wonderfully and the last two matches were tremendous. EVOLVE keeps on rolling.

Case, can you provide a quick link to the losing group must disband match your recommended in the 2016 MOTY thread. Thanks.

Kushida vs. Jushin Liger (NJPW 5/3/2016) YES I wont count him out but if this is the last truly great match of LIger's career, what a match to go out on. This had really great work centered around the arm and Liger throwing everything left in his old man arsenal to avoid the hoverboard lock. Kushida does blow off the leg work slightly keeping it from true MOTYC status in my eyes but it wasn't that big of a point of emphasis to where it got egregious. Overall, a great passing of the torch match

This was an amazing ride through history. I found it really engaging the various stop/starts and middling success wrestling had at the Garden throughout its early history. Londos really feels like a difference maker not only from an attendance standpoint but also from shortening the length of the matches overall. The architecture of the various Gardens was also really interesting. From double crosses, sinking ships, and political maneuverings. I can't recommend this podcast highly enough.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles Wrestle Kingdom 10 NJPW 1/4/16 Surprised this hasn't been nominated yet. This was another big match on paper that delivered for me and will only look more important in retrospect with the departure that this match symbolized.

AJ Styles vs Zack Sabre Jr. (RPW High Stakes, 1/26) YES This is in contention for my MOTY at the moment. I thought it was incredible in that it stayed grounded but also had a dynamic feeling to it. The Styles Clash AJ hits here is the greatest one I think i have ever seen. The final moments were incredibly dynamic and even though I knew the end result, I was still biting on some of the finishes. ****1/2 from me.

Will Ospreay vs. Marty Scurll (RPW High Stakes 1/16/2016) YES If you are going to do a complete bat shit crazy match, this is it. I have no idea how well this will hold up a year or two for now (guessing not well) but it was a wild ride to watch with some absolutely breathtaking sequences.

Watched the Legend Killers vs. Sterlen Reigel/James Jeffries match. Really good stuff that had a southern feel. I want to see more of Reigel but I feel he will be in a much bigger spot probably along with his twin brother in a fairly short amount of time. His dropkicks in this match looked slightly awkward but everything else was hit really well given his experience level. Jeffries was a good FIP in this match and the Legend Killers had a 2005 Josh Abercrombie vibe that worked for me in this environment. Look forward to watching more in the future.

Yeah I was at the 30 minute match. A wonderful performance by Rave garnering enormous sympathy when he got busted open. I still haven't seen the Iron Man match but the 30 minute draw was probably the single best indy match I saw last year including the February and August ROH shows.

Freelance show is going to be streamed on their youtube channel. You don't have to buy the Evolve show to watch Freelance.

Peachstates' card on Saturday looks pretty stacked. I unfortunately wont be able to go (damn you Papa Campbell for having a birthday on this day) but the tournament has been booked really well even though from the outside looking in, it looks like we are on a collision course for another Rave vs. Tyson Dean match. The undercard also has some exciting stuff with a five way with P-Dog, Matthews and C.B. Suave and Sal Rinauro vs. Kevin Blue. I really hope I can make it out on May 21st when the tournament concludes.

Watched Progress 29 Dante vs. O'Connor - The Atlas Hoss tournament sounds like an interesting premise but most of the guys don't excite me in the slightest. This was a lumbering match that had the heavy power moves feeling like they had minimal impact. Neither guy has a presence which is key in matches like these. I worry for Dante as a singles guy separate from End in PROGRESS. Flash Morgan Webster vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - I watched a match from these two from Southside before this one to get a feel of how things would transpire. They did a really good job of making this feel like a big match before it started. This was the most I have ever enjoyed Webster. He showed some toughness and worked really well and implementing his flashy offense here. Sabre has been on a tear this year and it looks like he will be a huge contender in the cruiser tournament proper. I did like how in the Southside match, Webster got caught in the Breaks Special from the 450, but here they mixed that up with Sabre getting the knees in. Very good stuff. ***1/2 Pete Dunne vs. Jack Gallagher - Another really good match. Gallagher has a strange look but does everything well and he has a charisma to him that reminds me of Dalton Castle. I enjoy that he also has some legit toughness in him. Dunne is really one of the more solid heels in Progress as I would put him in the same boat as Robinson and Gibson. ***1/2 Eaver vs. Moser - This Week in Wrestling touched on it this week when they reviewed Progress 28, but I don't think either of these two guys are ready to step up into a high profile position just yet. They both have the character work that is engaging and also some moves they can execute well but they are unable to put it all together into an engaging match. This was really disappointing and felt anticlimatic as a tournament final Black and Elizabeth vs. Jinny and Pollyanna- Really fun character stuff here and good story and work to back it up. I am glad that the next Natural Progression tournament will be all female and think Jinny in particular could be a real break out star in the next year or so. *** Coffey vs. Rampage Brown - This match wouldn't end. Another sluggish, mundane affair with the big guys. I just feel apprehensive when I feel like Flash Morgan Webster has more impact on his strikes on this night than these two guys do FSU & London Riots vs. The Origin - A really fun 8 man tag with a lot of people able to get a shine. Nathan Cruz isn't great in ring at all but he is such a loathable character and I think he did enough here that I can compare him to The Miz in WWE in that he adequately did his job. Gibson continues to be someone that really could main event a show if given the opportunity. The Riots sold the leg injury well and the timing of the comeback was well done. *** Tommy End vs. Marty Scurll - Two guys that I like but don't love. The match kind of followed that tone. It was worked well and had some brutal individual spots but also didn't have the connective tissue to really make it a classic. I continue to struggle mightily with The Villain as an overall character as it just feels like someone trying way too hard everytime I see it. ***1/4 Overall a show with some great consistency at points but also some pretty big low points. Middle of the road from the PROGRESS shows I have seen.

Jun Akiyama/Daichi Hashimoto vs Yuji Okabayashi/Yoshihua Uto BJW 04.29.16 NO but barely. A fun match to watch with Akiyama really laying a beating down on Uto. I didn't think little Hash added much to the proceedings and I honestly didn't buy Okabayashi as being on the same level to go toe to toe with Jun. I know Yuji has a ton of fans but he has consistently failed to resonate for me.

Memphisto vs. Mascara Dorada was really enjoyable. First two falls set the table and stretched out a tiny bit to really contrast the craziness of the final fall. Dorada took some amazing chances and Memphesto was right there to capitalize when a mistake is made. The final pinfalls were really dramatic and the match ended on a great battle on the top rope where you really feel like each guy is one final blow away from victory. ***1/4