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soup23

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Everything posted by soup23

  1. soup23
    Awesome segment that happened on Superstars of all things. Austin really does turn this around on PIllman and it helps advance the Bret angle while still being a stand alone moment between two guys with a ton of history. The brutality of the attack on the ankle felt visceral and unique for WWF programming even with the added edge that had been happening lately. This isn't your daddy's Saturday morning Rock N Wrestling.
  2. soup23
    The match was dreadful from the clips as it was all about the big spot. We do get the big spot that is plastered all over most ECW video releases from that point forward. Visually, it is impressive and Tommy worships in the glory of the fans as Lee gets stretchered out.
  3. soup23
    I dug this but hey it is Volk Han. I did notice the rib shot and Han sells it so well as if he just got shot in the ribcage. I had just seen these two have a classic in 1993 and while this didn't reach those highs, it wasn't too far off and again the length and transitions were what led the way. Naruse feels more assured of himself three years after their first encounter and that made the match more even overall. ***1/2
  4. soup23
    Surprised by the rating even if it is just **** because this has a lot more shoot style and gritty matwork that Dave has a tendency to underrate at points ala 1/4/00 tag. The opening with Steiner and Nak on the mat was really intriguing. The match lost its way for me at multiple points and it felt more like a series of sequences than a fully formed tag with a structure. Kojima looked ok but not as good as Nagata in the junior match. **3/4
  5. soup23
    I am always a sucker for when Otani picked up a win around this time so I dug that. This also seemed to set the table nicely for the stuff that happened between Liger and Otani in singles in 1997 as that is really not that far away now and Otani needed to be elevated to a degree to feel like a player in that role. Nagata and Samurai are the least two emphasized workers here but they knew their role and provided entertainment when called upon. Nagata in particular looked really nice and hungry vs. Liger and Sammy. A house show match but one that was done really well. ***1/2
  6. soup23
    In the middle on the match overall. Some really exciting flurries and exchanges of action but also a lot of down time. These are two guys that really didn't do a whole lot of memorable stuff and I can't recall another match of either right off hand. The finish felt like too much of a race to the end of the exhibition for my liking as well. ***1/4
  7. soup23
    Pulp Fictions are really a nonfactor for me at this point. This one felt even more lamer than usual. Dreamer was the highlight but that isn't saying much and the MVC looked sad.
  8. soup23
    Not a real memorable interview but effective enough in keeping up the storyline with Pitbull. This is just a feud I am not really invested in at all.
  9. soup23
    Savage wearing the black attire was another great choice to add emphasis to this angle. The video stuff with Liz again was pretty high brow mixed with some soap opera drama but it landed for me based off the reaction of Savage and how he talks about how fragile life is. I have really enjoyed the build to this match and I thought they took a feud that could have felt really dated and added new life to it.
  10. soup23
    Easily my favorite wrestling documentary from a quality standpoint.
  11. soup23
    I had completely forgotten about this. Sting's look is forming and will transform a bit in the next year. I also thought it was interesting that Sting spoke and the narrative of the NWO just wasting NWO Sting as the sacrificial lamb to make their plea to the real deal.
  12. soup23
    Interesting to think if this was the long term plan or not. The action here was good and I did like Perfect being at ringside if he was going to turn. The action here was good and the Wild Thing was executed perfectly and provided a good near fall. The turn was done effectively even if as a viewer you will feel kind of cheated that Perfect didn't come back in ring. ***
  13. soup23
    Really good interview. The backstage stuff of the heels watching is a whose who with Rock, Austin, Pillman, DWB all looking on. Bret seems genuine in his delivery and I liked how he switched from his negotiations to his beef with Austin to throwing shots at HBK. Vince was also strong on commentary looking on as an invested party.
  14. soup23
    I really enjoyed this match and the way they segued from the gravesite back inside the ring while keeping up the intensity. They were able to keep that temper up throughout the match compared to the Texas Death Match from Havoc 93. Taker seemed spry and willing to try some new innovative moves and Foley as always was willing to bump his way to make the match sucessful. The hiptoss from the grave site, the back of the head into the guardrail, and the overall chair shots upped the intensity level. The actual burial does take forever but it creates an awesome visual at the end. A really strong WWF main event. ****
  15. soup23
    Good match despite the ancillary stuff that wasn't very good like Perfect being involved and JR mic deal. I wish JR would have just stormed off around five minutes in. This really showed the more attitude era stuff creeping in more and more with Austin flicking HHH off and really working a match built around a lot of outside action. HHH really needed to kind of revamp his character as his work doesn't match his persona here. ***
  16. soup23
    A complete spectacle of a match. It is very thematic like Muto and Tenryu and while I don't think it was as good as an overall match as that, I am a sucker for this style in these doses and will rank it accordingly. Both of these guys feel larger than life and perform a match that lives up to that narrative. I especially liked the face paint that Liger had on underneath his mask and that we get the evil red mist from Muta. Muta ends up getting the pin but Liger feels like he belongs inside the ring. ****
  17. soup23
    I liked this match but yeah it is tough not to compare it to the atmosphere and action of These Days with how close in proximity it occurred. Togo was the star here for me and really was the beefy bruiser for KDX that worked especially against Yakushiji. I thought this was kind of a reserved Sasuke performance. Dick Togo sentons always make me mark out. ***1/4
  18. soup23
    Decent enough match with Mikey taking a beating. I liked the king of the mountain spot that Shane did and the bump that Mikey does throat first into the guard rail was great. Shane is really taking a lot of directive from Francine throughout this match. Shane did at least focus on the neck here throughout the match. A good house show ECW title match. **3/4
  19. soup23
    I really enjoyed the opening here as Kawada fires off the back suplex but Kobashi does a great staggering sell job and is able to pull out the lariat to buy some time. Kobashi was just starting to really start getting the lariat over as a equalizer. This also set up a good tease that this was not going 60 like the January 1995 match that opened up with much more of a feeling out process. Kawada slowing things down and working the headlock worked by how it grounded Kobashi and the bloody ear. Around 20 minutes in we get another flurry of action that again really helps build the notion that this match isn't going 60. It is a delicate tight rope to walk and some of the stuff done here can be used as exhibits of the gratuitous head dropping that would plague a handful of matches from this point onward. That being said, I didn't think anything blatantly stepped over the line to ridiculousness that hurt the credibility of the match overall. Build to the stretch plum and Kobashi reaching the ropes felt like a critical point for him surviving the onslaught. He then goes on offense for a long time off of a dragon screw and once again I will praise believably of this being a finish. Moonsault gets a particular close nearfall as all of a sudden, I look at the clock and we are 35 minutes in and it doesn't feel that long to me. After the big powerbomb kickout by Kobashi, the match does slow down a bit and it feels like we are going towards a draw for the first time. That drops the match a bit for me from the MOTYC echelon. Things pick back up again with Kobashi boinking Kawada with a back suplex of his own. He seems to have the match in hand until Kawada does a call back to the arm and gets a near submission. Kawada's performance has gotten better as the match has progressed IMO with him selling the knee and progressively getting more desperate as the minutes slip away. Less than ten minutes left and the exhaustion is setting in. A no sell spot from a back suplex confirms that this match cant be in that upper pantheon of AJ matches for me as it felt unnecessary. Kobashi actually seems to be going more into a freeze out strategy locking on a headlock. It is a unique presentation of him as a worker but a neat caveat. He also does an ace crusher that I don't think he has ever done since. Kawada is game to bust out some different offense as he does a bombs away knee from the top right to the mush. Great selling by Kawada after he executes that hold. THe perpetual visual of Kawada's career is him needing ONE more powerbomb and we get that here as the time expires. Close but no cigar describes Kawada and this match in some ways feels like a changing of the guard with Kobashi now slightly ahead on the pecking order and that won't change until the NOAH split. Last couple of minutes are kind of odd with a northern lights suplex nearfall by Kobashi and not much happening as the bell sounds. A great match no doubt but as I have reiterated, this wasn't really a classic that I may have hoped for. I would like to rewatch the 1/95 match to see which one I prefer overall. ****1/4
  20. soup23
    Agree that the Liz thing wasn't really conveyed to the viewer well as the dots were connected after reading this thread. As a stand alone promo again building to Havoc but also with Hulk and the NWO being an ass, this was again effective. It got some sympathy on the Nasty Boys. My dad was watching this segment and turned to me halfway through noting that this was the peak of WCW. I can't really disagree with him based on what I saw here as the NWO still feels fresh.
  21. soup23
    I thought he got a fine reaction but yeah, not the most inspiring promo and something felt phony about the whole thing.
  22. soup23
    I vaguely remembered this but it was great watching it now. A really powerful and sad promo by Liz that works both if you are just watching what is on the screen and amplified if you know the real life history of these two. Savage being shaken up and stumbling around on the verge of puking was a powerful thing to see. The build to Hogan vs Savage has been fantastic to me and this may be one of the better months for both WWF and WCW building up their PPV main events.
  23. soup23
    We see what Sting's office looks like. This really didn't fit his current character at all.
  24. soup23
    I liked the match especially the focus on the reversal by Shawn. I think I may like these two matched up more than most as I also rank KOTR 97 and WM 14 pretty highly. I do agree the ending was a little flat with Vader and Sid coming out but no one really looking that great coming out of the match. Cornette really didn't seem to fit with Vader now that the WWF is clearly moving to a more attitude heavy show. **3/4
  25. soup23
    Everything here could have been the sometimes hokey as shit Taker stuff but this feels like a real issue that is utilizing the stipulation. I was a full on WCW fanboy at this point as a 10 year old but this probably would have talked me into wanting to buy the PPV. Taker saying Mankind will never be able to rest in peace was incredibly creepy.
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