Matt D

I'm barely paying attention to this stuff (look, I'm about 500% more excited by the fact that I found a bunch of 2007 Dustin Rhodes on Highspots that wasn't on anyone's radar, even if I don't plan on actually getting it, than anything to do with AEW), but this does remind me a little of the disclaimer Marcy Wheeler puts at the bottom of every single one of her posts on the Mueller investigation on her blog (which is probably comparable in relative legitimacy to what Dave does, if you really squint), because she provided some evidence to the FBI at some point. It feels just a little like overkill or even self-aggrandizing but it also provides a buffer. "As I disclosed in July, I provided information to the FBI on issues related to the Mueller investigation, so I’m going to include disclosure statements on Mueller investigation posts from here on out. I will include the disclosure whether or not the stuff I shared with the FBI pertains to the subject of the post." It probably wouldn't kill him to put something like that in the Observer or at the end of the daily updates or what not, just for the sake of transparency.

This is annoyingly filmed but the most complete version online.

@Microstatistics This was a little tough actually. I know as of a few years ago, you hadn't seen much Virus or Jim Breaks/WoS. Those are two people in my GWE top 10. But I decided I'd go easy on you since I know you've got a lot on your place. .... Or not. The Virus vs Valiente lightning match from 2009 is no longer online. Something with meat on the bone then. Here's one of the very best CMLL matches of 2014 then (if not the best):

Ok guys. Let's take this into 2019. cad Tim Evans joe g boss rock Jetlag SirEdger Matt D Microstatistics NintendoLogic aaeeoo_ Headcheese NotJayTabb I think these are new pairings. Micro, I'll get something to you tomorrow. Remember, even if you can't hit your own match immediately or are behind, get your partner something. Happy New Year, guys.

I'll be honest that I haven't seen as much Yokota and Asuka as I probably should have. A lot of the 80s AJW stuff I've seen is the Nagayo vs Dump stuff, and while Asuka's on the side of that, it's not quite the same. Therefore, this lost a little big of significance to me. Thankfully, it's so direct and impactful, it didn't really need it. By this point, these were past the point of fully formed to be almost transcendent. Asuka had this air of danger to her, like she could sneak a kick in at any moment, do damage, and turn the tide of the match. Just a dominant force. Yokota was almost preternaturally smooth on the other hand. The opening agility demonstration, while probably rote for her, seemed akin magic while never feeling like an exhibition. Her consistent selling of the arm for most of the match was great too. It's a shame she dropped it in the stretch, as it would have added to her first failed attempt to hit the double-underhook pile-driver for instance. That sort of goes back to what the point of the limb selling is. Is it just to kill time? Is it to garner sympathy? Is it part of a larger attempt at storytelling? If it was the latter, she missed an opportunity or two to tie it up with a bow, even after Asuka had moved on to other things. The stretch might have played upon their matches from years past but it didn't really call back to the match they had been wrestling up until now. It was great action, but lacking resonance. I really did like everything leading up to it though. (One interesting thing here is that PeteF3 watched this match almost as blind as I did back in 2015 and he came out of it wanting to see more of Yokota's smoothness and agility. I came out of this wanting to see more 90s Asuka crushing people).

@SirEdger @aaeo_, Are you two back on? I'm rerolling tomorrow (and I'll write up my match too). Anyone need to hop off?

Do you think they might have the full Flair vs Bockwinkel match?

Just at a glance, Greg vs Curt seems really cool. Larry is strapped to Verne.

Ok, think I've got it. Edger and aaeeo off for a week. Tim's on. Think I have fresh pairings on the second randomize. Jetlag Matt D joe g Microstatistics NotJayTabb Tim Evans Headcheese NintendoLogic boss rock cad Jetlag, you're a hard man to find stuff for, but give me until tomorrow and I'll work something out. Merry X-Mas everyone.

Let's all do this for Thanksgiving next year.

Some people are just sneaking in here, but I do plan to reroll tomorrow. Let me know if anyone is jumping on or jumping off.

ECW tomorrow, then it's just 87 AWA and 85 PWUSA left, right?

NotJayTabb (and I ask here "If not Jay Tabb, then who?") Gave me a 1987 Reslo match: Fit Finlay and Dave Duncan vs Orig 'El Bandito" Williams and "Guy they got off the street" Geraint Clwyd. This was your Big Daddy special, just without someone quite the caliber of Roy Regal or Sammy Lee. The first fall was primarily Duncan in the ring destroying Clwyd and Finlay on the outside directing traffic and tossing an errant limb into the ring to be used as a prop any time poor Clwyd got anywhere near the corner. I haven't seen a ton of Williams, though I have read his autobiography which is unbelievable, entertaining, and carny and kind of sad towards the end given how much hope he rested on the gargantuan shoulders of Mason Ryan. The pop when Duncan finally makes a tag is massive. It's one of those crowd reactions that just lights you up and puts a smile on your face. I love that almost immediately thereafter, now that it was Finaly's time to be in the ring, Clwyd is tagged right back in, as if Williams promised his mother that he'd get as much ringtime as possible. He ends up getting one goal, a brave dropkick, before losing to Finlay 32-1. It all goes rather quickly from there. Anyway, I was glad to have seen this both for Finlay and friend demolishing a barely overglorified living training dummy (wrestling buddy?) and for the crowd coming unglued for Williams. Thanks for the match.

Bock vs Hennig is tremendous, especially the post-match but the whole thing.

83 AWA is up. Looks like 14 out of 20 mins or so of Robinson vs Brad. 8:30 or so (of 14 maybe?) of Ventura vs Steve O. Maybe 8 minutes of Martel vs Graham. A Blackjack Lanza interview in the ring. About 10 mins of the 8 man tag. annnnnd the entirety of the Mad Dog vs Bock match where we only had about 6 mins before (14 mins with introductions and conclusion)?

1.) I'm fairly certain I haven't seen any of those. 2.) I'm fairly certain none were on the AWA 80s set. There's 8 minutes of the Roadies tag online, I think. 3.) I badly, badly want to see a Hennig vs Bock match we haven't seen before. 4.) A lot of the rest of the card sounds fun too.

The 36 mins makes me think we are getting the Duggan vs Darsow match from the same show and episode too.

Just caught Ronda vs Nia. There were some moments of hesitation or timing things (not all of them on Ronda) that felt just a little off, but in general, it was fun. I really love the facebreaker. I'm probably the only person in the world who thinks the heart punch is incredible. You can do so much built around one strike (or simple hold) that's a KO blow, be it the heart punch or maybe Mulligan's claw or what not. I love whenever Buddy Rose was in there against Stan Stasiak for instance, and how he was just terrified of the heart punch. I actually don't think they went to that well enough. They teased it at the beginning and it played into the finish but I would have liked a couple of other near misses. As always, probably my favorite thing about Rousey, past the fact that she's leaning into the tricked out holds instead of running from them like Angle, is how she reacts to things. She's one of the best on the roster already at reacting to getting only a two count. She could absolutely coast while being far less emotive but she just gives herself over completely to it instead.

Looking forward to this, thanks. You are a tough one because 1) you've seen a lot and 2) I think you read SC so you know about all the finds we've made in the last year. I was going to toss the Luger/Ramon vs Perfect/Bret match from MSG (which I bet you've seen but not recently) at you but I can't actually find it online right now. How about this? Have you seen it?

I have to double back to Nia vs Ronda and Bryan vs Styles later.

I really hope that they just kill Asuka together before this goes off the air though. EDIT: They do not. It's nice when they actually tell a story over a number of months for a change though.The Raw/Smackdown separation lets them do it here. They don't have to do it week by week so they're not going to screw it up by default. (And don't give me that the Reigns vs Brock set up over x years was any sort of storytelling at all. It wasn't).

This is quite the thing here.

Punch drunk Charlotte is so over the top but so "Flair" that it works.

Was that table supposed to be so flush against the barricade?

Past the REALLY planned out spots, one thing I love about 2018 Becky is that she'll charge right in after taking a shot. Like when Charlotte kicked the chair out of her hand. Instead of just waiting for the next spot, she charged in and made Charlotte catch her.