Prince Devitt

[Grimmas]

Discuss here.

[JazeUSA]

some of NJPW's best matches over the last 2-3 years, I Love Devitt, he will be in my top 100

[concrete1992]

some of NJPW's best matches over the last 2-3 years, I Love Devitt, he will be in my top 100

Do you want to create a list of his great matches? He is probably one of the more hyped wrestlers from the past couple years that has mystified me in regards to people's opinions of him. I just don't see it. Maybe I haven't seen the right stuff. Seems like your regular junior and even among just junior types in the past few years there is a solid chunk of people I have enjoyed more than Devitt.

[BillThompson]

I'm in the same boat. I haven't seen much, and what I have seen has been pretty decent, but nothing to get excited over.

[GOTNW]

No chance. I don't think I've ever given a match of his four stars actually. I like Taguchi better.

[tim]

I've honestly never once been impressed with Devitt in the ring.

[W2BTD]

Tough crowd, but obviously not a PWO friendly style so i'm not surprised. I'll throw some matches out there since Sam asked, and maybe some others need a direction too.

 

The MCMG vs Apollo 55 matches were probably the best tag team matches of 2009 off of the top of my head. I'd rec those strongly, although they may contain too much action for some around here. I don't know. If you need limb work or long control periods in your tag matches, don't bother. They're action junior tags worked at a deliberately fast pace, especially the closing stretches.

 

Three Tanahashi matches, all deliver:

 

3/3/13 - Right before the BC turn, this was a hot Korakuen Hall main event where Tanahashi went subtle heel, and Devitt showed some edge that was a hint of things to come. Great crowd, great match.

 

8/4/13 - G1. ****+

 

9/29/13 - Lumberjack Death Match. Probably the best lumberjack match I've ever seen (I hate that stip with a passion), with a white hot crowd. This was the peak of the BC before it got cringy & stale. Hot, hot match.

 

 

7/5/13 vs Gedo - IWGP Junior Heavyweight title match, and if Devitt wins, he earns a IWGP Heavyweight shot vs Gedo's charge, Okada. Devitt challenged Okada for the IWGP title, so Okada made this stip, to the shock of a reluctant Gedo, who eventually accepted. Another hot Korakuen main event for Devitt, who was money during this period headlining that building. This was one of my favorite matches of 2013, and Gedo was incredible here too. These guys had the fans in the palms of their hands, buying everything.

 

7/20 vs Kazuchika Okada - SPOILER ALERT, but this is the ensuing title match. ****1/4, ****1/2 range.

 

 

Tokyo Dome

 

1/4/14 vs Kota Ibushi

 

1/4/13 vs Ibushi & Low Ki

 

1/4/12 Apollo 55 vs No Remorse Corps

 

1/4/11 vs Ibushi

 

All quality matches, a couple fringe MOTY level

 

 

Too many high quality 10 minute BotSJ matches over the years to name. Plus singles matches vs Alex Shelley, Low Ki, Kanemoto, and many others. Devitt has a pretty solid resume of high quality stuff in both tags & singles, and peaked from about 2009 until the BC started to jump the shark towards the end of his run. I can't imagine I wouldn't have him somewhere on my list. There weren't many people better in the world from '09-'13.

[goodhelmet]

Tough crowd, but obviously not a PWO friendly style so i'm not surprised.

 

 

If it's good wrestling, it's PWO friendly.

[Johnny Sorrow]

I loved his entrance at Takeover. That shit looked bad ass.

[JazeUSA]

 

some of NJPW's best matches over the last 2-3 years, I Love Devitt, he will be in my top 100

Do you want to create a list of his great matches? He is probably one of the more hyped wrestlers from the past couple years that has mystified me in regards to people's opinions of him. I just don't see it. Maybe I haven't seen the right stuff. Seems like your regular junior and even among just junior types in the past few years there is a solid chunk of people I have enjoyed more than Devitt.

 

I could work up some slowly, Ive seen probably a hundred matches but I dont rank them all, one I saw recently was vs

Kazuchika Okada on 7-20, I rated that match **** stars

[Shining Wiz]

Just watched a 2011 match with Kushida for the IWGP junior title. I wish I had of been paying attention to New Japan earlier than I tuned in, because this is a hell of a match.

 

For NJPW World subscribers:

 

http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00184_1_1

[Jimmy Redman]

I feel like Balor might be the world's best wrestling robot.

 

It's so weird because the guy is so endlessly likeable...when he's nowhere near a wrestling ring. He's endlessly charismatic...when he's making his entrance. And then the bell rings and POOF - all his humanity is stripped away and we're left with the robot underneath. I just don't understand how it happens.

 

And this isn't just NXT, this is going back years. He's always kind of been mechanically going through the motions of being a pro wrestler in the ring, depending on his role. Years back he was Babyface Spotty Junior Robot, going through all of his impossibly pretty moves and flips. Then he turned heel and he became American-Style Heel In Puro Robot, going through his checklist of heel cheating spots - flip people off, interference, low blow, interference, grab a chair, interference, interference, interference... And now as Balor he's Small WWE Babyface Robot, selling a lot and hitting all of his signature spots in various ways. It's neat and tidy and ticks all of the right boxes theoretically, but it's ultimately hollow...because he's a robot underneath.

 

Like I said it's so weird, because I WANT to like him, and he has tremendous physical talent and a lot of good matches, but most of the time his matches just leave me strangely...cold.

[NotJayTabb]

It's a weird disconnect. He shows all this personality in these houseshow videos where he's dressing up as Bayley, or recreating the Dirty Dancing dance with her, but that guy never seems to be in the ring wrestling. I enjoy his matches, don't get me wrong, but I just don't LIKE him as much as I do outside the ring.

[Timbo Slice]

There are a lot of aspects of his work that I enjoy, but he does things in his matches that make me shake my head to the point where it takes away from the good stuff. I understand people love his NJPW stuff because it's dynamic, but a lot of it seemed a bit shallow to me. Like there wasn't a lot he did to draw me in. I could tell it was great work, I could tell it was crisp, I could tell it was well thought out in a lot of ways, but it didn't resonate with me. Won't make my list.

[El McKell]

A rare instance of someone who I think has made his case worse since 2016. The cool babyface new japan junior stuff is so long since faded in my memory replaced with complete mediocrity in WWE despite being given so much opportunity while there to stand out and be something.

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

He'll be in my top 100. Even ignoring the fact he is one of the most influential wrestlers of his generation, he's a very good wrestler. Was one of the best juniors in the world for a couple of years before heading to the fed, where they obviously value his character work and generosity far more. He does suffer from Orton disease, where his later matches have never really gotten out of second gear. Low ceiling, high floor kind of guy. Absolute consistency, perfect for steering a midcard. Off the top of my head, his match with PAC that got them signed, his match with Kenny, his match with Low Ki, Ibushi rivalry, matches with Tanahashi, Okada and Gedo, Joe matches, Kyle O'Reilly NXT match and Lesnar match all show a great deal of his peaks and ability to work different styles. Unless he has a Mutoh type renaissance, I can't see him adding too much in his final years

[ElHijodeGorgeousGeorge]

He will be on my list as well even with these last ten years of WWE bullshit. He was THE foreigner that was so good they had to build Bullet Club for him and it became the most iconic group of this era. He then put the work in, had great matches with Ibushi, Omega, and then later Tanahashi before really molding black and gold NXT around him for a short period. First ever Universal Champ, and he always showed passion and heart in his work. Easy addition for me. 

[Tetsujin]

Not a chance. Very good wrestler that has been poorly treated by WWE for almost a decade now, with very few opportunities to really shine (and the ones he had not always worked, like his return to NXT). He's not the kind of guy that would shine despite the job they're given, he needs a better dance partner and a clear focus. His NJPW stuff is really good, that's for sure, and I loved his first NXT run as well when I was a teenager.

There's no way there's only less than 100 guys better than him.

[EnviousStupid]

I don't see it. He's definitely a good wrestler and impressed me when I saw him live a couple years ago, but the peaks are where I struggle to compare him with anyone else I'm expecting to be in contention on my list.