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Phil Schneider

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Alberto el Patron vs Johnny Mundo.

 

Good sprint with as good selling as you can get from Mundo (who's a spot monkey at heart, but works better as a heel). I'm not a fan of that footstomp spot that requires that the opponent hangs on the ropes, it seems everyone is doing this nowadays, Sasha Banks, Mundo, Alberto. This is exactly the kind of stuff Sabu or Psychosis were derided for back in 95/96. But yeah, good match, and the surprise run-in from Melina was a nice touch. Liked the finish, liked the post-match too which was poetic justice. Alberto delivered the gentlest spanking ever to Melina, which I can totally get behind since she cost him the match and slapped him.

 

Vampiro vs Pentagon Jr.

 

How this can be better than any Vamp match I've seen ? Probably because of the story. Yeah, I said it, the story, despite them going all Big Japan 00 on us. Gory freak show that was as good as it could be. The visuals played a bit part. I thought Vamp was efficient in that matter, and displayed more charisma and character than during his entire WCW stint (which, granted, was hurt a lot by awful booking and that all-time bad Sting feud). Of course the post-match made sense. It's classic stuff, and even though I had been spoiled a long time ago about the Master's identity, I wouldn't call that a swerve. Vamp's attitude during the match made sense.

 

Gift of the Gods match.

 

Clusterfucky as hell, but this was all about dives and cool shit happening. I didn't mind Marty the Moth jumping in, but the Daivari intervention was overkill and brought nothing. That dive from Aerostar was proper insane. For what it was, it was good and a nice change of pace too after the deliberate bloodletting of Vamp vs Pentagon. The right guy won too.

 

Blue Demon Jr. vs Texano.

 

Complete waste of time. The Crew looked stylish. Blue Demon is useless.

 

Mil Muertes vs Prince Puma.

Yeah, great match. Probably MOTYC to me too. I liked how they didn't garbaged it up, coming after the Vamp match and the Mack vs Cage opener. Apart from one or two weapon shots that had meaning and were sold, it was pretty straightforward power heel vs acrobatic face match. For the style they work in the promotion and the character they display, it was pretty much the perfect match to cap off the season, although Muertes vs Fenix and Puma vs Mundo 1 hour matches were greater spectacles. I didn't mind the kicking out of finishers because it was the very first time it ever happened, and led to Muertes simply amping it up instead of going rinse/repeat like they would in WWE. Using Catrina as a weapon without hurting her was a pretty cool moment by Puma.

 

Great last episode. And damn, these ending credits. How badass can you get ? (although again, not really a fan of Marty the Moth getting all psychopatic, unless his "sister" really is a cool worker and character) Loved the way Drago and Aerostar vanished, and Ivelysse & Son of Havoc are priceless. With this ending, and the mask of Matanza finally showing up, I really hope there will be a season 2. It would be a crime to not have a season 2 while WWE has countless hours of boring television and TNA still being in operation. If there is, I hope they keep Melissa Santos as the ring announcer too. Hotness notwithstanding, I like the intents she puts into everything, unlike the mindless robots of WWE TV. She gets a more sinister tone when announcing Drago or Mil Muertes, she puts more enthousiasm for the technicos, shows excitement or some disdain while remaining pro. The announcing team, well, Striker can be good or annoying as hell. The guy from Ultima Lucha I don't know, I guess he's an MMA announcer. Didn't pay much attention, but now that Vamp is probably Pentagon's manager, he would be gone from the booth I guess.

Anyway, loved the product overall despite its flaws. Really hoping for a season 2.

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I've got those eps downloaded & need to give 'em a listen soon. Are both parts worth checking out, Steven?

 

Alberto el Patron vs Johnny Mundo.

 

I'm not a fan of that footstomp spot that requires that the opponent hangs on the ropes, it seems everyone is doing this nowadays, Sasha Banks, Mundo, Alberto. This is exactly the kind of stuff Sabu or Psychosis were derided for back in 95/96.

 

Oh god. I know. It's quickly becoming the new Code Breaker / Lung Blower, which must have surpassed the DDT for the most overused, commonplace transition spot - being done by everyone and their third cousin - at least a handful of years ago.

 

And I'll echo those sentiments about Melissa Santos. Just a totally refreshing breath of fresh air. The fact that she's hotter than a fresh fucked fox wearing wool socks notwithstanding, she's a damn good ring announcer that actually puts concentrated effort into distinguishing certain guys & setting the stage for their unique entrances and personalities perfectly. Great point.

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Oh god. I know. It's quickly becoming the new Code Breaker / Lung Blower, which must have surpassed the DDT for the most overused, commonplace transition spot - being done by everyone and their third cousin - at least a handful of years ago.

 

I can't stand the Code Breaker either BTW. It's apparently a random spot these days, but it's typically the kind of stuff I find annoying in the modern wrestling style. The Code Breaker requires that you take a freaking bump on your back, with the weight of your opponent on you. It looks cool, but it's stupid.

 

Glad I'm not the only one digging Melissa Santos.

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Did LU always want Ricochet to come in under the mask with that gimmick? I thought I recalled seeing that it was part of a compromise that would let him work elsewhere without having to do so as LU talent, but could absolutely be imagining that.

 

On another front, did Brian Cage ever get a serious look from WWE? He obviously has the body despite being perhaps a tad shorter than they'd want. While he won't make anyone's short list for best workers in the world, I've yet to see a match of his in LU or PWG that isn't at least fun and entertaining. Pretty limited selling although I'm not sure how much he's been asked to do there, but he always keeps things interesting. Almost like an indy-monster/heavyweight version of the Young Bucks.

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I'm a big fan of Brian Cage for what he is, similar to (yes) the Young Bucks. I don't know that he could ever translate the same way to a mainstay main event performer though. He doesn't have the best instincts. I do find him to be a truckload of fun in most powerhouse spot matches - like the stuff with Ciampa - or even the chaotic multi-mans he'll get tossed into.

 

There's several interviews out there online of Cage talking about his time with WWE developmental, by the way. Apparently he botched something pretty badly with a poorly timed/executed spot on one of their bigger cards, and it put him in a bad light with the trainers & higher ups at the time. Then, when they attempted to bring him back in a bit later, he didn't pass one of the tests. By his own admission, Cage claims he wasn't aware that something he was taking would rule him as a "failed" exam, and so that leaves a lot of people to draw their own conclusions.

 

Cage seems to enjoy doing what he's doing. He's getting a LOT more bookings lately, thanks to the exposure in PWG and LU these past few years. He's never had any all-time classics or anything in my eyes, but I've been digging some of his work. He's had some fun stuff with Matt Hardy in Vegas, all the entertaining TV with LU this past season, and one incredibly fun (and underrated) rapid-paced, hard-hitting bout with Roddy Strong in PWG last year or so.

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