JvK reviews pimped matches from late 90s-10s

[InYourCase]

Notice how most of those are singles. The multi-man tags getting so heavily pimped but are empty spotfests. That's what I associate DG with. Perhaps singles is the way to go.

Most hardcore Dragon Gate fans are left disappointed with most big singles matches in the company. There are exceptions, like Mochizuki vs. Shingo, the ones I listed earlier in the thread, or all of Shingo's last title reign, but singles matches are not the safe route with DG. Often times they work too slow in the opening minutes, so a 30 minute main event has about 8 minutes of action. Those 8 minutes are great, but there's obviously a large chunk there that isn't. That is my biggest knock on CIMA, and the reason I don't consider him to be on par with Shingo or Mochizuki. His long Dream Gate run that lasted from December 2011-July 2013 had some amazing moments and matches, but there were also a handful of performances that were so dry up until the finishing stretch. The match where he eventually lost the title to Shingo is very divisive among the DG hardcores for that reason.

 

I also think that people don't realize what the promotion has become. Ultimo's original class looked like this,

CIMA

Don Fujii

Judo Suwa

Magnum Tokyo

Dragon Kid

 

Fujii works a sumo-style like Tenryu (in many ways he's DG's Tenryu) and Suwa was a fantastic base while he was in the company, which leaves three workers that were figureheads for the Toryumon days and all of them at times have been known to be spotty. Magnum stinks. He's one of the few guys the Dragon System has produced that I can't defend, and some people both in and out of the hardcore bubble actually really like him. No thanks. There's Dragon Kid, who at one point, was very spotty. Injuries and age caught up with his athleticism and now he's transformed into an incredibly smart worker when he needs to be. That leaves CIMA, who a lot of people in my bubble preach as one of the most under appreciated wrestlers of all-time and the most influential junior heavyweight of the 21 century (I fully believe both of those things).

 

The second class had most of The Jimmyz. Genki Horiguchi, Jimmy Susumu, Ryo Saito (kind of), and K-Ness. K-Ness is a submission expert and the other three are great bases, if anything. Not flippy guys. After that, there's the T2P class with Milano Collection AT, Masato Yoshino, Naruki Doi, etc. They were all taught the Llave style, which is a weird form of speed mixed with tricked-out lucha submissions. There's nothing else like it and if you've never seen T2P, I suggest trying out a few of the pimped matches Ditch has up just to see if you'd like it or not.

 

Most of the Toryumon X class is a waste. Ishimori now wrestles for NOAH, but as a whole they were so inconsequential and most of them never made it to a Toryumon proper event. That brings us to the Ultimo/CIMA split, and the start of the DG dojo. Shingo Takagi was the first graduate and was followed by BxB Hulk. There was a class of NEX students featuring Cyber Kong, YAMATO, and Kzy, among others. YAMATO, for my money, is one of the top five most well-rounded wrestlers going today, Cyber Kong is DG's token "giant", and Kzy has the best uppercut in wrestling (sorry, Cesaro). I would consider none of them for a Best Flyer award.

 

There was a point in the late-2000s where the DG wasn't producing great talent - Tominaga, Ryu, Kotoka, etc. Guys that are currently wrestling at the bottom of the card.

 

That brings us to the most recent dojo graduates featuring guys like Eita, Kaito Ishida, Yosuke Santa Maria, El Lindaman, & Futa Nakamura. Eita was a part of a class that trained mostly in Mexico (with T-Hawk and U-T), so he has a lucha/llave background. The other four, however, all specialize in one thing or another and it isn't speed or flying. Lindaman has a judo background that he uses in all of his matches and Futa Nakamura is a meathead. I bring those two up because they will be stars. Unless something horrible happens, count on those two leading the promotion in 5-10 years.

 

I went through all of that to show people that this company isn't producing amazing, high-flying wrestlers. Super Shisa trains them to be experts on the mat and the newest generation (Lindaman, Nakamura, Ishida, etc.) could turn the promotion's style again because they aren't guys that work fast. The original Toryumon class has slowed things down, but they also have been since 2005. CIMA isn't 20 anymore. He can't do the things he used to do. Yes, he works quick, but working fast does not automatically equal no-selling or lack of psychology, and if you can't understand that then Dragon Gate will never be the promotion for you.

 

Masato Yoshino is an interesting example of this because you'll remember Yoshino the first time you see him. No one runs the ropes as quickly as Yoshino does. Because of that, I personally feel like he gets labeled, whether it be singles matches or tags, as a spotfest worker, which is entirely bullshit. Few wrestlers today can build drama the way Yoshino does. For one, he has the best kickout at 2 that I've ever seen. He milks it, the 2.999, before throwing his shoulder up in the air. Yoshino's speciality in my mind is multi-man matches, whether that be tags or trios. He was one half of DG's most successful tag team ever with Naruki Doi (SpeedMuscle) and no matter where he ends up, he always seems to find a great tag partner. One of those partners was T-Hawk. I was blasted in my review for giving this match ****1/2 because a lot of people found it to be spotty bullshit, but Dragon Gate works on another level - no company, ever, puts more "storytelling" into their matches. That's why some people have such disconnect with their pimped matches. I watch every match that airs, I know what's going on. It's so incredibly hard to parachute into an important DG match and get it.

 

I have a hard time recommending DG multi-man matches to people because there's so much going on, but when you watch it with context, it all makes sense. Yes, I get for some people that it is a stylistic thing and that it's just not for some people. I completely understand that because I feel the same way about other styles. To call Dragon Gate a promotion that is void of psychology, however, is flat out wrong.

 

I'll go off Ditch's site to make things easier and hopefully shed a little context as a rec. some multi-man matches,

 

CIMA/Fujii/Doi vs. Horiguchi/Saito/Dragon Kid - 7/3/05

To me, this is as good as it gets when it comes to DG multi-man. The story here is that Horiguchi comes in with a hurt back and Blood Generation targets it to death. Great callbacks to El Numero Uno 2003 (HAGE Fever) as Horiguchi does his best to put Blood Generation away with his Backslide from Heaven.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?9r40a10r22m2tvx

 

Mochizuki/Yokosuka/Kanda vs. CIMA/Fujii/Shingo - 3/17/06

The original M2K returns as Kanda wrestles his first big match since a neck injury in 2001. This was at a point when CIMA was visibly pushing his prized pupil, Shingo, to do better in matches.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?8d8lwgag162l51l

 

Shingo/Kong/Hulk vs. Doi/Yoshino/Kishiwada - 7/1/07

The most under appreciated match in DG's history. Biggest show of the year - the biggest match in the career's of Hulk/Shingo/Kong. The opposing side is representing Muscle Outlawz, a giant, prick-heel unit. Shingo's performance here is unreal. A breakout for the New Hazard side.

http://theditch.us/NewHazardVsMOzKobe.avi

 

tl;dr - Dragon Gate isn't what you think it is. A lot of it takes context and understanding to fully appreciate it.

[Childs]

Case, I'm interested, would you agree there isn't a lot of attention to selling in Dragon Gate? Or would you say it's just a different style of selling that's hard to vibe with when you're parachuting into the product?

 

I've dipped into Dragon Gate several times, most recently during GWE, when I watched a bunch of pimped Mochizuki matches. And though I agree flippyness isn't really the issue, I've always gotten stuck on what feels to me like a lack of selling.

[InYourCase]

There are times when I'm annoyed by it, but that is few and far between. YAMATO vs. BxB Hulk from 7/20/14 is a great example. YAMATO works over Hulk's legs for 20 minutes and I swear, Hulk only used kicks when he was making his comeback and it was awfully annoying.

 

I don't personally believe that there isn't a lot of attention to selling, but there are times that people have pointed out spots to me and I see where they're coming from. It just doesn't bother me, I guess.

[Quentin Skinner]

Different style of selling I'd say, but sometimes I think that gets exaggerated. Something like YAMATO vs Shingo from this year's Kobe World I thought had fantastic selling from both men. Even YAMATO vs Tozawa, which is a match I know I liked more than Case, I thought there was great selling in that too.

 

EDIT: To give examples, Tozawa vs Kzy and Uhaa Nation vs BxB Hulk, both from about February 2015 I think, both have some selling I could see even non DG fans appreciating

[InYourCase]

I once heard Bryan Alvarez describe Dragon Gate selling as a video game health meter. The bar starts in the green, and with each move, it slowly dies down until you hit critical condition and then eventually die (or get pinned). He meant that to be an insult, but when I heard it, I thought it was the perfect comparison and in my mind, a really good point.

[WingedEagle]

Case, appreciate the long explanation and additional recs. Much of what you explained is similar to what I've heard from DG fans in the past and can at times even see quite a bit of it myself. Really fascinating to trace the evolution of the roster, and I can certainly see why for those who are invested in the history and day to day there's a lot of depth that would make the promotion more enjoyable and easier to follow. Perhaps that why when I watch a big match (like that 11/1/15 tag) it doesn't rate nearly as high for me as for the diehards, but is nonetheless enjoyable.

 

For whatever reason I've found Yoshino one of the most accessible guys on the roster, particularly in a tag setting. What stands out beyond his incredible speed is how his execution doesn't suffer at all or seem to require any unnatural pauses.

 

Haven't gotten a chance to check out the other matches you highlighted yet, but Kondo/Dragon Kid was a fun and tight little match with a clear dynamic that had some impressive spots by each within their roles. Felt like a really high end TV match, perhaps ***1/2 or so, but definitely merited a bit of a bump for the post-match attack and mask ripping.

[JerryvonKramer]

Shuji Kondo vs. Dragon Kid (7/4/04)

 

Set here is strongly reminiscent of Nitro with the ramp and rig around the locker room entrance. Kondo has a cool tough guy heel disposition, liked the way he flicked off fans trying to touch him coming to the ring.

 

Cool spot in the early going where Kondo goes for a delayed vertical suplex but Dragon wriggles and squirms so he can't snap it off. Logical if you think about it. Kondo takes his time over this heat sequence, pace is at Harley Race levels. Pretty cool choke slam where he catches Dragon trying to sneak through his legs, grabs him by the throat FROM there and choke slams. Second spot I've never seen before.

 

Eventually Dragon gets in a hurricanrana and then one from the top to the outside. But he's still getting over the the beating he's taken for the past eight minutes. More flash from Dragon now, looked cooled enough. Transition comes where Kondo catches him going for some flippy thing and hits a backbreaker, then another cool counter when he catches him in midair and hits a spinebuster. Also probably the best snapmare you'll ever see as a counter to a back suplex.

 

For some reason it appears outside guys are allowed to just get in the ring and do moves randomly, ref was right there! Wake up, DQ! Can only assume it is no DQ since Kondo uses a box or tray or something now right in front of the ref.

 

Military press by Kondo, lariat, that'll do it. After the match Dragon gets his masked ripped off.

 

This was basically a ten-twelve minute match between a normal-sized wrestler with good moves, and a little flippy wimp, and it was worked exactly as one would want. Kondo kept it grounded and tried to slow it down and relied on big throws, Dragon had to rely on speed and flash to get anywhere.

 

Not a classic by any means, more towards "just a match", but a very very good one with sound psychology, good action and some very innovative spots throughout.

 

***3/4

[JerryvonKramer]

 

Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Don Fujii (5/11/05)

 

Is Don Fuji a Yakuza gimmick? He has slicked back hair and his name is "Don".

 

Mouchizuki gets colour early after diving into a chair in the first minute. This means Fuji controls the first half. They seem to be following shine-heat-comeback-finishing stretch structure pretty solidly in these matches. Putting sympathy on the face is tried and tested psychology that works, unless it's a Pedro Morales match from 1982 because Pedro sucks.

 

Hope spot comes when Fuji loses out in a slugfest and runs into a kick, but he cuts it off with a full scoop powerslam, a move that will always look cool. Double collision spot, were about ten or so mins in. Fuji cuts off another comeback attempt, but misses a chokeslam from the top. German and Mochizuki gets some time on top now. Full nelson suplex.

 

Fuji comes back with a powerbomb from the corner, and finally hits his top-rope chokeslam. German out of nowhere from Mochizuki is an exciting nearfall. Finish seemed to come out of absolutely nowhere from a basic counter, a "flash pin" if you will.

 

This again was "just a match", worked solidly. Fuji didn't seem to have a lot of ideas during his heat stretch, his work on top was a bit basic. Mochizuki always felt like he was winning this to me so there wasn't much suspense in the finishing stretch and the finish itself felt anti-climactic. This lacked the innovation of the previous match, but was still solid. The scoop powerslam counter was a highlight.

 

***1/2

[JerryvonKramer]

As a quick basis of comparison, I recently gave Benoit / 2 Cold Scorpio from Superbrawl III ***3/4, and I'd happily say the Kondo / Dragon Kid match is comparable in quality to that.

[InYourCase]

Don Fujii is actually based off of Don Arakawa of New Japan fame. When he made the transition from Sumo Fujii to Don Fujii, there was a lot of confusion because people thought it was a weird English translation, like his name should have been Boss Fujii or something. Nope, just based on the lovely, handsome Don Arakawa.

 

So there's a fun fact for your day.

[Ricky Jackson]

I know nothing about him, but when I first saw the name a few years ago my first thought was that he was a fan of the Mr Fuji and Don Muraco team of the 80s and it was a tribute to them

[soup23]

 

For some reason it appears outside guys are allowed to just get in the ring and do moves randomly, ref was right there! Wake up, DQ! Can only assume it is no DQ since Kondo uses a box or tray or something now right in front of the ref.

 

 

If only, the interference while the referee is hugged is my absolute least favorite spot in Dragon Gate.

[brockobama]

 

For some reason it appears outside guys are allowed to just get in the ring and do moves randomly, ref was right there! Wake up, DQ! Can only assume it is no DQ since Kondo uses a box or tray or something now right in front of the ref.

 

 

If only, the interference while the referee is hugged is my absolute least favorite spot in Dragon Gate.

 

 

Yeah, even as a big DG fan (maybe not the best thing to out yourself as a big DG fan in your first post, eh?) it's a curious, overwrought, and infuriating spot.

[W2BTD]

What's interesting is that it's the long singles matches that more than anything else that leave hardcore DG fans empty, because the guys leave their wheelhouse and try to do the traditional long puro epic, and struggle to fill the time with the slower pace and longer length. Most of my least favorite DG bouts are the big Open the Dream Gate title matches from the major shows.

 

With that said, I see what Case did here with the recs in terms of strategic choices and introduction to the types of workers that someone like Parv would more likely dig. Case did this right. Tossing a bunch of wacky six man tags or Dead or Alive cage bouts or high spot heavy Brave Gate defenses would have lost Parv instantly. This is a safe introduction to the style, and once some of the personalities and style quirks are established, it'll be easier to transition into trying some of the stuff that doesn't fit into what he normally enjoys.

 

I'm not as shocked as Case is that Parv is enjoying this stuff. Pace wise he didn't rec the super GO GO GO GO stuff, and Parv always enjoys big bomb offense that guys like Shingo and Kondo bring. I'm real curious to see what he thinks when we get to stuff like Flamita vs Susumu or Tozawa & Hulk vs Doi & Ricochet. On the surface, I feel like he won't like it, but after being eased in on more comfortable stuff, i'm curious if he at least appreciates the second gear and the appeal of going that hard in the house style to the hardcore fans.

[JerryvonKramer]

Masato Yoshino vs. Don Fujii (1/18/11)

 

Fuji comes in being carried on the shoulders of young boys. Yoshino appears to come out to a guitar cover of a Megaman 2 track. I'm favouring Fuji here because Yoshino has committed the cardinal crime of not wearing proper wrestling tights or boots.

 

Fast stuff to start. Yoshino criss crosses and Fuji is happy to send him on his way. They break out chops early, feels unearned. Double stomp from top by Yoshino onto Fuji's arm. He moves to a headlock. Fuji stomps on his back and his a back suplex. Smashes him outside. This sequence wasn't very good at all, since both guys established injuries and yet neither one was capitalised upon. What happened to that injured arm of Fuji's? He went straight to a headlock. No real attempt at coherence.

 

Spot now where the ref drops down and Yoshino jumps off his back. What the fuck was that? Never do that again! Should be fines and suspensions for putting his hands on the ref if you ask me.

 

Running diving slide thing from outside to apron now. Crowd doesn't feel into this, despite Yoshino's efforts to get them up. Choke slam by Fuji after this thing from the top (looked botched) gets two.

 

There's this gimp young boy outside the ring who looks like a Telly Tubby. Someone should tell him so he takes that stupid thing off his head.

 

Missile drop kick from Yoshino gets two. Some twisty submission move from him now. If I was in this crowd I'd probably be chanting "you can't wrestle" at him. About 12 minutes in and this thing has lacked any sense of flow, purpose, story, psychology or anything.

 

Fuji hits a slam off the top. German suplex. Nice nearfall. What this match needs desperately is a decent heat sequence now. Snap German from Fuji. Lariat. DDT. Dragon suplex gets two. Quantum leap in the quality since Fuji took over on offence. Lariat. And again, Yoshino with a tilt a whirl thing on the arm. All his moves have been tilt a whirl seemingly. That twisty submission spot again, Fuji reverses, two count only. It seems like the crowd are rooting for Fuji to me. I am for sure!

 

Another near fall from a counter. But Yoshino gets the three. Nearfalls were dramatic I'll give them that.

 

I'm afraid this is the first of these DG matches that has been pretty poor. Yoshino is awful here, just egregiously trying to get whatever rehearsed spots he has in, no attempt at conveying a sense of story, struggle, or pretty much anything. The first twelve minutes or so of the match, which he controls is an ABC example of how not to work or engage a crowd, and it did feel like he lost the crowd. Fuji was a lot better when he got on top but they pretty quickly went to a finishing stretch which like most of the others has been ended by a flash pin which felt anti-climactic. Yoshino easily the worst worker based on the sampling so far.

 

**

[JerryvonKramer]

Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Akira Tozawa (10/13/11)

 

There's a package before the match in which Tozawa spits in Mochizuki's face. Disgusting! This really does look like wrestling as imagined by the makers of Shenme. I never did complete that game. Tozawa should have kept the beard by the way, he looked cool, like a Japanese Abel Xavier.

 

Fast opening with good action. Tozawa's heel work is pretty good, he is actually making me hate him too. Legit as a mark. Which is rare. Tombstone on the apron by Tozawa, sick! Stiff kicks from him now. Mochizuki comes back with some of his own. Takes a tumble. 8 mins in and this has been a good competitive encounter with good action, and not too much your turn, my turn. Tozawa has essentially been working a heat sequence with some hope spots for Mochizuki thrown in.

 

Mochizuki hits a slam on the apron now. Another sick spot. Back in and some chop suey. This has been helped along by a strong heel and face dynamic and a crowd who is really into it. Hot sequence culminates in a massive German from Mochizuki. Twisting vertical suplex is the reply from Tozawa. Dragon suplex by Mochizuki. This is awesome fast hard-hitting action here. Almost like poetry. Cover gets two only.

 

Struggle over a reverse waist lock now, Tozawa wins and hits a German, Mochizuki seems paralysed. Pretty great selling of the impact. Head butt on the top before a superplex from Mochizuki, crowd are into it. The chops come out now. Earned. Kick exchange, counter of a German, Mochizuki hits an awesome kick from the turnbuckle, shades of Ibrahimovic, and that'll do.

 

Well, this was an awesome match and the best I've watched from those Case linked to initially. Feels like it would have been MOTYC for 2011, just great high energy all-action wrestling, which told a great story through traditional face / heel dynamics. Some of the counter spots were great and there's a sequence in the middle portion that I thought was almost transcendent and poetry-like. Really excellent.

 

****3/4

[soup23]

Damn, a *****1/4 rating by Parv.

[concrete1992]

Damn, a *****1/4 rating by Parv.

The game truly has been changed.

[JerryvonKramer]

woops, fixed

[KB8]

I thought I was good at fitting obscure football references into write-ups, but that Abel Xavier name drop is impressive.

[JerryvonKramer]

I might not make it all the way through this card tonight, but I might as well make a start. Will not be doing full play by play calls, just jotting observations here and there and leaving ratings.

 

Evolve 53 (22/1/16)

 

Just want to pause right away to mention that the choice of music right at the start here is one of the exact reasons that I don't typically love modern stuff, it just seems so stuck in the early 00s and not just that but a particular version of the early 00s imagined by shitty nu metal bands. I mean fuck is anything worse? Imagine being stuck in the cultural moment of Limp Bizkit.

 

The opening of this show with the promos and the music is just amateurish in a way that is both embarrassing and desperately uncool. This is not an attempt to bury Evolve right out of the gate, not at all, but just a general guideline to what I mean when I say I don't watch because of "presentational elements".

 

Everything about it just screams "welcome back to 2003", and literally the least cool parts of 2003. Fuck me.

 

I'm going to have to fast forward past all this crap. I mean come on, even the very very grimiest territories that goc pimps from 1983 had better production values than this. -10/10 on that front. Gabe, come on dude, you must know this won't do. If anyone wonders why Evolve don't draw, it's all here. Nothing to do with the wrestling or match quality, everything to do with this.

 

Let's skip to show.

 

Timothy Thatcher comes out now. He can't wrestle cos he's injured. Couple of plus points for him: seems to use beard conditioner and beard oil. More than I can say for Kevin Owens. Well kept beard.

 

Premier Athlete Tagteam guys come out now. Some decent heeling from them as they pick on some dweeb in the crowd.

 

Overall the guys did well considering the low rent conditions.

 

British female ring announcer. Would. Same goes for one of the valets, not the other one.

 

The Bravado Brothers vs. Premier Athlete Brand

 

Huge amount of Misawa elbows in the early going, as well as reverse knife edges. Wear your influences on your sleeve I suppose.

 

Quick note on the announcing, sounds good to me. Is that Naylor? Sounds like Naylor. They keep focused on key angles going on right now, provide some history on the guys, call the action. Just solid announcing, which is a nice surprise. Nothing smarky so far.

 

Work has some commitment to face and heel dynamics, especially with the vocal valets. That said, these guys seem to be working awfully hard for what is an opener. The work is good though, it's nice crunchy action, all neckbreakers and Dory Funk uppercuts and Misawa elbows.

 

Crowd is also pretty well behaved. I mean there doesn't seem more than hundred or so people there, closer to a Techwood studio setting than anything else. But yet to hear any BS from them.

 

Heels seem like the better and more seasoned workers to me. Don't rush and hit their stuff with impact. I think they probably did too much here for a 12-minute opener, and so the full force of the stuff they were doing was lost a bit. But generally the style is very accessible so far. And this was good solid stuff, I just wish they weren't working it like it was Misawa vs Kobashi at the Tokyo Dome. Context and card placement do matter.

 

***

 

More to follow.

[JerryvonKramer]

Jason Cade vs. Joe Coleman

 

Just some spotty undercard stuff. Nothing much to see here. Good incidental post-match selling of ribs.

 

*1/2

 

Peter Kasaa vs. Matt Riddle

 

If only Riddle had been around in 1992, Vince could have picked him up and made him The Riddler! Tag-team with Repo Man. Him coming out to Warren G immediately puts him over with me. Riddle looks like a cross between a Von Erich brother and PWO's very own Marty Sleeze.

 

one of them dames was sexy as hell

I said "ooo I like your size."

she said "my car's broke down and you seem real nice,

would ya let me ride?"

I got a car full of girls and it's going real swell

the next stop is the Eastside Motelllllllllll

 

G Funk era > Nu metal era. Fact.

 

Naylor just made the Von Erich comparison too. Great minds bro. Then he went and compared Kasaa to Billy Jack Haynes, ha ha. The other commentator is Lenny Leonard. They do a good job of talking about the contrasting styles of these two guys.

 

If Riddle is like any of the Von Erichs in his work it's Kevin. Seems to be a lot of MMA influence in this match with the sudden submissions and so on.

 

Was what it was. I quite like the commentators sticking to kayfabe terminology while putting over Riddle, very endearing to me. Leonard's turn of phrase has a tiny bit of Mooney in there. Take for example a phrase like "especially if he continues his winning ways", straight out of the Sean playbook.

 

**

 

Ethan Page vs. PJ Black

 

I will say that the production values on the entrances and the choice of music has been a LOT better than the opening hype package. But my point still stands on that since first impressions count. And presumably that package was there to encourage PPV buys.

 

I've got to give it Naylor and Leonard talking about rule breakers and so on. The commentary has been excellent. Just a great job of calling these matches, they show they are knowledgable without much smark and they maintain all these kayfabe tropes. So important. I've never been in any doubt watching about who these guys are and where they are on the card, and what alignment they are. Refreshing.

 

Decent enough but again they did too much for what this was. Interesting angle where Page won't accept the victory because the foot was under the rope, which allows Black to pick up a flash pin.

 

**

 

Dan Barry and Bill Carr vs. Rocky Romero and Trent Baretta

 

After my comments earlier about feeling stuck in 2003, since the card has actually been going on these guys mostly seem cool. Theme music for heels is awesome.

 

Roppongi Vice are full of Midnight Express stooge spots which is nice to see. They look a very polished team. Barry seems like he has a bit more indie spottiness about him, but Carr is built, dresses and seems to work like Big Bubba (Bossman).

 

Generally the heels seem the better workers. They aren't rushing. Pace is methodical. Good character work stooging and bumping when faces on top, and effective working the heat sequence once they turn it around.

 

As a style I have to say this is way more watchable than typical WWE stuff. They could probably cut out some of the moonsaults, etc, but this is very solid wrestling. This was the best match so far.

 

***1/2

 

Tea break.

[JerryvonKramer]

Fred Yehi vs. Tracy Williams

 

When will someone tell wrestlers that "Tracy" is a girl's name? Commentators talking about Williams seeing himself as a "reactive wrestler" is interesting, that was kind of Jack Brisco's deal in the 70s, where Solie and co talk him up as a "defensive champion" whose game is all about know how and anticipation. Neat wrinkle to see something similar here although I'm guessing the reference points are more likely to be MMA than Florida in the 70s. But then again hearing them talking about "the roots of pro wrestling" maybe not. Anyway, it's quite cool.

 

Naylor with a random Pedro Morales name check on a backbreaker. Leonard said he saw him at the garden in the 70s. Wow, that is cool. Still fuck you Pedro, I won't forgive the Muraco matches now or ever.

 

These guys are clearly a cut above everyone else on this card so far. Yehi's offense is cool, Williams is stiff and works proper rugged mainly, shades of Regal in a way. They can go on the mat as well as trading strikes and throws. Just very good pro wrestling. I like it a lot. Some good intensity and fire in the rivalry too.

 

Easily, and I mean easily better than anything last night on WWE's Hell in a Cell, apart from the women's match. These guys pasted the shit out of each other, actually reminded me of Regal in Japan if anything. Awesome. I could get into this stuff in a hurry.

 

****

[InYourCase]

If you watch more EVOLVE, I think you're going to fall in love with Yehi.

[JerryvonKramer]

Drew Galloway is in the ring and his tag partner tonight Johnny Gargano is late, he's still making his way from another show, so they are switching the order of the matches. That sort of thing could look very two bit, but he manages to get away with it through sheer Irish charm.

 

Heroes Eventually Die vs. Sami Callihan and Zack Sabre Jr

 

I do hope that's a deliberate Aquemini reference there. For some reason the crowd chose this moment to go full smark, oh well, they were good to this point and these are some big names in this scene. They promptly bust out "this is awesome" chants after a release offer suplex about six or seven minutes in.

 

Just when it starts threatening to be a mindless but fun spotfest, Sabre does an absolutely sick looking kick to hyper extend Tommy End's arm and him going to work on this arm is World of Sport poetry. Even a little bit of Jim Breaks in there with the twisting of the wrist. Hero kicks him straight three times too. And holy shit the double team spot from Hero and End where they take his legs and smash his head as he just crumples is just an awesome visual. Never seen that before, exceptionally awesome spot. And it deserves so much more than these duelling chants from this crowd that seems like it should know better.

 

Hero is just absolutely incredible here. Velocity of the chops, elbows and punches is insane. And the piledriver he hits is Backlund sick. Sabre has taken a proper pummelling here. And again, fucking hell. Teases the piledriver from the top, surely dear god no. Callihan has seen enough and runs to make the save. Manages to hit a power bomb as well as a tope to keep End from interfering.

 

Hero goes for a Gotch piledriver but it is countered by Sabre into a guillotine choke, countered into a suplex attempt countered into something else countered into a neckbreaker attempt then a lariat attempt countered into a cross armbreaker. Jesus what a sequence. Double stomp from the top by End hurts Sabre's leg. Elbow and kick combo from Hero and End finally put Sabre out of his misery.

 

Ummmm ... what the fuck? This is one of the best matches of all time and it's just buried here randomly as the semi-main of this random Evolve card in the first round of a tag title tournament? Why? How? I guess it doesn't matter cos I can honestly say this is one of the best tag matches I've ever seen.

 

There were transcendent sequences in this match and virtually everything from the moment Sabre takes over on End's arm to the finish is of the highest possible standard. Where the hell did this come from?

 

*****