hammerva Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 God I hope people in November and December will remember this match when match of the year contenders are out there. Just incredible. Not sure if it is possible to have a better babyface match than Gargano Quote
Coffey Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 Great, great pro-wrestling show. Every single match was good. Main event was off the charts. Gargano is a next-level babyface. Good luck following that, Royal Rumble. So much drama. It felt so old school. Just fun pro-wrestling. Johnny Wrestling has that Ricky Steamboat sympathy. You can't teach that. His facial expression are incredible. He dies so well. Quote
C.S. Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 MOTY contender for sure. The PPV was dull, but the main event more than made up for it. Johnny Gargano may be the best seller I've ever seen, and I've seen them all. Quote
sek69 Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 Ciampa-Gargano doesn't need to have the belt to be red hot, so the result was fine. Quote
hammerva Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 I can live with the result if Ciampa can wrestle at Wrestlemania Takeover. Gargano in babyface peril against the psycho killer is just easy money and an easy main eventer in my opinion. He was limping pretty bad but still a couple months away. Quote
ragemaster Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 Follow that...... the Royal Rumble and the rest of the Fucking year. Hell of a match and if its not match of the year, I really want to see what match could be better than this. Quote
The Chief Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 Daniel Bryan mentioned an awful lot in that main event, no? Quote
Grimmas Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 Wow. One of my favourite matches ever and haven't been this blown away on first watch by a match since DIY-Revival in Toronto when I was there live. I don't do this often, but *****. Brilliant. Johnny vs Ciampa is going to be NUTS! Quote
TheDuke Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 I only watched the main event tonight, but im glad I did. A lot of modern matches just feel like 2 guys doing a bunch of moves or spots until the finish, especially in WWE. But in this main event, it really felt to me like each was trying to win. It helped I think that the crowd seemed really behind Gargano. It felt like we weren't just hoping the bookers had picked Gargano, but like the outcome was actually being fought over in the middle of the ring. I like the bit with the women as well. And then the post match angle really made me excited to see what happens next, so good job NXT. Quote
soup23 Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 Daniel Bryan mentioned an awful lot in that main event, no? So was Mamma Mia. Maybe they are running in the Rumble. Quote
C.S. Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 Daniel Bryan mentioned an awful lot in that main event, no? So was Mamma Mia. Maybe they are running in the Rumble. Meryl Streep wins the Women's Rumble CONFIRMED! Quote
Matt D Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 I'm not 100% sold on the main yet (I just need to digest it. I just finished it), but I do think what made it work so well were three things: 1.) The counter stuff/athleticism felt next level at times, and so many things were built up and paid off. 2.) But it was always grounded in the characters and who they were. Even when it got a tiny bit too dancey or slightly too pop-uppy, it was always Gargano as the arch-babyface and Almas wrestling like a rudo (which isn't necessarily the same thing as a heel). The roles mattered and they drove the match. 3.) They gave it both highs and lows. They had time to make things breathe and to build and build and build and payoff. If there's a four, it's Gargano's quasi-concussed dead-eyed facial sell.It's almost uncomfortable to watch him sell, and that's just artistry. He can take that to the bank. Quote
Kadaveri Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 Almas wrestling like a rudo (which isn't necessarily the same thing as a heel). Could you elaborate on this, what is the difference? Quote
Matt D Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 Almas wrestling like a rudo (which isn't necessarily the same thing as a heel). Could you elaborate on this, what is the difference? I'll bs my way through it, but not tonight. Too late here. Tomorrow or Monday. Quote
fakeplastictrees Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 NXT with another home run show. Its been said a million times before, but its amazing that the NXT and Raw are owned and operated by the same company. If history is anything to go by, The Royal Rumble will fall below the bar set by NXT the previous night. Just a very fun show. Quote
Rah Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 The terms are a bit more deconstructible than the American face/heel dynamic. Tecnicos try to stay true to the traditions/rules of "pure" lucha libre through their athleticism and grace - generally this curries favour with the crowds. Rudos disregard this approach and rather focus on brawling or power moves to win. Yes, they can and generally do bend (!) rules in their favour but they don't necessarily need to break them. These run from direct breaches (Satanico faking fouls to win hair matches) right down to a guy like Pentagon Jr who doesn't necessarily bend the rules but typically acts like a badass mugger. So, perhaps Almas became more violent/cocky in his approach? I've not seen the match, yet, so I'm unsure of the differentiation Matt D is trying to make specifically. Just my 2c on the difference, in general, though. Quote
KawadaSmile Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 I don't think Almas deviated much from standard heelishness. While he wasn't as overt as someone like, say, Miz, he had his fair ammount of rule breaking and bending. Quote
Johnny Sorrow Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 The main event and everything involved with it was perfect pro wrestling and if you don't see that, I feel sorry for you. Quote
Edwin Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 Am watching this in it's entirety now as I missed the majority of it earlier. UE vs. AOP was a fantastic opener. lol @ one of the Gatekeepers from EVOLVE holding onto the pillow with Velveteen Dream's mouthpiece. Quote
Eduardo Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 Yeah the main event, from the beginning with Almas coming out with the mariachi band to the end with Gargano being attacked, was as great of a presention of professional wrestling I've ever seen in my entire life. The match might be the best WWE match I've ever seen, with drama and moments as good as any I've seen from Houston and Memphis wrestling during the 1970s and 1980s. Just master-level performances from both Gargano and Almas. Quote
Edwin Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 Just re-watched Almas v. Gargano. Unbelievable stuff. Talk about setting the bar high for tomorrow... Quote
Matt D Posted January 28, 2018 Report Posted January 28, 2018 *I also reserve the right to go back on what I said after a second watch because I was posting after mid-night with an unhappy baby in my arms. I'll revisit soon. There were a few things that stood out at the time though. Almas is an Ingobernable too which isn't 100% the same. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.