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[2017-04-22-EVOLVE 82] Keith Lee vs Kyle O'Reilly


ShittyLittleBoots

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Top fucking notch. O'Reilly was all business here while Keith Lee always wants to do his shtick - it's a part of his charm. Lee quickly realized that O'Reilly wasn't there to play around so he starts showing why he truly is LIMITLESS with all that athletic stuff he pulls out while still being a dominating big man wrestler. Loved the story of Kyle being super focused on chopping the big man down, he did awesome work to Lee's leg throughout the match, which eventually paid off as he got him on his knees. Fantastic storytelling. Then the terrific ending after the re-start deal where he just destroyed Lee with those striking combinations & that brainbuster. One of the finest matches of the year. ****1/2

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I attended the show live and can say that this felt like MOTN in the room. They actually managed to tell a surprising, compelling story with O'Reilly (who I've criticized as bland and character-avoidant in recent years), and Lee continues to be an exception to the typical super-heavyweight who is exceptional in the ways he defies expectations as a verbose, humorous juggernaut. In person he comes off like a comic book character in the best way possible. The action was stiff as well - each guy putting a lot into their strikes - and give O'Reilly credit for taking some wild bumps in the way Lee threw him around. On the card this felt like an afterthought, yet it completely stole the show. The Keith Lee hype is real, and O'Reilly went from being kind of a nerd to feeling like a credible challenger for Sabre or Riddle.

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I loved this match. I thought it was absolutely fantastic. At first the ending seemed abrupt to me, but it makes a lot of sense. O'Reilly was trying to beat him enough to get him up and once he finally did Lee's massive frame comes down on his head - OUT. This has tons of memorable moments: the double knees off the apron, Lee limping through a kick and demolishing O'Reilly on the comeback, Lee tossing O'Reilly out of the guillotine, the finishers - so much fun. The stuff with the low-blow in the middle was just ok to me. I thought it was ok as far as the match and booking, but I didn't think the execution was great (kinda broke up the flow). I have it somewhere between 4.25 and 4.5 I think. I really liked how Lee was selling everything as the match went and how O'Reilly built his offense to the payoff, so I would probably lean toward ****1/2.

 

 

 

Edit: watched a little more Evolve from the weekend. i am sticking with ****1/4.

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Obligatory both of these guys were in ROH six months ago dig. This was really great and kept building up and up culminating in the DQ fake out which I really enjoyed because of the ambiguity of O'Reilly not intending to hit Lee low. Keith Lee as the babyface "Andre" giant of Evolve is really good and unique character work from him and O'Reilly was able to match his intensity here and work a systematic strategy in going after the leg to chop the big giant down gradually. Match of the night for EVOLVE 82. ****

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Lee really has a great presence and act. Love the way he carries himself as a big deal but isn't hesitant to sell and put over opponents of any size, as well as perhaps overreach a bit on offense. I find that quite endearing and impressive though. He's unusually athletic for his size and at certain times may think he's on 205 Live, but those moments are few and far enough between so that when they do happen the sheer wow factor along with his ability to pull them off, even if a bit awkwardly, add a unique dynamic to his matches.

 

This match is an example of why I prefer when KOR is forced to work a quicker pace and pushed outside of his comfort zone. There was a lot more grappling than I want from either of these guys, and don't see why Lee should ever get mixed up in that for more than a brief spot. Incorporating elements of that style can add a lot when building a particular narrative and developing a match, but there didn't seem to be any purpose to it here beyond filling time. Add to that a finish & booking that weren't really satisfying and I wasn't quite as high on this as some reviewers, even if the all out action segments did provide some fun highlights.

 

***1/4

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • GSR changed the title to [2017-04-22-EVOLVE 82] Keith Lee vs Kyle O'Reilly

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