IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title:
KUSHIDA © vs. ACH (03/12 - ROH) (****)
ROH The Conquest Tour 2016:
Philadelphia - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
These aren't going to be your typical play-by-play match reviews. In
fact, some of these might spend less time discussing the actual match itself as
it does the circumstances around the match and how that makes it worthwhile.
This might be one of those matches. It's ACH and KUSHIDA, two world class
junior heavyweight wrestlers getting 20 minutes on a big show with a hot crowd
for a title. You know what you're getting here: A great match. The thing that
makes this worth watching is that this match is a shining example of just how
misused poor ACH is in his, contractually-obligated, home, Ring Of Honor. This
match was originally supposed to be Dalton Castle vs. Kenny Omega, if you can
imagine that, but circumstances with Omega not being able to appear brought us
to this. Enter KUSHIDA as a replacement and ROH suddenly had a marquee IWGP Jr.
Title defence. Had that not of happened, ACH probably would have been fighting
J. Diesel. Sad times. Anyways, these two had a slick match with some nice near
falls and transitions and for twenty-minutes made ACH a relevant singles
wrestler again, the likes of one we saw take Mike Elgin, Jay Lethal and Jay
Briscoe to their limits just two years prior. The result was never in doubt but
I hope beyond hope that ACH's performance lands him in the BOSJ or Super J Cup
tournaments and eventually gets him a touring NJPW job. He deserves more.
The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick
Jackson) vs. The Addiction (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) vs. The
Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) (03/12 - ROH) (****)
ROH The Conquest Tour 2016:
Philadelphia - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
This was a blast in the way a lot of 2005-2006 TNA PPV X-Division tag
or multi-man openers would be. They got enough time and worked at a frenzied
pace to get the crowd riled up and went home before things got too ridiculous.
Really, the TNA comparison should be no surprise when you look at the participants.
The big thing about this match was the return of the Motor City Machine Guns as
a tag team after several years apart. After 13+ years of competing at a high
level and numerous injuries, this is, most definitely, the best spot for both
Shelley and Sabin. They looked right at home in this match, even though they
weren't highlighted as much as their opponents. The Bucks are the MVPs of ROH
right now, just having great matches with any tag team and remaining over as a
big act, despite taking loss after loss. This was no different. Normally a
victory by the, not always stellar, Addiction would make me shake my head but
this is a circumstance where it worked as they debuted a nutty version of the
Meltzer Driver, which was all over Twitter in .gif form the next day. This
won't be the last time we see these teams interact, since there's not much more
for them, and in that regard, this match was successful in what it set out to
accomplish.
WWE World Heavyweight Title:
Triple H © vs. Dean Ambrose (03/12 - WWE) (*** ¾)
WWE Roadblock 2016 - Toronto,
Ontario, Canada
I love live wrestling. There's something special about it. The buzz in
the room, the production (or charming lack thereof!), the way the athletes interact
with the crowd, the big fight feel and sense that you could be witnessing
something special on any given night. There's nothing like it. A lot of the
time we have these special matches or moments we're lucky to see live and when
we watch them back on tape, they just do not transfer well. I saw WWE Roadblock
live. I thought this match was just "pretty good". Watching it back,
I was pleasantly surprised at just how good it was. HHH vs. Ambrose was a rare
case of a match coming off better on TV than live. At the Ricoh Coliseum this
had to follow a long show and specifically a chore of a Sami Zayn/Cody Rhodes
match that killed the crowd. In the arena, there is no way around this and we
were left with an exhausted crowd (myself included) watching a slow-paced
match. With the luxury of watching this match on its own, it's very good. Yes,
they work a slower pace but I thought it was integral to the story, whereas
live I thought it was just a time-killer. The story here was Triple H
out-wrestling Ambrose in the early portion of the match and out-classing him in
the main event title match he is relatively unfamiliar with. Ambrose turns the
tide by deviating from his all-over-the-place typical approach and becomes
focused on Hunter's leg and takes a "tribute to the stars" tour with
the Figure Four and Sharpshooter in big sequences. I appreciate things like
that in matches clearly set-up as the veteran main eventer against someone that
grew up watching him. Watching this match in a vacuum also helps as the match
isn't affected by Charlotte and Natalya using the same spots earlier in the
show in some poor planning. The big spot in the match is Ambrose getting the
visual pinfall over HHH, being robbed of the title and then leaving his game
plan that got him to that point, going back to the "Lunatic Fringe"
and being put away after making a huge, reckless mistake by the Cerebral
Assassin. The match is far from perfect. It is a little slow, the crowd is a
little tepid at first and the leg selling comes and goes but overall it's a
really well-worked match with a neat old-school, almost 80's NWA title defence
vibe. Knowing what we know about Triple H, that's probably a huge compliment to
him. We won't remember this in a year but, for now, it's a damn good contest.
16 Carat Gold Tournament
Semi-Finals: Zack Sabre, Jr. vs. Sami Callihan (03/13 - wXw) (*** ¾)
wXw 16 Carat Gold 2016: Day 3 -
Oberhausen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Sami Callihan has been a source of frustration for me in 2016. Before
he left for NXT, I thought he was, quite possibly, the best independent
wrestler in the world. I felt like he did noting in his long NXT run and what
he did do was unimpressive. Since coming back to the independents, I've found
all of his matches to be very similar and have no substance behind being a
bunch of strikes, spitting and letting guys kick out of that reverse Jig 'N
Tonic move he does at the count of one. The 16 Carat Tournament changed that
for me as I thought he was the MVP of the whole thing, despite not making it
through all for rounds. Funnily enough, I'm reviewing his final match in the
tournament first. Such is life with these random reviews. This was a pretty
darn good scrap. My favourite thing about this match is that it's just as good
as their EVOLVE match from January (review coming eventually!) but it does so
by lasting only half as long. They fight with a great sense of urgency here
where the EVOLVE match has some periods of downtime. The EVOLVE match felt a
little more fleshed out though where this left me wanting just a tad more.
Overall, call it a wash. This is what you'd expect from these two chaps: a lot
of stiffness and painful submissions. In the end it feels like Zack juuuuust
squeaked out the victory, which works well in a tournament setting. Very fun
stuff and hopefully we get more of this Sami going forward.
Will Ospreay & Mike Bailey
vs. Marty Scurll & Trevor Lee (03/13 - wXw) (**** ¼)
wXw 16 Carat Gold 2016: Day 3 -
Oberhausen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
I feel like the 16 Carat Tournament has a good history with having a
great Night 3 non-tournament tag match and this definitely fit the bill. When
you take 4 excellent, dynamic pro wrestlers that have all proven to have good
chemistry with their partners and opponents alike, you get a high end match.
This match really builds to the eventual Ospreay/Scurll showdown and when they
finally get to let loose, it is their usual magic. Everyone in this match
performs well but that sequence is the bread and butter. The whole finishing
run is a sight to behold and this is a match that would feel right at home in
Reseda, CA. What you get here is just a silky-smooth 20-minutes with lots of
great sequences, some fun gaga from the heels and a receptive crowd. You can't ask
for more than that.
TNA World Heavyweight Title:
Matt Hardy © vs. Ethan Carter III vs. Jeff Hardy (03/15 - TNA) (***)
Impact Wrestling 03/15/16 -
Orlando, Florida
With this review format, you're going to get the occasional match
that's not a "great match." This is not a great match. What it is, is
as good of a segment as you're going to get from TNA in the year 2016 and
something that is, in and of itself, a success in my eyes. Matt Hardy's heel
persona is the bright spot in an often dreary TNA this year. He has owned his
character and his feud with EC3 has been a fun ride. This match has a lot of
moving pieces and a lot of twist and turns to get to the end result and your
enjoyment of it might depend on your Impact Wrestling viewing habits. I cherry
pick what TNA I watch and I feel that this makes me the ideal person to get the
most out of this segment. If you don't watch any TNA, this is going to come
across as a complete mess and an Attitude Era tribute act, which we've had more
than enough of. If you watch TNA religiously each week, this is going to come
across as the same old stuff that apparently seems to happen across the show
all the time. Run-ins, ref bumps, screw jobs and funny business. As someone
that doesn't see a Bro-Mans match with a BS finish but does see the
Hardy/EC3/Etc. saga, this worked. The match was supposed to be Hardy/EC3 for
the title but a late change adds Jeff Hardy to the mix, similar to how Matt
Hardy was added to the match he initially became champion in. The work is
solid, if unspectacular, with some nice touches like Matt going on all fours
for Poetry In Motion and Jeff refusing, allowing EC3 to mount a comeback.
Eventually, Jeff Hardy gets taken out by his rivals Eric Young and Bram. EC3
seems destined to have the same fate by Spud and Tyrus but manages to overcome
leading to some nice near falls. A run-in by "The Miracle" Mike
Bennett takes Carter out of the match and, in the process sets up a new feud to
move Ethan away from the title picture, at least temporarily. This leaves the
smug champion alone to make his usual boasts only for him to have to face Drew
Galloway, the man who had his title shot sullied at Bound For Glory by Hardy's
inclusion, who is cashing in his title shot briefcase. A short minute later and
Galloway is the new champion, a very wise decision on TNA's part. Galloway can
do a lot for the brand and title as his scheduled sees him going everywhere.
The man is an incredibly hard worker and seems dedicated to TNA. If it all
sounded overwhelming, it is, but in the end, it's a fun ride with a nice payoff
and a solid example of what TNA is doing right in their new, slightly obscure,
home of Pop TV.
Lucha Underground Title: Mil
Muertes © vs. Fénix (03/16 - LU) (**** ¼)
Lucha Underground 03/16/16 - Los
Angeles, California
On a match-by-match basis, this might be the best and most hate-filled
feud in all of wrestling. This is the third big-time match between these two on
Lucha Underground and it is also the third to completely deliver. The Grave
Consequences Casket Match was one of my favourite matches of 2015 and, up until
a match you’ll see further down this column, the best match Lucha Underground
had produced. Their Death Match follow-up was a worthy successor. This match
falls in-between the two of them for quality but has the added bonus of it
being the first for the Lucha Underground Title. Big Match Mil is a nickname
you’ll hear me reference as these columns are released as when it comes to
putting on big-time main events, few on television are better than Mil Muertes.
He comes across as a complete terror but it also able to give his opponents
enough believable offence to show some vulnerability. He and Fénix go to war
here with tons of brawling through the arena, mask-ripping, blood and all of
the other madness these two have set as an expectation for their battles. Fénix
ripping at Mil’s mask and bloodying him up was some great progression to a feud
that has been largely one-sided in that department. The work was there to have
this match reach the quality of the Casket Match but a fluke finish prevented
it from reaching just quite that height that another couple of minutes of a finishing
stretch would have. With that being said, the fluke finish was an unbelievable
surprise and also helped make this match one that will be remembered when
looking at the series as a whole. Both competitors seemed destined for
different things in the realm of Lucha Underground for the rest of season two,
but hopefully their paths cross once more for another must-see brawl.
Chris Hero vs. Matt Riddle
(03/20 - EVOLVE) (****)
EVOLVE 57 - Brooklyn, New York
City, New York
Anyone that follows me on Twitter should know at this point that I
think Matt Riddle is going to be the best wrestler in the world in two years.
He is an absolute prodigy that has picked up pro-wrestling, adapting from his
mixed martial arts background, at an unbelievable rate. The amount of
improvement he shows from match-to-match is astounding and this, as of this
writing, has been his best match. Chris Hero might be the most selfless
wrestler in the world in that, it doesn’t matter what show he is on, or whom he
is wrestling, he gives 100% and gives his opponent so much, making every effort
to make him look good. Every up-and-coming wrestler should be killing to get a
chance to work with Hero. You can tell with this match that Hero is just
foaming at the mouth to work with someone with the unique abilities of Riddle
and he leads him through a great match full of excellent strikes and painful
submission moves. One thing I really enjoyed was Hero using the, seemingly trendy,
gameplan of working on an opponent’s hand/fingers but employing that strategy
on Riddle’s foot, due to the fact that Riddle wrestles barefoot. There is one
awkward spot in the match where Riddle goes for a turn-around springboard knee
while Hero is completely across the ring, flipping onto the ring apron. To
everyone’s credit, the wrestlers and commentators do a great job in covering
for it and even the fans are completely understanding and spend no time harping
on it as too many other crowds would do. At the end of the day, Riddle ends up
putting Hero away by countering the Gotch Piledriver into a triangle choke and
then transitioned into an armbar to make Hero submit. This match did wonders in
the continued elevation of Riddle as he got to look strong against one of the
top wrestlers in the company and get a huge upset win. I, again, need to
commend the commentary for doing an excellent job in putting over the win as
being an upset but that Riddle’s victories need to stop being considered upsets
as he is on a roll and putting a way top-caliber talent. The loss does nothing
to affect Hero as he controlled more of the match and got caught in a
legitimate submission hold by a former MMA fighter. That right there is a great
piece of business.
KO-D Openweight Title: Isami
Kodaka © vs. HARASHIMA (03/21 - DDT) (**** ½)
DDT Judgement 2016: DDT Raising
An Army 19th Anniversary Show - Sumida, Tokyo, Japan
JBL talks about Big Match John (Cena), ROH fans have joked about Big
Match Jay (Briscoe), I will write loads about Big Match Mil (Muertes) when I
get to talking about Lucha Underground but we would be foolish to overlook Big
Match HARASHIMA or, specifically, KO-D Title Match HARASHIMA. Nobody puts on an
A Game like HARASHIMA and, for that, I think he is one of the more underrated
wrestlers of the decade. Spending your career in DDT while having high level
matches but not expanding like the Ibushi’s and Omega’s will get you that label
pretty easily. He’s also someone that always seems to either be the champion of
challenger. He can’t escape the title picture and that’s not, necessarily, a
bad thing when we get matches like this quite frequently. Here he gives Isami
Kodaka the best one-on-one match of the champion’s career. Kodaka is an
interesting career-wrestler in that he was pretty much “just a death match guy”
in Big Japan for most of his career but expanding out as the “King Of The
Indies” so it seems has shown that he can be a high-level singles wrestler
without the light tubes and ladders. He is also has the ability to be an
incredible underdog. The March 2009 match he had with Masashi Takeda against Yuko
Miyamoto and Takashi Sasaki in Big Japan is one of the best underdog matches of
all-time. This doesn’t go the complete underdog route like I would have expected
but HARASHIMA does out-class Kodaka for the most part. Both wrestlers have
specific strategies with HARASHIMA doing his usual targeting of the mid-section
and Kodaka trying to take apart HARASHIMA’s knees to counter-act his offense
and, specifically, the Somato. While we don’t get a perfect match as HARASHIMA
could have sold the leg more and all of the other usual criticisms that come
from most main event puroresu title matches, this one succeeds where most
struggle in that it doesn’t overstay its welcome clocking in at a jam-packed
under 20-minutes. We get a phenomenal closing stretch with big moves and
nearfalls until HARASHIMA is finally able to put Kodaka away with the Somato,
questionable booking to say the least. As said in the introductory for this
match, HARASHIMA is always there in the title picture and certainly didn’t need
this win while Kodaka’s title reign still had a lot of steam left in it. DDT
has a history of transitional title reigns so maybe this is just a short-term
reign until Kodaka regains the championship or a new king ascends to his
throne. At the very least, we can expect some excellent title matches going
forward and this one certainly fit that bill.
Lucha Underground Title,
20-Person Aztec Warfare Match (03/23 - LU) (*****)
Lucha Underground 03/23/16 - Los
Angeles, California
For as long as I continue to write these reviews, I feel that this may
be my most polarizing match rating. I went back-and-forth on whether or not to
give this match a five-star rating and, in the end, I went with my gut
instinct. This match is an unbelievable piece of television. This match is an
incredible piece of professional wrestling. No one really knew what to expect
with the first season of Lucha Underground. The series showed some promise but
it wasn’t until the first Aztec Warfare, to crown the promotion’s first
champion, that it really showed it`s potential. Lucha Underground`s biggest strength,
from my viewing perspective, is not in it`s unbelievable spot-heavy car crash
spectacle matches but in its storytelling, which, while over-the-top, and, at
times, ridiculous, I find captivating. So much so that I have completely
avoided spoilers for the ongoing second season of the show. The first Aztec
Warfare was the first example we were given of all of the storylines being
interwoven and either paid-off or continued in the context of a Royal
Rumble-type match. It was a tremendous success. The return of the match this
year (and hopefully a yearly occurrence from here-out) gave the company another
platform to show their chops and it went well above-and-beyond the original
match, my lofty expectations for this match, and everything the company has done
up until this point. Not everything about this match is perfect. I can write
about the afterthought eliminations of big players this season like King Cuerno
and Taya, or the lack of reasoning behind why a savage monster that has
killed-off several characters can execute a perfect bridging German Suplex. To
do that would be a disservice to all that was so wonderful about this
presentation though: The atmosphere in the arena, the way that bit-players or
wrestlers that frankly just don`t excite me were utilized, the nods to the
ongoing storylines of the company, the past storylines of the company and
wrestling history outside of the company, the most commitment ever shown to
pushing a character strongly I have ever seen in my 25+ years or watching pro
wrestling. I won`t go into intense details as there`s too much to cover but
this match begins and ends with the Lucha Underground debut and career
resurrection of Rey Mysterio and the debut and complete domination of The
Monster Matanza Cuerto. This is must-see television and one of the finest
pieces of pro wrestling I have ever seen. I hope everyone watches and loves
this match and we`ll remember it for years to come as we do the finest Royal
Rumbles. I can`t wait to see where the rest of season 2 of Lucha Underground
takes us.
