BxB Hulk & Kzy vs Don Fuji & Masaaki Mochizuki
MAD BLANKEY vs Team Veteran Returns. Fuji & Mochizuki are the Twin Gate champions but are not defending. They are a fantastic team and pull out fun offense like a rubber band to the eye. It is some of the crazy random things I love about DG. The champs opened Kzy's bodysuit to the point his arms were trapped which is a smart ploy. Fuji pinned Kzy after an crazy chokeslam off the tope rope. Dragon Gate rules because everyone is so light they are able to do all sorts of insane spots. I like the tag champs, they work very well as a team and hope to see more from them soon.
Kotoka vs Mondai Ryu
Mondai Ryu interfered in the last match and grabs the mic when it is over and challenges Kotoka and the match starts immediately. Kzy and the tag champs are still around the ring and both get involved in the early going including a chokeslam on the floor by Fuji. I love that man! Kotoka is going to be good and very well could have a breakout year in 2013 or 2014. He FLIES around the ring, I assume he downs a lot of Red Bull before a match. He looses to Ryu after hit head hits the exposed turnbuckle and is schoolboyed for the pin. Afterward Ryu argues with Fuji & Mochizuki presumably setting up a title match down the road.
Jimmy Kanda vs Super Shisa
I liked Super Shisa because his move set was more interesting than what Kanda brought to the table. Shisa did the headstand on the turnbuckle spot and when Kanda came rushing in he did a leg split to throw him off guard. It is little things that make me like a wrestler. He also did a nice riff on the shoulder block spot that many DG matches employ. Instead of just shoulder blocks he goes in between the ropes and comes off with a drop kick. Kanda ends up winning with an elbow off the top rope.
Shingo Takagi, Super Shinlong & YAMATO vs Akira Tozawa, Cyber Kong & Scott Reed
We get a nice DG sprint with the always awesome Cyber Kong. He is always shows his strength over the smaller DG wrestlers. Scott Reed looked pretty good. Match is fun but nothing memorable in a long line of DG sprints.
Jimmy Kagetora, & Jimmy Susumu vs CIMA & Dragon Kid
I have become a Team Veteran Returns and not just because they hold every title in Dragon Gate. With members like CIMA, Dragon Kid and Fuji they are technically proficient and a lot of fun. This match had a slow build that turns into a hot match by the end. There were some cool spots like kicking the legs of the guy swinging around on a 619. That is such a great defense of the move. TVR had Jimmy Kagetora tied up in the corner trading chops on him. CIMA removes the bottom turnbuckle pad and wallops Kagetora with it. The pad hitting Kagetora was so loud, awesome effect. I thought CIMA had the victory after coming off the top rope with a swank knee drop. Dragon Kid's Dragonrana picks up the victory for TVR. Fun match well worth looking up.
GAMMA, HUB & Magnitude Kishiawa© vs Genki Horiguchi, Kyukyu Toyonaka Dolphin & Rio Jimmy Saito vs Masato Yoshino, Naruki Doi & Syachihoko BOY - Open the Triangle Gate Title Elimination Match
This was awesome, no other way to put it. Anything one might be interested in (save for blood) was in this match, high flying, sprinting, brawling, weapons, everything. Once this match breaks down it is crazy just something happening at all times. Sadly Team Veteran Returns looses the belts to WORLD-1 International (Yoshino, Doi & Syachihoko BOY) but the match was awesome.
After the match GAMMA took off Syachihoko BOY's mask. His face could not be seen and the mask was returned. Good show worth a look.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Why I love Professional Wrestling Part 2
Buildup for AJ Styles vs Dusty Rhodes (NWA-TNA 10/03)
There was good here, but my goodness do I hate Russo. Why on Earth he thinks putting himself on screen makes the product better I will never know. There is some good booking in this build with Dusty challenging AJ for the title pissing off Dusty's friend Jeff Jarrett. Eric Watts promises Jarrett that he has a shot set in stone. Meanwhile AJ slapped Russo, who was his manager at the time, then apologized and Russo leaves him on his own for this match. There is a lot going on in the build and all the Russo stuff could be left out and it would give it a less is more dynamic. As it is it is ok but TNA then is a far cry from TNA now and there is good and bad that goes with it. Production values are up but that is not always a good thing. I like the feeling of old TNA being closer to reality than we have today. At least I didn't have to see any of the Dupps!
The Sheephearders vs The Fantastics (NWA Crockett Cup 4/19/86)
These four had more of a wrestling match than I remembered. My recollection of this match was only of the wild brawl this turned into at the end. The Sheephearders are good in their element, brawling, they are wild and unpredictable. The Fantastics are great wrestlers and it is odd to see them in this setting fighting for their lives. This brawl was wild for a prestigious tournament with a $1million dollar purse. All four of the competitors end up a bloody mess and one of Tommy Rodgers drop kicks reveals a huge bloodstain on the bottom of his boot. Would hate to be on the recieving end of that drop kick. The New Zealand flag is the only weapon used and everyone including Jack Victory gets hit with it. The referee DQ's all four and the match is thrown out. Fun match from a time period where this wasn't the norm.
Clive Myers vs Steve Grey (World of Sport 11/22/75)
I have watched very few bouts from World of Sport in England, but know if carried a reputation of good wrestling, Both participants show a great knowledge of holds and timing. They counter holds and counter the counters and believe it or not it is a wrestling match. This is certainly a grapplers delight as there are few slams or throws. Steve Grey impressed me with a comical counter to a couple of Myers holds where he would roll into a ball where Myers could not grab a limb to put into a hold. It has the same protective effect of a turtle or hermit crab retreating into its shell. I think this day and age that the amount of striking that goes on in a wresting match would negate this move. Myers wins with a schoolboy roll up in the fourth round.
There was good here, but my goodness do I hate Russo. Why on Earth he thinks putting himself on screen makes the product better I will never know. There is some good booking in this build with Dusty challenging AJ for the title pissing off Dusty's friend Jeff Jarrett. Eric Watts promises Jarrett that he has a shot set in stone. Meanwhile AJ slapped Russo, who was his manager at the time, then apologized and Russo leaves him on his own for this match. There is a lot going on in the build and all the Russo stuff could be left out and it would give it a less is more dynamic. As it is it is ok but TNA then is a far cry from TNA now and there is good and bad that goes with it. Production values are up but that is not always a good thing. I like the feeling of old TNA being closer to reality than we have today. At least I didn't have to see any of the Dupps!
The Sheephearders vs The Fantastics (NWA Crockett Cup 4/19/86)
These four had more of a wrestling match than I remembered. My recollection of this match was only of the wild brawl this turned into at the end. The Sheephearders are good in their element, brawling, they are wild and unpredictable. The Fantastics are great wrestlers and it is odd to see them in this setting fighting for their lives. This brawl was wild for a prestigious tournament with a $1million dollar purse. All four of the competitors end up a bloody mess and one of Tommy Rodgers drop kicks reveals a huge bloodstain on the bottom of his boot. Would hate to be on the recieving end of that drop kick. The New Zealand flag is the only weapon used and everyone including Jack Victory gets hit with it. The referee DQ's all four and the match is thrown out. Fun match from a time period where this wasn't the norm.
Clive Myers vs Steve Grey (World of Sport 11/22/75)
I have watched very few bouts from World of Sport in England, but know if carried a reputation of good wrestling, Both participants show a great knowledge of holds and timing. They counter holds and counter the counters and believe it or not it is a wrestling match. This is certainly a grapplers delight as there are few slams or throws. Steve Grey impressed me with a comical counter to a couple of Myers holds where he would roll into a ball where Myers could not grab a limb to put into a hold. It has the same protective effect of a turtle or hermit crab retreating into its shell. I think this day and age that the amount of striking that goes on in a wresting match would negate this move. Myers wins with a schoolboy roll up in the fourth round.
Monday, December 31, 2012
WWE Smackdown 12/28/12
Not sure if it is me but I feel as if Smackdown is insignificant. I think I can just watch Raw and not miss a beat on what is going on in the WWE. But being the wrestling addict that I am there is always that chance I could miss a great Midcard match so here I sit for another two hours of Smackdown!
Shaemus is out to call out the Big Show. Shaemus is trying to get a shot at the championship and Show is doing everything in his power to not face Shaemus again. Show was absolutely right in that Shaemus cannot beat show when it matters. Bookers plan for the night includes a drawing to see who faces Show for the title in the main event. I had Shaemus winning but Santino won the drawing and I could see a scenario where he wins the title too. Show is way overconfident he will win and Santino has almost won the crown once before. This will be interesting.
Primo vs Brodus Clay
This was the very definition of a squash. Primo got one offensive move in...a kick. Brodus cleans up with the big ass splash. This was pointless, and didn't move anyone up. Brodus should be past these squashes and onto more competitive matches as he has been in the WWE close to a year. Maybe Primo pissed off someone up the ladder and this is his punishment. This one sided squash makes no sense to me.
Shaemus is trying to teach Santino the Brogue Kick and Santino pulls a major hamstring, great.
Kofi Kingston and Team Hell No vs Wade Barrett and Team Rhodes Scholars
There feels like there are a thousand tag team matches on Smackdown and RAW. This fell somewhere in the middle. It was all about Barrett and Kingston. Team Hell No literally did nothing of note. Kingston is going to be a world champion at some point maybe by the end of this year.
Because of Santino's injury he cannot compete and another name will be drawn out of the tumbler. We may see Shaemus winning the World Title tonight. After the break it turns out Ricardo's name was drawn from the hopper and Big Show is ecstatic. He doesn't like Ricardo's announcing and knocks him out.
Zack Ryder vs Antonio Cesaro
This was a squash a couple of steps above the Brodus squash. Ryder gets a big pop coming out and a USA chant to motivate him to get out of a hold but he doesn't even connect with the Broski Boot. Cesaro's neutralizer easily puts Ryder away.
The Miz vs Dolph Ziggler
Talk about phoning it in, this was rest hold after rest hold with little or no crowd involvement until the end. The most interesting stuff about this Ziggler win involved AJ (though Big E Langston catching Dolph in mid air was impressive). Miz blew AJ a kiss that pissed her off and after the match more or less called her a whore and that really pissed her off. The post match brawl was more energetic and entertaining than the match and ended with Langston destroying Miz. Langston is huge and garners great reactions every time I have seen him.
Brad Maddox shows up while Booker is trying to figure out if Ricardo will be ok. He drops a " Can you dig that sucka" on Booker and it is awesome. He gets a match next, then Alberto comes to console his friend and gets a championship match tonight with the Big Show. So much for drawing a random name I guess.
Brad Maddox vs Shaemus
Shaemus is the surprise opponent and I am hoping for a good match...and a Maddox win. Sadly it still isn't Maddox's time just yet. This is another squash and is Maddox's last chance to earn a contract on Smackdown.
Prime Time Players vs The Usos
The Usos so cheated to win! The PTP's should be challenging Team Hell No for the titles as they are better than any other challenging team save for Team Rhodes Scholars. This match was extremely quick and I bet the intros were longer. Cutting a squash match would have given this more time.
The Shield sent in a video. They claim they are just getting started and 2013 is going to be their year. I love The Shield they are 10000 times better than Aces & 8's.
Big Show is pissed ADR got the title shot but he is ready to knock him out.
Big Show © vs Alberto Del Rio - World Heavyweight Title
Del Rio gets a monster pop coming out. This match wasn't much since they didn't have much time to really develop a deep story. Alberto finally gets the upper hand and is about to turn Show over for the cross arm breaker then Show leaves. Shaemus stops him and gets ADR disqualified, while the entire locker room forces Show back to the ring for ADR and Shaemus to get a little revenge. Shaemus is extremely over and would not be surprised if he wins the Rumble and beats Show at Wrestlemania.
This was a down show tonight with a lot of short squash matches, hopefully things will pick up in the new year.
Shaemus is out to call out the Big Show. Shaemus is trying to get a shot at the championship and Show is doing everything in his power to not face Shaemus again. Show was absolutely right in that Shaemus cannot beat show when it matters. Bookers plan for the night includes a drawing to see who faces Show for the title in the main event. I had Shaemus winning but Santino won the drawing and I could see a scenario where he wins the title too. Show is way overconfident he will win and Santino has almost won the crown once before. This will be interesting.
Primo vs Brodus Clay
This was the very definition of a squash. Primo got one offensive move in...a kick. Brodus cleans up with the big ass splash. This was pointless, and didn't move anyone up. Brodus should be past these squashes and onto more competitive matches as he has been in the WWE close to a year. Maybe Primo pissed off someone up the ladder and this is his punishment. This one sided squash makes no sense to me.
Shaemus is trying to teach Santino the Brogue Kick and Santino pulls a major hamstring, great.
Kofi Kingston and Team Hell No vs Wade Barrett and Team Rhodes Scholars
There feels like there are a thousand tag team matches on Smackdown and RAW. This fell somewhere in the middle. It was all about Barrett and Kingston. Team Hell No literally did nothing of note. Kingston is going to be a world champion at some point maybe by the end of this year.
Because of Santino's injury he cannot compete and another name will be drawn out of the tumbler. We may see Shaemus winning the World Title tonight. After the break it turns out Ricardo's name was drawn from the hopper and Big Show is ecstatic. He doesn't like Ricardo's announcing and knocks him out.
Zack Ryder vs Antonio Cesaro
This was a squash a couple of steps above the Brodus squash. Ryder gets a big pop coming out and a USA chant to motivate him to get out of a hold but he doesn't even connect with the Broski Boot. Cesaro's neutralizer easily puts Ryder away.
The Miz vs Dolph Ziggler
Talk about phoning it in, this was rest hold after rest hold with little or no crowd involvement until the end. The most interesting stuff about this Ziggler win involved AJ (though Big E Langston catching Dolph in mid air was impressive). Miz blew AJ a kiss that pissed her off and after the match more or less called her a whore and that really pissed her off. The post match brawl was more energetic and entertaining than the match and ended with Langston destroying Miz. Langston is huge and garners great reactions every time I have seen him.
Brad Maddox shows up while Booker is trying to figure out if Ricardo will be ok. He drops a " Can you dig that sucka" on Booker and it is awesome. He gets a match next, then Alberto comes to console his friend and gets a championship match tonight with the Big Show. So much for drawing a random name I guess.
Brad Maddox vs Shaemus
Shaemus is the surprise opponent and I am hoping for a good match...and a Maddox win. Sadly it still isn't Maddox's time just yet. This is another squash and is Maddox's last chance to earn a contract on Smackdown.
Prime Time Players vs The Usos
The Usos so cheated to win! The PTP's should be challenging Team Hell No for the titles as they are better than any other challenging team save for Team Rhodes Scholars. This match was extremely quick and I bet the intros were longer. Cutting a squash match would have given this more time.
The Shield sent in a video. They claim they are just getting started and 2013 is going to be their year. I love The Shield they are 10000 times better than Aces & 8's.
Big Show is pissed ADR got the title shot but he is ready to knock him out.
Big Show © vs Alberto Del Rio - World Heavyweight Title
Del Rio gets a monster pop coming out. This match wasn't much since they didn't have much time to really develop a deep story. Alberto finally gets the upper hand and is about to turn Show over for the cross arm breaker then Show leaves. Shaemus stops him and gets ADR disqualified, while the entire locker room forces Show back to the ring for ADR and Shaemus to get a little revenge. Shaemus is extremely over and would not be surprised if he wins the Rumble and beats Show at Wrestlemania.
This was a down show tonight with a lot of short squash matches, hopefully things will pick up in the new year.
TNA Impact 12/27/12
I haven't watched TNA since they pissed me off by making Jeff Hardy the world champion. I try to be somewhat optimistic and positive while watching wrestling, but TNA has a reputation for a reason. Deep breathe, here we go...
It's Open Fight Night and Bully Ray is calling out Hulk Hogan......to talk. The Brookster responds, and apparently he knows Brooke and Bully are sleeping together. This was carried out very odd since they barely said anything over the mic but the cameras were close enough to hear what they were saying, the live crowd spent this time to make cat calls at Brooke. This may have worked better as a backstage thing and not in the live setting.
Austin Ares is out to talk and call out Bobby Roode, who screwed Ares out of the title at the last PPV. Match will be our main event.
Samoa Joe vs Masked Man from Aces & 8's
Joe calls this poor fool out and says he will take off the mask. The match was nothing more than a squash. Joe takes care of the A&8 member with the rear naked choke. A&8's runs to their fallen members side to keep the mask from coming off.
I am dumber for having watched Robbie E challenge another wrestler (no idea who it is) to a bro off....this is all.
Kenny King says he is going to beat RVD.
Robbie E vs Jesse Gotters - Bro off
As absolutely mind numbingly insane as this was at least it serves a purpose to turn Robbie T on Robbie E. Gotters was disqualified for finishing with dude instead of bro, and Robbie T steps in for the win leaving Robbie E speechless. This made me embarrassed to be a wrestling fan.
Rob Van Dam vs Christian York
RVD calling out York "out of thin air" pisses off Kenny King. York put up a little fight but this was little more than an extended squash. York going the limit with Jeff Hardy sounds like it could have been good. York got a couple move in but that was about it. Rolling Thunder and the 5-star Frog Splash gives RVD the win.
D-Von is apparently the face of A&8's and brought a new guy into the group, hell if I know who it is since his name wasn't mentioned.
Joseph Park was sent to OVW by the Hulkster to learn how to properly wrestle. The trainer Danny Davis said he sucks but Park thinks he is doing good. Parks gets a bloody nose and snaps destroying the wrestler with a Black Hole Slam. I like that they have kept this character going. Park's facial expressions might be second only to William Regal. He is that good at putting this character over. I wonder why Abyss stayed under a mask for so long when he has a lot more to offer. The Joseph Park character was one of my favorite things when I watched Impact back in the summer and he is still awesome.
Daniels and Kaz promise one last Christmas present. I still like Daniels a lot, wish he would make the switch to WWE but I doubt it will ever happen.
Apparently D-Von took Sting's bat and he created a promo saying he is going to take it back.
Christopher Daniels is in complete Curry Man mode dancing to the ring. His present is an Open Fight challenge to AJ Styles which turns out to be Kaz in AJ's gear. Kaz busts out a promo that almost nails AJ's western Georgia accent and decide to go see Claire Lynch until Daniels stops him. These guys are fun and the blowoff with Styles maybe their legit last match together and be very very very good. The Tag Champs come out and lay down the challenge to Daniels and Kaz.
Chavo Guererro & Hernandez vs Christopher Daniels & Kaz
Hernandez & Guererro are a pretty good team for only being together a few months. This was a good tv match, though it is hard to have a bad match when you are facing Daniels and Kaz. If I were a wrestler I would prefer to employ Daniels and Kaz's strategy of being smart. They lose here but I wouldn't be surprised if the titles find their way to Daniels and Kaz before April.
Interesting A&8's are bringing in TNA wrestlers into the group. Mr Anderson is now considering membership. At least there are faces associated with this group.
Gail Kim vs Miss Tessmacher
I will be honest I don't care about most women's wrestling until they are willing to punch each other in the face like Aja Kong and Bull Nakano. This match might get more time than the main event.
Bobby Roode vs Austin Ares
Roode and Ares are one and the same and they challenged each other to find every trick in the book to cheat. They pulled out everything and it made for a fun match. Ares is such a master at slipping into holds and countering any situation he finds himself in. TNA still has problems (as all promotions do) but both Roode and Ares are bright spots for this promotion. I hope we get rematches in future weeks as this was a no contest. Both participants threw the red out of the ring and then Jeff Hardy came in to toss both out of the ring. I am so not a fan of Hardy, and hope his time as champion is rather brief.
It's Open Fight Night and Bully Ray is calling out Hulk Hogan......to talk. The Brookster responds, and apparently he knows Brooke and Bully are sleeping together. This was carried out very odd since they barely said anything over the mic but the cameras were close enough to hear what they were saying, the live crowd spent this time to make cat calls at Brooke. This may have worked better as a backstage thing and not in the live setting.
Austin Ares is out to talk and call out Bobby Roode, who screwed Ares out of the title at the last PPV. Match will be our main event.
Samoa Joe vs Masked Man from Aces & 8's
Joe calls this poor fool out and says he will take off the mask. The match was nothing more than a squash. Joe takes care of the A&8 member with the rear naked choke. A&8's runs to their fallen members side to keep the mask from coming off.
I am dumber for having watched Robbie E challenge another wrestler (no idea who it is) to a bro off....this is all.
Kenny King says he is going to beat RVD.
Robbie E vs Jesse Gotters - Bro off
As absolutely mind numbingly insane as this was at least it serves a purpose to turn Robbie T on Robbie E. Gotters was disqualified for finishing with dude instead of bro, and Robbie T steps in for the win leaving Robbie E speechless. This made me embarrassed to be a wrestling fan.
Rob Van Dam vs Christian York
RVD calling out York "out of thin air" pisses off Kenny King. York put up a little fight but this was little more than an extended squash. York going the limit with Jeff Hardy sounds like it could have been good. York got a couple move in but that was about it. Rolling Thunder and the 5-star Frog Splash gives RVD the win.
D-Von is apparently the face of A&8's and brought a new guy into the group, hell if I know who it is since his name wasn't mentioned.
Joseph Park was sent to OVW by the Hulkster to learn how to properly wrestle. The trainer Danny Davis said he sucks but Park thinks he is doing good. Parks gets a bloody nose and snaps destroying the wrestler with a Black Hole Slam. I like that they have kept this character going. Park's facial expressions might be second only to William Regal. He is that good at putting this character over. I wonder why Abyss stayed under a mask for so long when he has a lot more to offer. The Joseph Park character was one of my favorite things when I watched Impact back in the summer and he is still awesome.
Daniels and Kaz promise one last Christmas present. I still like Daniels a lot, wish he would make the switch to WWE but I doubt it will ever happen.
Apparently D-Von took Sting's bat and he created a promo saying he is going to take it back.
Christopher Daniels is in complete Curry Man mode dancing to the ring. His present is an Open Fight challenge to AJ Styles which turns out to be Kaz in AJ's gear. Kaz busts out a promo that almost nails AJ's western Georgia accent and decide to go see Claire Lynch until Daniels stops him. These guys are fun and the blowoff with Styles maybe their legit last match together and be very very very good. The Tag Champs come out and lay down the challenge to Daniels and Kaz.
Chavo Guererro & Hernandez vs Christopher Daniels & Kaz
Hernandez & Guererro are a pretty good team for only being together a few months. This was a good tv match, though it is hard to have a bad match when you are facing Daniels and Kaz. If I were a wrestler I would prefer to employ Daniels and Kaz's strategy of being smart. They lose here but I wouldn't be surprised if the titles find their way to Daniels and Kaz before April.
Interesting A&8's are bringing in TNA wrestlers into the group. Mr Anderson is now considering membership. At least there are faces associated with this group.
Gail Kim vs Miss Tessmacher
I will be honest I don't care about most women's wrestling until they are willing to punch each other in the face like Aja Kong and Bull Nakano. This match might get more time than the main event.
Bobby Roode vs Austin Ares
Roode and Ares are one and the same and they challenged each other to find every trick in the book to cheat. They pulled out everything and it made for a fun match. Ares is such a master at slipping into holds and countering any situation he finds himself in. TNA still has problems (as all promotions do) but both Roode and Ares are bright spots for this promotion. I hope we get rematches in future weeks as this was a no contest. Both participants threw the red out of the ring and then Jeff Hardy came in to toss both out of the ring. I am so not a fan of Hardy, and hope his time as champion is rather brief.
AJPW RWTL 2012 Tag 4 11/23/12
Kazushi Miyamoto vs MAZADA
This was a complete squash by Miyamoto. His offense wasn't anything exciting a few chops, brainbuster and he finished off MAZADA with a lariat. Miyamoto gave the championship sign after the match so I wonder if he has a title opportunity upcoming.
Bambikiller & Franz Dynamite vs SUSHI & Yasufumi Nakanoue
This went 9 minutes but no more than three or four were shown. All we see are the muscular Europeans destroying SUSHI. To be fair SUSHI did land a diving headbutt. Bambikiller gets the pin on SUSHI with twisting suplex (there are too many named variations of a suplex hard to know which this was). Wish Bambikiller would have used the Bambi Death Shot, it is a killer move. Nakanoue is in his third year and must be complete crap as he go no camera time whatsoever. The two Europeans have a good look and an apparent following wish we could have seen more here.
Andy Wu vs Tomoaki Honma
Seeing that Andy Wu does not even have a profile on CAGEMATCH does not give me confidence in this match being steller. Andy Wu held his own and was a pretty even fight. He was fighting a numbers game and won by the only DQ I have ever seen in Puro. Honma and his tag team partner Miyamoto (forming the team Turmeric Storm) destroyed Wu and a man who came in to help Wu (whom I have yet to identify). Even if it is a throw away matchup it sets up a tag match on another show which works for me.
Stack of Arms (Koji Kanemoto, Masakatsu Funaki, Masayuki Kono & Minoru Tanaka) vs Team 246 (Kaz Hayashi & Shuji Kondo), Hiroshi, & KENSO
My problem with these 6 and 8-man tags is that I am still learning a lot of these Puro wrestlers and it is hard to figure out who I am watching in such a large scale. Also learning what one wrestler does best is harder in a match like this. This follows the typical 8-man match formula where everything spirals out of control as the match nears the end. Minoru Tanaka pins KENSO with a sweet tombstone piledriver variation (this may be his Minoru Special). Match was fun and action packed.
Get Wild (Manabu Soya & Takao Omori) vs Seiya Sanada & Taiyo Kea - Block A
These two have a competitive wrestling match that goes the full 30 minutes and ends in a draw. Sanada's knee got a good beating over the last half of the match. Sanada got a knee first slam through a table which was awesome. This match kinda lumbered on and the ending was not really a mystery looking at the file length. I have jumped into this tournament in the middle so no idea where any of these teams stand which hurts the drama of these matches.
Last Revolution (Joe Doering & Suwama) vs SMOP (Akebono & Ryota Hama - Block B
SMOP is always fun, even is there is so much you can do with them. They are far from technically proficient but they beat you with their size and strength and are not afraid to beat you into submission. The key to beating SMOP is to ground them so their size is not a factor and while Last Revolution tried they ultimately failed. Suwama nailed an awesome suplex on Hama but was not able to get Akebono all the way up and he landed right on Suwama. A big splash at the right time was all SMOP needed to win. Honestly that is all they should ever need as SMOP are huge and awesome!
This was a complete squash by Miyamoto. His offense wasn't anything exciting a few chops, brainbuster and he finished off MAZADA with a lariat. Miyamoto gave the championship sign after the match so I wonder if he has a title opportunity upcoming.
Bambikiller & Franz Dynamite vs SUSHI & Yasufumi Nakanoue
This went 9 minutes but no more than three or four were shown. All we see are the muscular Europeans destroying SUSHI. To be fair SUSHI did land a diving headbutt. Bambikiller gets the pin on SUSHI with twisting suplex (there are too many named variations of a suplex hard to know which this was). Wish Bambikiller would have used the Bambi Death Shot, it is a killer move. Nakanoue is in his third year and must be complete crap as he go no camera time whatsoever. The two Europeans have a good look and an apparent following wish we could have seen more here.
Andy Wu vs Tomoaki Honma
Seeing that Andy Wu does not even have a profile on CAGEMATCH does not give me confidence in this match being steller. Andy Wu held his own and was a pretty even fight. He was fighting a numbers game and won by the only DQ I have ever seen in Puro. Honma and his tag team partner Miyamoto (forming the team Turmeric Storm) destroyed Wu and a man who came in to help Wu (whom I have yet to identify). Even if it is a throw away matchup it sets up a tag match on another show which works for me.
Stack of Arms (Koji Kanemoto, Masakatsu Funaki, Masayuki Kono & Minoru Tanaka) vs Team 246 (Kaz Hayashi & Shuji Kondo), Hiroshi, & KENSO
My problem with these 6 and 8-man tags is that I am still learning a lot of these Puro wrestlers and it is hard to figure out who I am watching in such a large scale. Also learning what one wrestler does best is harder in a match like this. This follows the typical 8-man match formula where everything spirals out of control as the match nears the end. Minoru Tanaka pins KENSO with a sweet tombstone piledriver variation (this may be his Minoru Special). Match was fun and action packed.
Get Wild (Manabu Soya & Takao Omori) vs Seiya Sanada & Taiyo Kea - Block A
These two have a competitive wrestling match that goes the full 30 minutes and ends in a draw. Sanada's knee got a good beating over the last half of the match. Sanada got a knee first slam through a table which was awesome. This match kinda lumbered on and the ending was not really a mystery looking at the file length. I have jumped into this tournament in the middle so no idea where any of these teams stand which hurts the drama of these matches.
Last Revolution (Joe Doering & Suwama) vs SMOP (Akebono & Ryota Hama - Block B
SMOP is always fun, even is there is so much you can do with them. They are far from technically proficient but they beat you with their size and strength and are not afraid to beat you into submission. The key to beating SMOP is to ground them so their size is not a factor and while Last Revolution tried they ultimately failed. Suwama nailed an awesome suplex on Hama but was not able to get Akebono all the way up and he landed right on Suwama. A big splash at the right time was all SMOP needed to win. Honestly that is all they should ever need as SMOP are huge and awesome!
WWE Main Event 12/26/12
20 Man Battle Royal - #1 Contenders match for US Title
Battle Royals are a great unknown as they can be fun or atrocious, luckily this one was pretty good. It becomes apparent fast that The Great Khali is going to win to go on and face Antonio Caesaro. Beating Antonio will protect Caesaro's claim that an American will not beat him while moving up to a more prestigious title. There were some fun spots in this including Khali's thunderous chest chops and one amazing looking karate chop that eliminated Cody Rhodes. Santino double crosses Ryder which could setup something. Khali wins by eliminating Wade Barrett.
Antonio attempts to attack Khali in the back, which doesn't work out too well. Khali is so going to win next week.
3MB vs Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel
Jinder Mahal saying "You can't stop rock" is awesome. I have turned the corner on him. Match is a standard WWE formula tag match. Kidd and Gabriel are a good high flying tag team but are missing a little something to really get them over. It could be something as small as speed, which helped to get the Motor City Machine Guns over. Being the WWE, they probably need to develop deeper characters to ensure they stick around for years to come. They get the win on a riff on The Heart Foundation's Heart Attack clothesline. Kidd holds the opponent while Gabriel flips off of the top rope and delivering a hangman's neck breaker. Very cool finisher.
This was my first time watching Main Event and it isn't a bad show. It is very wrestling heavy which is good, and the Miz announcing is a much appreciated change. Miz has a real talent for announcing and will be able to retire with the WWE if he so chooses.
Battle Royals are a great unknown as they can be fun or atrocious, luckily this one was pretty good. It becomes apparent fast that The Great Khali is going to win to go on and face Antonio Caesaro. Beating Antonio will protect Caesaro's claim that an American will not beat him while moving up to a more prestigious title. There were some fun spots in this including Khali's thunderous chest chops and one amazing looking karate chop that eliminated Cody Rhodes. Santino double crosses Ryder which could setup something. Khali wins by eliminating Wade Barrett.
Antonio attempts to attack Khali in the back, which doesn't work out too well. Khali is so going to win next week.
3MB vs Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel
Jinder Mahal saying "You can't stop rock" is awesome. I have turned the corner on him. Match is a standard WWE formula tag match. Kidd and Gabriel are a good high flying tag team but are missing a little something to really get them over. It could be something as small as speed, which helped to get the Motor City Machine Guns over. Being the WWE, they probably need to develop deeper characters to ensure they stick around for years to come. They get the win on a riff on The Heart Foundation's Heart Attack clothesline. Kidd holds the opponent while Gabriel flips off of the top rope and delivering a hangman's neck breaker. Very cool finisher.
This was my first time watching Main Event and it isn't a bad show. It is very wrestling heavy which is good, and the Miz announcing is a much appreciated change. Miz has a real talent for announcing and will be able to retire with the WWE if he so chooses.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
K-Dojo: Club-K Super in Korakuen 2012 11/13/12
K-Dojo, short for Kaientai Dojo is owned by Taka Michinoku. According to Wikipedia their style combines high flying, technical wrestling and martial arts. It is heavy on presentation and is heavily influenced by American style of Pro Wrestling
Daigoro Kashiwa & Tank Nagai vs Boso Boy Raito & Ayumu Honda
Tank Nagai is fresh out of school in his second month as a pro wrestler and Honda is in his rookie year as well.. Tank gets busted open hard way from some Honda forearms. You can see some of Nagai's greenness show in this short match. He gets his second win over Honda (beat him the previous show for his first win ever) with a nice spear. The two veterans did nothing of note as it seems this match was all about the rookies gaining some experience. At least we got blood!
Shiori Asahi, HIROKI & Bambi vs Ricky Fuji, Saburo Inematsu & Kunio Toshima
Okay little six man by six veterans. Bambi seemed useless in this match save for the comedy spot of using her whip on one of her opponents. She was never a solid face in peril nor did she provide much offense. Ricky Fuji was my top performer of the match, his hanging vertical Suplex complete with knee bends was great. Shiori Asahi picks up the pin for his team on Toshima with a simple rolling cradle.
Yuki Sato (c) vs Hiro Tonai - UWA World Middleweight Title
This UWA title is originally from Mexico (1976-1995) then migrated to Michinoku Pro, Toryumon, and now resides in K-Dojo. It has been held by such names as Gran Hamada, Ultimo Dragon, and El Samurai (source: Wikipedia). I do like the idea of titles outliving their promotion and moving on as a secondary title for a younger promotion. I really liked this match, and if it is the style that K-Dojo offers then count me in. Tonai started working on the arm early in the match and absolutely did not stop. Sato sold and sold and sold the arm to the end, even was holding it during the after match interview in the back. Tonai hit a fabulous straight arm DDT, but Sato popped up (little too soon for my taste) and a German Suplex roll up later Sato retains.
Minoru Sizuki vs Taka Michinoku
Match was very one sided and mat based. Sizuki dominated the offense in this match with crevats, armbars and leg locks. His striking offense was pretty sweet. Taka seemed reserved to play the less experienced and overmatched role. He made a comeback but Sizuki put him down with a cradle piledriver.
Kengo Mashimo & Ryuichi Sekine (c) vs Akito & Taishi Takizawa - STRONGEST -K Tag Team Title
I didn't like this as much as UWA title match but it still had its moments. Akito was the top performer for his great attention to Sekine's leg, and his awesome leg lock. The champs hit a nice rocket launcher and won when Sekine hit a shining wizard on Akito with his injured leg for the win. At least he stayed down after using the bad leg, the selling was pretty good. I like the K-Dojo style, they seem to put an emphasis on selling your injury as long as possible.
Daisuke Sekimoto (c) vs Yuji Hino - STRONGEST -K Title
This was match of the night for sure. Sekimoto and Hino just delivered bomb after bomb after bomb. It was the definition of irresistible force meeting the immovable object. They hit chop after chop and clothesline after clothesline trying to knock the other out. Hino wins the title with a nice hanging German Suplex. Amazing how the crowd cheers the guy you would think to be the heel since he flips the crowd off at any available opportunity. Worth a look if you like seeing big guys beating the snot out of one another.
Daigoro Kashiwa & Tank Nagai vs Boso Boy Raito & Ayumu Honda
Tank Nagai is fresh out of school in his second month as a pro wrestler and Honda is in his rookie year as well.. Tank gets busted open hard way from some Honda forearms. You can see some of Nagai's greenness show in this short match. He gets his second win over Honda (beat him the previous show for his first win ever) with a nice spear. The two veterans did nothing of note as it seems this match was all about the rookies gaining some experience. At least we got blood!
Shiori Asahi, HIROKI & Bambi vs Ricky Fuji, Saburo Inematsu & Kunio Toshima
Okay little six man by six veterans. Bambi seemed useless in this match save for the comedy spot of using her whip on one of her opponents. She was never a solid face in peril nor did she provide much offense. Ricky Fuji was my top performer of the match, his hanging vertical Suplex complete with knee bends was great. Shiori Asahi picks up the pin for his team on Toshima with a simple rolling cradle.
Yuki Sato (c) vs Hiro Tonai - UWA World Middleweight Title
This UWA title is originally from Mexico (1976-1995) then migrated to Michinoku Pro, Toryumon, and now resides in K-Dojo. It has been held by such names as Gran Hamada, Ultimo Dragon, and El Samurai (source: Wikipedia). I do like the idea of titles outliving their promotion and moving on as a secondary title for a younger promotion. I really liked this match, and if it is the style that K-Dojo offers then count me in. Tonai started working on the arm early in the match and absolutely did not stop. Sato sold and sold and sold the arm to the end, even was holding it during the after match interview in the back. Tonai hit a fabulous straight arm DDT, but Sato popped up (little too soon for my taste) and a German Suplex roll up later Sato retains.
Minoru Sizuki vs Taka Michinoku
Match was very one sided and mat based. Sizuki dominated the offense in this match with crevats, armbars and leg locks. His striking offense was pretty sweet. Taka seemed reserved to play the less experienced and overmatched role. He made a comeback but Sizuki put him down with a cradle piledriver.
Kengo Mashimo & Ryuichi Sekine (c) vs Akito & Taishi Takizawa - STRONGEST -K Tag Team Title
I didn't like this as much as UWA title match but it still had its moments. Akito was the top performer for his great attention to Sekine's leg, and his awesome leg lock. The champs hit a nice rocket launcher and won when Sekine hit a shining wizard on Akito with his injured leg for the win. At least he stayed down after using the bad leg, the selling was pretty good. I like the K-Dojo style, they seem to put an emphasis on selling your injury as long as possible.
Daisuke Sekimoto (c) vs Yuji Hino - STRONGEST -K Title
This was match of the night for sure. Sekimoto and Hino just delivered bomb after bomb after bomb. It was the definition of irresistible force meeting the immovable object. They hit chop after chop and clothesline after clothesline trying to knock the other out. Hino wins the title with a nice hanging German Suplex. Amazing how the crowd cheers the guy you would think to be the heel since he flips the crowd off at any available opportunity. Worth a look if you like seeing big guys beating the snot out of one another.
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