Wrestling Forum banner

The 2012 MOTYC thread

340K views 3K replies 192 participants last post by  Alan4L 
#1 ·
#1,290 ·
TNA - Bobby Roode vs. Austin Aries for the TNA World Championship
Aries vs. Roode is the only match on the show worth watching actually. Everything else seemed bland, paint by numbers, or just good. I would say Daniels vs. AJ is the only match that stands out if we weren't counting Aries vs. Roode but I'd take the Main Event over that by a mile......actually make that 3 miles. Considering I had to wait 10 hours and watch this match blind to the result today proves how much I was looking forward to it. That being said, this is my TNA MOTY. My only issue is that armdrag mishap and Aries wasn't really selling his ribs during his comeback but that last really didn't hurt the match. What I love about this is that it focuses on storytelling and unlike every other match that night, it focuses on substance. What I mean by that is almost everything means something and has a reason something may or may not work in the future. Like Aries's IED in the corner. The running theme tonight was that Roode had Aries big moves scouted. When Aries went for the Suicide Dive, he'd dodge it. When Aries went for the IED, he had a Oklahoma slam just waiting for it. When Aries is able to hit the IED, it's because Roode got distracted with arguing with the ref and even then it was almost had he gone through specific hardcore training to instinctively be ready for Aries's Brainbuster. It's simple storytelling but one that made Roode look like he was almost in a different league than Aries was(Which he should look like considering he is the World Champion).

Then there was just little things that made Aries look like a thorn in Roode's side. Always being resilient and not being this push over that Roode keeps thinking he is. The best part about Aries's second comeback is that Roode's bullying gets him into a brawl with Aries and A Double is the guy who went toe to toe with Bully Ray and beat his @$$. It's simple basic stuff but the presentation of it was badass. Reason being was because Roode was actually fighting back against Aries instead of doing the typical punches comeback and they were just laying into each other. It felt big because Aries overcome a Roode that wasn't just going to let him roll over him like that. You could feel that Aries was going to make this a win no matter what Roode had to say about it. That brings me back to everything having a meaning.

Remember when Roode speared the nonsense out of Aries? Well Aries has a counter for it the second time around into the Last Chancery. Remember when Roode was targeting Austin's ribs with a Kitchen sink? Well Aries has a counter for it the second time around with a school boy. It's basic little stuff but it works because it helps drives the match. Roode is one step ahead of him and Aries has to make up for those lost in steps. One awesome bit that nobody but me probably loved was when Aries rolled up Roode when he attempts the Crossface, Roode has the immediate and well thought out counter to when he really gets it in deep. He stops Austin from rolling into a pin two freaking times and honestly made it believable in my view. Awesome psychology as well as just staying consistent with being on the absolute top of his game. Then the dirty finishes came after that.

This is why I never cry about heels cheating because when you get the proper pay off for it, the full circle of "Oh n0ez! Anodur cop out wen" to "OH MAI GOODNESS! HAY KICKED OUT!". Roode using desperation tactics to put away Aries felt like a cop out but that's what heels are. They are big, disgusting, self masturbating, cheating dip$#its that take the easy way instead of earning it. He has won this way many times before and that's why you get your believe from that it'll work again. So you already have this match where Roode has went toe to toe with Aries and he still could possibly win(Because Roode does contain some clean wins in the past) but he has MAJOR wins by cheating as well. So needless to say when Roode did this dirty tactics, it was in the books. I, watching blind mind you, bought them and marked out whenever Aries defied the statistics. That is how you make a match......when all the BS before hand doesn't get the job done this time around. Best thing about this whole deal? Not one finisher is sacrificed.

One of my biggest things I dislike about wrestling now is when the whole window is thrown out. Now don't get me wrong, there are times when it is done right(Richards/Elgin) and there are times when that was just done to make your match seem "OMG grate"(Angle vs. Joe that night). If you have the right substance and the storytelling is consistent, then Roode won't have to kick out of a 450 or Aries have to kick out Roode's finishers. You'll have that over dramatic moments when they do try to go for them because everyone recognizes them as big deals. This is what happened here and when Austin was going for the Brainbuster, you bet your bottom dollar that everyone was going bananas for it. Proper psychology, fantastic storytelling, and you had the crowd going molten lava for it. That's my kind of wrestling right there. ****1/2

Far and beyond the best match of the year and one of MOTYs. Feels glad to put TNA up there again considering last year I don't think I had TNA in my MOTYs.
 
#1,563 ·
Trying to get caught up on a lot of wrestling before I go back to school so I thought I’d right up some reviews. Pretty sure very few people will care but hey just throwing it out there for the consumption of the world, or just this forum.

Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan (Extreme Rules):****1/2

This made the 18 second match at WM all worth it for me. I don’t know how Daniel Bryan couldn’t be at the top of people’s WOTY lists. While I don’t think Sheamus is bad at all as he actually fills his role, the good-guy kicking ass champ, better than most wrestlers but Daniel Bryan is just on another level compared to almost any American Worker. Onto the match I guess. Not for a second was I even a little bored by this match. This had a lot to do with Daniel Bryan’s ability to make a rest hold interesting and when Sheamus was on offense he was able to rock his power game. That being said it was quite nice to see Sheamus try to Cloverleaf in the beginning of the match since Bryan kept saying in the build that he was going to make Sheamus tap, but when Sheamus tried again the reaffirm that Bryan is a technical wizard and counters it into a pin attempt.

The armwork by Bryan was awesome. Weaving it throughout the match leading into the first two falls. The way Bryan just kicks the living piss out of Sheamus’ arm and not even caring when he got DQ’d was classic heel. Sheamus sold it like his arm was about to fall off. As soon as Bryan applied the Yes Lock I thought it was going to result in a tap out but in what could have been stupid I thought was well done because in the end Sheamus doesn’t tap. Even though it seems like Sheamus may have just had is arm killed he keeps going because 1)he’s pretty resilient cat 2)he’s the champ. I loved the way Sheamus didn’t seem like he was fighting against tapping out and getting to the ropes, it was more him fighting against the overwhelming pain and his ability to just remain conscious from it. The doctor’s coming in seemed a little cheesy to me but it put a little break between the falls and made sense of what followed. The ending for me, and if I recall when this match was actually wrestled applies to a lot of people, fell a little flat. After all the awesomeness that happened it just seemed to end without the big climax that I was kinda expecting. That does not take away from this being one of the best matches of the year by any means. I’d say this is in my Top 2 as of this writing…

Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena (Extreme Rules):****1/4

BROCK SMASH!!! I kept reading everyone’s posts from earlier in the year about how “unique” this match was. I had no idea what that could possibly mean until I saw it. Brock beats up on Cena like no one has done. A sort of beat down I have never seen in the WWE that is for sure. While Sheamus vs. Bryan was great because of the work both guys put in the ring that created a fantastic story, this match was great by being a spectacle while at the same time getting the audience insanely invested. The ending in this match hurt it for me but just a tad as you can see by my rating I think it is awesome.

Austin Aries vs. Bobby Roode (Destination X):****1/4

I’m glad I decided to watch all the pimped matches in a short span. Now I feel like “THAT WAS SWEET. SO WAS THAT. BUT WHERE THE FUCK WOULD I RATE THEM!” But that is a dilemma I can live with. Great match here with Roode just being that great old school kind of heel. While in his control segments he isn’t the most exciting IMO he helps progress the match. The way he would just taunt Aries when he was down pretty much saying, you are beneath me and you even thinking you have a chance pisses me off. I also loved how every time Aries went for one of his signature moves Roode had it scouted. There were very few big moves that Aries hit the first time around. And when he did hit his big moves they weren’t all in a row which I usually see. Aries would start hitting his big moves that Roode had countered earlier and then when he went for something he hadn’t tried yet it would be countered. Unlike the previous matches where I thought the endings didn’t quite end on that big note like I had hoped this did without a question.

So it seems I have 2 more matches to throw into the middle of the pack and one that may just be my new MOTY. Hopefully watching some CHIKARA tomorrow including El Generico vs. SDR and Jigsaw vs. Kingston. Then only Day 3 of 16 Carat until I am caught up with what I own.
 
#1,582 ·
Dinastía, Mascarita Dorada, Octagoncito vs Mini Charly Manson, Mini Histeria, Mini Psicosis
AAA on Televisa (Regional): 2012-08-12



Right, so I haven't followed Lucha religiously since the epic Casas/Panther match (for shame, I know) but something about this caught my eye. It could possibly be due to myself being an over-zealous Mascarita fan but I'll rather side with an explanation that keeps my fanboyism secret and say it's because of Cubsfan that I watched this.

Now I can't go out on record, like he did, and say "not only is this one of the best minis matches but also one of the best trios matches all year" due to my inexperience with Lucha as of late but I cannot overstate how great the work here is.

On the one hand you have an excellent rudo dynamic peppering the majority of the match with just the right amount of técnico brilliance to help push the feud over. As always, Mascarita bumped like a Mexican Dolph Ziggler in this match due to the size concession he gives the other minis. The way he's manhandled and just ragdolls around from simple moves is just lolworthy. Dinastía, however, once again stole the spotlight despite still being so young. His plethora of new yet crazy moves never seems to end.

If you're going to watch any lucha (especially any minis action) this year, I cannot see why this shouldn't be one of your first go-to's. Almost as balls-crazy and immersive as anything else this year. It's just how a minis match should be.

Rating: 4.25-
 
#18 ·
Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) Vs. Minoru Suzuki
The best defense since Nagata in April. Suzuki dominating, and dominating with offense that slowed Tanahashi down, worked great. Suzuki was also an excellent prick character with stuff like lounging in the ring during a potential count-out. It managed to make Tanahashi feel threatened and potentially out-classed in a way I haven't felt since he wrestled Giant Bernard. That made his comebacks and eventual victory much more emotional, which at this point in his streak was vital. Not just the best match of the year so far, but the best match in months. Would have stuck this high on my 2011 list. Sleepers matter!

The Big Show Vs. Daniel Bryan (c)
I really enjoyed Show Vs. Bryan. I agree with the consensus so far that it won't be MOTY or anything, but was a total pleasure to watch. It had a good story, Show gave Bryan some offense and went more even with him than I expected. The ending was good for this stage of Bryan's turn, and the way Bryan sold it as willful worked.
 
#65 ·
Going to get around to that All Japan match in the morning, sounds awesome.

Making a change to what a post in here. I just realized that it would be a huge waste of my time to go and write reviews for matches and then not post them if I don't rate them 4*s. So I basically plan on doing everything from Sebs' thread and if I come across anything that numerous people review I'll go ahead and do that as well.



FLUORESCENT LIGHT-TUBES DEATH MATCH:
Abdullah Kobayashi, Shadow WX & Takeda Masashi vs. Kasai Jun, Numazawa Jaki & Hoshino Kankuro (BJW 2012/01/02)

Well Jun Jasai wearing a fans winter jacket, getting thrown into lightbulbs, they don't effect him, Kasai celebrates, and throws the jacket back to a fan might have been the coolest thing ever. Oh and some of the most sickening headbutts ever from Numazawa (I think) added the brutality and awesomeness. The match was insane but it was really just them beating each other with light tubes. Being in the building love for something like this would be awesome but after seeing a few of those spots on TV they kind of lose the effect. Really bloody and everything but that's really the main appeal. I still enjoyed it but I've seen better examples of telling a story within a death match. I actually liked the death match that was on the card before this one a lot more.
***1/4



Daisuke Sekimoto & Yoshihito Sasaki vs Akebono & Ryuto Hama - BJW 02.01.2012

Strong Style Southern Tag. That's really the best way to describe this match and it was really awesome. Hama looked like he could barely move around but someone that's just so large I was impressed with what he was able to do. Akebono looks like someone that can really work a match and really looked like a threat in the ring. The crowd was awesome in the match as well as they really didn't like the Akebono and Hama. They were behind every single strike that was done to them and booed all their offense. As much as they hated the big guys they loved Sasaki and Sekimoto. Great atmosphere and crowd really helped a lot, and usually I'm not a fan of Japanese crowds.

So you have these 2 giant monsters in the ring with 2 crazy badasses. It's a perfect mix really. Sasaki was the one that found himself being worked over for a majority of the match while he tried to make the big tag to Sekimoto. I liked Akebono and Hama didn't have to break any rules to remain in control of the match, they were the heels but they didn't cheat, they just beat the hell out of the guy that the crowd loved. I thought the ending was really really weak though and to be quite honest it really hurt the match. I'm all for making dominant heels but there was no reason why Sasaki couldn't have made a tag. Instead Sekimoto stood on the apron looking like a fool getting hit over and over as he stood on the apron acting useless. I know the purpose of the match was to build on a feud but as a viewer of this match watching Sasaki get his ass kicked over for so long and totally failing to make a the big tag was a huge let down.

I'm still giving it a good rating because the fact that I was so annoyed by the ending of the match means that I was caring about the outcome. It did tell a great story and I can't wait to see these guys get in the ring again. Actually the more and more I go on about how much of a let down the ending was the more and more brilliant I'm realizing it was. I should go back and change everything that I just wrote about the ending but I'm going to leave it because that's me in total mark mode. A great way to build a feud.
****


Big Japan is awesome. Just watched the 1/2/12 Big Japan show and it was so easy to watch. The crowd was good and there were all sorts of matches. Going to do my best to see a lot of it this year.
 
#289 ·
Okada vs Naito was the fucking nuts. Both guys went in with a strategy and kept to it for pretty much the entire match. I've never been a big Naito fan, but I have to say he's made me a fan just from this match, he really showed me something. He was amazing at going after Okadas leg and never giving up on it, until later in the match, but I'll get to that later. Okada then goes after Naitos neck and almost everything he does is focussed on the neck and it's some really good offense too, all the while selling his leg, and selling it after he uses his leg for a dropkick, or hitting the tombstone on the outside for a near count out and grabbing his knee. Some of Naitos leg work is awesome, especially the dropkick off the apron to the railing, that was cool, and theres a submission he uses later on thats hella nifty. If there was one complaint it might be that Naito didn't really sell the neck too well when he was making his comebacks, but I can let that slide since Okada was selling his leg so well throughout and Naito just kept going after the leg. Okada is really growing on me, like his cocky facial expressions when he knows he's in control and the fact he is a good seller adds to that too and some of his submissions looked really cool. There were points that I got slightly worried that he was going to forget about it, but he didn't, maybe because naito focussed everything on the leg so he had no choice but to sell it. Then the finishing stretch was bloody awesome! It felt like Naito took his eye off of the weakness and went for his signature stuff, and thats what led to his downfall. Okada stayed focussed on the neck and never let up on it, all his signature stuff was on the neck and the match was so much better for it. I would like to see him use the tombstone as a finisher though instead of a random move he hits earlier in the match, but his Air Raid Neckbreaker and DVD look really good, and the way they transitioned into the massive lariat for the finish was really great. The crowd was alive for this too and really behind Naito, so that always adds to a match, but I heard some Okada chants too so he must be growing on the fans as well. My MOTY fur sure, and I can't see much topping this for me for a while. Awesome stuff that I recommend everyone go out of their way to see. ****1/2
 
#390 ·
CIMA vs. PAC for the Open The Dream Gate Championship
DragonGate Infinity #252


Holy hot damn where do I start. Fantastic back and forth between these guys and CIMA did a great job working over PAC's leg and PAC sold well by not doing the little things because of his leg. The ending stretch was insane and had me believing that PAC was legit going to walk away with the Open The Dream Gate title; crazy ass near falls that had me jumping out of my seat like a 5 year old thanks to the stablemates and the crowd going apeshit and playing into every fall. Great finish and PAC looked like he about to die after the match I can't remember where CIMA might've knocked him loopy as he was bleeding from the mouth. As much as I enjoyed CIMA vs. Susumu, this match tops that easily.

****1/2
 
#597 · (Edited)
Dave Finlay -vs- Sami Callihan (EVOLVE 11 in Canada; 2012-04-13)

This is easily the best indie match of the year so far. Two guys that are currently the best guys working the indies do all the things that make them better than all the other schmucks working the same scene. They didn't try to go a hundred miles an hour for the sake of having a "this is awesome" chant (even though they did get one, ugh, but at least it deserved it,) they didn't trade a bunch of finishers, and they sold everything like they should have. They worked very stiff. Finlay chunked Sami into the ropes on his slams, which make them look twice as nasty. He slammed Sami's leg into the ringpost the way that would hyperextend his leg. The hardway headbutt was vicious and delicious. All the unique things these guys do really set them apart, and it led to them having the best match not involving a guy named ***** Casas this year.
 
#1,001 ·
The Spectacle, The War, and The Clinic.


The Spectacle

The Undertaker vs. Triple H inside Hell In A Cell for the Streak with Shawn Michaels as Special Guest Referee
The Build:
It has been nearly a year since HHH and Undertaker fought at Wrestlemania and it's a hard match to forget. Why? Because Triple H beat Undertaker's ass bad. Real bad. In fact so bad that even though Taker had emerged the winner, he couldn't stand or show up every since. Now times have certainly changed from that moment. New champions have been crowned, stars have risen as well fallen, and there was a new order of power. Triple H had become that man of power. For a wrestler that motto is "just business", his job had became to preserve the business. Clearing up the wrongs and succeeding with the rights is all Triple H had cared about now. Whether it was taking care of high profile stars or cutting ties with those that were a danger to them, it was all about the game and how to take care of it. This was until Taker had returned from after a near year absence. In a rare moment, Undertaker challenged Triple H instead of the other way around but it only got shot down. Triple H didn't care anymore to compete and felt it wasn't his place to destroy something that was precious to WWE. Undertaker would not have it. Unlike Mania's previous to his encounter with Triple H, Undertaker was slaughtered. He was humbled and beaten nearly to death. Hunter had outed him in every possible way one could imagine. He out striked him, he survived the bomb throwing, and even though Taker had won, Triple H could walk away when the Deadman couldn't even make it to his feet. Mania matches were always competitive for the Phenom but that match had left a mark that would stain his career over the passage of time if he did not remedy the situation.

Undertake threw insult after insult at Triple H and Helmsley's best friend in Shawn Michaels even couldn't believe the Game wouldn't bite the bait. Then when all seemed faint and that the Deadman would never get his chance at redemption, he said the magic words that have forever burned a hole in Triple H's soul. "Shawn Michaels was always better than you". That combination of words turned business into personal for HHH. He has cut ties with friends over the thought of it. In 2002, Triple H attempted to destroy Shawn Michaels and bury his career before it had risen back up just because he THOUGHT it. The war had raged on between the two before Triple had ended it in 2004 in, oddly enough, the Hell In A Cell structure. Triple H had taken the role of a business man because there was nothing else for him to do. He had become one of the few Grandslam champions in the WWE, beaten every big name in the WWE(Including the Undertaker), was "The Man" for many years, and his name was affiliated with World Champion. Maybe it all was because of personal success or maybe because he wanted to prove a point. No one was better than him, no one will ever be better than him, and certainly was not the guy he carried for many years on his back that wasn't nearly as accomplished as him. Even if you had not worked for it, this was the straw that would break the Camel's back.

Triple had accepted but only under his condition, Hell In A Cell. A match that was famed by Shawn Michaels's and Undertaker rivalry. A match that The Undertaker's name would become synonymous.....a match that Triple H's name became feared with. Out of 24 Hell in a cell matches, Triple H had been involved him in eight of them. Out of those eight, Triple H had five single matches. Out of those five single matches, Triple H had only lost one. It was his match. The match where whatever remorse he had was left at the door of the Cell and the match where he had ended wars. While it was known as the Devil's playground, it was Triple H's Game. In a another shocking turn of events, Shawn Michaels was named the guest referee. Shawn Michaels has history with Triple H but he also had tales with The Phenom. Shawn Michaels was always the ultimate little man to Undertaker's big man. HBK had defeated Deadman on several occasions but when it was for everything Taker had worked for, Shawn couldn't obtain that legendary achievement that others before him had failed to do. It will always be remembered as some of Shawn's greatest career matches but also be remembered as the reason Shawn's career ended. To say The Showstopper hadn't forgotten it would be a understatement.

However, green was not only the DX color but may be what Michael's were to represent if Triple H had accomplished what HBK was unable to do. Would Michaels be fair? Would Triple H strike down the beast? Would Undertaker finally get the victory that should of been his last year?

The Match:

What makes this match special is that everything comes off as a big deal. Triple H's entrance all the way to Taker's walk to the ring. What may be a hidden highlight or brushed off by some people is Triple H's reaction when the Undertaker reveals his shaved off head. Undertaker never once shown it previous to this match and acting in kayfabe, it would be quite astonishing to see Undertaker's head absent of hair considering his whole career his hair had been quite punctual. Had HHH's devastation of this man truly eat away at The Undertaker that much? The question was answered not verbally but visually. Both men stare each other down before acknowledging the stage that had help them define their career. The stage where Undertaker presented the Cell as no man's land......and the stage where Triple H had presented the cell as His land. The match starts off very similar to last year. No tie up, no getting inside your opponents head with mind games, or anything all that would crawl around the point. The match was a battle and it was going to start off as a battle. Both guys trading blows but unlike last year, Triple H doesn't get the advantage.

The Undertaker is a different Undertaker from last year. This Undertaker isn't here to prove it isn't his time yet....he's here to prove that he will always be the dog of this yard. The beginning of this match is mostly Undertaker showing that he can still be dominant and that he can still be the man. How does he prove that? By beating Triple H's ass around the cell for about 5 minutes I believe. Triple H's tries to come back with his knee face crusher but that immediately gets eaten up by The Undertaker and gives him a clothesline for his troubles. Triple H, at this point, hasn't even gotten the chance to dictate his own offense or workout his plans. After tasting the steel steps, Triple H finally gets a chance to catch a breather and think of his next move. Triple H's next move turns out to be Pedigreeing Undertaker onto those steel steps the Deadman had been planning to use. A little extreme but understandable. Unfortunately for Triple H, Taker has still has enough juice to fight off the Pedigree and give a ode to last year by back body dropping him off of something that elevates them both. The Phenom then decides that HHH hasn't had enough of that fist salad and proceeds to continue to punch Triple H until he gets that lovely thing we like to refer in wrestling as being "Busted open the hardway". How does Triple H repay him? By giving the Undertaker a Spinebuster onto the steel steps!

At this point, that is as good as HHH can get as far as getting his foot back in the door. Taker busts out that desperation move that helped him achieve victory last year in the Hells Gate and he gets it locked in tight on HHH. However, Triple H has the best fucking counter for it(As well as the most ballsy) by powerbombing the fuck out of Undertaker. It gets him a two count but this is when the match gets great. Remember when The Game tried to pedigree The Deadman onto the steel steps and that was AFTER his first real offensive move in the match? You do? Well here is what it preluded to or should I say, what it was suppose to tell you was this: Triple H isn't fucking around. After Triple H's extremely nice way of telling the Undertaker to go fuck himself for using the Hells Gate on him, he goes outside with urgency and grabs two steel chairs. If this was a movie, Undertaker would be Tobi and the scene would be if Tobi thought it was a good idea to start calling himself Kunte Kinte again. If you don't get it, Triple H is about to make Undertaker relieve every moment of that ass whipping he received last year including a few extra new scenes JUST because he(Taker) loved it so much.


What makes this so great is that this is exactly what Triple H was talking about when he said he knew what he needed to do. Triple H has threw less at Taker and beat him at lesser stages but when he threw it all at him on a bigger stage, he lost. That is what caused him or causing him to realize that he has to bring it at a higher level than he has for anyone else and unfortunately for Taker that level is murderer. The Game smacks him with chairs, slams his head into the steel steps, and goes above the Austin limit of destroying people with chairs by trying to eradicate Undertaker with about 19 or 20 steel chair shots. Even the crowd finds themselves booing this near heelish actions. During this beatdown(If we can call it that. At this point it might as well be attempted murder by the way HHH is trying to turn Taker's spine to jelly.), we see Triple H's use of Shawn Michaels.


Now during Triple H/Undertaker's build last year, Triple H straight up told HBK that he(Shawn) had gone full bitch and lacked the ability to not care about if his opponent is able to wake up the next day. You see, Shawn is the Yin while Triple H is the brutal Yang. Michaels is a christian who will not do to others what he wouldn't do to himself(Like kill his best friend) and at most, fights in the name of competition. Triple H isn't that. He will do onto others however the hell his feels like and fights to win.......whatever the means. There was a point that a guy he had mentored for 2 years and really created a strong bond with, he nearly got him hit by a car. Why? Only because there had been rumors of the man(His friend) contending for his champiionship. Triple H could give less of a fuck about his adversaries and even his friends have felt that wrath at some point. So Triple H being the Yang to Michaels's Yin nearly played a part in Undertaker's defeat.

See whether or not Shawn Michaels called the fight, Triple H was going to do this to the Undertaker. Due to the circumstances though, Michaels was a asset to Triple H tainting the streak. HBK has had many of injuries in his career and he knows first hand what kind of pain wrestlers go through. So to see what Triple H is doing to Undertaker is something that needs to stop. What HHH knows is that if Shawn does call it, that's a win for him. So while destroying the Undertaker, HHH can manipulate HBK's emotions to give him the victory and that is all achieved by what Triple H does best, put people as potential candidates for the ER. Brilliant and I mean Brilliant storytelling by all three guys.


So Triple H doesn't get the pin after beating Taker to near death with a chair so he smacks the Deadman(Soon to be literally) in the spine with one more chair shot for good measure before grabbing Mr. Hammer. The same Sledgehammer that didn't get to touch Undertaker's skull last year and became the "what if" scenario. Hunter tells the Sexy Boy one more time he better call the match or we are going to see Taker became a retard in the next couple seconds. Taker of course tells Michael no for the 15th time while sounding about as confident as a Drunk man denying himself the pleasure of fucking Kim Kardishan as she stands naked in front of him. Then WHAM! Triple H hits him with the Sledgehammer as the crowd buy it, the commentators seem to buy it, and as I buy it as well.

1





2





Taker KICKS OUT! Triple H can't believe it and now I'm starting to forget this is Triple H's workover section. Hurst gets pissed and now he is on full murderer stage as a he attempts to Gallagher Undertaker. Luckily for Taker(And all the kids who don't watch Saw movies), HBK grabs that shit out of HHH's hand and throws it out of the ring. Helmsely tells him to end it and at this point, Shawn is in a pickle. He respects the Undertaker and understands his streak means everything to him but his best friend almost committed homicide on live PPV. Checks on Taker once.....twice....three times which is enough for Taker to realize at this point, HBK is a liability and takes him out himself Hell's Gate. Of course Triple H breaks this up in the most brutal way possible(With the Sledgehammer) and moves his friend out of way so he doesn't get any of Taker's guts on that nice referee shirt. To bad for him(Hunter) that this was enough time for The Phenom to realize kicking HHH in the dick wouldn't exactly be looked down upon at this point and proceeds to drive his foot into the King Of King's jewelry. Now he definitely won't be having any boys soon!

Locks HHH in the Hells Gate and doesn't get power bombed this time due to the tactical strike to the nut sack. Game goes to Sledgy to get him out of this predicament and like Last Year, he doesn't have the power to will it into one of Taker's organs. Well this moment would tell you it is a foregone conclusion.....or at least it would be had HBK not been sleeping on the canvas. They of course send the marathon runner, Charles Robinson, to call this match now and I don't know if they did this on purpose or not but Robinson being the replacement for Undertaker's referee's has to more than coincidence. Whatever. Undertaker catches Triple H in the chokeslam and gets a great fucking 2.99999 out of it. You want to know what makes that fall the shit and a totally believable nearfall even though Undertaker's chokeslam hasn't beaten a turd? The whole business beforehand with the Hell's Gate and a near unconscious man being hit with a high impact move as soon as he gets up. See? Putting your shit in the right place can make the crowd go bonkers no matter how legitimate or unlegitimate that move is. Same with that Sledgehammer spot from earlier.

Undertaker decides Robinson sucks as a referee and chokeslams the shit out of him too. This match is getting to awesome now. Tombstone coming! SUPER KICK! PEDIGREE! HOLY SHIT COVER!



1



2



THRE----AGH HAWK FUCKING DAMMIT! What the fuck is going on!? Michaels is in the corner with hands over face can't believing what he just did! What a logical reaction to Taker making him pass out earlier! Now Shawn is regretting it because now he is having a WWJD moment and knows that was wrong! Triple H goes and grabs his Sledgehammer so he can officially end this bitch but Shawn tries to redeem himself by trying to stop it! H ain't having it and tosses his punk ass out of the ring! Triple H turns around and Undertaker sits up! "OH SHIT!" Triple H's reaction is priceless! Undertaker starts doing his regular comeback and the crowd is going apeshit! I LOVE THIS! TOMBSTONE! MICHAELS IN!




ONE




TWO




THNOOOOO! Triple H kicks out and Undertaker has the best facial reaction since his match at Mania 25! Shawn, at this point, is not even sure if he is making the right decisions anymore. Headbutt by Taker at Triple H's eyebrow wound so Triple H responds by jacking his jaw with his fist! Both men are just trading blows! Yays for Taker and Booes for The Game! Taker starts to win but Triple H starts to out strike him! Tombstone attempt! PEDIGREE! 1, 2 AND NO FUCKING THREE! You got to be kidding me! Both guys are out of it. Triple H crawls for his trusty sledgehammer....Taker for the chair. Taker grabs the chair and Triple H gets the sledgehammer but Taker steps on it. Amazing visual with Triple H staring up at Undertaker. End of the chair to the face! Chair shot! Chair shot! Taker is now taking Triple H down a path towards memory lane. Michaels pleads for a pinfall as Taker just tosses the now broken chair into the cell. He only gets two and Michaels and Taker are now giving him a taste of his own medicine with lectures. Triple H crawls towards his feet with Sledgehammer in hand as the other two men watch him painfully do so. Words cannot do justice of how Triple H is just realizing how fucked he truly is. It's like he told all the other survivors to run off as he fends off the zombie horde with a broken arm and three bullets. Taker tells him "Don't do it" as Triple H uses his last amount of power to try to smack him with that Sledgehammer.....maybe fool himself that he has enough to come back. Taker defends and shakes his head at HHH who pushes him to tell him(Taker) how pissed off he is. Triple H looks at both HBK and Taker as they look at him in dismay. HBK knows it is over and Undertaker does but Triple H refuses. He tells Taker to Suck His Dick before he eats a Sledgehammer! Straps off and you can see Michaels looking down in the corner remembering this exact same moment with him in Triple H's shoes. Undertaker looks Triple H in the eyes and gives him the sign of death. I can't illustrate how badass that is. Tombstone and Michaels counts the three.

Post match: Lot of selling going on here as Taker celebrates his victory and gives Michaels a hugs since this will be the last we will see of these two concerning for the foreseeable future and they send off the Attitude Era in the best way possible. They also pick up the corpse formerly known as Triple H and drag he carcass to the back but not before saying one final goodbye to the audience.

My thoughts:
The Match is what I like to call the Spectacle......because that is what it is. Everything is presented as a big deal. From the entrances all the way down to the climax of the match. They literally had the crowd in the palm of their hand and everything is immediately gotten. You get why this is happening and you understanding what is going on. Why this is a big deal and why that is a big deal. It's a tremendous storytelling match and I think it might be one of the last we see like this. They made the Undertaker's sit up make people go bonkers....that's saying allot when you don't need to do a move to get that kinda reaction out of people. Not saying that's a bad thing for other wrestlers as I'll talk about it when I review The War but it's something I feel we might not get enough of. Anyway, tremendous match and my only negative would be the beginning needed a little something to it. Oh and this is a three part series explaining my top matches and how they are completely different but great for whatever the audience.
****3/4
 
#1,084 ·
Does anybody rate matches by how much they enjoy them anymore? Putting all these rules to wrestling really kills the fun of it, at least for me. "You MUST sell this, you MUST hold this facial expression, you CAN'T do this..."

If a facial expression ruins an entire match for you, man, I don't even know anymore. It's like the difference between going to movies because you want to see the movie, and going to movies because you're a critic. Difference is the former enjoys what he's watching while the latter doesn't and is doing it for the paycheck. In my opinion, of course. I just think nitpicking every minute detail of every minute of a match kills it. Sometimes it's just more fun to sit back and enjoy the ride.
 
#1,085 ·
Selling affects HUGELY how much I enjoy a match, though. If one guys bombs another, and the guy getting bombed keeps getting up and yelling like a fucking moron, I won't enjoy the match. Or at least that part of it. He just got wiped out and should stay the fuck down. Some are entertained by that five million mile an hour style match where both guys just squeeze in as many moves as they can. I'm not. Some people aren't taken out of a match when there's people no-selling galore. I am.

I can't speak for everyone, but I certainly don't do anything more than "sit back and enjoy the ride". I can be analytical, but I'm not looking at it from any other perspective other than my own enjoyment. I'll talk about the selling because I adore it when a guy sells well- I literally enjoy that.

Facials aren't match-ruiners for me, but if I'm watching Keiji Mutoh in a submission hold and he's just staring into space not even trying to get the move over........well fuck him. That still fits into the 'no sell' category more than anything.

If there's a match with two guys, I'll use Cena and Henry. Let's say I enjoyed this match, but it could have been better to me. Cena ate a beating from Henry, and Cena ate it really well. His facials looked like he was in pain, and he bumped well, etc. By that point I'm enjoying the match. THEN, Cena bursts up out of nowhere, no sells everything and pins Henry lightning fast. I'd say "fuck that" because there's no way I'd enjoy it. I wouldn't say "Cena should have built his comeback gradually" because I'm critiquing, I would say "Cena should have built his comeback gradually" because I would enjoy the match more if he did. They aren't rules and I'm not sitting with a note pad writing down what somebody did wrong. I'm sure you look at some wrestling matches and think "_insert thing here_ would have made the match a lot better." Well _insert thing here_ for me is often good selling. Or selling, period.

Note: I wasn't implying no selling was a Cena thing. I was, however, implying that staring into space is a Mutoh thing. Seriously, Keiji.....react.
 
#1,767 ·
Tanahashi vs. Suzuki
****3/4

Ok, I'm starting to get Tanahashi now. I still don't love what he does (yet) but I am starting to realize how incredible he is at it.

I didn't really mind the air guitar spot, in of itself. Tanahashi was already a heel because I hate him so much. I will say this: if he is supposed to be a babyface (and lets face it, hes booked that way) then this spot is a VERY strange choice. Nevertheless I thought it sparked the hate really well.

The arm work was really great and Suzuki using it to get the sleeper utilized late was awesome. Tanahashi's legwork, while overdone, was great here in large part to the selling. Suzuki looked like he was in agony. The Figure Four MADE this match. Every single thing that happened in that hold was awesome. Suzuki stumbling going into the ropes, but then baiting Tanahashi in for the dropkick was a really exciting hope spot. Tanahashi appearing to pass out was also very very cool.

I also love that there isn't a single pinfall attempt until the finish. It just makes the importance of the submissions that much better.

One problem that one could argue is that Suzuki throws a LOT of kicks after his leg is worked over. I will say, however, that the RIGHT leg gets worked over, and since the right leg isn't the standing leg for his kicks, I don't mind it being the swinging leg. This could bother some people, but its not a huge deal to me.

There is a little bit of execution sloppiness, which takes it down a bit, but I really love the story and the action. Its not as good as Okada vs. Naito, but its the next best thing. NJPW is amazing right now, and I can't wait to see the future.
 
#1,892 ·
Jigsaw vs. Eddie Kingston(Chikara’s Aniversario:The Ogg and I):****
Kingston is the man (not really big news there). I really love some of the little things he does like whenever he has a submission he will tell the referee to ask his opponent if he quits. This is one of the matches in what I would call the best title reign going in America right now. Jigsaw is no slouch either though he is more typical of an indy fellow. That sort of played into things for me honestly.

In the earlier parts of the match Jigsaw hits the weak knee of Kingston and works it for a bit and Kingston sells it really well as always. It is when Jigsaw starts taking it to Kingston with success that he abandons working the leg for a style he is more comfortable with and that’s hitting people in the head with his foot.

Another thing Kingston does in this match that I thought was nifty was using the count on the outside. He’s got the championship advantage so when he is getting beaten up by Jigsaw, he goes to the bar area to get a breather while Jigsaw has to go to the ring to restart the count. When Kingston had the advantage on Jigsaw he did a Kingston dive spot and then took a breather again, this time in the ring.

Something Chikara is really good at doing is having their big matches build. Along with that they know that every show doesn’t need a big match on it. These guys build with matwork towards the beginning, some crowd brawling in the middle-ish, and then end with a fantastic finishing stretch. Chikara doesn’t really have both guys bust out all there big moves but these guys did it and Kingston ends it in a perfect and brutal way. Not going to win MOTY for real or anything but a great match in Kingston’s reign for sure.




Sara Del Rey vs. Eddie Kingston(Chikara’s The Great Escape):****1/2
This match was absolutely incredible. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone give this match this high of a rating but to me this was one of the best matches of the year and in my Top 5 for sure and right up there with Kingston vs. Quack at High Noon. I’d also like to say, many have said it and that doesn’t make any less true, that this is a match you’d only see in Chikara.

Kingston is one of the best male wrestlers on the American indy scene and I could maybe think of only one guy I would put ahead of him for sure. Del Rey was the greatest female wrestler on the indys and possibly the entire world. I don’t think there are any North American female wrestlers I would put above her, EVER. You mix these two elements together with the willingness of a company willing to have a truly competitive match between a male and a female and that’s a recipe for success.

During the entire match Kingston makes a point that he doesn’t think he should be wrestling this woman. He doesn’t do what some men would do in this situation when approaching a match against a woman in this way. Other men would do lots of exaggerating taunting right in front of the woman. Kingston does taunt Del Rey but while he is either beating up her or getting beat up by her. In the earlier parts of the match he is getting kicked and even though he is clearly getting his shit rocked his shit rocked he says “C’mon sweetheart”. Another part that has less to do with Del Rey being a lady is when she goes for a submission on the leg and Kingston says “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” and thus Del Rey replies by standing up and kicking the piss out of the leg which starts a “She’s not kidding” chant. That was awesome.

The amount of emotion in this match from Del Rey is simply a sight to behold. There is a point in the match where she had a crossface locked in and it looked like she was trying to use her legs more to damage Kingston’s arm that she had been working 2/3 of the match I’d say and her facial expressions are perfect. You think she is about to cry because she is giving everything she has and she wants to win so damn badly.

Though I thought the finish could have been ever so slightly better the entire match as a whole was beauty that I really haven’t seen anywhere else outside of Chikara. You can tell why WWE wanted Sara to train their divas. She is one of the best wrestlers on the planet (man or female) and maybe the saddest thing about this is that this would be the last great match we may ever see her in.

 
#2,574 ·
Sami Callihan vs Dave Mastiff, SWE (2/24/12)

Fun little match here. Mastiff is pretty impressive,real agile for his size with some good offence and works a very old school big man style. As WOOLCOCK said ( Gonna take time to get used to that name) He made a very good heel for an underdog to work off and this is where Sami excels. Really basic fun match with a simple big vs little man story. ***1/2

I'm still not sold on Sami though. I'm starting to warm to him somewhat but still don't see the hype like many labeling WOTY. His mannerisms really annoy me. His over the top facial expressions, random shouting and umm , why does he have to dribble so much, just annoy me. It's the same mannerisms that people complain about Davey. Don't know how Sami is any different. I don't know , just don't think Sami's my thing. I can see why he appeals to people though. I'll give him credit where credit is due, he can take one hell of a beating. With the right opponent beating the shit out of him it can make for a fun match and he does play a good face in peril bar the annoying mannerisms.
 
#2,779 ·
4-Way Trios Match – Masaaki Mochizuki, Don Fuji & Magnitude Kishiwada vs Jimmy Susumu, Ryo Saito & Genki Horiguchi vs Shingo Takagi, YAMATO & Chihiro Tominaga vs Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino & Ricochet - DG Infinity 263.

Well bend me over and tickle my scrotum if this wasn't the most fun I've had watching wrestling in a LONG time. I can't even begin to put a rating on it as this was just pure FUN from start to finish, although I will say this has shot to somewhere in my Top 5 for 2012. I was openly laughing at all the Genki Horuchi stuff, and the 'Don Fuji vs the World' chop battle was glorious. You owe it to yourself as a wrestling fan to watch this.

Thank you Seabs for the recommendation, I very likely would have missed this absolute gem had it not been for your glowing review!
 
#5 · (Edited)
I figured this could be a cool project. I'm going to add any matches I'll rate 4 stars or higher on this post, to make it easier for myself and I hope this list can be useful for you guys looking for good matches from this year.

Cactus's MOTYC for 2012

★★★★★

★★★★ ¾
John Cena vs Brock Lesnar (WWE Extreme Rules; 2012/04/29)

★★★★ ½
Dave 'Fit' Finlay vs Sami Callihan (EVOLVE 11; 2012/04/13)


★★★★ ¼
Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW; 2012/06/16)
Daisuke Sekimoto vs Suwama (AJPW; 2012/01/02)
Kazuchika Okada vs Tetsuya Naito (NJPW; 2012/03/04)
Prince Devitt vs Low Ki (NJPW; 2012/05/03)
CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan (WWE Over The Limit; 2012/05/20)
Super Smash Brothers vs The Young Bucks vs Futureshock (PWG Threemedous; 2012/07/21)
CM Punk vs Chris Jericho (WWE WrestleMania XXVIII; 2012/04/01)
Atsushi Aoki & Kotaro Suzuki vs Atsushi Kotoge & Daisuke Harada (NOAH; 2012/22/01)
CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan (WWE Raw; 2012/01/30)
El Generico vs Ricochet (PWG Death To All But Metal; 2012/05/25)
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Minoru Suzuki (NJPW; 2012/10/08)


★★★★
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada (NJPW; 2012/02/12)
Daisuke Sekimoto vs Yuji Okabayashi (BJW; 2012/02/26)
El Generico vs Low Ki (EVOLVE 11; 2012/04/13)
CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan (WWE Money in the Bank; 2012/07/15)
Tatsumi Fujinami & Mitsuya Nagai vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara & Yuki Ishikawa (Legend Pro; 2012/01/08)
Sami Callihan vs Yoshihito Sasaki (BJW; 2012/03/26)
Yuji Nagata, Wataru Inoue & KUSHIDA vs Masakatsu Funaki, Minoru Tanaka & Masayuki Kono (NJPW; 2012/07/01)
Daisuke Sekimoto & Yoshihito Sasaki vs Akebono & Ryota Hama (BJW; 2012/01/02)
Masato Tanaka & Ikuto Hidaka vs Naomichi Marufuji & Taiji Ishimori (Zero-1; 2012/5/16)
The Young Bucks vs The RockNES Monsters vs Super Smash Brothers (PWG World's Finest; 2012/03/17)
Low Ki vs Prince Devitt (NJPW; 2012/11/11)
CM Punk vs John Cena (WWE Night of Champions; 2012/09/16)
Kenny Omega vs Shuji Kondo (AJPW; 2012/03/20)
Austin Aries vs Alex Shelley (TNA Against All Odds; 2012/02/12)
Jun Akiyama vs Keiji Muto (AJPW; 2012/03/20)
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto, Tetsuya Naito & Tama Tonga vs Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, YOSHI-HASHI & Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW; 2012/05/27)
Kazuchika Okada vs Karl Anderson (NJPW; 2012/10/08)


Write-ups
Daisuke Sekimoto & Yoshihito Sasaki vs Akebono & Ryota Hama
BJW; 2012/01/02

For a team of disgustingly fat fuckers, Hama & 'bono are pretty swell in the ring. One day removed from his great ZERO-1 match, Sekimoto is once again putting being the man. He's really growing on me. Hama & Akebono are the big bullies of the match, mostly dominating Sasaki until he gets the hot tag to everyone's favorite roided up midget. Can Sekimoto overcome the big behemoths of Akebono & Ryota Hama? Go see the match and find out.

Rating: ****


-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Daisuke Sekimoto vs Suwama
AJPW; 2012/01/02

Only two days into the new year and Sekimoto already has three matches that could be considered MOTYC material. What a worker. This was a rare powerhouse match that I really got into, something that doesn't happened that often. Suwama, aware of Sekimoto's freaky strength, takes out his back and leaves him helpless. Locking in a crab, whipping him in to the barricade, just making him his bitch basically. This is all fuel to Sekimoto's comeback. He sells the back well and leaves you on the edge of your seat whenever he attempts a big power move.


Rating: ****¼

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tatsumi Fujinami & Mitsuya Nagai vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara & Yuki Ishikawa
Legend Pro; 2012/01/08


The first five minutes of this great ten minute match is mostly matwork that really isn't pretty. There isn't any flawless transitions and nobody makes any progress but I do think this helped the match The mat-wrestling was mostly a struggle that nobody benefited from and now they all pissed off and just want to kick and punch the crap out of each other now. Fujiwara was really the star of the show. Even in his sixties, he can still pull out a great performance like this. He was the grizzled vet that added to tension to the opening parts of the match after bitch-slapping his opponents.


Rating: ****

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Atsushi Aoki & Kotaro Suzuki vs Atsushi Kotoge & Daisuke Harada
NOAH; 2012/22/01


I went into this match thinking the outsiders stood no chance and they did a great job of trying to convince me otherwise. With pointless, yet entertaining matwork, stiff strikes and plenty of high spots and near-falls, this match may sound like a typical Kurt Angle spotfest, but it really wasn't. The near-falls were very emotion-filled and the match could of went either way. A bloody good showing from all four parties.

Rating: ****¼

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan
WWE Raw; 2012/01/31


I really did appreciate the little things in the match like Bryan wrenching Punk's arm like he's William Regal and Punk having to switch arms before the bulldog. It also sounded like the crowd did too, giving an audible reaction whenever Bryan contorted Punk's arm. There was a continuity issue though; Bryan switched which arm he working on during the break, but it's no biggie. Still The best WWE TV match in years.

Rating: ****¼

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada
NJPW; 2012/02/12

I liked how Tana was seen as the vet in the match, dominating Okada with headlocks and Okada only gaining control after taking advantage of Tana's mistakes. Epic match that had my heart-racing on some of the near-falls. I do wish the selling had more continuity.


Rating: ****

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Austin Aries vs Alex Shelley
TNA Against All Odds; 2012/02/12


Just barely a four star match, this was pretty good. Shelley's babyface role in this match felt forced and didn't really work for him until the finishing stretch. Aries was gold as usual. Aries working on Shelley's injured neck really put Shelley over as a good guy, as did Shelley's selling of the sick apron Death Valley Drop. The ending stretch was simply fantastic and it really had me rooting for Shelley and I'm a huge Austin Aries fan. It was back-and-forth and filled with spots, but they all had a strong meaning behind them.

Rating: ****

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Daisuke Sekimoto vs Yuji Okabayashi
BJW; 2012/02/26


What I love about these two workers is that they wrestle a 'powerhouse' style match using basic moves yet they still keep me entertained and can get a MOTYC out of it. That sums this match up nicely. It's partner versus partner and there's a lot of cool spots showing the team's curiosity on who's stronger.

Rating: ****

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kazuchika Okada vs Tetsuya Naito
NJPW; 2012/03/04


We all know I'm a mark for great limbwork and it's going to be no surprise that I loved this match. Okada weakened Naito's neck to set up for his Rainmaker and Naito went all Mutoh-style and took out Okada's leg via basement dropkicks. Plus, 99% of the moves here are all aimed at those body parts. Add on top of that those nuclear near-falls we always get in IWGP title matches and you're looking at an epic match.

Rating: ****¼

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Young Bucks vs Super Smash Brothers vs The RockNES Monsters
PWG Worlds's Finest; 2012/03/17


Everything an indy spotfest should be. Nothing more really needs to be said.

Rating: ****

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kenny Omega vs Shuji Kondo
AJPW; 2012/03/20


It's my first time seeing Omega and I'm a fan already. His heel work is amazing and he just comes off as a right arse to the crowd. Not to mention his epic moveset. There's nothing too in-depth I can really say why I loved this match other than it was just a great face versus heel back-and-forth match filled with plenty of sick moves.

Rating: ****

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Davey Richards vs Michael Elgin
ROH Showdown in the Sun Night 2; 2012/03/31


It has it's flaws and I think Meltzer giving it the full five stars is fucking insane, but considering this match has two guys that I don't care about at all and I ended up loving near enough every second of the match, that's got to be enough to get a nomination. They tried to play up Elgin's size and strength against the smaller size of Richards. There was sick moment whether or not Davey could hit a top rope suplex because of the sheer size of Elgin, this would of been a really cool moment if you know... DAVEY DIDN'T FUCKING RELEASE GERMAN ELGIN WITH EASE FIVE MINUTES EARLIER! Ergh. Aside from that and your typical ROH main event finishing stretch no-selling and near-falls overkill, that's all the bad stuff I can say about this match. The match was filled with emotion, mostly thanks to commentator Nigel McGuinness really getting into the match and rooting for Elgin which really set the mood for plenty of high-stake spots and awesome (and some bad) near-falls.

Rating: ****1/4

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

CM Punk vs Chris Jericho
WWE WrestleMania 28; 2012/04/01


Going into this match, I wasn't too sure what to expect. Both are great wrestlers, but I recall feeling greatly let-down by Jericho's match with Edge at WrestleMania two years ago, so I had a feeling this wouldn't deliver. Thankfully, the match not only exceeded my expectations but I would consider it a strong match of the year candidate. It was the little things that made this match so great. Jericho trying to make Punk freak out, get disqualified and lose his title was a great underlying storyline and even simpler things such as Punk bridging while locking on the Anaconda Vice to stop Jericho from kneeing him made this match a technical classic.

Rating: ****¼

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Low-Ki vs El Generico
EVOLVE 11: Callihan vs Finlay; 2012/04/13


This was bloody fantastic. Low Ki's strong style background visually intimidated Generico. He flinched after Low-Ki attempted a strike and when Generico tried to return the favor, Low-Ki just stared at him like a motherfucker who then proceeds to beat the living crap out of Generico. Generico needs to find something to combat Low Ki's offense and he eventually does with his speed. This told a great story and ended at the right time, something a lot of EVOLVE matches struggle to do.

Rating: ****

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dave 'Fit' Finlay vs Sami Callihan
EVOLVE 11: Callihan vs Finlay; 2012/04/13


Limbwork, stiff strikes and MANLINESS~! Both men bleed the hardway by headbutting each other. In a similar vein to their last match at EVOLVE, Finlay dishes out most of the beating. At the time, the spot where both men knock each other down with dueling kicks not once, not twice, but THREE times did annoy me, but when I look back on it now on how it made the closing minutes even more epic. The final counter was also fucking epic, but I'm not going to spoil that for you. As of now, this is my MOTY.

Rating: ****½
 
#13 ·
Daisuke/Sato was too long, Sato brings nothing to the table aside from his stiff as hell kicks. Korakuen being so quiet didn't help either. Sekimoto carried Kohei and made things interesting but not enough for a MOTYC mention imo. The Fire Festival Final was shorter and had a better crowd (although Daisuke didn't looked as good as he did here).

kinda off topic but I was pissed with Daichi's match. I guess I should have seen it coming but after all the fantasy booking I couldn't help but feel disappointed.
 
#14 ·
Kohei Sato vs Daisuke Sekimoto
ZERO-1; 2012/01/01

The beginning and end of the match were great, but it was the middle that really held it down. The match started out very power-based with plenty of headlocks, shoulder tackles and chest slaps. MANLY~! It was all going great until about eight minutes in when Sato took control of the match. Sato doesn't seem to have any idea to make his control segments interesting and they went on much longer than they needed to be. The finish had plenty of impressive deadlift moves that we have come to expect out of Sekimoto. Trim off 5 minutes out of the middle and this would of been MOTYC-worthy.

Rating: ***¾
 
#20 · (Edited)
IWGP Tag Team Title Match
Bad Intentions (Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson) © vs Tenkoji (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima)​
Whether this is the feeling of someone in the know or a genuine issue, I have to admit that a lot of wrestling matches don't feel as if the match is a proper fight but rather a flashy affair with the intetion of winning sprinkled between the big moves. This, however, felt dirty and it felt like a real fight. Bad Intentions truly beat the crap out of Tenzan at the match's start with repeated elbows and knee-drops (after Kojima was knocked off the apron) and it gave the crowd an awakening thanks to Tenzan's counter of Anderson's brainbuster due to his growing ego and confidence in thinking Tenzan was down for the count. This definitely got the crowd heavily behind Tenkoji, with a loud pop when Kojima went for the Bakayaro Elbow.

I honestly thought Bad Intentions would retain after a Gun Stun, Magic Killer AND a very impressive aided-powerbomb by Bernard. Tenzan's kick-out gave a lot of kayfabe sense to Bad Intentions dropping the belts (adding to booking sense of this being the perfect time and opponents to drop it to), though, and Bernard definitely didn't look bad in defeat, either, having succumbed only to both of Tenkoji's individual finishers. This had A LOT of things that went right for it but, sadly, it did have it's weak points, too.

Bernard's selling of Kojima's DDT was, without question, below par but otherwise he held his own (and despite him not being the greatest thing in the ring, a match such as this makes his badass nature a gem). The worst moves of the match and a major issue for me were, however, were Kojima's chops. Sure, they had the crowd behind them but I have a massive disdain for weakly attempted chops. Unlike quite a few people I don't have an issue, as such, with the move but rather the tendency for a wrestler to deliver a superfluous amount of them to the point that they look weak and extremely ineffective. Perhaps I'm being overly critical of them, but it's a definite means of lowering my enjoyment within the match and hurts its rating. Faults aside, I also have to bring up the issue of Anderson's Gun Stun (and this is perhaps my newbie experience of Anderson showing, here) but his mannerism during the cutter and setting up of the Gun Stun on Tenzan reminded me A LOT of Randy Orton's RKO - especially the ground pounding. Whether done in homage or not (and this doesn't seem it is) I'm not a particular fan of wrestlers using another's "set ups" or mannerisms.

All this aside, and in summation, this match was damn good and definitely better than my expectation of it. It's not going to win any awards for greatest match of the year, but it does everything it needed to, and does it well, I must add. Great match.

Rating: 4.25- (the chops make me want to drag this down to a 4 but I'll make somewhat of an exception and settle with this)

Still have Tanahashi/Suzuki, Apollo 55/NRC and Yano/Marufuji to watch through. By the looks of things I'll have another three early MotYCs. Not bad for one show.


You can never go wrong with Black Terry. I'll give that a watch after I'm done with Wrestlekingdom. I've read, though, that the second and third falls are a bit rushed not to mention El Hijo Del Pirata is probably a bit out of his league but you and Segunda Caida only sing its praises so I shall give it a go. Not the greatest Maestro Lucha fan but I'll make do. If a match is good enough, though, it can make a fan of just about anyone.
 
#51 · (Edited)
Agreed.

These days I can hardly be bothered to watch wrestling I'll get part way through an event and stop or take a whole day to watch a match.

But when it comes to BJW I'm glued to the screen. It's one of the easiest companies to watch and the mix of good wrestling and great deathmatch is almost perfect.

Not to mention Sekimoto & Okabayshi tearing it up.



Also..... Brahmans!
 
  • Like
Reactions: antoniomare007
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top