[KeepItFresh]

Jimmy Jacobs v.s B.J. Whitmer from IWA-MS 500th Show ****3/4.

This was just an epic brawl. These two beat the living hell out eachother. Seriously is number 2 on MOTYC list now. It's hard to explain after watching it how good it actually was... It was just awesome.

[Leonardo LunchBoX]

Was that the barbed wire match? Cause i heard that was one of the most insane matches in America for the past couple years.

[KeepItFresh]

Now that was their I Quit Match there was no Barbwire.

I actually changed the rating to ****1/2-****3/4. It will probably be the best IWA-MS match I see this year... Unless their other match you mentioned Lunchbox is infact better.

[ROH]

Originally Posted by sirdilznik

Story can be very overrated IMHO.

Ugh, without storytelling wrestling wouldn't be wrestling.

[McQueen]

Originally Posted by ROH

Ugh, without storytelling wrestling wouldn't be wrestling.

Indeed, this is why no matter how skilled the man is Doug Williams will forever be an epic fail in the grand scheme of the wrestling business. Without a story in a match then it would just be MOVEZ!, but then again MOVEZ! can be fun sometimes.

[sirdilznik]

Originally Posted by ROH

Ugh, without storytelling wrestling wouldn't be wrestling.

I'm not saying it doesn't have a place in wrestling and it certainly can make a match better and more entertaining to have a great stroy to a match, but some people act like story and psychology are the end all, be all of a wrestling match. What I'm saying is they're not. They are but 2 of many factors that determine whether I enjoy a match or not.

[ROH]

Originally Posted by sirdilznik

I'm not saying it doesn't have a place in wrestling and it certainly can make a match better and more entertaining to have a great stroy to a match, but some people act like story and psychology are the end all, be all of a wrestling match. What I'm saying is they're not. They are but 2 of many factors that determine whether I enjoy a match or not.

When I first really got into wrestling (I always liked it before, but not that much) through ROH, back in late 2005, I used to write brief DVD reviews when I had nothing to do (back then we got little to no school work). Looking back, I didn't enjoy certain matches because I said 'it was just wrestling'. Nowadays, after learning alot more about wrestling and re-watching some of those matches, I realised those matches that had no stories and consisted of just moves weren't enjoyable or engaging.

I know that's just how I see it, but if you look at all the classic matches throughout time that have really got the crowd to care (Autin/Hart, Owen/Hart for example), storytelling is prominent. Matches with no storytelling (lots of Briscoe tags, general Indy spotfests) make the crowd react, but not care.

Hell, even talking to Martin Stone on the journey back home from King of Trios, he said he didn't like lots of the matches at KOT (Team IWS vs Team F1RST for example) because they just weren't telling stories. He appreciated what they were doing, but he said it wasn't engaging enough for him. (For the record I do like the fast paced CHIKARA 6 man style and lots of matches that weekend did tell stories, so my love of them isn't contextually hypocritical)

Stroytelling makes the viewer care, so it's one of, if not the most prominent point in wrestling. It literally is not possible to be overrated. It's not something you rate/say is good or bad. You wouldn't have wrestling without it; it can't be overrated.

-----

As far as MOTYCs go, I'm lowering Aries/Stevens from Proving Ground from ****1/2 to ****_****1/4. No particlar reason; I guess could have had some more nearfalls.

Aries/Shiozaki from ROH 6YA ruled my soul. Everything good about wrestling in there. ****1/4, would be ****1/2nbut the middle section was too slow.

[Maxx Hero]

I feel that story is key to wrestling, but that is not the soul base of ratings. I agree that it should be how entertained I am. A story can do this wonderfully, ala Danielson and Nigel's stuff in 2006. Story can be replaced if the match is freaking insane. To me, Speed Muscle against Kel Steenerico didn't seem to have much story besides nearfalls, which is explainable with the language barrier (I know it can be traversed like Joe vs. Kobashi, but this is rare), but that match had me caring. I was blown out of my mind by the moves they were doing and the resilience that they showed with the kick outs.

Can moves always make up for a lack of story? No. Example, I watched WSX after going to one ROH show, and never seeing anything indy or Japan on DVD. I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread #2 (Marufuji does it better than Kendrick imo). The day that season one DVD came out I got it (along with a free best of the deathmatches). I watched it cover to cover and gave nothing a good rating. These little sprint matches were cool with the moves and all but there was nothing super interesting to make me remember it after I watched the next match.

Often times I may give crazy matches good ratings but move them down later. I gave the Team Ca$h vs. BLK OUT COD ****1/2 on first viewing (minus 1/2 because the finish sucked big time), but after viewing again I bumped it down to ***1/2. Sure that stuff was cool, but I would rather watch something with substance. This seems to be regular for me with matches of the hardcore nature. Trent Acid and Homicides match at WrestleRave got a ****1/2 at first, but I now have it at ****.

I think ratings are like foods. The basic moves are like the carbs, they keep you going. It may not be oyour favorite food those arm drags and shoulder tackles, but they are key to your substance. Dairy is charisma and crowd interacion, like bones, it strengthens the match. Your meat is the big moves like powerbombs and finishers like the the half nelson suplex. They are cool, but if you just rely on them you will be unhealthy, and the matches would be terrible. Technical mat work is your fruits and vegetables. We may not like it, I mean eww, asparagus (headlocks to you Danielson), but some of it can be good chain wrestling which is pretty sweet, like strawberries. Last but not (well maybe it is) least is spots and random indy MoVEZ, your sugars and fats. You can not just eat chocolate, and thus you need to do more than flips and head drops to get over.

[sirdilznik]

^^^ Damn that is a might good post Maxx. You put a lot of what I've been trying to say a heck of a lot more eloquently than I could ever have. Anyway I agree with pretty much dang everything you wrote.

[-Blaskohiro Tenryu-]

Trent Acid and **** 1/2 makes my stomach turn...