Jeff Cobb vs. Timothy Thatcher - Supreme Pro Wrestling - 2/13/2013

The blog lives! Life put it on hiatus for a bit but it's time to get back into the swing of things with some fine independent wrestling. Let's go.

Jeff Cobb vs. Timothy Thatcher
I watched this match a few days ago, but not as closely as I will today. I enjoyed it immensely at the time, especially after watching the "Beat the Streets" wrestling competition before checking this out. Cobb and Thatcher look like legitimate athletes: muscular and lean but not overly chiseled. Thatcher has a similar build to Cesaro while "Mr. Athletic" Jeff Cobb is more squat, built like a keg.

They lock up straight away. Not your typical collar-and-elbow fair, but each has an underhook on the other as they jockey for position. Cobb drives Thatcher back into the ropes and breaks clean. Thatcher gets Cobb in a waistlock on the next lock up. Cobb escapes to grab one of his own, then hoists Thatcher into the air and brings him down to the mat. Thatcher counters on the ground to get behind Cobb. Both repeatedly go for waistlocks from behind when they can.

Thatcher gets Cobb in a hammerlock as they rise up. Cobb reverses into a hammerlock of his own, down to a waistlock, trips Thatcher, moves across him, and puts in a chinlock. Thatcher reverses into another hammerlock. Both men try quick pins, both get two counts.

They rise to their feet and tie up. Thatcher takes Cobb down and wrenches on Cobb's arm. Cobb grabs Thatcher's ankle and trips him. Thatcher picks Cobb's ankle from the bottom and pulls him into an ankle lock, forcing Cobb to grab the bottom rope. They lock up again, this time in a greco-roman knucklelock. Thatcher slips his leg behind Cobb, getting the mechanical advantage. He forces Cobb down to the mat and into a pin. Cobb bridges out before the three, rises up, and forces Thatcher down this time. Cobb shoves Thatcher's leg out from under him, putting Thatcher in a pin, but Thatcher gets out at two.

The two clutch onto each other in that Greco-Roman lock. Thatcher manages to break the hold on one hand with a kick to Cobb's arm, then yanks Cobb in and delivers a hard kick to Cobb's shoulder. Thatcher pulls Cobb to the mat again, this time working in a double wristlock. Cobb escapes and drops Thatcher with a fireman's carry. Now Cobb works Thatcher's arms, turning the wrist over, making Thatcher front flip to avoid a broken wrist. Cobb elbows Thatcher in the jaw when they rise up, the first strike of the match by my count. He shoots Thatcher into the ropes and dropkicks him. Two count. Thatcher gets back up. Cobb hoists him in the air for a delayed vertical suplex, marching around the ring before finally dropping the guy. Thatcher kicks out of a pin; Cobb grabs a headlock.

Thatcher pushes himself up into a headstand to escape. He rolls over Cobb, grabs a headlock of his own, gets a headlock take down, then pulls Cobb into a cross armbreaker. Thatcher has to roll back to escape it. Cobb rolls across Thacher, escaping his grip, then gets a headlock on.  Cobb takes Thatcher to the mat. Thatcher somehow twists Cobb into a crossface. Cobb has to use the ropes to escape again.

Now Thatcher has control. He butterfly suplexes Cobb then goes for a cross armbreaker. He's pulling back with all his might, but Cobb flips himself over and pushes Thatcher back into a pin. Thatcher kicks out at two but doesn't break his hold on Cobb's arm. Cobb clubs Thatcher in the back, finally breaking the hold. Thatcher hits a European uppercut, his first streak of the match. He attempts a pin but only gets two. Thatcher smashes Cobb across the back with a clubbing blow of his own, then drops Cobb with a big European uppercut. Cobb's reeling now. Successive uppercuts make him wobble. Cobb finally dodges one, gets behind Thatcher, and twisting back drops him. Thatcher kicks out of the pin. Cobb grabs a waistlock, deadlifts Thatcher up, and drops him with a German.

Thatcher kicks out and grabs another arm lock as he does so. He twists around Cobb, grabs underhooks on both arms from behind, and rolls Cobb over. Cobb's stuck in the pin, the ref counts to three. Thatcher gets the win in a great show of mat wrestling.

Match Rating: ****? Tough to score, but I loved this. Obvious flaws of the star system and putting a square peg in a round hole and etc. etc. aside, this was great. They didn't work this like anything else I've watched lately except for amateur wrestling. Not that this was an amateur wrestling shoot-style pro wrestling match. It is clearly reminiscent of catch wrestling though. The first strike occurs about two-thirds of the way into the match. Thatcher doesn't strike Cobb until the last few minutes. They make the few blows that they work in seem ultra effective because of their rarity. There isn't a big finisher or high spot to end this either. It's not even a sudden roll up. It's a hard fought, scraping roll up. Thatcher gets Cobb in a bad place, a dominant position. He rolls him over and sticks his shoulders to the mat in a way that he can't get out of for three seconds. It wasn't a fight, it was a wrestling match. I almost feel bad giving this "just" four stars. It's excellent, but my biggest knock is that I never quite popped the way I do for matches that I rate more highly. That could be my own fault for being unfamiliar with the style, but four stars is nothing to scoff at.

MORE Best of Japan 2000s

I continue to work my way through the Best of Japan in the 2000s project. Today's one of those days where I try to knock out a few more matches and get back on track. Let's see how it goes.

Toshiaki Kawada vs. Shinya Hashimoto - All Japan Pro Wrestling - Feb 22, 2004
Two of my favorites from Japan square off in this one so I've got high hopes coming in. Hashimoto has a really impressive bad ass aura for someone who really does look like fat Japanese Elvis. I'll give credit to the gear. The two back each other up early and break cleanly. Cleanly but cautiously. The two work on the mat after that with Hashimoto trying to double wristlock Kawada. Kawada gets a kick up to Hashimoto's head to break the hold. Hashimoto elbows Kawada away which pisses Kawada off. Kawada throws a high kick right into Hashimoto's face and he stares death back at him. They start trading strikes for a moment, popping the crowd.

There's a long low kick exchange next. Kawada comes out the worse for wear, dropping to the ground and clutching his knee after Hashimoto sweeps the leg. Hashimoto targets the knee; Kawada sells like a champ. Hashimoto evolves from grinding and stomping on the knee to a leg hold. Kawada drags his way to the ropes to make a save.

Kawada comes back with bigger, harder kicks. He drops a knee on Hashimoto's arm then tries to pull on an armbar which leads to a protracted struggle. Kawada pulls Hashimoto into an arm triangle then counters it back into an arm bar when Hashimoto escapes. Hashimoto is right under the ropes but takes a while before he decides to grab them. Kawada enzuigiris Hashimoto, twice, but it takes a back drop to get the big man off his feet. Kawada keeps going after Hashimoto's arm and shoulder.

Hashimoto spikes Kawada with a brainbuster but rolls around in agony after, clutching his shoulder. The crowd chants for Kawada. Now its Hashimoto who chops away at his opponent with high kicks. He tries another brainbuster but his shoulder gives out. Both men look exhausted. Kawada knees Hashimoto in the gut repeatedly, throws a kick, more high kicks, elbows, and finally an enzuigiri/ Hashimoto actually gets up first, having used the ropes to catch his fall. He blasts Kawada with a kick to the chest. Kawad dropkicks Hashimoto twice, neither drops him. Hashimoto takes another enzuigiri, wobbles, and fainlly collapses back. Two count!

Kawada drops a knee to Hashimoto's shoulder two more times. He wrenches in a stretch plum, cranking Hashimoto's shoulder further and further. Hashimoto doesn't give in but he's stuck in the middle of the ring. He may not give in, but his corner does. A towel comes flying in, this one's over.

Good match, really liked how big of a deal each Hashimoto bump became. Top quality work on the arm and leg by each guy but the ending sucked. I mean, it makes sense for Zero 1 to protect their ace, but it feels soooo anticlimactic.

Match Rating: ***3/4


Masato Tanaka vs. Shinya Hashimoto - ZERO 1 - Nov 7, 2003
Hashimoto beat the shit out of Tanaka last time I saw these two together. This one is more even right out that gates. Tanaka gets Hashimoto on his back and into a leghold. The veteran Hashimoto straight up out wrestles Tanaka, working him into a triangle choke. Tanaka tries a test of strength that he wins by headbutting Hashimoto's shoulder. Tanaka immediately works that over. He slaps Hashimoto's shoulder which leads to Hashimoto slapping him back. In the face. Harder and harder. Tanaka looks like a punk compared to Hashimoto.

Hashimoto tries to cave Tanaka's chest in with two hard, hard kicks. Tanaka has to roll outside onto the mats below to catch a breather. Hashimoto takes him down the second he reenters the ring. A standing senton flattens Tanaka. Hashimoto claps his hands, getting the audience going once he gets back up. Tanaka boots Hashimoto in the face until Hashimoto finally falls over. His nose bleeds as he clutches the ropes and Tanaka's assault continues. He takes Hashimoto down by the arm, refocusing his efforts there.

Hashimoto catches Tanaka's arm as he tries to club away at Hashimoto's shoulder. Hashimoto headbutts Tanaka then goes back to those super stiff kicks to the chest. Tanaka looks like he regrets ever getting near Hashimoto now. The ref chides Hashimoto for continuing to kick Tanaka while he's in the corner. In response, Hashimoto kicks the ref away. The ass kicking must go on. Tanaka surprises everyone with a tornado DDT. He forearms Hashimoto, then his a diving forearm, then two lariats but the big guy is still on his feet. Tanaka hits the ropes, ducks a Hashimoto strike, then finally knocks Hash down with another lariat. He goes up top for a frog splash that Hashimoto dodges. That was a short run.

Tanaka eats a big DDT. He kicks out at two on the cover. Hashimoto tries for a brainbuster but Tanaka fights like mad to get out of it. He scoops Hashimoto up for a slam that barely keeps Hashimoto down. A crazy stiff slap and then a discus elbow have about the same effect. Another body slam leads to a frog splash. This one lands. Tanaka tries to double wristlock Hashimoto's arm and almost gets it in. Hashimoto has to grab the ropes to avoid it. Hashimoto shoulders Tanaka after both come off the ropes. he blasts him with another kick. A huge DDT follows. None of it is enough to put Tanaka away.

Tanaka can't get to his feet after Hashimoto lays in some more offense. The ref starts the ten count, only for Hashimoto to interrupt it with a double stomp. Hashimoto puts Tanaka in a triangle choke; the ref stops the match moments later.

Match rating: *** This showdown is less of an extended squash than the first one. Tanaka actually gets a good amount of offense in, especially compared to their match earlier in the set. Hashimoto still beats the snot out of Tanaka whenever they go toe-to-toe. He's the ace of the promotion and the absolute killer in there.


Toshiaki Kawada vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Shibata jumps Kawada before the bell rings. He takes a hard, swinging kick at Kawada but Kawada lays back to evade it. Shibata follows him outside to keep the pressure on. A few more hard kicks lay Kawada out while Shibata waits back inside the ring.

Kawada throws a low kick that Shibata checks. They trade forearms that get harder and harder. Kawada winds back for one big hit but the last forearm he took sinks in, making him stagger. Shibata works on his neck for a moment then makes a cover. Kawada kicks out at one. The two go back to slapping each other now. Shibata boots Kawada's stomach. He gives two Kawada kicks which gets an "ohhh" from the crowd. More importantly, it puts Kawada into a rage. Kawada chops and kicks Shibata until he collapses in the corner. Shibata stands up only for Kawada to back drop him. Kawada puts Shibata in the stretch plum. Shibata refuses to tap but the life slowly fades. Kawada makes a cover that gets two.

Kawada sits Shibata up. He tries a kick to the chest but Shibata catches it and hangs on. Shibata throws a hard elbow at Kawada's face. Kawada fires back with chops. Another strike exchange makes Kawada teeter into the ropes. Shibata puts on a sleeper though Kawada is grabbing the ropes. Shibata back drops Kawada then goes back to the sleeper. Shibata leaves Kawada sitting there, bounds off the ropes, and his the PK. Shibata works on another sleeper. Kawada powers out of it and rises to his feet. The two start to slap and trade strikes again. Looks very awkward. Kawada grabs Shibata by the hair and decks him with a closed fist. Shibata drops. He tries to stand so Kawada kicks him in the side of the head. Kawada adds a knee drop for good measure. He makes the cover and gets three.

Match Rating: **1/4 Fun little sprint but nothing worth writing home about. Kawada showed a bit too much ass for my liking. I enjoyed Shibata's shtick of stealing Kawada's offense.

Best of 2000s Japan SUPER FRIDAY

It's the last real day of spring break, so naturally I'm sitting on the couch watching wrestling. I'm trying to participate in the Best of the 2000s Japan wrestling project, but I've fallen behind my original schedule of one match a day. This is due in August, so it's time to start binge watching. Today I start 2002. Let's settle in for the long haul.

Satoshi Kojima vs. Genichiro Tenryu - AJPW - Feb 24, 2002
Tenryu has been a top three wrestler in this project for me. I love mean old bastards roughing up younger guys and Tenryu is the pinnacle of that. Kojima plays the unfortunate youngster this time. At about 31 years old, Kojima is hardly a kid, but next to Tenryu he might as well be. Kojima came back at Tenryu with tons of fire. The lariats Kojima hit on Tenryu looked killer, but Tenryu wasn't going to lose that easily. I loved Tenryu beating Kojima into the ground with chops but then falling back into the ropes, grimacing in pain once he saw Kojima wouldn't see it.

Match Rating: ****3/4


Jushin Liger & Wataru Inoue vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi - NOAH - Feb 17, 2002
Liger and Inoue jump Kanemaru and Kikuchi as the bell rings. The four brawl for the next few minutes until things settle down. The crowd roars their disapproval whenever Liger or Inoue interfere. Liger is such a phenomenal dickhead. The NOAH fans want their guys to win so badly that they don't even care when Kanemaru puts his feet on the rope for a pin attempt. The wrestling match breaks down into a straight up fight for a few seconds here and there, really cementing the animosity. Liger flops around like crazy when Kikuchi gets him in an armbar and he makes his desperate attempts to get the ropes so dramatic. Kanemaru even uses one of Liger's finishers on Inoue to seal a victory.

Match Rating: ****1/4 and the best juniors match so far in the set. As if I didn't like this enough, there's a twenty man brawl at the end. I can't resist a big brawl while the timekeeper furiously wails away on the bell.


Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs. Jun Akiyama & Yuji Nagata - NOAH - Feb 17, 2002
Another huge tag match from the same night. This one is a "SPECIAL MATCH" if the signs are being honest with me. Misawa and Nagata start it off but it's Akiyama vs. Kobashi the fans are dying to see. Nagata works a more methodical pace than Akiyama, who's going full bore at Kobashi and Misawa. That is until Kobashi and Nagata start smacking and chopping the crap out of each other. Interesting how the ref didn't care at all the Akiyama was in the ring, standing watch over Misawa when Nagata had Kobashi in a leg lock. I guess it doesn't matter if he doesn't attack Kobashi? The closing stretch is good, but today is the odd chance that I can say there was a better tag match on the same card. Akiyama getting the pin on Kobashi seems huge, but the crowd went silent for it.

Match Rating: ****


Masato Tanaka (c) vs. Shinya Hashimoto - ZERO1 - Mar 2, 2002
Tanaka already dropped a lot of his ECW baby fat. He's not as ripped as he is today, but the transition is starting. Tanaka kicks the belt away at the start, which infuriates Hashimoto. Hashimoto is bent on punishing Tanaka with an ass whooping. Tanaka bumps and sells more and more as Hashimoto continues the beat down. Tanaka pounces on Hashimoto for a pin the moment he gets Hashimoto down. He obviously wants nothing to do with this fight. Tanaka gets this look of "I'm sorry, please stop kicking my ass." Hashimoto finally obliges with a sick brainbuster.

Match Rating: ***1/2 but one of the stand out matches for what it is. Plays like a very extended squash.


Yuji Nagata (c) vs. Yoshihiro Takayama - NJPW - May 2, 2002
This must have been a TV broadcast, because there are a couple of Japanese commercials cut in before the match starts. Takayama is legitimately huge. At 198 cm, he towers over Nagata. Nagata starts wearing down Takayama early. Nagata makes every blow Takayama lands seem like it could be the end. I'm a fan of that. Nagata flinghing himself at the ropes when Takayama sets up for a German got a laugh out of me, but it emphasized how dangerous Takayama is. Nagata howls to show his fighting spirit but has to clutch the top rope to even stand at the same time. Nagata and Takayama start trading forearms. That evolves into trading rights. Nagata wins with two high kicks, the second smashing into the side of Takayama's head.

Match Rating: ***3/4

Genichiro Tenryu vs. Satoshi Kojima - AJPW - Jul 17, 2002
I skipped a few matches that I'll have to go back and see just so I could get to the rematch right away. The crowd chants "Kojima" while Tenryu looks as stoic as ever. Tenryu cornered Kojima early on in the first match with strikes and chops. This time Kojima evens the score. Tenryu drives Kojima back into the corner during a test of strength not long after. The crowd knows what's going to happen. Kojima knows what's going to happen. Kojima pushes back with all his might to get out of that. What a tease. Kojima starts targeting Tenryu's knee. Tenryu throws a great jab, probably because he's punching Kojima square in the face.

Kojima keeps going back at Tenryu's knee whenever he gets in trouble. Tenryu actually has to roll out of the ring and take a moment to let the pain subside. Tenryu's favorite spot on the other hand is throwing Kojima into the corner then jabbing and chopping the hell out of him. I love it way more when he does it than when Kobashi does it his style. Holy hell Tenryu just did a suicide dive through the ropes. Kojima returns that with a plancha of his own. Tenryu's selling of his knee is phenomenal. He limps across the ring as he runs from an Irish whip. Kojima won't stop targeting it with stomps, a figure four, and then a sharpshooter.

Kojima mimmicks Tenryu's chops and punches in the corner. Unlike the first match, he has to sell this time around and he isn't hiding his pain. He fixes his knee pad every chance he gets. Tenryu's mannerisms never cease to amaze me. The little things he does get the crowd going, like the face and gesture he makes when Kojima falls over as he tries to stand after a German suplex.

The crowd wants Kojima to win this one so badly. Tenryu tries a brainbuster, which ended the first match, but Kojima slips out and counters with an Ace crusher. Tenryu hits the brainbuster on the second try, but he's too hurt to get the cover quickly. He stumbles over and flops onto Kojima, who kicks out at two. Tenryu sets Kojima up for the spider German like the first match. It lands, but Kojima rolls away from the back elbow drop that follows. Kojima lands an avalanche Ace crusher. Tenryu gets a foot on the rope before the three.

Tenryu chops Kojima before he can hit a lariat. It stuns him for a second, but Kojima comes right back with it a moment later. Both men are down and have to slowly scrape themselves up. They trade hard, hard shots. Especially Tenryu's chops. Another brainbuster. Tenryu immediately brings Kojima back up. A second brainbuster in a row. Kojima kicks out!

Tenryu clenches his fist, sizing Kojima up for a lariat. Kojima blocks it. He shoots Tenryu into the ropes and lariats him on the rebound. Two count. The crowd buys every nearfall and so do I. The camera keeps switching to an overhead angle when both men are down, which is a visual I love. Tenryu boots Kojima's arm when Kojima tries another lariat. More chops, then a fourth brainbuster. And a fifth! Kojima gets up, filled with fighting spirit. He stumbles into the ropes and springs back with a lariat. Tenryu kicks out at two. This is nuts.

Both men trade chops again until a SIXTH brainbuster puts Kojima down. Tenryu has to slowly roll onto him. Kojima kicks out at two. Tenryu's pissed. He chops the hell out of Kojima. No more brainbusters. It's powerbomb time. He plants Kojima back into the mat and folds him in half. Kojima can't kick out of this one.

Match Rating: ***** Superb. Not perfect, but the complaints I have feel more like nitpicks when weighed against the intensity and drama of the match. There's a fighting spirit spot, which I'm not a big fan of by nature, but I think Kojima does it about as good as it can be done. He gives up going after Tenryu's knee, but after a while he clearly wanted to put the old man away. The near falls were about to get excessive at the end but Tenryu picked the right moment to finish the job and he did it with something different to boot. Loved it. Best match of the set so far.

AAW Pro Wrestling TV - Episode 1

AAW is my local promotion. I'm about twenty minutes away from the Berwyn Eagles Club where they run most of their shows and I've gone to the last four live events. I plan on going to all the nearby shows in the future too. Why? Because AAW is a good promotion with lots of top independent wrestlers coming in. Now I get to enjoy them live each month and on video each week with their new TV show. It's on MaddyGTV on Roku and the AAW youtube channel each Wednesday at 7 from here on out. Let's see how the first episode goes.


Announcers Phil Colvin and Derek St. Holmes start the show by explaining one of AAW's draws: no count outs, no disqualifications. AAW isn't an ultraviolent promotion, the referees have discretion to stop a bout, but as Colvin and St. Holmes explain: "we like to see winners and losers."

AAW's first episode starts with Kevin Harvey on the mic. His big brute Keith Walker stands nearby. Harvey demands an answer to this question: how can an undefeated streak end on a two count? However it happened, Harvey thinks its time for some closure. He calls out "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin. Elgin isn't afraid to answer.

Michal Elgin vs. Keith Walker
Walker rushes Elgin to start the match. He shows early on that he isn't afraid of Elgin. Not only that, but he's bigger than Elgin too, and is able to toss him with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Walker tosses Elgin into the barricades outside the ring a few times, then brings him back in for a chokebomb. Elgin kicks out at two on the ensuing pin. Elgin cuts Walker off with a spinning backfist. He ducks a lariat and hits a German suplex that puts Walker down.

Elgin charges from corner to corner and back seven times for seven lariats on Walker. Walker slips off Elgin's shoulders. Both men jockey for position on waistlocks. Elgin catches Walker with a black hole slam.Walker dumps Elgin with a back body drop shortly after that. Walker hits the ropes hard, first hitting Elgin with a forearm, then a butt bump. Walker's side suplex gets another two count.

Elgin blocks Walker's lariat attempt. Walker does the same to Elgin. Walker throws Elgin with a release German suplex. Elgin pops up, full of fighting spirit, and returns the favor. Walker is fired up now. He jumps to his feet and throws Elgin with a second German. Elgin stops a charging Walker with a boot, then backfists him. Elgin is about to powerbomb Walker when Tweek Phoenix comes running out of nowhere. It stops Elgin from powerbombing Walker. Harvey and Phoenix grab Elgin's foot, tripping him up, which lets Walker drop Elgin with a hard lariat. Elgin kicks out at two.

Elgin takes Walker by the legs. He deadlifts Walker up into the air and powerbombs him. Two scissor kicks follow once Walker got to his feet. Then a spinning backfist. A sit-out powerbomb finishes this one, giving Elgin the first win on AAW TV.

Match rating: ** It was a good opener live and holds up well on tape. It's two big men throwing each other around and makes for quite the spectacle. The biggest drawback to me is the German suplex exchange. I hate spots like that. Some people love them, but I don't.

AAW returns from the ads with a Matt Cage promo. He's worked hard to win the AAW Heritage championship and wants us to know it.

AAW Heritage Title - Matt Cage (c) vs. Mallaki Matthews
Cage headbutts Matthews instead of shaking the poor guy's hand. Cage is ruthless, stomping away at the stunned Matthews. Cage has a mean leg lariat and knows how to use it. Matthews makes the most of his limited chances. He has control of Cage for a minute before the Heritage champ ends that. Colvin and St. Holmes pick on Matthews a bit for being the inexperienced youngster making some mistakes. Rather than trying to cover it up, they point out how Cage will make him pay. Cage outfoxes Matthews repeatedly, like when he trips Matthews on the apron and Matthews goes face-first into the steel steps. Cage stops Matthews with his version of the facebuster code breaker in a short match.

Match rating: *1/2. It's a short match, but it's perfectly acceptable wrestling. Cage gets to heel it up, Matthews gets a shot on the main show. Nothing wrong here.

Another commercial break. We come back to Scarlett Bordeaux preening in front of a mirror. She cuts a short promo: she's Shane Hollister's manager and the sky is the limit for her. Twenty-two years old and already managing a champion.


Tweek Phoenix (w/ Nikki Mayday and Kevin Harvey) vs. Colt Cabana
Cabana is one of the most over guys in AAW and the crowd chants his name before the match starts. Cabana scares Phoenix out of the ring before the match even starts, chasing him around with a towel, trying to snap it at him. Cabana and Phoenix tie up once the bell rings. This one's exactly that you'd expect from Cabana: a lot of his British-influenced grappling and comedy spots. Cabana uses his guile to get a few shots on Phoenix while the ref looks elsewhere. Kevin advises Phoenix to slow the match down and wrestle at his own pace.

Phoenix gets a side headlock on Cabana for a few moments. That doesn't last long. Cabana gets his own side headlock and goes on to make a fool of Phoenix with his smooth wrestling. Cabana is too clever for Phoenix tonight. Phoenix gains the upper hand when Cabana doesn't take him seriously or turns his attention elsewhere. Otherwise, it's all Colt.

Nikki and Kevin do their best to slow down Cabana. Tweek is able run the show for an extended period after that, mostly working Cabana over with forearms. Tweek goes up top for a splash. He has to check the precariously low ceiling before taking the leap. That gives Cabana enough time to roll out of the way. Cabana goes up for a splash of his own. Tweek immediately rolls. Cabana saw that coming, so he lands on his feet and springs forward, splashing Phoenix.

Nikki and Kevin distract Cabana once again. Cabana gets the best of them too, taking both of them by the scruff of the neck and forcing Kevin to motorboat Nikki. Phoenix gets the jump on Cabana, dropping him with a loaded boot. He covers, but it's only good for two. A discus lariat follows, but that wasn't enough to put Cabana down. Cabana clocks Phoenix with another boot. He takes Phoenix by the legs and taps him out with the Billy Goat's Curse.

Match rating: **. The finish came out of nowhere on this one, which was is a peeve of mine. A bit of work to set up the submission would be nice. Still, Cabana really tied this one together. His timing and comedy manage to keep this from being an awkward match where the face controls the majority of the action and it gets zero heat.

More commercials! St. Holmes and Colvin give a quick wrap up, but Eddie Kingston gets to send us home. He's out in the alley, smoking a cigarette, and he wants a fight. I can't do this one justice. Kingston is a great promo with top notch delivery. Go watch it.


Final Thoughts
Glad to see AAW get a weekly series running. Tonight's episode had three matches from it's December show, One Twisted Christmas, so they're going back a few months for content.  I've seen all the matches at least three times now: live, once on video before, now this, and it still kept me entertained. It'll be even better your first time around. Give it a watch. The only complaint I have are the commercials which are kinda long and repetitive, but AAW is putting out a free show, so don't take that too heavily. Watch AAW, support your indies.

Match review: Rey Mysterio vs. John Bradshaw Layfield - Judgment Day 2006

JBL is coming for Rey's title. I have no clue who won this match, but I don't remember JBL getting a second reign off of Rey at the time, so I can guess. But the ending itself will be a surprise. Rey never has bad matches as far as I'm concerned. JBL is really hit or miss: some gems and a lot of duds. Let's get to it.

World Heavyweight Championship - Rey Mysterio, Jr. vs. John Bradshaw Layfield
JBL towers over Rey. Everyone towers over Rey, but it looks like a man and his son. His masked, tattooed son. Rey tries to stand up to JBL. JBL shoves him down time and time again. JBL starts the beatdown on Rey early on. Rey trips JBL to set up a 619. JBL rolls out of the ring to escape. Rey quickly establishes that high flying offense is his way to hurt JBL.

Rey baseball slides  into JBL as JBL sits in the corner. JBL is selling it like a gunshot. As well he should, that would hurt like hell. The ref admonishes Rey while JBL crawls around in pain. Rey dropkicks JBL out of the ring. For a little guy, his offense is really good. It actually looks like it could hurt the giant he's up against. JBL throws Rey headfirst into the steel steps. He bludgeons Rey with his big hands and boots, taking it to him inside and out of the ring. He slams Rey's head into the steel steps again. JBL rolls Rey back in the ring and gets a two count.

JBL suplexes Rey. Slow, deliberate twist of the hips. Second suplex. And a third, a wonderful homage to Eddy Guerrero's three amigos. And a great little taunt after too. Rey's bleeding. JBL drags Rey to the barricade at ringside, right in front of Rey's wife so she can see the ass kicking up close and in person. JBL tosses Rey with a fallaway slam on the mats, then brings Rey back into the ring for a two count.

Three clotheslines flatten Rey. JBL pulls Rey around like a ragdoll. Blood stains Rey's snow white mask. JBL boots Rey down almost the moment he gets back to his feet. Rey catches one of JBL's punches and counters with a few of his own. JBL cuts him off with an eye rake and then a sleeper. He pounds on Rey's head and drains the life from him until Rey is down on the mat. The ref is about to drop Rey's hand down for the third time when JBL lets go. He wants to embarrass Rey, so he goes for the pin. Rey kicks out at two. JBL props Rey up on the top turnbuckle. Rey fights his way out of a super backdrop. Hard fists drop JBL to the mat. Picture perfect moonsault onto JBL.

Rey takes control. He kicks JBL in the side of the head in Daniel Bryanian fashion. Two count. JBL scoots into the corner. Rey charges and tries to splash JBL. JBL gets a boot up! That boot impales Rey, right in the crotch too. JBL hauls Rey up and signals that it's powerbomb time. Rey punches his way out and hurricanrana's JBL onto the ropes. 619 time. Rey springboards up for the next hirricanrana, but JBL pulls the ref in the way. JBL grabs Rey and powerbombs him with all his might. He signals for another ref. Out he comes for the count. Only two! A disgusted JBL socks the ref, knocking him out cold. Lil Naitch bumps beautifully on that hard right.

JBL goes to get a chair. He charges Rey, who gets his boots up on time to crash that chair into JBL's skull. JBL flops over. Rey pops up to the top rope. Five star frog splash. Three count!

Match Rating: ****1/2. I really have no complaints or negatives here. Maybe the commentary was bad or the crowd was dead, but in full disclosure I watched this with the sound off. JBL was superb as this big giant prick who wants to kick the crap out of Rey to prove a point. His mannerisms and facials were top notch, so were his reactions like when he KOd Charles Robinson after getting only a two count. Rey got so much sympathy as the underdog. It's easy to root for the brave little guy over the big mean bully, but I have to commend Rey's efforts. Rey's offense looked stellar. Everything he did, from the punches to the drop kicks and splashes, was smooth and looked like it would actually hurt JBL. But this wasn't KENTA vs. Takayama where the little man was trying to outstrike the bigger man. This was him using his every opening and capitalizing on them.

ROH TV Episode 127 show review

This week's episode begins with a recap of last week's main event. If you missed it, that was a three way elimination tag match, with the added bonus that if anyone pins Adam Cole, they get an ROH World title shot. Chris Hero got the pin on Cole that night, putting him as the next contender for Adam Cole's championship.

Andrew Everett vs. Cedric Alexander 
Roderick Strong joins Corino and Kelly at the commentary table, though this isn't a Decade match. Both men adhere to the code of honor. Alexander and Everett exchange headlocks to start. Alexander gets a wristlock, but some fancy footwork turns the tables. Neither man is able to get the jump on the other; both show agility in spades.

Alexander eats a big boot when he charges Everett in the corner. Everett gets an arm drag take down on Alexander, who rolls out of the ring. Everett claps his hand, warming up the crowd, and hits the ropes, looking to tope onto Alexander. Alexander slides back into the ring to avoid that, but Everett doesn't finish his dive. He grabs the top rope and rolls over it, landing on the ring apron. Alexander drop kicks him off.

The match returns from a commercial break with Alexander working a headlock on Everett. Everett gets out with a jawbreaker. Biiiig back body drop from Alexander. Everett got way up for that. Both men exchange hard rights. Alexander tries a roundhouse kick, Everett ducks under. Alexander doesn't miss with an enzugiri. Everett dropkicks Alexander out of the ring. Everett sizes Alexander up, grabs the top rope, and lands a springboard shooting star press onto Alexander. Mostly. Alexander didn't do a great job catching him. Everett springboards his way back in after rolling Alexander back between the ropes. This time it's a springboard missile dropkick.

Everett spikes Alexander with a hurricanrana. Two count. Everett goes up top. Alexander charges, Everett jumps over him and rolls. Everett tries a hurricanrana, but Alexander catches him this time and counters it into a fireman's carry that he spun into a facebuster. It was fancy, but not fancy enough for a three count. Alexander friggin' kills Everett with a hard dropkick to the side of Alexander's head. Alexander sits Everett up on the top turnbuckle. Alexander headbutts Everett as the fans count out the ten blows. Superplex? Nope. Everett tosses Alexander off the top. He rises up to the top. 630. Alexander got his knees up! Alexander takes a page out of Roderick Strong's book and breaks Everett's back with a double knee backbreaker. Three count and we're done.

Match rating: **1/4 Entertaining affair, enough to get the crowd to chant "That was awesome." If you love pure work rate and some high flying, then you'll rate this higher than I did. Everett had to be hurting the next day after the offense he ate. Three or four different moves looked like hell on him.


ROH is going right to the main event again, so only two matches this week. But first, there's a recap of "the night the hoopla died" two weeks ago, where Truth Martini declared hoopla dead and Taven dismissed his former manager.


Kyle O'Reilly vs. Kevin Steen
Steen comes across as a huge star during his entrance, or as big of a star as ROH has. The flashing lights, the music, and a whole lot of crowd noise, all of them make Steen look like a big deal. Steen and O'Reilly tie up. O'Reilly immediately turns that into a waist lock. Steen isn't going to out-grapple O'Reilly, so he simply grabs the nearest rope. "Wrestling!" he yells. The crowd loves it, but O'Reilly is not so amused. They tie up again. This time O'Reilly gets a standing arm lock. Steen grabs the rope right away. Third lock up. O'Reilly cranks on the arm as he holds a wristlock. He won't let Steen get to the ropes, yanking him away time and time again. Steen rolls is way out of it, slaps O'Reilly's arms off him, and dropkicks O'Reilly. Then he grabs the rope, just 'cause.

Steen takes O'Reilly down with deep, Steamboat-esque arm drags. O'Reilly takes control of the match with a series of hard kicks. He sits Steen down and looks like he is about to blast Steen in the chest with another kick, but instead gives him a little slap across the face. Steen looks disgusted. He gets up and slaps the hell out of O'Reilly, sending O'Reilly backwards through the ropes.

O'Reilly tries to hide from Steen on the outside. Steen chases O'Reilly down and chops his chest again and again. O'Reilly is about to take a powerbomb on the apron, but he manages to grab the ropes and pull himself to safety.

Steen chops O'Reilly two more times when the show returns from a break. O'Reilly uses a flurry of kicks, knees, and then a leg sweep to take down Steen. O'Reilly starts to work over Steen's arm. O'Reilly works a wristlock to crank on the arm. O'Reilly shoves Steen into the turnbuckles. Steen bounces off then flattens O'Reilly with a desperation lariat. He's down to one good arm. Steen sells the wounded one like it's useless.

O'Reilly takes the action back out of the ring. He shoves Steen shoulder first into the ring post. Steen stumbles away and takes a seat. O'Reilly hops back up on the apron and tries to dive onto Steen. Steen cuts him off with a boot to the gut. Steen finally gets that apron powerbomb in. He shoves O'Reilly into the ring then climbs up top. Senton. Two count.

Missile dropkick attempt from O'Reilly. Steen evades. Steen goes for a sharpshooter. O'Reilly pushes Steen away. O'Reilly goes for a guillotine. Steen rams him into the corner to get out of that. Steen sees his chance for a cannonball senton. O'Reilly gets out of a package piledriver and then an F-5 attempt. O'Reilly pulls Steen down into an arm bar. Steen manages to get the ropes, but his arm took more damage.

Steen is sitting up on the top turnbuckle. O'Reilly wants to bring him down with a superplex. Steen is not about to let that happen. He fights his way out with hard body blows and a bite. Steen lifts O'Reilly onto his shoulder. Avalanche death valley driver! O'Reilly is done for the moment, but Steen is clutching his arm. Hee landed on that first. By the time he gets the cover, O'Reilly has come to. Two count only.

O'Reilly pulls Steen down into another arm bar. Steen is trying with all his might to get a foot on the ropes. He grimaces in pain as O'Reilly cranks back on his arm. Finally he gets a foot on the ropes. O'Reilly punishes Steen's chest with hard kicks. O'Reilly bounces off the ropes. Steen throws him up into the air and then brings him down with authority via powerbomb. Steen pulls O'Reilly back up. Package piledriver. One, two, but no three. O'Reilly got his foot on the rope.

Steen can't believe that didn't end it. But something else catches his attention: Cliff Compton in the crowd. Compton is jawing at Steen. Steen being who he is has to go out there and yell back. O'Reilly gets enough time to recover. Steen turns around just in time for O'Reilly to land the missile dropkick that he wanted before. O'Reilly is all hustle. He shoves Steen back into the ring and hits his ax and smash kicks. Two count, Steen gets a shoulder up. O'Reilly nabs Steen's arm and throws on a cross armbreaker. Steen is dead center in the ring. He's refusing to tap. Steen rolls onto his feet. O'Reilly won't let go of his hold, so Steen drops him in a short powerbomb. A sharpshooter follows. Steen pulls O'Reilly to the center of the ring. He cinches the hold in deep and O'Reilly has to tap.

Compton continues taunting Steen, so Steen gets in the mic. He challenges Compton to a fight right here right now. Compton wants it but the ROH security crew keeps him at bay. The ref holds Steen back, which infuriates Steen so much that he drops the ref with an F-5. Compton and Steen start to brawl. Security swarms and the two wrestlers fend them off. Steen boots Compton and pulls him off for another F-5. He throws Compton over the top rope and onto the mats outside. Steen starts beating the hell out of Compton. Compton is bumping like crazy. He throws himself full force into the mats and the railings outside. Steen gets the ring announcer's table and walks it over. Steen pulls Compton onto the ring apron. He's about to powerbomb Compton through the table when a security guard grabs his leg. Steen shoves the guard away, but that bought Compton enough time to low blow Steen. Compton clubs Steen and rolls him onto the table. Compton swats away another security guard as he goes up top. Frog splash through the table! ROH TV ends with both men laid out on the floor over the wreckage of a table.

Match rating: *** The post match brawl gets ****. Steen's selling was excellent here. He limited his offense to reflect the damage he took and made it clear that he was hurting badly. O'Reilly looked good too. I'm not his biggest fan and I think his selling got a little goofy at times, but he did a fine job bumping for Steen and getting heat. The ending was something of a non-sequitur. Steen never really did anything to make a sharpshooter a good finish, O'Reilly had no choice but to tap since had it in so deep and it was in the middle of the ring. Compton gets a big, big thumbs up for how hard he was slamming into the guard rails. He must hate his back.

Next week's main event: Hanson vs. Tommaso Ciampa! Plus AJ Styles vs. Jay Lethal. Should be a couple of good matches.

ROH TV recap - Episode 126

Tonight's show is the Valentine's Day episode, albeit ROH is a bit late on the draw. I can't imagine this is a consistent theme, but it does give us a place to start. Let's get to it. 

The Romantic Touch vs. Mike Bennett (/w Maria Kanellis) 

Of course the Valentine's Day episode starts with RT. Who else could it be? Veda Scott joins Corino and Kelly on commentary. ROH does some fine camera work, spotting the many, many ladies in attendance for RT, no doubt. Bennett looks big here, like he added a lot of bulk in a short time. I'm not implying anything, honestly, maybe it's his fuller beard. 

RT plays up his love machine ways early on in the match. Bennett cuts him off with a Lou Thesz press and punches to follow up. Bennett does that a thousand times better than Steve Austin, for what it's worth. Not many times I can say that. RT gets distracted by Maria, letting Bennett clothesline him and take control once again. Right in time for a commercial break to boot. 

Bennett is in control when the show returns. RT turns the tides by avoiding a Bennett big splash in the corner. RT lands a diving back elbow as he springs out of the corner. He pushes Bennett out of the ring and lines him up for a dive. Bennett pulls Maria in the way, immediately halting RT. Bennett shoves Maria into RT's arms. He's more than happy to catch her. Bennett superkicks the distracted RT.  

RT rolls out of a side effect. He lands a picture perfect dropkick that gets him a two count. It could have been three for all we know, but Maria was up on the apron, gyrating and swiveling her hips, distracting RT. RT reaches for a box that he had on the announcers table and brings it over to Maria. She opens it, revealing sweet chocolate treats on the inside. But Maria must not like chocolate, because she smacks them up into RT's face. Bennett short-arm clotheslines RT and locks on his new anaconda vise finisher. RT taps moments later.

Match rating: **. The real stellar work was on commentary. I enjoy Kelly and Corino a lot, plus them playing along with the RT gimmick while Veda Scott insists that he's really Rhett Titus gets a laugh from me. As did a forlorn RT slowly eating chocolate by himself after the match. I've been there, buddy. Bennett and RT had a short match that I can already remember little about, moments after I saw it. It's a standard 10-minute TV match. Nothing to get worked up about in either direction. 

Mark and Jay Briscoe get a minute-long video to hype up the main event tonight. Briscoes vs. Cole/Hardy vs. Elgin/Hero. You've already sold me on it, guys, but I'm not complaining if these two get mic time.

Three Team Elimination Tag Team Match - Micheal Elgin & Chris Hero vs. Adam Cole & Matt Hardy vs. the Briscoes (Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe)

ROH gives this one the balance of TV time. The Briscoes have such a great look and they've come so far from their 2002 super generic indy look. Bobby Cruise hops on the mic to inform us that if someone beats Adam Cole by pinfall or submission, then they will receive an ROH World title shot. "Since when," a despondent Cole cries, "since when!?" 

Elgin and Jay start the match. Jay gets pushed to the ropes and tries to shoulder Elgin, who doesn't budge. Elgin hits the ropes, Jay drops down, Elgin comes back, Jay leaps up, Elgin pauses. Instead of going under, he catches Jay on his shoulders. Jay slips off his back. Both men go for big right hands and both miss. They both want to get a piece of Cole and Hardy, but those two drop off the apron and refuse to tag in. 

Jay tags his brother in. Elgin punches him in the forehead and Mark gets fired up from it. Hero tags in. Hero actually towers over Mark, which I didn't expect. These two grapple with each other instead of trying shows of strength like their partners. They do a good job of it too. Hero hits the ropes and Mark leaps up to let Hero go under. Hero makes a Briscoe pay for that move for the second time tonight when he lands a big boot square in Mark's chest. Cover and two fall. 

Hero tags Elgin in but the show goes to break. It comes back with Jay and Hero in there. Cole and Hardy refuse to tag in again, forcing the other teams to fight it out. Those four get sick of Cole and Hardy's cowardice, so they chase them down. Cole escapes, but Hardy is trapped in the ring and now the de facto legal man. 

Hero and Elgin start the beatdown. Elgin gets his delayed vertical suplex in but Adam Cole breaks it up with a boot to the gut. Or does he??? Elgin never lets go and hoists Hardy right back up. Cole boots him a second time. Elgin is undeterred. He lifts Hardy up a third time and manages to finish off the suplex. Elgin tags out to Mark Briscoe. He lands a few punches then makes his brother the legal man. Jay does a bit of work then tags Mark back in. Hardy manages to drive Mark into his corner, where Cole slaps Hardy's back and becomes legal for the first time. 

Elgin tags in and stomps on Cole again and again. Cole slows Elgin down with a jawbreaker, but Elgin falls back towards the Briscoes, so Jay tags in. Hardy knees Jay's back when he hits the ropes, leaving the door open for Cole to take control. Cole and Hardy swap in and out, taking turns to beat on Jay. They have an extended heat section where they isolate Jay in their corner. Jay gets some room to breath with a combo of punches and back elbows. He dives across the ring and tags in his brother. Redneck kung fu time. Cole irish whips Mark towards the corner and Hero tags himself in. Mark wants to keep going, but he's no longer the legal man. Where there's a will, there's a way. Matt Hardy is laying on the mats outside the ring, so Mark decides it's best to elbow drop him from the ring apron, Cactus Jack style.

Elgin and Mark are the legal men when we come back from another break. Elgin gets his second signature spot in where he has Jay draped across his shoulders and Mark in his arms, slamming them both back simultaneously. The crowd loves it and chants "Michael Elgin!" for the effort. Elgin poses, relishing the moment. Cole takes the chance to tag himself in. 

Mark and Jay land a neckbreaker/razor's edge combo on Cole. Mark gets the cover, but Elgin and Hero break it. I guess they care more about title shots than winning the match? Matt Hardy makes a legal tag somewhere in the ensuing chaos. Jay lands a neckbreaker on him. Mark goes up top and hits a froggybow. That's a frog splash, elbow drop combo for the uninitiated. Look it up, it's a beaut. More chaos as everyone keeps getting involved. Matt hits a twist of fate on Mark. Cover for the pin, and the Briscoes are gone. 

Jay isn't keen on leaving. Not without first battering Cole with some fists. ROH security has to drag him away. Hero and Hardy are the legal men now. Hero lands a great discuss elbow then a  neckbreaker from the middle turnbuckle. Hardy counters a suplex attempt into a side effect but Elgin breaks the ensuing pin. Cole tags in. Hero hits a rolling elbow, this time on Cole. Hero tags out to Elgin, giving us an Elgin-Cole showdown. Elgin tries to suplex Cole, who knees him in the head while in the suplex. Both men counter the other. Cole tries his Canadian destroyer variation but Elgin doesn't flip back. Cole thinks fast and turns it into a sunset flip. Elgin rolls through and attempts a deadlift German. Cole's too quick for that, pushing himself out and trying a superkick. Elgin blocks it and finally lands a spinning backfist. Hardy cuts off Elgin and tackles him through the ropes. 

Hero got a tag in while Elgin fell past him. Hero covers up when Cole is about to superkick him. Cole kicks Hero in the knee instead. Cole goes to the top rope, looking for the Panama City Destroyer one more. Hero is too smart for that, stepping back before Cole lands. Hero lands a big straight right hand on Cole's jaw. Cole staggers, Hero ends up creaming him with a rolling elbow. Hero gets the pin and the title shot! 

Match rating: ***1/2 I enjoyed the match, but it has its flaws. Namely, it has a very weird dynamic because of it being a three-way tag with two face teams and a heel team. The heels refuse to get in the ring, which makes sense, but it forces the faces to work on each other and that never really built to much. Hero and Elgin breaking up the pinfall was also pretty sour for me, since it meant they put the title shot over winning this match. I guess that makes sense, but it never sat well with me once they did it. Hero looked like the biggest star of the match. His offense was crisp and on a whole level above the other guys. Everyone else did well, but Hero stood out. The finish sequence also excelled. Fast action with nice counters and a smooth flow. 

Final Thoughts

Another strong week of ROH TV. This is way better than it was last year and ROH finally feels like it has some momentum behind it. I also have to mention how much I love the Corino and Kelly pairing on commentary. Corino is a heel, but doesn't completely stooge it up in an obnoxious way. Plus, he's genuinely funny and doesn't automatically disagree with every last thing Kelly says. Good call getting him a headset. Looking forward to next week. 

Match review: Mil Mascaras vs. Jumbo Tsuruta

More AJPW! This time it's Mil Mascaras vs. Jumbo Tsuruta, I think from a TV show. Be more informative, YouTube uploaders. It's not enough that you provide me with all this content. Cagematch.net (great resource) has a record of a match between these two in AJPW in '77, so that could be it. Regardless, let's get to the match.

Mil Mascaras vs. Jumbo Tsuruta
The video immediately cuts to Mascaras tying down Jumbo with a leg lock. He rolls it into a pinning cradle but, believe it or not, Jumbo did not get pinned in the first minute.  Jumbo and Mascaras work on that mat after that. Jumbo tries multiple times to get a Boston crab. Mascaras twists out of it each time until Jumbo gives up.

Jumbo boots Mascaras then puts on an abdominal stretch. Mascaras slips out of that and gets Jumbo in an abdominal stretch of his own. Mascaras dropkicks Jumbo twice, picking up the pace for the first time, then slows it right back down with another abdominal stretch.  Jumbo gets out of another hold by getting to the ropes. Mascaras slaps Jumbo. Jumbo slaps him right back. Let the slap war begin! They start wailing away at each other until Mascaras throws Jumbo outside. They take turns slamming each others' heads against a table. Jumbo smacks Mascaras' head against the ringpost then tries to unmask him. The bell rings and this one is over, I guess. DQ for the attempted demasking?

Jumbo is in the ring again. Mascaras joins him. They slap each other repeatedly. Jumbo is trying to rip Mascaras' mask off until a swarm of young boys keep them away. Jumbo got bloodied somewhere in the fray. Jumbo uses a swim move to part the sea of trainees holding him back. They manage to regroup before he can get to Mascaras. Jumbo stands on middle rope and appeals to the crowd. Mascaras does it too. Order returns and the ref comes in from who knows where to restart the match.

Jumbo and Mascaras immediately start to club each other and try to smash the other's head into the turnbuckle. They spill outside where Mascaras beats on Jumbo with a chair. They scramble back into the ring. Jumbo back drops Mascaras. He tries a powerbomb but Mascaras drops to his knees. Jumbo's blood is pouring over Mascaras' back.

Jumbo holds Mascaras down on the mat with one hand and punches him in the face with the other. Mascaras puts Jumbo in a headlock. Jumbo drives them into the ropes until they spill outside again. That lasts a  few seconds. Mascaras steps back through the ropes. Jumbo small packages him for a one count. Jumbo pins Mascaras down again and punches him in the head with thudding rights. Jumbo gets Mascaras in a figure four. Mascaras reverses it and cranks back on Jumbo's leg.

Jumbo irish whips Mascaras. A jumping high knee drops Mascaras, though he doesn't take a big bump on it. Jumbo butterfly suplexes Mascaras. Mascaras lands a flying clothesline a few moments later. Jumbo irish whips Mascaras again, this time to the corner. Cross body. Jumbo kicks out at two. The bell rings. Time limit draw? I don't know what the hell just happened. Jumbo takes his belt and goes home, so I'm guessing a draw.

Match rating: No star rating could quantify this. *** stars? *? I don't know what was going on other than in vague terms thanks to context clues. The first ten minutes of the match (or what is included in the match) are somewhat slow but some good enough matwork. The match devolves into chaotic brawling. Now that I love. They slapped each other silly and added drama to a match without much heat. I guess I'll say *** if I'm going to smash this square peg into a round hole. Worth watching for the brawl.

Match link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3qtijOwaUM

Match Review: Terry Funk vs. Stan Hansen - 1985

Time to hit the next Funk/Hansen singles match, this time from 1985 and at Korakuen Hall. No exact date on that, I'm going by the limited information with the video. Let's go.

Terry Funk vs. Stan Hansen - 1985, AJPW
Funk aged a lot in the year or so between the brutal '84 encounter and this one. He grew out a goatee, his hair is receding, and he's put on a bit of mass. Funk swats at Hansen with a towel before Hansen can even get to the ring. Hansen storms at Funk and chases him out of the ring. He whips Funk across the back with his bullrope and hunts him down around ringside until Funk slips away.

Hansen bodyslams Funk over the top rope within moments of the opening bell. Hansen beats on Funk outside of the ring for a minute before taking it back inside. Funk reverses an irish whip and tries to spear Hansen in the corner, but Hansen gets out of the way, letting Funk ram himself into the ring post.

Hansen piledrives Funk. He gets a two count on the ensuing pin. Hansen continues his beat down with chops, boots, and a body slap. Funk rolls out of the way of an elbow drop then uses his head like a battering ram as Hansen tries to get up. Funk backs Hansen up with a trio of jabs. He chops Hansen down with kicks to the back of the knee/thigh and starts to work over Hansen's leg.

Hansen pulls Funk down to the mat. He gets up and tries a knee drop, but Funk evades it. Hansen rolls on the mat, clutching his knee. Funk gets the spinning toe hold on Hansen, who tries to grab Funk's hair. He finally gets a hold of that and throws a hard right to Funk's brow. Hansen has to grab the bottom rope to break the hold and decides it's best to roll outside and buy some time.

Funk follows him out and continues the knee work. Another spinning toe hold ends with a massive Hansen boot slamming into Funk. Back in the ring, Hansen tugs on his elbow pad; the crowd immediately knows what to expect. Hansen misses with a big lariat that Funk has to duck all the way under to avoid. Funk jumps on Hansen from behind and slaps on a sleeper. Hansen gets Funk off his back by throwing himself forward at the ropes, dumping Funk outside again.

Hansen goes for another irish whip but Funk reverses and back body drops Hansen. Funk piledrives Hansen then goes for a pin. Two count again. Funk goes for a second piledriver. Hansen counters by lifting Funk up for a back body drop of his own, sending Funk out of the ring yet again. Hansen pursues Funk, cowbell and rope in hand. He wraps it around Funk's throat, choking him like their last match. Funk tries desperately to escape. Hansen yanks Funk across the ring, knocking over the ref. Hansen chokes Funk out with the rope, though this time it's not the brutal display that the '84 choking was.

Hansen notices the ref is down and waives for help. Ted DiBiase answers the call. Hansen yells at DiBiase to go up to the top rope. DiBiase follows orders and frog splashes Funk just as the ref comes to. The ref immediately calls an end to the match. DiBiase and Hansen play tug-of-war with the rope while it's wrapped around Funk's neck. The crowd goes wild. The announcer is screaming. Dory Funk Jr. comes out for the rescue again, still dressed like a damn retail store manager. Dory runs Hansen and DiBiase off with a leather boot as his weapon of choice. The next few minutes are a chaotic scene with Dory trying to get his brother to safety while Hansen and DiBiase whip chairs at them.

Match Rating: **** This third match never gets to the level of their '84 draw, but I don't think any match does, so that's a  bit unfair. Funk and Hansen add another strong brawl to their joint CV. This one has a slower feel to it than the wild scrums from the previous few years, but it builds on those. Funk isn't foolishly throwing himself at Hansen and trying to get the spinning toe hold on no matter the cost. Hansen wises up and wouldn't let Funk gets the jump on him. Another match worth watching, though not an all-time great.

Match link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjU78GtAQ60
P.S.: A video package after the match gives us some music almost directly ripped from Star Wars, and it is worth keeping the video on to see.

Match Review: Terry Funk vs. Stan Hansen - Sep 11, 1982

A precursor to my favorite match of all time (and the first match I reviewed here). The crowd loves Funk and chants "Terry" during his entire entrance. Hansen gets a different kind of reaction, more excited in fear than delight. The ladies with flowers can't even get out of the ring before Hansen bumrushes Funk. They bowl over one of them in the chase, starting us with prompt chaos.

The ref tries to keep the two apart until the bell rings. Hansen immediately drives Funk into the ropes and starts to lay into him with chops and clubbing blows. Funk's selling really is over the top, but not in a cartoonish way to clown on Hansen. It makes Hansen looks like the biggest monster in the world. Funk isn't afraid of Hansen either, he fires right back at him with stiff jabs and Hansen's first bump gets the crowd to pop.

Hansen actually backs away from the ropes and lets Funk get back in without a cheap shot at one point. Funk exits right back out after one body slam. No courtesy this time around from Hansen who boots Funk's ribs as Funk comes back through the ropes. Hansen drops two knees on Funk's head. Funk's hand shakes but the rest of him is eerily still.

Any offense that Funk lands gets a huge reaction. Funk and Hansen roll on the mat. It's not matwork, it's the two of them trying to roll on top of the other so they can rain down blows. Hansen clubs Funk's chest and Funk boxes Hansen's ears. Even that relative lull doesn't quiet the crowd and a backdrop by Funk makes them roar. Funk later trips Hansen and tries a spinning toe hold to little success. The crowd wanted that one.

Hansen beats the hell out of Funk until he falls through the ropes. Funk grabs a chair from ringside and blindly throws it over his head into the ring. Stan Hansen catches it with one hand then immediately chucks it Funk's back. There's no deep meaning to that spot, but it made me laugh and made Hansen look even more bad ass.

Funk shoves Hansen into the ref, who takes a pretty poor KO bump even by ref standards. A second ref pops in only for Funk to throw him aside too. Hansen has Funk on his back and punches him in the forehead a handful of times until that second ref gets involved again. Bad choice, because Hansen irish whips him and then flattens the poor guy with a lariat.

Funk rolls out of the way of an elbow drop. The two Texans each have a handful of the other's hair. Their free hands trade punches until another wrestler sneaks in behind Funk. He's facing away so I can't see who it is, nor do I speak Japanese or know enough about early 80's AJPW to tell you who it is from context clues.This interloper takes Funk's arms and pins them back. Next, and this is key, he actually gets down on one knee while holding Funk, in case Funk tries to duck. That's a rare sight.  Hansen hits the ropes and lariats the helpless Funk. Funk rolls out of the ring and the original ref begins a count out. Hansen tries to drag Funk back in but the ref finishes his count and calls the match. The ref wants to raise Hansen's arm in victory, but he's not having it. Hansen stomps on Funk again and again then takes his rage out on some poor trainees until Giant Baba comes out for the save.

Match Rating: ***3/4. It's a hell of a match for what it is, but it never becomes the absurdly fun and violent spectacle of their 4/14/83 draw. Funk's selling for Hansen continues to be maybe my favorite thing in all of wrestling. The biggest spots in this are probably a couple of backdrops and bodyslams, yet those few moves get massive reactions.

Match Review: Sheamus vs. Antonio Cesaro - Jun 14, 2013

Antonio Cesaro's stock rose more than anyone's this past monday. Sure, Daniel Bryan arguably got the most attention. Cena and Orton got the main event. But Cesaro got time to shine and the hot Staples Center crowd was into him like a guy much higher on the card. Sheamus and Cesaro showed great chemistry as tag opponents that night, but that has a precedent. Sheamus, despite his obvious character flaws, knows how to make an opponent look like a million bucks. Put them together and you've got a fine match up. Let's go back to their June encounter.

Sheamus vs. Antonio Cesaro
Damien Sandow delays this match so he can continue a story line that I don't much care to remember. Now that that's over, we can get to the wrestling. Collar-and-elbow tie up. Cesaro European uppercuts Sheamus on the break. He forces Sheamus into the corner and slaps him across the face. Sheamus is pissed. He charges Cesaro, who has to roll out of the ring to avoid the Irishman's wrath. Cesaro narrowly avoids a kick through the ropes. He got a bit too close to the ring and Sheamus couldn't wait to get at him.

Sheamus works over Cesaro's abs. He tries for a suplex but that's a no go. Cesaro gets Sheamus down with a waistlock, rotates on top of him, and gets back to his feet. Cesaro pulls Sheamus off the ground with a Karelin lift. That's freaky strength. Sheamus takes a clothesline that puts him over the top and outside.

Cesaro sizes Sheamus up and tries a crossbody. Sheamus catches Cesaro and throws him into the boards with a fall away slam. Commercial break. They're brawling in the ring once we're back. Sheamus drops Cesaro over his knee with a backbreaker. The two step outside again like they're in an ROH match. Cesaro bullrushes Sheamus, tackling him into the steel steps. Cesaro rolls Sheamus into the ring so he can go for a pin. One count.

Cesaro headlocks Sheamus, lifts him off his feet, and spins him around until a toss breaks the hold. It's no giant spin, but that was a feat in and of itself. Sheamus hits two ax handles on Cesaro. He hits the ropes again, but Cesaro gets back at him with a hard clothesline. Two count this time. Cesaro and Sheamus keep wailing away. Sheamus gets his signature chest-thump spot in. He picks Cesaro up over the ropes and slams him down with a backbreaker, but this time Cesaro kicks out at two.

Cesaro and Sheamus continue to clobber each other. Cesaro shoves Sheamus into the corner. He charges, Sheamus pops his leg up and lands a perfectly timed counter Brogue kick to Cesaro's jaw. Cesaro falls back, Sheamus covers, and it's over. Sheamus wins.

Match Rating: ****1/2 Great match. The only thing that keeps it from a higher rating is that it's short and a commercial break cuts it even shorter. Execution and storytelling get five stars, but the total presentation is just a little lacking. Such is life on Main Event. Sheamus and Cesaro are a dream match up. Both are willing (and able) to sell so that the other guy looks like a destroyer. Both have offenses that make them look like powerhouses. That makes for a great match.

Match Review: Smackdown 41-man Battle Royal - Oct 14, 2011

I searched "WWE match" on youtube and this was the first result. I guess Smackdown battle royals from two years ago are what the WWE really want to push on youtube. Works for me, I friggin' love battle royals. Also, it's battle royals, not battles royal. Don't be that guy. Let's do this.

Smackdown 41-Man Battle Royal
Winner receives the right to a title shot of their choosing that same evening. I'll bet some idiot goes for the IC title. The match description says this the biggest battle royal in WWE history, so we're in for a real treat.

Then intercontinental champion Cody Rhodes comes out with his belt on, so I'm wrong. There are some conspicuous gaps in the line when the superstars walk out. Notably, Orton comes out last and about 10 feet away from anyone else. All 41 guys jam themselves in there. The bell rings and the brawling commences. Way too much going on to call the action with any effect. Somebody dumps masked Cody Rhodes to the outside a few seconds in, making him elimination numero uno.

Johnny Curtis goes out second. This is during the heel Michael Cole commentator era, so enjoy that if you watch. JTG falls out, never to be seen again. Michael McGuillicutty, Derek Bateman, and Titus O'Neal follow soon after. There's a Yoshi Tatsu sighting. Matt Striker takes a hard bump and hits his head on the mat outside. The ring's slowly thinning out when a commercial break gives us a reprieve.

William Regal steps onto the outside with the grace of a fine British gentleman. Percy Watson is out too. Morrison and Ziggler come next, ridding the ring of our mid-sized athletic guy contingent. Trent Baretta takes the craziest looking bump yet when he front flips over the rope, lands on his feet, then face plants. An Uso goes out, glad it's not just me who can't tell them apart that quickly as the commentators never specify which it is. At this point the wrestlers actually have some room to move around. Ezekiel Jackson dumping Ted DiBiase over the top helps. Booker T hypes out how great Drew McIntyre looks tonight. Some indy geek falls out and the camera barely catches it. He'll never matter anyhow.

Tyler Reks and Curtis Hawkins go flying out of the ring thanks to Mason Ryan. Drew McIntyre doesn't live up to the hype, he's out next. Mason Ryan press slams Justin Gabriel, only for someone to jump him from behind and casually tilt him over the top rope. It's a clean-shaven Wade Barrett. So much for British pride. CM Punk high kicks Primo when Primo was on the apron, so he's out. Christian almost eliminates Santino, but Santino pulls himself back up onto the apron. He starts getting the cobra ready when Christian pops him in the jaw and sends him packing.

Miz eliminates Alex Riley by pulling down the top rope as Riley charges. Kofi Kingston skins the cat to stay alive, grabs Swagger with his legs, but can't get the elimination on Swagger. Swagger gets an ankle lock on Kofi, who is still clutching the top rope and dangling upside down. A Jack Swagger boot ends that little showdown. Ryder goes out without much ceremony. Sheamus grabs Otunga and then the other Uso by the back of the neck and throws each over the top rope within a few seconds of the other. He really should go for that more often.

Ezekiel Jackson wants to get the jump on Sheamus. Sheamus isn't having it and fights his way off of Jackson's shoulders then clotheslines Jackson over the top. Sheamus stands tall in the middle of the ring while everyone else slouches in the corner or lays on the ground. Heath Slater almost meets the same fate as Otunga and Uso #2, but he manages to hang onto the top rope. Sheamus brogue kicks him for the insolence, leaving us with only ten men left.

CM Punk uses his tried and true "lay on the mat and hope no one notices me" method to great success. Sheamus continues his dominant run when he powerbombs Sin Cara Negro over the top and into Ezekiel Jackson and two others, who manage to break his fall. Christian lines up Sheamus from the corner. He sprints at the Irishman, looking for the diving hug, but Sheamus knees him in the face. Sheamus hoists Christian up on his shoulder. Christian escapes before he gets too near the ropes, then tries to push Sheamus over the top. Sheamus blocks a punch, puts his hand behind Christian's neck, and throws him over the top rope. See, it's that easy.

Pre-3MB Jinder Mahal is still in there, working over Sheamus. CM Punk dumps R-Truth, Miz eliminates Punk immediately after that. Miz eats a brogue kick and rolls out of the ring, under the bottom rope. The commentators mention that he is not eliminated, but I'm sure that won't come back into play. Punk and R-Truth keep on brawling outside, distracting the camera man from seeing Christian eliminate Sheamus. Sheamus gets right back in there and starts chasing him around, inside and then outside of the ring. Christian makes a run for it, all the way up the ramp and to the back. Orton eliminates Wade Barrett and immediately RKOs Jack Swagger after that. Swagger goes out next. Jinder eats an RKO and Randy dumps him out, leaving nobody else standing.

But where's the bell? Nowhere yet, because the Miz is still in this. He sneaks back into the ring and throws Orton over the top rope. He celebrates his win prematurely. Orton is still alive. Miz puts the boots to Orton. Orton ducks a Miz clothesline and then power slams him, getting back in control. He does that mat slapping taunt but fails to deliver an RKO. Both guys end up on the apron. They square off while clutching the top rope. Punches fly as each backs up the other. Miz shoves Orton into the ring post, but it's not enough to end this. Orton boots Miz's gut and RKOs him onto the apron. Both men drop out, but Miz hits first. There's some confusion about who hit first, even though it looked pretty clear to me. Orton's the winner, so he faces Mark Henry later that night.

Match Rating: *. Even by Battle Royal standards this was pretty bad. It's almost sixteen minutes long and hits on plenty of the big tropes: eliminated guy eliminates a live contestant, the photo finish, the hide outside the ring and hope no one notices, etc. etc.  It's no Wrestlemania 14 tag team battle royal, i.e., the gold standard of battle royals. Why is this the first result for "WWE match" on youtube? This wasn't even fun to watch. Here's, watch it, wallow in this with me:

Match Review: Nick Bockwinkel vs. Stan Hansen - April 20, 1986

One of my favorite things to search on youtube is "Nick Bockwinkel promo." I can listen to him talk all day and I'll be damned if his delivery (though not his diction) didn't help me give a speech today. So, in honor of Mr. Bockwinkel, I figured it's time to review a match. Unfortunately, not much video of a young Nick exists. Doesn't matter, there's still an okay amount out there from the 80s in AWA. So today, it's Stan Hansen vs. Nick Bockwinkel for the AWA Heavyweight Championship. Let's get to it.

AWA World Heavyweight Title - Stan Hansen (c) vs. Nick Bockwinkel
Hansen stomps someone in the audience a for getting in his way before the match even begins. The announcer informs us it was Larry Nelson, another broadcaster, but for a moment I thought the man just kicked the hell out of some poor guy in the crowd. Stan Hansen is scary.

Hansen lunges for a bullwhip as the bell rings. Bockwinkel jumps on him to stop that nonsense. The two start to brawl inside and outside of the ring. Bockwinkel doesn't get to shine much early. Hansen is in control with a headlock for a minute until Bockwinkel can get out. Bockwinkel tries to rough up Hansen but Hansen puts an end to that with some of his smashing blows.

Bockwinkel's still flashing some speed on the mat. Impressive, given he was in his early fifties.  He gets out of a headlock and had Hansen in a double wristlock. Both men rise to their feet with the wristlock still in place. Hansen grabs the rope, forcing a break. Bockwinkel socks Hansen with some shots to the ribs. Hansen's fists hit a lot harder and he send Bockwinkel reeling. Hansen throws Bockwinkel to the ropes, who hits a sunset flip that's only good for two. Both are up again. Hansen charges; Bockwinkel arm drags him and puts on an armlock.

Bockwinkel wants to keep the big Texan grounded and to slow the pace down. The two have a vicious strike exchange. It's not what you'd see in modern puro. It's something that feels a lot more brutal and intense. More real, to be honest. Hansen slaps the hell out of Bockwinkel's chest to break the arm hold. Bockwinkel throws stiff right fists at Hansen to back him up. Hansen snapmares Bockwinkel, but Bockwinkel drags Hansen down into another wristlock. Hansen gets headscissors on Bockwinkel but has to break that when the ref gives him a five count. No clue why that happened. Hansen sits Bockwinkel up so he can put Bockwinkel in a chinlock. That isn't good enough for Hansen, who clubs away at Bockwinkel's chest.

Bockwinkel gets Hansen in a sleeperhold and the crowd pops big. Hansen's flailing his arms at first but quickly starts to fade. Hansen leans forward enough to get the rope, then keeps leaning until he dumps Bockwinkel outside. Hansen slams Bockwinkel's head against the stairs. He tries to take Bockwinkel to a post but Bockwinkel jabs Hansen until he has to back off. Hansen scoops Bockwinkel up for a body slam but drops him chest-first on the top rope.

The two try to suplex each other. Bockwinkel finally does it. Only a two count on the ensuing pin. BIIIIIIG back body drop by Bockwinkel. A body slam is next. Hansen gets a shoulder up on each pin. Bockwinkel lifts Hansen up for another bodyslam and Hansen's boots clock the ref right in the temple. Bockwinkel covers Hansen but that's not even good enough for a visual pinfall.

Bockwinkel checks on the ref until Hansen ambushes him from behind with a double ax handle. Hansen throws Bockwinkel to the ropes, Bockwinkel responds with a cross body. Another pin attempt with no ref. A dropkick shoves Hansen into the ropes. Bockwinkel manages to haul Hansen up for a piledriver, spiking him down a second later. Another pin attempt. Hansen kicks out at around two. No count again, though the ref is finally getting up.

Bockwinkel comes at Hansen, who simply dumps him over the top rope with a back body drop of his own. The ref immediately waives it off, calling for a DQ. So that rule was in effect. Hansen retains thanks to the DQ. Bockwinkel tries to get back in the ring and Hansen ambushes him. The two are still going at it, trading rights until Bockwinkel starts putting a combo of them together. He drops Hansen, who has to roll out of the ring and retreat away. Bockwinkel's in the middle of the ring with a chair. Hansen comes back just to grab the championship and hoist it in the air.

Match Rating: **3/4. Could have been a lot better, but for the sudden, unexpected ending. Seeing a match with the over-the-top-rope DQ rule in effect is pretty jarring nowadays, especially when you aren't expecting it. That really lowers the match for me, but Hansen and Bockwinkel did a fine job in there. I actually liked Bockwinkel more as a baby face than I expected to, since all of the stuff I've seen is really heel work. Hansen's selling is a favorite of mine too. He gets hit and walks away with this big grimace on his face. It doesn't look like guys are killing him, nor should he act that way with how he is, but he still needs a minute to get his bearings straight. It's a short match, maybe 12-15 minutes. Give it a watch, even if the non-finish is disappointing.

Match Review: KENTA vs. Takeshi Morishima - Jan 5, 2014

Word on the street is that KENTA had a workout with the WWE at their performance center. It doesn't seem like much will come of it, other than spreading news that nothing will come of it, but it does give me a reason to review his most recent NOAH title match. Not that I want this to be KENTA: The Blog, but one more won't kill me. That said, let's get to the match.

GHC Heavyweight Title - KENTA (c) vs. Takeshi Morishima
KENTA is the reigning GHC Heavyweight champ coming into this match. He's going on almost a year now after dethroning Morishima in late January 2013. A video package before the match shows some of the battles these two have had and refers to Morishima as a "High Tention Monster." Sic, guys, absolutely sic.

Neither guy is in much of a hurry to start this one. They tie up on the first approach and the much bigger Morishimi easily backs KENTA up. KENTA shoots Morishima into the ropes and a shoulderblock floors the smaller man. KENTA rolls over into the corner, clearly rethinking his strategy right now.

They start a forearm and strike exchange. KENTA gets the worst of it to start, but a string of hard kicks to the chest finally put Morishima on his back. Headscissors are squeezing Morishima until a rope break. KENTA gets a few stomps in before the big guy rolls out. He tries to get back in, KENTA kicks him again while he's in the ropes. Another set of forearms sends Morishima packing.

KENTA whips Morishima into the barricade, but Morishima takes the lead after a shoulder block moments later. Morishima body slams KENTA once they're back in the ring and follows up with a big splash. Love me some big man offense. KENTA rolls out of the ring. People do that a lot more than you realize, until you start breaking matches down. Morishima follows him out there and gives KENTA a suplex before taking it back in the ring.

Morishima bludgeons KENTA with his big paws. He's laying it in for a couple minutes until KENTA tries to fight back with some forearms. Morishima locks in an abdominal stretch. He pulls up KENTA's other leg for added effect, but he only gets a two count on the post-break pin.

KENTA and Morishima battle for a suplex. KENTA finally wins that struggle. Morishima isn't down long and it takes a KENTA leg lariat to put Morishima down for any length. KENTA uses those precious moments to climb the turnbuckle and hit a flying clothesline. Morishima's down again, so a KENTA STF inflicts some more pain. Morishima gets Irish whipped to the ropes. KENTA goes for a body slam. Nothing doing, he's not big enough to lift Morishima. KENTA hits the ropes with a full head of steam and Morishima counters with a butt bump. KENTA's down now, Morishima's up on the ropes, and he shoots KENTA across the ring with a missile drop kick once KENTA got back up.

KENTA looks the worse for wear thus far. Morishima's eating some forearms and kicks, sure, but he looks unstoppable. KENTA can only slow him down momentarily, which he's doing again with a dropkick to the corner. KENTA sprints back to the opposite corner and does another on the now sitting Morishima. The crowd's chanting for KENTA after a knee drop from upstairs. He tries to lift Morishima, but Morishima's still too damn big. KENTA springboards in from the apron; Morishima counters it straight into a slam.

Both are slow to get up, though Morishima is definitely looking better. He waits for KENTA to rise before hitting the ropes and lariating KENTA with his thick right arm. The ref counts the pin, but only gets two. Morishima gets KENTA to his feet, looking for a backdrop driver, and KENTA grabs the top rope for leverage. Morishima yanks him away, tries again, and KENTA counters with a headlock takedown into a failed pin attempt. Morishima rushes at KENTA, who lifts him up on his shoulders. He goes for a Go 2 Sleep, but barely connects, mostly hitting Morishima's arm. It gets a two count, which was probably more than it deserved.

Morishima again bounces of the ropes. This time KENTA uses his moment properly and gets the powerslam on his second attempt. KENTA springs up and starts to wail away with stiff kicks to the head. The third has Morishima on his back. KENTA only gets two. The crowd's not buying these finishes so far, nor am I.

KENTA hoists Morishima up on his shoulders again. He hits a second Go 2 Sleep and this one connects much more cleanly. He makes the cover, the ref counts, and this one is still going on. Only a two count.

KENTA's fired up. He takes Morishima by the hair, pulling him to his feet. Morishima springs into action and finally hits his backdrop driver. Both guys are down. Morishima rolls an arm onto KENTA, good for a two count of his own. Morishima wants another back drop driver. KENTA jerks him down to the mat and hustles into a LeBell lock in the middle of the mat. Morishima's a huge guy and he uses all his strength to haul the both of them towards the ropes, just close enough to get a foot on it.

KENTA hits a running knee to Morishima's back as he tries to stand. He hits the ropes again and Morishima flails wildly with a lariat meant for a much taller man. KENTA hits the other side, Morishima again misses badly on a lariat. KENTA hits the ropes a third time without breaking his momentum. He leaps for a busaiku knee and Morishima crushes him in midair with a third lariat attempt. Morishima smashes him with another lariat. KENTA gets his shoulder up just in time on the pin.

Morishima tries to kick KENTA to the side but it's blocked. KENTA tees off on Morishima with a dozen hard right-handed slaps. KENTA loads up too much on the last one, letting Morishima block it. Morishima clubs KENTA's neck with another lariat, though both are standing. Morishima brainbuster's KENTA and goes for the pin. 1-2-nope, only 2. The crowd really heated up and so have I. I bought into that as the end, but we're getting bonus action now.

Morishima hits the ropes one more and lands the hardest lariat yet. KENTA's neck is going to feel like hell. It's still not enough, KENTA gets a shoulder up once more. Morishima isn't going to let the momentum change. He's got KENTA by the waist the instant he's up. BIG backdrop driver. This this one is OVER. It took 20 minutes and a hell of a lot of offense, but Morishima finished him off.

Match rating: ***. It's an entertaining but not great match. A lot of the near falls were dead until the very end. Oddly, the last one also came across as overkill because Morishima just about murdered KENTA with that lariat. Luckily it only took an additional backdrop driver all of four seconds later to end it, so the kept the match from dragging on. KENTA's offense is credible enough that it looks like it would hurt Morishima, but Morishima did a fine job at only bumping on the right moments, rather then bouncing around in there for a considerably smaller man. I'm a sucker for Big Man vs. Little Man, especially when the big guy is too much to overcome. Give this one a watch.

ROH TV show recap - Episode 123

And we're back in Nashville again. Heads up for these reviews: I know ROH TV is way behind their live shows. I'm doing my best to avoid spoilers and enjoy this as a week-to-week show as it airs.

ROH Top Prospect Tournament Semi Final - Raymond Rowe vs. Corey Hollis
Hollis is about the most generic looking guy you'll see in wrestling. Only a beard helps separate him. It's not even a full beard, not that I can talk about that. Rowe's considerably bigger and more bearded. Rowe's got some fine looking punches and chops. The camera work during this match is awful. The hard cam must be busted or something because it's all the handhelds recording footage right now. Very shaky and amateur looking.

Hollis tries a hurricanrana that Rowe stops with brute strength. Both guys are working hard in there and it's a fast-paced match. Rowe scoops up Hollis for a full-nelson slam, but knees Hollis in the back of the head on his way down. Cool looking move, Hollis is out cold, and Ray Rowe is on to the finals.

Match rating: *1/2. Very short match. The rating isn't a knock, the match is simply too short to give any real credit too. I like Rower's finisher, but he'll probably kill someone with that before too long. It screams "concussion machine."

RD Evans (/w Veda Scott) vs. "Matt Cells"? 
The undefeated RD Evans is out, 13-0. His opponent is a Shetland Jack Swagger that gets no introduction. "Matt Cells" is his name, I think.  Veda gets a bit of camera time to remind us that the real top prospect is already in the ring. Matt is roughing up Evans in there. Evans takes a really awkward looking bump off the apron when Matt knees him. Looks like he landed right on his ass. Evans gets back in the ring, clotheslines Matt, and finishes him off with a diving headbutt.

Match rating: *. Another very short match.

Veda's got a mic and is in the ring afterwards. "You can all updates you blogs and your fansites." Will do, Veda, will do. Veda volunteers RD to go for 15-0 tonight. She issues an open challenge to ANYONE on the roster. Bad news, Evans, Michael Elgin answers first.

Michael Elgin vs. RD Evans (/w Veda Scott)
Elgin extends a hand as the crowd chants "Don't die, RD, don't die!" Elgin jerks Evans in with the handshake and then slams Evans. They're outside in a few seconds, where Elgin is throwing Evans into barricades. Goddamn, Evans is bumping like crazy into the boards.

Evans is dead in the water when Elgin rolls him back in the ring. Elgin puts Evans up on the top rope. Veda's there to distract Elgin just long enough for Evans to recover. He tries a sunset flip powerbomb but Elgin is way too strong. Elgin ends up back on the middle rope as Evans is standing on the apron outside. Elgin lifts Evans up for a superplex from there, delaying it so the crowd can count it out. I do like Elgin, I really do, but I can do without that spot ever single match. Buckle bomb. Spinning sit out power bomb. Evans is done. Elgin is not.

Elgin gets some chairs from outside to set up. Elgin powerbombs Evans through the chairs. RD Evans is victorious! 15-0! 15-0!

Security, a/k/a ROH's ring crew, swarms Elgin to stop any more carnage.

Match rating: **. Big credit to Evans for his bumping. Elgin played up that he's blinded by rage and wants to beat the hell out of someone, anyone, until he gets his hands on Adam Cole. Elgin gets to look like a monster, Evans gets to add to his win streak. Everyone's a winner.

AJ Styles returning to ROH video package. He'll be here next week.

Matt Taven vs.  Tadarius Thomas
A collar-and-elbow tie up to start the match off. TD and Taven exchange wristlocks and work through a bunch of slick transitions to get up to trading headlocks. Thomas forearms Taven to end the chain wrestling segment of this match.

Taven pops TD with a missile dropkick. He hurricanranas TD, who dodges any impact by cartwheeling through it. The ref actually admonishes Taven for clutching TD's tights before and during a suplex. Very judicious enforcement of the rules, I approve.

Corino's talking about Matt Hardy on commentary, making an awkward mention of Hardy spending time with his beautiful wife. TD eats back-to-back enzugiris as he sits on the top turnbuckle. TD pushes Taven away when he tries a huracanrana. TD tries to ax handle Taven from the top. Taven counters with a superkick. Now Taven's up top and he lands a frog splash with plenty of air. It's enough to finish TD.

Match rating: *1/2. To be succinct: it was a bunch of moves. Neither guys are stiffs, but there's nothing to this match.

Another video package follows, giving a bit of back story to Jay Briscoe vs. Adam Cole. Cole's answering Briscoe's charges today. Jay's out there first, letting Cole know that he's there to kick ass and chew bubble gum. And he's all out of bubble gum. His line, not mine.

It's not Cole who greets Jay tonight, it's tag team champion Bobby Fish. Bobby Fish proclaims that he's a real champion, like Adam Cole. Jay Briscoe is a fake. Fish wants Jay to know that Cole won't dignify a fake title by coming out here, but Fish is more than happy to represent ROH in a match.

Bobby Fish vs. Jay Briscoe
Fish yells that he wants a shot at Briscoe's fake title as we go to a commercial break. Kevin Kelly lets us know the rest of the hour is going to Jay Briscoe vs. Bobby Fish, so I'm expecting a nice long match. Fish kicks the inside of Jay's thigh when they consider locking up.  He's using leg kicks early on and Jay's selling the knee already, limping around moments in.

Jay headbutts Fish and whips him into the boards outside. He tosses the chairs from outside into the ring, but the ref cleared them out by the time Jay and Fish are in there again. Jay's laying the boots to Fish, who's trying to run away when the beating doesn't stop. The two take it outside again, where Jay is throwing Fish into the boards once more.

Fish is trying to run like hell until he gets an opening to take control. Fish follows up almost every move with a pin attempt. Slam then pin. Suplex then pin. Rinse and repeat. If Briscoe bumps, Fish pins. Fish starts to get more frustrated with each kick out.

Jay fights back with headbutts and boots. Both guys have good looking strikes that they trade back and forth. Jay makes Fish buckle over long enough to scoop him up for a falcon arrow. Two count. Jay wants the Jay Driller, Fish drives him into the corner to avoid it.

Fish puts Jay up on the top turnbuckle, looking for a superplex. Jay hammers away at Fish's sides and dumps him off the top. Fish takes a hell of a bump there, like he was trying to push himself as far away as he could. Jay lands a splash but it hurts him too. The ref's giving both men a ten count. Adam Cole finally shows up now. Cole claps and taunts Jay. Both men in the ring are back on their feet. They're exchanging stiffer and stiffer forearms until Fish starts to break. He starts to wobble. Fish's forearm attempt is barely a slap a slap now.

Jay doesn't let up. A few more hard forearms drive Fish back. He irish whips Fish, looking for the killing blow, but Fish ducks under it. Cole grabbed Jay's belt outside, distracting him away from Fish. Fish crouches in wait. The ref is yelling at Cole on the outside, giving Fish the chance to land a crushing low blow. Jay's hurt badly now. Fish hits a Saito suplex on Jay, covers, but only gets two! Great near fall, I thought this one was over.

Fish sizes up Jay. He wants to kick his head clean off, but a kneeling Jay gets under the kick. He grabs Fish by the waist and shoves him into Adam Cole, who was up on the ring apron. Jay doubles Fish over, hooks the arms, and a Jay Driller ends the main event.

Adam Cole gets in the ring while Jay celebrates his win. He's going to use the world title to blindside Jay, but Jay avoids it. Cole drops the belt and rolls out of the ring before Jay can get his hands on him. Jay's got both world title belts now, much to Cole's disgust.

Match Rating: ***. Good main event that was missing a little something to take it to the next level. Fish spammed pins early on then didn't get any in for a long while, which made his nearfall at the end entirely believable.

Final Thoughts
This week was much more entertaining than the last. We got a good-length main event, plenty of RD Evans, and more set up to matches down the road without feeling so much like a pure transition episode. Next week is AJ Style's return. I'm looking forward to it.