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The Match A Day 100 - 07.23.2009
100. Joe Stetcher vs. Earl Caddock
[Madison Square Garden, January 1920]
99. Champion Carnival, Semi-Final: Keji Mutoh vs. Minoru Suzuki
[All Japan, April 2009]
98. 15-Man, Tri-Branded Battle Royale for 2 Draft Picks
[WWE RAW Draft 2009 Special]
97. Empty Arena Match: Sting vs. Kurt Angle
[TNA Impact, March 2009]
96. 15-man Heavyweight Battle Royal
[All Japan, January 2009]
95. 81st Generation All Asia Tag Team Title Determination Tournament, Semi Final: Satoshi Kojima & KAI vs. Masanobu Fuchi & Osamu Nishimura
[All Japan, January 2009]
94. 11-Man Jr. Heavyweight Battle Royal
[All Japan, January 2009]
93. 81st Generation All Asia Tag Team Title Determination Tournament, Final: Minoru Suzuki & NOSAWA vs. Masanobu Fuchi & Osamu Nishimura
[All Japan, January 2009]
92. Champion Carnival Final: Kaz Hayashi vs. Minoru Suzuki
[All Japan, April 2009]
91. Green Boys Fight: Red Shoes (Kenichi Chikano) vs. White Shoes (Youhei Fujita)
[Dragon Gate, January 2009]
90. Battle of Tokyo 2009 Tournament Final: Akira Tozawa vs. KAGETORA
[Dragon Gate, January 2009]
89. Jerry Lynn vs. Delirious
[ROH The French Connection, October 2008]
88. TNA Title, Cage Match: Sting vs. Mick Foley
[TNA Lockdown 2009]
87. Jimmy Jacobs & Brodie Lee vs. Necro Butcher & Delirious
[ROH on HDNET, May 2009]
86. 81st Generation All Asia Tag Team Title Determination Tournament, Round 1: Kaz Hayashi & Keji Mutoh vs. Shuji Kondo & Ryota Hama
[All Japan, January 2009]
85. Kurt Angle vs. Christopher Daniels
[TNA Impact!, April 2009]
84. KENTA, Taiji Ishimori & Atsushi Aoki
vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima, HARASHIMA & El Blazer
[SEM, October 2008]
83. Kenny King & Rhett Titus vs. Brodie Lee & Delirious
[ROH Bound by Hate, November 2008]
82. Champion Carnival, Semi-Final: Satoshi Kojima vs. Kaz Hayashi
[All Japan, April 2009]
81. 30 Minute, Iron Tag Team Match: LAX vs. Chris Hero & Davey Richards vs. The Age of the Fall vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico
[ROH Return of the 187, October 2008]
80. Jun Akiyama, Kenta Kobashi & Shuhei Taniguchi vs. Mitsuhara Misawa, Go Shiosaki & Ricky Marvin
[Pro-Wrestling NOAH, April 2009]
79. Davey Richards vs. Jerry Lynn
[ROH Bound by Hate, Novermber 2008]
78. Champion Carnival Final: Bruiser Brody vs. Abdullah the Butcher
[All Japan, April 1981]
77. Naomichi Marufuji & Kento Miyahara vs. Atsuhi Aoki & Akiko Ito
[SEM, December 2008]
76. CMLL Welterweight Title: Mistico vs. Negro Casas
[CMLL, April 2009]
75. Steel Cage Match: Buddy Rose & Doug Somers vs. Midnight Rockers
[AWA, December 1986]
74. WWE Title Match: Triple H vs. Randy Orton
[Wrestlemania 25th Anniversary, April 2009]
73. Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Rocky Miavia
[WWF Shotgun Saturday Night, January 1997]
72. Andre the Giant vs. El Canek
[CMLL, February 1984]
71. Jun Akiyama & KENTA vs. Go Shiosaki & Makoto Hashi
[NOAH Shirinui, March 2009]
70. Jerry Lynn vs. Brodie Lee
[ROH on HDNET, April 2009]
69. IWGP Title Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kurt Angle
[New Japan PPV, April 2009]
68. 3-Way: Tyler Black vs. Kenny Omega vs. Bryan Danielson
[ROH Bound by Hate, Novermber 2008]
67. King of the Ring Qualifying Match Take 2: Doink vs. Mr. Perfect
[WWF Wrestling Challenge, May 1993]
66. Jun Akiyama & Shuhei Taniguchi vs. Go Shiosaki & Takeshi Sugiura
[NOAH, February 2009]
65. Tyler Black vs. Bryan Danielson
[ROH on HDNET, May 2009]
64. Kensuke Sasaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Jun Akiyama & Shuhei Taniguichi
[NOAH, January 2009]
63. Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli
[ROH Escalation, November 2008]
62. ROH Tag Team Titles Match: Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe
[ROH Bound by Hate, Novermber 2008]
61. Undertaker vs. Matt Hardy
[WWE Superstars, April 2009]
60. Triple Threat Elimination Chase to Backlash: Tommy Dreamer vs. Finlay vs. Christian
[ECW TV, April 2009]
59. Akitoshi Saito vs. Takeshi Rikioh
[NOAH Northern Navigation, June 2008]
58. LAX vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe
[ROH Ring of Homicide II, October 2008]
57. NWA Tower of Doom Match: Road Warriors, Steve Williams, Jimmy & Ronnie Garvin vs. Varsity Club, Al Perez, Ivan Koloff & The Russian Assassin
[NWA Great American Bash, July 1988]
56. Wrestlemania All-Star Match: John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy, CM Punk & Ricky ‘the Dragon' Steamboat vs. Edge, Big Show, Matt Hardy, Kane & Chris Jericho
[Monday Night RAW, April 2009]
55. Doink vs. Macho Man
[WWF, Spring 1994]
54. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Goldust
[WWF Shotgun Saturday Night, January 1997]
53. ECW Elimination Chase to Backlash: Finlay vs. Christian vs. Mark Henry vs. Tommy Dreamer
[ECW TV, April 2009]
52. IWGP Title Match: Brock Lesnar vs. Manabu Nakanishi
[New Japan, December 2005]
51. King of the Ring Qualifying Match: Doink vs. Mr. Perfect
[WWF Superstars, May, 1993]
50. Brent Albright vs. Jay Briscoe
[ROH – Return of the 187, October 2008]
49. Cage Match: Jerry Lynn vs. Christopher Daniels
[TNA Lockdown 2007]
48. Austin Aries vs. Roderick Strong
[ROH on HDNET, May 2009]
47. ROH Tag Team Titles, Table Match: Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. American Wolves
[ROH on HDNET, May 2009]
46. Naomichi Marufuji vs. Kento Miyahara
[SEM, October 2008]
45. Shocker vs. Dr. Wagner
[CMLL, April 2002]
44. WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Pat Patterson vs. Ken Patera
[WWF MSG, April 1980]
43. Open the Brave Gate: Masato Yoshino vs. CIMA
[Dragon Gate – Gate of Anniversary PPV, January 2009]
42. Takeshi Morishima vs. Mohammed Yone
[NOAH Northern Navigation, June 2008]
41. Dog Collar Match: Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Jacobs
[ROH Bound by Hate, November 2008]
40. No Rope Match: Shingo vs. YAMATO
[Dragon Gate, January 2009]
39. Akitoshi Saito & Bison Smith vs. Kensuke Sasuke & Katsuhiko Nakajima
[NOAH Winter Navigation, November 2008]
38. WWF Intercontinental Title, Good Housekeeping Match: Jeff Jarrett vs. Chyna
[WWF No Mercy, October 1999]
37. Jun Akiyama vs. Naomichi Marufuji
[NOAH Northern Navigation, June 2008]
36. Hysteria & Mini Mankind vs. Venom & Mascarita Sagrada Jr.
[WWF Shotgun Saturday Night, January 1997]
35. King of the Ring Qualifying Match Take 3: Doink vs. Mr. Perfect
[WWF Monday Night RAW, May 1993]
34. No DQ: Delirious vs. Mark Briscoe vs. Necro Butcher
[ROH Return of the 187, October 2008]
33. All Japan Jr. Heavyweight Title Match: Kaz Hayashi vs. Minoru
[All Japan, March 2009]
32. FIP Title: Go Shiosaki vs. Austin Aries
[ROH Return of the 187, October 2008]
31. Misae Genki vs. Satoshi Kojima
[NEO Japan, November 2008]
30. Empty Arena Match: Jerry Lawler vs. Terry Funk
[CWA, April 1981]
29. Chris Benoit vs. Bobby Lashely
[Monday Night RAW, 2007]
28. 2 out of 3 Falls: Rick Martel vs. Buddy Rose
[AWA, April 1980]
27. No Holds Barred: Chris Benoit vs. Randy Orton
[WWE Smackdown, January 2006]
26. Brent Albright vs. Claudio Castagnoli
[ROH on HDNET, April 2009]
25. Stretcher Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy
[WWE Smackdown, April 2009]
24. ROH Title, 4 Corner Survival: Jerry Lynn vs. Austin Aries vs. Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black
[ROH on HDNET, June 2009]
23. Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black
[ROH on HDNET, April 2009]
22. 2 out of 3 Falls, 90-Minute Time Limit Match: CM Punk vs. Chris Hero
[IWA Mid-South, February 2003]
21. Wargames Match: Brian Pillman, Sting & Steiner Brothers vs. Ric Flair, Barry Windham, Larry Zbyszko & Sid Vicious
[WrestleWar 1991, February 1991]
20. ROH Title: Nigel McGuiness vs. Kevin Steen vs. El Generico vs. Go Shiosaki
[ROH – The French Connection, October 2008]
19. Vacant GHC Title Match: Go Shiosaki vs. Takeshi Rikioh
[NOAH, June 2009]
18. Real World Tag League Finals: Mitsuhara Misawa & Jun Akiyama vs. Toshiaka Kawada & Akira Taue
[All Japan, December 1997]
17. 2 out of 3 Falls: Marty Janetty vs. Doink
[Monday Night RAW, June 1993]
16. Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries
[ROH Wrestling on HDNET, April 2009]
15. Mitsuhara Misawa & Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Kenta Kobashi & Jun Akiyama
[All Japan, October 1999]
14. WWF Title, Empty Arena Match: The Rock vs. Mankind
[Halftime Heat, January 1999]
13. Ricky Steamboat vs. Terry Funk
[WCW Clash of the Champions VII]
12. 20-Man Battle Royal
[Battle at Royal Albert Hall, October 1991]
11. WWF Intercontinental Title, Cage Match: Tito Santana vs. Greg Valentine
[WWF Baltimore, July 1985]
10. WWF Champion = Antonio Inoki vs. Bob Backlund
[Japan, December 1979]
9. GHC Title Match: Jun Akiyama vs. Go Shiozaki
[Pro-Wrestling NOAH, April 2009]
8. 2 out of 3 Falls, NWA Title: Ric Flair vs. King Kong ‘Bruiser' Brody
[NWA St. Louis, 1983]
7. Cage Match: Macho King vs. Ultimate Warrior
[MSG Classics, January 1991]
6. AWA Title vs. NWA Title Unification Match: Ric Flair vs. Rick Martel
[All Japan, October 1985]
5. World Heavyweight Championship: Triple H vs. Randy Orton
[WWE Royal Rumble 2005]
4. WWF Champion = Bob Backlund vs. Antonio Inoki
[Japan, November 1979]
3. Champion Carnival Final: Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Dick Slater
[All Japan, May 1980]
2. Open the Dream Gate: Naruki Doi vs. Koji Kanemoto
[Dragon Gate – Gate of Anniversary PPV, January 2009]
1. Jun Akiyama & Mitsuhara Misawa vs. Steve Williams & Johnny Ace
[All Japan, June 1996]
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Match A Day - Week 4 - Supplemental - 05.06.2009
Match #22 - April 26th
WWF Champion = Bob Backlund vs. Antonio Inoki
[Japan, November 1979]
Match #23 - April 27th
WWF Champion = Antonio Inoki vs. Bob Backlund
[Japan, December 1979]
Match #24 - April 28th
Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black
[ROH on HDNET, April 2009]
Match #25 - April 29th
CMLL Welterweight Title: Mistico vs. Negro Casas
[CMLL, April 2009]
Match #26 - April 30th
No Holds Barred: Chris Benoit vs. Randy Orton
[WWE Smackdown, January 2006]
Match #27 - May 1st
Mitsuhara Misawa & Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Kenta Kobashi & Jun Akiyama
[All Japan, October 1999]
Match #28 - May 2nd
Joe Stetcher vs. Earl Caddock
[Madison Square Garden, January 1920] |
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Wacky Scavenger Hunt #11 - 04.17.2009
Final Clue - Fourteenth + Fifteenth Words = one phrase equated to a hand gesture that unequivocally represents a positive critique, like the one you SHOULD have had for Wacky Wrestling Theory!
First person to correctly email this wacky phrase to me, wins the prize. |
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Wacky Scavenger Hunt #10 - 03.29.2009
Clue #10 - Thirteenth Word = Just like the fifth and tenth word but, like, more... |
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Wacky Scavenger Hunt #9 - 03.24.2009
Clue #9 - Twelfth Word = The number you get when you add up all of the wrestlers in the columns 'The Legendary Bob Holly' and 'Jim the Anvil Neidhart, Headliner' minus 37. |
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Wacky Scavenger Hunt #8 - 03.01.2009
Clue #8 - Eleventh Word = According to guest writer Aaron Hubbard's current opinion, in the 'Wacky Fact or Fiction' column, Goldust ________ not the wackiest wrestler of all time. |
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Best of Wrestling 2008 - 01.14.2009
Wrestlers of the Year
#1 = Nigel McGuiness
2 - KENTA
3 - Edge
4 - Triple H
5 - Kurt Angle
Tag Teams of the Year
#1 = Masato Yoshino & Naruki Doi
2 - KENTA & Taiji Ishimori
3 - Briscoe Brothers
4 - Kevin Steen & El Generico
5 - John Morrison & The Miz
Matches of the Year
(live matches attended excepted)
#1 - Triple H vs. John Cena (Night of Champions)
2 - Shingo & BxB Hulk vs. Doi & Yoshino (Dragon Gate, January)
3 - Hell in a Cell: Undertaker vs. Edge
4 - KENTA vs. Naomichi Marufuji (NOAH, October)
5 - Cage Match: Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe
Feuds of the Year
#1 - Edge / Undertaker
2 - Jimmy Jacobs / Austin Aries
3 - Roderick Strong / Erick Stevens
4 - Chris Jericho / Shawn Michaels
5 - KENTA / Nakajima
PPV Title Rankings
#1 - World Heavyweight Championship
2 - WWE Title
3 - ROH Title
4 - ROH Tag Team Titles
5 - WWE ECW Title
6 - Intercontinental Title
7 - TNA World Title
8 - NO TITLE AT ALL
9 - WWE US Title
10 - WWE Women's Title
11 - World Tag Team Championship
12 - TNA Tag Team Titles
13 - WWE Tag Team Titles
14 - TNA X Division Title
15 - TNA Knockout TItle
16 - WWE Divas Championship
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Wacky Scavenger Hunt #7 - 01.09.2009
Clue # 7 - Seventh, Eighth, Ninth Words:
-Part 1 = all three words have the same primary vowel as the favorite word of this column.
-Part 2 = the 7th word has the same first and last letters as one of the 'lame' words (according to the December 11th 2008 edition of Wacky Wrestling Theory) famously whispered by Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XXIV, while the Ninth word has the same number of letters as the other emotional word.
-Part 3 = of these three words combined, the fourth to eighth letters are identical to the 14th to 18th letters in the title of the November 20th 2008 edition of Wacky Wrestling Theory.
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New PPV Economics – TNA Final Resolution 2008 - 12.10.2008
For those who forgot my new quantitative method for reviewing pay-per-views, as described in the column ‘The New Economics of Pay-Per-View’, let me quickly recap. If you count all the moves done in a an entire pay-per-view and divide that by the price of the event, then you have the actual worth of each wrestling maneuver on the show. Then under simple scrutiny, it can be determined if each move is worth that price. This can be done in two ways, by deciding if the move would be acceptable to any general wrestling trainer, and if it is captured on the screen properly.
Final Resolution 2008 was just as shitty aesthetically as most other TNA pay-per-views from this year, but was it worth the money it was charging? As I said in my review of Turning Point 2008, most TNA fans at this point must enjoy and accept run-in endings, referee bumps, and incoherent storytelling, but are they reasonably getting their money’s worth for the wrestling in the ring? Let’s find out!
Final Resolution had a total of 839 moves (much less then the 1002 for Turning Point), therefore, with the price tag for the event being $29.99, that means that every move in this event was worth 4 US cents. That’s a one-cent increase this time. Was it worth it? Well, I have to say, at certain points, it seemed like the TNA production crew must have read my previous review, because there was a much better effort on the part of the camera work to capture everything clearly than last month, not perfect, but close in most cases. Everything was pretty good, until, obviously, the main event. With a list of guys like Kevin Nash, Sting, Steiner, the Dudleys, and Booker T, all in one match, it’s pretty hard to imagine anything good-looking technically, positioned correctly for the camera, or convincingly realistic. So that final match, taking up a whopping 247 moves, almost a third of the total moves in the whole event, had a lot of value riding on its shoulders. After all the evaluation, this match was worth $5.96 out of a total $9.88. Since most of the rest of the show was pretty clean, I roughly estimated that only 25% of the moves on the show were not worth the money, thus leading to $25.16 as the actual value for TNA Final Resolution 2008. That’s an increase of more than five dollars from last month’s value of $19.49 for Turning Point. Still not matching the asking price TNA, but it’s an improvement.
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Wacky Scavenger Hunt #6 - 12.08.2008
Clue #6 - Sixth Word = Add the column "High Flyers" and the column "Hair" and you get this many columns minus the w. |
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Wacky Scavenger Hunt #5 - 11.23.2008
Clue #5 - Fifth & Tenth Word = If I was a 90s era rapper who had always considered Sky Low Low, Little Beaver and Little T to be some of my favorite wrestlers, then when I read the text for the article 'Little People' I might agree with the sentiment and say this. |
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ROH Tokyo Weekend Report - 09.21.2008
Love-fest alert. I have nothing but good things to say about Ring of Honor and their tour in Tokyo recently that I was fortunate to attend. I believe that ROH is a company that tries to provide fantastic in-ring pro-wrestling in every match on every night and seeing it live is something special. Granted, there were a lot of Japanese wrestlers here and some predictable or disappointing match results, but seeing the speedy, high impact Dragon Gate action and the hard hitting NOAH wrestlers, up close was a fantastic once in a lifetime experience. All that being said, if you’re interested in some of my impressions of the Japanese shows and experience, then read on.
The Differ Ariake, in case you’re interested, is kind of like a gymnasium or a small urban alt-rock concert hall. It’s located on the edge of Tokyo Bay, on the far edge of what is a massive city. The building itself is kind of in the middle of nowhere, in an industrial/highway area, near a bigger tennis/basketball type stadium and a large convention center. Right beside the Differ is a larger building that must be the NOAH offices/gym. There is one major convenience store across the major intersection nearby where most of the audience members stop to buy snacks/drinks that they carry in mini-plastic bags into the gym. Inside, there is a typical rec-center type snack bar and smoking area, really typical Western stuff. The main hall is thin with the ring set-up, and the East and West sides are only big enough for about 5 rows of seats. Then there are some bleachers on one side and bleachers set up on the stage entrance ramp on the other. The stationary camera and spotlights are set up on the surrounding, high-school basketball court balcony. Although it seems like a gym, it feels very much like a building built for pro-wrestling.
The Japanese fans are relatively calm, as you would assume from watching videos over the years. Almost no one ever stands at any point other than to leave; there are no standing ovations, no chanting, and no heckling. The main way they express their excitement is to yell out the wrestlers name intermittently throughout the match. These random name callings, sometimes accompanied by a Japanese verb of some sort, probably like “come on” I’m guessing, sound like high pitched echoes, are completely netural (maybe only come from one fan once a match) and are somewhat unnerving. The oddest part of the second night in particular, was the young children of one of the NOAH executives who sat in the front row of the bleacher section, and were breaking the rule of maybe only yelling out the name of the wrestler once or twice, and were screaming consistently throughout the matches for all the top NOAH wrestlers. I don’t know if this will come across on DVD, but it was an awkward situation to say the least, since the audience is ultra-polite and seem to treat the wrestling like it is theater, but there is no denying that these kids, (we’re talking like 3-5 years old) were super-irritating, at least from a Japanese audience perspective, it was cute but weird. Who knows what kind of horrible shit people would yell at those kids to get them to shut up back in the States, but here no one said a thing (although Generico tried to shoosh them with his finger, and later Sweeney yelled “shut up you little kids” which got a big laugh).
The audience for the first night was small; almost an entire half of the stage bleachers seemed to be empty, which can’t look good on video. Also, to me it didn’t seem like the Dragon Gate wrestlers were particularly popular, at least no more popular than the ROH wrestlers. Even Shingo, the Dragon Gate champ who came out with his title, was not overwhelmingly ‘over.’ Definitely the second night was pretty packed and the Japanese wrestlers were treated like mega-stars, so much so that a visible contingent of the audience actually left following the Kensuke Sasaki match, and didn’t stay for the ROH Title match.
The wrestling was top-notch. Not a bad match over the two nights, just incredible stuff. A lot happens in the main matches that would be a waste of time to outline, but there were tons of heart stopping sequences and mini-stories played out that really makes ROH the most intricately plotted in-ring pro-wrestling product in history, it’s kind of like the pro-wrestling equivalent of HBO’s The Wire.
There were a few issues that sparked the critic in me during the weekend, and if you’re still reading, then indulge me for a few more minutes…
- Dragon Gate 6-Man Tag
Possibly the best match of the weekend. Describing this match purely from memory would be tough. Although, there were a ton of guys in the audience taking notes, texting information, writing on pads of paper though, almost like they are scoring a baseball game, which was kind of interesting.
Just awesome to see a match like this live. Once the tags became inconsequential it was just awe-inspiring fun on the level, if not surpassing, the last few ROH Dragon Gate matches. Generico seamlessly held his own with the Japanese wrestlers and surprisingly got the victory following a really cool looking spinning brainbuster. And sure there were a ton of fantastic moves and double teams, but Shingo’s hair/head was a site to behold, his mullet length is intact in the back, but it’s all ice cream rainbow colored and the whole front and sides are shaved down and cut into some fancy fucking spirals. Honestly, I’m not even sure that was real or some kind of hat or mask or something. You gotta give the DG wrestlers credit for just plain looking cool. Dragon Kid and his Ultimo Dragon-ish mask, BxB Hulk and his pop star persona, YAMATO had some deadly looking ring gear and even Doi and Yoshino kind of stand out physically against most other wrestlers, Yoshino in particular walks with a McMahon-ish, puffed out strut yet he’s quiet svelte. Compared to the entire NOAH roster, these Dragon Gate guys, and the appropriately matching masked El Generico, are just fun to look at.
- Nigel McGuiness vs. Bryan Danielson / Age of the Fall vs. Briscoes
Both great matches but I just wanted them to be bigger and more epic. I’m just being greedy maybe, but I did have very high expectations for the two encounters, as I think anyone who follows ROH closely would be at this point in the rivalries of these pairings.
The Nigel/Dragon match was probably the strongest of the two Night One main events. There was a lot of fantastically sold, building-up submission holds here that eventually led into some big offense. If you can believe it, Nigel actually gave Dragon the Tower of London on the floor but Dragon’s feet were elevated up on the second ring rope. By the end it had become a really stiff forearm and European upper-cut battle. They were really knocking the shit out of each other. When Dragon rolled up Nigel with the Small Package, it did seem like the match could have gone on a bit longer, 20+ minutes isn’t short short but for these two maybe, but again I was probably just being selfish and wanting to see more that’s all.
The Tag Team Title match was the real main event and thus I’d thought they’d shortened the previous match to give this one more time, because maybe the show up to this point had only been a bit over 2 hours of in-ring action. It was fun to see the match start out on the outside, kind of had the feel of those old Cactus/Funk wild Japanese brawls. Mark hit Tyler with a chair that kind of swung around his neck like a hula-hoop at one point and that looked cool. When the ending came, it was logical from the story playing out in the match, but just too abrupt for a big time main event. Did seem like they could have gone longer and the Japanese fans were desperate for more Briscoes.
- Briscoe Brothers vs. Morishima & Davey Richards
Davey and Morishima make a good team, kind of like Owen and Yokozuna maybe? Morishima could use a slick, US partner… why not have Danielson and Morishima as a team RAW, Mr. WWE?
I read that Davey used a new finisher to win this match… and that may be true, what I saw looked like the Alarm Clock move gone wrong or a bit sloppy, but it could have been something else, can’t say that I particularly saw the ending coming at the point when it happened… but the move must have been a similar move to the throw and kick move, kick based definitely.
- GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title: Yoshinobu Kanemura vs. Bryan Danielson
Kanemura had more streamers but Danielson had the hardcore fans in the building behind him (except for those damn little girls). Dragon really twisted up Kanemura’s arm, it was awesome to see, much like the way he worked the arm of GO Shiosaki in his match last year. Kanemura did make a pretty convincing comeback, and when he hit his brainbuster in the middle of the ring, right near the end, I thought it was over for sure.
If you are a huge Bryan Danielson fan, as I am, then this match is a must see. The moment feels special when he wins, very celebratory, a true vindication for the Ring of Honor style, the career success of non-mainstream wrestlers like Dragon, and the long term commitment to establishing working arrangements between international wrestling companies. I know there have been many comparable moments over the past few years but this one, considering the wrestlers, the time and place, felt the most regal and the most satisfying.
- Marufuji & Nakajima vs. KENTA & Kota Ibushi
I was surprised to hear the most name shouting going toward Ibushi, as he doesn’t strike me as the coolest guy with his lanky build and ultra-fem Jap-pop hairstyle, but he is an impressive athlete there is no doubt. The one name I hardly heard was Nakajima, he worked hard though, as did all. There was definitely some running themes throughout the match, attacking Kota’s head, KENTA’s lack of respect for Nakajima, the younger wrestlers matching up, the NOAH wrestlers holding court, the “top-that” strike battles, but to try to describe the match more than that wouldn’t do it justice as it is a classic. There were some high risk moves but mostly it was a battle of stiff hits, mainly chest kicks. The additional five minutes was a great touch but the additional draw was ultimately a downer. I think this match would have benefited from having a winner, particularly after ROH already put on one NOAH tag match draw last year. It does seem kind of weird to me to book a “dream” tag team match but only give it 30 minutes.
- ROH Title: Nigel McGuiness vs. Jimmy Jacobs
Near the end Nigel hit Jacobs with a shockingly hard clothesline that bloodied Jimmy’s mouth and afterwards he seemed to be fiddling around inside like a tooth was loose. When he got up he spit blood in Nigel’s eyes and was maybe trying to, or did, spit out a tooth, it was hard to tell, but seeing that clothesline up close made me gasp, it was fucking stiff!
As for the traditional ‘heel’ work of Jimmy Jacobs, it seemed like they were booking up-hill all weekend on this aspect although you have to give the crew credit for trying. We know Jacobs has worked very hard, for years, to convince the American audience that he deserves to be challenging the heavyweights, something they just could not do in two days for the Japanese. Jacobs looks small and not really threatening compared to the biggest and most recognizable white guy on the card in McGuiness.
Larry Sweeney did a good job of introducing himself over the weekend as an old school ‘heel’ because he is so flamboyant and over-the-top, but Jacobs’ character is way more serious and his presence may not match his smaller physical stature. I mean, I get it and I could buy that Jacobs could beat Nigel because I’ve been following ROH religiously for years, but to fans who might not be as educated on all the happenings and DVDs, I can understand that they might not have been buying the threat of Jimmy Jacobs, the evil conqueror.
That being said, the audience really wanted to like this match, and the wrestlers delivered. Some interesting dynamics and mini-stories played out in the match and there were some definite highlight reel moves. If Nigel hurt his head when he was speared on the ramp, or Jacobs lost a tooth, it didn’t show in the performance of these two fantastic professionals.
A mistake was not bringing out Tyler Black to help, since he always accompanied Jacobs on the ‘pearl harbor’ attacks (so to speak) throughout the weekend, and it would have offset the size imbalance. And also, even though the audience was probably generally different over the two nights, it was kind of confusing anyways that Nigel ‘worked heel’ on the first night and then was considered a mega-face on the next.
Also, the ‘End Time’ might not have been as convincing to the audience as it would be to a Western ROH crowd, even though they introduced it as a finish on the Briscoes in the previous night, and in other run-ins. Jacobs caught the move after a rebound from Nigel and held on, near the end of the match, and seemed like he could win and probably would have blown away an American ROH audience, but the place was pretty quiet when it happened and I’m not sure that they thought that it was serious finishing move.
Anyways, the point is, it was a great match and very interesting on a number of levels and I think will spark a lot of debate when people get to see it. If anyone has seen the great Misawa/Taue match that had to follow the incredible Kota & Marufuji vs. KENTA & Ishimori classic, then this match had a comparable situation to go up against but inevitably will be secondary to the memorability of the big tag match.
Overall, both shows were unbeatably top notch. Highly recommended. Thanks for reading…. check out the Wacky Scavenger Hunt while you’re here…
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Wacky Scavenger Hunt #4 - 09.07.2008
Clue #4 - Fourth Word = the number of comments I have posted at the end of my regular 'Wacky Wrestling Theory' column. |
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Wacky Scavenger Hunt #3 - 08.02.2008
Let's pick up the level of difficulty a little bit now...
Clue #3 - Third Word: this is a four letter word
-Letter #1 = is the fifth letter of a word in the 2nd last paragraph of the column, "Chasing the Title," and this word often refers to things in pro-wrestling such as winning a battle royal to become number one contender, a tag team split heel turn that happens when a partner refuses to tag in, or a babyface winning a championship match by count-out or disqualification and thus not winning the title, etc.
-Letter #2 = is the 7th letter of a word in the 3rd paragraph of, "Chasing the Title," that has an intimate connection to 411 writer T.G. Corke.
-Letter #3 = is the third part of a famous wrestler's name who is referred to in the 13th paragraph of, "Chasing the Title," for being being involved in an athletic competition against a giant wrestler.
-Letter #4 = if you haven't guessed the word by this point, let's just say that this last letter is also often used as an online wrestling fan slang nickname for the World Wrestling Entertainment company. |
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Wacky Scavenger Hunt #2 - 07.21.2008
Keeping up with the easy, beginning phase of the quest to discover the mystery wacky statement, here is the next clue:
Clue #2 - Second Word = The column, "Intentional Blunders," was the _________ time I wrote a WWE pay-per-view review. |
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Wacky Scavenger Hunt #1 - 07.13.2008
If anyone happens to stumble onto this blog, here's a treat for you. I've decided to give away, to one lucky 'fan,' the complete collection of original artwork that I will compile after my run on Wacky Wrestling Theory. At the moment this includes my illustrations of the 3-sided ring and the blind contours of Goldust and Mankind from my article on Masks vs. Face Paint. Exciting, huh?!
I was at a shopping mall appearance for a former WWF superstar many years ago, and when he first came out he made a statement to the crowd that was so prolific that it sums up everything great about pro-wrestling and everything that Wacky Wrestling Theory represents. Over the next few months I will reveal clues to the specific words in this fifteen word statement that are scattered throughout my past articles. The first person to email me the actual statement will get the original copies of my artwork for their own personal enjoyment.
Clue #1 - First Word = This first person singular pronoun is used 5 times in the body of my first column, "Is the Hate for John Cena Homophobic?" |
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| Archive |
Match A Day 11.18.09: Week 31 - TNA Slammiversary
(11.18.2009)
TNA comes out of nowhere and may very well have put on the greatest wrestling event of all time! Prepare yourself for the glory that is Slammiversary 2009
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Match A Day 11.11.09: Week 30 - ROH 7th Anniversary Show
(11.11.2009)
An anniversary is a special time in our lives: a time to be with the one you love, a time to celebrate all of your accomplishments, and in ROH it’s a time to watch some of the best wrestling matches of the year! |
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Match A Day 11.04.09: Week 29 - The Road Warriors
(11.04.2009)
Oh what a crush I have on the most dominant tag team in wrestling history! |
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Match A Day 10.28.09: Week 28 - BEYOND Wrestling
(10.28.2009)
A brand new wrestling company, fantastic new stars, an innovative format, a unique environment, and all the matches are online and totally free! With all that, who needs the WWE anymore, just give me BEYOND Wrestling! |
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Match A Day 10.22.09: Week 27 - ROH Stylin' & Profilin'
(10.22.2009)
Retirement doesn’t stop Ric Flair from making this DVD one of the most memorable Ring of Honor events in history! |
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Match A Day 10.14.09: Week 26 - WWE The Bash 2009
(10.14.2009)
Will Rey Mysterio lose his mask? Can CM Punk play by the rules? Does Triple H send Randy Orton to Hell? Oh boy, I can’t wait to find out! |
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Match A Day 10.08.09: Week 25 - WWE TV June 2009
(10.08.2009)
In June Chris Jericho, Edge, and Rand Orton were still super jerks, Jeff Hardy, Triple H and Kofi Kingston were still badasses… but what was up with that CM Punk? |
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Match A Day 9.30.09: Week 24 - ROH Injustice II
(09.30.2009)
The only 'injustice' I see here is why all wrestling DVDs can't be this good! |
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Match A Day 09.24.09: Week 23 - WWE Extreme Rules 2009
(09.24.2009)
Wait a minute, what's going on here? Two guys in a cage and no one dies, making a 500-pound man submit from pain, people consistently falling off of 15-foot ladders and jumping right back up, does any of this seem fake to you? |
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Match A Day 09.17.09: Week 22 - WWE TV May 2009
(09.17.2009)
Why should Pay-Per-View DVDs have all the fun? The WWE TV shows in May had some of the best matches of the year showcasing some of the best young stars today, especially if you love Kofi Kingston as much as I do! |
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Match A Day 09.10.09: Week 21 - ROH Final Battle 2008
(09.10.2009)
Final Battle is the playoffs for Ring of Honor, so all of these great athletes bring their A-games to compete in some of the greatest wrestling matches ever! |
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Match A Day 09.03.09: Week 20 - WWE Judgment Day 2009
(09.03.2009)
Oh man, Jeff Hardy, John Cena and Batista, the three most awesome wrestlers in the WWE star in three intense main events! How did they do? Read on to find out!
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Match A Day 08.27.09: Week 19 - ROH All Star Extravaganza IV
(08.27.2009)
All-Stars! Just like an All-Star game, but for wrestling! You’ve got Lynn, Danielson, McGuiness, Aries, Sasaki, Hero, Necro, Morishima, Strong! Who are these guys? You don’t know? Find out inside! |
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Match A Day 08.20.09: Week 18 - WWE Backlash 2009
(08.20.2009)
I love wrestling, I love wrestlers, I love the WWE, and Backlash 2009 is one of the reasons why!
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Match A Day 08.13.09: Week 17 - Breakdown
(08.13.2009)
Revealed inside, the truth about wrestling, Jake Chambers’ real name and more reasons why wrestling sucks than you can shake a stick at!
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Match A Day 8..06.09: Week 16 - New Japan: Past, Present, Future
(08.06.2009)
New Japan has quietly regained the power in the Japanese pro-wrestling world, but what dose that mean to me, to you, and especially to our children? |
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Match A Day 07.30.09: Week 15 - Who Has Time To Watch A 90-Minute Match?
(07.30.2009)
Thanks to a marathon by CM Punk and Chris Hero, it takes me a little longer to watch my 100th match than I first expected. |
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Match A Day 07.23.09: Week 14 - Pro-Wrestling NOAH: Past, Present, Future
(07.23.2009)
My favorite Japanese promotion is in the spotlight this week, particularly that new hotshot champion Go Shiozaki and his Match of the Year Alert! |
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Match A Day 07.16.09: Week 13 - Markham is Not Toronto ROH
(07.16.2009)
In my last week on vacation in suburban Toronto, I watch matches from ROH’s Canadian countryside show in Markham, Ontario. |
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Match A Day 07.09.09: Week 12 - Back to Back to Back...
(07.09.2009)
This week I’ve gone back to my hometown in suburban Toronto for a friend’s wedding. Left behind is my wacked out girlfriend and our baby-drama, but I did bring with me some great wrestling matches to keep up my Match A Day vow! |
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