Wrestling’s 4R’s Tuesday Edition 09.07.09: Dragon Gate PPV, WWE Smackdown, and WWE Superstars
Posted by Larry Csonka on 09.07.2009
The Undertaker takes out CM Punk on Smackdown and Enter The Dragon Gate from Dragon Gate USA is not only the year’s best PPV, but is one of the best PPV’s ever. The 4R's breaks down all the action from the DGUSA PPV, Superstars and Smackdown!
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In HD where available…
By: Steve Cook
Superstars 09.03.09:
THE RIGHT:
Hart Dynasty vs. Cryme Tyme & Eve: After a brief interlude with Chris Jericho & Big Show, our favorite Brooklyn thugs not named Taz or Steve Lombardi continue their feud with the young whippersnapping Harts out of Calgary, Alberta. Just think, if the territories were still around we'd be hearing about Harry Smith & TJ Wilson dominating the Stampede promotion out in the middle of nowhere while Nattie would be in the kitchen barefoot and pregnant, Eve would be backup dancing in music videos and Cryme Tyme would be working African jungle stereotype gimmicks. If this doesn't prove that the death of the territories was a good thing, I don't know what does. Smith & Kidd work very well together with JTG & Gaspard, but the highlight of this particular matchup was the exchanges with Eve & Natalya that were worlds ahead of the stuff I've seen peddled as women's wrestling on Raw lately. It goes without saying they blow McCool out of the water, but there's a joke with the word "blow" and McCool that I'm not touching with a ten-foot pole. Anywho, everybody in this match looked really good and the Hart fans will be happy to know that they survived getting squashed by Mattorrison on SmackDown the week before.
PURGATORY:
Evan Bourne vs. Chris Masters: I like Bourne & Masters, and I like the fact that Bourne went over while Masters still looked strong for most of the match. But I'll be damned if that wasn't 10 minutes of the dullest wrestling I've seen in quite awhile. Bourne's flexible body helped Masters' stuff look more effective than it usually does, but they probably could have shaved a couple of minutes off the match and gotten the same result with more effectiveness. Now there's something you don't see every day…an Internet wrestling writer saying that a match went too long. On the bright side, Bourne currently has the best shooting star press in wrestling, with all apologies to the Hybrid Dolphin Paul London.
William Regal vs. Tyler Reks: This is yet another example of my liking the result of something with the execution being a bit off. Regal's knee trembler on Reks was pretty good, but the rest of the match was pretty darn uneventful. I enjoy the stable Regal has built, but is it just me or is Ezekiel Jackson looking more and more like Ahmed Johnson every day? I guess it's ok as long as he doesn't develop the gut Ahmed had during his WCW return in 2000.
THE WRONG:
NONE
THE RIDICULOUS:
NONE
The 411
The fact that nothing was wrong or ridiculous on this show doesn't make it the best of the week…it just means that there really wasn't a hell of a lot going on. The two undercard matches make Purgatory because I thought they were booked well and didn't do anything to horribly offend me, but the execution was boring at best. The main event gave the show one match worth watching, but you could just watch that and forget the rest of the show and not miss anything.
SHOW RATING: 6.0
By: Jeremy Thomas
WWE SmackDown 09.04.09
THE RIGHT:
DAY-GLO NO MORE: SmackDown started off with a recap of CM Punk defeating Jeff Hardy in the cage match last week and sending him packing from the 'E, as well as Jeff's speech and Punk's post-speech attack. For the record, it was still awesome a week later. SmackDown then opened with…uh…Jeff's music playing? The crowd went nuts, until they realized that it was the awesomeness of CM Punk in face paint and lampooning Jeff's entrance. Then, they were PISSED. Seriously, we haven't heard boos like that in a while. Punk then launched on a spiel about how we weren't getting our Jeff Hardy fix in a while. Punk's deconstruction of Jeff's style, his face paint and armbands, was classic. This was a classic promo by Punk in kicking a man who was down and gone, calling him the Charismatic Enabler, before he moved onto the Dead Man. He says that Taker wasn't the only icon on SmackDown anymore and challenged him to come down and test Punk's breaking point. He brought up Taker's tendency toward mind games and said he was a straight-up man who wasn't afraid of smoke and mirrors. Honestly, the Undertaker portion of Punk's speech wasn't quite as strong. It was good, certainly, and I dug it. The transition seemed just a bit awkward though, and he hung on the drugs thing just a little much. I get that it's his gimmick and that's fine, but the insertion of the straight edge stuff seemed just a wee bit superfluous. Again it was good, just not as great as he's been. Matt came out immediately at that point and just charged down to the ring to take on Punk, which ended the segment strong and set up the main event. This was great as the crowd was already behind Matt following his face turn, and this just got them all the more behind him. They need to capitalize on the momentum Matt has so it's not wasted, and this was a good way to do it.
REY REY vs. JOHN MORRISON: And in the "foregone conclusions" department, we had John Morrison challenging Rey Rey for the Intercontinental Title. Obviously no one was wondering what was going to happen here in the result, but the route they took to get there was phenomenal. I have to wonder why they didn't book Dolph against Rey Rey, and the only thing that I've come up with is that they had some major angle involving Dolph around Breaking Point that they don't want to futz up just because Rey made a mistake. The two shook hands before they started and then proceeded to build the match nicely. Their test of strength was actually pretty impressive with the amount of flipping and agility they displayed and it went from there. They took their time and didn't burn the match out too quickly, which is good considering the match went nearly twenty minutes. Honestly, there's not a lot to say except that this was a fantastic and Pay-Per-View-worthy match between Rey Rey and Morrison, and immediately makes Morrison a legitimate champion—not that an eight-minute match wouldn't have done the same for the man. They turned it on and tossed out some amazingly innovative moves, such as Morrison's flip-dropkick to get out of the standing surfboard. The house was hot as hell for this match and deservedly so, and what's more they didn't bury Mysterio despite the drama surrounding his suspension. The story of this match was a simple one, just two guys trying to top each other, and while I could nitpick about a few brief match flow problems it would really be looking for things to pick at. This was just great stuff, and that's all that ultimately needs to be said.
NATALYA & LAYLA vs. EVE & MARIA: Earlier in the show, Eve and Maria were talking about facing Natalya again when Michelle interrupted. She trash-talked Dolph and Maria's wardrobe, and pretty much implied she or someone else was getting the Ziggler on a daily basis. Maria talked back and called Michelle egotistical and so on, and Melina tried to come in and jump to her defense, she got a cold shoulder from Maria. They're giving Maria a bit of an edge, and I like that. Maybe Dolph's rubbing off on her some. Plus, that dress on Melina was smokin' hot.
This was another one of those Diva tag team matches that I was worried about. It was like the Melina/Maria vs. Natalya/Layla match from a couple weeks ago, except Eve is no Melina. Thankfully, this match was better than I expected it to be, much like that one. Sure, Maria was far from crisp or clean looking. Her purpose in matches is to work the crowd and sell for the heels though, and she did those things well enough. Nattie and Layla did some good work making Maria hurt, including a modified Dragon sleeper by Natalya that had me marking out. Sue me, I love that move. People have gotten on me for not giving Layla her due and you know what, she looked GREAT in this match. Eve also looked remarkably good; perhaps those judo lessons are finally sinking in. She doesn't look as choreographed as she used to, and the only thing that marks against her is that she misjudged her moonsault and landed on Layla's gut. That happens to the best of wrestlers and I'm hardly going to trash her for it. It's not often I put a Diva's match in the Right, so these four ladies can feel proud for earning it.
MATT HARDY vs. CM PUNK: This was set up right after the opening segment, where Punk chased down Teddy Long and said that Matt interrupted his promo time by "jumping me from behind." Awesome. It ended with Long booking Punk against Hardy in a non-title match. We then had Matt just before the match with Josh Matthews, and he talked about how Punk should be worried about not only the Undertaker, but him. Matt said he wasn't after the title or his soul, but his well being. It was short and sweet, not overdone, and the crowd loved it.
So, we got to the match itself, and we knew that Taker was getting involved. Let's be honest folks, when you push the fact that someone is returning for an entire show and he hasn't shown up by the time the main event shows up, you know it's not going to be a clean finish. Not that this is a bad thing, but knowing that does dampen expectations just a bit. That didn't stop the crowd from loving Matt's entrance and booing the hell out of Punk for his. These two guys went out there and really sold the fact that they didn't like each other. Punk played a little game of "come catch me" to start before they got in the ring and Matt started beating the hell out of Punk. J.R. had a nice little comment as to whether CM Punk was the choice of a new generation or not, which I found cute. They told a great story in this match of Matt's hatred and yet kept the match properly paced, filling their needed time well. Again I say, I can't wait to see what these two do in an actual feud with each other. The end came when Punk got a hold of a chair and attacked Matt, which oddly did not mean a DQ. The match continued until the lights went out and Taker showed up. Punk rushed him without hesitation and got choke slammed into the announcer's table. There were things I liked about the finish and things I didn't. That Punk didn't try to run was great, but consistency here people. Refs are DQ'ing for not breaking five-counts, but a chair shot is fine? I didn't get that and it did hurt the match some, but still the work by Hardy and Punk kept this firmly enjoyable.
PURGATORY:
THE GREAT KHALI & FINLAY vs. KANE & MIKE KNOX: We saw what happened at the end of the Rey Rey/Kane match last week where Khali and Singh ran in on Kane, and found out that the two had been booked for a Singapore Cane match. J.R. confessed he didn't know the rules of a Singapore Cane match, which makes me wonder how legit the praise he's given to the old ECW in his blogs really is. Knox got another brief pre-taped promo where he talked about bone compression and how size was relative. They're letting this roll a little so I'm happy with that. You know, I wouldn't mind Kane and Knox forming a semi-permanent tag team; it would give them both some use and their gimmicks match well together. Now, nobody expected a five-star classic here, but I thought that these four guys actually gave us something worth watching. It was a faster-paced match than I was hoping for and had some good brawling between the two teams. They kept the match going decently and while the crowd could have been a bit more into it, this built up Knox some and gave a little focus to the Kane/Khali feud. There were things I didn't like about this match that kept it out of the Right—for example, Kane going back to being afraid of Khali again sort of bothered me since he had supposedly gotten past that. Also, I would have preferred to see Knox go over Finlay in this case. Finlay losing doesn't hurt him any, and a win could have done a lot for Knox. Still, they did what they needed to and didn't make me want to fast-forward, so I appreciated that.
DREW McINTYRE GETS IN TRUTH'S BIDNESS AGAIN: So, last week we saw Drew McIntyre come in, bitch-slap the shit out of Truth and say the party over. Apparently, he didn't think we'd gotten the message clearly enough. Truth started off rapping his way down to the ring like all was well and he just had a match to get ready for before Drew leapt into the ring in his street clothes and stomped the rapper down before delivering another double-arm DDT like he did last week. He then got on the mic and said that he made a statement last week, but tonight Truth had a match and Drew wasn't even on the show. He promised to ruin all of the parties until he got recognized as a superstar. Well, the good portion of this is that the crowd is getting solidly against Drew already. On the bad side, this was almost an exact copy of what happened the week before. It gets a wee bit of a pass because they needed something to let the crowd cool off a bit after Morrison vs. Rey Rey, and assuming they don't just rinse-lather-repeat for two months straight, I can handle a one-time repeat. Still, I would have liked something more.
THE WRONG:
NONE
THE RIDICULOUS:
DID YOU KNOW?: Nope. And, as always, I don't care.
The 411
For the second week in a row, the Blue Brand gives us nothing that I actively disliked. Even the Kane/Knox vs. Khali/Finlay match and the Divas tag match worked for what they were, and the Drew thing was a repeat but a repeat of something worthwhile. It's almost difficult when a show is consistently this good because one starts to second-guess oneself and wonder if they're overrating. Really though I loved this show and I thought it was another mark of awesomeness in a string of great SmackDown shows. If you missed it, find a way to see it. You won't be disappointed.
SHOW RATING: 8.5
From August:
The Dusty-DiBiase comparisons were surely on purpose. People were expecting a match like Orton-DiBiase, which made the swerve at the end effective.
And I couldn't stand the DX humor thing. HBK is such an overactor it just kills it for me. Not to mention it was aimed entirely at "smarks", which just annoys me because it's like HHH is just trying to get on our good side. Now, that may just be my HHH-bias, but the crowd didn't care either. Heck, most of them probably weren't even born when Shawn was first champion, and had no idea what he was ranting about.
I imagine it was on purpose, and the swerve did work. It just bothered me during the opening segment because it did seem like a repeat and that dampened my enjoyment of the first several minutes of the show. And as for the D-X humor, that's just a matter of personal taste. Some people won't like Shawn's crazy ranting, I do. Humor is funny how it works that way.
From MDK:
You didn't mention the most significant thing about the last RAW segment. Cody Rhodes got a big "Cody" chant as RAW was going off the air. Everybody has pictured Ted as the one to turn face, but if you ask me, Cody is a NATURAL babyface (pun absolutely intended.) He has always had good mic skills (so I don't know why you were surprised that he did well in the opening segment.) and the crowd wants to cheer him. (Remember the crowd response during his series of matches with Orton when Cody first debuted? I do. They were really behind Cody.) This segment proves that CODY is the one who should become the face, not Ted, and I hope WWE realizes that.
I go back and forth on who the better of the two, Ted or Cody. I actually think that Ted would be the better babyface, but my concern is that they'll both be too generic when/if it happens. They're working fine as heels, they just need more credibility. As for Cody, I didn't say I was surprised as I agree Cody has good mic skills.
From Truth Detector:
For the love of god... what is it going to take for you Gail Kim marks to realize she isn't very good? Is she going to have to CRIPPLE another worker or herself? For every wrestling fan who blames her opponents and NEVER blames Kim for the mistakes SHE makes... and has ALWAYS made... you are proof that Chris Jericho's current promos and Mick Foley's old ECW promos are shoots.
Hyperbole, thy name is Truth Detector. I actually watched that botched rana several times to make sure, and it was very clear to me that Gail did exactly what she needed to in her rana and how she executed it; thus, unless the way it turned out was intentional (which I doubt), it's Jillian's fault. We'll keep arguing about this I'm sure, but the fact of the matter is, with all due respect, that ranting about people who don't see faults in some of Gail's work doesn't make those people monsters. Although it's established fact that Foley's ECW promos were partial shoots, and he's said so.
From Shockmaster:
CHRIS JERICHO vs. MONTEL VONTAVIOUS PORTER: I agree here. After being a huge MVP fan during his SD run, I have gotten very lukewarm about him on Raw. This did a lot to help, and a full singles feud would be even better.
MICKIE JAMES vs. BETH PHOENIX: At long last my two favorite Divas found chemistry in the ring. This played out well, with Beth as the monster and Mickie tough enough to survive. The one thing that bothered me was even the crickets were silent during most of the match. Was it from heel domination or indifference? I think some of both.
THE DUSTY/DX STUFF: I'm back! I'm a little dismayed that Hunter called me fat; he must have seen my criticisms of him here. Santino's portrayal was spot on and hilarious. This segment was a great example of comic relief done right, even if the DX style DVD shill is a bit played out.
US TITLE FATAL FOURWAY: "What surprised me here was that Kofi actually had the biggest crowd reaction out of all these guys." He was facing three heels. Where's the surprise? I enjoyed the match but wondered about the booking. I haven't seen the deck this stacked week after week since Teddy's vendetta against JBL, but there's no GM in sight. Who hates Kofi and why?
THE BIG SHOW vs. MARK HENRY: How could this have been better? By not booking it at all, or at least having their partners ringside to stir it up.
BUTTERFLY BATTLE ROYALE: A six person battle royal is stupid, and this just underscored how shallow their division is. Beth should have gone on a Diesel/Kane style tear here, and then Mickie could have had more offense.
I think, to be honest, the crickets were due to the fact that the crowd had just really enjoyed the US Title match, and so they were on a natural letdown. Also, Beth is being rebuilt and so she's going to need a few more matches before they care about her. Regarding the US Title match, I did find it surprising that he got more cheers than Miz, Carlito, or Swagger got boos. I honestly think they're trying to do work with the US Title by putting him in constant matches like this to build his cred. I hope that's the case, anyway. And yes, the D-X stuff is comedic relief played right, and I also agree that the shill is getting a wee bit old
From The Great Capt. Smooth:
I must agree on the photo of DX and Dusty. With a little help from Photoshop, it may become my Christmas card for this year.
You know what, that's a great idea. I may just do that myself!
From KanyonKreist:
I've gotta throw in my two cents about the U.S. Title 4-way. That was a damned good match, short or not. All four of those guys made me BELIEVE that they desperately wanted that pinfall. Was it a clusterfuck? Yes. AS A 4-WAY MATCH SHOULD BE. The lack of "flow" had everything to do with the fact that four guys were all trying to get a pinfall as soon as possible. Technical inadequacies aside, those guys made me believe in the match, which in turn made me care about the match. To me, that's all that matters.
Otherwise, spot on.
Fair enough, Kanyon. I can see what you're talking about there and the match was enjoyable; I just hoped for more as all four men can turn it on when they're motivated and still sell the flow of a match. The emotion was there, the intangible qualities just could have been a bit better.
By: LARRY CSONKA
ENTER THE DRAGON PPV aka THIS PPV WAS CREATED TO ROCK FACES~!
QUICK RESULTS
- Yamato defeated BxB Hulk @ 15:19 via pin [****¼]
- Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Fire Ant and Soldier Ant defeated Amasis, Icarus, Hallowicked and Gran Akuma @ 17: 20 via pin [****¼]
- Dragon Kid defeated Masato Yoshino @ 13:26 via pin [***¾]
- The Young Bucks defeated Susumu Yokosuka & Cima @ 17:31 via pin [****½]
- Naruki Doi defeated Shingo Takagi @ 20:47 via pin [****]
THE RIGHT:
Yamato defeated BxB Hulk: Yamato defeated BxB Hulk in the opening match of the show, which is one of the best PPV openers you will ever see. Fun fact, Hulk's dancers were Daizee Haze and Bobby Dempsey's sister. This was a great match with an equally great crowd reaction. Hulk is a more flashy guy, while Yamato is a more grounded guy, with Pancrase (MMA) experience. The clash in styles worked very well, and better than some may think. They worked a great pace, had excellent near falls, and the crowd dug it all, including a "Please Don't Tap" chant off of a near fall turned into a Texas Cloverleaf. After picking up the pace, Yamato won with the Galleria to a great response. You couldn't have asked for more in the opening bout, and on a normal show, this may have killed the crowd, but this was no normal show.
Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Fire Ant and Soldier Ant defeated Amasis, Icarus, Hallowicked and Gran Akuma: Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Fire Ant and Soldier Ant defeated Amasis, Icarus, Hallowicked and Gran Akuma in the second bout on the night. There were obviously some CHIKARA faithful in attendance, because these guys were MAD over. This was a change of pace due to the lucha style that they worked, and they worked it perfectly. I have heard people compare this to an Arena Mexico main event match, and I have to agree. Amasis showed so much charisma, Jigsaw was the high flying star of the bout, Quackenbush did a good job of directing things as the veteran of the bout and the Soldier Ant stole the show with the fun comedy spots at the right time. Clean, crisp and perfectly timed, I couldn't ask any more from the match. The end saw fun dives and Jigsaw coming back to get the win with the Jig and Tonic.
I let Hana watch this, due to it just being a fun match with wacky characters, and I have to say, she understands wrestling perfectly. She loved this, and told me when it was over that Jigsaw was the star. I asked her why, and she said, "Well, he came out and did cool stuff, and then the bad guys beat him down, because they are rude. But then he came back like Superman and got the win. That's why he is a star." That's right, my 7-year-old understands the concept of SHINE, HEAT and COMEBACK. I love her.
After the match, Quackenbush talked about the companies working together, and as the CHIKRA master trainer, thanks his trainer Jorge "Skayde" Rivera, including some video. Quackenbush came across as the proud father here, and he should. Quackenbush basically pushed the idea of a CHIKARA vs. DG feud, which would be awesome as a themed show. Yamato came out and low blowed him and beat him down. Jigsaw and Gran Akuma came out for the save, only Gran Akuma turned on them both and helped Yamato. This came off well as a follow up to the match, and I really enjoyed it.
Dragon Kid defeated Masato Yoshino : Dragon Kid defeated Masato Yoshino in the third, and "worst" match on the show, not that I call ***¾ a bad match, but on this show, it was "the worst". Seriously, you know that a PPV has to kick ass when this match is the worst match. These guys work a very break neck pace, and they started with that, but when they slowed to build the heat, they just didn't do as much to keep me into it as I would like. Not bad in any way, but Dragon Kid just isn't as good as getting sympathy as he could be. In many ways he is like a Japanese Rey Mysterio, but again, can't generate sympathy like Rey can. That may be my only knock on him, because he is insanely fast and crisp to a level Rey may never have been. Great finish with the Dragon rana, and on a regular PPV this match would be getting a ton of praise, but I say again, this is no normal show. This did end up being a good "cool down" match after the first two matches, which were tremendous.
The Young Bucks defeated Susumu Yokosuka & Cima : I was really looking forward to this match for two reasons. First of all, Cima is the shit. For a long time he was the face of Dragon gate, but like a lot of greats, injuries have slowed him. Unlike others, Cima has stepped back and allowed others to carry the ball. But I wanted to see if the guy still had it, I wanted him to have a great performance. The Young Bucks have been a team with a ton of potential, and I have seen them have good outings, but this was their chance at a coming out party. I wanted to see if they could deliver. For those that want something to compare them too, they are the 2009 version of the Hardy Boys. From the gear style to the general look of both, to the double team moves, that is what they are, and I do mean that in a good way. Maybe even, and I mean this as a tag team, version 2.0, because they are the upgrade. This match was balls to the wall awesome, just a purely great tag team match without gimmicks that delivered huge. They did so much shit, again in a good way, but it was clean, quick and all flowed so well as if they had worked together several times. It was a match that you sit there, watch, are amazed and are glued to it because as it went on, you just had no clue who would win. Sometimes guys go too long and do too much, but I think this was approaching that, buts ended perfectly. The finish of the Young Bucks was insanely awesome as they pulled off a series that included the kamikaze roll, a 450 splash and moonsault for the HUGE pop. These guys came in talented, no doubt, but they left on another level, partly due to a career making performance, and partly due to Cima and Yokosuka being great as always. This was simply awesome.
Naruki Doi defeated Shingo Takagi : The main event of the evening was Naruki Doi defeated Shingo Takagi, in what was a small downgrade from the previous match. How many times do you say that a **** main event is a downgrade? Seriously, the show is just that damn good. This again was a good change of styles as Doi in the quick man, while Shingo is the power man, and they played off of that perfectly. Doi is the main Dragon Gate Champion, and represented the company well here in that role, even in a non-title match. One of the biggest pops of the match was the stalling suplex by Shingo, where he holds the guys and the crowd counts along. He held it for 30-seonds and when he dropped Doi, got a HUGE pop. This was another very good match, that saw a great stretch towards the finish where Doi kept working the knee of Shingo, who sold it very well. Shingo got a ton of near falls before falling to the Muscular Bomb. Doi celebrated with the crowd to chants of DRAGON GATE to close out an outstanding PPV.
PURGATORY:
NONE
THE WRONG:
Dawn Marie: But this was not a perfect show. I liked the production for the first time out. I liked the entrance area and for the first show, the pacing and editing looked great. But there as one thing that I cannot ignore. I mean no insult to Dawn Marie here, she seems like a genuinely nice person, and I am sure that she tried her best, but not only did she not fit in with the show, but she was just bad. Name pronunciation was generally fine, but she is just not a good announcer. Her voice is not right for it, and she didn't seem all that comfortable with the role. Also, she just doesn't fit with the promotion. I know that this is Dragon Gate USA, and that they are trying to "Americanize" the product a bit, but they need a ring announcer that fits the company. This company comes off as a sports oriented product, so they need an announcer that projects that. Get the dude from SHIMMER, I am sure he is available.
THE RIDICULOUS:
NONE
The 411
If I had to compare this to a PPV that most people would know, I would say that the best comparison is the WWF Canadian Stampede PPV, a PPV of top to bottom great wrestling, featuring different styles of matches and no bullshit. Dragon Gate PPV hit the ground running and did not slow down for 2-hours. My complaint is minor about Dawn Marie is really minor, and in no way hurt my enjoyment of the show. For $20, this PPV is absolutely the best money I have ever spent on a PPV in my life as a wrestling fan. Every match delivered, and this is what wrestling PPV should be. A card of matches where everyone goes out there to bust their ass and put on the best product possible for the person spending their money. As far as US PPV, this is the most unique card you will find, and I cannot imagine anyone walking away disappointed. This show is easily the best PPV of the year, and honestly, one of the best PPV's you'll ever see. Not perfection, but damn near close. Since they only run 6 PPVs a year, this is the kind of show that they have to deliver, and they did.
YOU BUY NOW
SHOW RATING: 9.9
**LARRY'S** RANKINGS THUS FAR
2009 PPV Rankings:
-ENTER THE DRAGON {9.9}
-ROH RISING ABOVE {8.0}
-WWE NO WAY OUT {8.0}
-TNA SLAMMIVERSARY {8.0}
-[ENTER THE DRAGON] - Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Fire Ant and Soldier Ant vs. Amasis, Icarus, Hallowicked and Gran Akuma (****¼)
-[ENTER THE DRAGON] - Yamato vs. BxB Hulk (****¼)
-[TAKE NO PRISONERS] – Tyler Black & KENTA vs. Austin Aries & Katsuhiko Nakajima (****¼)
-[ROH RISING ABOVE] – I QUIT MATCH: Jimmy Jacobs vs. Austin Aries (****¼)
-[TNA GENESIS] - Kurt Angle defeated Jeff Jarrett (****¼)
-[TNA GENESIS] - X-Division Title Match: Alex Shelley defeated Chris Sabin (****¼)
-[TNA SLAMMIVERSARY] – X-Division King of the Mountain Match: Suicide vs. Lethal vs. Creed vs. Sabin vs. Shelley (****¼)
-[WWE NO WAY OUT] – THE RAW ELIMINATION CHAMBER (****¼)
2009 PPV MVP AWARDS: Not every PPV will have one, it just depends on who I think steps up and deserves some extra recognition.
-[TNA GENESIS] Sabin, Shelley, Angle and Jarrett – Rocking The House
-[ROH RISING ABOVE] – Danielson and McGuinness - Defining the ROH World Title
-[WWE ROYAL RUMBLE] – RVD – The Joke Pays Off
-[WWE NO WAY OUT] – EDGE – The Ultimate Opportunist
-[WWE WRESTLEMANIA] – HBK and The Undertaker – Stealing the Show
-[ROH CAGED COLLISION] – Nigel McGuinness – Better Than You Sugar Nuts
-[TNA LOCKDOWN] - Christopher Daniels – Pulling Double Duty
-[WWE BACKLASH] – Edge and John Cena – Stealing the Show
-[TNA SACRIFICE] – The TNA Roster – Making the Best Out of Shitty Booking
-[WWE EXTREME RULES] – Rey, Jericho, Edge and Hardy – They Are Awesome
-[TAKE NO PRISONERS] – Tyler Black, KENTA, Austin Aries and Katsuhiko Nakajima – Main Event Excellence
-[TNA SLAMMIVERSARY] – Daffney and Taylor Wilde – Two Hardcore Bitches
-[WWE THE BASH] – Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho – Making the Show Worth It
-[WWE NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS] – CM Punk – Solidifying His Spot
-[TNA HARD JUSTICE] – The Terror Dome Guys – Continuing to deliver despite the booking of the division
-[WWE SUMMERSLAM] – CM Punk and Jeff Hardy – THIS IS AWESOME!
-[ENTER THE DRAGON] – The Entire PPV Roster – Redefining PPV
2009 TOP TV Match Rankings:
I will update as often as needed.
-Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black – (ROH on HDNet: 07.25.09) {****½ }
-STEEL CAGEMATCH: Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk - (Smackdown: 08.28.09) {****}
-Jeff Hardy vs. John Morrison - (Smackdown: 07.31.09) {****}
-Edge vs. Rey Mysterio - (Smackdown: 06.05.09) {****}
-Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black – (ROH on HDNet: 04.25.09) {****}
-Evan Bourne vs. John Morrison - (ECW: 04.14.09) {****}
-Christian vs. Jack Swagger - (ECW: 02.24.09) {****}
-Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena - (Raw: 01.12.09) {****}
-Christian vs. Zack Ryder - (ECW: 07.28.09) {***¾}
- Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho - (Smackdown: 07.24.09) {***¾}
-Edge vs. John Morrison - (Smackdown: 06.12.09) {***¾}
-Edge vs. Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk - (Raw: 06.08.09) {***¾}
-Edge vs. Jeff Hardy - (Smackdown: 06.12.09) {***¾}
-CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho - (Superstars: 05.21.09) {***¾}
-Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black – (ROH on HDNet: 05.09.09) {***¾}
-Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries – (ROH on HDNet: 04.04.09) {***¾}
-Beer Money vs. Team Canada – (Impact: 02.19.09) {***¾}
-Kurt Angle vs. AJ Styles – (Impact: 01.22.09) {***¾}
Undertaker will not get the World Title in his feud with Cm Punk. Anyone who says differently is just being a 'Taker-hater' and not looking at the big picture, being this feud equals to Lesnar/Taker in the fall of 2002. Get a 'controversial-DQ' finish at their first PPV meeting, and then Punk goes over HUGE in their HIAC match, and he is a made man.
Posted By: JUSTINW (Guest) on September 06, 2009 at 11:07 PM
Good point about the WWE not trying to bury Rey on the way out. It shows that they are thinking about this in the long term. Also, remember that kid with glasses staring down Punk, when he first came out as Hardy? Is that kid's hair related to Knox's beard?
Posted By: The Great Capt. Smooth (Guest) on September 06, 2009 at 11:20 PM
And here comes the smarks to crap on your 9.9 for Enter the Dragon.
I wouldn't go that far, i'd give it a 9.5 though. There are shows that I enjoyed better, but for $20, there's more bang for your buck (no pun intended) than most shows together.
STILL. YOU BUY NOW!
Posted By: Kevin F. (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 12:01 AM
Did I miss something? Like Monday? It is still Sunday Night here on the west coast. These usually debut on Monday Nights
Posted By: Str (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 12:05 AM
To STR: Schedule change this week.
Posted By: The King of 411~! (Registered) on September 07, 2009 at 12:18 AM
Where are the Impact rankings? Don't tell me you listened to all the WWE marks and just ignored Impact?
Posted By: JWestmoreland (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 12:28 AM
Justin is spot on minus the controversial finish on the sub thingy, to me Taker won't "tap" or quit, he will...Pass out and his arm will touch the ground three times after some vicious beatdown by Punk and the anaconda vice...
Think Bret vs Austin here and you will get what I mean, this way Punk retains in a super heelish way and Taker is keeping his bad ass character who never taps (as the "dead man") at all...
And yes Taker's role in this feud is to establish Punk even more as the super dominant force of SD ! , he definitively does NOT Need the World Title while I would not mind him geting it at HIAC to drop it back to Punk later en route to his next Mania Match (probably with Cena).
Posted By: SD = A Show Of Pro Wrestling (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 12:31 AM
I agree with your comments on the Mysterio-Morrison match. It was two guys with flashy moves trying to top each other.
I was just hoping we could have seen another side of Morrison's game. It's not very often he has a weight and strength advantage over an opponent. Some innovative power moves and strikes would have been nice to see.
Posted By: guest wrong (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 01:00 AM
OMG! Sunday it was here in chicago. and in the end I didn't miss work, and instead missed the Dragon gate show!! FUCK!
Posted By: 2 frsh 37 (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 01:09 AM
OK i'm not a indy hater or anything, but don't you think giving ETD a 9.9 is a little exggerating?
Posted By: jonah (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 01:30 AM
Punk is losing at Breaking Point and hell win it back at Survivor series or Armageddon in a casket match or burred alive match
Posted By: Guest#5270 (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 01:40 AM
I haven't really heard about Dragon Gate before. How can one get the PPV?
Posted By: Marcus (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 02:21 AM
Dragon's Gate was by far one of the best PPVs I've ever seen. Each match told a great story, the wrestling was crisp, the big spots felt like BIG spots...I'm iffy on the 9.9, simply because a PPV to be on THAT calibur requires emotional investment into a story between characters...and that's not quite something we have with DGUSA yet...at least those of use who don't religiously follow it.
The best damn opener since Pillman/Liger.
Posted By: Ramsey (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 02:48 AM
Thoughts, RE: Dragon Gate: Enter the Dragon
- Dawn Marie was a terrible ring announcer. It was obvious that she didn't know anything apart from the wrestlers' names: no mention of height, weight, place of origin, or anything that you get from a 'pro' ring announcer. Having said that I don't blame her, but the person from DG USA who got her involved in the first place.
- The matches were all great to amazing:
--I agree with Lansdell's assessment in not giving the opener a full 4-stars, as I think BxB Hulk not selling the leg really hurt the match overall.
--The CHIKARA guys really put on a show, and I look forward to the follow up to the post-match beatdown (hopefully) in the next DG PPV
--I agree with Csonka's assessment of Dragon Kid: for some reason I just find him unlikable. Maybe the awesomeness of Yoshino contributed to the lack of sympathy for Kid? The "worst" match of the night, as improper as that term is...
--Hot damn, did the tag teams put on a show. Some of the offense the Young Bucks escaped in the last 5 minutes was a tad unbelievable, but it's Dragon Gate so w/e :P
--Again, I'm going to have to side with Lansdell and call the Main Event the match of the night. I loved the work from both guys, and even though a win to Shingo could have pushed their next encounter even more, Doi winning was fantastic to establish him as THE GUY in Dragon Gate.
- I didn't like the font they used for the on-screen graphics: Papyrus. It's an Egyptian-themed font which doesn't fit in anywhere with the whole "awesome wrestling from Japan" thing that Dragon Gate have going on.
- DG USA had better be careful with their promo videos. I'm not sure of the legality behind it, but I don't think they can use Matt Sydal now that he's WWE contracted (or can they?... I just thought it was strange to see small clips of his past DG work)
To sum up: I wouldn't have called it a 9.9 (9.0 ~ 9.5 a bit more appropriate), but it is definitely the best PPV of 2009 so far
Posted By: AngryTas (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 03:00 AM
seriously i would like to hear why taker hbk is a 5 star match. i mean it was a great match but 5 stars?
Posted By: Guest#2426 (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 04:13 AM
Hey Jeremy, just cuz it bugged ya as it did me too, I want to ease ur mind. according to Matt Hardy's Twitter, Punk was DQ'd but when Punk went to grab the belt, he lost the happer to ring it.
Odd, but Matt said it was a DQ. You'd think they'd be able to throw a bell in there what with it being pre-recorded but....whatever.
Posted By: Steveberman1022 (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 05:11 AM
OK i'm not a indy hater or anything, but don't you think giving ETD a 9.9 is a little exggerating?
Posted By: jonah (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 01:30 AM
Yah, as the guy above you said, it's probably only a 9.5 ;) .It is the best ppv of the year, essential watching for any wrestling fan and the best use of $20 on wrestling so far this year.
You'd have to really be a fan of storylines(the soap opera element) and certain wrestlers or promotions only to not enjoy this ppv a great deal.
Posted By: Guest#1867 (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 07:27 AM
meh, never stated above, Undertaker is totally believable as near unbeatable of course.
Massive, powerful,technically good, adaptable and with great snap in his moves.
Posted By: Guest#9687 (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 08:07 AM
I think that Punk will win on Sunday & then might drop it in a Cell match at the next ppv to Taker but then at the end of the year he will get it back & keep it till Mania, thats what i hope anyway.
Posted By: jbardo (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 08:10 AM
Is the Dragon Gate review a joke?
Kind of demeans every other PPV this year from companies that *aren't* benefited by the fact it's their first show... but I'm downloading it this very second so perhaps my pessimism may subside completely when my face is rocked off by the star-studded array of indie and foreign talent.
Posted By: Chungles (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 09:26 AM
^ I found myself jumping ever so slightly out of my seat just watching the 'controversial' recap of the HBK-Taker match on ECW. All those finishers being kicked out of; the uncertainty of the eventual winner throughout, and the related importance the ending of the streak would have had; the crowd who were absolutely loving it. Easily a 5-star match. You don't have to be a fat Jap or Samoan to deliver one of those, you know...
And also ^ I thought Matt's revelation that Punk threw away the little hammer thing so as to not have the bell rung only added to his growing brilliance in his current heel role. If only Hidden Highlights were still kicking around... You don't have to be an average-penis-swinging teacher-turned-commentator to deliver those either...
Posted By: Chungles (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 09:36 AM
Fuck off with the Endter The Dragon Bullshit. THIS PPV WAS NOTHING BUT A SPOTFEST! I love how people complain about Spotfest in TNA, WWE and ROH but they cream their pants over, overrated boring shit like enter the dragon
Posted By: Guest#9828 (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 12:17 PM
hey, my match was cut from the pay per view!
Posted By: Ken Doane (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 01:31 PM
Ok, TNA presents what is being widely acclaimed as the best episode of Impact in years, if not ever, and somehow it's not included in this week's 4 R's. Coincidence, or more chicanery by the WWE marks at 411?
Posted By: the ghost of Gordon Solie (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 02:07 PM
No conspiracy, column had to run a day early, the person that writes the R’s didn’t get it turned in. There is nothing I can do about it, but I hope to run them Friday.
As for the Dragon Gate PPV, it rocked my face, and is easily one of the best PPVs ever, especially for $20.
Posted By: The King of 411~! (Registered) on September 07, 2009 at 04:09 PM
I'm 2 matches in to the Dragongate PPV. It's definitely great, but I agree with the other guy who reviewed it more. I mean, over 4 stars, essentially "classic" level for the opening match? Really? ***1/4, or ***1/2 is a way more accurate rating.
I think the main problem with stuff like Enter the Dragon is that, it can't reach such a great rating when the matches have 0 build for anyone trying it out for the first time. You don't have the vested interest you would have with say, a great WWE PPV. I'll give it best PPV of the year, but I can't help but be disappointed and how excited you get over a solid, but not classic level dragongate opener, but how you can be way too harsh on the WWE product as a whole(*coughSUMNMERSLAMcough*)
Posted By: Westen (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 04:46 PM
... I'm just at the Dragon Kid-Yohsino match right now, and I take my earlier pessimism back, what a great pay-per-view so far! The 9.9 still doesn't seem like a sober judgment but each to their own; I can certainly see why many would regard it so highly.
And while I absolutely despise Gran Akuma from the handful of CHIKARA shows I've seen (mainly down to the fact he resembles a bald, vanilla turd) I was highly impressed with some of his innovative offense.
As far as the 'spotfest' criticisms go, get a life; what you smarkily refer to as a 'spotfest' now, is simply what you *used* to call 'entertainment'. Anyone that can sit through the show and smugly disregard it as 'spotty' severely needs to remove their heads from their anuses as soon as possible.
Posted By: Chungles (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 05:10 PM
... so is Dragon Kid meant to be Rey Mysterio in disguise? I didn't realise the comparisons between the two extended to half the guy's moveset. Good match nonetheless.
Posted By: Chungles (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 05:32 PM
Angrytas;
Dragon Gate can use the Mat Sydal footage. It's their footage, they can do whatever they want with it.
I was watching a TNA ppv with a buddy of mine in 2007 (sorry, don't remember which one) and they showed Jeff Hardy footage of theirs to hype up I think their DVD lineup. He asked "Can't WWE sue for this because Jeff Hardy is now with WWE again?". I had to explain to him that it's their footage, they can do whatever they want with it. As long as it's not Hardy WWE footage, they are fine. The only person who would have any confrontational say in the matter would be Jeff Hardy himself, and that would probably only be royalty issues.
Posted By: Chuck (Guest) on September 07, 2009 at 09:21 PM
Yeah would have like to seen Impact this week covered here.
Posted By: Jryder17 (Guest) on September 08, 2009 at 06:34 AM
If you would watch infinity and Japan PPV you would see matches has build. Yamato vs Hulk were in feud not long time ago, Kid vs Yoshino long time rivals since different group feuds, Doi won over Shingo to win belt on ppv.
Posted By: verdu (Guest) on September 08, 2009 at 09:46 AM
Where's the Impact breakdown ??
Posted By: HHH (Guest) on September 11, 2009 at 08:48 PM
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