Random Matches

Manami Toyota and Toshiyo Yamada vs. Dynamite Kansai and Mayumi Ozaki (11/26/1992, AJW): After I reviewed the Akira Hokuto/Kyoko Inoue match from earlier in this show (which I gave a perfect 5/5 score), I saw on ProWrestlingOnly that this match was even more beloved and was called, by more than one commenter, the greatest wrestling match ever....so, I figured I better check it out. It's a 2-out-of-3 falls bout for the WWWA World Tag Team Championships. From the lengthy introductions to the pre-match handshake, this one has "epic," "big fight" feel before the first strike is thrown - and the first couple strikes are brutal as Yamada basically punches Kansai full force in the face repeatedly. In comes Ozaki and Toyota, who takes the advantage with a big dropkick and then some boots on the bottom rope. Ozaki hits a flying clothesline and then tags in Kansai, who lands a kick and then a suplex before applying a dragon sleeper. She headbutts Toyota in the stomach to maintain control and Ozaki comes in and strikes her in the gut. Kansai unloads a bunch more stiff kicks to the back of Toyota after dropping her neck-first on the top rope and tags out. Ozaki applies a nasty STF and then a brutal-looking camel clutch. Holding Toyota up, Ozaki stretches her so that Kansai can come in and kick her full force in the chest! Oh god. In comes Yamada to try to break things up, kicking Ozaki in the jaw. In comes Kansai again to drive Toyota head-first into the mat. Kansai whips Toyota into the ropes and she comes back with a nifty dropkick before tagging in Yamada, who brutalizes Kansai with some hellacious kicks. Whoo. Yamada sits on Kansai's back and applies a headlock, cranking on Dynamite's neck. After a side suplex, Yamada applies a dragon sleeper. Yamada tags in Toyota, who comes in with a dropkick. Ozaki comes in and Toyota hits her with a dropkick but Ozaki evades the second one and lands a forearm and then a vertical suplex. Ozaki applies a half-crab, but Toyota won't give up. Ozaki switches gears to a bow-and-arrow but can't secure it. In comes Kansai, who takes out Toyota with a series of kicks and then a clothesline off the ropes. Kansai applies a half-crab of her own before pulling Toyota up by her hair and waffling her with a forearm to the back. In comes Ozaki with an axehandle and another ultra-painful-looking chinlock. Toyota manages to make a tag (it helps that Yamada is already in the ring) and Ozaki eats some kicks, a running clothesline in the corner, and a snappy DDT for 2. Yamada hits a side suplex and then its stereo time with a double dropkick and double atomic throw. Ozaki counters another attempted double-team with a headlock and then, again, with a pin attempt, and Ozaki and Kansai manage to hit a double stungun on Yamada and then a pair of topes to the floor. Back in the ring, Kansai hits a tombstone piledriver and then her and Ozaki come down with double headbutts from the top rope. Toyota prevents the pinfall but is sent to the outside corner by the ref. Kansai tries a powerbomb but Toyota breaks it up. German by Yamada and then, after a tag, another by Toyota! Toyota misses the moonsault, though, and eats a huge lariat from Kansai, but, again, the pinfall is broken up. Toyota hits a pretty weak DDT but gets hit by a dropkick from Ozaki off the top and then powerbombed by Kansai to end the first fall. Kansai and Ozaki do a small bit of celebrating while Toyota recovers, looking totally rocked. The bell sounds and the champs go right back on attack with Kansai attempting another powerbomb by Toyota countering it in a pin attempt. In comes Yamada, who hits a series of nasty suplexes onto Kansai, dropping her right on the side of her head repeatedly. Toyota hits a dropkick and then its another suplex by Yamada! Yamada hits a jumping kick from the top rope and takes out Ozaki with a clothesline. Yamada then hits a ridiculous move I'm not sure I've seen before, hooking Kansai's arms, turning her upside, and then dropping her neck-first with the impact of a powerbomb. Holy cow. That ends the second fall, tying things up. This time, when the bell rings, its Yamada who comes firing out of the corner with stiff kicks, but Kansai fights back and goes for a quick pin. Ozaki comes in and applies an armbar on the mat and will not let go, transitioning into an even harsher wristlock and then repeatedly stomping on Yamada's arm. Ozaki whips her into the ropes but eats a kick and in comes Toyota, who hits a beautiful series of dropkicks! One of them looks like it almost takes Ozaki's head off of her shoulders. Toyota hits a suplex but Kansai breaks up the pin. Toyota grapevines the leg and falls back repeatedly to wrench it. Indian deathlock time into a bow-and-arrow by Toyota! Snap piledriver into an odd submission by Toyota. Yamada comes back in and applies a Stretch Muffler. Kansai breaks it up with stiff kicks. Ozaki recovers, though, landing a german suplex of her own and then making a tag. Kansai with some clotheslines in the corner and then a Northern Lights suplex for 2. Kansai applies the Sharpshooter/cloverleaf, which brings Toyota out from the corner. Kansai maintains the hold, though, and Yamada is forced to try to reach for the ropes. Kansai gives up the move and sends Yamada to the outside to get tortured by Ozaki. A wild brawl ensues with Ozaki and Yamada both getting slammed onto the floor. Back in the ring, Kansai is kicking and stomping and kneeing Yamada llike nobody's business. She applies a modified bow-and-arrow before slamming Yamada to the mat so that Ozaki can hit her with a beautiful front flip senton. Ozaki follows it up with an awesome jumping powerbomb! Wow. Toyota breaks up the cover, though, so Ozaki applies another leg submission. To the floor they go, where Kansai smashes a chair over Yamada's head and into her back. Ozaki comes to lend support but then Toyota joins the fray with a chair in hand. Yamada gets rolled back into the ring and Ozaki applies another rear headlock/stretch before holding her up for a Kansai dropkick. In comes Toyota, but she eats a lariat too and then a high angle back suplex. And another! And a third! Yamada breaks up the pin attempt! Kansai applies a Sharpshooter, but Toyota reaches the ropes to break the hold. Kansai with a scoop slam and Ozaki hits a beautiful twisting splash for 2. Toyota hit a dropkick off the ropes, though, and then a series of diving tackles before landing a moonsault for 2. Toyota's momentum shift here was a bit jarring, but also very much "of the genre." Yamada comes in and nails a leg drop for 2. She sends Ozaki into the corner and in comes Kansai and these two go to war once more, stiffing each other with strikes and kicks. At one point, the ref even checks on Yamada because Kansai looks like she might legit knock her out with one of her kicks to the head. Brutal stuff. Kansai misses a spinning heel kick so Yamada lays in a series of kicks of her own, including one off the rope and another to the back of the head that puts Kansai out for 2. Yamada makes the tag and Toyota delivers a bunch more german suplexes for more nearfalls. Toyota goes off the ropes but Kansai catches her with a suplex and then tags in Ozaki, who hits a bridging suplex of her own and then a sit-out powerbomb for 2! Goddamn, that looked nasty. Ozaki hits a dropkick off the ropes and evades an attempt at one by Toyota. In comes Kansai, who brings Toyota to the mat, holding her down so that Ozaki can hit some stomps. Kansai applies a figure four and then Ozaki joins in with an armbar! Nice work, ref. Kansai maintains the hold after Ozaki returns to the corner. Toyota reaches for the ropes but Ozaki stomps on her foot! Eventually, she reaches the ropes anyway so Kansai releases the hold and repeatedly kicks her in the leg. Toyota rolls out of the ring and Ozaki whips her into the rail. Yamada makes the save, bringing Ozaki all the way into the stands. Yamada hits some big strikes on Kansai but Ozaki is back and the melee continues. Back in the ring, Ozaki applies a front facelock on Toyota and then transitions into a body scissors. Toyota slaps her way out of it, running on pure emotion. Toyota makes the tag and Yamada rallies, hitting Kansai with a big side suplex and then a few more kicks to the head off the ropes for another near fall. Toyota tries a tornado DDT from the top but Kansai catches her and suplexes her to the mat for 2. Toyota counters another suplex attempt into a rolling pin and gets another 2.8! A double clothesline attempt is thwarted and the champs hit stereo Germans with Kansai getting another very close nearfall. In comes Ozaki, who hits a back suplex with a bridge for 2. Yamada springs up, though, elbowing Ozaki in the face and then trying a backslide pin. Ozaki goes ot the top but Toyota grabs her by the hair and Yamada meets her up there, hitting a release belly-to-belly off the top! Pin broken up by Kansai! Toyota and Yamada hit double diving headbutts but it only gets 2! Ozaki hits a german on Toyota and then splashes Yamada on the floor. Kansai tries a suicide dive but crashes into Ozaki. Springboard moonsault to the floor by Toyota! She rolls Ozaki in the ring for a 2-on-1 double tilt-a-whirl slam! Scoop by slam by Yamada and a moonsault by Toyota...1...2...2.9! Toyota lifts her by her hair and whips her into the ropes. She catches her with a big body block for 2. Back on their feet, Toyota whips Ozaki into the ropes but Ozaki uses the momentum to boot Yamada off the apron. Kansai comes in and its 2-on-1 with Kansai hitting a scoop slam and Ozaki attempting another splash, but Toyota rolls out of the way! Yamada is back in the ring to take out Kansai! German suplex by Toyota...1...2...3! Everyone, including Yamada, looks shocked at the finish. At well over 30 minutes, this was an absolute epic and full of great moments and incredible spots. They absolutely loaded this up with action and I loved the dynamics at play with Yamada and Kansai serving as the big badass strikers and Ozaki and Toyota delivering the goods in terms of high-risk maneuvers. The amount of suplexes thrown in this match would make Brock Lesnar blush. That being said, there was a lot of repetition throughout the match and, like many other joshi matches, to enjoy this one has to not mind the blatant lack of extended selling and the bad refereeing. Pyschology-wise, this was 40 minutes of bomb-throwing but, knowing that this was an interpromotional "dream match" of sorts, that can be understood to a degree and, clearly, the audience loved every minute of it. This wouldn't rank in my personal top 10, but it was undoubtedly a great match and worth checking out if you're a fan of this style. (4/5)

Lex Luger, Sting, and Barry Windham vs. Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, and Arn Anderson (03/31/1988, NWA): While I think the 8.38 (!) rating on Cagematch is a bit much for a "clipped" match from a random episode of NWA Main Event, if you're a fan of NWA wrestling, this is about as fun and spirited a 6-man as you'll likely find. They don't reinvent the wheel at all, delivering a straightforward match that gives everyone a chance to shine. The babyfaces control early before Luger plays the face-in-peril. The crowd is super hot for this, as one would expect giving the setting (Spartanburg, South Carolina). The wrestlin itself is nothing super special, but the pace is frenetic and we do get a bunch of "greatest hits" moments without it feeling like they're checking off a list (highlights include Sting press-slamming Flair off the top and Barry taking his signature bump over the top rope). Inessential viewing, but that doesn't mean its not good. (3/5)

Cibernetico/Fishman/Psicosis/Pentagon vs. Konnan/La Parka/Ultimo Dragon/Octagon (03/06/1996, AAA): This was a bit confusing at times, so I'm guessing that knowing the context would have helped me enjoy this more. That being said, La Parka is always a pleasure to watch. I felt like this lacked the big dives and high spots that I've grown to expect out of a Psicosis match in the mid-90s. The Pentagon/Octagon stuff is fun until Pentagon suffers an injury off of a back body drop and needs to be taken out of the match. I'm not sure if that was legit or an angle and I couldn't find much about it online. I was hoping this would be a funner watch. (2/5)

Akira Nogami and Shinya Hashimoto vs. Masahito Kakihara and Tatsuaki Nakano (10/28/1995, UWFi): Hashimoto is clearly the most over guy of the bunch as, anytime he does anything, it gets a loud reaction compared to the others. This wasn't as action-packed as I was hoping, which I probably should've expected considering this was UWFi match (which means that it was going to be more "shoot-based," emphasizing realism over theatrics and storytelling). Not my cup of tea. (1.5/5)

Randy Savage vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler (03/10/1984, CWA): This was a TV match that was clearly designed to whet the appetite of fans and build up the rivalry rather than deliver any sort of conclusion. In that end, it is effective, but there's really not much to sink into. The match itself goes about 10 minutes and ends with Angelo Poffo getting involved to cause the DQ. Not much to really say about this. (2/5)

Aja Kong and Akira Hokuto vs. Eagle Sawai and Shinobu Kandori (04/11/1993, AJW): This was an interpromotional battle between AJW's best - Kong and Hokuto - and Hokuto's nemesis Kandori and Eagle Sawai from the LLPW promotion but the real drama here is between Hokuto and Kandori, who had put on a classic match just nine days earlier (I gave it an ultra-rare 5/5 score on this very blog some time ago). There's plenty to love in this match as everyone gives a terrific performance, the crowd is hot, and the pre- and post-match promos by Kong, while given in a language I don't understand, came across as especially angry and passionate. Highlights included the ridiculous powerbombs Kandori delivered, Aja Kong hitting an Uranake out of nowhere to the back of Kandori's skull, Kong assisting Hokuro for one of her signature front-flip splashes to the floor early on, some seriously stiff kicks out of Kong, and an all-time great finish that only works because the intensity and "shoot" feel of the match was played to the hilt from beginning to end. Another great match that shows why at least 3-out-of-4 of these women are in the GOAT conversation for women. (3.5/5)

Shawn Michaels vs. Buddy Landell (08/04/1995, SMW): I checked out this Smoky Mountain Wrestling match as I saw it name-checked a few times on ProWrestlingOnly and have always found Buddy Landell to be an interesting and entertaining worker (albeit an inconsistent one). This isn't great and because the production value is low, it's not an easy match to get lost in. The story here is that Landell had turned a corner in SMW, denounced his old hard-living ways, and was trying to prove himself as a babyface despite still being managed by Jim Cornette (who he explicitly told not to interfere on his behalf). Because of this story, it's not so much a babyface Landell vs. heel Michaels match with Michaels as the centerpiece, which is what most would imagine this would be considering HBK's status even in 95' (a good 8 months before he'd finally win "the big one" at WrestleMania XII). I liked the story they told with the finish as Cornette ends up costing Landell the match against Buddy's wishes. (2.5/5)

Zach Sabre Jr. vs. Blake Christian (03/02/2023, ROH): This was for Sabre's NJPW Television Championship but took place on a Ring of Honor broadcast. The commentators play up the fact that there is a 15-minute time limit and that Sabre is well-equipped to go the distance, noting that William Regal used a similar formula to hold onto the TV Championship in WCW for months on end in the early 90s. This match didn't go the full 15, but it was almost got there as Christian put up a strong fight. Sabre got to show off his technical expertise early on and also his counter game. This fell well short of "must watch" territory, but was fine for what it was and did feature at least a few neat moments including Sabre countering a Fosbury Flop into a cravat and a whole bunch of unique submissions. (2.5/5)

Devil Masami and Jumbo Hori vs. Dump Matsumoto and Desiree Petersen (??/??/1984, AJW): I couldn't find much of anything about this match online, though I didn't exactly scour every website ever. Based on what I could find, Desiree Petersen worked in Japan in 1984 but was back stateside in 1985. This is a rough watch because the crowd noise and original commentary is dubbed over by what I believe to be an Italian announcer. This mostly a brawl but there is the occasional wrestling hold thrown in there from Masami. Speaking of Masami, her segments with Matsumoto are the better parts of the match which is a good thing because they also make up the lion's share of the in-ring action anyway. Bull Nakano makes a cameo as she was part of Matsumoto's crew. Pretty unremarkable but I could see superfans of this era and this style thinking this is terrific. (2/5)

Billy Kidman vs. Psicosis (09/27/1999, WCW): This was a Hair vs. Mask match. I forget if it was Bischoff in charge or Vince Russo at this point, but WCW seemed hell-bent on unmasking all of their luchadores to make their more "marketable," which was a very dumb strategy as, had they actually shown some initiative, they probably could've sold a ton of Mysterio, Juventud, Psicosis, and La Parka masks. Anyway...this wasn't as good as I was hoping for as a Psicosis fan and someone who looks back on the cruiserweight division with fondness. They do some cool moves, of course, but this suffers from a questionable heel/face dynamic. On one hand, Psicosis having Chavo Guerrero and Juventud Guerrera interfere on his behalf clearly makes Psicosis the villain and Kidman overcoming the odds is a classic babyface formula...but why are we rooting for the luchadores to lose their masks again? Kidman's motivation is never made clear so his determination to take away the legacy and cultural touchstone of Psicosis (and the rest of the luchadores) is off-putting. The weight of the stipulation hurts more than it helps an otherwise solid outing. (2.5/5)

Nick Gage vs. La Parka (11/23/2018, AIW): This match happened just a few miles from my house and, looking at the card, I definitely missed out as this show also featured Eddie Kingston, Danhausen, MJF (against Hornswoggle!), and Laredo Kid. Gage and La Parka have the kind of chair-filled brawl one would expect with Parka delivering an awesome suicide dive towards the end to show that he could still leave his feet when he needed to. I was surprised that we didn't get much "color" but I could also understand Gage and La Parka not wanting to go all-out with a true death match on a relatively small show like this. Inessential viewing, but not bad at all. (2.5/5) 

Kyoko Inoue vs. Manami Toyota (08/18/1991, AJW): This was the semi-finals of the Japan Grand Prix tournament so the winner would have to compete again, which explains why this is wrestled as a "sprint" and goes under 12 minutes. Still, within those dozen minutes we see a whole bunch of nifty submissions and Toyota deliver an insane springboard moonsault from to the floor. Inoue would likely be my older brother's favorite wrestler (if he knew who she was as a kid) because her submission game is ridiculous. Meltzer nearly gave this 5 stars in the Observer, which seems a little high for such a short match, but this is wrestled at a ridiculous pace at a time when this sort of match was not common at all in the US. (3/5)

AEW World's End 2025

AEW World's End 2025

Chicago, IL - December 2025

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the AEW World Champion was Samoa Joe, the AEW Women's World Champion was Kris Statlander, the TBS Champion was Mercedes Mone, the TNT Champion was Mark Briscoe, the AEW Unified Champion was Okada (as he held the Continental and International Championships), Ricochet was the National Champion, FTR were the World Tag Team Champions, the Babes of Wrath (Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron) were the Women's World Tag Team Champions, and The Opps (Samoa Joe, Will Hobbs, and Shibata) were the Trios Champions. 

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Kazuchika Okada in the first of two semi-finals of the Continental Classic was the opening match of the show. The match began with some tentative mat wrestling, neither guy taking any risks. A "Fuck Don Callis" chant broke out as they picked up the pace and we saw both guys swing and miss with signature strikes until Takeshita took Okada down with a flying clothesline. To the outside they went, with Takeshita winning Okada into the rail but Okada then bringing him into a chair with a drop toe hold. Okada maintained control for the next few days but Takeshita came back with a vertical suplex, a hurricanrana, and a beautiful tope to the floor. Takeshita slowed things down with a chinlock but Okada escaped and hit his signature neckbreaker. Okada followed it up with an elbow drop before playing to the crowd. A strike exchange followed and then we had both men attempting and countering piledrivers with Takeshita eventually delivering a package piledriver followed immediately by a wheelbarrow suplex. Takeshita looked to end it but Okada countered only for Takeshita to counter a Rainmaker into a Blue Thunder Bomb! That sequence brought about a "This Is Awesome" chant. Moments later, Takeshita ate a Rainmaker but didn't go down until he got nailed with a second one. He went for a third but Takeshita caught him with a forearm and we got another excellent sequence ending with Okada hitting a German suplex out of the corner. From here we got beautiful dropkicks, a reverse-rana, Okada kicking out at 2.9 after taking a nasty running knee - it was all excellent. Okada dug a screwdriver out from the corner of the ring and eventually caught Takeshita in the head with it to earn a very dirty win. This was a very solid match and while I didn't mind the cheap finish in theory, I kinda wish they had come up with a different way to do it as getting "knocked out" by a screwdriver (as opposed to, say, brass knuckles) seems a bit odd when using a screwdriver usually means you're opening someone up. (3.5/5)

The other half of the semi-finals - Jon Moxley vs. Kyle Fletcher - was next. Like the opener, this was technically a heel/heel contest but it was somewhat expected that Moxley would get cheered. After some feeling out, Fletcher tried to play mind games by spending time on the outside of the ring, which only drew Mox to him. Fletcher continued to play to the crowd, but did some land offense in the form of stomps and chops. Back to the outside they went where Mox whipped Fletcher into the guardrail and then sat him on a chair for a big boot. Fletcher fought back, trapping Mox's leg between the steps and the ring apron. When Fletcher pulled the steps away, Mox slipped and went mouth-first into the steps (chipping his tooth in the process). Back in the ring, Fletcher applied a leglock. Fletcher continued to work on the knee, wrapping it around the second rope and then applying a single-leg crab. Mox escaped and hit a neckbreaker out of nowhere, but Fletcher rolled to the outside. Mox came crashing into him with a suicide dive through the middle rope. Fletcher came back with a Michinoku Driver for 2 as Mox continued to sell leg damage. Fletcher went for a boot in the corner but Mox caught him with a clothesline, leading to a clothesline exchange that ended with Mox nearly taking Kyle's head off. A forearm contest followed and then Mox hit a dropkick and some punches in the corner, but Fletcher dumped him to the apron. Fletcher went for a running kick but Mox countered it. Back on the apron, Mox missed a stomp and Fletcher nailed him with a true brainbruster. Damn. Mox was nearly counted out and then pinned when Fletcher nailed him with a huge powerbomb back in the ring. Fletcher reapplied the half-crab but Mox would not tap. Fletcher pulled back too far, though, ending up caught in the Bulldog Choke! Fletcher escaped by grabbing an Ankle Lock, which seemed like it legitimately popped Danielson on commentary. Moxley was able to grab the ropes and the crowd began to chant his name, rooting him on as Fletcher booted him in the chest and face. Fletcher hoisted him up for a superplex but fought back, biting Fletcher in the head and then bringing him back into the ring with an Avalance Cutthroat Suplex (!). Fletcher took an absolutely nasty head drop. It was unreal that Fletcher could even move after it. Mox hit a stomp as Tenay noted that we were at 19 minutes (which would've been near the time limit in a typical CC match). Fletcher somehow rallied, landing a superkick and a half-and-half suplex, but Mox kicked out at 1! Fletcher hit the running boot and another brainbuster but, again, Mox kicked out! Fletcher sold the disappointment by nearly breaking into tears. Fletcher hit Mox with a big clothesline and then started ripping apart some of the turnbuckles, clearly searching for the screwdriver, but this allowed Moxley to rally and hit the Paradigm Shift for 1...2....Fletcher kicked out! Great false finish there. Mox fired up and hit the Death Rider...and again, Fletcher kicked out! Bulldog Choke by Mox! Fletcher was able to get to his feet but Fletcher, his face nearly purple, had no answer for it as his arm got raised and dropped 3 times. Another very, very good match. I didn't love Fletcher not selling the damage and exhaustion after getting put to sleep, his screaming at Bryce Remsburg coming across a bit too animated for me, but I did like him being an asshole and clipping Mox's knee after the match. This match clearly positioned Mox as the babyface heading into the finals. (3.5/5)

The AEW World Tag Team Championships were on the line in a Chicago Street Fight as FTR defended against the somewhat-makeshift team of Austin Gunn and Juice Robinson, two members of the Bang Bang Gang. Dax and Juice went brawling in the stands while Gunn and Wheeler fought up the ramp. The latter brought a trash can into the mix as Dax and Robinson made their way back towards the ring. Stokely set up a table but Dax couldn't put it to use right away. Robinson tried to put The Ax through it, but got brought down from the top rope with a back suplex by Wheeler. Dax worked on Gunn with the trash can and a cane got used as well, the champions in full control. The BBG rallied using their speed but Wheeler cut off their momentum by sending Gunn into the steps. Wheeler then brought a belt into the ring, which Dax used to clobber Robinson. Gunn got some offense in with a trash can lid, including a cool back splash while wearing it. Robinson got some "color" (presumably from getting hit by the championship belt) and tried to hit a DDT on Dax but Wheeler made the save the heels worked on Juice's leg, jamming it with a chair repeatedly. Robinson nearly caught them by surprise with an inside cradle on Dax, but then got his leg bashed again with a chair by Wheeler. Wheeler then came off the top rope with a stomp to the knee while Dax held Robinson down on the mat. Great heel work there by FTR. Dax applied a figure four and held onto it as Wheeler dove onto Gunn (and through a table on the floor). Robinson reached the ropes but there are no breaks in a streetfight. He got hold of a fire extinguisher, though, blasting Dax in the face with it to force a release and then hit a front face-driver-thingy for 2 with Stokely breaking up the count. Stokely grabbed a chair but Robinson blocked him and took it for himself, cracking Dax in the back with it a few times and waffling Wheeler with it too. Juice went to use it one more time but Stokely grabbed hold of it. Robinson shoved him off the apron and Stokely went flying into a table, but instead of crashing through it, he bounced off of it and into the announce table! Ouch. That was definitely a painful botch. Back in the ring, FTR hit a somewhat-awkward Shatter Machine for 2 (with Gunn breaking up the pin). Gunn hit a low blow on Wheeler and went for a Fameasser on the flattened trash can but Dax caught him with a piledriver instead. FTR hit a Spike Piledriver and then a second one "on" the championship belt (though, it didn't look too hot) to end the match. This started out a bit underwhelming, had some good work in the middle when FTR focused on Juice's knee, but then got a bit sloppy and messy towards the end with Stokely's bump and some less precise moments in the end. Not bad. (2.5/5)

Mercedes Mone and Athena challenged the AEW Women's World Tag Team Champions - The Babes of Wrath, Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron. Athena came into this match as the Ring of Honor Women's World Champion, a reign that has lasted over 3 years at this point, while Mone came in holding a very respectable 10 Championships, including the AEW TBS Championship. Highlights included - Willow hitting a powerbomb on the apron to Mone but then eating a ridiculously forceful suicide dive from Athena, Mone delivering the double-knees in the corner off an Irish whip from her partner, and Athena somehow getting Willow up for a powerbomb-into-a-Codebreaker-type move that looked hellacious, and Cameron hitting a double crucifix-bomb. There were some awkward moments due to telegraphing and imperfect timing (Cameron's hot tag to Willow looked not a little bit silly), with even some of the better spots looking a tad bit sloppy, but they kept the crowd engaged and Athena looked particularly good here. I loved Mone and Athena inadvertently hitting each other with a splash and a forearm respectively but then combining their effort to hit a series of nifty double-team maneuvers. Though the result was what most fans predicted, I thought the actual finish was a bit of a surprise (and well-executed to boot). Not a Match of the Year candidate or anything, but an effective match and an improvement from the Finals several weeks ago that the Babes had with Storm and Shirakawa. (3/5)

Next up - a grudge match as Darby Allin took on the Death Riders' mercenary, Gabe Kidd. Before the match, one of Allin's weird videos aired, soundtracked by a "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails soundalike and ending with a cryptic message ("I'll Remember You As You Were, Not As What You'll Become"). Allin took a nasty bump early, spilling onto the floor from a two-hand shove after being perched on the top rope. From there, Kidd continued to dominate, sending Allin into the steps and barrier. Allin hit a suicide dive from the ring to the floor to even things up, but then essentially got thrown into the timekeeper's table in another hellacious bump. In a really cool moment, Kidd set up Allin in a catapult position within the steel steps and dropped back, sending Allin face-first through the top of the steps. Allin managed to get back into the ring but was busted open badly. From there, it was basically a greatest hits of "Allin getting the shit kicked out of him" as we saw him hit the turnbuckles hard, get run off the apron and around the post, and getting blasted with strikes and tossed around by power moves with the occasional hope spot thrown in. It may be formulaic, but it's still captivating. Kudos to Kidd for the bladejob he took too, eating a chair to the face from a Darby Allin dropkick. Allin hit a Code Red from the top rope and then a Coffin Drop but couldn't get the cover as Kidd rolled to the outside, where Allin hit him with another Coffin Drop. At this point, Kidd was sporting the proverbial "crimson mask" as Allin rolled him into the ring and went for another pin but, when he couldn't get it, hit a Scorpion Death Drop and then locked Kidd in the Scorpion Deathlock. Allin couldn't maintain the hold, though, and Kidd came back at him with a series of strikes, including a nasty lariat, and then a classic piledriver for 2.9. Kidd rained down on him with more forearms across the chest but got caught in a pinning perdicament, his shoulders pushed to the mat with Allin's full weight across them. It wasn't a definitive victory so Kidd looked plenty credible even in the loss. That was ultra-violent and very good, maybe a hair short of "must see"/Match of the Year contender territory. (3.5/5)

Next up was Toni Storm teaming up with Roderick Strong, Orange Cassidy, and Mark Briscoe to take on Marina Shafir, Daniel Garcia, Claudio Castignoli, and Wheeler Yuta in a match dubbed "Mixed Nuts Mayhem" where no tags were necessary. Yuta got great heat early by tossing Storm out of the ring, but then got his comeuppance from Briscoe, who also took out Garcia with an awesome cannonball to the outside. Because this was wrestled under "Tornado" rules, it was non-stop action in the ring with lots of cut-offs and saves and unique pairings. Cassidy was over huge with the crowd and his sequence with Shafir got a big reaction. It eventually became 4-on-1 on Cassidy, with OC getting destroyed in the corner by all four heels until Strong tried to make the save and ended up eating chest chops from Shafir (Strong's real life wife) as well as another 4-on-1 relay of splashes and strikes in the corner. Briscoe came in next and got beaten down as well, the Death Riders once again crushing him in the corner with rapid-fire offense. Storm came in to make the save and we saw her and Shafir go at it with Shafir getting dumped to the outside with a Hip Attack. Claudio grabbed Toni's hair but Briscoe saved her and they hit Claudio with a double shoulder tackle to a sizable pop. We then got a really fun moment in which Cassidy and Storm performed a modified ballroom dance to take out the Death Riders. Briscoe hit the Froggy 'Bow on Claudio and almost got a 3 but Garcia and Wheeler made the save. Storm stood up to them, though, taking both out with German Suplexes. Moments later she hit a tornado DDT on Claudio but ended up in the Giant Swing, tossed halfway across the ring. This left Strong and Shafir in the ring, squaring off, the crowd popping huge. Another huge flurry of offense and saves and signature moves followed with Storm hitting a Storm Zero on Garcia and a Hip Attack on Yuta and Yuta then eating the Jay Driller to end the match. This wasn't Hackenschmidt and Gotch, but it was entertaining as all hell and the exact kind of match you won't really ever see in the WWE. Good stuff. (3/5)

The AEW Women's World Champion, Kris Statlander, defended her title against Jamie Hayter in the next bout. Good, physical wrestling to start with both women trying for quick pins and hitting impressive shoulder tackles. The stereo kip-up spot wasn't great and I'm not sure why they went for it considering neither one is particularly agile, but things got better from there when Statlander hit a cool leg drop on the apron and then a catapult into the steps. Back and forth it went with Statlander and Hayter both throwing all of themselves into every dropkick, knee strike, and forearm. This was not a "pretty" match, but it was stiff as all hell at times, which made it stand out from the fun, loose spirit of the previous match. The crowd wasn't 100% with them - at one point I think there was a "Green Bay Sucks" chant - but did come alive at times, including for Hayter's Avalanche fisherman's suplex, a sick-looking package piledriver by Statlander, and an absolutely insane Michinoku Driver off the top rope that drew a "Holy Shit" chant (and a considerable amount of ire from online fans who were legitimately concerned). Stat went for Hayter's Hayterade finish soon after but Hayter somehow managed to counter it into an awesome overhead suplex and then a Shining Wizard. This led to yet another impressive sequence of counters and reversals that ended with Hayter hitting a backbreaker and Statlander coming right back at her with a suplex, leaving both women on the mat. A forearm exchange followed with Statlander nearly taking Hayter's head off with a lariat (essentially a Hayterade) only for Hayter to hit her with the Saturday Night Fever! Hayter couldn't make the cover though, too exhausted to even drape her arm over the champion. While Hayter was able to land one more big lariat, Statlander managed to put her down with a Saturday Night Fever to retain the title in one of the most physical matches I've seen in some time. That was an absolute war and a career match for both women. (4/5)

After some backstage promos from the two finalists, it was time for Jon Moxley vs. Kazuchika Okada in the tournament finals of the 2025 Continental Classic. As Don Callis noted during the promo, Okada was looking to win back-to-back tournaments. Okada offered a handshake once the bell rang but Mox flipped him the bird in response. Okada gave him one in return after a lock-up. Mox applied a wristlock but Okada went after the heel and lower leg, sending Mox to the outside to recover. Back in the ring, Okada continued his work on the ankle but Mox escaped by grabbing the bottom rope and, moments later, Okada's eye. Okada's focus on Mox's leg didn't make for the most electric opening, but the logic was there. Mox ended up on the top rope and Okada hit him with a dropkick that caused Mox to fall to the floor, catching his leg on the top rope in the process. On the floor, Okada hit a DDT as Mox continued to sell damage to his ankle, stumbling around the ring. Okada hit a kneebreaker on the top of the steps and then a kick to the knee on the floor and back in the ring. Okada applied a leg lock, but Mox fought out with headbutts. Deuling chants started up, which was somewhat surprising. Okada hit an impressive senton by the ropes and then his signature neckbreaker for 2. Okada hit an elbow drop to the chest off the top rope and flipped off the crowd, but Mox grabbed his middle finger and did some joint manipulation before hitting a lariat. Mox went to the mat immediately after though, unable to stay on his feet. Mox applied a figure four, but Okada got to the ropes. Okada caught him with a pair of dragon screws and then applied a Texas Cloverleaf, forcing Mox to the bottom rope around the 13-minute mark of the match. Okada delivered some forearms in the corner and then attempted an Alabama Slam but Mox countered with a Gotch-style piledriver for 2. Mox went for the Bulldog Choke but brought Okada up to his feet to try a Death Rider. Okada managed to evade the move and, with the ref in the corner, hit a low blow on Moxley and then a Rainmaker...but only got 2.5! Another round of deuling chants started up as Okada went to the outside to grab hold of the Continental Championship belt. The ref grabbed it from him and handed it back to the timekeeper, distracted long enough for Mox to hit a low blow of his own. With both men on their feet, we got a strike exchange with Mox landing a series of punches but then eating a dropkick. Mox no sold it, though! Okada went for the backslide but Mox rolled through so Okada hit him with another Rainmaker! Okada kept hold of Mox's wrist, opting not to go for the cover, and got hit by a Paradigm Shift DDT for 2. Mox went for another choke but Okada escaped. Mox caught Okada with a Rainmaker of his own and another Paradigm Shift but only got a 1 count! Curb Stomp by Mox and a Death Rider to end it! I didn't love that the finishing sequence saw Mox stop selling the damaged ankle, which had been the story of the match up until then, but at least the commentators played up the idea that it was Mox's adrenaline that had carried him there. After the match, the rest of the Death Riders came out to celebrate with him. Mox then cut a promo essentially thanking all of the other Continental Classic tournament entrants, the fans, and the rest of the locker room. It was long-winded and repetitive and not his best work, but more oddly, it was antithetical to the Death Riders' established objective (which Danielson noted on commentary too). All-in-all, a good match, but not an all-time great one and a match where your "mileage may vary" depending on how into Mox you are. (3/5)

Main event time - Swerve Strickland vs. "Hangman" Adam Page vs. MJF vs. the AEW World Champion, Samoa Joe. With four guys in the ring and all sorts of history to play off of, this was non-stop action from the very beginning. One early highlight was MJF doing Swerve's dance to a big reaction but then getting a taste of his own medicine when Swerve thrust his crotch in his face. Moments later, Hangman didn't quite nail his moonsault off the top to the floor as he barely touched anybody but all three men sold it. Hangman made up for it with a really cool Buckshot Lariat off the back of Swerve, which led to a Swerve/Hangman staredown that got a huge reaction. Their sequence of counters and reversals was incredible, ending with Swerve hitting the Deadeye but then getting nailed by a Hangman Buckshot Lariat. Joe broke up the pin, though, and went for the Muscle Buster on Swerve but got stopped by Hangman. This led to a Tower of Doom spot in which Joe essentially powerbombed everybody into MJF. Unable to pin any of them, Joe once again went for the Muscle Buster, but Swerve flipped out of it, took out MJF, and then hit a German Suplex on Joe. Page came in, ate a backbreaker and then a wild powerslam out of Swerve for 2. Page hit an Angel's Wings on Swerve and then a moonsault off the apron on MJF but missed the Buckshot Lariat and had to settle for a pop-up powerbomb for another 2 count. Joe came in to take advantage of Swerve and Page's exhaustion, but couldn't get much going. MJF finally got a bit of offense in, stomping Hangman's arm, hitting Swerve with an Alabama Slam, and wrenching him into Joe in the corner. He couldn't hit the Heatseaker, but brought Page into the ring with a neckbreaker and then applied the Salt of the Earth. Joe caught Swerve in the Koquina Clutch, forcing MJF to break his hold to prevent Joe from getting a submission victory. Joe ended up applying the Clutch to MJF, though, a callback to the finish of their championship match two years earlier (which Joe won). Swerve broke it up with a Housecall out of nowhere, though, just as MJF's arm was about to drop for the 3rd time. This was followed by a nice sequence that left all four men on the mat and the crowd chanting "AE-Dub." MJF hit the Panama Sunrise on Swerve, a callback to his one-time partnership with Adam Cole. Page went for another Buckshot but Joe knocked him off the apron. Swerve looked to finish Joe off, but Hobbs, HOOK, and Shibata made their way to the ring and prevented whatever he had planned. HOOK rolled Page into the ring for a Muscle Buster but only got 2. When Hobbs and Shibata went after Prince Nana, Swerve took them out with a Swerve Stomp off the top. Back in the ring, Page went after HOOK but got caught in the Koquina Clutch. Swerve broke it up with a Swerve Stomp onto the shoulders of Joe and then went back to the top. Joe met him up there for a superplex attempt but Swerve climbed down and turned it into a nasty powerbomb! Swerve went back to the top once more, but MJF shoved him off and into the nearby commentator's table. Page knocked MJF off the apron and connected with two Buckshot Lariats (neither of which took Joe down), but when he went for the third, MJF met him in the ring and kicked him in the groin! Heatseeker by MJF onto Joe to end it! I liked that much but didn't necessarily love it. Everyone did their job well and had a chance to shine, but multi-mans are not my favorite type of match and I kinda wish they had found a more interesting way for The Opps to get dispatched (rather than just having the refs force them away from ringside). A very good match. (3.5/5)

With a strong Kwang Score of 3.28-out-of-5, AEW World's End 2025 was another excellent show without a single "dud" match and some very strong performances out of all four men in the main event, Jon Moxley, Kyle Fletcher, Kris Statlander, Jamie Hayter, and Athena. What I liked most about this show, though, was the variety it offered. Moxley/Okada was mostly built around a simple story involving Mox's injured leg. Darby and Gabe Kidd had an ultra-violent, bloody "spotfest." The Mixed Nuts match was great sports-entertainment. The main event had Big Fight Feel and though I didn't like The Opps' interference, because the rest of the show didn't have too many run-ins, it at least felt like something we hadn't seen earlier in the show. Statlander/Hayter was my match of the night, a highly physical title fight that exceeded my expectations and deserved bigger reactions from a crowd that didn't seem invested in its outcome or its participants' characters.

FINAL RATING - Watch It 

TNA Bound for Glory 2011

TNA Bound for Glory 2011

Philadelphia, PA - October 2011

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this event, the TNA World Champion was Kurt Angle, the X-Division Champion was Austin Aries, the Knockouts Champion was Winter, Tara and Miss Tessmacher were the Knockouts Tag Team Champions, Eric Young was the TV Champion, and Mexican America (Hernandez and Anarquia) were the TNA World Tag Team Champions.

TNA left Orlando for this show, its biggest event of the year. A video package highlighted the main events with heavy emphasis on the in-ring return of Hulk Hogan, his first in well over a year (and his final televised match, period). 

The X-Division Champion, Austin Aries, defended his title in the opening match against Brian Kendrick, the former titleholder. This was a rematch from No Surrender and something of a "bone" being thrown to the Philadelphia crowd who knew these guys from Ring of Honor (Aries got a hero's welcome with the fans chanting his name loud enough to be heard over his entrance music). Highlights included Kendrick's crossbody to the floor early on, an excellent suicide dive by Austin Aries that pushed Kendrick into the guard rail with tremendous force, Aries eating a perfect tornado DDT in the second half, and Aries' spiritied bumping throughout. Aries had to work against type a bit as the audience reacted positively to everything he did, even some of his more overt heel shtick like "shushing" the crowd. The finishing sequence, which saw each guy counter the other's finisher, forcing them to find new ways to apply and execute their signature move was very good. This was an improvement from their No Surrender match, not just because of the hotter crowd but because of the better closing stretch, but I still wouldn't consider this "must see." (3/5)

Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn in a Full Metal Mayhem match was next. The story here is that Lynn was jealous of Van Dam's main event success. A huge "ECW" chant started up as soon as they locked up, which was to be expected. RVD was moving much slower here than he was in their matches a decade earlier and they botched a couple spots early with RVD falling to the mat after an agility spot and then both guys tumbling into the ropes on a crossbody. RVD missed on a springboard moonsault off the guardrail, allowing Lynn to grab hold of a ladder and slide it into the ring. RVD tried to grab a chair but Lynn dropkicked the ladder into him and grabbed it himself instead. Back in the ring, RVD hit a crossbody off the second rope onto Lynn onto the chair for 2. RVD followed it up with a chair-assisted running dropkick in the corner, one of his trademark spots. RVD set up the ladder in the corner and sent Lynn into it and then hit a Rolling Thunder on the ladder as it lay atop of Mr. JL. Van Dam does a truly dumb springboard back flip for no reason and attempts to grab a chair but fairly gets it up in time for Lynn's dropkick. I appreciate the effort, but the execution depended on perfect timing and it didn't pan out. Oof. RVD ends up on the ladder and Lynn goes for a double leg-drop but RVD moves out of the way. RVD throws the chair at Lynn and goes for a heel kick but Lynn counters by throwing the chair straight into his head! Cool. Lynn goes for a suplex on the chair but RVD counters by suplexing him onto the ladder and then hitting a springboard moonsault onto it for 2. That looked good. Lynn goes to the floor and grabs another ladder, setting it up against the guardrail. They do some fighting on the apron and RVD goes for a suplex through the ladder, but Lynn counters it into a sunset flip powerbomb and misses the ladder entirely, knocking Van Dam's head into the rail! Ouch! That was imperfect but made the spot more violent. RVD kicks out and Lynn grabs the chair. This time RVD connects with the jumping spin kick into the chair! RVD set Lynn up for a Van Terminator (coast-to-coast) and connected, sending the ladder into Lynn's face and getting a loud "Holy Shit" chant for it. For as sloppy and dumb as some of these spots were, I won't deny that this was an entertaining spotfest. (3/5)

Backstage, Dixie Carter is shown arriving in the arena. The story going into the Hogan/Sting match is that, if Sting wins, Carter will be reinstated as the President of TNA. We then get a video package hyping the next bout...

Crimson vs. Matt Morgan vs. Samoa Joe in a three-way grudge match. This is an era of Joe's career that is hard to watch at times because he seemed so unmotivated. Morgan and Crimson teamed up on Joe early, but it wasn't long before we got some tension between the babyfaces. Joe was the clear "anchor" of the match, hitting a beautiful dive to the floor onto Crimson. Morgan came off the top with a splash that also connected with Crimson as Joe laughed. Back in the ring, Crimson and Morgan finally got into it, exchanging big right hands. Joe tripped up Morgan and sent him into the guardrail and then went after Crimson in the ring, connecting with a Pele Kick and then trying for a Muscle Buster. Morgan prevented him from landing him and Crimson landed a spear on Joe (after a Carbon Footprint by Morgan) to get the W. Joe was clearly the best worker of the three and carried this match, though the company saw big things in Crimson (that never materialized to few people's surprise). Thanks to Joe's performance and the wise decision to keep it short and physical and hide Crimson's inexperience by making it a multi-man, this was okay. (2.5/5)

Bully Ray cuts a promo backstage about how bad he is and how ill-prepared his opponent, Ken Anderson, is for their match tonight. Bully talks about how he has been exploiting Philadelphia for 15 years, taking advantage of its "white trash" fans and making sure to say that he's not from Philly, but from NYC. This was a smart way to try to get heat in front of an audience that was likely to cheer him based on being an ECW guy.

Bully Ray vs. Ken Anderson in a Falls Count Anywhere match was next. Anderson eschewed his usual intro to run to the ring and take the fight right to Bully. Lots of energy to start things with Anderson landing a big shot to the groin but then eating a big boot soon after to slow things down. Bully hit some stiff open-hand chops in the corner but Anderson landed a jumping kick and got a 2-count. Anderson went to the floor and grabbed a hold of a sign that was - you guessed it - actually a steel Dead End street sign. Not the most original spot, but this crowd was craving ECW callbacks and it was wise to give those to Anderson. Ray rolled out of the ring and Anderson followed him, dousing him with a cup of beer. An overzealous fan splashed one onto Anderson (and he looked legit surprised and pissed). Bully mounted a comeback and grabbed a table. Anderson and Bully fought their way up the ramp before it could be used, though, with Anderson attempting a suplex on the stage only to take one himself. Bully mocked Anderson's intro and brought the microphone down, which Anderson then used to clobber him in the head. Ray was bleeding a bit as they fought into the backstage area. Ray hit a not-so-pretty piledriver on the concrete but Anderson got a shoulder up. There was a time when that would've been sold like death. Ray grabbed a chair and tried to choke Anderson out with it before leading him back into the arena. Anderson fought back and hit a short-arm clothesline and then a stomp to the groin. Back to the ringside area they went, trading fists. Anderson took apart the guardrail, bringing a piece into the ring. As he tried to get it inside, Bully caught him with a clothesline and grabbed another table, sliding it into the ring as well. Bully set it up but got back body dropped onto the guard rail, bending it. Anderson then went for a senton but landed on the rail when Bully rolled out of the way! Bubba Bomb through the table! 1...2...kickout! Bubba set up Anderson on the rail and went for a senton himself - not a move usually in his repertoire, but whatever - but Anderson evaded it and hit a Mic Check onto the rail for 2. Ray rolled out of the ring as the camera showed that Anderson had a busted lip. Anderson grabbed a trash can and bashed it over Bully's face, causing him to lay down on the table at ringside. Anderson climbed to the top rope, blood dripping down from his nose/lip, and hit a senton but the table didn't break (bummer). Bully rolled to the floor and the two clearly had to work out a new finish with Anderson hitting the Mic Check through the table to get the W. I'm not a huge fan of either guy, but this was a career match for both as they gave each other hell, told a very straight-forward and physical story, and smartly built it around Anderson getting to have multiple "ECW" moments to keep the babyface/heel dynamic consistent. (4/5)

The Knockouts Championship was on the line next with Velvet Sky, Madison Rayne (doing a Beauty Queen gimmick at this time), and Mickie James challenging Winter with Karen Jarrett serving as the guest referee. I should deduct a half-point for Sky's tacky entrance, which included her - for no real reason aside from tantalizing the viewers - wiggling her butt as she climbed into the ring directly into the camera. Pervy stuff there. Winter was accompanied by Angelina Love. This match was fought under somewhat odd rules as it was essentially a tag match where the winner would leave with the Knockouts Championship but anyone could tag in anyone. This was decent enough to start, with Jarrett trying to keep the heels on top, refusing to count pinfalls for the babyfaces and forcing Sky and James to wrestle while Rayne and Winter rested up. The latter was particularly beneficial because James and Sky had the best chemistry of the four. All four ended up in the ring with the babyfaces taking over quickly and Jarrett doing a bunch of nothing to prevent it. It becomes James and Winter battling it out and then Love causes a distraction. Winter sprays mist into the eyes of Jarrett, which prevents her from making the count. In comes Tracy Brooks...and it's unclear what exactly she was trying to do as she rolls into the ring and just sorta stands there. Rayne shoves James to the floor. In comes Sky to hit a Pedigree and Brooks makes the count...and somehow that counts? I'm not sure how that works but maybe they had established that Brooks had "referee powers"? This wasn't terrible - in fact, it was a clear step up from the match from the Knockouts championship match at No Surrender - but the finish was bad and made no sense. (1.5/5)

Backstage, Frankie Kazarian talks about how two members of Fourtune - AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels - will be competing tonight and he is "torn" between them.

The aforementioned Styes/Daniels "I Quit" match is next. The hype video plays up how there is, arguably, nobody on the roster who is more "TNA" than these two, both of whom helped define the early X-Division, and then goes into how this match came to be. They trade fists to start with Daniels hitting a Flatliner and then trying to choke Styles out. Styles throws some kicks in and then inexplicably sees if Daniels wants to quit...uh...in minute 2? Styles applies an armbar, an abdominal stretch, and an Indian Deathlock (!) but Daniels won't quit that early. Daniels does some work on AJ's neck but Styles comes back and hits a dropkick and then a gorgeous front flip splash to the floor. Daniels goes under the ring to grab a tool box and ends up with a wrench in his hand (that he throws violently at AJ, who dodges it). Daniels grabs a screwdriver and tries to stab AJ in the face, but AJ kicks his way free. Daniels ends up stabbing it into the turnbuckle and then eating some forearms on the apron. We get a weird spot where Daniels puts him up for an atomic drop of some kind but AJ ends up falling back hard from having his legs hit the top rope. I'm not sure what they were going for there. Daniels pops AJ up to the sky with a back body drop and then applies a very loose, one-handed chinlock while he asks AJ if he quits yet. Daniels hits a BME as AJ is getting up from the mat, landing squarely on his back. Daniels applies a half-crab, flipping off the crowd as he does so. AJ won't give up, though, reaching the ropes to climb himself out of the move. Daniels hits a nifty backbreaker and goes back out of the ring to grab a chair. He unfolds it over AJ's torso and tries to choke him out with the bottom "rung" (?). For a guy not known for his mic skills or charisma, this is the most "unhinged" and animated Daniels performance I've ever seen as he is an insufferable heel, flipping off the crowd, laughing at AJ after hitting him with the BME, cutting soliloquoy promos, etc. Styles is bleeding a bit as Daniels sits on the chair over him, telling him that he never even wanted to hear Styles says the words "I..." (but then doesn't say the word "Quit," which is brilliant). Daniels then talks directly to Styles' wife before trying to bash him with the chair. Styles dodges a splash in the corner and then lands a huge lariat, a spin kick, and some forearms. Styles hits the backflip DDT out of the corner, super fired-up, and then some more strikes before landing the Phenomenal Forearm. Styles goes for the Styles Clash but Daniels counters it and we have another quick back-and-forth sequence. Pele Kick connects! Styles Clash! Styles looks over to the chair but then drops it...in favor of the screwdriver! Daniels grabs the microphone and quits, though, ending the match in truly cowardly fashion. Styles ends up stabbing the mat as Daniels runs away. I could see the argument that at least portions of this match were very "southern" and old school and I even liked Daniels cranking up the knob on his chickenshit heel dial, but I didn't love the somewhat lackluster finish. The good outweighed the bad here, but this was a strange match with one foot in "old school" territory and the other in the usual AJ/Daniels X-Division genre. (3/5)

As AJ exits the ring area, Daniels attacks him and hits his Angel Wings finisher on the stage to seemingly extend the rivalry. Lame. 

Jeff Jarrett showed up next, immediately getting into it with the fans. Jarrett had appeared on the previous episode of Impact to threaten Jeff Hardy (according to Mike Tenay). Jarrett runs down Hardy a bit, which brings him out to the ring. A brawl ensues and they get pulled apart. Hardy celebrates in the ring a bit while Jarrett is escorted to the back, yelling "Nobody wants you here." Filler segment.

Sting vs. Hulk Hogan followed in a match to decide who would be in control of TNA (Sting was "representing" Dixie Carter). The pre-match video highlights some but not all of Hogan's run in WCW, how he and Bischoff took over the company and headed it as both babyfaces (initially) and heels (later on). In the build-up to this match, Hogan was back to being something of a fan favorite (or at least a "tweener") due to him announcing his retirement and distancing himself (a little bit at least) from Bischoff while Sting was doing his Joker-inspired "tweener" character (but was also leaning more towards being a face by this point). It was all a bit murky, or at least it seems murky to me as someone who wasn't 100% following this storyline at the time. Anyway...Garrett Bischoff was the referee for this match, stacking the odds against the Stinger. Dixie Carter was shown watching the match from the stands. Sting was sporting a Hulkamania shirt, playing mind games with the Hulkster, while Hogan was in full pants (with knee pads) and an Impact tank top. Before they could lock up, Hogan brought out Ric Flair to a huge pop, showing that he too knew how to play mind games. They finally locked up and Sting applied a side headlock but got sent to the ropes. Sting came back and ran into Hulk's shoulder, which led to Hulk doing some posing to a huge pop. Hogan went into his routine, hitting the Stinger with punches and stomping on his face. Hogan applied a chinlock as Carter watched on worried. Sting fought out but ate another clothesline before going to the floor. Hogan continued to control and raked Sting's back (and front) and then leveled him with another right hand before tossing him to the outside. On the floor, Flair used his jacket to choke Sting and then hit him with a low blow. Hogan hit him with another one, but, because its Bischoff's son, the ref allows it. Hogan maintained control on the outside, using the guardrail and his teeth, before jabbing at the Stinger with some sort of "spike," opening him up. Hogan did some strutting but Sting came back with a series of rights and Hogan finally took a bump! Sting hit him with another series of punches and Hogan took a second back bump (one more than I expected he'd do the entire match). On the floor, Sting grabbed the "spike" from Flair and brought it into the ring to get some revenge, opening up Hogan's head with it (and causing Hulk to take his third back bump of the match). Sting hit the Splash in the corner, knocked Flair off the apron, and then hit a second splash! Sting then applied the Scorpion Deathlock and Hogan tapped, forcing Bischoff to end the match and give the victory to the Stinger. After the match, Flair attacked Sting, stomping on him, which led to Bischoff and the rest of Immortal coming out too. Bully, Steiner, and Gunner hit Sting with a bunch of chairshots and the camera showed Abyss watching, seemingly afraid to help. Garrett Bischoff tried to stop them from doing any more damage but ate a chairshot from Eric Bischoff! The beatdown continued with Flair hitting some punches in the corner and Steiner hitting another chairshot. Sting begged Hogan for help, and, inspired by the chanting crowd, Hogan ripped his shirt and cleaned house, taking out Immortal to a huge pop! Bischoff was left in the fetal position in the corner and finally got his comeuppance via a right hand from the Hulkster. Credit where its due, this was imperfect and the "wrestling" was obviously very basic, but for a retirement match, this hit a lot of "feel good" moments and the crowd absolutely loved the conclusion and post-match stuff. (3/5)

Main event time - Kurt Angle defending the TNA World Championship against Bobby Roode. The story coming into this match was that Roode had been working for 13 years to finally get his shot at the TNA World Championship and had won the Bound for Glory Series to earn it. This would not be his night, though, as he lost a hard fought battle when Angle used the ropes for leverage to pin him after an Angle Slam and the referee also failed to see that Roode had one of his hands under the rope. There was one really great sequence in this match in this match about 2/3rds of the way in, but the rest of this didn't feel super special or particularly great and the finish was an absolute downer. I try not to rate matches too harshly on a booking decision I disagree with, but TNA had done a really good job of establishing Roode as a worthy challenger to their "ace" and to have it end in such over-the-top screwy finish didn't do either guy any favors. Sure, Roode didn't do the job cleanly, but he still lost. Meanwhile, throughout 2011 and at various other key times, Angle was booked in somewhat bizarre fashion as both the very best technical wrestler in the company who could cleanly defeat anyone and also someone who needed interference and heel tactics to win. I get that he's a heel here, but if that were more thoroughly established, why didn't Roode have any of his buddies out there to make sure Angle didn't pull any tricks? Seems like they promoted this match as a true 1-on-1 battle with Angle in "tweener" mode for the build-up and then just decided, "For this match, let's have him be a crafty coward" because they didn't want to give Roode the W. Not a bad match, but not a strong way to finish the show. (They arguably should've ended the night with Hogan/Sting as it would've at least sent the crowd home happy.) (3/5)

Is this the best TNA PPV ever? With a Kwang Score of 2.88-out-of-5, it is at least in the running as it is tied with Turning Point 2009 for the highest score of the shows I've reviewed. A better Knockouts Championship match and finish to the main would've absolutely helped this show, but I'd still consider a fun show overall. The Sting/Hogan match is better than it probably had any right to be considering how limited Hulk was in his movements and how muddled the storyline was by this point and if the Bully Ray/Anderson match isn't the best singles match of Bully's career, I couldn't name a match that tops it off the top of my head. 

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand

Even More Random Matches

Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers vs. Toshiaki Kawada and Yoshinari Ogawa (01/09/1994, AJPW): Fulton and Rogers wrestled as "The Fantastics," a team I don't think I've ever seen before but, according to Wikipedia, wrestled extensively (with Jackie Fulton taking over for Rogers at times) for close to 30 years in multiple territories and even WCW and WWE (briefly) in the 90s. They're pretty generic but not bad or anything, which is kinda how I'd summarize this match overall. It is "joined in progress" but I'm not sure all that much was cut-off. Ogawa was clearly still developing as a worker and not yet the arrogant asshole character that made him one of my recent favorite "discoveries," while Kawada was the bad-ass who basically ended this match the minute he came in. (2/5)

Manami Toyota vs. Kyoko Inoue (08/18/1991, AJW): I'm not surprised that this earned 4-and-a-quarter stars from Meltzer in the Observer back in the day. This is a true "I Quit" match without being an "I Quit" match at all, built almost entirely around Inoue's incredible arsenal of submission holds. Toyota still gets to hit plenty of awesome dropkicks and and a crazy cool moonsault at one point, but Inoue controls so much of this match that I found the finish to be really satisfying and logical in the sense that, despite Toyota's toughness and resiliency, she eventually fell prey to Inoue's technical mastery. I'm not sure this made it to "must see" level but if you're at all a fan of submission-style wrestling, this is about as good as it gets in that department. (3.5/5)

Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue vs. Kenta Kobashi and Mitsuharu Misawa (05/21/1994, AJPW): Known collectively as The Four Pillars of Heaven, this was a showdown between the Holy Demon Army - Kawada and Taue - and the babyface unit of Kobashi and Misawa. There was already plenty of history to draw from in 94' and everyone was in the middle-of-or-close-to theiTr prime so it should come to no surprise that this match is held in super high regard by the wrestling intelligentsia. There is lots to love here and everyone is playing their role perfectly - Kawada is a prick, Akira Taue is a bully, Misawa is as valiant as ever, and Kobashi's ever-awesome emotional expressions are plentiful. The match goes 40+ minutes but never feels slow or even like they are pacing themselves or "holding off," though the final 10-15 minutes show that they did, in fact, have some serious aces up their sleeves in the form of false finishes and surprising shifts in momentum. This is the sort of match that does require some contextual knowledge, setting it apart from some of the other classics out of Japan that I've reviewed (and, honestly, enjoyed more), but in terms of match structure, performances, and storytelling, this is a very strong match that rewards your attention and engagement. (4/5)

Sami "El Generico" Zayn vs. Jushin Thunder Liger (01/30/2010, PWG): Going into this, it's hard to get too excited when you see that the match goes under 15 minutes, but that's not to say this is a total dud. Zayn is able to move and fly much better than Liger could at this point - he was 46 at the time of this match - and it helps considerably that he can bring that movement because Liger was seemingly only interested in doing just a handful of his signature moves and very little of it involved leaving the ground. Someone on Cagematch made a good point when they talked about how charismatic both Generico and Liger are considering they're both silent performers with their faces covered up. This is fun but not the all-timer that I'm sure these guys could've done had they both been at the peaks of their power. Good for what it was and certainly above-average, but this wouldn't make it on to either guy's list of even 50 best matches probably. (3/5)

Bull Nakano vs. Kyoko Inoue (09/07/1991, AJW): Like the other Inoue match I reviewed above, this might not be for everyone just because so much of Inoue's initial attack is submission-based. That being said, it is a sight to behold to see Nakano sporting a crimson mask from early on (that never seems to really stop bleeding) and getting punished by Inoue, who was challenging for the WWWA Championship. When Nakano does finally get some offense going, her power and toughness is enough to quickly even the score. I really loved Kyoko actually getting Nakano up towards the end of the match as it really showed how desperate she was at trying to finally put the champion down. Great stuff. Nakano's suplexes were nasty, but her selling throughout the match was what really made this work. This is what a Championship match should be. (3.5/5)

Sting and Barry Windham vs. Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson (01/17/1988, NWA): I found this on YouTube and it features two cool commercials - one for the official NWA magazine and the other for Captain Lou Albano's 900 number - but the match itself is your run-of-the-mill TV main event with a weak, indecisive finish to sell tickets for the next time these two rival pairings will do battle. Good performances out of everyone, though I'm something of a Tully mark so it's his bumping and selling that is most impressive to me. Having JJ Dillon on commentary was fun too. Nowhere close to "must see," but solid enough. (2.5/5)

Kyoko Inoue vs. Akira Hokuto (01/04/1992, AJW): A good match that starts really hot and then slows down a bit as they get into the extended submission/ground-based stretch before picking things up a bit in the final 5-6 minutes with the head drops and nearfalls. Hokuto hits two big moves from the top to the floor but when she goes for one in the ring towards the end, it ends up costing the match by giving Inoue the opening to hit an airplane spin and then a powerbomb. It's not the most innovative or riveting conclusion, but this match was more a battle of wills than it was a game of human chess. They went at eachother with lots of stretches, dropkicks, powerbombs, etc. and it ended with one wrestler barely getting a pin on the other (Hokuto kicks out at 3.01). Somewhere in this 25+ minute match, there's a sharper, streamlined match, but this slows down a bit too much for my taste. (3/5)

Dusty Rhodes vs. Nick Bockwinkel (05/20/1983, Houston Wrestling): Not much to say about this sub-15 minute match as it was built around Rhodes challenging for the AWA World Championship in Houston (this was not an AWA show) and Ted DiBiase issuing a challenge to the winner before it even took place. This is really just a bunch of "ga-ga" with Bockwinkel bumping all over for Dusty, who alternates between throwing his signature punches and chops and strutting around. Dusty eventually applies the figure four but DiBiase comes in and bloodies him when the ref isn't looking, leading to Bockwinkel getting the cheap pin. Wrestling-wise, there's not much to this, but all the extra elemens, including the pre- and post-match promos, the hot crowd, and the "color" that Dusty help considerably. (2.5/5)

Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron vs. Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa (12/10/2025, AEW): This was the finals of the AEW Women's World Tag Team Championship Tournament and the opening contest on the "Winter Is Coming" episode of Dynamite. The crowd was excited for this, which definitely helped because the actual in-ring work was far from great. Cameron is highly entertaining with her promos and character, but is not a smooth worker or particularly athletic. Willow and Toni's interactions drew the biggest responses and were the highlights of the match, reminding me of some of the AJPW tags from the 90s where you had Misawa or Kawada teaming with a wrestler of lesser status and the match was built around when the "aces" would get in the ring together. I'm not sure why or how Meltzer saw this match and thought "4 stars" aside from just acknowledging the "feel good" vibe of it. (2.5/5)

Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Jun Akiyama (07/08/1995, AJPW): A solid match with a straight-forward but effective story of Ogawa going after Akiyama's knee and doing enough damage to keep things close despite the size advantage that Akiyama has. This isn't groundbreaking in any way but there's always something I enjoy about watching Ogawa's expressions and heel work and this offers a concise, compact canvas for it. Akiyama is no slouch either, a good babyface that was on the rise at the time and had some very explosive offense. (3/5)

Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi vs. Akira Taue and Toshiaki Kawada (06/09/1995, AJPW): Hailed and hyped by many as one of the greatest matches of all time, the Four Pillars do battle in what I would consider, based on my admittedly limited viewership, to be the epitome of King's Road style. These four guys know each other well and that history and ability to withstand and counter each other's signature moves, from the very first minutes of the match, comes into play and then stretches out over the course of a 45+ minute match. Considering the duration, one would think this match would have some dull stretches, but it keeps an incredible pace (which isn't to say its non-stop action, but that it is consistently building and building towards the finish). Everyone's performance is top tier. Kawada is a bastard that has no issue attacking Kobashi's damaged leg (taped up before the match begins) or breaking up pin attempts at every opportunity. He is in "refuse to lose" mode, but because this is AJPW, its not like he's going to outright cheat the way an American heel would. Akira Taue is his usual bullying self, preventing pins and going after Misawa's eye (which is a key element of the match that I wasn't aware of prior to reading about it). The ever-stoic Misawa shows his grit and determination throughout with big forearm shots, suplexes, and dives. Kobashi, the most dramatic seller of the bunch, gets to not only show off that part of his game but also gets to have one of his famous and ultra-emotional comebacks. The near falls in the final third of the match are excellent and the audience bites on several. There are not as many "shocking" moments as one might expect in a match considered to be among the best ever wrestled, though there are definitely a few: Taue choke slamming Misawa from the apron to the floor, Kobashi draping himself over Misawa to try to save him from getting stomped on, the two-person chokeslam by the heels, the tremendous heel heat they get when they attack Kobashi's knee for the first time. If you look on PWO and Cagematch, you'll find nary a criticism...so what about this didn't hook me? Watching this match without full context takes some of the emotional weight away from it. This is not necessarily a match you can put on "cold" and immediately enjoy as it isn't actually the stiffest or most violent or most action-packed match these men have had with each other or others. There are some big throws and suplexes, but this is not filled with guys landing on their heads or necks and getting nearly paralyzed. There are plenty of cool strikes, but this is not Kawada or Hashimoto caving their opponents' chest in with kicks. As noted above, everyone involved is playing their role well, but that almost means you have to understand those roles and not hope for anyone to start "coloring outside the lines," which is usually what moves a match from one gear to the next. As good as this match is, it doesn't beat you over the head with its "epicness" - though your mileage may vary when it comes to Kobashi's emotiing. This match might be the epitome of a certain style (King's Road) and a certain era of wrestling (90s AJPW), but if you're not enthralled by that particular style and time, this match is not the one I'd automatically send you to as a starting point. (4/5)

Tully Blanchard vs. Barry Windham (01/23/1988, NWA): This was for the Western States Championship, one of my many "regional" championships under the NWA banner at the time. Quick note: If you're wondering why Tony Khan doesn't shy away from adding title after title to his company, it could be because of his love for old school NWA. Anyway...Windham controls early, sending Tully to the outside to regroup. Windham goes for a pin early and Tully gets out of it by poking him in the eye (love the small details there). Windham hits a powerslam but Tully gets his foot on the rope and then strategizes with JJ Dillon on the outside. A knee to the midsection allows Tully to get some offense in and he applies a headlock, only for Windham to power out of it with a back suplex. After a commercial break, we come back to Tully grapevining Windham's leg. Windam fights out with a series of headbutts and body shots but the damage has been done and Windham is hopping on one leg and selling the knee heavy. Tully targets it with a single-leg takedown and then another grapevine, working the knee. Windham grabs holds of his head and turns it into a body scissors. Luger shows up in a picture-in-picture and says he thinks Windham will be able to win despite the leg damage. Thanks, Lex. In the ring, Windham continues to sell the leg injury but is fighting through the pain. Windham applies a tight headlock but Tully turns it into a knee breaker! They trade nearfalls, both guys exhausted and unable to hit much of anything. Windham goes for a suplex but Blanchard lands on him for another 2 count. When we come back from a second commercial break, Blanchard has a figure four applied. Windham gets to the ropes but Blanchard keeps the pressure applied. It is announced that 25 minutes have passed (meaning a good 10 minutes of this went unseen by the TV audience). With only 4 minutes remaining, Tully connects with a snap mare and a headlock takedown but Windham bridges out of the pin! Big suplex by Windham! 3 minutes left! Tully stomps on Windham's knee and then goes to the top, but Windham meets him in the corner and calls for the superplex! He can't pull it off and slips to the mat. Windham hits a running lariat and the bell rings at 1?!? JJ rang the bell! There's all sorts of confusion and referee Tommy Young is brought to the outside and told so by the commentators (and Luger). Young watches the monitor and the last 90 seconds of the match are replayed. Back in the ring, Tully attacks Windham from behind and rolls him up for 1...2...Luger stops the pin! Tully goes after Luger! Dillon nails Windham! In comes Flair and Anderson! Pandemonium! Anderson hits a DDT on Luger! A fan comes in the ring and is taken out by Anderson and security! In comes the Stinger! As a match this was good-not-great with a very good babyface-in-peril performance by Windham with his extended selling of the knee, but its the post-match that elevates this into slighty above-average territory. A solid TV match with a very hot ending in front of a crowd that was fully into it. (3/5)

Bull Nakano, Yumiko Hotta, and Suzuka Minami vs. Akira Hokuto, Etsuko Mita, and Mima Shimoda (08/30/1992, AJW): Before the match, we get a some words from the heels (The LCO) and their babyface opponents but because I don't speak Japanese, I have no idea what they're saying. As soon as the announcements cut away, its brawling time as the women fight it out outside the ring. The LCO work on Minami in the ring, but she tags out to Hotta, who hits a piledriver on Mita. Nakano comes in and nearly takes her head off with a clothesline before delivering another piledriver. The pin is cut off by Shimoda. The babyfaces continue to punh Mita with Minami hitting an impressive backbreaker for another 2 count. In comes Hokuto, though, who stiffs her with a pair of heel kicks off the ropes and then a dropkick from the top. Shimoda comes in and we get a really cool spot wheree they hang Minami in the ropes and Hokuto comes down on her with a cane (!). This only gets 2 and Hotta comes in, fighting back and hitting a series of snappy kicks to Mita and then a suplex. Nakano comes in with a clothesline off the top for 2. Nakano takes out all the heels and then hits a release atomic drop before applying a dragon sleeper on Mita. Nakano swithches it into a camel clutch and Hotta comes in and just kicks her straight in the face! The double-teaing on Mita continues but she manages to kick out of a pin attempt. Minami comes in and hits a release front suplex and then a legdrop for another 2.9. Piledriver by Minami and another nearfalls. We're less than 10 minutes into this and Mita has withstood a ton of punishment. Hotta hits a spinning heel kick from the top. To the outside we go for some crowd brawling - always a pleasure in these types of matches.  Back in the ring, Nakano nails Shimoda with a huge clothesline and Shimoda's bump is incredible. She then applies a crazy submission but it gets broken up by Hokuto, who swiftly applies a Sharpshooter (only to get cracked by a Hotta kick). The heels take control until Hotta hits two reverse powerbombs on Hokuto! I'm not sure I've ever seen better ones. In fact, I had to check my playback speed just to make sure I was watching this in normal speed because Hokuto is moving so fast. Minami hits a pair of powerbombs but can't get a pin and tags in Nakano. Hokuto surprises her with a roll-up and then tags out. Nakano hits a clothesline and then a double suplex on Mita and Shimoda but pins the illegal woman. Nakano hits a bridging suplex but the pin is broken up. We get a series of tags and big moves and then a brilliant sequence of offense by the babyfaces that ends with a Hotta splash to the outside. Nakano calls for Minami to bring Hokuto in but Nakano misses the leg drop! Hokuto with a German suplex for 2.5! Mita goes for a dropkick but Nakano no sells it and powerbombs the heck out of her! In comes Hotta but Hokuto cuts her off with a crazy crossbody from the top. Hotta hits the underhook powerbomb she was going for but Shimoda breaks up the pin and gets the tag. Shimoda with a German suplex for 2 and then she goes to the top. Hotta meets her up there and hits her with a German suplex from the top rope! Holy cow. Minami tries another reverse powerbomb but Shimoda counters it into a pin attempt. Hokuto comes in. More chaos! More nearfalls! Minami with a straightjacket suplex for 2! Minami goes to the top but misses a dropkick and gets suplexed by Hokuto for 2. Hokuto with a front-flip senton for another nearfall! Scoop slam by Hokuto and a tag to Shimoda, who comes in for a big splash but Minami gets her feet up. Big German suplex by Minami to finish it! Wow. This was really, really good stuff and a ton of fun to watch. They squeezed every last bit of action possible into this match's 20-minute runtime. I wish I understood the meaning of the post-match scene as two women - I assume, AJW wrestlers - stood up from the front row and walked out as the crowd chanted something (and Nakano and Hokuto stared them down). (3.5/5)

Tom Zenk vs. Nick Bockwinkel (03/30/1986, AWA): This is a pre-"Z-Man" Tom Zenk. A slow start with lock-ups and the occasional slam but things pick up when Zenk hits a series of hip tosses and a slam. The commentator notes that there's a chunk cut-out due to "TV time constraints" so, when we come back, Zenk is in full control and working Bockwinkel on the mat. Zenk applies an arm bar but Bock gets back to his feet and things even up a bit until Zenk hits yet another slam and hiptoss and re-applies the armbar. Not a ton of variety here...Zenk applies a wristlock and Bock backs him up into the corner. Bockwinkel runs his knee into him and goes for a shoulder in the corner but Zenk evades it and applies another wristlock into an armbar on the mat. Bock again gets to his feet and whips Zenk into the ropes, decking him in the gut with a big right hand. Zenk spills to the floor. When Bock tries to capitalize, Zenk connects with blows across the chest and then slams Bock's head into the buckle repeatedly. Zenk hits a dropkick and gets 2. Zenk follows it with an atomic drop and Bockwinkel lands neck-first on the bottom rope. Zenk hits some stomps and then another scoop slam for 2. Back on their feet, they ended up bumping heads off the ropes. Bock attempts a bodyslam but Zenk turns it into a pin attempt for 2 and then hits a legdrop for 1...2...nope. Zenk tries an Irish whip but the bell sounds and the time limit - a mere 20 minutes - has has expired. What a shit ending to an okay-but-not-great match. I'm guessing this was designed to make Zenk look good, but he didn't come off all that interesting or great or charismatic and Bockwinkel was fine, but clearly taking something of a "night off" compared to his bigger, more remarkable outings. The lack of a finish didn't help this at all. (2.5/5) 

Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Eddie Guerrero (10/01/1995, WCW): This one starts off really hot, but then slows down a bit too much for me. It doesn't help that we're missing a chunk of action due to a commercial break. It feels a bit "exhibitiony" because there's not a storyline or championship on the line. I wouldn't call this a "hidden gem" because it's hard to recommend or even fairly rate a "clipped" match, plus the energy of the opening minutes isn't sustained. Good, not great stuff. (2.5/5)

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Kurt Angle (06/12/2016, RevPro): The entrances and ring introductions go longer than the actual match, but it's hard - and unfair - to be too negative on a "match" that was designed to be more like a "Thank You" ceremony to Kurt Angle from his fans across the pond. From bell-to-bell this goes 9 minutes, which should tell you all you would need to know about the level of wrestling and competition in this match. In those 9 minutes you get Angle's "Greatest Hits" and a few glimmers of Sabre doing his thing but that's all there is to it. This match carried by the atmosphere and hot crowd, not any of the ring work. Knowing how limited Angle was by this point - it is unbelievable that he continued to wrestle for 3 years after this (though, that 3 years featured a whopping 28 matches and most of them were very short or multi-mans) - I was surprised they didn't stretch things out with Sabre's joint manipulations or heel shtick, neither of which would've been too taxing on the Olympic Gold Medalist. (2/5)

Kyoko Inoue vs. Akira Hokuto (11/26/1992, AJW): The entrance design for this show were excellent. Hokuto hits an awesome german suplex early that sends that Inoue to the outside to regroup. Inoue fires back with a super-lengthy airplane spin and then a fireman's throw, which is a move that more folks should be doing in 2025. A really cool pinning sequence follows with Hokuto getting smashed front-first into the hard mat and then Inoue applies a picture surfboard. This is awesome stuff. Inoue applies a nasty camel clutch and then hits two stiff kicks off the ropes but Hokuto catches her third time and nails her with a clothesline and then a bonkers jumping piledriver. Holy cow. Another great pin attempt and now its Hokuto's turn to apply a clutch. She even fish-hooks her mouth! She hits another jumping piledriver for 2 and then applies a Sharpshooter. Inoue reaches the ropes to break the hold but Hokuto reapplies it and leans all the way back. Inoue gets close to the ropes but Hokuto pulls her by the hair to keep her from reaching it. Cruel. She eventually gets a hold of it so Hokuto whips her into the ropes and she hits a springboard dropkick off the second rope and then another! Inoue locks Hokuto up with a nifty leglock and then a half-crab, really wrenching on the knee. Inoue shifts gears again into another couple submisisions, really showing off her arsenal. She goes for an atomic drop but Hokuto rolls out of it and hits her with a bunch of big knees and then a standing spinning heel kick to the head and another that's even nastier for 2. Hokuto applies a tight headlock on the mat and then a dragon sleeper. Inoue reaches the ropes and Hokuto goes to the top, only to get brought down with a press slam. Hokuto springs up and they tease a superplex but Inoue spills to the floor. Huge splash to the floor by Hokuto! Perfect execution on that. Inoue is dazed on the floor, staring at the lights, in yet another excellent visual. Hokuto hits her with a missile dropkick when she tries to get back into the ring that sends her into the rail and then hits a front-flip splash! Inoue is barely able to crawl into the ring and Hokuto perches herself on the top rope as she rolls in and then hits her with yet another dropkick for 2. Hokuto goes to the top again and goes for a splash, but Inoue rolls through and gets a nearfall of her own. Hokuto goes for a German, Inoue counters, and Hokuto counters it into a victory roll for another near fall. Inoue with a bridging german suplex for 2! The champion hits a bodyslam and then hits a running springboard back senton/"Coffin Drop"! Holy shit. She goes for a powerbomb but Hokuto counters it into a pin attempt for another nearfall. Inoue goes for another springboard back senton off the middle rope but Hokuto counters it with a dropkick! Hokuto goes for a scoop slam but Inoue cradles her for a 1...2....2.7! Hokuto manages to hit another bridging German Suplex for 2! Hokuto climbs to the top and goes for a splash but Inoue gets her knees up! Inoue can't capitalize, though, as both women sell damage and exhaustion on the mat. Inoue is up first and goes for another springboard back senton but Hokuto gets her feet up and Inoue's head hits her feet dead-on! Oh my. That was awesome. Hokuto only gets 2, though, so she hits the Northern Lights Suplex, dropping Inoue on her head, and this one is over. Wow. This hit every mark. No notes. This match blew my mind, beginning to end. The psychology was there. Multiple insane sequences and spots and brilliant counters and cut-offs. Not a single "slow" moment. Perfect camera work. Not too long, not too short. Even an emotional and satisfying post-match. It is incredibly rare to see a "perfect match," but this is it. (5/5)

Super Crazy vs. Tajiri (01/21/2000, ECW): This is a Mexican Death Match but, in ECW, that doesn't necessarily mean anything because matches rarely (never?) ended in a DQ and using weapons was commonplace. Regardless, this match is terrific. We miss a minute or two in the beginning because of a commercial break, unfortunately, but what we do get is wonderful. Highlights included Tajiri dropkicking a 3-chair stack into Super Crazy's face and busting him open, a double stomp through a table, a great moment when Tajiri mocks Crazy's anguish, Crazy hitting a moonsault off the bleachers and through a table, and the ECW crowd counting his punches in the corner in Spanish (and then chanting "Uno Mas!" to encourage him to do it again). This is all killer-no filler stuff and worth seeking out. (4/5)

Jerry Lawler vs. Randy Savage (12/12/1983, CWA): This is an interesting watch if you stumble upon the same video I found on YouTube as, instead of commentary, its Jim Cornette and Dave Meltzer basically just talking over the match and helping to provide context as to how this match and rivalry came to be. Unfortunately, that also means you can't hear the crowd. Anyway...very classic cage match with only one crazy spot (Savage flying off the top of the cage) or extra "gimmicks" and a surprising lack of blood. It works, though, because Savage is such an electric performer and Lawler had expert timing and pacing (to go with his signature punches). Throughout the match, Savage shows off his bumping and theatrical ability, all of his movements big and loud. Lawler teases the illegal piledriver at one point, but the match ends with a crappy run-in from Joe LeDuc. (3/5)

Manami Toyota and Toshiyo Yamada vs. Aja Kong and Bull Nakano (01/24/1993, AJW): A very good tag team match loaded with all the things that have made me a huge fan of joshi wrestling this year: super stiff kicks by Yamada and Kong, Manami Toyota's high-flying, an errant Uranake, Bull Nakano's leg drop from the top, Stretch Mufflers and fireman's throws and straight-jacket suplexes and nasty powerbombs and Nakano casually whipping Yamada into a sea of chairs...it's all here. This isn't a transcendent match like some of the others I've reviewed this year, but it's not far from it. Unfortunately, some of the typical pitfalls of this genre are apparent here - a lack of following even the most basic of tag wrestling rules, some noticeably sloppy spots, blatant use of weapons (in this case, nunchuks) getting used without a DQ - but the good outweighs the bad. (3/5)