Random Matches

Sangre Chicana vs. MS-1 (09/23/1983, EMLL/CMLL): The author of Way of the Blade (Phil Schneider) considers this to be the greatest match of all time and, after viewing it myself, I can see the argument - even if this wouldn't rank in my Top 10 or even my Top 20. I like my wrestling to feature a bit more actual wrestling, though this is still an easy-to-love classic even if you - like me - have no idea who these wrestlers are or what the backstory was going into the match. This is why Way of the Blade is such a helpful resource as it contextualizes these matches for US-centric fans like myself. Even without that context, you can tell from the very first second of the match that MS-1 is a brutal, mean-spirited heel as he attacks Chicana before he can even get into the ring, opening him up on the arena floor. And, as the name of this book indicates, this isn't just a trickle of the red stuff from a papercut, this is dark red horror-film level bleeding. MS-1 absolutely dominates the first fall with Chicana not getting any offense in until the second round when he hits a series of outstanding haymakers. Seriously, these might be some of the best punches I've ever seen in a wrestling match. As almost always happens in a 2/3 falls match, the babyface ties things up and the third fall is more back and forth, with both guys sporting crimson masks by the end and the wrestling mat itself looking like the floor of the slaughterhouse. (4.5/5)

Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. Nobuhiko Takada (10/25/1990, UWF): Fujiwara and Takada take little time getting to the mat and trying to twist eachother's limbs out of place. Takada is younger and stronger but Fujiwara is a master fighter and tough as nails. Takada works on the ankle to start but Fujiwara is able to get to his feet and break the hold with headbutts to the skull. Takada reapplies the ankle lock but Takada counters it into a keylock. Takada goes for an arm bar, exposing his own leg, which allows Fujiwara to grapevine him. Takada escapes to the ropes and they go back to their feet. Takada tries for some kicks but Fujiwara evades them. Takada takes hold of Fujiwara's leg again and brings him to the mat. Fujiwara counters into a leglock of his own, gripping the hell out of his opponent's ankle. He gets to his feet and slaps Fujiwara hard in the face to escape. They locked up once more and Fujiwara connects with some nasty palm strikes that send Takada down into the corner to regroup. Fujiwara gains control on the mat and hits some more nasty headbutts as Takada is barely able to beat the 10-count. Takada changes game plans a bit as he kicks at Fujiwara's legs and hits a big palm strike in the corner. They lock back up and Kawada hits a series of big kicks and knees to the abdomen. Takada grabs hold of Fujiwara's arm and is able to bring him to the mat and take hold of his ankle once more. Fujiwara counters it into a nasty key lock but Takada gets to the ropes for the 2nd time. Takada connects with a kick, but Fujiwara hits one of his own to a big reaction from the crowd. Takada hits another series of kicks and Fujiwara crumbles to the mat. He gets back up, though, and the match resumes with Takada going for another big front kick but getting his foot caught and Fujiwara applying a leglock on the mat. Takada grabs the bottom rope to break the hold and both men get back to their feet. A lock-up leads to a German Suplex from Takada and then an attempt at an arm bar on the mat, but Fujiwara won't let him extend his arm and counters it with a leglock. Takada gives him a nasty boot to the face to try to break it, but Fujiwara keeps it locked in, only to have to eat another that keeps him on the mat for an 8 count. Fujiwara gets to his feet and gets Takada in the corner, catching him with a big headbutt. Once again, Takada stands up at 8 and nearly gets counted out. Takada hits a few sharp kicks to the back of the thigh and Fujiwara barely makes it to his feet at 9. He grabs hold of Takada's wrist and tries to hit him with body shots in the corner but Takada nails him with a big knee to the head for the TKO. I'm trying my best to give shoot-style pro-wrestling a real chance, but this stuff does not do it for me. The aim here is to present pro-wrestling in a realistic fashion, but that realism comes at a cost because you don't get much variety in the action or anything in the way of character work, heeling/stooging, etc. I really dug Fujiwara's facial expressions as he seemed to be relishing in the physicality and combat, but that was about all I really enjoyed. If this match is considered to be a classic, I don't know if I'll ever truly "get" this style of pro-wrestling. (2/5)

Bobby Eaton vs. Sting (11/10/1990, WCW): Nothing super special here aside from the ending, which involves Ole Anderson's Black Scorpion voice-over (I couldn't even make out what he was saying because of the video/audio quality) and too randos coming in to attack Sting. When the match is just Eaton and Sting, it's decent action but seems inconsequential and designed simply to get Sting into the ring to build-up the Black Scorpion storyline rather than an actual big match opportunity for Eaton. (2/5)

Sting vs. Buddy Landell (11/17/1990, WCW): A week after the last match I reviewed, Sting took on Buddy Landell, one of my personal favorite midcard guys just because I loved his character work and natural "flair" for over-dramatic, over-the-top heel performances. This isn't great, but its a step-up from the Eaton match. This match is equally focused, at least on commentary, with hyping up the Black Scorpion storyline, but the difference is that Landell works very hard to push his own character into getting some of the spotlight and attention, doing some of Ric Flair's signature stuff to tick off JR on commentary and get even more heat from the crowd. After getting the W, Sting gets attacked by more of The Black Scorpion's henchmen *including* the referee! I like that twist but it probably wouldn't work today because fans are so hip to who the referees are. (2.5/5)

Terry Funk and "The Gladiator" Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka and Hayabuse (09/24/1996, FMW): This is the "hardcore" version of Terry Funk, who isn't my favorite version of Terry Funk but can still be quite entertaining. Awesome is here to take a brunt of the big splashes and offense from the "FMW Originals," which goes to show that even in the most unsafe of matches - this is a wild brawl featuring Awesome's powerbombs and Hayabusa's high-flying - the wrestlers at least considered some ways to minimize the damage and for Funk to be preserved. This isn't a match that will be everyone's cup of tea and it doesn't quite reach the levels of insanity of some of the Joshi brawls that I've seen over the past couple years, but this is still good fun for what it is. (3/5)

Tarzan Goto/El Hijo Del Santo/Atsushi Onita vs. Horace Boulder/Negro Casas/ Mark Star (05/16/1992, FMW): A real international affair here and the crowd is super hyped for it. On YouTube, this match is listed as being an FMW bout, but the commentary is in Spanish and seems to be from a WWO show, though I can't find much online about it. Right from the start, Onita brings the fight into the crowd, going after Boulder, tossing him through the gym doors and then bashing him with a chair. In the ring, Santo and Casas go at it as Onita delivers a piledriver onto Boulder and then bashes him with a chair again. Onita goes back towards the ring and hits Star with a chair before setting him up for a Goto clothesline. In the ring, Casas and Santo are having something resembling a wrestling match while Onita and Boulder make their way up the bleachers. Boulder gets hung over the barrier and punched down, but its not much of a drop. Still cool. They trade blows in the bleachers while the remaining participants buy some time in the ring, sorta just standing around. Santo and Casas go into an awesome sequence and Santo hits a huge dive to the floor! Goto and Boulder take over in the ring and keep the action going. In comes Onita - DDT on Boulder for 1.5. Onita tags in El Hijo and he delivers a dropkick and then punches Boulder out of the ring. Casas comes back in and charges at Santo. They do some rope-running and show off their speed and chemistry, working at 1000 miles per hour. Santo with a crazy splash to the floor from the top rope! Star and Goto come in and trade slaps as Boulder rakes Onita's eyes on the floor. Goto gets the first pin with a piledriver-into-a-front-slam thing. Wow. That was an intense first fall. After a commercial break, the second fall starts with Onita going after Boulder in the ring and tossing him out to the floor. Boulder thinks about using a chair but drops it before getting in the ring and going after Onita. Boulder takes control and they end up slamming chairs on the outside and then brawling into the crowd. In the ring, Casas and Santo carry on in the ring, but audience attention is clearly on Onita and the hijinks happening in the crowd. Santo applies a surfboard but releases as Onita and Boulder continue to brawl at ringside. Boulder gets onto the apron to choke out El Hijo Del Santo over the top rope. Casas holds him up for a dropkick from Star but Santo dodges it and hits a tope from the top and then a dive to the floor in rapid succession! Casas hits a tilt-a-whirl slam and then ties him up with a magistral to win the second fall. The third fall opens with Onita demanding that Casas get in the ring to face him. Goto is back in the ring too after disappearing during the second fall. Boulder and Onita duke it out in the ring with Boulder hitting a spinning neck breaker for two. Onita comes back with a DDT and then tags in Goto, who nails him with a stiff clothesline and some stomps. Goto, who is bleeding pretty heavily, hits a headbutt and then tags in Santo. Santo goes for a slam but can't get him up and settles for a cradle for 2. In comes Casas, but he gets his neck locked up in a head scissors. Casas and Santo do some more nifty counters and reversals and Casas rolls to the outside to regroup. In comes Boulder to eat a double-clothesline and then a double DDT from Goto and Onita. Dropkick by Santo! Underhook slam by Boulder and that is it.  The opening fall of this match was absolutely terrific, the second fall was not quite as good, and the third fall felt a bit "tacked on" and comparatively less exciting/creative/interesting. That being said, Onita, Casas, and El Hijo del Santo are all great in this and Horace Boulder is surprisingly good too. I wish this match had kept its momentum as it went on. (3.5/5)

MJF vs. RUSH (06/03/2026, AEW): This match - which was fought under a No Countout stipulation for reasons that only make sense because of of a piledriver spot they'd do towards the end of the match - kicked off the June 3rd edition of Dynamite. RUSH got some "color" when MJF sent him into an exposed turnbuckle, which added some intensity to a match where the winner/loser was a foregone conclusion. I also really liked a spot they did in the outside where RUSH went for his trademark running missile dropkick but MJF got out of the way and RUSH went through the barricade. RUSH didn't tap but did "pass out" to a crossface, which isn't a finish I'm a big fan of; it is has been done to death over the years. This was a "PPV worthy" match on an episode of TV, but unlike on PPV, where TK has wisely made some booking decisions over the years that leave you wondering which way a match might go, the predictability of the ending made it a bit of a "good match for good match's sake" endeavor. (3/5)

Bret Hart and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart vs. Akeem and The Big Bossman (05/17/1989, WWE): Tony Schiavone and Lord Alfred Hayes are on commentary for this one. The crowd pops big for everything the faces do, even when it's not so kosher (such as Jim Neidhart tripping up Akeem). There's a great spot when Hart attempts a sunset flip on the African Dream but ends up squashed dead center in the ring, the crowd gasping in horror. Bossman comes in soon after and hits him with a not-quite-as-devastating legdrop on the ropes, which I believe was his finisher at one time (?). Akeem's dancing is ridiculous, but you never question the seriousness of the match, partially due to Bret's selling and partially due to the tone of Hayes' commentary, the Englishman treating the match as a serious fight, not an opportunity for unfunny one-liners the way Jerry Lawler might these days. Bret rallies a bit, but ends up back on the mat after running into a stiff Bossman shoulder. The simple story of Bret being unable to make the hot tag is repeated a few more times, the crowd growing more and more excited at each opportunity until, finally, The Anvil comes in to square off against the monster heels. Bret launches himself back into the ring, but only gets a two count. This leads to the action spilling out of the ring and the match ending in a rather unsatisfying way. The post-match helps things a bit, but it's odd that Hart would choose this match for his DVD when it really does end with a bit more of a whimper than a bang compared to some of the Foundation's more well-known matches. Better than average, but not so much so that it'd be worth tracking down. (3/5)

Keiji Mutoh vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (04/07/2008, AJPW): I haven't seen much of Tanahashi's work (NJPW as a whole, but certainly in the 2000s on, is a glaring blind spot for me considering how heralded he is) and that's something I'd like to fix over the next few years. This match took place in AJPW, though, which confused me because I thought both Mutoh and Tanahashi were largely "NJPW guys." (Doing a bit of research, I learned that Mutoh actually became the President of AJPW when he defected from NJPW to the company in 2002 and became a full-timer there.) Anyway, I liked both guys targeting eachother's legs with dragon screws and figure fours and whatnot - sound psychology considering Mutoh's finisher was the Shining Wizard and Tanahashi's arsenal consisted of a mix of ground attacks and a bit of high-flying (his front-flip senton is beautiful). Tanahashi does a lot of posing to get heat, but at least portions of the crowd seem to be behind him, chanting his name (unless I misheard what they were chanting). I disliked the time limit non-finish, though, as I'm not even sure this match went the full 30 minutes (by my count the match ended closer to the 28-minute mark). (3/5)

Manami Toyota vs. Kaoru Ito (09/17/2000, AJW): Toyota came into this match as the WWWA Champion. The ring fills up with streamers after the introductions, so filled that it takes a couple minutes to clear them out. These two had quite a history by this point based on what I read on Cagematch, but this is the first match of their rivalry that I've seen. There were early parts of this match I really, really liked - Kauro's fireman's carry off the middle rope to start the match, Toyota's never-ending rolling pin (that Ito threw herself into), the intensity of the submissions, Ito's powerbombs, Toyota's missile dropkick to the floor and snappy moonsault...all great. Things slow down a little when they start applying leglocks, but the struggle is there. Manami's constant shouting is a bit distracting, but that's nothing new. The second half of this match is incredible. At one point, Toyota climbs some scaffolding to perform a crossbody dive in a great moment that I haven't seen a ton in my AJW viewing. Back in the ring, Toyota hits her finish but only gets 2 so she tries it again and Ito counters it into a submission that the ref breaks up when Toyota gets her foot on the rope. Toyota no-sells a proto-buckle bomb but Ito gets her feet up when she tries for a splash. Ito hits an awesome suicide dive to the floor and then a sit-out powerbomb on the thin blue mats outside the ring. She goes to the top - double stomp off the top rope to the floor! Holy cow. Double stomp back in the ring! Somehow Toyota bridges out of the pin! Another double stomp from the top rope! Jesus. And another (though this one doesn't connect the same as the previous ones)! Toyota again bridges out of the pin! Ito hoists Toyota up to the top rope and brings her down with a nasty superplex...1....2...kick out at 2.8! Another double stomp from the top! Toyota meets her at the top rope but ends up in a choke and falls back to the mat. Another double stomp! Damn. Toyota barely gets her shoulder up but it was also a bit of a lazy pin. Ito goes back to the top rope but misses the stomp this time. Toyota climbs up, Ito meets her, Toyota tries for a sunset flip powerbomb but can't get it so she turns it into one of her Japanese Ocean Bombs! Ito kicks out and manages to apply a rear naked choke! Toyota is in all sorts of trouble and seems to have been choked out so Ito goes to the top. Toyota wakes up and meets her there...but Ito hoists her up and almost powerbombs her from the top rope (instead Toyota's leg catches the top rope and she bounces onto the mat in a heap). Another double stomp from Ito! That one is enough to finish Toyota off! An imperfect match, but a very, very good one. I didn't love some of Toyota's inconsistent selling in the final minutes, but the amount of punishment she took was unbelievable. Ito's performance throughout was incredible and her victory was well-earned. (4/5)

Terry Funk and Stan Hansen vs. Abdullah the Butcher and Kevin Sullivan (09/18/1993, ECW): This match is from Eastern Championship Wrestling, the precursor to the ECW we all know and love. With better production value - like more than one camera angle - this might've been more enjoyable. Its a wild brawl, sure, but its hard to get immersed in it when you can't really follow the action or see the anguish up close. The match only goes about 10 minutes before Eddie Gilbert runs in and it gets thrown out. In future ECW matches, that wouldn't be a DQ. (2/5)

Hiroshi Tanahashi/Frankie Kazarian/Christopher Daniels vs. Kenny Omega/The Young Bucks (05/07/2017, ROH/NJPW): This match was part of a joint Ring of Honor/New Japan War of the Worlds supershow in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, hometown of Kenny Omega. Christopher Daniels was actually the Ring of Honor World Champion at the time and the Bucks were the ROH Tag Team Champions. Matt Jackson and Daniels start things off with some fun eye poke spots that get a great response. Kazarian and Nick come in and we get a little more comedy in the form of crotch chops from Nick before they get down to business. The crowd wants Tanahashi, who gets the tag, and he points to who he wants - Omega. When Tanahashi goes to lock-up, the Bucks attack from behind. Tanahashi holds them off for a little but the Bucks end up hitting some of their signature offense to their opponents on the floor. A fun "missed senton" sequence. Really, the word "fun" can be used to describe so much of the opening stretch as they constantly tease one spot and then deliver another. They also break things up just enough not to overwhelm the audience, though there are spots that are arguably "too cute" (an elongated boots in the corner spot, Kazarian's trust falls into the arms of Matt and Kenny after repeated superkicks on the apron by Nick) and betray the basic conceit of pro-wrestling being a competitive, realistic struggle. The babyfaces take control with Tanahashi applying an abdominal stretch and "playing" Matt Jackson like a guitar before scratching the heck out of the Elite's backs. Tanahashi hits his somersault senton for 2 (which elicits a "2 Sweet" chant from the crowd). The babyfaces take turns delivering boots in the corner with Kaz and Daniels hitting some nice combo moves. Nick gets the hot tag and cleans house, taking out all three of his opponents and hitting a beautiful double-stomp onto Daniels into a backstabber on Kaz in the corner. Facebuster into a moonsault off the apron! Splash/standing moonsault combo by the Bucks back in the ring! Beautiful stuff. They try to start a superkick party but Daniels counters it and tags in Tanahashi. A double dragon screw by Tanahashi, Omega comes in and hits a dropkick from the top and then a beautiful suplex-into-a-neckbreaker-onto-the-knee-type-thing that AJ Styles sometimes does. Omega shows off his strength with a nasty gut wrench-into-a-straight-up-powerbomb. We get another rapid-fire sequence of superkicks and counters and running knees and Angel Wings and the referee losing all control of the proceedings. Again, if you're a fan of rules in wrestling being treated with respect, this would not be for you, but damn is it fun. Daniels and Omega trade blows before Omega delivers a trio of snap dragon suplexes to all three of the opposing side. Triple Superkick onto Daniels, but the count gets broken up! Omega calls for a V-Trigger but Tanahashi breaks it up with a sling blade. Frog Splash by Tanahashi followed up by a BME, but the Bucks pull the ref out at 2. Sabu-style Arabian moonsault to the floor by Daniels! The ref gets taken out too, though! Nick Jackson joins the party with a high-flying move of his own and then Tanahashi nails a huge crossbody off the top to the floor onto the Bucks and Daniels! An "ROH" chant breaks out in full appreciation of the match and morphs into "T2" claps. The Bucks hit a two-man Spike Piledriver (the "Indietaker") on Tanahashi on the floor that gets a "Holy Shit" chant. Kaz gets taken out with a springboard DDT on the apron (which was a bit telegraphed but still cool). Omega sets Daniels up for a springboard 450 Splash from Nick but it only gets 2 from the new referee. Omega asks for the World Championship belt and look sto take Daniels out with it but ends up hitting Matt. Nick goes for a superkick but Daniels dodges it and it takes out the ref! Daniels takes out the Elite and then grabs the belt. He looks to use it but Cody Rhodes runs out and takes it from him. V-Trigger by Omega! Another Indietaker by the Bucks! One-Winged Angel by Omega on Daniels! That ends it. That was a ton of fun and a great showcase for why Omega and the Bucks were so popular in the mid-to-late 2010s (popular enough to spearhead the formation of an entire promotion). (4/5)

NOTE - The next few matches come from a Coliseum Video release called "German Fan Favorites" that I started to review many years ago but never published...

Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (12/01/1993, WWE): Michaels goes right after the Hitman, striking him with rights and lefts as soon as he gets into the cage. Michaels nearly escapes early, but Hart keeps him in the ring. The Hitman catapults Shawn into the cage wall for a big pop. Bret follows it up with his patented backbreaker and then goes to climb the cage. Michaels stops him and then shoves Hart's head right into the cage. They have a quick exchange in the center of the ring and Bret ends up taking another messy bump into the cage. Shawn goes to crawl out, but Bret won't let him. Good sequence with Bret and Shawn diving over each other to get through the door. Shawn climbs the cage and is practically out, but Bret pulls him back over the cage by his hair. They struggle on the cage for awhile until Shawn pulls Bret's leg and causes him to fall crotch-first on the top rope. Shawn works his way to the door and ends up getting crotched on the second rope. Shawn hits a superkick - but it wasn't his finisher yet so it doesn't get much of a reaction nor is it even executed all that well. Back to the top of the cage they go, Shawn eventually taking a huge fall belly-first into the ring. Bret is nearly all the way over until Shawn miraculously springs up and leaps to the top rope, pulling Bret back in by the hair. Shawn locks in a sleeper, not a move you always see in a cage match, but it ends up biting him as Bret runs him into the cage. They end up climbing the cage at the same time, even getting as far as halfway down the thing until Shawn's foot gets caught and Bret is able to drop to the floor. Overall, a good match though not as essential as their more famous matches. (3/5)

Scott Hall vs. Kevin Nash (04/13/1994, WWE): Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler are on commentary for this match for Hall's Intercontinental Championship. It starts as one of the better Kevin Nash matches I've seen as Big Daddy Cool has a ton of energy and delivers some impressive power offense early on. After an awkward cut (probably for a commercial), Deisel puts on a chinlock and the match slows down considerably. There's a long, belabored nearfall sequence but after that, things get considerably better as they run through the match's final two minutes. Ramon hits a bulldog but can't put Deisel away and Shawn Michaels gets involved. Strong finish that I did not see coming (and it doesn't seem like the fans did either). (2/5)

Lex Luger vs. Jeff Jarrett (04/12/1994, WWE): Gorilla Monsoon and a commentator I couldn't quite place (Rob Bartlett?) are at work for this match. Jarrett had debuted in the WWE in late 1993 so this match must've occurred sometime in 94', which means Luger was quickly approaching the end of his failed WWE run. Its not necessarily hard to see why Luger wasn't given "the rocket" because he just isn't very over with this crowd. Decent action for the first 4-5 minutes with Jarrett mostly in control. Double J applies a headlock and down to the mat they go, but Luger stays alive. Jarrett attempts a vertical suplex but Luger reverses it. Modern viewers will wonder why both guys are spending so much time on the mat, but I'm a fan of the deliberate pacing and "less is more" approach. Luger fires up and Jarrett wants a timeout. Luger's comeback would be more impressive if he had more an arsenal, but that's just not the case. Luger puts Jarrett in the rack and this one is over. Not a great match, but not the worst thing ever. (2/5)

The Junkyard Dog vs. Terry Funk (10/12/1985, WWE): Nothing great, but JYD was never really known for his in-ring skills. At one point, even Gorilla Monsoon notes that the match has "quieted down" on commentary, which was bound to happen as the match's runtime went into double-digits. Funk is decent here - he's always so good at the little things like his bumping and selling - and the crowd is very much behind the Dog, but crowd enthusiasm and shtick can only carry a match so far when the "meat" isn't too impressive, original, or energetic. Not worth seeing, even if you're a big fan of either guy. (2/5)

Gran Hamada/El Hijo Del Santo/Solar vs. Dr. Wagner Jr./Negro Casas/Babe Face (05/08/1992, UWA): I'm guessing this match was taped on the 8th but didn't air till the 30th, which is why it is listed as happening on the 30th on the YouTube clip. I added this match to my never-ending Greatest Wrestler Ever playlist because I've been trying to expand my lucha knowledge (and also because Hamada has a tremendous reputation in his own right). I didn't get into this one very much, though there were elements and moments I liked. Negro Casas can always be counted on to be a dastardly prick. El Hijo Del Santo has great offense. Solar didn't "wow" me, but I'd be curious to see more of his matches knowing now that he was a submission specialist. Unremarkable and even boring at times, though I'm admittedly still lukewarm on lucha libre in general. (2/5)

Crush vs. Tatanka (05/23/1994, WWE): How did this match end up on a compilation of German Fan Favorites? This is a Lumberjack Match/King of the Ring Qualifier and has Randy Savage on commentary. As soon as the match begins, the lumberjacks come inside and square off. The ref sends everyone out and the match begins for real. The best and maybe only good part of this match is seeing some of the characters hanging around outside the ring - Doink, The Smoking Gunns, Bob Holly in his Sparky Plugg days, and even Kwang The Ninja. The Bushwackers were still around too. As one would expect with these two, the action isn't too great. I thought by watching a "Best Of" collection from 1994 I'd escape Brian Adams, but sadly that was not the case. Around minute 4-5 (or what feels like 8-9), Crush applies some sort of resthold in the center of the ring and it feels like he's draining the life out of me rather than his opponent. Tatanka rallies, but ends up put back on the mat with a sloppy atomic drop. Crush re-applies an awful-looking body scissor/arm-lock combo while McMahon references the Pacers/Knicks Playoff Series (answering the question "Can this match feel any more dated?" with an enthusiastic "Yes!"). Tatanka gets distracted by the heels on the outside and then Crush connects with a "superkick" that doesn't even get past Tatanka's muscle gut. He then puts on the bodyscissors for a third time. This is anti-psychology. Why is he trying to wear down Tatanka in the middle of the ring when he, as the heel, should be actively trying to toss him to the outside to get beaten up by his comrades? Tatanka gets some offense in, though, and Crush momentarily ends up tied up in the ropes. He breaks free and is back in control soon enough. Crush hits a weak elbow from the second rope and then its back to the mat for a front headlock. Eventually Tatanka is sent outside and the lumberjacks start pushing and shoving...Bam Bam Bigelow and Razor Ramon's jawing is more entertaining than anything that Crush or Tatanka had done in the previous10 minutes. No wonder WCW saw an opportunity to overtake the WWE as this match feels endless. Tatanka sends Crush to the outside, but instead of the babyfaces being able to work together to beat him down, Crush actually gets all sort of offense in before Lex Luger shows up and knocks him out with his steel-plated elbow. Crush is rolled back in the ring and Tatanka, who had fell to the mat out of exhaustion, crawls over to pin him. This was terrible. (0/5)

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. The Undertaker (05/04/1993, WWE): We've got Jim Ross on commentary for this one with Gorilla Monsoon adding color. Bigelow tries to bring the fight to the Deadman, but Taker is unfazed. Undertaker hits the Old School (years before it was called that) but misses a flying clothesline, giving Bigelow the opportunity he needs to start wearing him down. To the outside they go and Bigelow sends Undertaker into the barricade and then into the steps. Undertaker's bumping throughout this match is fairly impressive, moreso than he's often given credit for at this time in his career. Bigelow tries to keep him down with a bevy of headbutts, but when he goes to the top for one, the Undertaker sits up and Bigelow goes to the mat face-first. Bam Bam goes walking towards the locker room, but Tatanka prevents him from escaping. I'm not exactly sure why Tatanka's attack isn't an automatic DQ (Jim Ross notes this on commentary as well), but it doesn't really matter much anyway as Taker gets the pinfall win following a chokeslam (or something like it) seconds later. Not great. (1.5/5)

Jacques Rougeau and Pierre LaFitte vs. The Headshrinkers (Rikishi Fatu and Samu) (04/26/1994, WWE): The WWF Tag Team Championships are on the line in this match from an episode of Monday Night RAW. Fun start and, while I'm not sure if the audio is sweetened or not, the crowd seems pretty into this. When the going gets tough, the Quebecers try to escape by simply taking the countout loss (which would allow them to hold onto the titles), but Earl Hebner makes a huge judgment call - declaring that if the Quebecers do not re-enter the ring, they will be stripped of the titles! When we return to action from a break, Samu is beating down Ouelette, who was 26 but looked 36. The crowd chants "USA!" and Savage, on commentary, makes sure to note that this is for support of American Samoa. Some of the double-team maneuvers the Quebecers bust out are impressive, including a cool combo where Jacque back-body dropped Pierre right onto Fatu. Samu gets the hot tag, though, and its headbuttin' time! Very cool spot where Samu goes for a crossbody but ends up caught up in the ropes by his neck! Fatu breaks him free rather quickly, possibly because even Vince knew this kind of spot was a little too extreme for the WWE in 94'. Jacques Rougeau follows it up with a piledriver, which, in hindsight, is an even crazier spot. The Quebecers then attempt their finish, which saw Jacques assist Pierre for a somersault splash off the top. All sorts of shenanigans distract the ref and the Quebecers look to have a big shot at securing the victory, but Jacques inadvertently hits his partner and Pierre strikes him back! The Headshrinkers hit their double front-leg sweep and now its time for a big Fatu splash! We've got new champions! I wasn't expecting much out of this match, but it was full of energetic sequences and, for four guys all pushing well above 250, a good amount of high-flying. (3/5)

NOTE - The next bunch of reviews were written several years ago as part of an incomplete review of AWA WrestleRock 86'...

Brad Rheingens vs. Boris Zukhov (04/20/1986, AWA): The crowd - which is nowhere near capacity and is mostly dead silent - does come alive a bit when the babyface makes his comeback, but this is a very by-the-numbers 8-minutes that reminded me, a bit too much, of some of the filler that the NWA put on their early Starrcade shows. Unremarkable. (1/5)

Lord Little Brook and Little Tokyo vs. Little Mr. T and Cowboy Lang (04/20/1986, AWA): TV's Gary Humpkin (who I had to research to find out was the host of a local TV show in Minneapolis called Good Company) was the special guest referee for this match. Also, Little Mr. T really did look like Mr. T. Tokyo and Littlebrook dominate early, hitting the Cowboy with strikes and keeping him grounded with headlocks. When Lil' T comes in, the babyfaces finally get some good offense in, but it's not long before the heels have control again. Some comedy spots get thrown in around the 5-minute mark, but, for the most part, this is a straight-up, basic tag team match with the added element of the heels not getting along with each other that just happens to be wrestled by performers of below average height. At 10 minutes, this one goes a bit longer than it probably should've, but I'd rather watch this than the Rheingens/Zukhov match as there were at least a handful of fun moments. (1.5/5)

Colonel DeBeers vs. Wahoo McDaniel (04/20/1986, AWA): Gary Michael Cappetta introduces Chuck Lilligrin (sp?), an expert horse breeder, to serve as the guest ring announcer. Wahoo McDaniel gets the loudest pop of the night so far. DeBeers is disparaged blatantly as an apartheid-supporting racist on commentary, a gimmick that definitely wouldn't fly in today's climate. McDaniel and DeBeers trade wristlocks and takedowns to kick things off, McDaniel showing some surprising quickness for a man his size. DeBeers gets the upperhand and tosses McDaniel out of the ring in vicious fashion, but Wahoo won't stay down, popping the crowd with his mighty chops. Unfortunately, a cheap finish keeps this one from ending definitively, but the post-match brawl lessens the blow of this one coming across as mere filler. (2/5)

Buck Zumhofe vs. Mitsuharu Misawa (Tiger Mask) (04/20/1986, AWA): I watched this match before knowing that Buck Zumhofe was a pedophile and rapist, which probably would've made me enjoy it much, much less. My original review was somewhat positive as I praised the goofiness of the mostly indecipherable introduction for Tiger Mask and even Zumhofe's energy as he tried to pull the crowd into the match with big movements, dancing, and hand-clapping. Misawa dazzled with his impressive agility but the crowd was less excited for this despite the fast-paced offense, swift reversals, and what, in 1986, counted as "high spots," such as a huge crossbody over the top rope and somersault splash from Misawa. Of course, YMMV based on the fact that Zumhofe was/is a disgusting pedophile rapist. (2/5)

Mike Rotundo and Barry Windham vs. Steve Keirn and Stan Lane (04/20/1986, AWA): Rotunda and Windham were known as the US Express in the WWE while Keirn and Lane were The Fabulous Ones. It's interesting to hear Windham and Rotundo being promoted as the former WWF World Tag Team Champions, something Vince McMahon would almost never do when he brought in talent from other organizations. A good-not-great tag team match ensues, Windham and the Fabulous Ones being head-and-shoulders above everyone else on the card so far with their ability to engage the audience, space out their match with ebbs-and-flows, and build drama for an extended match-up. (2.5/5)

Bob Brown vs. Giant Baba (04/20/1986, AWA): At 5'11, Brown is severely undersized compared to Baba, even if I'm not convinced Baba actually stands at 7'4''. The match they have is pretty horrendous and shockingly even. I'll admit to not being too familiar with Baba's work, but considering his size, his moveset is really no different than any other generic 80s worker. Brown doesn't do a thing to play up their size difference either. The lone positive is that the match doesn't go too long. (0.5/5)

Harley Race vs. Rick Martel (04/20/1986, AWA): This match was advertised as one of the show's "dream matches." The wrestling is very good throughout and Martel and Race try their best to deliver an epic by hitting each other with just about everything they have - piledrivers, headbutts, back suplexes, big roundhouse rights and lefts. The match goes 10 minutes, but feels like at least 50% longer because of all they do. For as good a seller as Martel is and as natural a heel that Race is, the match might deliver too much back-and-forth and too little psychology or suspense. A reviewer at ProWrestlingOnly.com called this the 80s version of a John Cena/Kevin Owens match and the comparison is apt. For all the great moments, the match itself doesn't really leave impression beyond how many moves and transitions they threw in. The fact that the finish is an indecisive one hurts things as well. (3/5)

TNA Sacrifice 2012

TNA Sacrifice 2012

Orlando, FL - May 2012

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the TNA World Heavyweight Champion was Bobby Roode, the X-Division Champion was Austin Aries, the TNA World Tag Team Champions were Samoa Joe and Magnus, the Knockouts Champion was Gail Kim, the Television Champion was Brother D-Von, and the Knockouts Tag Team Champions were ODB and Eric Young. 

At Lockdown, which isn't available to watch in full on YouTube, Bobby Roode retained his TNA World Championship against former tag partner James Storm in a well-received, very bloody (according to reviews) match. Jeff Hardy defeated Angle to get even from their match at Victory Road 2012, beating him with an Angle Slam and then a Swanton off the cage, and pushing him even closer to his goal of getting another shot at Roode's Championship.

Sacrifice 2012 kicks off with the TNA World Tag Team Champions, Samoa Joe and Magnus, defending the titles against Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels, who were now on the same page and still making accusations about AJ Styles and Dixie Carter's romantic involvement. This was a solid opener with an enthusiastic crowd. By this point, Joe and Magnus had good chemistry and felt like a real team and not just two singles guys who got thrown together. Kazarian and Daniels were also a good team with some cool double-team moves. This was a straight-forward match that ended with the heels "stealing" the victory after all sorts of cut-offs and cheap heel tactics, though nothing outrageous. (2.5/5)

Gail Kim defended her TNA Knockouts Championship against Brooke Tessmacher in the next match. The story here was that Brooke wanted to be taken seriously as a wrestler after being seen as "just a model"/"eye candy" since her debut. In the weeks leading up to the show, Tessmacher even scored 3 pinfalls over the champion in non-title scenarios. This wasn't great, but it was probably better than anyone could've predicted as Kim had her working boots on. Speaking of boots, the match was built around both women trying to deliver Kim's "Eat The Feet" finisher but when Tessmacher did connect with it, it sent Kim to the floor and prevented her from scoring a pin. Eventually Kim used her cunning (and the ropes) to get the W. Inoffensive. (2/5)

At Victory Road 2012, Brother Devon had surprised Robbie E (and his bodyguard "Big" Robbie T) by coming out of the crowd to challenge him for his TNA Television Championship. Devon would win the title and then beat him in under 4 minutes at Lockdown according to Cagematch. And so we got this match - billed as a three-way but mostly wrestled as a handicap match for Devon's TV Title. As expected, Devon falls prey to the numbers game after an initial flurry, Robbie E prevents Robbie T from making the cover (because he wants the title to himself), and their arguing allows Devon to get the W. This didn't overstay its welcome and I must admit that Robbie E and Robbie T (Rob Terry) have gotten "over" with me as an act even if I don't think they're "PPV worthy." (2/5)

Jeff Hardy took on Ken Anderson in the next match. In the weeks leading up to this, Anderson and Hardy had both made their intentions clear as they saw themselves as rightful number one contenders for Bobby Roode's World Championship. Anderson, despite being a self-proclaimed "Asshole" that didn't mind breaking the rules, had his fans, but Jeff Hardy was even more popular and was the de facto babyface. Not much to say about this aside from that the finish is a bit confusing as Hardy tries for his legdrop to the midsection (crotch) but Anderson blocks him and rolls him up for a somewhat awkward 3-count. Even the commentators - and Anderson himself - seem a little confused by it. I'll give them credit for going with a fresh ending, but the rest of the match was unremarkable. (2.5/5)

Backstage, Austin Aries cuts a promo about how he is going to defeat Bully Ray and then we jump to a replay of the return of Abyss on Impact, who tells off his "little brother" Joseph Park. 

Back in the ring, Crimson - who was still undefeated - issued an open challenge which was eventually answered by one half of the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions, Eric Young (who held the titles with ODB, his kayfabe "wife"). Young did some fun stuff, basically carrying the whole match his energetic bumping and balanced mix of comedy and "serious" wrestling. Crimson hit some decent power moves and got good heat by shoving ODB in the corner. Young fired up and hit his signature elbow drop from the top but got distracted helping ODB up and ate Crimson's finisher, the Red Sky, to end this one. Not too terrible for what it was as Young (and ODB to a lesser extent) were over enough, had good enough chemistry, and did just enough to make this work. (2.5/5)

Austin Aries faced Bully Ray in the next match. Another solid Bully Ray performance, which is not something I take much pleasure in writing because Bubba is one of my least favorite wrestling personalities these days. Aries is also an unlikable figure/asshole, but there's no doubting his agility and technical skill. Highlights included a nasty bump to the floor off the top rope by Aries, a nifty pop-up neck breaker by Bully (Tazz called it a "one-man 3D"), Aries hitting an impressive Brainbuster for a false finish, and then a solid, mostly-clean conclusion that saw Aries lock in the Last Chancery after a teensy bit of distraction/interference from Joseph Park. Solid match. (3/5)

Next up - Kurt Angle vs. AJ Styles. This match was used as a bit of a "TNA cheat code" because you know when these two get in the ring, you're going to get an above-average match even if the "story" is pretty weak. Styles was still engaged in a lengthy feud with Kazarian and Daniels, who had now presented photographic evidence that AJ was in a romantic relationship with Dixie Carter (the picture was of them hugging). Angle got pulled into things because Daniels and Kazarian had cost him a match against AJ and was now hell-bent on making AJ tap out without their interference. Styles and Angle go a full 20 minutes, though it does feel a bit longer (and not necessarily in a good way). Angle wasn't a full-fledged heel (even after his feud with Jeff Hardy) while AJ's motivation for this match wasn't 100% clear aside from him just wanting to defeat his opponent. The lack of drama or story prevents this from ever feeling important beyond the surface-level competitive spirit. Of course, because AJ and Angle have such good chemistry, the action is undeniably great and there are some real highlights - AJ's Phenomenal Forearm to the floor, Angle busting out a Styles Clash, the intensity of Kurt's Ankle Locks. Unfortunately, the finish - predictable interference from Kaz and Daniels costing AJ the match - ends things on a sour note and negates the positives of the match. After the match, Angle saves AJ from a 2-on-1 beat down. (3/5)

Main event time - Bobby Roode defending the TNA World Championship against Rob Van Dam in a ladder match. Going into this match, there were not many folks predicting an RVD victory, but there was at least curiosity over where Van Dam and Roode would deliver a hard-hitting and "fresh" ladder match. They didn't re-invent the wheel, but Roode bumped and sold big-time and RVD busted out (almost) all of his signature moves. The match went a little under 20 minutes but there were no real "down" times. The finish saw RVD get kicked down from the ladder with his head hitting a steel chair very hard on the landing. It made an awful sound and looked like it hurt like hell. Maybe in 2012 this would've been considered "special" but watching this over a decade later with all of the craziness that AEW has produced and put on national TV, this didn't wow me very much. (3/5)

With a Kwang Score of 2.56-out-of-5, Sacrifice 2012 was a decent show that featured some good wrestling but suffered a bit from a lack of engaging storylines to buoy the action. Take the Styles/Angles match. In a vacuum, looking at just the athleticism and execution on display, it was a very good match-up. Unfortunately, the "heat" around AJ's character revolved around Kaz and Daniels' accusations and there was no "personal issue" or title implication to give the match real stakes or its participants motivation. Aries/Ray was also solid, but Aries was barely a babyface, his smugness and arrogance still very much part of his character (on-screen and off?). The main event was fine, but nothing more, and I had similar thoughts about the tag opener and the Anderson/Hardy match, which never really grabbed me. While I didn't factor it into too many of the scores, I also must say, by this point, Taz and Tenay's commentary has become a bit grating to my ears.

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

TNA Victory Road 2012

TNA Victory Road 2012

Orlando, FL - March 2012

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into the show, the TNA World Champion was Bobby Roode, the X-Division Champion was Austin Aries, Magnus and Samoa Joe held the TNA World Tag Team Championships, the Knockouts Champion was Gail Kim, the Knockouts Tag Team Champions were Eric Young and ODB, and Robbie E was the TNA Television Champion.

After a video package hyping tonight's main event, Bully Ray kicks off the show with a promo about how he wants his match tonight against James Storm to be a Number One Contender's match. Storm shows up, confirms that the match will determine the number one contender for Bobby Roode's TNA World Championship and then proceeds to beat Bully Ray with a sneaky superkick at the 70-second Mark. This was more of an "angle" than a match and, honestly, considering my general distaste for both guys, keeping this under 2 minutes suited me just fine as a viewer (though, I will admit, Bubba's Bully Ray won was easily the best thing he'd done since the end of the Attitude Era), but there's not enough here to even rate.

Next up - Austin Aries defending the X-Division Championship against Zema Ion. A solid 10-minute match with some good-looking offense out of Aries, who was plenty over with this crowd. Ion had a good showing too, leaning into his evil heel character after injuring Jesse Sorensen at the previous month's Against All Odds PPV. Not must-see, but not bad. (2.5/5)

Samoa Joe and Magnus defended the TNA World Tag Team Champions against Crimson and Matt Morgan in the next match. The story here was that, once he got into the match, Crimson wanted to fight it on his own to prove his toughness, which made the whole match centered around him and Morgan's tension/turmoil instead of being about the champions. Samoa Joe seems slightly more motivated and engaged than he'd been in several months but he's clearly just following the script more than trying to get himself over. When he does make a fool out of one of the challengers by walking away from one of their attempts at a high-flying move, he gets the biggest pop of the match. Most of the crowd is supportive of Morgan, but I'm not sure if that's because he's the babyface half of his team or because Crimson was just so unpopular/disliked that the fans were trying to make it clear that they'd even take Morgan over him. Not good. (1/5)

Robbie E and his security detail Big Rob come down the aisle and announce that, rather than issuing an open challenge to the boys in the back, they are going to accept a challenge from any fan at the ringside who wants a shot at the TV Championship. Robbie E's promo work was really good here, though definitely not revolutionary or anything. D-Von Dudley answers the challenge from the crowd and wins the title in under 4 minutes, much to the delight of the crowd. This was more of an angle than a match, but the crowd was super into it and I think it worked out better than if they had actually turned this into a "real" match (which I'm sure is coming down the pike and which I'd be surprised if I enjoyed). (2.5/5)

Gail Kim defended her TNA Knockouts Championship against Madison Rayne in the next bout. Rayne and Kim were co-owners of the Knockouts Tag Team Championships, but Rayne had weaseled her way into a battle royal for a shot at the title and won it on an episode of Impact to make this match happen. The best thing to say about this match is that it doesn't overstay its welcome or try to be anything that it can't be. Having now seen a fair amount of "classic TNA," I'm very confused as to why the Knockouts division was considered good. (1/5)

AJ Styles and Ken Anderson teamed up to take on Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian in the next bout. This was decent but barely left "first gear" as they say. It was fun to see Anderson working with the X-Division guys, I guess? Just sorta there with more emphasis on the story between Styles and Daniels/Kazarian and Anderson being thrown in to lend it some star power. (2.5/5)

Jeff Hardy vs. Kurt Angle was the next match. Angle's reasoning for going after Hardy - that Hardy was his son's favorite wrestler - was a bit goofy, but Angle made it work because he can be pretty good at the goofy stuff. I wasn't expecting much out of this match but Hardy was clearly motivated to deliver a good match after what had happened at the last Victory Road show and Angle was the right dance partner to do that. Hardy took a wicked bump into the guadrail at one point and Angle delivered a ton of impressive suplexes. For a guy who is often talked-about on commentary as having an unorthodox style, Hardy always seems to have these sort of "I'm gonna prove I can wrestle" matches against guys like Angle, Triple H, or CM Punk that kinda take away from that story. Anyway, they go close to 20 minutes but keep the fans with them the whole time through. Eventually, Angle puts an end to things by grabbing the ropes on a pin. This was missing something to make it truly great, but its easily the best match on the show up till this point. (3/5)

Main event time - Sting vs. Bobby Roode in a non-title No DQ match. This is the best Sting match I've seen from his TNA days in awhile as he controls most of the match, just beating the hell out of Roode for the first half, even delivering on a cool Stinger Splash on the guardrail. Unfortunately, things slow down quite a bit when Roode goes on offense. For a No DQ match, this is pretty tame and ends when Roode brings a chair into the ring, sets it up for what I assume would've maybe been a powerbomb onto the chair but ends up getting sent to the outside and then set up for a Scorpion Death Drop. Sting hits the move, but takes a nasty back drop into the chair, hitting his head on the thing on the way down. This allows Roode to make the cover and get the W. The match itself is solid, but things don't end there... (3/5)

After the match, Roode gets into it with Dixie Carter and we get an insanely drawn-out segment where Roode looks like he is going to attack Carter, Sting makes the save, Roode regains controls, and beats down on Sting, duct-taping him in the corner. The crowd chants for Hogan, but Hogan doesn't come out. Neither does AJ Styles or Ken Anderson or Jeff Hardy or James Storm or any babyface despite the fact that many of them have history with Roode. It is bizarre to watch Roode do so many heelish things and for nobody to come to Sting's aide and makes Sting look like an unlikable loser. The crowd chants "Fire Bobby" because, well, why wouldn't Dixie Carter fire him after what he's done to Sting and to her? Just an awful way to end the show that makes no sense. (-1)

All in all, Victory Road 2012 is a mostly poor show with its lone bright spots being the Hardy/Angle match and the main event (though the post-match angle is painfully long and stupid). With a Kwang Score of just 2.07-out-of-5, this show is impossible to recommend except to the biggest Hardy fans...

FINAL RATING - DUDleyville

 

TNA No Surrender 2005

NOTE - This review was (mostly) completed all the way back in 2022 but never uploaded because I had not seen the main event until today. 

TNA No Surrender 2005

Orlando, FL - July 2005

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, Raven was the NWA World Champion, the NWA World Tag Team Champions were The Naturals (Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens), and the X-Division Champion was Christopher Daniels.

The show begins with a fun tag match between America's Most Wanted and the team of Alex Shelley and Michael Shane (with Traci Brooks at their side). Before watching some of these earlier TNA pay-per-views, I was unfamiliar with much of AMW's work and didn't get why people sometimes referred to them as one of the best tag teams of the 2000s. A match like this certainly helps explain things as they work a quality old school tag match and keep up with the rapid pace pushed by their X-Division opponents. Alex Shelley was so smooth and crisp even back then, though Michael Shane wasn't bad either. Not a match I'd seek out or anything, but it is smartly worked and a perfectly fine way to start a pay-per-view. (2.5/5)

A Super X-Cup Qualification match follows - Sonjay Dutt vs. Mikey Batts vs. Shark Boy vs. Elix Skipper. This match seems mostly designed to get over Dutt, but everyone else gets some time to shine too. Elix Skipper botches one of his signature moves, but I kinda like seeing that happen because it shows just how high-risk his rope-walking and high-flying could be. The crowd loathes Mikey Batts and, because I don't know anything about him or any of the build for this match, I'm left wondering if he was actually considered "bad" or if he was just a natural unlikable heel who maybe deserved more (a little bit of research reveals that he actually got hired by the WWE not long after this, but left when he turned down getting a Harry Potter-inspired gimmick). The craziest move of the match might be the finish, which sees Sonjay deliver his finisher and nearly land 100% onto Batts' face. It looks absolutely gnarly. Another average match. (2.5/5)

Next up - Sonny Siaki and Apolo taking on Simon Diamond and his newest client, David Young. Yup. Siaki and Apolo had great physiques, Diamond was an okay promo, and David Young was a wrestler that was already a 10+ year veteran by this time but was essentially working an "underdog rookie" gimmick because...well, I'm not sure. This match was clearly put on the show to space out some of the X-Division action and it meets that purpose. It doesn't overstay its welcome either and I'll even give credit to the finish that cements the fact that David Young was, despite being in TNA for 2 years by this point, still not able to keep track of who the legal man in a tag team match is. Inoffensive, but not really good either. (1.5/5)

Samoa Joe came into TNA not too long before this (if I'm not mistaken) and was on an absolute tear. His opponent on this night is Chris Sabin, who was fairly established as he was a former X-Division Champion by this point. Joe dominates the first half of this match and looks terrific doing it, but I love the way Sabin fights back and doesn't die despite taking so many huge hits. As much as Joe was clearly the guy getting the big push at this time, he's equally unselfish and takes an awesome bump into the guardrail off of a Sabin dropkick during his babyface comeback. The second half of the match is more even, but Joe never really loses control and the story is more about how much punishment Sabin is able to take until he just can't go any longer. Meltzer gave this 4-and-a-quarter stars and while I wouldn't go that far, I'll go close. Sometimes something really simple works because of execution, performance, and every dot connecting. Maybe not an all-time classic, but certainly a match that is worth seeking out if you're a fan of either man or just curious about what made Samoa Joe stand out as "the future of wrestling" in 05' and 06'. (4/5)

The next match isn't quite as exciting, but I was surprised by how hot the crowd was for it - Team Canada (Bobby Roode, Eric Young, and A-1) taking on Lance Hoyt and the Naturals (Chase Stevens and Andy Douglas), who were also the NWA Tag Team Champions at the time. Like the previous match (though not as good), this is a really simple match that exceeded my expectations mostly because of how well everything is executed and how well the competitors tell the story without adding anything unnecessary. Jimmy Hart was the Naturals' new manager, but gets thrown out of the match when he is erroneously caught holding the Canadian flag and one of the Team Canada pretends he'd been struck by it. The heels also draw classic heat by working over Chase Stevens until Lance Hoyt, who was much more over with this crowd than I ever thought he was, comes in for the hot tag. Speaking of Chase Stevens, he comes across in this match as a star-in-the-making and I'm a bit surprised he never really got much of a singles run in TNA or elsewhere. Again, it can't be overstated how hot the crowd was for this, to the point that I wondered if maybe there had been some "sweetening" of the audio. A good, solid match. (3/5)

Another tag grudge match follows as 3LiveKru's Konnan and Ron "The Truth" Killings take on "The Outlaw" Kip James and Monty Brown. The story here is that when The Outlaw (Billy Gunn) showed up in TNA, he wanted to resurrect his tag team with 3LiveKru's BG James (Road Dogg), but rubbed Konnan and Killings the wrong way. Anyway, Kip James gets busted open very early as it seems like everyone involved opted to just go ahead and make this as fun and lively and action-packed as they could...even knowing that it wouldn't go longer than 7 minutes. This almost feels like its just the 2nd quarter of an old school ECW brawl, eschewing any sort of "build," delivering 3-4 really good high spots (most courtesy of Killings), and then basically "going home." I'd also be lying if I said I didn't like the number of ref bumps in this match, which might be some sort of record in such a short bout. After the match, BG James shows up and his ex-partner Kip tries to have him hit Killings with a chair but BG won't do it. For what this was, this was perfectly fine - maybe even better than I expected because they kept it so short. (2.5/5)

I wouldn't go as far as Dave Meltzer - who gave this match a very strong 4-star rating in 05' - but the next match, AJ Styles vs. Sean Waltman (with Jerry Lynn as special guest referee), would likely be in the running of one of Waltman's last good-to-great matches. This felt like a "big" match, but I wish we would've seen Waltman heeling it up a bit more as Styles was definitely more over with the crowd and Waltman's psychology is so good that its surprising he didn't play into the crowd's disrespect a bit more. Styles and Waltman both get to kick out of eachother's finishers, which I'm not sure was necessary. I also didn't like the finish - which saw Jerry Lynn cost Waltman the match for no real reason - as this deserved to end in a cleaner way and they still could've used some sort of post-match angle to build towards the Lynn/Waltman feud that came after this. Because AJ went on to have such a ridiculously good career, this doesn't even rank in his top 20 matches and probably not even in his top 30, but its worth checking out if you're a fan of either guy or were curious about AJ's evolution from the early 2000s through today. (3/5)

The X-Division Champion, Christopher Daniels, defends the title against Team Canada's Petey Williams in the next contest. This wasn't technically a heel/heel match, but Daniels was not your average happy-go-lucky, fun babyface or an underdog you wanted to root for or even a cagey veteran like modern day Randy Orton. No, Daniels was the Fallen Angel and he was, like Dean Malenko, a no-nonsense grappler who didn't court audience approval but had his fair share of fans just based on his technical ability and high-flying. He was a tweener, but not a "cool" tweener like Samoa Joe either. Petey Williams, meanwhile, was a heel just from being in Team Canada, but, by the end of the match, had at least a little crowd support because of how good his offense was. I wouldn't rate this as highly as the Joe/Sabin match, but, again, part of the issue is that the story here is a bit harder to sell as neither guy was a true "fan favorite" and really this was all about two ultra-talented X-Division guys just doing whatever it took to win. Move-for-move, this is still an incredible spectacle that shows just how far ahead of the curve both Daniels and Williams were, but it does suffer from that lack of a clear heel/face dynamic or character-driven story. (3/5) Main event time - Raven vs. Abyss in a Dog Collar Match for Raven's NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Abyss didn't waste anytime grabbing a chair from the outside to use his against the champion, wedging it into the corner. Raven grabbed one of his own and then another and another, flinging them into the ring recklessly. Abyss swiped them away but then Raven surprised him by pulling on the chain, pulling Abyss into the chair in the corner! Great spot. Now in control, Raven beat down on Abyss with the chain and then pulled out a table from under the ring (much to the crowd's delight). Raven wrapped his fist in the chain and went for a punch, but struck the post. Abyss goozles him and attempts a chokeslam but Raven fights out of it and gets rolled into the ring instead. Abyss grabs a chair and sets it atop Raven. Raven holds it into place, telegraphing an Abyss splash from the middle rope. Still looks painful as all hell. Abyss follows it up by stacking up some chairs in the center of the ring and putting Raven on top of them. He goes back up to the 2nd rope but this time Raven dodges it and Abyss lands on the chairs butt-first. Abyss gets up first and tries to choke Raven out with the chain. Raven bashes him with a chair to break free and then slams him on the skull with one more for good measure. He grabs a staple gun and staples a bill to Abyss's forehead (which was already bleeding)! He does it a second time and Tenay goes wild! Abyss goes to the outside, as does Raven, but Abyss pulls on the chain and Raven goes into the post. Raven is busted open and Abyss tries to capitalize with some big right hands on the floor, the two making their way towards the entrance. Abyss sets up a table with the help of his manager James Mitchell and then sets up a few more. Abyss brings Raven up the ramp and onto the stage. He goes for a chokeslam but Raven fights out. Low blow by Raven! Raven shoves him back and Abyss goes through the tables off the stage! Cool spot. Abyss pulls on the chain, though, and Raven goes through a table too! Abyss gets up first and wraps the chain around Raven's mouth and Mitchell taunts him on the house mic. Abyss drags Raven towards the ring and then pulls out yet another table, setting it up against the ring apron. Raven charges Abyss through it and both men end up in a heap. Back in the ring they go and Raven delivers some punches and then the discus clothesline and a bulldog out of the corner. Evenflow DDT only gets 2, though. Raven clotheslines Abyss over the top rope and then wraps the chain around his neck! Abyss looks like he's got no way out of this, but Mitchell breaks it up by knocking Raven out with his cane. Abyss takes the collar off and goes for a cover, but he only gets 2. Abyss goes to the outside and grabs a bag of thumbtacks from under the ring. He rips off Raven's shirt and then spreads the tacks across the mat. I like the extra step there. Abyss puts Raven up to the top rope but in comes...Cassidy Reilly? Reilly with a low blow to Abyss. Reilly goes to the top rope but gets shoved off and goes through a table! That was cool. Abyss goes back to Raven in the corner and starts hitting him with some big right hands and Raven crumbles to the corner but then springs up and powerbombs him into the tacks! Abyss kicks out at 2, though! Raven goes for the DDT again but Abyss counters it into a Black Hole Slam for another nearfall! Abyss has tacks going through his shirt, but also on the back of his arms. He sets up another pile of tacks but Raven DDTs him into the tacks! Raven went into a bunch of tacks himself but manages to make the cover to retain the championship. Wow. That was fun with some really well-executed spots and a near-perfect layout. One of the best Abyss matches I've ever seen and maybe even one of the best Raven matches too. (3.5/5)

With a Kwang Score of 2.83-out-of-5, No Surrender 2005 is a solid show featuring some very good performances out of Abyss (I'm as surprised to type that as you are to read it), Samoa Joe (much more motivated here than he was in his later years in TNA), Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, the almost-always-great AJ Styles, and Chase Stevens of all people. Fans seeking a show loaded with stars-of-the-time will probably want to look elsewhere, but there is some fun to be had seeing where some of TNA's future main eventers started to build their reputations. FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver