TNA Slammiversary X

TNA Slammiversary X

Arlington, TX - June 2012

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into the show, Bobby Roode was the TNA World Champion, the X-Division Champion was Austin Aries, Brother D-Von was the TNA Television Champion, the Knockouts Champion was Gail Kim, the TNA Tag Team Champions were Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian, and the Knockouts Tag Team Champions were ODB and Eric Young.

The show kicked off - after an introduction video package - with a welcome message from Hulk Hogan, who announced that tonight's opening contest would be Samoa Joe challenging Austin Aries for the X-Division Championship. Tenay and Tazz noted on commentary that Joe was obviously above the 225 X-Division weight limit but that, as Hogan had said in his promo, TNA would be going "old school," which meant they would be going back to the original X-Division premise: no weight limits. Anyway, this was a good match and one of the better Joe performances in at least a couple years in TNA as he actually seemed motivated and eager to put on an impressive match-up. Joe used his size to dominate the early going, while Aries showed his toughness and resiliency by capitalizing on Joe's mistakes. The Dallas crowd was super into this too, which helped. They filled their 12 minutes well and seeing Aries put Joe up for the Brainbuster was impressive. Good match, but not "must see." (3.5/5)

Hernandez made his return to TNA (he'd been off TV for about 2 months) taking on another guy coming back from injury - Kid Kash. I thought this would be a fairly one-sided squash in an effort to put over Hernandez, whose physique, size, and, at one point at least, popularity, made him seem like someone TNA could've/should've gotten behind. Instead, this is a competitive match and Kash almost outshines Hernandez. They only get about 6 minutes, but Kash gets in so much offense that Hernandez' victory doesn't feel very dominant. (2/5)

Brother Devon teamed up with Garrett Bischoff to take on Robbie E and "Big" Robbie T (Rob Terry) in the next match, a continuation of their never-ending rivalry revolving around the Television Championship. The fans in Arlington absolutely hated Garrett Bischoff, chanting "You Can't Wrestle" and "We Want D-Von" throughout the match. Madison Rayne showed up by the entrance ramp as part of some "mystery crush" angle. This only going 6 minutes was a relief and kept things from ever getting boring. I will say this too - Robbie E had clearly made some progress as a worker over the previous year and having a reliable, popular opponent like Devon clearly helped in him becoming a good chickenshit heel. (2/5)

A battle for the Number One Contendership was next with Jeff Hardy taking on Rob Van Dam and Mr. Anderson in a 3-way dance. They kept things moving from beginning to end and really filled their 15-or-so minutes with some nice three-man spots. I really liked the pinning combination they did after Anderson tried a roll-up and then Hardy tried to get the pin with his weird spit-legged pin thingy. Hardy took a nasty bump to the outside towards the end. Anderson took the W with a decisive Mic Check on Van Dam, which didn't seem to be what the fans wanted necessarily - both Hardy and RVD seemed to have more audible crowd support - but nobody came out of this match looking weak. (3/5)

Crimson cut a promo backstage about how he had been undefeated for the past 400+ days and then went into the ring and cut another promo about how the crowd was full of losers and that he was issuing an open challenge to anyone brave enough to fight him. Was this the 2nd or 3rd or 4th open challenge in the same number of PPVs in a row? Anyway... James Storm came out and beat him in under 3 minutes. It's funny - I've been pretty anti-Crimson since he first popped up in my TNA viewing, but his mic work on this night was maybe the best he'd ever done so, of course, this is the night they have him lose his one interesting/suspenseful attribute. This was more angle than match, making it hard to "rate," so I won't.

Dixie Carter makes her way out to the ring for the segment, bringing out the TNA roster with her. She then announces the first ever inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame - Sting! Sting seemed genuinely surprised by the announcement. Watching it, I did wonder if Sting was the wrestler who had received the most "flowers" of any wrestler because, paired with his retirement match (and the post-match celebration that came with that), it kinda seems so.

Gail Kim defending her TNA Knockouts Championship against Brooke Tessmacher in the next match. Tessmacher was the "hometown hero," though her hometown of Houston sits about 3.5 hours north of Arlington (which might explain why she didn't really get the usual hometown pop). Gail Kim brought her working boots on this night and, considering I've never seen another memorable or remarkable Brooke Tessmacher match (not that I've seen all that many altogether), I'm not afraid to call this something of a "carry job." For a match that went under 10 minutes, this felt "complete" and like it told a good story with Kim dominating most of the match until her arrogance cost her the victory. (2.5/5)

The next match pitted Bully Ray against Joseph Park in a No DQ match. The storyline leading to this match was that Abyss's "brother," attorney Joseph Park had shown up in TNA, one thing led to another and Abyss went "missing" after a match against Bully Ray a few months earlier. Anyway... I'll give credit to the TNA audience for not shitting on this entire storyline and actually playing along and I'll also give credit to Joseph Park/Abyss for his performance in this match as he really plays the non-wrestler role perfectly. This match has a woeful 3.25 score on Cage match as of this writing but I found it to be one of the better Abyss matches I've ever seen. For what was a gimmicky/shtick match, they worked it in a way that made a lot of sense to me. Bully was in complete control until Park scored the occasional lucky shot or he got distracted by the loud anti-NY chants. Park, not being a real wrestler, was also easily distracted by his "unfamiliarity" in the environment and couldn't sustain any offense. The No DQ stipulation allowed Park to get lucky and find himself with a chair in hand and allowed for a table to be set up in the ring. Eventually, Park ended up under the ring and Abyss appeared and even this was surprisingly well done with the Park/Abyss switch-a-roo looking somewhat seamless and not taking too long. (3/5)

Hulk Hogan came out and welcomed Christian Cage to the show to announce the Number One Moment in TNA History. Seeing Christian back in TNA was a cool moment, though the crowd being aware of his return - it was not a well-kept secret at all at the time - did seem to cause a milder reaction than what might've expected. Still really cool to see an active WWE performer show up in a TNA ring. (+1)

The TNA World Tag Team Champions, Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels, defended their titles against AJ Styles and Kurt Angle in the next match. This was a continuation of the ongoing Kazarian/Daniels/Styles/Dixie Carter storyline, but that aspect of things doesn't come into play at all. This match is considered one of the best in TNA history and while I wouldn't go that far, it is very good. Daniels and Kazarian have some very good tandem offense, Styles' Shooting Star Press to the floor is ridiculous, and Angle has his work boots on and throws some cool suplexes, but at under 15 minutes, there's way more "sizzle" than steak. I would've liked a little bit more milking of Angle's hot tag and the finish is imperfect with Kazarian well within arms' reach of the bottom rope but tapping anyway. I think this needed some sort of "twist" beyond just being total non-stop action to put it in the upper echelon of greatest TNA matches of all time but, then again, the bar isn't super high when it comes to TNA. A hair or two short of being must-see in my book. (3.5/5)

Main event time - Sting challenging Bobby Roode for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. They did a great job with the pomp and circumstance, the crowd was hyped, and Bobby's pre-match shtick got plenty of heat. The table was set, but the meal they delivered was just not good. Sting in 2011 wasn't going to bring the high energy/high impact offense from bell-to-bell and Roode is a guy who tends to cater his workrate and energy to match his opponent, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, if you're going to build a main event around some "smoke-and-mirrors" by slowing things down and building towards a bullshit finish, you need some more creative elements and turns to make it special. The finishing stretch saw Sting apply a Scorpion Death Lock on the announce table and then complain about the referee not accepting that Roode was tapping as a legitimate finish. At this point, Sting was a 25-year veteran with 1000s of matches under his belt and he doesn't know you can't win by submission outside the ring? This led to Roode grabbing a six pack and eventually cracking a beer bottle over Sting's head when the ref wasn't looking to steal the victory, once again cheating his way to a successful title defense. On the biggest show of the year, one kinda expects a more unique and dramatic end. After the match, Sting got his heat back by hitting a Scorpion Death Drop off the stage and through a table, but the quickness he had in recovering from getting hit with a beer bottle rubbed me the wrong way too. If you're going to sell a "death shot" finish, it should be a "death shot" finish. Underwhelming. (2/5)

Hailed by some as one of the best top-to-bottom PPVs in TNA history, Slammiversary X's 2.81-out-of-5 Kwang Score would put it in 6th place on my own list (based on the 55 TNA PPVs I've watched over the years). The show starts off well enough with Aries/Joe, goes through a bit of a rough stretch with the poorly conceived Hernandez return match (I'm a Kid Kash fan but this should've been a squash to re-establish Hernandez as a major threat) and the Garrett Bischoff match, then picks up with Anderson/Hardy/RVD. The Crimson segment is easily the best 10 minutes of screentime I've ever seen from him, but the show continues to go through some serious ups-and-downs with the disappointing Knockouts match before the entertaining Bully Ray/Joseph Parks and strong Tag Team Titles match. Christian's appearance was cool too. It's a shame the main event is a dud.

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

Random Matches

KENTA vs. Bryan Danielson vs. Samoa Joe (06/17/2006, ROH): Really fun match. All three guys were super over with the ROH crowd. Danielson was the totally unlikeable heel, Joe was the serious asskicker with the size advantage, and KENTA was something of the wildcard international star, the guy with the big reputation but who had not made many appearances in the states yet and that Joe and Danielson had only done battle against once before (in a tag match three months before where KENTA paired up with Marufuji). With a runtime of under 20 minutes, this match isn't as "epic" as I was expecting, but there are definitely some cool moments, including Danielson flying into the crowd and both KENTA and Joe hitting a bunch of their signature offense. I wouldn't call this "must see" but it is no less than very good. (3.5/5)

Kana (Asuka) vs. Sara Del Rey (10/08/2011, CHIKARA): As noted on the pre-match commentary, this was the main event of the show and, boy, did they deliver. The most famous moment of the match is when Asuka delivers a kick to Del Rey in the corner that is so stiff that her boot ends up coming off entirely, but there are some other excellent moments in this, including an awesome suplex out of Del Rey that I'm not sure I've ever seen before and Asuka in Pure Killer Mode with her offense. The crowd is super into this too, engaged to a level that mainstream US wrestling fans were generally not at the time. This inspired me to go back and look up some more Sara Del Rey matches because she's great here. (3.5/5)

Mark Briscoe vs. MJF (07/01/2026, AEW): It's hard to rate this match without talking about the booking that made it possible. A few days before this match, Briscoe won a title shot when his team defeated MJF's team at the first-ever Death's Door cage match on the Forbidden Door PPV (which was awesome), but with MJF lined up to take on Will Ospreay at the upcoming Wembley show in August and potentially Kenny Omega in July's Toronto show plus the fact that MJF dropped the title to Darby Allin in a very similar feud earlier this year, I doubt there was anybody watching this match that believed Briscoe would win. And so, we get a "good match for good match's sake" where Briscoe puts in a gutsy performance - and is sporting a crimson mask within the first few minutes due to getting cut open in the cage less than a week earlier - but ultimately loses to MJF clean. Briscoe and MJF have good chemistry and they got plenty of time, but its hard to make a match suspenseful when the conclusion is a foregone conclusion. I didn't like MJF kicking out of the Jay Driller either, a move that had been established - up until this match - as a "silver bullet." I understand that MJF kicking out further cements his credibility going into a string of major title defenses (they also seem to be building towards a defense against Andrade at an upcoming show in Mexico), but the fact that MJF had never kicked out of the move was a thread that they could've revisited in the future. No match this amount of effort from both men could be considered "just average" and the enthusiastic crowd certainly helped, but this never had me questioning its outcome. (3/5)

CM Punk vs. Sami Zayn (07/06/2026, WWE): The storyline here was that Sami Zayn, who had just captured the WWE Championship from Cody Rhodes (in a 3-way with GUNTHER) a week or so earlier, was slated to defend the title against Rhodes in the main event of this episode of Raw but Rhodes was attacked (?) and not medically cleared (?), resulting in Raw GM Adam Pearce having to scramble to find a replacement. For whatever reason, Pearce could not find a single viable challenger in the locker room (maybe he should've checked catering?) but SmackDown GM Nick Aldis stepped up and found a guy who just so happened to live not too far away from the arena (the match took place in Chicago)...CM Punk! As noted on commentary, Punk had not wrestled since WrestleMania in April and had not appeared on TV since the night after that show (if I'm not mistaken). Punk was in great physical condition for this match and he and Zayn cut a good, steady pace. One would never confuse this match for the high-speed, harder-hitting action we generally see in AEW, but there were some definite bright moments with, including some nifty finisher steals, Zayn's GTS-into-a-Blue Thunder Bomb combo, and Punk dishing it back with an Exploder into the corner. A very good match, though the nature of televised matches means that there are breaks in the action that hurt the overall presentation and only the very, very best TV matches would be ones I'd consider "must see." This was just very good. (3.5/5)

Ric Flair vs. Barry Windham (02/14/1986, NWA): This was the main event of the second Battle of the Belts and is a much-heralded classic, though not the masterpiece I wished it was watching it for the first time. The competitive nature and realism is remarkable, with Flair not yet leaning into as much "shtick" as he would later in his career. The atmosphere is unbelievable too, the fans in Orlando very much engaged for the duration of the match (which goes over 40 minutes). Both guys end up busted open, but the focus of the match is not on the brutality as much as the trading of submissions, right hands, and chops, both men expending a ton of energy and selling it as the bout goes on. This match rewards fans who can watch a match and enjoy the small details, such as the multiple "callbacks" with Windham taking nasty spills to the outside - including one over-the-top after a ref bump (had the ref seen it, Flair would've been DQ'd) - the Figure 4 trading, and the organic momentum shifts. This is not "your turn/my turn" wrestling. Unfortunately, the finish hurts this one considerably and makes it tough to recommend. (3.5/5)

Chris Jericho vs. Tommaso Ciampa (07/08/2026, AEW): This was the opening contest of AEW's themed Beach Break episode of Dynamite. Ciampa tried to sneak attack Jericho early, but Jericho was too clever to walk into an ambush. This was super physical and really felt like Jericho wanting to prove he could still deliver a hard-hitting match as violent as his colleagues on the AEW roster. At one point, Jericho took an Angel's Wings on top of the steel steps that looked nasty (and opened him up) and the finish saw him get sand thrown in his face before taking a nasty running knee strike to seal his fate. I'm not a massive Jericho fan in 2026 - who could be? - but I don't see how someone could watch this match and not give credit to the guy for his effort and willingness to take some serious damage (including a chair shot to the head during the post-match, which you don't see much these days). Good match. (3/5)

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Kyle Fletcher (07/08/2026, AEW): Another match from the Beach Break show, this one for Takeshita's International Championship. I'm a huge fan of both of these competitors so I had fairly high hopes that this would deliver. It started off a touch slow but the second half (after the commercial break) was incredible. Highlights included Takeshita delivering a package piledriver and then a wheelbarrow suplex on the apron (!), Takeshita's selling of a damaged arm, some well-worked nearfalls/kickouts by Fletcher, and the Protostar's match-ending Brainbuster on the top turnbuckle. Like the Punk/Zayn match reviewed above, having a commercial break without picture-in-picture means that fans at home weren't treated to the "full" match, but what we did get was very good and makes me eager to see when/if we'll get a rematch between the two at the upcoming Redemption PPV or even at Wembley in August. (3.5/5)

MJF vs. Kenny Omega (07/08/2026, AEW): The main event of Beach Break was for the AEW World Championship, with MJF defending against Omega just one week after defending the title against Mark Briscoe, 9-10 days after the Death's Door match at Forbidden Door 2026, and just a few weeks before the Redemption PPV. I went into this match expecting some sort of "schmoz" finish as MJF/Ospreay at All In: London seems like a total lock. Omega and MJF started things off trading fists before finding (and fighting) their way into the stands. Omega whipped MJF into the chairs, drawing a big response and making me think of all the awesome AJW I've watched over the past year or so. Back in the ring, Omega called for the V-Trigger but MJF pulled the ref in front of himself and got some shots in. He went for the Heatseeker, couldn't hit it, and settled for a cutter instead that got 2. Omega rolled out of the ring to regroup and MJF played to the crowd more, his arrogance and overconfidence causing him to lose focus even when he was in relative control of the match. They made their way to the beach-themed entrance set and Omega hit a cool moonsault off the lifeguard chair before sending MJF back into the ring. Omega delivered a dropkick to the back of MJF's neck off the top and the champ went to the floor. Terminator Dive! Omega followed it up with the leapfrog bulldog and a neckbreaker but MJF rolled to the ropes to save himself from getting pinned. Omega came off the ropes once more but MJF caught him with a drop toe hold to send him into the ropes. Omega hit a snapdragon suplex but MJF came back with some strikes and we got a double-down from both guys hitting clotheslines off the ropes. MJF hit his patented powerbomb-on-the-knee and then an absolutely nasty package piledriver for 2. Omega went back to the apron while MJF took the "lid" off the announce table. MJF hoisted Omega up for a piledriver through the desk but Omega slipped out and into the ring and sent MJF through the table with a jumping V-Trigger! They cut to a commercial immediately after and when we returned, MJF was back in the ring but still selling the damage and Omega was standing over him on the apron. Omega went for a One-Winged Angel on the apron but MJF escaped by raking Omega's eyes and fell into the ring. Now on the floor, Omega hit his rolling senton but the execution was a bit off and he had to regroup before attempting the usual follow-up moonsault. The little time lapse allowed MJF to get his legs up, catching Omega in his historically-vulnerable abdomen. MJF then delivered a tombstone piledriver onto the seat of an unfolded chair! Damn. MJF went for the Heatseeker once again but MJF again pushed him off and MJF stumbled back and onto his injured knee. Omega called for a V-Trigger and while he didn't hit it immediately, he did catch him with one after MJF stumbled again. Omega went for the One-Winged Angel but had to settle for a German suplex instead. MJF went into the corner and Omega hit him with the V-Trigger to the back of the head! He hoisted MJF onto the top rope and hit him with some palm strikes to the back of the head. He seemed to be attempting a One-Winged Angel off the top but MJF countered it into a reverse hurricanrana! Sick. MJF went for the Heatseeker once again and hit it! 1...2...Omega kicked out to a huge pop! A very loud "Let's Go Kenny" chant started up as MJF made his way to the timekeeper's area and grabbed the "Triple B." He brought it into the ring, Remsburg took hold of it, and MJF put the Dynamite Diamond Ring on...but out came Ospreay! Ospreay took the ring off of him! Omega grabbed the belt, but stopped himself from using it. Low blow by MJF! MJF hit Omega with the belt while the ref argued with Ospreay. MJF went for the cover, but only got 1! Omega essentially "hulked up" and hit MJF with a series of big right hands, beating him down towards the ropes before hitting him with 2 V-Triggers...and then a third right to the face! One-Winged Angel by Omega! 1...2...3! Omega wins and the title! An excellent match with a very, very good finish that might've been on the brink of being "overbooked" but worked for me. I also really liked the "placement" of the commercial break as, watching on TV, it didn't seem like you missed anything. Worth watching. (4/5)

"Speedball" Mike Bailey vs. Mark Davis (07/11/2026, AEW): This was the main event of an episode of Colission I watched, which is not something I typically do...but this particular show featured the on-screen return of "Hangman" Adam Page, so I checked it out. Anyway, coming into this match, Davis was the reigning AEW National Champion. Kyle Fletcher joined the commentary team, which was an added bonus. Bailey came out with lots of energy, but Davis cut him off using his size and strength advantage. Davis applied a cloverleaf and bit Bailey's toes to make it even more painful. He then planted him with a running power slam but missed on a senton. Bailey came back with a series of kicks and a dropkick off the top as the crowd began to chant "Speedball." Bailey was able to get Davis up to the top rope and brought him down with a hurricanrana. Davis rolled to the outside but Bailey hit him with a moonsault to the floor. Davis ended up on the announce table and it looked like Bailey might've been setting him up for the backflip knees, but Davis fought back and piledrove him on the table before the commercial break. Dang, that looked nasty. When we got back from the break, they were back in the ring but Davis was still in relative control. Davis went for another powerbomb but got hurricanrana'd again and we got a fun sequence of back-and-forth kicks and sentons and strike attempts and counters that ended with Davis eating a heel kick and both men falling to the mat in exhaustion. Bailey was up first and hit two more stiff kicks to the chest but got his foot caught (and bitten) on the third attempt. A dropkick by Davis was followed up by some forearms in the corner but Bailey evaded the running forearm. Bailey hit an absolutely insane Shooting Star Senton (I think that's what it was) but only got 2 for it as Davis grabbed the bottom rope. Jake Doyle caused a bit of a distraction, allowing Davis to hit a running lariat out of the corner. Davis hoisted Bailey up over his head but Bailey struggled, almost climbing over him before Davis simply dropped back, spiking Bailey's head into the mat with serious force (a move that Tony called a "vertebreaker"). Bailey nearly got the win with a roll-up, followed it up with a heel kick and another nifty pin for 2, and then delivered yet another spinning heel kick in the center of the ring for yet another nearfall, the crowd biting hardest on the last one. Bailey hit another spin kick in the corner but couldn't connect with the knees and Davis hit him with his running forearm, knocking him to the apron. Bailey hit some kicks on the apron but missed the backflip knees, coming down hard on the apron! Release vertical suplex by Davis on the apron! Damn. Davis went for the lariat but Bailey ducked it and rolled him up..1...2...another kickout! Davis connected with a lariat immediately after, though, and then brought him up for another big piledriver to finish him off. Really good match. (3.5/5) 

Sid vs. Marty Jannetty (09/29/1996, WWE): I popped this on while France's World Cup dreams faded away in the background, purposefully looking for something a little different and "light." Sid was set for a match against Vader at the In Your House: Buried Alive match that was set for a few weeks from this episode of Superstars and was very over with this crowd. Jannetty, seconded by his tag partner "Leif Cassidy" (Al Snow), tries to use his quickness and agility early on but it doesn't take long for Sid to gain control, hitting him with a backbreaker and then a big leg drop before applying a wrist lock. Jannetty comes back with some punches and attempts a crossbody but gets heaved with a fallaway slam. Sid applies a rear chinlock but Jannetty gets his foot on the ropes and delivers a headbutt and then some more rights. Jannetty tries some mounted punches but gets atomic dropped and then chokeslammed soon after. Sid hits the powerbomb to end this one in well under 5 minutes. For a squash match, this wasn't bad, but it was a squash match. After the bell, Al Snow ate a chokeslam and a powerbomb as well, which was a nice bonus. (2/5)

The Sultan (Rikishi) vs. Mike Khoury (09/29/1996, WWE): The Sultan gimmick was pretty lame. His opponent in this match doesn't even get their name shown on-screen, which tells you what his chances are before the bell even rings. Reading up on Khoury, its remarkable how many matches he had in both WCW and the WWE (then WWF) in 94' and 95', appearing on TV for both companies multiple times within weeks of each other. Sultan dominates him, as expected, while The Iron Sheik does shtick on the outside and Backlund talks him up on commentary. Rikishi's power slam looks good here and he gets some extra heat by grabbing Khoury by the hair and running him face-first into his pointed boot before finishing him off with the Camel Clutch to end things. This would end up being Khoury's last ever televised match and, according to Cagematch, his last match for 6 years. Not exactly a great way to go out. (1.5/5)

Io Shirai (IYO SKY) vs. Meiko Satomura (12/23/2015, STARDOM): I had Io Shirai at #63 on my Greatest Wrestler Ever list without having seen much of her pre-WWE work and Satomura did not make my list at all (as I had not watched 20 of her matches by the time I cast my ballot). They begin with a basic test-of-strength lock-up, trading wristlocks and doing some intense grappling and basic takedowns. Shirai hits her with some stiff slaps but Satomura takes control with an ankle lock and then some knees to the midsection and a LeBell Lock. Shirai gets to the ropes, gets some strikes, but then gets kicked with a brutal kick to the head that sends her to the outside, dazed. Shirai can barely make it back into the ring but rolls in, only to get suplexed and hit with some axehandles to the back and another hard kick. Shirai takes a wild bump off of a forearm but ducks a clothesline, flips, and then hits a shotgun dropkick. Suicide dive to the floor by Shirai! Wow. They make their way into the stands and up the arena stairs and Satomura regains control, hitting Shirai with a stiff kick to the chest and then another! Satomura goes for a DVD but Shirai flips out of it and nails her with a kick of her own and then another that sends her down some stairs. Shirai climbs onto a ledge and, with the crowd going wild, delivers a moonsault onto Satomorua, who is standing on the top stair. That could've been seriously ugly, but Shirai landed on her feet. Shirai brings her back ringside and rolls her into the ring and then hits a beautiful springboard shotgun dropkick and then a 619. She tries for another springboard but Satomura surprises her with an uppercut and Shirai takes a nasty fall to the outside. Shirai ends up on the apron, eats a forearm, but grabs Satomura's leg and wrenches it on the middle rope. Another springboard shotgun dropkick from Shirai sends Satomura to the floor, but she fights back once again. Big German Suplex on the floor by Satomura! Damn. Shirai's selling is brilliant at first, but I always hate when someone springs up at 19 to roll in. Back in the ring, Satomura maintains control with some awesome kicks but can't get a 3 count. Shirai cries out in agony in the corner and Satomura hits her with another kick and, soon after locks her up in an STF. Io tries for the ropes but Satomura rolls over. Unfortunately, this brings her towards the other side of the ring and Meiko has to break the hold. Satomura hits some more kicks and then tries to bring Shirai up, but Io dead-weights her. Io manages to get in some shots but Meiko puts her down once more. Io fires up and delivers a forearm but Meiko returns fire. They trade forearms, Io ducks a kick, hits an uppercut, and then delivers a straightjacket suplex for 2! Another big kick from Meiko off the ropes and then a back handspring knee drop by Satomura. It only gets 2, though! Satomura tries for a DVD but Shirai resists and counters it with a piledriver for 2.5! Running double knees in the corner! Stalling shotgun dropkick to a seated Satomura! That looked awesome. Shirai maintained control for a little bit with a submission but superplexed when she went to the top, leading to what is called "the double down" in match layout parlance. Shirai delivered some slaps and strikes but got hit with another kick and then yet another! Big back suplex by Satomura for 2.7! Satomura followed it up with a sleeper on the mat and Shirai looked like she was on the brink of passing out. Satomura switched it up into a unique triangle choke-like submission, using Shirai's own arm to choke her out, but Shirai somehow managed to roll over and get her leg on the bottom rope to force the break. Satomura got up first and nailed her with another series of kicks, but Shirai showed incredible fighting spirit, staying on her feet until an uppercut sent her down. Satomura went for the DVD once more but Shirai countered it into a rolling German Suplex! Damn! 1...2...kickout at 2.8! Shirai walked over her and went back to the top for a moonsault but Satomura got her feet up! Shirai blocked a kick but ate a Pele soon after! DVD by Satomura! 1...2...kickout at 2.8! Satomura hits another one, but sintead of going for the cover, she tries for another and Shirai escapes! Shirai with another German Suplex and then she makes her way to the top. Big elbow drop by Shirai! She pulls her closer and hits the moonsault this time! 1...2...3! Wow. The match wasn't perfect - mostly due to some of the sudden shifts by Shirai, who was selling brilliantly at certain times but then, at other times, would spring to life with full energy - but there was some many excellent moments that this match is impossible not to enjoy. I can definitely see why some fans, especially fans of "modern wrestling," would consider this to be one of the best matches ever. (4/5)

Terry Funk vs. Eddie Gilbert (11/14/1992, WWA): This Texas Death match took place in a sparsely-attended high school gym and was shot rather poorly via "fan cam."  There's no commentary but there's none necessary with these two wasting little time before fighting dirty, swinging chairs and brawling in the crowd. The rules of the match are a bit bizarre with the referee not beginning his 10-count until after a wrestler has already been down for 30 seconds, which works against any suspense they try to build. Gilbert controls early, putting Funk down with a piledriver for an initial "30 count" and then pinning him soon after (which doesn't end the match). They end up in the crowd and, because the production is so amateur, you miss a ton of the action, a recurring problem even when they're in the ring. Funk ends up lying on a table as Gilbert stomps on him, stepping on his throat at one point. Funk fires up, headbutts Gilbert out of the ring, and then hits him with a chair. They brawl up in the stands with Gilbert busted open by this point. Funk stalks Gilbert as he goes all the way to the top of the bleachers. He hoists him up for a bodyslam but drops him rather gingerly. Gilbert rolls all the way down to the floor as the ref makes the count. Gilbert is a bloody mess by this point and it only takes one right hand from Funk to send him back onto the floor. Gilbert's bumping and selling veers into comedy territory from here, but its not not entertaining. Funk applies a toehold, the first legitimate wrestling hold of the match. Credit to Gilbert and Funk for working a Deathmatch the right way. Gilbert sells the pain in the middle of the ring while Funk heads back out of the ring to attack Gilbert's manager (I think? The camera doesn't capture it). Funk goes back to work on Gilbert's ankle, really torturing "Hot Stuff," but Gilbert manages to make it to the ropes. Funk gets a 3-count and then slaps Gilbert around, which only seems to wake him up a little. Gilbert loads up a handful of salt and tosses it into Funk's face, which buys him some time and allows him to grab a chair. He slams it over Funk's head but the Funker doesn't stay down and Gilbert barely even gets an initial 3-count on him. A doctor (Brian Hildebrand) comes into the ring to check on Funk but ends up tossed out of the ring. The doctor comes back in and attacks Gilbert, but Hot Stuff is barely affected and they all end up back on the floor. Gilbert uses a beer can as a weapon for a bit and then a microphone cord. The next stretch is built around some busted furniture and, again, Gilbert's over-dramatic selling takes center stage. They once again go into the crowd and, again, the camera misses out on a bunch of the action. Both guys sell exhaustion on the floor as the match nears the 30 minute mark. They roll back into the ring and Gilbert slams Funk's head into a wooden board. The doctor comes in with the branding iron but ends up getting beaten down with it. Gilbert nails Funk in the head with it and Funk rolls back to the outside. Gilbert drives a chair into his throat and then punches out the ref before hitting Funk with even more right hands. The Funker strikes back and sends Gilbert into the wall. The match doesn't end as much as it just peters out with Funk in the stands and Gilbert seemingly disappearing backstage. This wasn't great, but there were some fun parts and both Gilbert and Funk's selling is top notch. This does not get as extreme/hardcore as I would've hoped, though Gilbert does bleed a gusher. I'm not sure why or how Meltzer gave this 5 stars in The Observer aside from just being a huge Funk/Gilbert Mark. (2.5/5)

Terry Funk vs. Wahoo McDaniel (07/01/1981, Houston Wrestling) / Gino Hernandez vs. Wahoo McDaniel (07/01/1981, Houston Wrestling) : Funk attacks Wahoo as soon as he gets in the ring, tearing up his headdress for extra heat. Funk sends Wahoo into the guardrail and then hits him with a chair before stomping him from the apron. Wahoo grabs hold of his foot and nails him with a chop. Funk delivers a piledriver back in the ring but only gets 2. He follows it up with some punches and an elbow drop but Wahoo fights back and scores a pinfall with a roll-up! What?!? Gino Hernandez comes in and attacks Wahoo, stomping him on the mat. Hernandez nails him with a chair and sends him face-first into the post. Wahoo eventually manages to get into the ring, but he's been busted open. Hernandez stomps on him so more and gets a 2 count. Hernandez keeps connecting with big right hands and sharp elbows, but Wahoo brings him down with a headlock takeover. Gino continues to control things with punches and elbows and then applies a tight headlock on the mat. He gets another 2 count but Wahoo gets a shoulder up. Gino drops some knees and reapplies the headlock. Wahoo slips out and gets in a wristlock and then drops a knee onto Gino's arm. Wahoo gets in some body blows and a huge chop that sends Gino to the mat. Wahoo hits some more body blows and then sends Gino into the corner and over the top to the floor! Great bump by Gino there. Gino follows him to the floor and sends him into the post. Gino staggers around the ring and they trade some blows but Hernandez nails him with a chair! Hernandez is now a bloody mess as he gets suplexed back into the ring. Wahoo gets 2 as Gino gets his foot on the ropes. Gino's selling is excellent here as he looks totally out on his feet. Wahoo delivers a double-underhook suplex but Gino kicks out at 2 again and then rolls out to the floor. Gino climbs back in and head butts Wahoo's midsection. He hits a vertical suplex of his own and then goes to the top rope for a big falling elbow drop for 2. Wahoo ducks an elbow off the ropes and hits another big chop. He goes for a shoulder block in the corner but Gino dodges it and you can practically see the ring shift. Gino comes off the top but gets hit with another chop! Inside cradle by Wahoo and he gets the win! Lumped together, this was a solid 15 minutes of action or so, even if I wouldn't consider the first match as being all that special. For what they were, both matches told "complete" stories despite their brevity and made Wahoo look awesome. I'm going to add more Gino Hernandez matches to my watchlist because he was really good in this. (2/5) (3/5)

Random Matches

Terry Funk vs. Dustin Rhodes (03/11/1989, PWF): I found this one on YouTube and had to look it up on Cagematch to discover what "PWF" was - a short-lived Tampa "territory" owned by Dusty Rhodes, Steve Keirn, and Mike Graham (essentially the successor promotion to Florida Championship Wrestling). Anyway, Terry Funk in 1989 was awesome. He is accompanied to the ring by Oliver Humperdink. Before the match begins, Funk goes into the audience and argues with a fan and then breaks up a pro-Dusty Rhodes sign (and stomps on the guy who was carrying it!). Awesome. Dustin dropkicks Humperdink as soon as he gets in the ring, sending him to the floor in a crowd-pleasing move! In comes Funk, looking mean as hell, and the two men lock up. Funk throws some chops and sends Dustin into the ropes and then out of the ring. Funk brings him back into the ring with a suplex and then gives him a basic piledriver for 2. Dustin kicks out with such force that Funk goes flying out of the ring. Funk comes in and maintains control with a headbutt and then some rights and lefts. Rhodes counters by whipping him into the corner and Funk bumps over the top rope and onto the floor! Wow. I think there's an awkward cut but, regardless, when we return to the action, Funk is back in control. Rhodes tries an inside cradle but Funk kicks out and hits him with a sharp elbow before sending him back to the floor. Funk sends him face-first into the table and Dustin takes it beautifully, doing a blade job on the floor to sell it. Funk breaks the count and then comes back out but Dustin is heated now and sends Funk into the table and then dishes out some more punishment in the ring. Dustin's back elbow off the ropes isn't pretty and only gets him a 2 count. Scoop slam by Dustin and then another and then a snap suplex and a fist drop. Dustin hits him with a series of right hands and Funk goes flopping to the outside through the middle rope. Funk climbs to the apron and Dustin hits him with another series of fists and elbows before running him face-first into the post. Brilliant selling by Funk as he stumbles to the floor. Funk comes back with some strikes of his own and then makes his way into the ring. He unwraps the tape around his fist and uses it to try to choke Dustin out, bringing him all the way to the mat. Humperdink gets on the apron to allow Funk to do even more choking as the ref tries to get him to get back down. Funk delivers another headbutt and then another before tossing Rhodes back to the outside. Funk inexplicably tries to climb out of the ring over the top rope, leaving himself vulnerable to be shaken up-and-down on the top rope for a bit of a comedy spot. Dustin comes in and hits a back body drop but only gets a 1 count. Elbow off the ropes by Dustin and then an elbow drop, but Humperdink stops the count! Rhodes wails on him before he can escape but Funk then wraps a chain around Dustin's ankle and pulls him over to the ropes. The referee calls for a DQ but Rhodes is stuck, the chain around his ankle being held by Humperdink. Funk batters his knee with some seriously wicked chair shots! So cool. Some babyfaces - is that the Nasty Boys? - run out to prevent Funk from doing any more damage. That was really good stuff. Terrific performances by Funk and a very young Dustin Rhodes, hot crowd, this was a hoot. (3.5/5)

El Hijo Del Santo vs. Psicosis (02/16/1994, AAA): This was for Santo's WWA World Welterweight Championship, a title I don't know much of anything about, and was a 2-out-of-3 falls match. I'm a bigger Psicosis fan at this point than I am a Santo fan, which is a statement that I'll knowingly admit exposes my lack of appreciation and understanding of lucha libre as Santo is considered a legend in the genre (while Psicosis is more well-known in the US due to his run in WCW). The first fall happens pretty quick with Santo hitting an electric chair from the corner. Psicosis gets the second fall (I don't remember quite how) to tie things up before the third - and easily the best - fall of the match. At this point, the match feels much more heated and both guys start busting out more "high stakes" offense and working a faster pace. The finish is a bit messy and cheap, though, as Santo tumbles into the referee (Tirantes, who I've learned was often used as the "heel ref") and, despite covering Psicosis for the visual pin, gets disqualified. As titles can change hands by DQ in AAA (I think?), Psicosis wins the title too. Over on ProWrestlingOnly, I was a little surprised to read quite a few match reviews as this didn't strike me as a remarkable match worthy of much discussion. That seems to be the general consensus over there too as most reviewers felt like it didn't really "click" and Santo and Psicosis didn't have the kind of chemistry one would've hoped for with Santo being a more scientific worker and Psicosis shining in shorter, more spot-heavy contests. (2.5/5)

Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. Shinigami (07/16/1997, WDF): I'd seen very little Fujiwara and no Shinigami before this match. Shinigami is described as a "Japanese Fake Undertaker" in the lone review of this match on ProWrestlingOnly. Over at Cagematch, there's also only a single review of this match and it basically just gives credit to Shinigami for even attempting to keep up with Fujiwara, a legendary, straight-forward grappler who seems to be treating this match like a "rib" to some degree, going through the motions to make Shinigami look strong at times, but also very clearly unfazed by his opponent's far-from-realistic offense and presentation (Shinigami's work revolves around a dreaded "claw" submission). Not bad, but not good. I'm glad I watched this to learn about yet another small Japanese promotion I'd never heard of before - Wrestle Yume Factory, which translates into Wrestle Dream Factory. (2/5)

Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito (04/06/2019, NJPW): A "Holy Shit" chant breaks out before Naito and Ibushi even lock up, which shows how amped the Madison Square Garden crowd was for this. They start things with a fun, super fluid sequence before Ibushi gets some sustained offense in and Naito has to regroup outside. Naito hits a dropkick that puts Ibushi on the floor and then sends him into the barricade (and a stagehand). Naito does it again and then puts him into the front row. Naito gets into the ring, but Ibushi breaks the count. Naito hits a stiff back below and then a beautiful combination of trips and kicks in the corner. A neckbreaker gets him 2 and Naito keeps the pressure on but eventually gets halted by an Ibushi dropkick. Some dueling chants follow. Ibushi hits a flurry of strikes and kicks and then a standing moonsault for 2. He goes for a German Suplex but can't get it. Naito pops him up and over into the turnbuckle and then a running flying boot for 2. Ibushi's selling could be considered overdramatic if Naito's offense didn't look so terrific. Naito hits a devastating pair of reverse DDTs into his knee, a move I've never seen before and is totally sick. They go up top and Naito goes for a headscissors but Ibushi slips through and delivers a Pele Kick that puts Naito onto the apron. Ibushi hoists him up in a waist lock, lifts him off his feet, but then gets pulled onto the apron himself. Hurricanrana off the apron to the floor by Ibushi! Wow. He follows it up with a double stomp for 2 back in the ring, but Naito comes out with an excellent tornado DDT a minute later to even things up. Naito gets him up to the top rope for a hurricanrana and then hits a move known as Gloria, which is a ridiculous hammerlock into a side slam. He only gets 2 for it, though, and misses a forearm off the ropes soon after, allowing Ibushi to hit a huge clothesline. Ibushi delivers some stiff kicks to the back that send him back onto the apron. Ibushi brings him back into the ring with a crazy deadlift German suplex! Holy cow. That looked like it could've paralyzed Naito. Somehow it only gets 2. Ibushi hits a straightjacket German suplex for another 2 count and goes for his finisher but Naito counters. They each go for ridiculously risky piledrivers and sort of "stumble" into one in which Ibushi lands incredibly awkwardly on his neck. Its hard to watch, especially knowing Ibushi's injuries today. Somehow Ibushi kicks out, though, and both men struggle to get to their feet. On their knees, Ibushi and Naito trade forearms, working their way back to their feet. Naito spits in Ibushi's face, kicks him in the midsection, than delivers a nasty kick to the face! Damn. Ibushi comes back with a huge palm strike! Reverse-rana by Naito and then the Destino! 1...2...Ibushi kicks out! He goes for another one but Ibushi counters it and then clocks him with a kick to the head. Ibushi hits two running knees (after a little bit of a Nakamura impression)! He attempts a Last Ride but Naito hits him with some punches and Ibushi has to settle for a sit-out powerbomb! Kamigoye by Ibushi! New IWGP Intercontinental Champion! This was very, very good, though parts of it were hard to watch because of how risky and dangerous some of the spots were. Then again, it was undeniably entertaining and one has to respect how far they were willing to go to deliver an unforgettable match. (4/5)

Will Ospreay vs. Mark Davis (06/03/2026, AEW): This was part of the 2026 Owen Hart Tournament and was the main event of a Dynamite episode. Ospreay started out strong with a head scissors and some punches in the corner. Davis cut him off with a body slam but ate an enzigiuri. Davis came back with a back body drop and a senton. He applied an abdominal stretch as the crowd rallied behind Ospreay, who broke out with some punches and then hit the handstand flip kick. Ospreay's forearm from the top got 2. Ospreay delivered an armbreaker and then a dropkick off the ropes that sent Davis to the floor. Ospreay went for a pescado but Davis moved so he dropped to the floor. Davis whipped him into the barricade and then attempted a powerbomb but Ospreay climbed to the top, seemingly wanting a moonsault. Again Davis walked away but Ospreay chased him down and hit a hurricanrana on the floor. Ospreay rammed Davis' head into the desk and called for a Tornado DDT but got turned inside out with a release suplex onto the top of the table. Cool. Davis followed it up with some forearms on the floor and then an awesome hip attack in the corner against the barricade! That looked brutal. Davis rolled Ospreay into the ring and hoisted him up to the top rope for a super stiff superplex. Davis played to the crowd instead of putting on a legit cover and then applied a simple headlock. Ospreay got to his feet and fought out but got cut-off with another back elbow and a body slam. He went for a senton but Ospreay saw it coming and got his knees up, only for Davis to slug him with a big right hand to the chin. Ospreay tried some chops and then some right hands but again got cut off by a simple knee to the gut and then a beautiful running fist in the corner straight to Ospreay's chin. Davis hit another forearm to the chin but Ospreay used the ropes to climb to his feet in the corner. Davis beat him down once more and then guerilla press slammed him halfway across the rings off the top rope! That was cool. Davis got another near falls soon after and then delivered some brilliant chops that knocked Ospreay to the mat. Ospreay fired up, though, taking some heavy, heavy blows but staying on his feet and responding with forearms of his own and then a kip-up and another enzigiuri! Kawada Kicks by Ospreay! Superkick to the face! Pele Kick! Both men were out but Ospreay got to his feet first and called for the Hidden Blade. Davis met him with a clothesline but Ospreay caught him with a series of kicks and then the flying spinning guillotine kick for 2! Ospreay hit a German suplex for another nearfall as the crowd broke into a "This Is Awesome" chant. Davis stumbled around and grabbed the top rope, which Ospreay caught with a stomp. Ospreay applied the juji-gatame (armbar) but Davis powered out of it and turned it into a powerbomb! He then lifted Ospreay up by his legs and dropped him with a piledriver! Holy cow. That was nasty. 1...2...kick out by Ospreay! Ospreay rolls under the bottom rope and goes to the apron, blocks a piledriver, goes for one of his own, can't get it and hits some Kawada Kicks before getting clotheslined back into the ring. Davis went for a piledriver once more but Ospreay countered it into a hurricanrana off the apron and onto the floor. Ospreay got back into the ring first and hit Davis with an out-of-nowhere dropkick as he was getting back in the ring! Styles Clash! 1...2...kick out by Davis! Ospreay went for the Cutter but Davis blocked it. Davis accidentally hits the ref with an enzigiuri! Ospreay hits the Hidden Blade but there's no ref to make the count...1....2....3.....4...in comes Baretta and El Clon of the Don Callis Family! Garcia and Yuta make the save! Lance Archer runs out and takes them out with a crossbody, but here comes Castignoli! Brian Cage is in the ring and hits the F-5 but PAC comes in to take him out. Davis flips PAC out of the ring but Ospreay hits the Oscutter! 1...2...but Jake Doyle pulls the ref out of the ring! Doyle takes Ospreay out...but then Marina Shafir jumps on his back! Doyle slams her down but Moxley shows up and takes him out with a Paradigm Shift and then a double clothesline with Shafir. PAC comes flying off the top to the floor, taking everyone out! Ospreay applies a double underhook onto Davis but Fletcher shows up and delivers a nasty half-and-half dragon suplex! Fletcher pulls out the screwdriver....but Takeshita pulls him out of the ring! Takeshita and Fletcher duke it out on the floor! Davis has the screwdriver but Ospreay knocks it out of his hand with a Hidden Blade and then hits one dead-on to the face! 1....2.....3.....4...still no ref! Remsburg shows up to make hthe count be he's too late! Ospreay tries for another Hidden Blade but Davis counters it into a jumping piledriver! 1...2...Ospreay kicks out! Davis comes off the ropes but Ospreay does some flying and manages to catch him in the juji-gatame! Davis taps! Wow. The last few minutes of this match were ridiculous and (arguably) overbooked, but this almost had Attitude Era vibes to it with the feel-good ending after countless run-ins and appearances that make me fairly excited for what I assume will be the inevitable Don Callis Family/Death Riders Blood and Guts match this summer. (3.5/5)

Devil Masami vs. Itsuki Yamazaki (05/16/1985, AJW): After a quick handshake, Yamazaki hits a crossbody and then a sloppy springboard splash to the outside, taking the fight right to Masami. She sends her into the table and comes back into the ring, still fired up. Masami can't even get in the ring before Yamazaki is stomping on her, forcing Masami to pull her back to the floor and send her into the table. Bodyslam on the table by Masami and then a choke! Masami pulls her backonto the apron and suplexes her into the ring for a 1 count as Yamazaki bridges out. Perfect back suplex by Masami and then an eye take across the top rope. Masami claws at her eyes on the mat in full control. Masami shows off her strength with an impressive guerilla press slam and then a powerbomb that looks like it could've paralyzed Yamazaki. It only gets 2, though, and Yamazaki gets in a hope spot out of the corner with a sunset flip for a nearfall of her own. Masami tries for a powerbomb but Yamazaki rolls her up again for another 2. Masami hits a backbreaker, still full of confidence, but Yamazaki rolls onto her stomach to prevent a pin attempt. Masami pulls on her hair and then applies a surfboard (loved the struggle there as Yamazaki's second [I'm guessing Noriyo Tateno, the other half of the Jumbing Bomb Angels] tried to pull her to the ropes). Yamazaki rolls to the floor, selling the damage, and then eats an electric chair when she gets back in the ring. Yamazaki gets a second wind, though, and hits a dropkick and then a crossbody off the top for 2! Sunset flip off the top...1....2...kickout! A sit-out powerbomb by Masami cuts off her flurry of offense and Masami follows it up with a double underhook backbreaker. Damn! Masami sends her to the ropes and is met by a crossbody. Yamazaki delivers a piledriver, but Masami gets her foot on the rope! Yamazaki misses on a senton from the top and Masami hits an impressive high-bridge German suplex to finish her off. That was really good, though Yamazaki was a bit sloppy at times. Masami was excellent, though. Maybe not "must see" - and the post-match hug/celebration is a bit weird considering how vicious the battle was and how much pleasure it seems Masami took in hurting her opponent - but firmly above-average and recommended viewing for those wondering why 80s/90s joshi has a reputation for being ahead of its time. (3.5/5)

Bandido vs. Konosuke Takeshita (07/11/2025, ROH): This match was for Bandido's ROH World Championship and comes from the year's Supercard of Honor PPV. Some slow trading of holds to start built around a Takeshita wristlock with some flashy counters and escapes by Bandido. A headscissors followed-up by a dropkick gave Bandido his first bit of real offense. Takeshita came back with a forearm before they locked up in a test-of-strength. Bandido applied a nifty headscissors, bringing Takeshita to the mat and eventually hitting him with a double stomp. Bandido went for a spear in the corner but ate the post and Takeshita followed it up by tossing him into again (causing the champ to stumble to the floor). Takeshita sends him elbow first into the post, but it only gets 2. Takeshita maintains the pressure with an armbar but Bandido reaches the ropes with his feet to break it up. Takeshita reapplied the armbar moments later and then tried for some joint manipulation. Despite Bandido reaching the ropes again, Takeshita kept hold of his arm and brought him to his feet. Bandido hit a big boot and then a spinning splash from the top and a dragonscrew, shifting the momentum a bit. Bandido hit a Code Red but only got 2. He hit a big boot in the corner but Takeshita hit one of his own and then hit the Blue Thunder Bomb for another near fall. Takeshita went for the running knee but Bandido side-stepped and caught him with a bicycle kick off the ropes. Bandido went for his finish but Takeshita kept hold of the ropes. Onto the apron Bandido went, but he got nailed by a forearm that brought him down. Takeshita went to rip off the mask but couldn't tear it off Bandido's face as Don Callis made his way down to ringside. Takeshita grabbed a chair but didn't connect on his chairshot. Bandido went for a dive to the floor but ran into the chair (a spot that didn't look as great/vicious as it could've/should've). Callis got a boot in behind the ref's back as the ref checked on Bandido's cut forehead. Takeshita brought him up the ramp for some fists and then a brainbuster. As Takeshita would not win the title on a count-out, I'm not sure I understood the psychology there. (even the commentators noted the lack of forethought). Bandido made his way back to the ring only to be met by more right hands from Takeshita and even some biting in the corner. Takeshita applied a headlock but Bandido fought out of it. Both men attempted suplexes but couldn't pull them off. Takeshita went back to working on the arm but Bandido slapped the heck out of him and powered him up for a big not-so-snappy snap suplex. Big boot in the corner by Bandido! Poisonrana after a failed big boot by Takeshita! Bandido with a huge somersault senton to the floor! Up to the top he went for a frog splash, but it only got him 2. Front leg sweep into the buckle by Bandido, but Takeshita caught him and prevented him from capitalizing. Things seemed to get a bit sloppy when Bandido attempted something off the floor, but he eventually landed an Angel's Wings for another nearfall. Bandido held onto the underhook and applied a Cattle Mutilation but Takeshita rolled over. Bandido turned it into a cradle for 2. Callis drew heat on the floor as Takeshita and Bandido traded blows in the ring leading to a double-down after both men connected with flying clotheslines. They traded strikes with most of Bandido's getting no-sold, but Bandido eventually caught him with a huge spinning backhand and both men fell to their knees on the mat out of exhaustion. Bandido went for his finish but Takeshita flipped out of it! Takeshita tried one of his own but the same thing happened! Bandido with a reverse GTS! He hit his finish...1....2...kickout at 2.5! Clothesline in the corner by Bandido! They go up to the top rope and Bandido muscles him over with a huge fallaway slam off the top for another nearfall. Bandido went up top again and went for a 7 Year Itch but Takeshita got his knees up. Takeshita almost won on a counter to a hurricanrana but then ate an enzigiuri right after. Bandido exposed his knee and went for another reverse GTS, catching Takeshita in the midsection. Bandido was too exhausted to capitalize, though, allowing Takeshita to counter his finisher attempt into his signature tombostone-into-a-wheelbarrow slam. Takeshita hit the V-Trigger but didn't quite get all of it and Bandido kicked out at 1! He hit a big forearm and went for a spinning brainbuster but Bandido countered it into a roll-up for the sneaky win! This match has a massive 9.43 rating on Cagematch, but I was considerably less into it. There were some outright sloppy moments and the finishing stretch - heavy on false finishes and kickouts - betrayed the hard work they did selling their exhaustion and the cumulative damage of the match itself. Good, but not nearly as great as the votes on Cagematch will have you believe. (3/5)

Richard Slinger and Johnny Ace vs. Toshiaki Kawada and Yoshinari Ogawa (08/26/1995, AJPW): We pick up the match in media res (is that the phrase) with Ogawa in the ring with (I believe) Richard Slinger. He makes the tag to Kawada, who gets in some kicks that lead to a tag in to Johnny Ace. Ace takes control and hits a big clothesline off the top rope at one point. Big boot by Ace to Ogawa! Powerbomb by Kawada! Kawada slows things down a bit with a submission before tagging in Ogawa, who hits a double stomp from the top. Ace runs into a boot in the corner, Ogawa goes for a splash but gets caught, he turns it into a cradle but then gets clotheslined after the kickout. In comes Slinger, but he eats a swinging neckbreaker and an awesome side suplex. Ogawa tags in Kawada - running boot but Slinger hits a pair of his own! Enziguiri by Kawada! Nasty lariat by Kawada but it only gets 2. Kawada applies the Stretch Plum as Ace and Ogawa duke it out on the outside.  Ace breaks up the submission with a boot to Kawada and then a striaght-up Stunner. Both men make the tag and Ogawa gets in some offense, including a fisherman suplex for 2. He goes for another back suplex but eats a big stunner from Ace. In comes Kawada, who hammers him with elbows. DDT by Ace to cut him off. On the apron they go and Ace hits a Stunner off the apron on Kawada! Powerbombs on the floor by Ace. He barely gets him up and almost drops him on his head, which probably would've cropped him. Ace comes back in and elbow drops Ogawa for 2. Ace hits a very awkward-looking Pedigree on Ogawa to end the match. Kawada and Ogawa were great in this - as usual - while Johnny Ace, despite delivering some moves that would soon become among the most well-known finishers in US wrestling history, looked almost unsafe at times with his sloppy execution. Of course, in AJPW, that was almost seen as a good thing. A fun watch, though there were some cringey moments. (3/5)

Stan Hansen vs. Mitsuharu Misawa (08/30/1992, AJPW): Coming into this match, Stan Hansen had quite an assortment of gold - the Triple Crown, in fact. Once they clear the streamers, Hansen and Misawa start things up with a lock-up and then some immediate strikes leading to a Hansen wristlock and then a hammerlock. Hansen targets Misawa's left arm with some stomps and then reapplies the wristlock. Misawa breaks free by blasting him with a forearm to the side of the head that sends him to the outside to regroup. Misawa applies a headlock and brings Hansen to the mat, wrenching it and then dropping back down onto the mat. Cool. Hansen breaks free and briefly retakes control before Misawa brings him back down with a headlock. Misawa adds a body scissors, trying to put Hansen to sleep but Hansen gets his feet through the ropes and almost all the way to the floor - only for Misawa to roll and pull him back into the center of the ring. I'm not sure of the legality of that, but whatever. He keeps the headlock on as they go to their feet with Hansen trying to back suplex his way out but Misawa continuing to wrench on the side of his head. Hansen grabs a handful of hair and sends Misawa into the post, momentarily breaking the hold - but Misawa locks it in again! Hansen backs him into the corner and delivers some headbutts and then some stuff kicks to the left shoulder/arm. Hansen applies a wristlock but the ref breaks it up because Misawa's in the corner. Hansen applies an armbar and brings Misawa to the mat, still targeting the left arm/shoulder with his attack. Hansen drops his knee into Misawa's arm repeatedly, but Misawa manages to get to the ropes to break the hold. Misawa rallies with a wristlock of his own, bringing Hansen to the mat. He applies an armbar but Hansen rolls to his side, weakening the grip for a bit. Hansen eventually drops an elbow on Misawa's face to break it up and then brings him towards the apron. He tries an axe kick but doesn't quite get it. Misawa rolls to the inside and Hansen puts the boots to him, even stepping on his head a few times before dropping an elbow to his back. Hansen kicks him in the back repeatedly while he's on the ropes and then tries to pull him to the floor. When Misawa hooks his arm around the bottom rope, Hansen drops an elbow to his arm. He then hoists him up and drops him shoulder-first on the guardrail! Gotta love the focused work here from Stan The Lariat. Hansen breaks the count and puts all his weight on Misawa's neck with his knee before rolling back into the ring. Misawa sells the shoulder injury but is back on his feet, pacing outside. A shoulder block when he's on the apron puts him back on the floor and Hansen drops another series of elbows into Misawa's shoulder. Damn. Sometimes the simple stuff just looks the best. Misawa tries again to get back into the ring but is again tackled on the apron. He hits Hansen with some knees, takes a boot to the shoulder, but still comes over the top with an elbow drop of his own! Misawa is up to his feet first - repeated arm breakers! A Hansen scoop slam and some elbow drops cut him off and get a nearfall. Hansen kicks him hard in the arm a few times and then tries a suplex but Misawa comes back with some kicks of his own and then applies another wristlock and drops an elbow into Hansen's shoulder. Hansen breaks free, delivers a headbutt, and tosses Misawa to the mat. Dropkick by Hansen and it was a doozy! Big football-style shoulder tackle by Hansen! DDT by Hansen! 1...2...kickout by Misawa. Misawa hits a forearm and a spin kick but can't capitalize. He goes for a German Suplex but settles for a forearm into the back of the head and gets a 2 count of his own. Misawa hits a suplex and goes to the top for a flying forearm for another 2 count. Misawa tries a headlock but Hansen snap mares him off. Misawa goes for another, but Hansen fights his way to the bottom rope before he gets choked out. Misawa delivers a snap mare and applies the Stretch Plum. He thinks he has Hansen out so he goes for a cover and gets 2. Senton by Misawa! He goes for the frog splash and misses, though, leading to another Hansen nearfall. They trade strikes, but Hansen wins the exchange with a clubbing blow to the back. Hansen gets 2 and then tries for a piledriver but Misawa breaks free. Hansen hits a powerbomb but doesn't go for the cover, opting instead to grab Misawa by the hair and bring him back up. Bodyslam by Hansen. Hansen takes off the knee pad and drives the knee into Misawa's head! Damn. 1...2...kickout by Misawa! Hansen misses the Lariat as Misawa catches him and tries for a crucifix pin. Lariat drops back and Misawa's shoulder is crushed! Hansen stomps hard on the shoulder and then brings him up for an old school shoulderbreaker. Killer. Armbar by Hansen but Misawa gets his foot on the rope! Hansen holds on for the full 5 before releasing and then grabs Misawa by the wrist once more. He wrenches it but Misawa clocks him with a forearm! Misawa runs into his boot but Misawa hits him with another huge forearm! He can't make the cover...struggling to crawl over to Hansen...he rolls him over...1....2....3! He got him! Hansen almost no sells it, though, getting up on his feet before Misawa. He was "knocked out" by the forearm for the exact 10 seconds it took but then got right to his feet? If you're going to do that, you should kick out at 3.1. This just looked like Hansen "going into business for himself" and undersold the moment entirely after what was a really, really good, intense match that told a simple, straight-forward story exceptionally well. Misawa winning the Triple Crown is obviously a huge moment and gets a massive reaction, but Hansen's shitty decision/behavior immediately after the pin prevents this from being the all-timer that it could've been for me. Maybe Hansen was upset about Misawa "milking" the pin instead of making the cover right away? (3.5/5)

Rick Rude vs. The Missing Link (02/12/1986, WCCW): This might be the first Missing Link I've ever seen and maybe the first Rude match I've watched from WCCW. He was the World Heavyweight Champion at the time and was managed by Percy Pringle (Paul Bearer with bleached blonde hair), while the Missing Link had Sunshine in his corner. The Link is very odd, bouncing around the ring. His offense is less than rudimentary. Rude is terrific in terms of facial expressions, but his offense isn't much better - punches, elbows to the back, a headlock, and a front-leg sweep (which doesn't look too great). Interference from Pringle eventually leads to Sunshine getting involved and Pringle getting his comeuppance, but Rude escapes to the outside and the match ends in essentially a non-finish. Standard filler match with Rude wrestling against someone who was "all look." Hmm...I wonder if that skill would come in handy when he went to the WWE? (2/5)

Chigusa Nagayo vs. Shark Tsuchiya (11/03/1995, GAEA): Tschuiya delivers a powerbomb through a table to start the match and thensteps away to allow her cronies to nail Nagayo with repeated whacks from a large barbwire-wrapped kendo stick. The footage is a bit grainy, but it looks like one of the other heels might be Mayumi Ozaki? Nagayo takes more shots from the kendo stick before getting sent to the outside and struck again. Up the stands they go, where Tsuchiya continues her attack and we see that Nagayo has been opened up on her forehead. Tsuchiya heads back towards the ring with her gang in tow, one of whom is pulling Nagayo behind her by her hair. Once she's back in the ring, she gets whipped into Another kendo stick shot to the gut before Tsuchiya applies a rear choke. Nagayo gets in a hope spot with a heel kick off the ropes and then delivers another right on the money! One of Shark's seconds breaks off her momentum but then inadvertently strikes her with the kendo stick! Release Razor's Edge Bomb by Nagayo! Nagayo chokes out one of Tsuchiya's allies and then hits her with the kendo stick to the head! They go out into the stands and she drops a table on her! She grabs a chair and hits her in the back. Back in the ring, she applies a headlock. Tsuchiya manages to get to her feet and tries to back up into the corner but Nagayo prevents it. One of her henchmen dropkicks Tsuchiya though, sending Nagayo back-first right into the post - which I now see is also wrapped in barbwire. Tsuchiya charges her into it once more but Nagayo comes back with a series of stiff kicks. She goes for the cover but barely gets 1. Nagayo goes After the henchmen but leaves herself vulnerable to an attack from Tsuchiya. Up to the top they go - superplex by Nagayo and another nearfall gets broken up by a kendo stick strike. The henchwomen wraps something around Nagayo's stomach and Tsuchiya nails her with a huge clothesline. Spinning heel kick off the ropes by Nagayo! Big clotheslines from Nagayo to the heel's assistants! The numbers game is too much, though, and Tsuchiya lands a big back suplex for 2. Tsuchiya whips her with the large, metal "rope" that she had had wrapped around her. The heels bring in even more barbwire and Tsuchiya delivers a not-so-great reverse powerbomb into it. Nagayo has barbwire stuck in her gear but pulls it off. Powerbomb by Tsuchiya into the metal/barbwire "rope"! Damn. Nagayo looks completely done and Tsuchiya basically just watches her writhe in pain as she undoes her boots. Either the ref or Nagayo's second ends the match at this point, Tsuchiya winning by ref stoppage. Plenty violent. I dug this. (3.5/5)

AJ Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki (08/01/2014, NJPW): I went into this match "cold," not knowing that it won the Observer's Match of the Year Award for 2014. I'd have to check my own database to see if there's anything else that year that I thought was truly excellent because this match absolutely ruled and might even stand as one of the best Styles' matches I've ever seen - and I'm a fairly big fan of the guy. This is probably my favorite Suzuki match, though I've seen comparatively much less of his work. The "Murder Grandpa" has been a treat to watch in AEW but he, like AJ, was even better back then (and this is still a few years beyond his agreed-upon peak). The strikes were hard-hitting and brutal. I loved all the various counters and cut-offs. The run-ins involving the Bullet Club and Suzuki-Gun (I spotted Lance Archer and I think Taka Michinoku, but I'm not positive and not very knowledgeable about any of this) didn't distract too much, but, along with a few moments when it felt like AJ was "giving away" his arm or leg to Suzuki, kept this from being an absolutely perfect masterpiece. Unfortunately, the version of this match I watched had the final minute or so trimmed off, but you can find the finish fairly easily online. Terrific, terrific match. (4.5/5)