Random Matches

 

Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis vs. Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin (08/27/2022, TNA/Impact): Something of a "dream match" but not really as it never really gets to that "epic" level that one might expect from an Aussie Open/Motor City Machine Guns match. The way Fletcher and Davis switch off on a vertical suplex is a bit too cutesy for me, but there was more than enough good action to offset it. The commercial break meant that we missed some of the "meat" of the match, which took me out of things a bit. Both teams wrestled with the intensity that the stakes - a shot at the Impact Tag Team Championships - warranted, but whether it was the somewhat abbreviated runtime or just the fact that the two teams didn't have the familiarity necessary to make this as great as one would hope, this match didn't exceed or really even meet my expectation of greatness. (2.5/5)

Akira Hokuto vs. Rumi Kazama (08/25/1993, AJW): Sorta like the last Hokuto match I reviewed in that Hokuto is the big star and Kazama is rep'ing the LLPW and is definitely coming in as the underdog. As per usual, we get the big stiff kicks, the powerbombs, a piledriver, and then eventually a decisive victory once Hokuto hits her finish, the Northern Lights Bomb (which I hate as a name because it implies a powerbomb-type move but is actually more like a scoop slam-brainbuster). I liked the logic and story of Kazama constantly going for submissions to weaken Hokuto's knee, though it certainly isn't revolutionary or anything. After the match, Hokuto calls out Kandori. Solid match, but nothing special. (2.5/5)

Giant Baba and Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Nick Bockwinkel and Blackjack Lanza (12/09/1978, AJPW): More scientific wrestling out of Bockwinkel and Jumbo. After a good, energetic opening, this one lost me once it got to the headlock-fest portion. I liked Baba and Tsuruta going after Lanza's hand in attempt to neutralize the Claw. I'm not a massive fan of 70s wrestling so this didn't really blow my mind or anything, but I can see superfans of any of the four enjoying this for what it was. (2/5)

Manami Toyota and Yoshiko Tamura vs. Rie Tamada and Toshiyo Yamada (08/30/1996, AJW): Not much to this match beyond Manami being Manami - loud selling, good dropkicks, the usual - though I did like Tamada and Yamada as a team (I had to look back to learn that Yamada is someone I've actually seen more matches from, usually as Toyota's partner). For an 11-minute match, they pack a ton of action into this, which makes it typical of the genre (as does the poor refereeing and near-total disregard for things like actually tagging in from the corner and not just stepping into the ring and then making the tag). Inessential viewing, but not bad. (2.5/5)

Akira Hokuto vs. Chigusa Nagayo (03/19/1989, AJW): Hokuto was not yet the star she would become in the 90s, but it's clear that she was special and, though I'm likely reading far too much into the match, it's fun to see Nagayo recognize it in real time as she's forced to up her game to take on a spirited youngster (the two had met in the ring a few times before this when Hokuto wrestled under her real name Hisako Uno). I really liked how Hokuto came out of the gate on attack and the story that unfolded from there as Nagayo turned the tides and then put on a mostly dominant performance. Like some of the other joshi matches from this time, the transitions were a bit jarring and out-of-nowhere; for example, at one point, Nagayo has been working Hokuto's leg and knee mercilessly and then, a moment later, Hokuto applies a Sharpshooter. (3/5)

Nick Bockwinkel vs. Lanny Poffo (09/18/1984, Pro Wrestling USA): Cagematch  has this listed as being from Pro Wrestling USA, a promotion I had to read-up on. It was essentially a joint promotion between the AWA, the NWA, and Continental Wrestling (Jerry Jarrett and Jerry Lawler's Memphis territory), which helps explain Nick Bockwinkel's promos before and after the match. This was pretty much a squash, but Poffo takes a great bump to the floor and does hit a moonsault towards the end - pretty cool for 84' - to give this one some life. This isn't Bockwinkel's finest work, but it is representative of his scientific style and purposeful, deliberate pacing. (2.5/5)

Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo vs. Yukari Omori and Itsuki Yamazaki (11/1984, AJW): This match is labeled as taking place in November 1985, but a commentator corrected it (?) and said it was from 1984, which does make a touch more sense considering the Crush Gals were fairly inactive in 1985. This is your typical Crush Gals match with the crowd going absolutely apeshit for them, a bit of crowd brawling, an airplane spin, and just all-around good action. There are moments in this match that almost seem "sped up" with how fast the work is. There's also some slams that look a bit "loose," which I tend to prefer to everything looking crisp and rehearsed. This might be something of a hidden gem just because I couldn't locate any info about it on Cagematch but if you're a fan of the Crush Gals or even their opponents, who are also great in this, check it out on YouTube. (3/5)

Taka Michinoku and El Desperado vs. Zack Sabre Jr. and Yoshinari Ogawa (05/10/2015, NOAH): Over on Cagematch, this match has only one rating it is a lowly 4 but I liked this considerably more - probably because I'm a bit of a mark for Sabre Jr. and Ogawa these days, both of whom have swiftly become among my favorites to watch. Unlike some of the other tags I've seen from Ogawa and Sabre from a couple years earlier, Zack is much more confident here and busting out a ton more of his signature stuff and Ogawa also seems a bit "looser" here and more eager to bust out things that lean more into the entertainment side of things as opposed to his technical skills. I'm a fan and feel like the match is much more enjoyable because of it compared to a six-man I watched with some of these same workers a few weeks back. Fun match. (3/5)

Swerve Strickland vs. Kenny Omega (03/25/26, AEW): While not quite as good as their match in February, this was still great. I wasn't a huge fan of some of Omega's mannerisms, but, as per usual, his execution offensively and the way he took Strickland's best maneuvers was flawless. Strickland might have had an even better performance overall, selling everything that Omega threw at him brilliantly. This match really did feel like one where Omega was in the driving seat most of the time and while Strickland had some moments when it looked like he might pull out a victory, Omega's win felt earned but also, in a sense, inevitable. It was Omega's "night" just like it was Swerve's in February - though Strickland did have to bend the rules, pulling Aubrey Edwards into things, to get that W - and I'm eager to see the eventual rubber match. (3.5/5)

Yumiko Hotta vs. Aja Kong (07/14/1996, AJW) - Hotta comes out swinging with some kicks and takedown and both women get some shots in on the mat. Kong delivers some knees and kicks and goes for a submission but Hotta gets to the ropes. Hotta goes to the outside for a breather before they lock back up in the middle of the ring. Kong gets a takedown but can't do much with it because Hotta is covering up. Kong starts swinging with big right hands before going for an armbar. Hotta counters it with some strikes of her own and then a series of kicks to the head and back. Kong takes each one defiantly as Hotta hits more and more, eventually getting to her feet and applying a leglock. Kong drops a knee onto Hotta's leg and then applies a half-crab, really wrenching it back. Hotta grabs the ropes but Kong keeps the pressure on, pulling Hotta's leg onto the apron, sending her into the crowd, and then bashing her knee with a chair. She sends her into another pile of chairs and then cracks her with a stiff chairshot to the body! Damn. Kong sends her into another pile of chairs and then slams a metal sheet onto her. I must admit to enjoying seeing Hotta take this much of a beating as she's usually the one dishing out reckless offense in the name of realism. Hotta hobbles her way back into the ring but Kong goes right back to the knee/leg, applying an ankle lock. Hotta grabs the bottom rope to break. Kong continues her attack on the knee, even standing on it at one point. Hotta comes back with a heel kick off the ropes but she gets cut off again. Kong drops her with a body slam and goes to the top rope, hitting a giant splash on Hotta's knee before locking up the leg once more. Hotta hits another rolling kick in the corner and then some sharp kicks to the face. She misses a rolling kick in the corner but connects with one in the middle of the ring for a surprising nearfall. Hotta goes a double underhook powerbomb (?) but Kong is too big and she has to settle for an armbar. Kong gets her foot on the rope to break it up and Hotta attempts the double underhook again. Missed Uraken by Kong but Kong gets an ankle lock instead! Hotta goes to the ropes but Kong hits her with a back suplex. Hotta no-sells it and applies a sleeper, trying to choke the life out of Kong. Kong gets to one knee and eventually to the bottom rope. Hotta goes once more for the double underhook but Kong escapes and goes for a backslide, to which Hotta just lets her fall to the mat and gives her a quick kick to the face. Hotta with another rolling kick but Kong essentially blocks it by turning her back towards her and Hotta is in pain! Kong hoists her up to the top rope only to get knocked off. Hotta tries a kick from the top but misses and Kong grabs her knee once more! Hotta gets to the rope but the damage is clearly becoming too much. Kong goes back up top, Hotta meets her down, and down they come in a heap with Kong on top. Kong applies the leglock but again Hotta gets to the ropes. Kong misses the Uraken when Hotta ducks, but Kong hits her with one from her other hand instead! Damn! Somehow Hotta kicks out! Another Uraken! And then a leglock attempt, but Hotta counters it into an Anaconda Vice (keylock)! Kong taps! I didn't like that the Uraken wasn't sold as the death move it should've been, but the finish did establish Hotta's keylock as an immediate match-ender. Cool match. (3.5/5)

Bull Nakano vs. Akira Hokuto (12/30/1995, AJW): I loved this. Reading up on this, I had no idea that this was one of Nakano's last matches and that she came into it injured because she looks as good as ever here. There are some excellent moments in this - the piledriver on the table, Nakano hitting a front-flip legdrop, some absolutely nasty head drops, it's all so good. My only criticism would be Hokuto's comeback as she goes from "dying" to mounting a spirited comeback in very little time and without much of a transition. Cagematch has this match going close to 18 minutes, but the video on YouTube is somehow only 12, but I didn't catch the clipping. Regardless, this is a blast to watch. (4/5)

Will Ospreay vs. Naomichi Marufuji (09/17/2023, Pro Wrestling NOAH): Marufuji starts things off with a huge chest chop before we get some nifty stand-up grappling that ends with a rope break (and Ospreay covering up his chest to block any further chops). Things pick up as they run the ropes and both men attempt dropkicks. Ospreay goes for a handspring but eats a basement dropkick and Marufuji grabs a wrist and then hits him with another knife-edged chop in the corner. Ospreay ends up sending Marufuji to the floor and then into the guardrail from an Irish whip. Ospreay's delivers some forearms but Marufuji counters with a dropkick, another chop, and then a jumping back elbow. Ospreay ends up on the apron so Marufuji hits him with a cool springboard dropkick and then a spinning crossbody to the floor. Marufuji hits some Kawada Kicks but Ospreay comes back with an insane series of backflips and handstands and then a springboard forearm for 2. Ospreay delivers a few Kawada Kicks and then a nasty chest chop of his own! Marufuji tries some strikes, which don't look too pretty, and Ospreay comes back with a kick of his own and then a ridiculous aerial maneuver to the floor. We get some good work built around the guardrail and the post as Marufuji retakes control. Ospreay hoists him over the top rope, hits him with a superkick, and then delivers a Shooting Star Press for another nearfall. A sitout powerbomb gets him another 2. Ospreay heads to the top rope after a scoop slam but Marufuji rolls away, forcing Ospreay to settle for just a plain ol' awesome dropkick. Ospreay attempts a Stormbreaker on the apron but Marufuji counters it into a Sliced Bread #2 (Shiranui)! Great spot and they actually sell it with Ospreay barely able to beat the count back into the ring (where he's met by a springboard dropkick for 2). Marufuji slaps him around a bit and we get a forearm exchange that includes some absolutely nasty chops from both men. An insane sequence follows as Ospreay looks for the Oscutter but ends up taking a neckbreaker and then another Sliced Bread #2. Ospreay rallies, though, connecting with the Hidden Blade out of nowhere! After a spinning/falling kick, Ospreay connects with the Oscutter but only gets 2. Ospreay goes to the top rope but Marufuji meets him up there and takes him down with a Spanish Fly! Ospreay comes back with a Tiger Driver but it only gets 1! Ospreay hits some big forearms and goes for another Hidden Blade but Marufuji cuts him with a heel kick for 2. After a headbutt and a knee to the head, Marufuji hits a Tiger Tilt-a-Whirl Suplex (no idea what else to call it). We get some more knees and more kicks, but its clear that Marufuji is running out of steam as Ospreay nails a pair of Hidden Blades and then a Stormbreaker Zero for the win. Over on ProWrestlingOnly, the three reviews are loaded with the usual criticisms of this sort of match - that not enough is sold, that it is more an exhibition of athleticism and "callback spots" than a competitive contest, that strike exchanges have become as perfunctory as a collar-and-elbow tie-up, that this is too self-conscious an "epic," a great match-by-recipe not by innovation. While I agree with most of these criticisms, they didn't ruin the match for me and I thought the good outweighed the bad. I liked the story of Marufuji, the veteran, having to sneak in his spots to try to cut-off the younger and more dynamic Ospreay. With Ospreay, instead of a killer instinct, he wrestled and performed like he was in awe of his opponent, living out a fantasized dream match. Was it a bit corny? Sure...but I found it endearing too. Ospreay was clearly "pulling back" in terms of his workrate, but, if anything, that worked to the matches favor by allowing it to flow without an overwhelming number of crazy moves and sequences. Overall, a very good match and showcase of both men's talents. (3.5/5)

Yoshinari Ogawa and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask IV (12/07/2013, Pro Wrestling NOAH): I wouldn't call this a hidden gem, but it's pretty darn good for what it is - a straightforward, heated tag team match featuring at least three superb workers (I'd say four but I can't really speak too much on Tiger Mask IV). Sabre Jr. puts on a very good fired-up babyface performance, while Liger leans into his heelishness. Ogawa plays the face-in-peril for awhile too, a role that he isn't particularly known for (though the beatings he took for Kobashi and Abdullah and Misawa always made him seem a bit sympathetic to me). There's not a ton of high-flying from Liger or Tiger Mask, unsurprising considering their ages at the time, but because all four guys are world-class technical grapplers, the match doesn't feel slow or lazy. Loved Sabre Jr.'s second suicide dive to the floor as he completely threw himself into it. The feel-good ending got a huge response from the crowd. Good match. (3/5)

Mayumi Ozaki vs. Hiromi Yagi (03/03/1996, JWP): Mayumi Ozaki is terrific and vicious in this, though I was also impressed by Yagi's performance. The match goes a tad long but feels like an absolute war. There are great moments sprinkled throughout this match, including some wicked brawling on the outside (especially Yagi's use of a steel chair), but also some not-so-subtle gaps and a bit of a scattershot approach in terms of the layout with lots of limb work that doesn't really go anywhere and some random-but-vicious powerbombs that are beautiful to see but don't play into the finish at all. I really liked Yagi here and am hopeful to see more of her as I make my way through 90s joshi, but the fact that I haven't seen her name brought up as one of the all-time greats in the genre has me wondering if this wasn't her "career match." Good match. (3/5)

Swerve Strickland vs. Ricochet (04/01/2017, The Wrestling Revolver): This match happened on the weekend of WrestleMania, which is alluded to a few times on the commentary (speaking of the commentary, AR Fox joins the team for this match), and was hyped up as something of a dream match despite both guys being really only known to indie wrestling fans. Strickland was not yet the Swerve we know and love today and wrestles a more high-flying/faster-paced style. Ricochet had not yet come to the WWE but had built up his reputation in Lucha Underground and NJPW as one of the best high-flyers in the world. Good mirror work to start the match before we start to see all sorts of ridiculous sequences and counters, which is pretty impressive considering this is their first 1-on-1 match against each other. They load so much into the 18-20 minutes that it can be a bit dizzying and I could see the argument that they do too much and could've told a more character-driven story if they had slowed things down a bit. Of course, in 2017, Ricochet and Swerve didn't yet have the strong characters they have now so it's hard to criticize them going with the explosive, dynamic, non-stop action style that brought them to the dance. (3/5)

"Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Billy Jack Haynes (Wrestling Challenge): Savage was the Intercontinental Champion coming into this match, but it was non-title. As was typical for the time, this didn't go long and seemed to be designed to mostly get over Savage as incredibly unlikeable, sneaky, and a jerk to Miss Elizabeth. For what it was, it was pretty entertaining, though, and I really liked the way Savage escaped Haynes' Full Nelson by kicking off of Earl Hebner. Danny Davis shows up to disqualify Haynes, which was part of his "evil referee" gimmick. I wouldn't call this a carry job because Haynes isn't all that bad, but this wasn't designed to be a great match and it isn't one. (2/5)

Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Toshiaki Kawada (05/01/1998, AJPW): For close to 30 minutes, Misawa and Kawada put on a match that isn't a breath-taking masterpiece as much as almost the "perfect version" of a story that needed certain imperfect elements to exist. Misawa came into this match banged up and injured (my understanding is that this is also played up by the commentators) and never really take the driver's seat beyond a minute or two. Kawada's cut-offs, often coming in the form of big boots, are nasty and on-target throughout the match, which further bolsters the idea that not only is Misawa a step behind but that Kawada is having the best match of his life, every dart thrown hitting the bullseye. Kawada's victory is definitive but well-earned because of Misawa's toughness and resilience, keeping the match from feeling "cheap" or like it was just your basic "injured underdog vs. healthy heel" story. Well worth checking out. (4/5)

Bryan Danielson and Samoa Joe vs. KENTA and Naomichi Marufuji (03/25/2006, ROH): A love letter to the classic tags of AJPW in its structure but wrestled firmly like a 2006 battle with all four men bringing their working boots. KENTA and Samoa Joe's interactions are the best parts of the match, but Danielson isn't phoning it in one bit. The crowd was super into this from the very beginning. A very, very good match but a bit like an All-Star Game in that, as good as it is, there is an "exhibition" feel to things despite the intensity of the moves themselves. (3.5/5)

Kyoko Inoue vs. Manami Toyota (12/08/1996, AJW): This match might best be described as "Oops All High Spots." The first 7-8 minutes are so incredible that you wonder if they haven't worked themselves into a match that has nowhere to go but down and then it just keeps going at a breakneck pace with wilder and wilder suplexes and slams and off-the-top-rope headscissors and dives and...it's about as action-packed as any match you can name. There are a handful of unignorable botches too, but even these moments add to the overall feeling that these two women are throwing everything they can think of to win the match. There's a noticeable lack of submissions, something I usually like to see from Inoue especially, but it actually works to the match's favor because neither woman is required to do much long-term selling, an element that can become quickly forgotten in a bomb-throwing contest with as many false finishes as this one. Speaking of finishes, the refereeing in this match is about a million times better than in their 60-minute match from the previous year, a bout that was named Match of the Year in The Observer but that I, and many others, dislike. This is the match that that match wishes it was. (4.5/5)

TNA Final Resolution 2011

TNA Final Resolution 2011

Orlando, FL - December 2011

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this match, the TNA World Champion was Bobby Roode, the X-Division Champion was Austin Aries, the TNA World Tag Team Champions were Crimson and Matt Morgan, the Knockouts Champion was Gail Kim (who was also co-Knockouts Tag Team Champions with Madison Rayne), while Robbie E was the TNA Television Champion.

Final Resolution began with Christopher Daniels vs. Rob Van Dam in a rematch from the previous month's Turning Point show. I disliked that match considerably, so I was not super excited to see on this card, but this was an improvement as it was a much more straight-forward match with Daniels toning down the ill-fitting chickenshit/cowardly heel shtick. The match also ran under 10 minutes, which is just about the amount of energy that Van Dam seemed to be able to expend at this point in his career. Daniels and Van Dam would've/could've/should've had better chemistry at other times, but by 2011, Van Dam was not the Van Dam of 99' and Christopher Daniels, while a consummate pro, wasn't going to pull a Match of the Year contender out of him or such a heatless, dull storyline. Better than first outing, but not by much. (2/5)

Robbie E defended his TNA Television Championship against the former champion, Eric Young, in the next match. Yup, two rematches of two forgettable/bad matches from the previous show in a row. If Young was mildly amusing at Turning Point, he's gone from "mild" to "plain" in this one while Robbie E's gimmick just feels cheap and like something you'd see at your local indy show rather than on national TV. I liked Rob Terry as his muscle but wish they would've gone "bigger" with this whole presentation. Anyway...the match is fine, but feels long (which is not a compliment when your match is 7 and a half minutes). (2/5)

Crimson and Matt Morgan defended the TNA World Tag Team Championships against Brother D-Von and "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero. Two thoughts struck me before the bell even rang: (1) Matt Morgan won TNA gold with Hernandez and Crimson to make him a 3-time TNA World Tag Team Champion and that has to put him in the category of "Worst Modern Wrestlers To Have Multiple Championships" and (2) I can't believe the storyline involving Dinero and Brother D-Von and D-Von's sons was still going on as D-Von and Dinero had had a match about this very issue way back in August of 2011. Anyway, this wasn't good. I was surprisingly impressed by the Crimson/Morgan match from the previous show as the two went at it in a physical match that didn't overstay its welcome, but none of that chemistry carried over into their tag team effort and D-Von and Dinero weren't a great pairing either. Like the previous match, this was under 10 minutes but was a chore to sit through because nothing really happened of consequence. There weren't any major botches or miscommunications, but filler like this shouldn't be on a PPV costing people money to see. Then again, looking at the active roster in TNA at this point, its not like they had a ton of options as The Young Bucks had left, the Guns were injured/inactive at the time, and the rest of the roster was fairly thin. (1.5/5)

Next up - Kid Kash challenging Austin Aries for the TNA X-Division Championship. This one needed a "Who Booked This?" sign in the audience because its a serious case of booking malpractice to put two heels in the ring together and expect them to get the crowd exciting no matter how good they are (and, in this case, Aries and Kash deliver the goods). At one point, Kash hoists Aries up for a powerbomb on the top rope and Aries counters it into a hurricanrana and it barely registers with the audience because there is zero investment in this match. I actually felt kinda bad for them because they were working their asses off here in front of a crowd that was given nobody to root for. Today, a match like this could conceivably work in front of an audience like AEW's, where the crowd is often more appreciative of the in-ring work, is bit more "smarkish," and probably would've been more willing to engage in a match pitting an ROH guy vs. an ECW guy. In front of the TNA crowd of 2011, though, this was A Jerk We Don't Like vs. A Jerk We Don't Like. (2/5)

Mickie James challenged Gail Kim for the TNA Knockouts Championship in the bout that followed. James and Kim both came to TNA with a similar reputation: workers not "Divas," wrestlers not bikini models. Given a spotlight match and a major storyline, James and Kim didn't put together a particular great or even good match, which is a shame. There were individual moments  and elements that were neat - Kim taking a wicked bump out of the ring around the post, Mickie's bumping and selling - but this felt like it needed something more special to start and took awhile to heat up before we go to interference finish (with James being so close to the ropes that it felt like she should've/could've been able to get a foot on the bottom one). I'm not sure if more time would've helped or if my expectations were unrealistic, but this wasn't as good as I was hoping for. (2.5/5)

James Storm took on Kurt Angle in a grudge match next as Angle had attacked Storm from behind, concussing him, and then bloodied him on another episode of Impact before this. Anyway, Storm and Angle exchanged wristlocks and holds to start with The Cowboy faring well enough and maintaining relative control, eventually knocking Angle over the top with a clothesline. Angle applied a drop toe hold that sent Storm into the steps and rolled him back into the ring. Angle stopped trying to outwrestle Storm and went for hard strikes and boots on the mat. After a bit of a comeback, Angle slowed him back down with a headlock. From there, Angle hit some snug German suplexes, an Angle Slam, attempted a moonsault, and applied multiple ankle locks but Storm would not give up. Storm hit a sloppy DDT-esque maneuver on the apron and eventually a superkick to get the clean W but, throughout the match, his offense was noticeably loose and poorly executed. (2/5)

Jeff Hardy took on Jeff Jarrett in a stipulation-loaded cage match next. Hardy put his career on the line, but if he won, he'd become number one contender for the TNA World Championship. Considering Hardy's reputation at the time - remember, it was less than a year since he had shown up at Victory Road so loaded that they had to take the title off of him in a 90-second "match" against Sting - the finish for this was never really in question and the 11th hour addition of Jeff or Karen Jarrett being fired if they lost didn't change much (I'd have to double-check, but I could swear Jarrett had been fired/re-instated from TNA a few times before this already). Anyway...Hardy does some big moves off the cage, including a failed swan dive and a nifty Vader Bomb off the top rope that does connect, but this isn't too good. Sting and Karen Angle get involved because of course they do. When this feud started, there was some real intensity and I liked the initial conflict and tension around Jeff Jarrett being disappointed with how Hardy had been welcomed back into TNA despite the embarrassment that he brought it with his drug abuse. There was an undeniable kernel of Jeff Jarrett being "in the right" even as a heel, but the feud devolved into very predictable and trope-ish story beats, including the nonsensical concept that somehow defeating Jarrett would make Hardy a top contender despite Jarrett having already lost to Hardy at the previous PPV and, prior to that, having not won a televised singles match since May (when he defeated Matt Morgan). Terrible writing, meh match. (1.5/5)

Main event time - AJ Styles challenging Bobby Roode for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in a 30-Minute Ironman Match. How this got 3.5 stars in The Observer I'll never know...this was a bore to sit through with its saving grace being AJ Styles' selling. I can understand the argument that this was "smartly worked" with lots of psychology, that they needed to start things off slow, that Roode targeting Styles' knee grounded the match in a believable athletic-focused story, even that the finish - spoiler alert: it ends in a draw and inexplicably does not go into a "sudden death" round (something that has been firmly established in pro-wrestling as guaranteed as overtime in any other sport) - effectively made Roode look like an undeserving cowardly champion and that AJ was adequately "protected." Ultimately, though, I rate matches based on my enjoyment of them and this was not enjoyable. After Roode takes the 2-0 lead, the match is built around AJ Styles overcoming the odds and doing so by going after Roode's shoulder, but because Roode controlled so much of the first 15 minutes of the match, Styles' comeback fell flat for me. In my mind, Roode needed to take more damage to explain falling from a 2-0 lead to down 3-2 and it needed to go beyond Styles targeting his arm. I wasn't expecting much out of this match because the more I've watched Roode, the more I find him to be pretty bland, but I was curious if AJ could carry this into watchable territory. As hard as he tried and as good as his individual performance was, it wasn't enough. (1.5/5)

With a relatively poor 1.88-out-of-5 Kwang Score, Final Resolution 2011 is a considerable step down from the last show I reviewed, Bound for Glory 2011. Not a single match on this show, aside from the Gail Kim/Mickie James match, even hits average range and some of the matches, like the main event, the underwhelming cage match, and the World Tag Team Championship match, are hard to sit through. 

FINAL RATING - DUDleyville

AEW Full Gear 2023

AEW Full Gear 2023

Los Angeles, CA - November 2023

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, MJF was the AEW World Heavyweight Champion, Hikaru Shida held the AEW Women's World Championship, the AEW World Tag Team Champions were Ricky Starks and Big Bill, the AEW Trios Champions were Billy Gunn and The Acclaimed, the TNT Champion was Christian Cage, the TBS Champion was Kris Statlander, and the AEW International Champion was Orange Cassidy.

AEW Full Gear 2023 started off with a video hyping the night's major matches and the on-going Devil story, in which MJF had been getting attacked by one (or several different?) men under a Devil mask. During the pre-show, The Gunns had beaten down MJF after the match, sending him to the hospital and putting the main event in jeopardy.

Sting, Darby Allin, and Adam Copeland teamed up take on Christian, Killswitch (Luchasaurus), and Nick Wayne in the opening contest. Ric Flair was on hand as this match was part of Sting's "Farewell Tour." The action was okay with Allin doing most of the heavy lifting including taking a nasty bump on the apron from a Killswitch chokeslam and then hitting a top-rope Destroyer on Nick Wayne later on. There was good heat between "Cope" and Christian with Cage evading his former tag team partner throughout the match and eventually fleeing the match entirely leaving his "sons" to take the L. The Flair/Christian interaction on the outside was painful to watch as Christian "sold" phantom punches. The crowd was into this. (2.5/5)

On the entrance ramp, Tony Schiavone and Bryce Remsburg announced that, due to injury, MJF would have to forfeit the AEW World Championship to Jay White, but before the title could officially change hands (?), Adam Cole came out on crutches and said that despite being injured, he would fight in MJF's place. 

Jon Moxley challenged Orange Cassidy for the AEW International Championship in the next match. Cassidy came out of the gate in serious mode, which played into the on-going story between them and how Cassidy's mind games had no effect on the leader of the Blackpool Combat Club (not yet the Death Riders, though, watching back, there's really not all that much of a difference between the stables). Moxley controlled the early going, cutting off Cassidy repeatedly, but then got bloodied from headbutts. The turnbuckle gets exposed and we enter a closing stretch that had some unfortunate elements, including Moxley taking some awkward bumps into the buckle and then Cassidy's Orange Punch being nearly "buried" as it takes six of them to put Moxley down (with Moxley even "firing up" after the third). Some people on Cagematch really, really despised the finish, but Moxley has been so established as a Final Boss-level guy in AEW that I didn't find it as offensive. (3/5)

"Timeless" Toni Storm challenged Hikaru Shida for the AEW Women's World Championship in the next match. Storm was very over with the crowd, but Shida never really seemed to click with the AEW audience the way TK hoped for and its fairly obvious why in a match like this. Storm's character work and presence is there, but Shida is not a great foil to her because the level of their personalities is such a mismatch (and Shida, while solid, is not that captivating an in-ring performer that it can make up for the lack of definable character). The finish is poorly executed, exposes the referee, and needed to be re-calibrated because Shida was initially out of position. Not woeful, but not good. (1.5/5)

A four-way ladder match for the AEW World Tag Team Championships was next with Ricky Starks and Big Bill defending the titles against FTR, Dralistico and RUSH, and Brody King and Malachi Black. This wasn't the all-out, balls-to-the-wall spotfest that I was expecting, though part of that is because AEW has put on so many ridiculous multi-mans over the years that it takes an especially crazy match to leave a lasting impression. Brody King may have been the MVP of the match as he not only took a wicked bump onto a ladder when Big Bill dumped him off one when he attempted to grab the titles, but also hit his finisher on Dralistico into one on the outside in what was the best spot of the match. The Starks and FTR exchanges were good too, while Black really seemed to fade into the background in this match a bit. (3/5)

The TBS Champion, Kris Statlander, defended her title against Skye Blue and Julia Hart in the next match. Hart and Blue had been in a somewhat uneasy and confusing alliance during the build-up to this as Hart had spit mist into Blue's eyes in September causing Blue to become more overtly heelish and begin to dress like she was part of the House of Black. Blue wouldn't officially align herself with Hart for another month (according to Wikipedia), but the potential of this match being 2-on-1 was played up on commentary. While Blue and Hart don't truly team up on Statlander, the match is still laid out as mostly both women trying to take out the champion, which was a smart way to mask the very much apparent issue that Statlander is essentially carrying the match from beginning to end. There are more than a few awkward moments in the first 3/4ths of this match, but the final few minutes are very good as Statlander goes into overdrive to make Blue's finisher look extra dangerous and then erupts with a series of awesome suplexes before we get a genuinely shocking finish. Had it not been for the last few minutes of this match, this would've been below average. (2.5/5)

In the ring, Tony Schiavone announces AEW's latest signing - Will Ospreay! Ospreay was over enough with the AEW audience to make his signing feel like a big deal. He clarifies that he will not be joining AEW right away as he has dates to finish with New Japan, but is looking forward to seeing everyone at Revolution and then at Wembley Stadium. Cool.

"Hangman" Adam Page and Swerve Strickland's epic Texas Death Match was next. I had seen some clips of this match before and I knew of its reputation, but this one mostly holds up even if some of its better parts have been "spoiled" for you (the worst spot of the match is the unnecessary and demonstratable phony cinder block to the back at the end of the match, but everything else is wildly violent). Rewatching the older AEW PPVs over the last few years, its hard not to see Strickland as arguably the most consistently great performer on the roster, even moreso than Page (often called AEW's "main character") and Darby Allin (who, as great as he is, has to largely play the undersized underdog rather than being able to play multiple roles the way Swerve can). This is a career performance out of him (and Prince Nana as well) as his selling and character work are brilliant at various points in the match, even when he and Page clearly go into overkill mode. While Swerve continued to look and act like every additional potential match-ender was taking its toll, I found some of Page's "no-selling" to be a bit much, even with the commentators making it clear how both men's adrenaline was what was carrying them through the war. While it doesn't add to the match's rating for me, it's worth mentioning how symbolically important this match was for AEW at the time (as I'll get into in the next match). CM Punk was one week away from returning to the WWE (at their Survivor Series show on the 25th) and hadn't been on AEW TV for quite awhile, but there was still an undeniable lingering feeling that AEW was no longer the "cool alternative" and that his departure had cemented the company as being the Young Bucks' proverbial playground. This match didn't run counter to that notion - this sort of death match is about as "indie-rific" as things get - but it did reclaim some of the "Us Against Them" attitude that AEW had been built on. Paired with Ospreay's appearance before this match, it does seem like we're getting a peek into AEW's future far more than the matches that follow. (4/5)

Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega took on The Young Bucks in the next contest with the Bucks putting up their future AEW World Tag Team Championship shot against an agreement that, were they to lose, Jericho and Omega could never tag again (which didn't seem like a big loss, to be honest). This match goes a touch too long and Jericho doesn't move nearly as well as any of the other three guys, but there is not enough smart work to carry this one through its duration and to re-capture the crowd who, at one point, seem to be much more interested in "popping" themselves with CM Punk (and "Fuck CM Punk") chants than in the story being told, which focused on Jericho getting his arm smashed between the steps and the ring and the Bucks trying to turn it into a 2-on-1. The match went to another level once the Bucks hit low blows on their opponents. Highlights included one of the Bucks hitting the Judas Effect, Omega taking a nasty German suplex on the apron, Matt Jackson hitting a One Winged Angel for another nearfall, and Jericho cutting off a Meltzer Driver with a Codebreaker. Omega's Ripcord Bang/One Winged Angel combo was a satisfying ending and I liked the Bucks' post-match temper tantrum. (3/5)

Main event time - Jay White vs. Adam Cole for MJF's AEW World Heavyweight Championship...but wait, no, MJF returns at the last possible minute having commandeered an ambulance! Praised by Meltzer (who gave it 4.5 stars in the Observer) but largely disliked on ProWrestlingOnly and Cagematch, this match might best encapsulate all the best and worst of the Bro-Chacho babyface MJF run. On the positive side, MJF is a good enough worker to play a sympathetic babyface. While his selling of an injured leg/knee is spotty, he plays to the live crowd very well and his signature stuff is over. He also delivered a gutsy diving neckbreaker to the arena floor that looked incredible (and incredibly dangerous). On the negative side, there are some logic issues in the layout and execution of the match. On three occasions - not just the two mentioned on commentary - MJF decides not to accept a count-out victory even though it would allow him to retain his Championship and that MJF has never before, even as a babyface, been unwilling to take a shortcut. While MJF comes off as heroic, Jay White not being able to put away a one-legged man becomes increasingly glaring as the match passes the 20-minute mark. There's no shortage of ref bumps either, giving this a very WWE-in-98' feel, which isn't necessarily a bad thing but does feel out-of-step with some of the rest of the show, another case of AEW's "identity crisis" in 2023. Not nearly as bad as some of the reviews paint it as, this match requires the viewer to be at least, at some level, a fan of MJF (and Cole for that matter) to enjoy, which could be a tall order for some. (2.5/5)

With a Kwang Score of 2.75-out-of-5, Full Gear 2023 was a slight step up from WrestleDream as a whole, but a ton of the credit goes to the stomach-churning but highly entertaining Texas Death Match and the undeniably high "basement" of AEW's roster. When you have Kenny Omega, FTR, Brody King, Orange Cassidy, and Darby Allin spread across your card with Kris Statlander putting in one of her best performances up to that point and MJF and Toni Storm being over enough to carry their matches through sheer charisma and an LA crowd that was very much engaged and supportive of everyone's efforts, it is near impossible not to put on a decent show. Still, the aforementioned "identity crisis" that AEW was going through is apparent on this show. Prior to the events of this show, the Bucks and Jericho were all essentially babyfaces despite how stale their characters were, the women's division still feels thin and aimless, the tag fourway - while entertaining - felt like TK threw his hands up and just told 8 guys to go out and murder each other without a deeper story of who the fans should actually be rooting for. 

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

AEW WrestleDream 2023

AEW WrestleDream 2023

October 2023 - Seattle, Washington

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the AEW World Champion was MJF, Saraya was the AEW Women's Champion, the TBS Champion was Kris Statlander, the TNT Champion was Christian, the World Trios Championships were held by Billy Gunn and The Acclaimed, and the AEW World Tag Team Champions were FTR. 

The first ever WrestleDream kicked off with MJF taking on The Righteous in a 2-on-1 handicap match for the Ring of Honor Tag Team Championships. This was mostly played for laughs and built around MJF's pre-match promo and crowd-pleasing spots (a hyped-up bodyslam and the Kangaroo Kick). I liked that MJF had to use leverage to get the eventual pin but Dutch and Vincent definitely didn't come out of this looking very strong. Of course, it's the Ring of Honor Tag Team Championships, not the AEW World Tag Team Championships so it's not like they were or even are considered a top prize. As someone who liked The Righteous, it was disappointing that any of their momentum was halted here. As was noted at the time, MJF not defending his AEW World Championship on this show was a real missed opportunity as even a 10-minute pseudo-squash would've probably been better than this. Not my thing, but excessively panned on Cagematch. For what this was, it had the crowd engaged. (2/5)

Eddie Kingston took on Katsuyori Shibata in the next match with both men putting their respective championships on the line (Kingston being the ROH World Champion and Shibata being the NJPW Openweight Champion). This was meant to be an homage to 90s Japanese wrestling with its physicality and deliberate pacing built around snug submission and stiff strikes, but paying homage can only carry a match so far before you start to want something fresh or original to differentiate it from what its source material. I'm not sure this match had anything new to say and ended up feeling a bit longer than its 10-minute runtime. (1.5/5)

Kris Statlander defended her TBS Championship against Julia Hart of the House of Black in the next match. I dug this one. Statlander hit a killer vertical suplex early before they went to the outside. Hart gained control by tripping Stat up and she took a nasty bump on the apron. Hart hit an ugly off-the-back senton a few minutes later but I appreciated how much these two "went for it" despite not getting too many minutes. Stat hit a beautiful running knee and, after some slight interference from Brody King, slapped the mist out of Hart's mouth before she could use it. Stat performed a ridiculous deadlift German suplex. They eventually got onto the top rope where Hart flipped Stat off the top rope. Hart hit a moonsault (with Stat not even attempting to roll out of the way, which was a bit noticeable) but then Statlander countered a submission attempt into a tombstone, maintained her grip and hit her with the Sunday Night Fever for 3. This was too short to be considered great and there was some obvious cooperation/telegraphing at times, but this exceeded my expectations quite a bit and both women hit some really good-looking offense. A very good sub-10 minute match and the best on the show up till that point. (3/5)

The next match was to decide who would be the Number One Contenders for the AEW World Tag Team Championships - The Gunns vs. The Lucha Bros vs. Orange Cassidy and HOOK vs. The Young Bucks. Fenix came into this match as the AEW International Champion, having won the title in very surprising fashion after Jon Moxley called an audible to take the L when he realized he was hurt during their match a few days before this. Fenix sold how much the fight with Mox had taken out of him from the start as he started the contest against Nick Jackson and then Orange Cassidy. The Gunns took out the Bros on the outside and then tried to pin one another, but the ref wouldn't count it. In came the Bucks to drop them with superkicks as the match devolved into a series of tandem spots and it became unclear who was even legal. HOOK and Matt Jackson squared off with both men delivering body shots and trading Northern Lights Suplexes. This led to a multi-man vertical suplex spot as Schiavone noted that Rey Fenix had seemingly been taken out of the match entirely. Pentagon came in but couldn't get much offense in. The match slowed and got a little wonky when The Gunns and HOOK had their stretch, but Pentagon eventually got the hot tag and the match shifted back into the hands of the more experienced workers. HOOK attempted to apply the Redrum on Austin Gunn but Nick Jackson hit the 450 to break it up. We got a cool finishing sequence from there that featured a unique Pentagon/Matt Jackson combo move in which Penta delivered a cradle piledriver on Cassidy while also having HOOK locked up on his back. The Bucks got the victory from there with a BTE Trigger. This felt like they were holding back a bit and purposefully not trying to burn out the crowd with dives or intricate sequences, which isn't exactly what one might expect from a match involving The Bucks, Pentagon, and OC. It was solid but a bit underwhelming. (3/5)

Swerve Strickland vs. "Hangman" Adam Page in a grudge match followed. This was the first match between these two, the start of an epic rivalry that would bring us some of the most violent matches of the past few years. Swerve was the hometown hero at this show and Page played the heel from the very start. Lots of signature moves out of both guys early on which gave things a 50/50 feel until Page caught Swerve with a powerbomb on the apron and then the barricade before hitting him with the moonsault to the floor. Swerve kicked out of a pop-up Ligerbomb and went to the outside. Page came at him with a tope and then whipped him into the barricade to maintain control. Page delivered a flying clothesline from the top for 2 and a deadlift German Suplex, but Swerve rallied with a Flatliner and then a brainbuster. Strickland followed it up with a nifty backbreaker and went to the top, but Page followed him up to try to bring him down with a superplex. Swerve fought back and hit him with a Swerve Stomp and then a House Call for 2.5. Page went to the apron and evaded another Stomp but got pulled hard into the post. Swerve went for a piledriver on the steps but Page countered it into a Deadeye! Page tried to set up Swerve for the Buckshot but Strickland prevented it by narrowing the gap and not giving him enough space to work. Page attempted one after biting Swerve's hand but Strickland countered it with an armbar and then stepped on Page's bent wrist! Nasty stuff! Page rolled to the apron and was getting looked at by the doctor but Page hit him with another Stomp! And then a 450 on the injured arm for 2.5! Great sequence there that could've been a believable finish. Swerve went for another armbar but Page got his foot on the bottom rope. I didn't love the first Stomp spot because it required too much of Page's cooperation, but the apron one was beautiful. The home stretch was really good with more counters and Prince Nana pulling Swerve's foot onto the rope to save him from a pin. This allowed Swerve to hit Page with Nana's crown when he attempted a Buckshot Lariat and nearly ending the match. From there, Swerve hit two more Last Calls and then the Big Pressure (JML Driver) to finish Hangman off. This was an excellent match that showcased Page and Swerve's chemistry and toughness. (3.5/5)

Wheeler Yuta took on Ricky Starks in the next match. I liked that they had Moxley on commentary but am not sure they needed Good Ol' JR too. Yuta is a bit like Adam Cole in that he doesn't have a great "look," though at least he's reasonably tall and his moveset plays to his strengths - submissions, quickness - and isn't built around shit moves like Panama Sunrise which require obvious cooperation from his opponent. Starks doesn't look all that much bigger, but he's more muscular (I doubt that his true height is 6'0'', though). This felt like a TV match more than anything and seemed to hint towards a Ricky Starks/Jon Moxley match that I don't recall ever happening. Not bad, but not particularly memorable. (2.5/5)

Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. in a match to determine the best technical wrestler in the world was next. I enjoyed the hell out of this, though I think it would've been an even stronger presentation without Moxley and JR on commentary. JR had little input aside from the occasional bit of praise and seemed to be "drowned out" by Mox, who talked over most of the match. Unlike Yuta and Starks, a much "colder" bout that benefitted from Mox's energy, this was the kind of match where silence would've spoke volumes as the action in the ring told the story better than any narrator could. Commentary aside, this was maybe just slightly underwhelming due to its finish, which saw Danielson take Sabre out with two Baisuku Knees rather than the expected submission finish that I (and maybe most fans) were hoping for. I loved Sabre's work on Danielson's arm throughout the match, especially the way his cut-offs targeted the Dragon's previously-injured forearm. I loved the mirror work on display at times. The crowd was hot for this from beginning to end too. Its rare when a match goes 20+ minutes and you still wish it went another 5-6 but this is that kind of match because all the work was so good and, somehow, it didn't even really feel like both guys had reached their limit. I wanted to enjoy this match more, but it didn't quite reach the level of greatness I was hoping for/expecting. A hair short of must-see but, as is often the case for elite-level workers like Danielson, this sort of match from most any other talent would probably be a career-best but for him wouldn't even rank in the top 20. (3.5/5)

A six-man match pitting Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, and Kota Ibushi against Don Callis' Konosuke Takeshita, Sammy Guevara, and Will Ospreay followed. Good for what it was, but I wish they would've shaved 3-4 minutes from this match and given it to Danielson and Sabre Jr. Everyone "got their shit in," though it was a bit noticeable how much Ibushi was "protected" and I wonder if he wasn't actually 100% for this match. You could tell that everyone in this match was able to take a bit of a night off because they were able to spread the wealth a bit, but that also made this feel a bit perfunctory rather than a super-important, intense match of consequence. Because of the star power and the crowd's enthusiasm, this felt "bigger" than a Dynamite main event - something that couldn't be said of some of the matches on this card - but this was still far from "must see." (2.5/5)

Aussie Open - Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis - challenged FTR for the AEW World Tag Team Championships in the next match. I liked this a good bit, but the crowd seemed pretty burned out and uninterested at times. Watching these shows in chunks really helps in that. By this point in the evening, the crowd had seen basically every big "name" on the AEW roster so making them care about an FTR/Aussie Open match was an uphil battle. Fortunaely, both teams are top-notch, deliver excellent tandem offense, and have great timing. I'd also give credit to Mark Davis for not just working through his wrist injury, but weaving it into the match to the point that I had to look up whether or not it was legitimate and not part of the plan. (3/5)

Main event time - Darby Allin vs. Christian in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match for the AEW TNT Championship. Darby came in as the hometown hero seeking revenge for Christian's cruel verbal attacks against his family (and that of his trainer, Buddy Wayne, who had passed away in 2017). Speaking of Darby, as expected, he took some absolutely hellacious bumps throughout this match but the spots built around the steel steps were especially gnarly and dangerous (as Christian looked too gassed to perform them safely). I loved the first fall ending with Darby getting something a bit like a "flash pin" and catching Christian off guard and then Christian being forced to get dirty to even things up. This was very in-tune with his character at the time. The 3rd fall was extra rough and violent with Christian exposing the wooden beams underneath the ring mat. Would exposing the wood lead to a DQ? I don't think so (as its not using a foreign object but just modifying the ring...though, that does make me wonder if anyone's ever been disqualified for uncovering the turnbuckle pad). Anyway...the Nick Wayne heel turn was fairly predictable but at least the live crowd "bought in." I don't understand why it took so long for Sting to show up (and why, when he did come out, he looked pretty banged up). Also, did he forget his signature baseball bat? His arrival and Killswitch's arrival both seemed to be messed up in terms of timing and execution. Before they could deliver a Con-Chair-To to the Stinger, we got the debut of Adam Copeland. I liked Copeland's video, I thought the crowd response came off well, and I thought Copeland's spears looked good here (and it was great heel work by Christian to be the only one to avoid one), but him posing and playing to the crowd before saving Sting and Darby was silly and those "moments" could've been saved for after he had dispatched the heels. All in all, this match (and I'm including the post-match) had some very good elements but also some that I was less pleased with. (3.5/5)

Earning a Kwang Score of 2.5-out-of-5 on the Kwang Meter, WrestleDream 2023 starts out slow with two mediocre matches before course-correcting with a strong TBS Championship match, the 4-way tag match, and the Hangman/Swerve bout. While Yuta/Starks felt like a TV match, Sabre Jr. and Danielson, the six man, and the World Tag Team Titles match were all good-to-great (though I wouldn't consider any of them Match of the Year candidates). The main event was a bit of a mixed bag as Darby put on a tremendous performance, but Nick Wayne's predictable turn and the weirdly timed Sting "save" were frustrating in their illogical execution. Adam Copeland's debut in AEW was a cool moment for what it was and, at the time, I can understand Tony Khan wanting it to be the last thing the fans saw...but, knowing now that leaning into the "sports-entertainment" side of things didn't necessarily yield great results in terms of raising viewership or even engagement from the die-hard AEW fanbase, I almost wonder if they shouldn't have swapped it out with the Bryan/Sabre Jr. match, which must better defined what makes AEW different than the WWE. 

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

Random Matches

Shinya Hashimoto vs. Takoa Omori (12/23/2000, NOAH): An interesting match in the sense that it offers a story that American fans unfamiliar with NOAH can understand, but far from "must see." Omori comes in with some confidence and gets a big entrance, but Hashimoto basically decimates him in under 10 minutes in what I believe was Hash's NOAH debut. Immediately after the match, he starts calling out Misawa, building to a 1-on-1 match that I don't think ever happened. Reading the reviews on Cagematch, I was a bit surprised that this match is known for its lack of cooperation as I just thought it was another day in the office for Hashimoto and his usual stiff chops and kicks (plus, the finish, a huge brainbuster, is not the type of move you want to dead-weight somebody on). I can see why some people really like this match, but I guess I was expecting something a bit "meatier." (2/5)

Ted Dibiase vs. Jumbo Tsuruta (03/14/1978, AJPW): A bit boring unless you're super into "human game of chess"-type matches that are all about leverage and technical proficiency. DiBiase looks to be about 19 years old in this match (he was closer to 24) and Jumbo is also in his mid-20s. I haven't seen a ton of 70s wrestling from Japan or really anywhere, but I've seen more thrilling and entertaining stuff than this. Not my cup of tea. (1.5/5)

Yumiko Hotta vs. Reggie Bennett (09/02/1995, AJW): Reggie Bennett shows how tough and resilient she is in this losing effort to Hotta, who actually reins in some of her unprofessional/overly stiff tendencies in this match. This is not a mat classic, though there are some actual submissions applied and suplexes and what not. As Bennett says in her post-match interview, she's a barroom brawler and a pro-wrestler, differentiating herself from Hotta's martial arts background, and this match does play like a clash of wrestling styles (as well as a squint-and-you'll-see-it David vs. Goliath match with Bennett being the powerhouse). Inessential viewing. (2.5/5)

Dave "Fit" Finlay vs. Batista (12/02/2006, WWE): Not as good as I wish it was considering I'm a fan of Finlay and not a Batista hater. With Finlay, you always get stuff that makes logical sense and is rooted in psychology, but what may hurt the match more than anything Finlay and Batista actually do is the production around it. Michael Cole and JBL are insufferable on commentary, leaning way, way too far into an antagonistic dynamic full of petty slights and jabs that detract from the match. (To be fair, JBL had only become a regular commentary on SmackDown about 6 months before this.) I didn't love the "schmoz" finish, but understand it was done to build up to the Armageddon main event (which saw Batista team with Cena to take on Booker T and Finlay). (2/5)

Eddie Kingston vs. Naomichi Marufuji (08/28/2022, House of Glory): As someone that is very new to seeing Marufuji, I must admit to being a bit underwhelmed at times and was not impressed by what he and Kingston did here. The match goes under 8 minutes and is mostly just chest chops and slaps (and a notable Sliced Bread from Marufuji). With them focusing so much on strikes, you would think both guys would really lay them in, but after the first couple, nothing really lands and the closing stretch is especially weak. Even the commentators seemed to be expecting something a bit more epic than this, though I did read one review that mentioned Marufuji may have come into this match injured. A disappointment. Steer clear even if you're a fan of both guys. (1.5/5)

Roddy Piper vs. Jimmy Snuka (07/15/1984, WWE): This was a fun one with lots of energetic bumping and selling out of Piper and Snuka getting to be the badass face in front of a rabid crowd that wants to see him murder his opponent. Oops, probably shouldn't mention murder and Snuka in the same sentence. Anyways, the finish is inconclusive, but the action leading up to it is plenty exciting (though it does ebb-and-flow a bit between really cool moments and just sorta commonplace brawling and theatrics you've seen a dozen times before). Snuka hits a hell of a dive towards the end that is really fun to see. Not a match I'd consider "must see" personally, but I totally get why fans of this era, of this style, and of Piper especially would consider this to be a hidden gem. (3/5)

Aja Kong and Kyoko Inoue vs. Etsuko Mita and Mima Shimoda (08/09/1997, AJW): Another incredible match out of Kyoko Inoue (and Aja Kong for that matter). This is a hellacious tag team brawl that, if it isn't officially a "No DQ," is wrestled like one as we get chairs and crowd-brawling from the very start. Lots of lots of really stick strikes and slams and powerbombs and I loved when Inoue and Aja Kong applied stereo submissions (and did Kyoko's signature dance together). Mita and Shimoda came across as super tough and determined challengers but took a hell of a beating throughout. A fire extinguisher came into play at one point and I don't think it was "gigged" as the chemicals it puts into the air really do seem to cause respiratory issues for the fans, announcers, and even the wrestlers themselves. Kong's splashes look painful as all hell. Some of the maneuvers performed on chairs laying in the ring were considerably ahead of their time. The finish is definitive and earned, though maybe a touch underwhelming after all the hell the two teams put eachother through. An absolute joy to watch if you're into joshi brawls or are looking for a place to start. (4/5)

Manami Toyota Gaunlet Match (12/25/1995, AJW): As someone else wrote on Cagematch, I didn't understand this at all - what the rules were, why it was happening, anything about it...but there is some fun in seeing Manami Toyota, an absolute legend in Japan, take on nineteen different opponents for roughly 90-120 seconds each. She pins some, she gets pinned by some, some just float in and out of the "match" when another competitor takes a powder - it's unclear what exactly is happening aside from Toyota just working her way through an incredible test of endurance and toughness. Kyoko Inoue and Aja Kong were the most recognizable challengers, though some of the other wrestlers like Mita and Shimoda were familiar too. It's hard to rate something like this because it is such a different type of match than anything I'd seen before, but there were enough really cool moments to make it work for me as a viewer. (3/5)

Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Naomichi Marufuji (12/10/2006, NOAH): This one started off a bit slow to me with Misawa looking his age a bit, but then got more exciting as Marufuji started to "throw bombs" and the drama behind the story - the New Wave vs. the Old Guard - ramped up. At 44, Misawa takes some nasty bumps to prove he was still capable and willing to deliver what was needed to make for a memorable, hard-hitting match, but it's also clear that he is not the same Misawa of 5 years earlier, let alone 10 (Misawa would pass away in 2009). I wouldn't go as far as to call this a "carry job" because that implies Misawa doesn't take a whole ton of punishment, including some on the arena floor, or even deliver some good offense himself - his suicide dive is still a thing of beauty - but this is Marufuji keeping things at a pace that works for the veteran and building things slowly until we get to the big spots in the latter half of the match. This is good enough and interesting enough and wrestled in front of a hot enough crowd for it to be "above average," but its not the most comfortable watch and it does take a minute to kick into a higher gear. (3/5)

Genichiro Tenryu and Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Takeshi Morishima and Masao Inoue (05/11/2013, NOAH): A fun match for its comedic elements - Masao Inoue and Morishima's interplay, in particular - but this nothing I'd go out of my way to see. Tenryu looks and works his age. Ogawa does most of the heavy lifting for his team, but I expected a "bigger" performance out of him too. (2/5)

Nick Bockwinkel and Ray Stevens vs. Red Bastien and Billy Robinson (11/06/1973, AWA): I'd always heard how great Billy Robinson was and I saw some of it here, though I imagine that this was not even the most representative match of his style as it was a 2-out-of-3 falls "studio" tag match. His agility is spectacular. This is an action-packed match and the crowd is into it, though it didn't hook me the same as some of the posters on Cagematch who called this an all-timer. Going into this match being more familiar with the rivalry and context probably would've helped. (3/5)

Kyoko Inoue and Aja Kong vs. Manami Toyota and Blizzard Yuki (04/02/1995, AJW): I enjoyed the heck out of this one, just as I suspected I would considering that 3-out-of-4 of the competitors are among my current favorite wrestlers, male or female. Blizzard Yuki holds her own, but the other three are why one should check this match out. Kong and Inoue's teamwork is funner in the 1997 match, but both have great chemistry with Toyota, who is excellent in this match. Some great nearfalls in the closing stretch and all the big signature spots one would expect from Kong, Kyoko, and Toyota. Maybe just a hair short of "must see," but very strong. (3.5/5)

Shinya Hashimoto and Toshiaki Kawada vs. Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman (03/07/2004, HUSTLE): Doing some reading about HUSTLE, I was surprised to learn that the promotion had a reputation for being wacky and very, very different from the more serious puro resu wrestling promotions of the time because this match felt plenty serious and "shoot-based" to me. Coleman and Randleman were renowned MMA fighters (Coleman being the subject of The Smashing Machine) and bring their legitimate wrestling style to this match, while Hashimoto and Kawada are obviously known for their striking (specifically kicks). The clash of techniques and unpredictability of Coleman and Randleman, who were relative newcomers to the world of pro-wrestling, makes for an interesting watch. Loved Kawada's running boot in the corner to Coleman, which had to hurt. I didn't like the finish, an out-of-nowhere TKO victory for Randleman on Hashimoto, as it seemed like it was designed to prevent anybody from taking a pin or submitting (without just going with a more overt DQ). (2.5/5)

                                       

Mayumi Ozaki vs. Dynamite Kansai (03/17/1995, JWP): Kickass, bloody, violent street fight - more like a chain match, to be honest - with Ozaki looking almost gleeful as she uses every weapon she can find to punish Kansai. Kansai had the size disadvantage, but Ozaki brings a level of craziness to her hardcore matches that makes her incredibly dangerous (at one point she even starts biting Kansai's head wound!). Heated, wild brawling at its best and thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end. This is not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but fans of ECW at its most hardcore will recognize and appreciate what these two did. (4/5)

Kensuke Sasaki, Katsuhiko Nakajima, and Takeshi Morishima vs. Genichiro Tenryu, Yoshinari Ogawa, and Kotaro Suzuki (09/27/2009, NOAH): This was a hoot of a match thanks to the great work of Morishima, Sasaki, Ogawa, and an aged-but-still-game Tenryu. There were multiple Misawa tribute spots that I caught, but the crowd probably picked up on even more. This seemed like a match that Misawa himself would've dug because of the layers of story involved with Tenryu and Ogawa having history with Misawa dating back to the 80s and Kotaro Suzuki being one of his proteges in NOAH. I also really liked that they sprinkled some comedy into the match as Ogawa is always good at doing the little chickenshit heel stuff and there was a funny spot when Suzuki attempted a Tiger Drive on the monstrous Morishima. I read one review of this match that criticized the lack of story, but the story seemed pretty clear to me with the babyfaces - a team comprised of two legends (well, Ogawa is a legend to me) and Misawa's protege Suzuki - taking on a powerful team of brash, disrespectful heels in tribute to the ultimate babyface of Japanese wrestling, their fallen friend. There was a bit of a lull in the middle of the match, but this was mostly action-packed and good. (3/5)

Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Jun Akiyama (04/07/2002, NOAH): This has to be up there as one of the biggest upsets in pro-wrestling history, not just in NOAH or Japan or of the decade. Jun Akiyama was built up as something of a "5th Pillar," though obviously of a generation after Misawa, Kawada, Taue, and Kobashi. His reign as the GHC Champion had lasted over 250 days by this point and he had defeated his mentor Misawa to capture the title. Akiyama was very much "The Man" while Ogawa had, to my knowledge, always been booked and presented as a weaker, less serious competitor who had skill, but also could be cowardly and fight dirty. Akiyama comes into the match with a ton of confidence, but ends up getting cradled for a shocking pinfall loss in under 5 minutes. As a booking choice, the finish has considerable criticisms but it is a great, surprising "moment" in a main event match that I'm sure most fans expected to not only go longer but also have a very, very different ending. Its hard to rate a match like this as must-see because it doesn't really have much to it, but they did do a lot in the little bit of time they had and there is no downplaying how surprising the finish was. (3/5)

Manami Toyota and Toshiyo Yamada vs. Yumiko Hotta and Kyoko Inoue (02/18/1994, AJW): This received a very high 4.5 stars from Meltzer in the Observer and while I won't go nearly that high in my rating, I can see why, at the time, this would've been considered great. Toyota is incredible in this, a real master of pacing her matches to spread out the big crowd-pleasing signature spots without it ever feeling like a formula. She takes a ton of punishment throughout, including being hooked up in a camel clutch by Inoue which leaves her vulnerable to a brutal kick to the chest by Hotta. I dug Indian Deathlock-esque submission that Toyota applied early. I liked when Toyota went for one of her trademark dropkicks but got caught by Inoue, who then spun her around for the airplane spin, though it's far from an original spot. Still cool. Another good match featuring the ultra-reliable Toyota and Inoue. (3/5)

Jeff Hardy vs. Jushin Thunder Liger (08/27/2016, NEW): More of a "curio" than a truly great match, this happening in 2016 means that both guys are well, well past their prime and we don't get nearly the amount of big signature high spots that we would've gotten had these done battle a decade or, better even, 15 years prior. Liger hits a frog splash late for a good nearfall, but eventually Hardy gets the W because he was the bigger star in America. This was pretty heatless too because while Hardy was perpetually over, Liger also had his fair share of supporters and didn't "heel it up" enough to add tension or conflict to what was basically a Legend vs. Legend match. The highlight was Hardy taking a nasty back bump onto one of those stiff, thick plastic tables at ringside. Weirdly enough, after watching several of Hardy's matches in TNA from 5-6 years earlier, he looked to be more motivated here than he did when he was considerably younger and was being pushed at the top of the card. (2.5/5)

Hector Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero vs. Ted DiBiase and Steve Williams (07/26/1985, Houston Wrestling): This was a cage match for the Mid-South Tag Team Championships held by DiBiase and Williams. I've now watched more than a few Ted DiBiase matches from pre-WWE and I still don't see an "all-time great worker," though he'll probably still make my Greatest Wrestler Ever list just based on his reliability and heel work as the Million Dollar Man. "Dr. Death" is usually a funner watch too but there was a shortage of big power moves in this one. The Guerreros didn't impress me much either here. We get blood and the crowd is certainly hot for this, but the ref turning heel for the finish made the whole thing seem pointlessly long. You know something isn't great when you check the runtime and feel like it went 4-5 minutes longer (this match was barely 12). (1.5/5)

Akira Taue vs. Big Bubba (Big Bossman) (07/29/1993, AJPW): According to Cagematch (I had to look it up), Ray Traylor had left the WWE in the late winter/early spring of 93', did a few one-offs for the USWA and in Australia (where he faced Nailz of all people), and then did a tour in Japan, which is what led to this match. My first thought was that its crazy how relatively "small" Taue looks in the ring against Bubba, especially as Taue was sort of known for being one of the larger heavyweights of the AJPW scene in the 80s and 90s. Not a bad match, but nothing super special to see. I'm not sure how familiar these two guys were with each other, but they seemed to know each other's signature moves well enough. (2.5/5)

KENTA vs. Kenta Kobashi (10/09/2004, NOAH): You don't need to know much "story" here aside from Kobashi being the veteran/legend and KENTA being the young rising star. KENTA comes out of the gates trying to use his speed and strikes, but Kobashi's chops cannot be matched. I still thought Kobashi did a great job of selling KENTA as a legitimate threat despite the clear size difference. When Kobashi takes over, KENTA pays for his confidence for an extended period but KENTA does get in some excellent offense of his own, including a brilliant tease of the Burning Hammer (he ends up delivering a GTS to the back of Kobashi's skull that doesn't look too great instead). Not every piece of offense looked too good, but most of it - especially Kobashi's powerbombs - were jaw-dropping. I didn't love this match as much as others on Cagematch - where it is hovering above an 8 - but if you're into super stiff chops and kicks, this will be right up your alley. (3.5/5)

Manami Toyota vs. Kyoko Inoue (05/07/1995, AJW): One of the most controversial matches to ever get named Match of the Year int The Observer, this match has so much going for it - a tremendous opening stretch, lots and lots of insane head drops and falling back elbow drops and dropkicks galore and nifty submissions - but also so many things that work against it. The match is best described as a near hour-long sprint (on YouTube the match is only about 50-52 minutes so I'm not sure if I watched a "clipped" version or what, but it didn't seem to be) as Toyota and Inoue go to war with countless nearfalls - many of which have such an overdramatic count by the ref that they actually deter from the match. We get some crowd brawling and a table spot and it is undoubtedly a remarkable show of endurance by both women to fight for so long...but the time limit draw finish is a total letdown. The crowd was into this way more than I was despite having such an excellent start. (2/5)

Kota Ibushi vs. Claudio Castagnoli (04/12/2008, NOAH): Considering the reputation and abilities of both men, I was expecting to like this match considerably more than I did. I'm not sure if Claudio intentionally wanted to slow things down a bit and work a match that wasn't super spot-heavy, but this was not the "fireworks show" I expected. Perfectly fine match, but Claudio has become a much, much more interesting worker since this one (and the same can be said for Ibushi, I guess). I really liked Ibushi's devastating back-flip double knee-drop off the guardrail. (2.5/5)

Kenny Omega vs. Pentagon Jr. (09/01/2018): Billed as the "Biggest Independent Wrestling Show Ever," the first ever All In show was the precursor to the formation of All Elite Wrestling and this was the main event. The crowd was red hot for this and it did have "big match feel"...but, watching this years later without all the "buzz" of the event itself and only being able to take in the atmosphere secondhand, the match isn't much more than a Greatest Hits set. Of course, with some of those hits being brutal V-Triggers and a package piledriver on the apron, this isn't a bad thing at all, but it does mean the match doesn't really offer anything new beyond seeing two icons of independent wrestling/lucha libre going move-for-move. At one point, Omega dropped Pentagon Jr. on what looked like the top of his head, but somehow the match didn't end there. Undeniably good, understandably great to many, but this isn't a match I think has that "must see" quality that separates it from the pack. (3/5)

Yoshinari Ogawa/Zack Sabre Jr./Hitoshi Kumano vs. Taichi/El Desperado/Taka Michinoku (1/??/2015, NOAH): According to Cagematch, these two teams had 3 matches in 2015 and all were fairly similar so I wasn't able to determine which one this was. Even their runtimes - a little under 11 minutes - were near identical. Anyway...I love me some Ogawa and he was the highlight for me here while Sabre Jr. didn't really seem to get much offense in and was just sorta there. Haven't seen any of Taka Michinoku post-WWE, it was also kinda cool to see him as the veteran heel here. Not bad stuff, but not really anything great. (2.5/5)

Jon Moxley and Claudio Castignoli vs. Hechicero and Konosuke Takeshita (03/11/2026, AEW): Caught this on Dynamite and was maybe hoping for something a bit more fun, but this was fine for what it us. Its a booking decision/question but, with Okada being on the show later, I would've had him involved in this match as Takeshita's partner not only to continue the long-simmering Takeshita/Okada rivalry but also because they have a much more interesting dynamic together period. Moxley and Castignoli are a good pairing, but they also aren't each other's best teammates. And so, in the end, this felt more like a tag team match involving 4 singles wrestlers rather than a tag team match between actual partners. The action was good and Takeshita and Moxley got big responses for their interactions - a good sign for their upcoming bout at Revolution - but I didn't find this to be anything above average as a whole. (2.5/5)

Kyle Fletcher vs. "Speedball" Mike Bailey (03/11/2026, AEW): This match got 5 stars in The Observer, but because Meltzer blew up his own rating scale, that doesn't mean the same thing as it once did. I wasn't as huge a fan of this, though it was very good. Kyle Fletcher is a fantastic worker and Bailey is really fun to watch but this was a bit predictable to me. You knew you were going to a fireworks show with lots of fast-paced sequences and high-flying and that's what you got. You knew the match was going to go close to the time limit and would either end in a draw or in some screwy way to protect Bailey and they went with a (relatively weak-looking) belt shot/interference. You knew what Callis would add to the commentary and that's what he added. That doesn't mean any of this was bad or dull or that the match lacked specific highlights - again, with Bailey and Fletcher being such great performers and being so willing to throw themselves into every bump and bust out full-force offense, you're guaranteed to see some awesome stuff - but that it never exceeded or subverted expectations. I wouldn't call it a "Good Match for Good Match's Sake" because there was at least some storyline development here and Bailey got to look like a potential singles champion, but I wouldn't consider this more "must see" than any other great match you'd get on Dynamite. (3/5)

Kyle Fletcher vs. Blake Christian (03/27/2024, ROH): This match was for Fletcher's Ring of Honor Television Championship and ran about 10 minutes. I was surprised that Christian kicked out of the running boot-into-the-brainbuster and kinda wish that would've been the finish because of how well it looked and how often the wrestlers in AEW (and ROH, by extension) do unnecessary finisher kick-outs in matches like this where its not really needed. Before that, the action was very good, but watching this roughly 2 years later, its clear how much Fletcher stepped up in 2025. At this point, you do get some of the cocky, brash character work, but not nearly as much as you get out of him today. Good enough TV match. (2.5/5)

Mitsuharu Misawa and Toshiaki Kawada vs. Yoshinari Ogawa and Jumbo Tsuruta (07/06/1991, AJPW): This was "clipped" at the start, but I'm not sure we missed much as everyone seemed pretty fresh at this point. Highlights included Ogawa's top rope stomp on Misawa and, later on, his use of "Kawada Kicks" on the man that made them famous (great heeling there), Jumbo's signature stuff all looking super crisp and painful, and some really great lariats. I don't think this ever comes close to reaching "must see" level but there's enough good in it to at least consider it average. (2.5/5)

Kenta Kobashi and KENTA vs. Mitsuharu Misawa and Naomichi Marufuji (01/26/2003, NOAH): This was good-not-great, with KENTA and Marufuji working a much faster, much more "junior heavyweight" style while Kobashi and Misawa do their heavyweight stuff, which kinda makes for an awkward start. Things pick up after an initial (rare) botch by Kobashi and Misawa on a dragon suplex attempt and we get to Marufuji taking a ton of offense from the Kentas. Kobashi eventually got the win with a series of nasty clotheslines. Solid. (3/5)

Manami Toyota and Sakie Hasegawa vs. Kyoko Inoue and Takako Inoeu (08/30/1995, AJW): Another Toyota/Inoue encounter that went a touch too long for me to really love. One reviewer on PWO noted that these four put on a much better match in January (not sure if he meant 95' or 96'), but I can't compare it to much else aside from the lengthy and unlovable near-hour-long match that Toyota and Inoue had a few months before this. There are some really cool spots at times, the usual high-flying from Toyota and submissions from Kyoko Inoue, but this didn't have me at the edge of my seat from beginning to end the way their better matches have. I also thought that, once again, the referee did an awful job of maintaining a consistent count by pausing before the should-be 3 in order to add drama. (3/5)

Manami Toyota vs. Yumiko Hotta (01/22/1996, AJW): I have no idea why Yumiko Hotta was even allowed anywhere near Manami Toyota after this match as she blatantly kicks her in the head and face, full force, multiple times to the point that it is shocking Toyota is even able to finish the bout. Speaking of the finish, it was fairly sloppy and anti-climactic as it ended with a bit of a "your turn/my turn" exchange with Hotta attempting some powerbombs, not executing them, and then eating one from Toyota to end the match without being really worn down and "set up" for that to be the deathblow. Some how, despite getting kicked in the face throughout the match, its Hotta that is opened up in the early going. Of the things I did like in this match, there was a great moment when Toyota took the trophy they were fighting over and tried to crush Hotta's face with it on the ringside table. Maybe I've seen too many Toyota matches in too short of time to be blown away by her the way I was when I first started watching joshi, but this was almost too stiff and violent with too little selling to make me consider it great. (2.5/5)

Fit Finlay vs. Super Calo (01/28/1999, WCW): 1999 is bit of a strange time for WCW. By this point, the WWE was fully on top of the Monday Night Wars and WCW was desperately trying to stay relevant, but were still mired in the same nWo drama that they'd been in since at the late summer of 96', with much of the commentary during this match revolving around Eric Bischoff and Ric Flair's feud over control of the company. Meanwhile, in the ring, Finlay and Calo put on a good, physical back and forth with some fine offense out of Finlay and some good "fighting from underneath" heart out of Calo. Nothing super special here, but a decent TV match that probably would've been better if it had a real reason for happening or commentary played up that the winner would be "moving up the ranks." Just kinda there. (2/5)

Stan Hansen vs. Akira Taue (04/14/1993, AJPW): The YouTube video of this match is "clipped," but even in slightly abbreviated form, this is a solid hoss battle with Hansen and Taue both delivering all sorts of big lariats and even some dropkicks and a DDT on the floor out of Taue over the course of 10 minutes or so. Having now seen more of Stan Hansen over the past few years, I will say that while he may not mix it up 100% with his offense or anything, he was a more dynamic performer in his prime than I think I gave him credit for growing up. He has no problem taking bumps to the floor and on the floor and selling against Taue here and the match moves a good pace because of that effort. Far from must-see, but pretty solid. (3/5)

Swerve Strickland and Trevor Lee vs. The Young Bucks (01/23/2015, IWF): This was a fun tag bout - nothing super special - but interesting in the sense that it features Swerve before he was Swerve, when he was a bit more of a run-of-the-mill "spot guy," matching agility spots with the Jacksons here. Trevor Lee also showcased noticeably less character work than he would in TNA and NXT (as Cameron Grimes). The match goes about 15 minutes and is a really fun one, but the production is definitely "indie" and the venue is pretty darkly lit (which I don't actually mind). The Bucks are the Bucks - quick tandem offense, lots of energy, superkicks and flips - and it is no surprise why they were so over with the independent wrestling audience throughout the country at the time. Not must-see, but solid for sure. (3/5)

Akira Hokuto vs. Harley Saito (08/05/1983, AJW): Hokuto controls much of the early going of this match, which is not a bad thing at all when your offense is a good as hers is. Reading up on this, the match layout makes a ton of sense as Hokuto was a main event killer and Saito was not near her level on the card. Saito's offense isn't enough across the stretch of the match, but there are moments when she catches Hokuto with a big kick that establish her as a valiant fighter. Over on Cagematch, this has a surprisingly high score because, while it isn't an "epic," it tells its story effectively and Hokuto's charisma is undeniable. That's not enough to make it "must see" for me but it's certainly above your typical match. (3/5)