10 Random Matches

Kazuchika Okada vs. Roderick Strong (08/22/2015, ROH): Maybe I haven't seen enough Okada matches to fully "get" the genius because this felt more like a Roderick Strong showcase than a match where Okada shined. Strong shows off a whole fireworks display of running knees, awesome counters to the Rainmaker, and his signature backbreakers, fully in control of the first half of the bout before Okada starts cutting him off with dropkicks and whatnot. I liked the conciseness of the match and that it doesn't actively try to be an "epic," opting instead to just keep their respective feet on the pedal for 15 minutes. Solid match. (3/5)

Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness (02/28/2008, ROH): The Danielson/McGuiness match from England blew my mind, so I was looking forward to this one quite a bit. While I don't think it measures up, it's not far off. There were two stories here - first, Danielson refusing to attack Nigel's head due to his history of concussions (a nod to the "honor" aspect of Ring of Honor) and, second, Nigel showing no honor by getting himself disqualified at one point and then, later, delivering some nasty headbutts to Danielson's previously-injured eye. The early DQ was a great way to get heat from an already lively crowd (one that was initially split between Nigel and AmDrag), but I personally tend to dislike that gimmick and, because I wasn't an avid Ring of Honor viewer, the surprise of a bunch of Ring of Honor ex-champs getting together to prevent Nigel from walking out on the match didn't have the emotional power that it probably did for others. If the match in England was Danielson working brilliantly as the pseudo-heel, this is Nigel's turn and he does a masterful job as well. The eventual pay-off to Danielson's refusal to attack Nigel's head is an amazing moment and I'll give him a ton of credit of making the audience wait for it, but I kinda wish there had been even more of it. (3.5/5)

Roddy Piper and Rick Martel vs. The Sheepherders (03/15/1980, PNW): Late 70s/early 80s wrestling from Portland is not something I'd seen much of anything from when it popped up on my YouTube feed. The production is definitely not great - this match seemed to have been uploaded from a very old VHS - but its not as bad as some of the other stuff I've watched recently (especially the early joshi stuff). Anyway, this was also the first time I've seen Piper and Martel in tag action and both super over as straight-up babyfaces while I'm much more familiar with seeing the Sheepherders working as the good guy Bushwhackers. Anyway...I like the excitement of the crowd and the announcer and there's some fun to be had watching Roddy Piper outsmart the referee to maintain control over the heels, but this dragged at times and got repetitive and I wanted to see more of Martel's agility and fire because when he was showing off what he could do, it was awesome. The finish was lackluster too as this was a relatively long match (nearly 20 minutes) and ended with Buddy Rose running in and causing a DQ. I think fans of this particular style and brand and era of wrestling would consider this good stuff, but I wasn't enthralled by any of it. (2/5)

Rick Martel vs. Jumbo Tsuruta (05/13/1984, AWA): A good, not great match, though I'm sure it was a bigger moment for those that had been following Martel's career and hard work. This was a rather straightforward championship match but featured some small details I liked - Tsuruta working on Martel's leg early on, Martel's agility and selling, the finishing sequence and how it protected Jumbo even as he dropped the AWA World Championship here. I also thought, for a match that goes over 20 minutes, it is really action-packed, especially for that era. That being said, it's not a spectacular match and neither guy gives the type of "career performance" that would make this "must see." (3/5)

Scorpio Sky vs. Ronin (01/05/2008, PWG): This was the first (and likely the last?) Ronin match I've ever seen. He's a heavyset guy in a costume resembling a Power Ranger, but he moves decently for a big man. Scorpio Sky was very young here. Not much to say about this match aside from it going maybe a bit long and not being super interesting, but they clearly were working hard. I only watched this because it is part of the PWG All Star Weekend show that I started months back and I wanted to at least try to finish it. (2/5)

Joey Ryan & Scott Lost vs. Tyler Black & Jimmy Jacobs (01/05/2008, PWG): Another one from the same PWG show as the match above. Tyler Black now wrestles as Seth Rollins and is a huge, huge star in the WWE. Here, he looks pale and much, much thinner. In terms of execution, there are some really ugly spots in this match, but they were clearly trying to "steal the show" by putting on a fireworks display and, though there are some duds, there are also some nifty sequences and great high-risk maneuvers on display. I really liked Rollins' busting out the Fosbury Flop to the floor and some of the excellent double-team maneuvers. I was less into the countless false finishes, which seemed like overkill, especially as we neared the 20-minute mark. Fun match when it wasn't hurt by a cringe-inducing botch (like Jimmy Jacobs' atrocious hurricanrana late in the match) and if you can ignore watching Joey Ryan knowing he's a sex pest. (2.5/5)

Rick Martel vs. Nick Bockwinkel (09/20/1984, AWA): Some people consider this an all-time classic, but maybe my tastes are just too pedestrian, uncouth, or zapped by modern style to appreciate this as much as I should. Whatever. This is really good and, based on what I've watched over the past few years, I've become a huge Nick Bockwinkel fan and might even consider him the most underrated wrestler of all time just because he was never a top guy or even an upper midcarder in the NWA/WCW or WWE (which has led to him almost being completely erased from history). Watching Rick Martel work as a babyface is fun and new for me as I'd really only known him for his late 80s/early 90s work in the WWE. Both guys are great sellers and bumpers and also aggressive, physical fighters. You don't get a ton of dives and crazy sequences, but this is old school wrestling that is worked around submission holds and tiring out your opponent and the "character work" is subtle and not over-the-top the way you might get from a Ric Flair match around this time or with what the WWE was doing during the Hulkamania Era. I would've liked a more definitive finish and I'm not a fan of pinfalls getting reversed because new information is brought to light. To me, a pinfall is a pinfall and there's no "instant replay" in wrestling. (3.5/5)

Terry Funk vs. Stan Hansen (08/24/1985, AJPW): These two always bring the goods, though this match is not as bloody and wild as their classic from 83'. Hansen controls most of this very physical match with Funk taking some awesome bumps to the outside over the top rope. If this is a "lesser" match, it's still better than most wrestling matches just because of how tough and "real" Hansen and Funk come across. This ends with Ted DiBiase showing up and he and Hansen trying to murder Funk with a bullrope. Dory shows up for the save, setting up a tag match that I'm kinda curious about having not really seen DiBiase in this setting/context before. Good stuff. (3/5)

Stan Hansen vs. Nick Bockwinkel (04/20/1986, AWA): Not a great match, but decent enough because both Bockwinkel and Hansen are so good. Loved Hansen's knees and elbow drop. Loved Bockwinkel being able to take him up for a bodyslam and a piledriver later on. Wasn't a huge fan of the finishing stretch, though, as some of it looked sloppy and off-the-mark and the ref bump was a weak ending to an otherwise good, physical contest. Some people really hate this match and I can understand the disappointment when you have two guys who are capable of so much more. However, I don't think Bockwinkel was eager to take the kind of mauling that Hansen was known to dish out and I don't think Hansen wanted to work a more technical, straight-up wrestling match either. Decent enough for what it is. (2.5/5)

Jackie Sato vs. Maki Ueda (02/27/1979, AJW): I can't believe there are 20 minutes shaved off of this match (according to Cagematch). Not knowing the full story going in certainly takes away from the enjoyment. The video quality is not great either. But what you do get is some of the most spirited grappling, submission wrestling, and emotional storytelling you'll likely ever see. The crowd is incredibly into this too, which makes it even harder to accurately rate because, unless you are ultra-familiar with the workers going in, the enjoyment and emotional investment will likely come across as a "third-hand" experience (as it did for me). (4/5)

TNA Genesis 2010

TNA Genesis 2010

Orlando, FL - January 2010

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, AJ Styles the TNA World Champion, Amazing Red was the X-Division Champion, the Knockouts Champion was ODB, Eric Young was the Global Champion, Awesome Kong and Hamada were the Knockouts Tag Team Champions, and the British Invasion were the TNA Tag Team Champions. 

Heralded as the first TNA PPV of the "Hulk Hogan Era," Genesis 2010 began with Hogan and Eric Bischoff cutting a promo in the company's brand new 4-sided ring. The Impact Zone crowd showered them with a "We Want Six Sides" chant that Hulk tried to silence by saying that "six sides only got them so far" and that real pro-wrestling happens in a ring like this one. As much as Hogan and Bischoff came into TNA promising to promote "pro-wrestling" as opposed to Vince McMahon's "sports-entertainment" (Hogan calls out Vince by name in the promo), nobody bought it because, almost immediately, the show featured a whole ton more ex-WWE wrestlers, as we'd see in our next two contests...

Amazing Red defended his TNA X-Division Championship against a mystery opponent in the opening match and that mystery opponent was...Brian Kendrick, fresh from a stint in the WWE. I'm about as big a Brian Kendrick fan as I can be considering he once thought being a Holocaust denier would be a good gimmick. Anyway, Red is working like he knows his job is on the line and him and Kendrick, who had worked together a little bit in the HUSTLE promotion in Japan, do some phenomenal stuff. Unfortunately, some miscommunications in the final minutes hurt what is an otherwise good contest. (2.5/5)

Backstage, Hogan and Bischoff talk to "The Band" - Hall, Nash, and Waltman. While I'm a fan of all three guys, this was the kind of segment that the TNA superfans could point to as being over-reliant on "Remember the nWo?" nostalgia rather than having anything to do with the work that Nash had done over the previous few years (much of it being at least decent and having very little to do with the nWo, such as his work in the X-Division and as part of the MEM). 

In the ring, Sean Morley makes his way down the aisle doing his Val Venis gimmick, but looking considerably more doughy than he did in 10 years earlier. Morley has to be one of the worst hires that TNA did around this time, a complete waste of money. Before he can even do his pre-match promo, a "We Want Wrestling" chant starts up. His opponent tonight is Christopher Daniels, who cuts a pre-match promo establishing himself as the heel despite the crowd being fully behind him. Daniels looks considerably undersized against Morley, a guy who would have never been considered a "giant" in WWE but, at 6'3'' and over 250, looks that way in this setting. While Daniels is always technically proficient, he's at his best when he's working with a wrestler that can match his skills, speed, and execution, and, maybe most importantly, add some of the "color" that Daniels often lacked. Theoretically, Morley could bring that sizzle...but he's not an interesting enough worker to make this match worthwhile. Considering Daniels was in the main event of the previous PPV, having him get jobbed out here was even more baffling than trying to present him as a heel. Booking-wise, this was insulting. Match-wise, this was just boring. (1.5/5)

The Knockouts Champion, ODB, defended her title against the former champion, Tara, in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match next. I'll give some kudos to TNA for doing the unexpected and having Tara win the match in 2 falls. Of course, there is a reason why 2-out-of-3 Falls Matches exist and having Tara win two falls, in a row, made ODB look like a chump and the fact that she did it under 15 minutes didn't help either. I really like Tara's somersault legdrop. Throughout the match, ODB was checking herself, including her own pulse, tapping at her heart before she lost in an out-of-nowhere faction. I'm guessing the story is going to be that Tara's spider bit her? Or Tara poisoned her before the match or some such nonsense? Whatever the case, this was not very good. (1.5/5)

After a word from "The Pope," its time for the TNA World Tag Team Championship match - The British Invasion vs. Hernandez and Matt Morgan. This wasn't bad at all, or at least not nearly as bad as the reviewers on Cagematch make it out to be. This may have not been all-time great tag match or anything, but it made sense from beginning to end as the monster babyface team generally dominated the overwhelmed Brits who, because they had no interference on their behalf from World Elite or their big muscle guy Rob Terry, were finally defeated after about 10 minutes. Hernandez seemed like a guy on the brink of having a strong singles run and, in retrospect, seems like he could've accomplished more had he been coached and nurtured and not pigeon-holed as a tag guy for most of his career. (2.5/5) 

Backstage, Abyss and Bobby Lashley get into it and then Bischoff and Hogan show up, upset that Abyss has beaten down the guy he was supposed to fight later on. Everyone is bad in this segment. 

Desmond Wolfe vs. "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero is next. Dinero came into TNA with some momentum as he was seen as a guy who should've gone further in the WWE...but he ended being one of those guys who was sorta exposed as too green to really build around and clearly not ready to be as heavily featured as he was, even in TNA. Here, he's in the ring with a very good worker in Desmond Wolfe, but the chemistry isn't there. Wolfe spends much of the match absolutely torturing Dinero with innovative submissions, but it doesn't make for the most riveting action and Dinero's selling isn't anything super special, though I will give him credit for never brushing off the damage. This felt more like a good TV match than a great PPV one. (3/5)

Kevin Nash teamed with Sean Waltman (working as "Six-Pac") to take on Beer Money next. It was a wise move to have Waltman work this match instead of Scott Hall and I can't really understand anyone being too upset by the bait-and-switch there. This was another match that gets torn to shreds on Cagematch but really isn't all that terrible. The crowd is into it. Waltman could still bump and sell and hit his trademark stuff. Kevin Nash was never a brilliant in-ring worker and was probably close to 15 years past his prime, but he was still in tremendous shape and could move decently enough in a tag setting. The finish is bizarre as Hall wanders out from the back but ends up pulling a fan over the guard rail and beating him down, causing a distraction that costs "The Band" the match. I'm not sure what they were going for here and why they this was the best "screwy finish" they could come up with. (2/5)

Abyss took on a mystery opponent next - having beat up Bobby Lashley earlier on the show - and it turned out to be...Mr. Ken Anderson. Anderson's debut promo was great (if you're at all a fan of his shtick) and he got a warm response from the TNA crowd initially. However, as the match wore on, there were chants of "Overrated" that clearly showed at least some of the audience did not want to see yet another ex-WWE guy come in and be given a prominent push from the jump. The match isn't bad and certainly not as bad as the reviews over at Cagematch make it out to be, but it does reveal the weaknesses of Anderson's game in a way that one wouldn't necessarily want in their debut. Anderson's charisma was undeniable, but between the bells, he wasn't the most riveting performer and did not have an arsenal of flashy trademark moves that caught on as well as his catchphrase. What that means is, by minute 5-6 of this match (and several of his matches), the crowd loses interest. Abyss was okay and hits an awesome Shock Therapy backbreaker at one point, so there's that. Not terrible, but no better than average. (2.5/5)

Main event time - AJ Styles defending his TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Kurt Angle. This was billed as a match to decide who the best wrestler on the planet was and, in 2010, I think an argument could be made that both of these guys were in the conversation at least in the US. This is a good match, but not a great one. Its wrestled face/face and they get plenty of time to tell a story, but it lacks emotion. This is a straight-up title match where both guys throw everything they can against each other, but its a bit move-to-move-to-move-to-move without any real purpose or direction. Even when Angle, towards the end, really starts to sell a damaged knee, Styles doesn't take advantage or weave that into the match. In terms of execution, its pretty much flawless, but I didn't find myself ever being truly invested. When Flair shows up, its a major hint that something screwy is going to happen and, ultimately, that is what happens as Flair screws Angle and helps AJ retain. (3/5)

With a Kwang Score of 2.31-out-of-5, Genesis 2010 is a slight improvement from the previous month's Final Destination show, but not by much. The main event is the best bout of the show, which shouldn't be too much of a surprise considering its Styles and Angle. The Pope/Wolfe match is a disappointment, but the Tag Team Championship match is better than one might expect. Recommended to only those super curious about how the Hogan Era in TNA began, but most fans would be better off skipping this show.

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

WWE Royal Rumble 2025

WWE Royal Rumble 2025

Indianapolis, IN - February 2025

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the WWE Champion was Cody Rhodes, the World Heavyweight Champion was GUNTHER, the Intercontinental Champion was Bron Breakker, the United States Champion was Shinsuke Nakamura, the War Raiders held the World Tag Team Championships, the WWE Tag Team Champions were #DIY, the Women's Tag Team Champions were Bianca Belair and Naomi, the Women's United Champion was Chelsea Green, the Women's Intercontinental Champion was Lyra Valkyria, Rhea Ripley was the Women's World Champion, and the Women's WWE Champion was Tiffany Stratton. 

The show began with an unadvertised welcome by Stephanie McMahon...yeesh, less than a day after the latest harrowing details emerged about her dad. I really wish she'd have received the Hulk Hogan treatment and gotten boo'ed out of the stadium, but alas it was not to be. I don't think she had first-hand knowledge of the darker parts of Vince's sexual life - namely the sex trafficking, I don't kink shame if everything is consensual - but she's been privy to a whole bunch of shadiness over the years and is a card-carrying Trumper, which means she knows how birds of a feather can be. 

Anyway, the Women's Royal Rumble match kicked off the show with IYO SKY and Liv Morgan drawing #1 and #2 respectively. This went a good 10+ minutes before we got even the first elimination and that element held true for the match's entire duration as the eliminations were significantly spaced out. As per usual in these matches, some wrestlers really shined and others got lost in the mix. Chelsea Green was over with the live crowd and stood out, as did Lash Legend, while folks like Michin, B-Fab, Ivy Nile, Zoey Stark, Natalya, and others probably should've been dealt with quicker to boost the reputation of folks like Jordynne Grace (who also got a huge ovation), the aforementioned Legend, and the veterans like Bayley and Belair. In terms of big returns, the crowd popped the loudest - and it wasn't even particularly close - for Alexa Bliss. Bliss has been off TV for at least a year now, if I'm not mistaken, but is arguably the best female utility player the WWE has had in the past decade in terms of being able to work as a manager or a wrestler, a heel or a face, a WrestleMania-hosting fan surrogate or an over-the-top possessed demon. Meanwhile, Nikki Bella's return landed with a bit of a thud as she entered #30 when, I reckon, part of the audience was hoping for Becky Lynch. I'd also note that Bella, a huge star for the company in the mid-to-late 2010s, spent the majority of her time in the company as an unlikeable, arrogant heel (and wasn't exactly a "smart fan" favorite either, though it is generally agreed-upon now that she improved considerably over the years). Bella was immensely popular with some my male students back in the day - unsurprising, considering I teach kids ages 12-14 - but those fans are now older teenagers and have likely "aged out" of pro-wrestling (if they're anything like me, they'll be back into it in their 20s once they hit their first wave of nostalgic appreciation for the simplicity of pre-teen amusements). The same could be said of Charlotte, who got a big ovation initially, but a somewhat mild reaction upon her eventual victory. Charlotte was made to look super strong to the point of it being a bit too overt. As for Trish Stratus, how many "returns" can one woman have before we just expect her to be part of the Rumble every year until she can no longer physically do it? Stratus will always get a big pop and it is well-deserved...but I wish they'd get a bit more creative with what she can actually bring to the table rather than just shoehorning her into the Rumble every year for the sake of an ovation. All in all, a Rumble that had a few good moments and showcased just how loaded the WWE's Women's roster is...but also highlighted a clear need for the "fresh blood" and "future of the division" to be featured more prominently in 2025. It doesn't feel like all that long ago that Zoey Stark was being touted as a key player for the future and, before her, Shayna Baszler, but both feel like lower midcarders now. I'm not convinced the same isn't true of someone like Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria, who didn't stand-out at all and should've been given the positioning and role of Roxanne Perez in this match. Michin, Candice LeRae, Sonya Deville...all just bodies and the audience reacted to them as such. Giulia and Stephanie Vacquer are obviously very talented, but this match didn't allow either to really showcase their skills and risks making them seem like "just wrestlers" too. (2/5)

#DIY vs. The Motor City Machine Guns in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match for the WWE Tag Team Championships was next. Loved the CAPW shout-out by Cole in the first minute! #DIY got a somewhat quick pin as Gargano and Ciampa fooled Shelley into believing Gargano made a tag and Ciampa connected with an unexpected running knee instead. Clever pin, if somewhat rushed. The teams were in a rough spot on the card as the audience was definitely a little cool after having sat through a 60+ minute Rumble. The veterans took their time but also delivered some great spots including a brilliant Sabin crossbody to the floor. The Guns got the second fall with a Skull & Bones double-team maneuver to tie things up. The third fall saw both teams bust out the superkicks and signatures before the Street Profits interfered the cost the Guns the match. After the bout, Dawkins and Ford beat down #DIY with a crutch and held up the titles. I smell a 3-way match. Overall, this was fine but would've come off better with a hotter crowd. (2.5/5)

The WWE Universal Championship was on the line next as Kevin Owens challenged Cody Rhodes in a Ladder Match. Rhodes and Owens did not waste much time getting to the hardcore spots as Owens slammed Rhodes through a ladder on the floor and then beat him down with the metal piece that had broken off. Into the crowd they went, brawling through an aisle. A "We Want Tables" chant started up as they got back to the ring and Owens started pulling ladders out from under the ring. Owens set up a table connecting the announcer's table and the ring apron but couldn't utilize it right away. Cody went climbing but Owens came back in with a step ladder and used it against Cody. The inclusion of the mini-ladder felt a "cutesy" at first, but I loved Owens' back-suplexing Cody onto it. Cody went climbing and grabbed hold of the rung but got brought down with a nasty modified pop-up powerbomb. Owens set up the ladder over Rhodes and tried to climb up, but Rhodes pushed the ladder up and Owens had to step off. Back to the floor they went for Owens to continue his attack. Owens slid yet another ladder into the ring as the crowd again asked for tables. Rhodes hit a suplex that sent Owens into a ladder and then went climbing again but ended up snapping off a rung of the ladder and using it against the challenger. Owens cut him off with a superkick, hit a flurry of left hands, and then bashed Rhodes with the ladder rung. The amount of steel in the ring at this point made for a great visual and clearly a dangerous environ but Owens added yet another one, placing it in the corner over the bottom rope. Owens looked like he was going to try to send Cody into the ladder in the corner, but Cody reversed it and back-dropped Owens onto the top edge of the ladder in one of the sickest moves I've seen in recent years, especially in the WWE. It was absolutely NASTY and the crowd reacted to it as such, going silent at first and then chanting "Holy Shit." It was the kind of bump that could've legit crippled him, but Owens somehow managed to get to his feet to powerbomb Cody into the ladder in the corner! Great spot there and another crazy bump. Owens set up a ladder to hang over the bottom rope and placed Cody on it before attempting a splash, but Rhodes met him on the top rope. Rhodes went for a superplex but Owens countered it with a Fisherman Buster into a ladder! Another "Holy Shit" erupted and deservedly so as that move looked terrific and very painful. Both men got checked out by SmackDown staff, including GM Nick Aldis. Sami Zayn showed up and checked on KO and then Cody as well. Owens got to his feet and attempted a Stunner but Rhodes hit a Cross Rhodes! Owens went out to the floor but pulled Cody's foot before he could get onto the ladder. Owens pulled Cody to the floor and Rhodes went wild, bashing KO into the announce table and the post to open him up. Cody hit some good-looking punches, raining blows on KO before joining him on the table. KO with a low blow, but Rhodes counters a package piledriver attempt into an Alabama Slam through the ladder! Rhodes slid into the ring and got hold of the belts to end what was a very good ladder match that may have started a little bit slow and "mid" but ended up delivering an incredible second half full of absolutely brutal spots. (4/5)

Main event time - the 2025 Men's Royal Rumble match, which began with Rey Mysterio Jr. and relative newcomer to the WWE, Penta. Unfortunately, what was a great moment got bungled when Penta was clearly eliminated and the announcers (and referees) had to play like he wasn't. Chad Gable came in at #3 and we got another fun couple of minutes with the luchadores teaming up to work over Gable. The first big entrant (and elimination) came with Bron Breakker at #7, who came in and immediately destroyed and tossed Hayes before dishing out a whole bunch more punishment to the other participants. Breakker got rid of Escobar too before having his momentum halted by Otis. Tozawa was supposed to come out at #8 but, in a neat twist, Carmelo Hayes hit him before he could make his way to the ring. Backstage, Triple H was shown asking someone to replace him and finding...IShowSpeed, a YouTuber I had never heard of before. He ate an absolutely NASTY spear from Breakker before getting tossed to the outside (where he was caught by Otis and then reverse slammed onto a table). Andrade came in and it was noted on commentary that he had returned to the WWE at the previous Rumble...which kinda goes to show that sometimes the grass is greener because he's been a non-entity in the WWE (and ended up getting eliminated by Jacob Fatu minutes later). Ludwig Kaiser came in at #13 and I loved his character work as he took his time to enter the ring but then got eliminated almost immediately by Penta! The Miz came in next and got some time to shine before getting shut down by Fatu, who was very over with the crowd. At #15 was TNA Champion Joe Hendry, who got a massive response. Hendry too got cut off by Fatu before we got Roman Reigns at #16, who got an even bigger response than Hendry. Reigns immediately eliminated Miz and Sheamus and then speared Hendry and tossed him too, which actually drew some jeers. Bron ended Roman's momentum with a huge Spear after a staredown but Roman ended up tossing him soon after. At this point, the only 4 left in the ring were Jimmy Uso, Jacob Fatu, Reigns, and Penta. Fatu eliminated Jimmy and we got Roman and Fatu squaring off to a huge response (with Cole noting on commentary that these two doing battle was a "future WrestleMania main event"). Drew McIntyre came in at #17 followed by Finn Balor at #18. Minutes later, after delivering an awesome Canadian Destroyer onto Fatu, Penta finally got eliminated after 42 minutes in the ring. Quite a showing there. Jey Uso came in at #20 to a big response and cleaned house, eventually eliminated Shinsuke Nakamura. AJ Styles came in next, returning from a lengthy hiatus and receiving a huge ovation. Braun Strauman managed to eliminate Fatu once he joined the match, which was smart booking as Fatu had had a great run but needed to "disappear" sometime in the thick of the match to hide the loss. John Cena came in next to another massive reception and got rid of Braun and then Balor as well (in a questionable spot where he AA'd him off the apron and onto Braun, who wasn't in great position to catch him). Cena and Roman stared each other down as the countdown reached 0 and here comes CM Punk! Great timing there. As Cole noted on commentary, this match was super star-powered. Punk, Roman, and Cena stared each other down as the clock ticked down again and...Seth Rollins joined the party. Dominik Mysterio came in next, a huge smirk on his face. Mysterio hit a frog splash on Cena and then went for a suplex on Roman but got Samoan Dropped instead. From here, we got Sami Zayn, Damien Priest, LA Knight, and eventually, at #30, Logan Paul. The big finishing stretch saw Logan Paul eliminate AJ Styles before we got a wild series of events involving Reigns, Rollins, and Punk that saw Punk dump both members of The Shield before getting eliminated himself. On the floor, Rollins hit Reigns with a NASTY Curb Stomp - it looked like he stomped him with both feet - and then brawled with Punk before delivering a second Curb Stomp on Reigns on the steps. This was clearly designed to "write off" Reigns until closer to Mania season. Punk and Rollins brawled again before they were separated and, by this point, it was down to just Cena, Jey Uso, and Logan Paul. Paul was the next to go and we got an imperfect Uso/Cena finale. Cena's overacting was a bit heavy-handed, his facial expressions loud enough to be heard at the furthest row of the stadium, but, to be fair, it is that "Larger Than Life" showmanship that made Cena a massive star (even if it is hokey). Uso and Cena ended up on the apron together and we got a bunch of teetering from Cena before Jey escaped an AA attempt and shoved Cena off to win a title match at WrestleMania. I was not expecting Jey to win this so kudos to the WWE for pulling the trigger on someone new, especially after devoting so much time to the legends on their last major show, the Netflix debut. This was an all-timer Rumble due to the star power, fan engagement, somewhat surprising ending, and some generally great performances out of Jacob Fatu, Chad Gable, Bron Breakker, and AJ Styles. (4/5)

All in all, Royal Rumble 2025 was a strong show with a legitimately surprising ending. The Owens/Cody match was as violent and wild as the WWE is able to get. The Women's Rumble was a tad underwhelming, but the Men's edition more than made up for it. Earning a respectable 3.13-out-of-5 Kwang Score, I'm giving it a...

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

TNA Final Resolution 2009

TNA Final Resolution 2009

Orlando, FL - December 2009

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, AJ Styles was the TNA World Champion, the X-Division Champion was The Amazing Red, ODB was the TNA Knockouts Champion, Eric Young was the Global Champion, the TNA World Tag Team Champions were The British Invasion, and Sarita and Taylor Wilde held the TNA Women's Tag Team Championships. 

Final Resolution 2009 kicks off with a relatively hot tag opener - The Motor City Machine Guns challenging The British Invasion for the TNA Tag Team Championships. The MCMG have the crowd behind them and the much more dazzling offense, but the Invasion end up eking out a victory. The Guns are rightfully considered one of the best tag teams of the past 20 years and while this match may not even be in their Top 10 or 20, they do deliver some really good double-team maneuvers and Sabin's suicide dive through Shelley's legs looks tremendous. I wish the referee would've been in better position for the finish as it should've been a quick, sneaky 3-count instead of what looks more like a 5 count because the referee had to scramble to slap the mat. No worse than average. (2.5/5)

Next up - ODB defending her Women's Championship against Tara. Tara hit an awesome front-flip leg drop early and that was the highlight of the match. Some ugliness at one point when Tara goes for a one-legged flapjack and ODB takes the move directly on her face. Nasty spot there that seems to have dazed ODB and led to a very lackluster finish. Tara's post-match promo is not very good and is a touch "off-key" because ODB was also a babyface and, one could argue, the underdog despite being the defending champion. (2/5)

The Feast or Fired match was next - Jay Lethal vs. Consequences Creed vs. Samoa Joe vs. Kevin Nash vs. Eric Young vs. Kiyoshi vs. Bobby Roode vs. Rob Terry vs. Homicide vs. James Storm vs. Cody Deaner vs. Abdul Bashir. The story coming into this match was actually kinda clever as Eric Young had entered all of his World Elite brothers into the contest in order to "stack the deck" and ensure that Beer Money would not be able to challenge The British Invasion for the Tag Team Championships. While this makes for a fun story that is used to "pair up" various guys in the early going on the match, it also leads to some tension once Rob Terry and Abdul Bashir grab hold of the first two briefcases. Samoa Joe spends most of the match outside the ring looking cool, but does show up for the second half for a good sequence against Lethal and Consequences and then, eventually, to grab the final briefcase. Kevin Nash ends up with a briefcase too. Aside from one sequence involving Beer Money, Lethal Consequences, Joe, and Kiyoshi, there is very little actual "wrestling" on display. After an interview segment with Angle and Styles, the "winners" are revealed: Nash gets a tag title shot, Joe gets a World title shot, Rob Terry gets an X-Division title match, and poor Abdul Bashir got the "pink slip." This could've been so much better if it had been built more around Joe kicking ass. (2/5)

Team 3D, Rhyno, and Jesse Neal took on Hernandez, Suicide, Matt Morgan, and "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero in the next match. This was a sloppy mess with just about the worst refereeing I've ever seen. The match began with the heels having a 4-on-1 advantage with Hernandez having to survive the first 5 minutes alone. Not only did he survive, he pinned Rhyno. Woo boy. If you're going to bury somebody, let it be Jesse Neal, who was the least experienced of the eight men in the ring. Speaking of Neal, he teased hitting Hernandez with a chair before the rest of the babyfaces joined the match but...didn't...because...it was never clear. It couldn't have been because he didn't want to get disqualified because he ends up using the chair later...and somehow not getting disqualified. Hernandez absolutely BRAINS him with an unprotected chair shot, which seemed like the kind of spot that Bubba and D'von probably thought would "get him over" but definitely did not. Anyway, Hernandez gets DQ'd and we eventually learn that Neal is too, though it happens after Hernandez is. It makes no sense. Team 3D get to look strong, eliminating both Dinero and Suicide with the 3-D. I understand keeping the tag team specialist looking strong, but Dinero had some momentum coming into the company and getting jobbed out here 100% clean was certainly not what the fans wanted. Matt Morgan, who was pretty over with the crowd here, ends up getting the victory. When this wasn't stupid, it was boring. (1.5/5)

Bobby Lashley and Scott Steiner had a surprisingly good Falls Count Anywhere match at the last show, but I kinda expected this to not live up to what was possibly a "lightning in the bottle"/"lucky night" for these two. I'm a Lashley fan, but he was still "putting it all together" in 2009 and not yet as good as he would become. Steiner's TNA run has been much better than I remember it being due entirely to his effort. Still, even with Steiner working hard, busting out suplexes and cutting entertaining promos and performing friggin' Frankensteiners, his timing and selling are not great and the layout of this match is not good at all. Last Man Standing matches almost demand some sort of "big spot" to explain why someone would be laid out for 10 seconds and this offered none, wrestled way too much like a regular match to feel like the culmination of a serious feud over one man's wife. Steiner's selling of leg damage early leads nowhere. Lashley knocking out Steiner with a single pipe shot is silly compared to the level of violence from their previous bout. This was a disappointment even if you went into it not expecting much. (1.5/5)

Another disappointing match follows as Mick Foley teams up with Abyss to take on Raven and Dr. Stevie (Stevie Richards). There's one great Foley spot that he saves for the end of the match, flying off the ramp onto Stevie and putting him through a table, but nothing else is really too impressive. At one point, Abyss could be relied on to put on very violent, very bloody hardcore matches, but as nearly every longtime wrestling fan eventually learns, when a wrestler bases so much of their work around "garbage wrestling," it almost always leads to diminishing returns. By this point, unless there was shards of glass, thumbtacks, and stiff chair shots involved, it felt like Abyss was "half-assing it" despite how unfair a criticism that is. This is physical match and nobody is pulling punches, but when you expect blood and gore, a match like this comes off as incredibly tame. It also doesn't help that, despite the arrival of Raven, the Dr. Stevie/Abyss feud feels like its been going on way too long. (2/5)

Kurt Angle vs. Desmond Wolfe in a 3 Degrees of Pain match is next. God, I really wish they would've just made this a 2-out-of-3 falls match in a cage rather than the ham-fisted and mostly unnecessary stipulation that the first fall could only be won by pinfall, the second only by submission, and the third by escape. It should've been much simpler: an escape-the-cage match that can only be won after you had successfully pinned or submitted your opponent. That may seem like a minor change, but it would've helped the psychology of the match, which is a bit "all over the place" despite the strong work of both guys. For example, early on, Tenay has to clarify that neither wrestler is allowed to use the cage "as a weapon" or else risk losing by DQ...which doesn't make sense because they've already said the first fall can only end by pinfall (and, therefor, because its in a cage, is essentially a No DQ/No CO situation anyway). Then, later on, there's a rope break when, again, the match couldn't possibly end with a DQ because the second fall could only end with a submission. Furthermore, the first stretch of the match, which should be loaded with pinfall attempts and counters, is wrestled mostly on the mat...as is the second, submissions-only fall. There's not enough differentiation between the first 15 minutes and the second and the crowd's enthusiasm seems to ebb-and-flow over the course of the two first falls, most likely because so much of it is mat-based when the first fall should've been much more about big suplexes and slams. The third fall is the best fall of the match - not really a surprise there - because this is where the action really picks up and we see Nigel's desperation, especially after he gets opened up. Still, there are some weird moments. Its a trope that the babyface will always escape the cage by climbing out rather than using the door, but I would've loved for them to find a way to make it make more sense here, especially considering that Angle had never really "turned face" after the Main Event Mafia storyline and was something of a "tweener" at this point, a guy who could feud and fight anyone on the roster. One could argue that where Wolfe was lying was close to the cage door (which would've made it easier for him to stop Angle), but that wasn't noted on commentary. I also thought that some of Angle's counters looked wonky, especially compared to how smooth Nigel is. This wasn't a bad match, but it wasn't as good as their bout at the previous show and really suffered from a weak set of rules. (3/5)

Main event time - AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels for AJ's TNA World Heavyweight Championship. A solid match - certainly above average - but missing a true emotional story because, ultimately, as good as Daniels is from a technical perspective, I don't find myself super-invested in his matches. I loved the spot where Daniels came flying over the top to try a hurricanrana but got powerbombed on the floor instead. I loved the finishing stretch and how much Daniels fought to avoid a second Styles Clash. I didn't love that, at no point, did I find myself wondering if Daniels might actually win the title. Because this was wrestled as a battle of two ex-best friends who knew each other so well and didn't really have a true good-vs.-evil dynamic (despite Styles clearly being more over and Daniels infusing a little bit of heelishness here and there), the finish was never in doubt. Had Daniels actually been working to try to screw Styles out of the title, that could've added some drama that just wasn't there. Maybe back in 2009 this would've been really special, but because this level of action and workrate is so common today, it doesn't really stand out now. (3/5)

With a Kwang Score if 2.19-out-of-5, Final Resolution 2009 is not a show worth checking out in its entirety, but the Wolfe/Angle match and the main are both good. Unfortunately, nothing else on the card rises above average.

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver