TNA Hardcore Justice 2011

TNA Hardcore Justice 2011

Orlando, FL - August 2011

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the TNA World Champion was Sting, the X-Division was Brian Kendrick, the TNA World Tag Team Champions were Beer Money Inc., the Knockouts Champion was Mickie James, the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions were Tara and Miss Tessmacher, and Eric Young was the Television Champion.

The show begins with a video showcasing Sting's "Joker" gimmick and the night's main event - Sting vs. Kurt Angle for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. I wasn't watching TNA weekly at the time - admittedly, I was never a weekly viewer aside from maybe a couple of months here and there - so I don't remember too much about the gimmick aside from Sting's Heath Ledger-inspired promos, where he would break into song and maniacal laughter (which, honestly, makes it maybe a bit closer to what Joaquin Phoenix did close to a decade later).

Anyway...Austin Aries vs. Alex Shelley vs Brian Kendrick for Kendrick's X-Division Championship was the night's opening contest. Aries had worked in TNA years earlier as "Austin Starr," though I don't think that was referenced when he re-joined the company. Aries is not my favorite person and neither is Kendrick but their douchebag tendencies weren't widely known at this time. As expected, this is a fast-moving, action-packed match and the three combatants have great chemistry. Really liked Aries' heel work. Shelley's offense looked terrific and some of his submissions were really impressive. I was a bit surprised that Kendrick didn't "shine" as much as the other two, but his quickness, timing, and pinballing held the match together even if the other two shined more. What I also liked about this match was that it wasn't all high-flying and big spots as they devoted much more time and energy into establishing the story of Aries being the cowardly spoiler for the first half and Shelley and Kendrick basically wrestling a 1-on-1 match as Aries picked his spots. Towards the end, there seemed to be a "botch" when they were going for a "Tower of Sliced Bread #2" spot, but they played it off so well that I actually thought it added realism to the match. This wasn't "must see" or anything, but it was a fun, well-worked match and a good opening contest. (3.5/5)

The TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championships were on the line next as Sarita (AEW producer/trainer Sarah Stock under a mask) and Rosita (Zelina Vega) of the Mexican America stable challenged Tara and Brooke Tessmacher. Unsurprisingly, Sarita and Tara do much of the heavy lifting for their teams, but Tessmacher isn't nearly as bad as I would've assumed based on her limited training. Vega might actually be the weakest link in the match, taking an ugly bump in the corner from a Tara chokeslam early on and delivering an awkward splash later on. Still, I'll give her credit - she throws herself into some of her falls and takes a hell of a Widow's Peak to end things. A decent enough contest. (2.5/5)

Devon (of Team 3D fame) vs. "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero was next on the card, a match that was part of the annual Bound for Glory tournament/series. The action was good, but I disliked the "drama" before it kicked off with Dinero cutting a promo backstage about how he was going to "do the right thing." Once he got to the ring and the bell rang, Dinero, who had befriended Devon's kids, wife, and even his mother, offered to lay down, but Devon wanted to kick his ass instead. If you're going to spend so much time on an angle or storyline like this, I feel like you need to go over-the-top with it and really deliver the unexpected. Instead, after initially trying to have Devon pin him, Dinero fought back and we got a good-not-great match between the two. Devon was competent as a singles wrestler, but its obvious he doesn't have any real buy-in from the fans as anything apart from being a member of Team 3D. Dinero, who was somewhat over a year earlier, was a midcarder-at-best by this point and, while giving him the clean W here was a step in the right direction of renewing his push, I would've liked to see some storyline progression that illustrating his cunning or that he was a dangerous, clever "puppetmaster" in a way that this match does not deliver on. Not bad, but nothing worth seeking out. Oh, Matt Morgan was surprisingly not bad on commentary. (2/5)

Mickie James defended her TNA Knockouts Championship against Winter (formerly known as Katie Lea Burchill). This was not good. They got 9 minutes but they had zero chemistry and there wasn't a single sequence or move that looked anything above mediocre. Looking over at Cagematch, it is mind-boggling that Winter somehow has a rating of 8 despite, to my knowledge, not once having a match or gimmick in the States that was very good. I tend to like Mickie's work, but will concede that she's at her best when she's paired with a dance partner that compliments her own mix of strong character work and solid (if not super flashy or innovative) in-ring skill. At this point, James' character was so basic and uninteresting that I've been mostly unimpressed with her TNA run up to this point and miss the days when she was pushing boundaries a bit in WWE and having one of the era's best storylines/feuds with Trish Stratus. "Hardcore Country" Mickie James was too vanilla and certainly not "hardcore" in any way. (1/5)

Crimson vs. Rob Van Dam followed, a match that was booked as part of the Bound For Glory series to crown a new number one contender for the TNA World Championship. Crimson, who was given something of a mega-push despite having less than 60 matches under his belt by this point according to Cagematch, was simply not ready to be doing more than squash matches on TV to build up his reputation and also get a better feel for how to play to the crowd and get them engaged. Rob Van Dam, as much as I think he's had some excellent matches over the years, is also like a kid in high school who is happy to be a C student as long as he can hang with his buddies and collect a fat paycheck. He's over, sure, and rightfully beloved for his undeniable charisma and the showmanship he brought in his prime, but 2011 Rob Van Dam is very different from 1998 or 2002 Rob Van Dam and the 2011 version is who we get here. Jerry Lynn ends up causing a DQ when it looks like RVD is going to take a loss. I'm hoping that RVD wanting to revisit his legendary feud with Lynn - after their generally well-received Destination X match from a month or so earlier (I haven't seen it, but it has a decent near-7 rating at Cagematch) - means he'll bring more creativity and energy to their eventual match. As for Crimson...I'm still waiting to see what the TNA execs saw in this kid. (1.5/5)

Fortune (AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and Frankie Kazarian) took on Immortal's Scott Steiner, Abyss, and Gunner (also known as Jaxson Ryker). Gunner was the worst worker in this match by a few country miles and I'm certainly no Abyss fan or claiming that Steiner was working at even 25% of his former glory. Speaking of Abyss, him and AJ Styles always had such great chemistry and timing so putting them together in this match is sort of a "cheat code" for getting something halfway decent. Daniels and Kazarian are great technical wrestlers in terms of execution, timing, bumping, selling, high-flying...really everything except making me truly care if they win or lose, which, to me, has always prevented me from rating them very high. It was clear here that year and years of working with Steiner - in tags, in singles, in multi-mans - paid off because he does not look out of place or awkward or even "slow" against the X-Division guys. This isn't a great match or anything and I'd argue it goes a touch too long at nearly 15 minutes, but AJ, Daniels, and Kaz brought the energy to make this work. (2.5/5)

Bully Ray vs. Ken Anderson was the next match, a fight to figure out who was TNA's true "asshole." Both guys were heels, but Anderson was maybe more a tweener at this point despite joining Immortal. Anderson had won the TNA World Championship at Slammiversary but then dropped the title back to Sting on an episode of Impact. Anyway...this was surprisingly solid. I'm not a huge fan of Bully Ray as a person or a performer and Anderson has never been someone I considered a great in-ring worker, but they brought the intensity and kept the foot on the gas throughout this match, delivering a good fight. (3/5)

After a backstage segment in which Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff voiced their displeasure with Abyss, the Tag Team Championships were on the line as Beer Money Inc. defended the gold against Mexican America (Hernandez and Anarquia). This wasn't too terrible, mostly because Storm and Roode are/were solid hands in the ring and they had plenty of experience against Hernandez from his time teaming with Homicide in LAX, a much, much better team than the one he had going here with Anarquia. At 10 minutes, this one didn't overstay its welcome but still felt like a legitimate title defense. What this match could've used was an actual gimmick or stipulation and Brian Hebner sending Sarita and Rosita back to the locker rooms before the match even began meant that they had this get this match over with just the in-ring action (when the women could've been used better to build heat and suspense). (2/5)

Main event time - Kurt Angle vs. Sting for Sting's TNA World Championship. The storyline coming into this match was that Sting, who was in his "Joker" phase, was trying to keep hold of the TNA World Championship so that it would've fall into the clutches of Immortal as he was the lone defender against their takeover of the company and was trying to return Dixie Carter to power (somehow). Angle, meanwhile, was the Number One Contender and his sole motivation was winning back his cherished TNA World Championship. It was essentially a face/face dynamic and the match was fought cleanly by both men for most of its 15-minute runtime. I'll give credit to Angle too as he was definitely doing everything he could to make Sting's offense look great and spent most of the match bumping and selling rather than pushing the tempo or "gassing" the Stinger. The rating on Cagematch seems to be mostly based on the unpopular finish, which saw the ref go down from an errant enziguiri and then Hulk Hogan coming down with a chair (seemingly to attack Sting). Angle pulled the chair out of Hogan's hands and basically sent Hogan out of the ring before striking Sting with it himself and then hitting an Angle Slam for the victory. Personally, I thought the finish - while not great - made logical sense and did leave the show with an interesting cliffhanger as Angle proved he was willing to do whatever it took to win the title but didn't necessarily want Hogan's help to do it (even though that is how it worked out). I don't know where the storyline went from here, but I'm at least curious, which is a feeling I don't always have at the end of watching one of these TNA shows. (2.5/5)

With a 2.28-out-of-5 score on the Kwang meter, Hardcore Justice 2011 didn't feel "hardcore" at all and really could've used at least one or two matches with meaningful, enticing stipulations to make them worth sitting through. The opener was the best match on the show as nothing else on the card delivered anything above "alright." As much as I respect and enjoy so much of Sting's work in the early-to-mid-90s and even in AEW, his charisma could only carry him so far at this stage of his career and it showed in his output. 

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

AEW Full Gear 2022

AEW Full Gear 2022

Newark, NJ - November 2022

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into the show, Jon Moxley was the AEW World Champion, the TNT Champion was Wardlow, the Women's World Champion was Toni Storm, the TBS Champion was Jade Cargill, the AEW World Tag Team Champions were The Acclaimed, Orange Cassidy held the All-Atlantic Championship, and the Death Triangle (PENTA, Rey Fenix, and PAC) were the Trios Champions.

"Jungle Boy" Jack Perry took on Luchasaurus (Killswitch?) in a cage match to start the show. Christian accompanied Luchasaurus to the ring but got tossed out about a third of the way through, which was a nice and smart way of keeping the focus on the guys feuding in the ring. Perry got busted early on and bled a gusher, throwing himself into the cage with gusto and doing everything he could to play the undersized underdog recklessly fighting from underneath to defeat his former best friend. There were some good spots here, including Luchasaurus choke slamming Perry into an unfolded chair and Perry somehow getting the big man up for a pile-driver. This may have gone a smidgen too long and I wouldn't say I ever got "lost" and fully engrossed in the match, but the effort was absolutely there. (3/5)

Next up - The Death Triangle (Pentagon Jr., Rey Fenix, and PAC) defended their AEW Trios Championships against the returning team of The Elite (The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega). This was everything one would expect, for better or worse. If you were/are a fan of non-stop action, intricate sequences, lots of high-flying and nifty counters, this had all of those things going for it. This was the Elite's big return bout following the "Brawl Out" incident some months earlier, which would explain to the uninitiated why the crowd's chanted "Fuck CM Punk" early on (there was a slightly quieter "Fuck Omega" chant minutes later), and felt very much like them delivering something of a "mission statement" about what their view of AEW - big, sorta corny entrances (Kansas' corporate rock anthem "Carry On Wayward Son" blared during the Elite's arrival), over-the-top, borderline "spotfest" wrestling, the "rules" of the match being thrown out the window so that all six men could enter and exit the ring willy-nilly to deliver yet another crowd-pleasing spot. The teams did hold some stuff back as this was the first match in what would be a Best of 7 series, though I don't think that was announced until after this match happened. I liked the finish as it was not only something of a surprise - this being the Elite's big return and all - but also told the story of Fenix not wanting to cheat until there was absolutely no choice. (3.5/5)

Jade Cargill vs. Nyla Rose for the TBS Championship was next. The story coming in was that Nyla Rose had stolen the physical belt. She was managed by Vickie Guerrero and they came out in a topless lowrider Cadillac ala Eddie Guerrero. Cheap or not, it got a reaction from the crowd and made this match feel "bigger." Cargill came out in Thundercats-inspired gear which was...a bit odd? This was sloppy at times, mostly due to Cargill. I really disliked the "Flying Nothing" transition as Cargill came down off the top rope directly into Nyla Rose's feet and its unclear what she was even attempting. Speaking of Rose, she was definitely "leading" here and looked much more impressive than Cargill in terms of the basics. I liked Rose getting the nearfall by hitting Cargill with her own finish, though I don't think anyone doubted the conclusion of this match as Cargill had been booked so dominantly for months and months and Rose was booked the opposite of that. At 8 minutes, I felt like this was the perfect length: enough to make it feel like a genuine title defense and that Rose was a real challenge, but not too long to expose them anymore than it already did. Had this same match happened in 2012 or 2002 or 1992 in the WWE (or TNA), it would've probably been considered average, but in 2022, this just wasn't up to par. (1.5/5)

Next up - a fatal fourway for the Ring of Honor World Championship between Sammy Guevara, Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castignoli, and then-Champion Chris Jericho. Highlights included Danielson's dive onto Guevara on the outside early on, Jericho getting "pinballed" by uppercuts from Danielson and Claudio, the Blackpool Combat Club members hitting a two-man flapjack and turning it into a double half-crab, the slow burn of Jericho and Guevara coming to blows, and the Swiss Superman's usual impressive array of power moves.  The heat segment on Danielson went a bit long to me as it required Castignoli to play dead for way too long. I liked the LeBell Lock/Sharpshooter combo, as gimmicky as it may have been, and Guevara busting out Jericho's signature moves against him. I'm not sure Guevara shouldn't have won off the GTH and Shooting Star Press. Loved Danielson hitting the Baisaku Knee on Claudio after he'd just guerilla pressed Guevara out of the ring and onto Jericho. I was less of a fan of Danielson eating a Spanish Fly off the top and immediately going into the LeBell Lock (as loud a pop as it got). Guevara and Claudio had a great sequence soon after that capped off with the Giant Swing and Jericho delivering a jumping Judas Effect and then another to Castignoli to get the victory. This was good. (3/5)

Saraya (Paige from the WWE) made her in-ring return after 5 years out due to not being medically cleared based on a neck injury to take on Dr. Britt Baker in the next match. Saraya showed some rust, looking gassed at times and not moving with the speed and confidence that once made her one of the best female workers in the WWE (though, that's a bit of faint praise when you look at what the WWE's women's roster was made up of pre-"Divas Revolution" and how often they were permitted to actually show what they could do). Baker doesn't look all that much better and was similarly perceived as a much better, more capable in-ring performer in AEW when the roster was thinner and women like Toni Storm, Kris Statlander, Willow Nightingale, and others hadn't quite found their footing or were still relatively green. Anyway...I liked the psychology that Baker brought, targeting Saraya's neck, but didn't love the repeating finishers and finisher set-ups. The crowd was really flat for this too despite Baker's best effort to work as a heel and allow Saraya the opportunity to shine as a babyface. (2/5)

This was followed by the TNT Championship match as Wardlow defending his belt against Samoa Joe and Will Hobbs in a threeway. There were parts of this I really liked - Hobbs dominating in the early going, Wardlow's big comeback and always-impressive high-flying and powerbomb symphony, Wardlow crashing into Samoa Joe on the outside and putting him into the barricade, and Samoa Joe's expert timing throughout. What I didn't love was the tacked-on finish that saw Samoa Joe take the easy way out as he clobbered Wardlow with the championship belt (which is legal in a three-way for a reason I've never understood) and then forced Hobbs to tap. This match just sorta happened. (2.5/5)

Sting and Darby Allin teamed up to take on Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett in the next match. These sorts of matches always work well on these cards because they stand out as something different. This wasn't an all-time classic or anything, but it was smartly worked and featured enough big moments to make every second of its rather abbreviated 11-minute runtime work. Loved Darby Allin's Coffin Drop into the waiting arms of Satnam Singh (who then airplane spun him and sent him flying on the ramp), loved Sting's similar dive in the crowd minutes later, loved Jay Lethal's bump onto the ring apron from a Sting military press off the top, loved Jarrett's entrance and chickenshit heel work before the match started, loved the little bit of solid back-and-forth we got between Lethal and Allin in the ring...this was just fun. I wish the cameraman would've captured Jarrett hitting Allin in the back with a chair when he attempted a Coffin Drop better because we really didn't see the impact. Oh well. Good-not-great stuff. (3/5)

The AEW Women's World Championship was on the line next as Toni Storm (not yet "Timeless") defended her championship against Jamie Hayter. This match started out with some awesome straight-up wrestling, the intensity picked up when Storm got her nose busted, and then things went off the rails when they went into "self-conscious epic" territory and started loading things up with false finishes, ineffective interferences, and Storm eating a Curb Stomp (after being hit in the head with the championship belt) and a finishing move - I forget if it was Hayter's lariat or Hayter hitting her with a Stormbreaker -  and still got to kick-out in SuperCena fashion. To me, this didn't make Storm look strong, it made the match feel "scripted" and "fake" despite how hard-hitting and physical it was. Its like they baked a really good cake but then thought adding 3 more minutes in the oven would make it better when, really, it just dried it out. (3/5)

Swerve In Their Glory (Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee) challenged The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens and Max Caster) for the AEW World Tag Team Championships in the next match. This was the rubber match of their feud with the storyline being that Swerve was willing to do anything to win the titles back, including mangling "Daddy Ass" Billy Gunn by cutting off one of his fingers with a garden pruner while Keith Lee wanted to win back the titles the right way. This match wasn't as good as the one they had at All Out, but it wasn't that far behind it. Keith Lee took a great bump into a barricade that Swerve had set up earlier in the match, but aside from that big moment, he was clearly not 100% in this match and we saw very little of the explosivity and gravity-defying agility that he was once known for. Max Caster was clearly the weakest link in this match, his hot tag offense lacking the precision in execution to bring the crowd up as high as they could've gone. On the plus side, Swerve and Bowens really shined in this match and it's easy to see that Swerve was ready to take the next step in his evolution by this point. The finish was a solid set-up to a Swerve/Lee feud that, unfortunately, never really materialized due to Lee's health. (3/5)

Main event time - MJF challenging Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship. After All Out, CM Punk was suspended and Moxley ended up winning his third AEW World Championship in a tournament final against Bryan Danielson, a booking decision made to try to buoy the title picture as quickly as possible after a whole lot of nonsense throughout 2022. Anyway...the New Jersey crowd was split roughly 70/30, which could be expected considering MJF was more of the hometown guy. Mox struck early with a haymaker to the jaw right after the bell and took over early, gnawing at MJF's forehead at one point. Mox applied an STF and followed it up with a Falcon Arrow into a juji gatame, a nifty combo, but MJF got to the ropes. Mox got good heel heat by flipping off the crowd a couple times, smirking and arrogantly pacing the ring as MJF sold on the outside, and parading around with the championship. MJF set up a table at ringside but ate a cutter on the way back into the ring and then got his face stomped on. Onto the apron they went, where Mox went for a piledriver or powerbomb of some sort but ended up getting tombstoned on the apron! It wasn't the smoothest set-up, but it looked brutal. MJF immediately clutched at his knee afterwards. After a nearfall, they went back onto the apron and this time Mox connected with a jumping piledriver through the table! As cool as the two piledriver spots were, I didn't love the underselling of their impact. Back into the ring they went and, less than a minute later, the match became about a figure four leglock/MJF's damaged knee. MJF hit a nasty Heatseeker but couldn't hit another and Mox went to work on his knee as a "Fuck You Moxley" chant broke out. Up to the top rope they went where Mox hit hammer-and-anvil elbows and then a crazy Paradigm Shift from the top rope that looked awkward and dangerous as all hell. After selling on the mat for awhile, a strike exchange started up, but MJF pulled the ref into the fray and got bumped. MJF pulled out the Dynamite Diamond Ring, leading to Regal coming to the ring (teasing a big swerve). MJF took off the ring and then flipped Regal off, but the distraction allowed Mox to apply a choke and then a second ref bump! Mox reapplied the Bulldog Choke and MJF choked out but the ref didn't see it! Regal told Mox to wake the ref up but then slipped MJF a pair of brass knucks! MJF clocked Mox in the skull and this one is over! Unfortunately, Regal's heel turn didn't really go anywhere as he was out of the company relatively quickly after this, explaining his actions as his "last lesson" to the Blackpool Combat Club. Not a bad match at all, but far short of a "classic." (3/5)

Full Gear 2022 was an underwhelming show, loaded with matches that fell between decent-to-good but rarely great. The Match of the Night was undoubtedly the trios match, though your mileage may vary depending on your appreciation of Omega and the Bucks. Saraya/Baker and Cargill/Rose weren't very good, but I've seen far worse and at least neither ran too long. With a Kwang Score of 2.75, I'd consider most of this "inessential" but inoffensive and, simply because the talent of the roster is so high, generally above-average.

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

AEW WrestleDream 2025

AEW WrestleDream 2025

St. Louis, MO - October 2025

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into the show, the AEW World Champion was Adam Page, the AEW Women's World Champion was Kris Statlander, Kyle Fletcher was the TNT Champion, Mercedes Mone was the TBS Champion, the AEW Unified Championship was held by Kazuchika Okada, The Opps (Shibata, Samoa Joe, and Will Hobbs) held the AEW Trios Championship, and the AEW World Tag Team Champions were Brodido (Brody King and Bandido). 

WrestleDream opened with a match-in-progress we got the final minutes of FTR vs. JetSpeed. I really liked this concept - TK had hinted in a media scrum before the show that they were going to "try some new things" - as I'm not sure if I've ever seen a PPV/PLE start with one of the pre-show matches still happening. Even if this was done in the past, it was a fresh enough concept to work.

From there, we went to the "actual" opener: Jamie Hayter vs. Thekla. This was hit-and-miss and maybe a touch too long. I really liked Thekla's offense - especially her crossbody to the floor, which was immaculate - but there were noticeable hiccups throughout, awkward transitions, possibly one spot "repeated" due to a botch, missed strikes, and even a bit of telegraphing that hurt the match. I really wanted to like this match more than I did because Thekla is so impressive and seems like she's on the cusp of being a major player in AEW. (2.5/5)

The Young Bucks (who had a funny entrance that showed how they'd spent their last 500k and therefore couldn't afford a "real" entrance) took on the reunited Jurassic Express in the next match. Cagematch says this ran 23 minutes but it felt even longer due to the sheer amount of action and high spots they stuffed into it. This is another one of those matches that, if you're not a fan of what the Bucks do, you'll have no problem criticizing for its indulgences, but its hard to hate on something that, to the audience in St. Louis, was a clear winner. Luchasaurus was as over for this crowd as he's ever been. The Bucks' tandem offense, which included a callback to the Lucha Bros at one point, was as impressive as ever and even featured some new wrinkles (Perry countering one of their signature combo moves into a hurricanrana off the ropes was particularly great). Speaking of Perry, I'm not sure what the deal was with him untying the tag rope, trying to tie it the opposite corner, and then just tying back in the correct corner was as it didn't play into the match at any point, but maybe its something "meta" I didn't understand. There were probably too many nearfalls and false finishes that made Jack Perry look superhuman, but, again, that's "the brand" of wrestling this is and the real issue is that Perry is simply not over or credible enough to be surviving the same onslaught of finishers as, say, Will Ospreay or Swerve Strickland. As hard as they worked, the only thing I would've liked here was some editing. In the post-match, members of the Don Callis Family came out and attacked the JE as they were seemingly trying to give some of their winnings to the Bucks. The Bucks allowed it to happen, exiting the ring to boos, which led to Kenny Omega making his return and briefly questioning why they weren't helping out their old buddy. The Bucks shrugged their shoulders and moved on as Kenny ran in for the save, eventually running the heels out of the ring and celebrating. (3/5)

A trios match followed with Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and MVP taking on Ricochet, Bishop Kaun, and Toa Liona. They were an unfortunate position here having to follow a match where the Bucks and the Express had busted out every high spot imaginable and, maybe even more than their placement on the card, had to deliver what was something like their 3rd or 4th match over the past 8 weeks. Still, with Benjamin and Ricochet being so good and so capable of highlight reel moments, you knew this would be, at worst, just average. The match benefitted from "tornado" rules which prevented it from ever getting slow, but it also meant that there wasn't much structure or drama to it beyond just watching to see what the next "big move" would be. Highlights included MVP getting to hit his trademark "Ballin" elbow, Shelton Benjamin delivering an awesome cannonball tope towards the end, Ricochet bumping and selling like mad, and the finish, which saw Ricochet get saved by Kaun only for Kaun to eat a bunch of punishment and get pinned with nobody on his side risking their safety to help him. Not a bad match, but nothing to get excited about. (2.5/5)

Next up - the 5th match in the Best Of 5 series between Mark Briscoe and TNT Champion, Kyle Fletcher. I'll admit that I hadn't watched any of the previous matches. Callis joined on commentary. Things started relatively tame before Fletcher went to the outside for a breather and Briscoe followed him out and turned this into more of a fight, hitting with Fletcher with an elbow off the apron ala Cactus Jack. Other highlights included an awesome cannonball through the middle ropes by Briscoe onto Fletcher (who was seated on a chair), Fletcher powerbombing Briscoe on an upturned set of stairs, Fletcher countering the Jay Driller into a half-and-half suplex before connecting with the Last Ride powerbomb, a superplex from Fletcher that sounded like a bomb went off when they landed, a Jay Driller on the apron, a Froggy Elbow when Fletcher was lying prone on the top rope (as Schiavone noted, I'm not sure we've seen that before), and a whole slew of Fletcher kicks and running boots that looked and sounded tremendous. In a year full of remarkable performances, Kyle Fletcher once again proved he may be worthy of inclusion in the "Wrestler of the Year" conversation. The crowd desperately wanted Briscoe to get the win, booing heavily when Fletcher broke the count after a Jay Driller by putting one finger on the rope and popping just as huge when Briscoe somehow kicked out of a low blow and then Fletcher's brainbuster and running knee-to-the-jaw. Fletcher hit the brainbuster on the top turnbuckle to end things. Another very, very good match that was maybe just a hair short of "must see." (3.5/5)

Kris Statlander defended her AEW Women's World Championship against Toni Storm in the next match. While not the homerun they were clearly looking for, this was still quite good. This one suffered from some elements that had very little to do with the actual wrestling in the ring (which was almost all great). By this point, the crowd had sat through over two hours of wrestling, including two 20+ minute matches. If ever there was time for a fun squash match, this was the time for it, but instead, we got a very competitive tweener/tweener match. Tweeners, you say? I do. Storm is mega over and rightfully adored, but she's never been an out-and-out "good guy" who is fighting "for the fans." Her comedy chops and the fact that she was/is often slotted against heels has made her a de facto babyface more than anything in her actual character or presentation (pompous, egocentric, dismissive). Statlander, meanwhile, isn't too far removed from an ill-fitting heel run and, more recently, seemed to be getting recruited by the Death Riders. Statlander's super-serious, all-business persona doesn't scream "babyface" to me, though I do think this is the best presentation of her that we've seen. All of this to say the match felt a little quiet and "heatless" at times as there was not a strong face/heel dynamic for the fans to latch onto. This match was designed to make Statlander look like she has finally attained equal footing to the Storms and Mones of the roster and I think it did the job as well as it could've. Mone disrupting Statlander's post-match victory "moment" (and Statlander laying her out after the next match) seems to hint to a title vs. title match in the near future, though I'm not sure why they'd go that route when Statlander being Women's World Champion lends itself to so many other potential title defenses, including against her on/off buddy Willow Nightingale, Jamie Hayter, Thekla, and any number of international talent that TK might bring in. (3/5)

The aforementioned Mercedes Mone defended her TBS Championship while also challenging the Interim ROH Women's Champion Mina Shirakawa in the next bout. Like the prior bout, this one also suffered from elements that had very little to do with what we actual got in-ring. Shirakawa, as talented and fun as she is, had very little chance of winning this match and the audience was hip to that within the first few minutes. Speaking of minutes, this was not the right place on the card to put yet another competitive 15+ minute match. The crowd was arguably more into this match than the previous one - Mone's star power remains undeniable - but it wasn't by much. I think this match may have also benefitted from Shirakawa showing a different side of herself rather than her usual fun-loving, dancing self. This match may have had a totally different feel had Shirakawa come in with a more serious demeanor and eschewed the dancing and comedy antics to make it clear that she was taking this match more seriously than her previous challenges. There was enough good, especially in the final 3-4 minutes, to carry this into "average" territory despite feeling a bit meaningless and undercooked. (2.5/5)

The AEW World Tag Team Championships were on the line next as the champions, Brodido (Brody King and Bandido) defended their titles against the Callis Family's Takeshita and Okada. This was a very strong match with some very cool moments and exchanges (no surprise considering the talent involved). Okada delivering a shoulderbreaker to the massive Brody King was one particularly unbelievable moment. There was a sequence soon after that involved Takeshita and Bandido training reverse hurricanranas that was also mind-blowing. Really, this match just had way too many "Did you see that?" moments to bother naming them all and they deserve a ton of credit for reigniting the crowd's interest and energy as the show passed the 3 hour mark. Easily the best match of the night and maybe the best Brodido match I've seen yet. I'm very much looking forward to the Takeshita/Okada match that this match built towards. (4/5)

Samoa Joe challenged "Hangman" Adam Page for the AEW World Championship in the next match. You could tell by the speed of the entrances and pre-match announcing that the show was running long at this point, nearing the 4-hour mark. Page and Joe had a very good contest, though the finish was never really in question. I've watched a whole ton of Samoa Joe matches over the years and it really is night-and-day how much better he is when he is motivated and passionate about what he is doing on-screen (as compared to some of his pretty uninspired stretches in TNA in the early 2010s). There were some spots that looked a little awkward and I kinda wish they had just focused on beating eachother's brains in as I really liked the finish and how strong it made Joe look in a loss. The post-match heel turn by Joe and the Opps was a tremendous moment that got a great reaction from the crowd and was a genuine surprise to me as so much for the build-up had hinted to this being part of Joe's "last run." (3/5)

Main event time - Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley in an I Quit match. This was brutal, but maybe a hair less brutal than I expected (as I expected them to deliver the craziest match since the Swerve/Page series, which probably would've meant an actual televised murder). According to wrestling reporter Bryan Alvarez, the St. Louis sports commission put some semi-strict rules on how much gore they'd allow the show to have - though "hardway" blood was seemingly allowed as Hangman Page was clearly bleeding from the mouth in the prior match - which prevented Allin and Mox from putting on the bloodbath most folks expected. Even without the permission to slice each other or themselves up, this match still felt plenty hardcore and dangerous. There were wild dives and a Coffin Drop on the apron by Allin, Moxley stabbing Allin's fingers with wooden needles, Claudio Castignoli guerilla pressing Darby from the ring onto the announce table in an amazing feat of strength and PAC literally dragging his lifeless body back into the ring, and, in the most talked-about spot of the night, the use of an aquarium to try to drown Darby that led to the return of Darby's former tag partner Sting to take out the bad guys in a huge moment. Unfortunately, the actual finish of the match - a rather simple Scorpion Death Lock - seemed a bit tame (even if I do see why Moxley looking with a plain ol' wrestling hold showed that, all along, he's been a chickenshit hiding behind his stablemates and not really the "tough guy" he claimed to be). (3.5/5)

Overall, any show with an average rating of 3.06-out-of-5 probably deserves to be praised for consistently being above-average...but this show still felt a bit like it underachieved. The main event had all the makings of being an all-time classic, but will probably only be remembered for the aquarium spot. The AEW Women's World Championship was similarly on-the-brink of greatness but never quite there. The best matches on the show were the AEW World Tag Team Titles and TNT Championship matches, which came as a bit of a surprise on a show considering I wouldn't consider any of the men involved to be "bigger deals" than Hangman, Joe, Mercedes, Toni Storm, or the Bucks. 

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

AEW All Out 2022

AEW All Out 2022

Chicago, IL - September 2022

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, Jon Moxley was recognized as the Interim AEW World Heavyweight Champion, Wardlow was the TNT Champion, the TBS Champion was Jade Cargill, the AEW Women's World Champion was Thunder Rosa, the AEW World Tag Team Champions were Swerve In Our Glory (Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland) and PAC was the AEW All-Atlantic Champion. 

The Casino Gauntlet Ladder match is the night's opening contest with Rey Fenix and Wheeler Yuta starting things off. The third man in is "El Toro Blanco," Rush, who hit an awesome somersault dive to the floor on Fenix. Andrade El Idolo was in soon after at #4 and the two men created a bunch of ladder "bridges" to punish Fenix rather than take the easy victory. This led to a sunset flip powerbomb by Andrade on Yuta which was as convoluted a spot as it was awesome. Claudio Castignoli came in next and, in a ridiculous feat of strength, essentially lifted and shifted two intertwined ladders with Andrade on top of them and dumped him to the floor. Dante Martin came in next and we got some impressive high-flying out of him, including a springboard off the ropes onto a ladder ala Shelton Benjamin. With another minute passing, Penta came in and wasted little time taking out Martin on the ramp and then Rush at ringside with a sling blade. Penta hit Claudio with a backstabber and then hit a Canadian Destroyer on Andrade on a ladder! Fenix hit a splash off the top rope onto Rush through a table for good measure as Claudio, Yuta, and Martin tried to grab the giant poker chip. Their progress was interrupted, though, with the arrival of a bunch of masked men in all black who took out the rest of the field. One of the masked men climbed the ladder, pulled down the chip, and unmasked, the reveal being that this was Stokely Hathaway and his team of midcarders - Ethan Page, Lee Moriarty, Big Bill, and the Gunn Club. The "Joker" came out next to the familiar tune of the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" and Hathaway handed him the chip but "The Devil" did not unmask. This was an underwhelming match that felt like it ended before it got started. Its rinse-and-repeat structure prevented it from ever feeling like a real story was being told as each entrant came in, "got their shit in," and then made room for the next guy to do the same until we got to the disappointing, anticlimactic finish. Points awarded for some of the crazy spots, but I wish there had been more of a build-up with someone like Yuta or Claudio being on the brink of getting the win before the run-in. (2/5)

Next up - the first ever AEW World Trios Championship match with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks taking on "Hangman" Adam Page, Jon Silver, and Alex Reynolds. When the Trios Championship was introduced, most everyone believed it to be something of a vanity project for the Bucks and Omega. This was Omega's big return match after several months on the shelf and he got an awesome ring introduction and huge pop from the Chicago crowd. I really liked the character work and storytelling with Page trying to keep things sportsmanlike against his former buddies in the Elite and even preventing his partners from targeting Matt Jackson's lower back at one point. The crowd popped huge once Omega came in and locked up with Page, splitting between chants of "Kenny" and "Cowboy Shit." Silver and Reynolds came in and went to work on Omega's shoulder and neck. Hangman came back in and we got some cool high-flying from the Bucks in and outside of the ring. Controlling the match at this point, the Bucks cut the ring in half and Page played face-in-peril and the Elite delivered a nifty series of triple-team maneuvers. Page rallied with a Death Valley Driver on Omega and tagged in Silver, who took out most of the Elite single-handedly before getting caught with a mule kick. The Dark Order hit a vertical suplex-suicide dive combo on the floor on Nick Jackson and followed it up with more double-team moves on Matt on the inside of the ring, the crowd actually chanting "Alex Reynolds" at one point. From here, as one would've expected, the match's pace and action picked up and we saw a bunch of signature offense out of everyone (with Omega looking particularly great with both off his offense and his masterful bumping). Highlights included Page and Dark Order hitting a Pendulum Bomb, Omega taking out three guys with his Terminator dive, a 4-way superkick spot, a Tiger Driver 98', a brilliant BTE Trigger false finish, John Silver countering the One Winged Angel for another beautiful false finish, the crowd losing their shit when Omega and Page came to blows in the center of the ring, and the eventual final Buckshot Lariat, a perfect ending to an excellent match. Very much worth watching as this is a terrific mix of high-speed action, great character work and long-term storytelling, and a real raising of stakes and suspense from beginning to end. (4/5)

Jade Cargill defended her TBS Championship against Athena in the next match. For what this was, I thought it delivered...but I could see the argument that Athena deserved better and that Cargill looked awkward and overly choreographed at times. Athena threw all of herself into this, though, and she was very good. Her dropkick to one of the baddies into the barricade on the outside was awesome and the finishing sequence, which saw Cargill counter an O-Face attempt with a brutal anti-aircraft front kick looked nasty and like a legitimate set-up to a finish. I don't think adding more time or more offense for Athena would've necessarily made this any better than it was. This was a "tight" sub-10 minute match that told a basic story and told it well. (2.5/5)

Next up - Wardlow teaming with FTR to take on rivals Jay Lethal (with Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh) and The Motor City Machine Guns. I did not remember the MCMG ever working in AEW, especially this far into "AEW/TNA" partnership (which I could've sworn was over by this point). Having another "trios" match on a show where the first trios match was as sensational as Elite vs. Hangman and Dark Order was a questionable booking decision, but everyone involved in this was good enough to keep it in the average-to-slightly-above-average range. The Guns are always a treat to watch because of their tandem offense and ability to play both plucky underdogs and obnoxious heels. FTR brought the tough strikes. Wardlow was super over with the crowd. Jay Lethal is always competent. This still felt like something youd' get on Dynamite or Collision rather than an PPV-worthy match, but that's not necessarily a knock against it. The post-match return of Samoa Joe brought a big pop as did Dax's 8-year old daughter Finlay (sp?) getting to pin Dutt after Dax dropped him with a big right hand. (3/5)

Ricky Starks took on Powerhouse Hobbs in the next match. Powerhouse controlled most of the match and then...it just ended around the 5 minute mark, seemingly due to a concussion or some other injury to Starks after a devastating spinebuster (though none of the review on Cagematch  mention any such injury). If the purpose was to give Hobbs the quick squash victory, it needed to be more impactful and violent - like Starks was overwhelmed early with a huge power move and then Hobbs just continued his attack to the point that it was seen as gratuitous and cruel. Starks doesn't get a ton of offense in but he gets enough to make it almost seem like he quits mid-match as compared to actually losing after putting in his best effort possible. A real misfire. (1/5)

The AEW World Tag Team Championships were on the line next as Swerve In Our Glory (Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee) defended their titles against the team of The Acclaimed (Max Caster and Anthony Bowens with Billy Gunn in their corner). There was lots to enjoy here in terms of in-ring action, especially in the back half of the contest, but what was most memorable was how ravenous the crowd was for the Acclaimed and how well Lee and Strickland leaned into the moment and became more and more heelish as the match went on (to the point that the crowd booed the requisite post-match "show of respect" handshake). I also really loved the classic, simple-but-updated long-term selling of Anthony Bowens "tweaking" his knee when he attempted to come off the ropes, a detail that Bowens "worked" till the very end and played well into one of the factors that the champions had played-up during the build (that it was Caster who was the weak link). I still think giving The Acclaimed a run with the AEW World Tag Team Champions was the wrong move - they've always struck me as AEW's Bushwhackers or Too Cool (and that's not a diss) rather than being the best tag team in the company at any point - but one can see why they eventually got the straps based on how over they were here. A very, very good match. (3.5/5)

Toni Storm vs. Britt Baker vs. Jamie Hayter vs. Hikaru Shida for the Interim AEW Women's World Championship (as the reigning champion, Thunder Rosa, suffered an injury) was next. A solid match and the crowd was more into it than one might've expected as it was possible they'd be "burned out" after the Tag Titles match. Speaking of the crowd, they were heavily behind Jamie Hayter whose partnership with Baker was the centerpiece of the match. In Guy Evan's Beyond Nitro book, he quotes Al Snow talking about how a match should really only have one "pop" - the finish - because everything is building to that moment. This match, to me, "popped" a bit early as they gave us one too many nearfalls and Hayter pinning Baker was "the pop" they should've ended the match on. Storm getting the sneaky win seemed a bit tacked-on in comparison. (2.5/5)

Christian took on "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry in the next match. Before the match, Jack Perry's mother slapped Christian to a huge reaction. Perry came out to a loud pop and got chokeslammed on the side of the stage, onto the pyro board, by Luchasaurus. Perry slid to the floor and then got carried towards the ring and put through a table for gead measure as Christian grinned and gloated in the ring. Luchasaurus dumped Perry into the ring, who, against his better judgment, opted to go on with the match. Christian nailed him with a spear right out of the gate but only got 2. He followed it up with a Killswitch and got the W. I'm glad they went with the smart booking here and didn't turn this into a 10+ minute match which would've completely buried Luchasaurus by making his pre-match beatdown look inconsequential. This was more of a "segment" than a match, but it was a well-executed one, which is why I'm going to go easy in my rating on what could be considered a "bait-and-switch." (2/5)

Bryan Danielson vs. Chris Jericho followed. Jericho was in his "Lionheart" gear for this. Danielson's introduction was performed by a shirtless Elliot Taylor, which was...weird. Anyway...Danielson had most of the crowd's support from the beginning, though we were still a few years away from Jericho completely burning out his goodwill with the live crowds and getting told to go home by audiences. Regal was on commentary for this too, making for a crowded commentary table. They worked a slow, methodical pace to start, trading wristlocks and counters and keeping things on the mat. Jericho took control with a backbreaker and then a back suplex, slapped Danieson around a little and then dropkicked him off the apron. Jericho went for a splash to the outside but got met by a Danielson kick to the gut. Danielson hit his running knee off the apron and then a missile dropkick back in the ring. Danielson hit some Yes Kicks but Jericho dodged the third one. Danielson went for a hurricanrana off the top, but Jericho countered it into a Walls of Jericho! Danielson countered it into an inside cradle for 2 and then, after Jericho spilled out to the floor, hit him with a suicide dive on the floor. Danielson looked to hit another dropkick off the top but Jericho crotched him on the buckle. They brawled on the top rope with Danielson knocking Jericho to the mat with a headbutt, but missing the flying headbutt off the top rope. Jericho went for a Lionsault but Danielson got his knees up. Danielson applied the LeBell Lock but Jericho countered it into a catapult. Danielson skinned the cat and then we got a series of Tombstone counters ending with Jericho driving Danielson to the mat and hitting the Lionsault for 2. Jericho hit a running punt kick to the face but it didn't look great and Danielson certainly didn't sell it as a game-ender, hitting Jericho with a series of big kicks of his own. Danielson grabbed hold of Jericho's arms and hit him with his trademark head stomps before applying the LeBell Lock. Everytime Jericho got close to the rope, Danielson would turn him or twist him, but eventually he ended up caught in the Walls of Jericho himself. Danielson escaped with boots to the head and then applied a Triangle Choke. Jericho lifted him up, looking to powerbomb his way out of it. They eventually got to the ropes, where Jericho catapulted Danielson neck-first into the bottom rope. Both guys sold their exhaustion before trading blows. Danielson looked like he was about to rally, but Jericho nailed him off the ropes with something akin to a Codebreaker for 2. Jericho reapplied the Liontamer, but Danielson managed to get to the bottom rope. Jericho hit Danielson with a bunch of punches and then hit a release german suplex and some elbows to the chest. He went for another German suplex, but Danielson back-flipped out of it and hit the Baisaku Knee! 1...2...no! Danielson applied the Cattle Mutilation to a sizable pop, but Jericho rolled out of it. Danielson hit his trademark elbows to the chest and re-applied the Mutilation, but Jericho inched his feet onto the bottom rope. Danielson nailed him with a bunch more kicks to the back and chest and then a rolling elbow strike. Danielson once again hit the elbows and then attempted a Mutilation, but Jericho managed to catch him with a lowblow and a not-so-hot Judas Effect to end the match. This had really good components to it, but the ending was a real downer and even looked a little sloppy to my eye. The psychology and storytelling was there, but the execution didn't live up to it - which may be because, unless I'm mistaken, Jericho and Danielson did not work with each other extensively in the WWE (Cagematch says they had a few house show matches but mostly tags on TV). (3/5)

Sting, Darby Allin, and Miro teamed up to take on The House of Black - Buddy Murphy, Malakai Black, and Brody King in the third trios match of the night. Lots of fun stuff here as Darby Allin took some hellacious bumps, Sting had an awesome hot tag and square-off with Black, and Buddy Murphy showed off his still-in-2025-underrated blend of speed, high impact strikes, and expert timing. The finish was a surprising one as Sting "misted" Black in the face, allowing Allin to roll him over in a unique pin to get the win. I thought Black refused to do jobs? This was a very good match that was more character-based than the Elite/Dark Order one from earlier in the show and also featured much more "heavyweight" type action, which made it stood out more than the rather forgettable Wardlow/FTR vs. MCMG/Lethal match. (3/5)

Main event time - CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship. Lots of dig into here...CM Punk had won the AEW World Championship, broke his foot three days later, and then came back to challenge the interim champion, Jon Moxley, on an episode of Dynamite. Moxley essentially "squashed" Punk, setting up this rematch in Chicago. Punk bleeds a gusher and "fights from underneath" for most of this match with the majority of the crowd rooting on him. However, there are audible chants for Moxley (and, during the post-match, MJF), which are even more interesting when you consider what was going on backstage at the time. Overshadowed by the events that immediately followed - dubbed "Brawl Out" in the wrestling media - this match felt a little slow and awkward at times, which added to the realism but was a bit out-of-step with what is considered the "AEW house style" of workrate/high spot-heavy battles. The transitions aren't smooth. There's no "no-selling" (a positive, but also a bit jarring when its sharing space with the trios matches we saw). There's really no sense of cooperation at all, but that also means we don't get those big, elaborate, memorable sequences or moments that Punk had previously had with guys like John Cena or Samoa Joe. Punk looked a little slow at times while Mox showed none of the unpredictability or unique character that once set him apart, flipping-the-bird a dozen times to get a cheap reaction like a middle schooler. This was a fine match with good things happening but I don't see it as anything truly special and was not at all a fan of the "false flash finish" sequence to start things off as it felt completely out-of-character for Mox to fall prey to it. (3/5)

With a Kwang Score of 2.68-out-of-5, All Out 2022 (and its follow-up PPV, Full Gear 2022) are interesting shows to watch in hindsight because of all the scandal surrounding them and the undeniably shaky/conflicting forms of wrestling and storytelling occurring on the same show. Some matches delivered character-driven, hard-hitting, "realistic" action (the main event, Danielson/Jericho, the two sub-6 minute matches and Christian/Perry) while others were all-out spot-fests, guys going 100 miles per hour and not really worrying about "burning out the crowd" or having too many false finishes (the Trios and World Tag Team Championship matches). I can enjoy both styles - I had the tag title bout as my Match of Night because I thought it offered the best of both worlds - but I can see why some fans, expecting the fireworks and epics of the indie world would be unhappy with the "WWE-ification" of AEW by way of intentionally having "filler" matches that were more about furthering a story than actually delivering competitive wrestling (the aforementioned Christian/Perry match and the confusing Starks squash). 

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

TNA Slammiversary IX

TNA Slammiversary IX

Orlando, FL - 06/12/2011

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the TNA World Heavyweight Champion was Sting, the X-Division Champion was Abyss, Beer Money Inc. were the World Tag Team Champions, the Knockouts Champion was Mickie James, the Knockout Tag Champs were Rosita and Sarita, and Eric Young was the Television Champion (but did not appear on the show despite being on the poster).

After a video package highlighting the stories behind several of the night's big matches, the show began with the TNA World Tag Team Championship match - The British Invasion (Doug Williams and Magnus) challenging the make-shift team of James Storm and Alex Shelley (replacing Bobby Roode, who was out with an injury and on commentary for this match instead). This was a solid opener that didn't overstay its welcome, featuring some great double-team maneuvers and sequences, and kept the energy up from beginning to end. Nothing super special, but a perfectly fine opener. (2.5/5)

Matt Morgan faced Scott Steiner in the next match. Steiner cut one of his classic promos before the match began. This was a battle between two relative "monsters" (as Taz noted on commentary). This wasn't too good, but it wasn't offensive. Its a bit crazy to think that the better in-ring worker was 50-year old Steiner but Morgan did not show any of the spirit, energy, or improving character work that had people thinking he could be a TNA main eventer just a year or two before. (2/5)

Abyss took on both Frankie Kazarian and Brian Kendrick in the next match, defending his X-Division Championship (which he had re-christened the Extreme Championship). Thanks to the efforts of Kazarian and Kendrick, who brought some much-needed speed and high-flying to the proceedings, this might have been one of the most tolerable Abyss matches I've seen over the past few years. A month after he seemed to be doing a weird Zen-inspired lunatic gimmick, Brian Kendrick was basically just wrestling as any other guy in the X-Division here. Kazarian was colorless as usual, an incredible athlete but completely devoid of any definable personality trait to set him apart (no wonder his most successful runs were under a mask). (2.5/5)

Crimson, who came into this undefeated (having defeated Abyss at the previous show), took on Samoa Joe in the next match. Unmotivated Samoa Joe is never fun to watch and he did not look very happy or excited to "do the honors" in this match. The match started off pretty hot, but then just devolved into a slow, labored mess that had most of the Impact Zone sitting on their hands with their mouths closed. Joe may not have been getting the best performance of his career and his booking had been pretty atrocious for awhile around this time, but he was still more over than Crimson as there were audible "Joe Is Gonna Kill You" chants that were almost sad to hear. Once upon a time, Samoa Joe was a killer, a monster, a guy with real aura...but that Samoa Joe was no longer the one on our screens and it was noticeable. When Crimson hits his underwhelming sit-out powerbomb, Joe looks like he's embarrassed to have to sell it and treats the 3-count like he "lost focus" more than he was actually defeated, jawing with the referee afterwards. This is the kind of Joe performance that actually hurts my view of him more than TNA's booking or even Crimson as it really seems like he's "checked out" and doing the bare minimum. (1.5/5)

Mickie James defended her TNA Knockouts Championship against Angelina Love in the next match. Love was accompanied by Windsor (aka Katie Lea Burchill). Not as terrible a match as the folks over at Cagematch think, but certainly not James' best as there was some noticeable telegraphing going on. That being said, this was still somehow better than most of the Diva Era action that was happening in the WWE at the time as they were given a good amount of time (8 minutes is practically an Iron Man match compared to the 4 that the women were getting in the 'E) and there was an interesting storyline going into this (Love and Windsor's "bizarre" relationship) that played into the match and kept things somewhat interesting. (2/5)

The next match was a Last Man Standing bout between Bully Ray and AJ Styles. This was highly praised in 2011 and still has its fans, but I was maybe a touch underwhelmed (though it may be because I'm not a fan of Bully Ray as a "wrestling pundit" as his takes are almost uniformly awful). A top ten TNA match ever? I don't see it. They kept things simple and didn't go overboard with the weapons and tables and whatnot, a noble and respectable decision to make this match different than the TLC-type match most fans probably expected. It works for what it is, but it didn't make the bulk of it particularly memorable. We still got Bully Ray opened up by a chain and an absolutely unreal AJ Styles elbow drop from very, very high up off a lighting rig through a table, though. The back-and-forth was heated throughout, but I also thought it started a bit slow and, a decade-plus later, the match doesn't really stand up as well as, say, some of the more hate-filled brawls from the 80s that I've seen. Not a bad match at all and certainly above-average, but this seems like a match that was "good for 2011" but wouldn't necessarily turn heads, aside from Styles' ridiculous bump late in the match, 14 years later. (3.5/5)

Mr. Anderson challenged Sting for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in the next match. Given nearly as much time as Styles and Bully, Anderson and Sting duked it out in a somewhat slow, punch-and-kick heavy match, which isn't surprising considering where Sting was in his career (no longer really a powerhouse guy like he sorta was in the early 90s and certainly not as agile and explosive as then either) and what Anderson brought to the table. The finish was too smart for its own good as Eric Bischoff, who was feuding with the Stinger at the time, came out and distracted the referee as he was making a count, thus forcing the ref to re-start his count and slap the mat for a third time (which was actually the 1st count of a "fresh" pin). The confusion led to Sting believing he had won the match and then getting low-blowed and hit with a Mic Check. The low-blow was an "asshole" move, which is in line with Anderson's gimmick, but it still felt like a very heelish way to win the title for a guy who, if I'm not mistaken, was playing things more as a "tweener" type at this point and wasn't associated with Bischoff or Hogan. Not my cup of tea. (2/5)

Having wrestled in every sort of stipulation match possible - including a mixed tag with Karen Jarrett and Chyna - Jeff Jarrett took on Kurt Angle in a straight-up wrestling match promoted as their final confrontation. Angle's Gold Medal was on the line as was the Number One Contendership for the TNA World Championship. They worked like this any other match, which seemed a bit contrary to how personal the feud and storyline was. I would've liked to see Angle bring more emotion into this match and for Jarrett to maybe play a bit more mind games. Instead, they have a good contest but not necessarily a special or interesting one. We eventually get a ref bump, but it doesn't lead to anything but Angle kicking out of a guitar shot. I'm no fan of TNA's constant overbooking in their main events, but this is where having some sort of "swerve" or at least teasing some sort of swerve maybe would've added some excitement to a match that felt like it could've happened on any other PPV at any other time in the previous 3-4 years. This was just...fine, which is not exactly what one would hope for in a PPV main event and especially considering how personal and heated the storyline was building up to this "final confrontation." (3/5)

Earning a Kwang Score of 2.38-out-of-5, there are obviously far worse TNA PPVs than Slammiversary IX but I still wouldn't recommend anything on this show aside from maybe the AJ Styles/Bully Ray match (especially if you have more appreciation for Bully Ray than I do). The main event is underwhelming despite Jarrett and Angle having had good matches in the past, the World Championship match is not good, and it's always a little sad to see unmotivated Joe. 

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

Random Matches

Vader vs. Gary Albright (01/16/1995, UWFi): This is pre-WWE Vader defending his Real Pro-Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship, a not-so-subtle nod to the UWFi being more a realistic and "shoot-style" promotion than any other. That legitimacy is explored in the opening minutes of this match as Vader and Albright, two super heavyweights, struggle for positioning and stiff the heck out of eachother with their strikes. Its a real wonder how Albright leaves this match without a broken nose or a missing tooth with the way Vader's palm strikes look. There's a great moment when Albright just starts wailing on Vader in the ropes that gets a huge reaction (in fact, the crowd is into this match from beginning to end). However, once they get into the submissions, the energy of this match really sunk for me and while they picked things up towards the end, the finish came a bit out of nowhere. I get that Vader in Japan is not going to work a very, very different style than he did in the US - where you're going to get more showmanship, more staggering and selling, a Vader Bomb or a powerbomb or two - but that sort of stuff also provides drama where this match really only offered brief flurries of stiff strikes and, later on, a devastating would-be knockout blow from the champ. (2.5/5)

Psicosis/Picudo/Heavy Metal vs. Rey Mysterio Jr./Super Calo/Winners (02/14/1993, AAA): A treat of a match that ends with probably the best series of dives I've ever seen. I have grown to really dislike what has become a perfunctory sequence in nearly every spotfest match where one guy dives to the outside, then another, then a third, and so on until everyone has done "their move." Here, it happens so organically in the context of the match that it is thrilling and exciting and I love that not every move is even perfectly executed (Winners looks like he almost takes his own head off when he hits the barricade). Its just an awesome car crash sequence. Other things to love - Mysterio already being great at taking a beating and having the whole crowd behind him, Psicosis already bringing so much character to his tremendous offense, and the ridiculous entrances of Super Calo and Winners. I haven't seen enough lucha to definitively call this a "must see" or an all-time classic, but I've seen enough wrestling overall to recognize that this is the sort of match you can put on, not know anything about the story going in, and fully enjoy on its own merits. (4/5)

Kenny Omega/Brody King/Bandido vs. Josh Alexander and The Young Bucks (10/01/2025, AEW): I don't often review Dynamite matches but why not? This was Omega's big AEW return match and the opening contest on the show. They did some fun macarena stuff early on, which is the kind of thing that the purists love to shit on because its too silly, but then they followed it up with dives and Bandido somehow body slamming Brody King onto Alexander in the center of the ring. Anytime you have the Bucks and Omega in the ring together, you're going to get something good and this match was more evidence of that fact. There was a commercial break after the heels took over and one of the Bucks hit a springboard splash to the outside onto Brodido. When we came back, Omega got the hot tag to King, who went on a murder spree, essentially taking out the whole other side. Bandido came in, ate an awesome slam on the apron by Alexander, who then got hit by a huge cannonball off the apron by King, which eventually led to Omega's Terminator - it was a heck of a sequence in a match that featured quite a few amazing sequences. A triple pile-driver spot seemed like it could've ended things but the match went on with Alexander hitting a bunch of German suplexes, including a superkick-assisted one on Brody. There were some moments where they "let the seams show" - slight hesitations, a bit of telegraphing here and there, unconvincing pin attempts - but this was no less than good. (3/5)

Shinya Hashimoto and Kazuhiko Ogasawara vs. Satoshi Kojima and Kendo Kashin (01/13/2003, AJPW): Not much to see here aside from Hashimoto being his usual stiff-kicking self and the crowd fully behind Kojima. Their interactions are the best part of this match as Kashin and Ogasawara didn't leave much of an impression on me. I don't think I'll ever tire of Hashimoto's offense or facial expressions or "aura." Not a "must see" match or anything, but perfectly fine. (2.5/5)

Megumi Kudo vs. Mayumi Ozaki (04/18/1997, FMW): Badass match. This isn't as super violent or gory as one might expect from a No-Rope Barbed Wire Barricade Death Match, but its certainly more violent than anything women in the US were doing at the time or even up till AEW started letting them have real hardcore matches. More than even the barbwire bumps, the suplexes and powerbombs were nasty. There's some extra fun stuff when Kudo kicks out of a pin attempt with such force that it sends Ozaki flying into one of the barbwire boards. I don't think is quite "must see," but I don't see how anyone watching this won't be entertained with a simple, bloody, heat-filled and suspenseful match done right. (3/5)

Yoshinari Ogawa and Zach Sabre Jr. vs. Jushin "Thunder" Liger and Tiger Mask IV (07/28/2013, Pro Wrestling NOAH): Three of my current faves to watch in one match? Sign me up...even fully knowing that none of them were in their prime for this. I haven't seen much from Tiger Mask IV aside from maybe some work in TNA. Anyway, good action to start with all four men brawling in and out of the ring. Liger sends Sabre into the posts and he sells the heck out of it. I'm unfamiliar with the story going into this, but this is seriously heated stuff, with all sorts of extras coming to separate the teams so that they can actually start the match in earnest. Liger grabs a mic and because I don't speak Japanese I have no idea what he says. There's more hijinks and arguing before Tiger Mask and Ogawa go at it. Ogawa is terrific at punishing Tiger Mask but it doesn't last long before Liger gets the hot tag. The Liger/Ogawa exchange is imperfect, but fun, with Liger's no-selling of some of Ogawa's offense being a bit too much for me. Tiger Mask and Sabre come in and get some time to shine before the match falls apart again with Liger and Ogawa going at it on the outside. Sabre unleashes some sick pinning combos and counters but eats a stiff kick to the head that slows him down. There's a great spot where Ogawa accidentally strikes him with a clothesline from behind and then Liger catches him with another from in front. Tiger Mask destroys him with a German suplex to end the match soon after and Sabre's selling of the pin after-the-fact is great. Lots and lots of little things to love about this match even if it isn't "must see" and probably wouldn't make it onto any single guy's "Best Of" DVD. (3/5)

Lizmark Jr., LA Parka, Super Calo, and Damien 666 vs. Psicosis, Silver King, El Dandy, and La Cuca (03/22/1999, WCW): As part of my prep work to compile my 2026 ballot for the 100 Greatest Wrestlers Ever project over at ProWrestlingOnly, I made a rule for myself that I would only include wrestlers who I have reviewed a minimum of 20 times on this blog. This is a two-fer as I try to close in on two of my favorite luchadores - La Parka and Psicosis, both of whom are probably in that 12-18 match range for me. One guy that won't make my list is the man under the La Cucaracha hood: Disco Inferno. While I'm actually a fan of ol' Glenn Gilberti, I'm not a big enough fan to consider him among the top 100 ever. Anyway...La Parka starts things off with his signature taunt before Disco strikes and then helps the heels take over to beat down the Chairman of WCW. In comes Dandy and the actual "lucha things" begin. LA Parka comes back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and now its the faces' turn to put the boots to Psicosis! From here, we get a bunch of quick tags and flying around and it'd be impossible to write it all out. Lizmark Jr. is particularly impressive in his stretch against Silver King, though the "meat" of this match is all about La Parka and Psicosis. The dive sequence towards the end is insane too with La Parka and Psicosis nearly end up in the water surrounding the ring (this was one of those special "spring break" episodes of Nitro) and then Calo hitting a ridiculous front-flip senton onto Psicosis on the outside. Back in the ring, Damien looks to finish La Cucarachaand we get a bunch of missed sections and splashes (to the point it is almost comical). LA Cucaracha hits a bunch of Stone Cold Stunners to get the W, which would've been a big "reveal" if anybody knew that Disco used the move as his finisher and called it "The Chartbuster" (which even the most die-hard WCW fans probably didn't know because Inferno lost most of his matches). That criticism aside, this was a fun watch and further proof that you could pretty much always count on La Parka and Psicosis to hit their spots - which were routinely great - and bring a ton of energy and pop the crowd. (3/5)

Psicosis and La Parka vs. Mortis and Wrath (07/22/1997, WCW): "Mortis" was the super innovative and often-entertaining Chris Kanyon while Wrath was the...less reliable Bryan Clarke (who wrestled as Adam Bomb in WWE because Vince could never resist a dumb pun). I'm watching this for Psicosis and La Parka, who were, somewhat oddly, managed by Sonny Onoo (making this match heel/heel by my estimation). Right before the match begins, they cut to Curt Hennig and Ric Flair arguing backstage, which probably tells you how confident Bischoff was in this match gaining viewers. Clarke and La Parka start things off and La Parka goes for a flying nothing. LA Parka takes a heck of a bump from a Wrath back elbow, doing a backflip to sell the impact. In comes Psicosis to get manhandled and beaten up in the corner by Mortis. Psicosis botches what appeared to be an attempt to do a running backflip out of the corner but ends up crotching himself and falling to the floor. I can see why some people would consider that a "fail," but I kinda love when a high-risk maneuver shows why its considered a high-risk maneuver. Mortis follows him outside and throws him back into the ring to continue his beat down but Psicosis rallies with a dropkick and a then a beautiful dive over the top to the floor. Wrath comes to help but La Parka catches him with a barrel roll splash too! Psicosis goes for a running dropkick, settles for a splash, but gets caught and given the old press slam drop on the floor. Mortis hits a rope-assisted vertical suplex (a move that was pretty insane and ultra-rare to see in 1997) to bring him into the ring and goes for a back splash off the top but Psicosis rolls out of the way! Dang. I was not expecting that. LA Parka and Wrath do some brawling as Psicosis gets the visual pin with a hurricanrana-into-a-pin but then eats Wrath and Mortis' impressive double-team finish to end this. In comes La Parka though and he blasts Mortis in the back with a chair to a huge pop! Wrath boots him out of the ring and La Parka takes a nasty fall to the floor! Once again, there is simply too much to enjoy here to call this even "average." (3/5)

Aja Kong and Bison Kimura vs. Bull Nakano and Kyoko Inoue (01/11/1991, AJW): This is a Hair vs. Hair Death Match, which guarantees it is going to be brutal when you consider who is involved. On the YouTube video for this match, you get a lengthy pre-match video package going through what has led up to this battle (which I assume would really help if you know Japanese, but I don't). Before anyone can even make it to the ring or the streamers can fly, the brawling between Nakano and Kong begins. It is CHAOS. Things settle down a bit, but not in the conventional sense. Even when the referee gains relative control, the action is fast-paced, heated, and wild, with lots of wild swings, slams, suplexes, piledrivers, etc. There's absolutely nothing scientific about the opening minutes. Eventually Kimura locks Inoue in a headlock, but when she makes the tag, Nakano comes in and obliterates Kimura with a back suplex and then a piledriver before trying to choke her out. Kong comes in and bashes her with a small metal trash can and then hits a piledriver of her own for 2. Kong grazes her with her spinning back hand but then connects big time with a second. She doesn't quite connect with a third so she settles for just a jab. She tries for a 4th Uraken but Nakano dodges it and connects with one of her own! All four women meet in the corner and brawl and Nakano busts out the scissors to try to take off Kong's hair! Kong is pissed and takes control with a headbutt and then cuts off some of Nakano's long blue hair. The scissors are in play now, which feels extra dangerous in this setting. Kimura drags Nakano into the crowd and tosses her into some chairs with Inoue and Kong not far behind. Kong grabs a large bamboo stick and Nakano has a weapon too and, well, all hell breaks loose with people swinging and connecting and it's just a wild scene. Kong grabs a chain and wraps it around Inoue's neck and tries to choke her out in the corner so Nakano grabs one of her own and does the same, pulling her all the way to the floor. More crowd-brawling ensues between Kimuro and Inoue as Nakano and Kong continue their war in the ring. Nakano has scissors in hand tries her best to clip off some of a screaming Kimura's hair. The match somehow returns to have some sort of structure as Kimura applies a headlock on Nakano in the center of the ring and Kong and Inoue return to their corners. Nakano and Inoue hit a double DDT but Kimura bridges out. Nakano hits a devastating and potentially crippling powerbomb and its a wonder Kimura isn't paralyzed by it. Nakano goes for a piledriver but Kimura resists and grabs her leg. Kong comes in and whips Nakano into the ropes. Was there a tag there? No? Its fine? Okay. Kong hits a brainbuster for 2. Kong is a bloody mess at this point, but I'm not sure when exactly that happened. Inoue comes in and hits an awesome pair of elbows from the top for more nearfalls. She follows it up with a nifty german suplex! Dang. Nakano and Kimura come in and things get a bit sloppy as it almost seems like they're not sure where to take this match. Fortunately, there are nunchuks around and Nakano knows how to use them. She nails Kimura with a 2nd vicious powerbomb. Man, those are UGLY. Nakano and Inoue attempt a double slingshot suplex and while it doesn't look great, they do pull it off. In comes Kong and she clobbers Nakano with two more Uranakes and a scoop slam, but Nakano evades a splash. Nakano goes to the top and Kong follows her up and brings her down with a suplex. Kimura gets a nearfall from an axehandle off the top and then another from a double-team flapjack but Nakano comes back with a big back suplex and then allows Inoue to launch herself off her shoulders onto Kimura on the floor! Cool move. They do it again in the ring and this time it looks even better! Inoue with a slam and Nakano with the flying leg drop! Kong breaks it up with the trash can! The heels try to whip the faces into each other but Nakano and Inoue counter it and we get another big flying leg drop for 3! This had an absolutely insane start, continued to be really wild and violent and "death matchy," but then turned into just a very good tag team match for its final minutes. There were very enjoyable parts of this match, the atmosphere was electric, and some of the powerbombs by Nakano were the right kind of brutal...but as an overall story, there was no logic and escalation of violence. The post-match saw Kimura and Kong begrudgingly accept their fate and I love Kong's stoicism as her hair was shorn by her longtime rival just as much as I love Kimura's initial tantrum following the loss (and the tears she shed as her head was shaved). This was entertaining but imperfect with some real sloppiness at times and, for a match featuring bamboo sticks, nunchuks, metal trash cans, crowd-brawling, and scissors, was actually a bit underwhelming for a "death match." (3/5)

The Great Muta vs. Sting (09/01/1989, NWA/WCW): This is from an episode of Power Hour so we've got Jim Cornette and JR on commentary and Sting is being described as "the future of the NWA." This match was for the vacant Television Championship. Sting goes for some early pins, setting a great space and showing off his agility. Terry Funk shows up to add even more heat to a match that already had the fans quite lively. The distraction allows Muta to take control and Gary Hart also gets involved, choking Sting out with his towel. The moves up to this point haven't been the most innovative or eye-popping, but everything has been impactful and the storytelling is top notch, with Sting doing a great job selling and Muta looking ruthless in his attacks. Sting rallies with a bulldog off the ropes and tosses Muta to the floor. He drops him neck-first on the guard rail and then does it again as JR notes that Muta has yet to be pinned. Sting comes back in, lets out one of his trademark hollers, and hits a vertical suplex for 2. Sting hits a clothesline and whips Muta back outside. They trade kicks on the apron and Sting goes for splash but Muta drops down and Sting goes into the post! I didn't love how they got there necessarily, but that was a great spot. Hand Spring Elbow in the corner by Muta! They do some criss-crossing and rope-running and Sting catches Muta off the ropes but they bump the ref to the floor! Stinger Splash into the Scorpion Death Lock but Nick Patrick is out on the floor. Gary Hart strikes Sting in the back with some sort of foreign object and helps Patrick back into the ring. Muta makes the cover...1...2...Sting kicks out! Today, that probably would barely register as a false finish, but in 1989, it worked wonders. Muta hits a vertical suplex and gets another 2.5. Muta hits a backbreaker and then calls for the moonsault, but Sting gets his knees up! Sting powers up and goes for another Stinger Splash! He nails it! Sting climbs up to deliver some more blows but Hart gets onto the apron and shoves him, sending him over the top rope and onto the floor. Sting wins by disqualification, which is a rather disappointing finish after what was a pretty good match. Certainly not "must see" or a match that would make either guy's Best Of DVD, but this is the type of match that got me and my brothers hooked on wrestling and did exactly what it set out to do (specifically build Clash of the Champions and continue the Sting/Muta rivalry by not giving the TV viewers a definitive ending). (3/5)

Abdullah the Butcher, Gran Hamada, and Gran Naniwa vs. Dos Caras, Keiji Mutoh, and Mil Mascaras (07/20/2002, AJPW): Lots of international legends in this match so I opted to check it out even knowing that I don't think I've ever seen a great Mil Mascaras match and don't know too much about Casas or Hamada. Hamada and Caras started things off, but spent the first minute playing to the crowd. For a guy in his 50s, Hamada moved very well and showed he had absolutely no problem adapting to the lucha style, delivering a hurricanrana and an over-the-top rope splash onto Caras before tagging out. Mascaras and Naniwa came in and the veteran took control, applying a head scissors and hitting a big flying headbutt off the ropes. Mascaras continued to shine, taking out both Hamada and Naniwa before hitting a double headbutt with his brother (who followed it up with a great-looking suicide dive). Muto came in to face off with the Butcher. They locked up, which allowed the Butcher to bust out a spike from his boot and repeatedly stab at Muto's knee. Hamada and Naniwa did some combo stuff on the knee in the corner and while none of it was particularly innovative, it was effective and Muto sold it perfectly. The Butcher got a two count from an elbow off the ropes and then made the tag to Caras. Abdullah fought off Caras but fell prey to a double crossbody from Muto and Mascaras! In came Naniwa, who ate two backbreakers from Caras before Hamada broke up the pin. Sit-out powerbob by Caras to end this one in under 10 minutes. This was okay for what it was but did nothing to make me re-think my general dislike for Mascaras. Muto seemed like the only guy on his side willing to sell or bump for the opposing side at all. (2.5/5)

Tenryu vs. KENTA (10/08/2005, Pro Wrestling NOAH ): KENTA tries to take the fight to Tenryu the second the bell is sounded but Tenryu can't be caught sleeping and whips his ass, chopping him over the guardrail. Brilliant start. Tenryu waffles him with a chair, jabs him in the gut with it, and then puts it across his back again. He tosses him in the ring and brings a chair in but the ref stops him. KENTA uses the break to get some big running boots in but falls prey to a big chop. KENTA keeps going for big moves and Tenryu shuts him down each time, the veteran in complete control. Tenryu hits a big clothesline and then applies a submission on the mat. Tenryu hits a knee to the face that looks like it broke KENTA's nose and then follows it up with a DDT for 2. Tenryu allows KENTA to regroup a bit, hit some strikes, and then just knocks him right over again, playing with the youngster. KENTA gets back to his feet and another big chop fells him. He follows it up with an elbow drop. KENTA backs to his feet and hits some more strikes but they have no effect on the legend. Tenryu goes for a lazy cover but, surprisingly, only gets 2. He hits a brainbuster for another nearfall. KENTA rolls to the apron. Tenryu pulls him to the floor, clothesline him, and then drops a table on him. The beating continues with Tenryu sending KENTA into the guardrail, chopping him into it, and then cracking him with the timekeeper's hammer. Tenryu hits him with a DDT on the floor and goes into the ring, leaving KENTA, whose now bleeding from the mouth, writhing in agony on the floor. KENTA somehow climbs into the ring but can't even stand and gets sent into the turnbuckle. Great selling by KENTA. Tenryu hits a series of chops and strikes and then hits him with what ends up being a nasty sorta-slingshot DDT/brainbuster. Tenryu goes for another but KENTA somehow escapes and hits a series of big kicks and then a springboard dropkick! Big punt kick to the head! KENTA goes back to the outside and hits another springboard dropkick for 2! KENTA unloads on Tenryu in the corner and hits a huge running jump kick and then an Exploder suplex for 2! Kenta with a series of strikes and then a big running leg lariat for another nearfall! KENTA goes for a boot but Tenryu catches him and shoves him back. Great strike exchange ends with Tenryu landing a huge clothesline for 2.9! Tenryu with another brainbuster and this one should be it...but KENTA kick out! Tenryu with another big clothesline and this time it is over. This told an excellent story, featured some tremendous offense, and, even in a loss, made KENTA look like a star worth rooting for. A favorite among the "wrestling intelligentsia," this 12-minute gem has inspired me to dig further into KENTA as I put together my GWE 2026 ballot. (4/5)

Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Kenta Kobashi (06/11/1999, AJPW): One of the best matches I've ever seen, no doubt. This is an incredible epic battle that lives up to its promise as Misawa and Kobashi pull out everything they possibly can over the course of 40 minutes to try to prove who the better man is. There is an aura to this match not dissimilar to The Rock vs. Hogan at WrestleMania XVIII or Hogan vs. Warrior at WrestleMania VI, but unlike those matches, this one is not just about iconic sports-entertainment "moments" (though there are plenty), there's stiff striking and dump-on-your-head suplexes and hard bumps on the floor that give this match a physicality that those matches don't offer. By the end, there was a real sense of "What will it take for someone to win this match?" drama that, too often in 2025, is reached by excessive finisher spamming. In this match, they work their way there over time and a keen attention to detail with each shift in momentum being earned. I loved Kobashi's desperation at times and willingness to attack Misawa in borderline unsportsmanlike ways to try to beat him. I love Misawa's toughness throughout. I'm not sure the "perfect" wrestling match exists, but this one is about as close to it as they come. (5/5)

Monster Ripper & Bull Nakano vs. Aja Kong and Bison Kimura/Bull Nakano vs. Monster Ripper (11/21/1991, AJW): I feel like these two matches need to be judged together as a whole because I'm not sure how to make sense of it as anything other than a weird, TNA-esque stipulation match where the winners of the first contest - a tag team cage match - then do battle in a singles match for the 3WA Championship (which was held by Nakano). Maybe understanding the commentary would help? Any which way, the opening bout is your typical cage match brawl with paper-thin logic in when or why certain rules are followed at any given moment. At times, both sides respect that they need to tag in and out while, at other times, there are two-on-ones that the ref barely tries to stop and the fourth person doesn't go out of their way to help their partner. One thing I did like, aside from how heated and intense the strikes were, was that, during the tag match, we already see some tension and accidental contact between Ripper and Nakano to foreshadow Ripper's "turn" and the second match. Overall the tag match is a good brawl, but nothing "must see"...until the end, when Kimura comes down from the cage with a headbutt and then Kong attempts a splash, but Nakano rolls out of the way and Kong lands with a thud. Weirdly, despite not landing on anything sharp, it seems like Kong opts to puncture or blade herself on the mat as, when she rolls over, she is bleeding profusely from her gut and it is gnarly. Ripper goes right on the attack (with Nakano looking much more hesitant to inflict any further damage, a great bit of pseudo-babyface work from her that the audience definitely picked up on) and Kong gets taken out of the match, making it 2-on-1. Bison Kimura shows some toughest, but eventually gets destroyed to the point that the referee has to give the win to Nakano and Ripper by TKO (thanks to a beautiful Nakano leg drop and Ripper hitting her with a splash). Ripper attacks Nakano immediately after Kimura is deemed unfit to continue. The immediate attack and "start" of the follow-up match hints to me that this was part of the stipulation and not an "impromptu" battle. The crowd is fully behind Nakano. There's more work with a chain that had been introduced 20-30 minutes earlier with Ripper really dominating until Nakano mounted a comeback and then her guillotine leg drop off the top of the cage to defeat Ripper via 10 count. I think a pinfall would've been better there, but maybe Ripper didn't want to get pinned clean? Being "knocked out" seems just as bad to me, but what do I know? I didn't like that Ripper, after being out for a 10 count, is somehow back on her feet and issuing more challenges on the microphone moments later. As a "combo" there was a lot to enjoy spread across these two matches with very good performances out of everyone, including the rather limited Ripper (based on what I've seen from her), but individually, neither of the two matches were that special on their own. I'll go (3/5) for the tag and (2.5/5) for the singles match.

Mayumi Ozaki vs. Akira Hokuto (11/18/1993, JWP): This fell into good-not-great category for me. With these two, you're going to get some absolutely crazy suplexes and dives and they don't disappoint in that regard. Unfortunately, you also get some changes in momentum that come a bit out of nowhere and a little bit of sloppiness as they swing for the fences but don't always connect with strikes. As I was more familiar with Hokuto going into this match, I felt like the dynamic was that Ozaki was the "challenger" and Hokuto was the bigger star, but my research into this revealed that this was more of a "dream match" as the two were part of rival promotions at the time. The crowd seems split at times but pops for every big move regardless of who is delivering it. Enough good here to make it worth checking out if you're a fan of joshi from this era, but not a classic. (3/5)

Keiji Mutoh vs. Masahiro Chono (10/27/2001, AJPW): I'm not much a Chono fan - though I'll admit I haven't seen a ton of his work outside of WCW - but I've come to enjoy "later era" Mutoh despite him not being as explosive in his movements or mysterious in his character as he was a decade earlier. Chono's STF doesn't look too impressive to me, but it was over to this audience and that's all that really matters. I didn't like the finish either as Mutoh, who's sustained selling is usually his strong suit, ends up winning with a pretty weak out-of-nowhere hurricanrana and, to make matters worse, his brief post-match pose downplays how hard-fought this championship match was. As usual, Muta's dragon screw leg whips are great and I liked Chono's repeated flatliners, but, overall, this didn't do much for me and I daresay it was a Mutoh carry job due to his charisma and selling. (2.5/5)

Toshiaki Kawada vs. Keiji Mutoh (04/14/2001, AJPW): This was an interesting mix of styles as Kawada is known for his brutality and Mutoh is more of an "entertainer" - basically, based on my limited knowledge, a fairly clear AJPW vs. NJPW "dream match." This isn't the all-out violence-fest like some of Kawada's other matches that I've seen, but him "holding back" to 80% is still plenty physical. To Kawada's credit, he really sells for Mutoh's offense, especially the figure four, even if it's hard not to notice that Mutoh's offense isn't as hard-hitting. (3/5)

Cuty Suzuki and Mayumi Ozaki vs. Devil Masami and Hiromi Yagi (08/10/1995, JWP): I wasn't surprised to see Meltzer give this 3-and-a-half stars because it is quite the match-up. I really thought Masami "stole" the match with some of her power moves, but Ozaki and Suzuki were also very good in this. I wouldn't call this "must see" (which is why I didn't rate it higher), but this is the type of match that if you're unfamiliar with joshi and just want to see some awesome, ahead-of-its-time action to whet your beak, you will not be disappointed and will likely be inspired to dig deeper. Good stuff. (3.5/5)

Akira Taue, Toshiaki Kawada, and Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Jun Akiyama, Kenta Kobashi, and Mitsuharu Misawa (07/02/1993, AJPW): This rules and I'm not at all surprised that Meltzer gave it the "perfect score" (at the time) of 5 stars. Ogawa is terrific. Kawada and Misawa is a winning combo anytime and they're exchanges here are great. Akira Taue is a great, miserable oaf of a heel. Over on ProWrestlingOnly, someone mentioned that this is considered one of the greatest six-man matches of all timee (if not THE greatest) and its hard not to at least consider the thought because it IS that entertaining and awesome and the crowd is electric for it. However, like a Greatest Hits CD back in the day, there's maybe not all that much "under the surface" going on aside from everyone just being their usual awesome selves. There's not much of a story to this match that weaves its way to the finish, building suspense, twisting and turning in clever ways. This match is memorable because of its star power and its undeniable heat, but its not necessarily mind-blowing in its structure or spots, preventing it from reaching all-time masterpiece status. (4.5/5)

Kenny Omega vs. Prince Devitt (06/05/2011, NJPW): This was a fun watch, but definitely not something that would land on either guy's Greatest Hits DVD. Omega and Devitt (Finn Balor) were both experienced wrestlers by this point and were well-regarded on the indies, but I don't think Omega was yet at "GOAT" status and Devitt had not yet "broken through" with US audiences. Seeing these two have something of a "Before They Were Stars" match is interesting, though, as you get to see them bust out a bunch of their signature stuff and have to work extra hard for every little bit of audience engagement. Omega's flourishes are even a little cringey at times as he tries to wow the somewhat quiet Japanese audience. With a run-time of under 15 minutes, this match is also far from the type of epic these two probably would've had if they'd wrestled 4-5 years later in their careers. Some of the spots were a too contrived for my taste - including them brawling their way out of the gymnasium (calling it an "arena" would be a stretch) and the use of a ladder out there - but its impossible to criticize how hard they worked here. (3/5)