Evil Otto

That audience sure loved Brody King. In a genuine way, he seems to be on the cusp of something far greater. I hope this train of momentum keeps rolling right into 2025.

Yes indeed, there is a chasm between Block A and B in terms of overall quality. By the way, is this Naito vs. Hiromu storyline going anywhere?

In World Tag League news, this year's edition is once again a tournament that has failed to keep my attention, but eventually you (and the fans in Kochi) get rewarded with a match such as last night's, TMDK: ZSJ / Oiwa vs. LIJ: Takagi / Tsuji. When I was watching this one, it really felt without a doubt like the four guys who are truly carrying the promotion, and will carry it into the future. Zack and Oiwa have been instantly great as a team, but I must say, there is nothing quite like this Shingo and Yota pairing. They work like they've been a team for years now. Tsuji's somewhat awkward pacing is completely covered for by Takagi's masterful understanding of ring awareness. Yota becomes a real killer when he tags in. New Japan has something special with these two, so I really hope they see it as clearly as I do, and keep going forward with them in some way.

Holy smokes, Mistico vs. Hechicero was absolutely tremendous. Best Mistico match I've seen in a very long time, and you can probably guess why, but I must give equal credit to Mistico, he stepped up his game tonight. Highly recommended.

Finlay has become consistently better since becoming the leader of Bullet Club. It may literally have to do with the maturation process as well, because he finally made the transition from boyish brat to full adult scumbag, at least appearance-wise. In ring, he's vicious and he doesn't try to do too much, which is a good thing. I have reached the point where if I see a Finlay match coming up, I know it will at least be good. For better or worse (the cheap heat, for example), he's committed to the character. Taichi is someone who can have a great match when he really wants to. At least to me, that's always been the issue. Once or twice a year (maybe more, to be fair), you can see the version of Taichi such as in the Finlay match. Even the commentators bring it up as part of his overall character. I've never considered myself to be a big fan, but I can admit the great worker inside him sometimes shows up.

Oh my, that could be amazing. Also, quite intriguing and makes me wonder: is Komander now AEW-exclusive and not working for AAA at all anymore? The whole vague "no touching" rule between CMLL and AAA in regards to AEW was ludicrous to begin with, honestly speaking, and maybe we're now officially beyond that. On a side note, Bandido is also apparently ready to go as well. Crazy times ahead in terms of potential match-ups.

In other recent news, the Villano III Jr. vs. Flip Gordon match from last Friday night was kind of amazing. The new Villanos have been pretty great for quite a while, but Villano III Jr in particular is really starting to stand out as someone who really connects with the fans. Worth a watch if you can track it down. There's quite a promising group bubbling up from the undercard these days: Neon, Futuro, Los Villanos, Zandokan Jr, Difunto, and Xelhua, plus a few more. Hechicero vs. Claudio was booked for me. So thank you, whoever booked that. Volador Jr and Pac will certainly mesh well, and I don't think Pac can have a bad match. It's been great to see CMLL get behind Red Velvet, she's someone that might not be available to them at all times, but would work well on a semi-consistent basis.

Okay, since it fits in the current timeline, I guess I'll throw some Super Junior Tag League comments here. Year after year, I tend not to watch every match on these shows, but when they have the cards at Korakuen (like tonight and tomorrow), I usually take a closer look, as some lunacy almost always ensues. I strongly recommend Velocities vs. The DKC/Ninja Mack, some unreal stuff going down in this one. So, Milano Collection AT is a cheerleader for any wrestler who truly brings it, as it's his job, as it were, to "act impressed". That being said, I've listened to his commentary so much as the years have gone by that I can tell when he's legitimately impressed and in awe of a performer. It doesn't happen so often, actually. It's just a slight shift in the tone of his voice, but it's there. Jude London notably got that reaction from him this time around. Super fun match. Holy fuck, I even more strongly recommend TMDK (Eagles/Fujita) vs. War Dogs (Connors/Moloney). I had high hopes going in and they were certainly met and then some. Robbie and Fujita are just the absolute best possible babyfaces for Connors and Drilla to try to destroy. The War Dogs actually bring an element of fear to their matches, which is rather hard to pull off in 2024. For me, they are certainly on the short list for best tag team in the world right now, junior or heavyweight. I could see them being contenders for both sooner than later. Brilliant match, and obviously a rivalry that needs to continue.

ZSJ vs. Konosuke Takeshita would work out really well, in my opinion.

This comment above is everything at this particular moment. If you believe pro wrestling is art. Which I do.

I'll be posting over in the thread already set up for the event (although dormant for a month or so), and on that note, Salads, you should check out the ZSJ interview I posted there. The KOPW card is pretty stacked overall. Oiwa's return feels like a huge shift forward, at least potentially. I've got my eyes on that junior tag title match as well.

Really great interview. What will really blow you away though are the comments from the Japanese fans. Yes, for once I am actually recommending reading some Youtube comments. Quite moving.

I think it's no coincidence that Mox now comes out to his New Japan "Death Rider" theme. I see this particular character as the now-fully realized version of the Death Rider. Mox and Hangman becoming two legitimately unsettling killer-type heels in only the past few months is a very promising development.

Out To Lunch, perhaps?