Gordi the former AEW fan
-
Posts
2,099 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
10
Posts posted by Gordi the former AEW fan
-
-
12 minutes ago, Curt McGirt said:
I still don't quite understand why the Simpsons reference at all though. Is it being used as code for someone lying to obfuscate a mistake?
They were in Albany. "Steamed hams" American is an Albany expression. It's a near-perfect reference, in my opinion. I popped for it. Edit: Casey beat me to it. I should have known Casey was at the bat. Edit: since I have already made a post: Mox and Cassidy should form a team: Blood Orange. Mad King should do a thing where he got addicted to caffeine fighting off jetlag in Japan: "Coffee" Kingston. Final edit: Those who are fans of Jake Hager style hat-based psychology NEED TO watch the first few minutes of Naito vs Haste. I felt like that was booked specifically to make me happy.
-
2
-
3
-
-
15 minutes ago, Curt McGirt said:
Someone in the crowd had a 'steamed hams' sign at the start of the show too. What is that even referring to?
Damn, Britt vs Taya failed to live up to my very low expectations. I think that might have been the worst match in Dynamite history. Slow and awkward. I legit hope they are both OK because they did NOT look OK in there. Remainded me of Ibushi in B and G. Swerve vs Darby and Anger/Regret Fox vs Orange were both really fun, with innovative spots and interrelated storytelling. Ishii vs Kingston was GREAT. Everything I wanted it to be. Two guys I love to watch just going 100%. Reminded me in many ways of Bryan vs MiSu, and I have no higher praise to give. Cobb vs Zack and (surprisingly, to me) Finlay vs Tonga were also really good. Still enjoying the hell out of Fight Forever. Possibly sinking too much time into it. Made Shinsuke, Okada, and Cobb CAWS. None of them are note perfect, but they are all fun to play with. Nice random-ass Rampage coming up in two days. I am stoked for Shida vs Nyla! Enjoyed Hook's "training" video. Chuck should team with Allin. The Kentucky Darby.
-
5
-
2
-
-
(Insert graphic here)
I'm excited as can be for Pac vs Gravity. It seems to be based on a Gordlow-type joke, in that Pac is the man that Gravity forgot.
Plus Gravity is (actually, as far as I know) Bandido's brother, so in my opinion this is likely to be a fast paced athletically exciting bout possibly with a crazy strength spot or two.
Orange vs Fox is also a natural match-up, and I love the nonchalant way it was set up. Swerve vs Darby has some build to it and should be great. Taya vs Britt is not for me. They are both pretty far on the "polished and professional" side of the continuum. I'd prefer the TV time be given to ladies on the weird and indy side. If this were, say, Abadon vs Nicole Matthews, I'd be SO MUCH more stoked. Nice to see Best Friends in a big tag match, although they will definitely eat the pin. Better than Bay Bay hasn't started to wear thin. Yet. How long can they keep it going? How long will they be allowed to keep it going?
Also Ishii vs Kingston and Zack vs Cobb in the G1 tonight (J-time). Oh how I wish Osaka had been given those matches! It's been a lot of fun this year, so far, what with the 20-minute time limits and Kingston and Kiyomiya being involved and so on.
Also, I have finally gotten AEW Fight Forever for my Switch! Holy guacamole do I ever LOVE that game! I have only had it for a few days but I have been playing it obsessively, and just loving every moment of it. I have already unlocked Big Paul! Accidentally stumbled into it while running through the storyline mode to build up my Naito CAW. It took several tries, but I was finally able to beat him by count out. One of many huge mark-out moments the game has given me so far.
For all the justifiable complaining I have read about the CAW creation suite, it's still plenty fun and useful. The game overall just absolutely murders my commute time. I was in danger of missing my station yesterday afternoon.
(insert pics of CAWS here)
Guerrero
Gordlow
Naito
-
9
-
1
-
1
-
-
Stat vs Shafir was stiff and nasty and awesome, and it was the main event! Great stuff! Stat's power offence looked amazing, too.
I enjoyed everything about the RANBO except for the perhaps unavoidable "lots of eliminations during pitcher in pick sure" situation. Nick Wayne and Gates of Agony both got over without going over, which I always love to see. Darby and Swerve being first in, last out worked great.
I had to look up who the TNT champion is. (It's Bad Dinosaur). The announcers kept saying the winner (Darby) would fight for the title at the PPV, but I didn't catch them naming Luchasaurus, so now I wonder if the title will change hands before then, or maybe Swerve or someone will get added to the match. According to Wikipedia, Darby is both the youngest and the least heavy person to ever hold the TNT title.
I was surprised to hear QT worked a death match in Tijuana! (Edit: thanks to Curt for posting the video)!
-
2
-
1
-
-
2-ring, 20-person Royal Rampage battle royal(e)! Oh. Hell yeah! You know who loves battles royal(e)? Gordlow loves battles royal(e). I am STOKED!
Also Stat vs Shafir, which could be stiff and nasty and awesome or could be weird and sloppy and awkward. I, personally, am hoping for the former. It's probably for the tbs title, too! Maybe it will main event!
Also, in a match other people here are definitely more stoked for, in comparison with how stoked Gordlow is for it: The Acclaimers and Rockabilly vs QT, TV, and Aaron Solo. I like Aaron Solo! I like The Acclaimed, in the ring. The scissor me stuff is starting to wear thin on me, personally, but I certainly don't begrudge anyone who still marks out for it. Lots of people in the live crowd certainly do. Similarly, I don't begrudge anyone enjoying QTV. I am just baffled that anyone does. I don't get it.
Still, the Royal Rampage is right up my alley, and I am hoping this will be a breakout performance for Marina and I am always stoked to see Stat fight.
And at one point I was baffled that anyone could enjoy Jarrett in AEW, but I get it now. And at one point I'd have called MJF the most overrated guy on the stick in all of pro wrestling... But he's been undeniably entertaining recently. So maybe I'll turn the corner on QTV some day, too? Maybe the catch phrase stuff will start to feel fresh again? Anything is possible! Nothing is impossible!
Is the last-minute ROH PPV tomorrow too? It is, isn't it? Might get up early to catch the pre-show on YouTube or wherever. Feels like ages since I have seen a Workhorsemen match. I love watching those guys! My autocomplete understands that. I only need to type "Wor..."
-
2
-
-
9 hours ago, Matt D said:
With earnest and not in the least begrudging thanks from Tim for the bet, the intertwined fates of the last year, and the matches (which were in their own way a true mercy), I shall get right to it.
Terry Funk vs Rick Martel (Universal Title Semi-Final Match) WWC 9/20/86
This is one of my absolute favorite performances of all time and Tim is a Mensch. There are two great Funk vs Martel matches on tape. The other is an AJPW tag with Martel/Zenk vs the Funks where they treat Martel like a buddy, a fellow champion, and Zenk like he's the dirt beneath their feet. This is special in a totally different way. It's one of the craziest, most over the top Funk performances ever, against an all time babyface, in an area alien to both of them. Just wild stuff.
Terry Funk is probably the single best seller of all time. There's Ricky Morton. There's Rey Mysterio. There's Lawler. There's Invader I. Terry, though, was transcendent. The way I explain it is thus: he's the first foreigner to really get over in Japan as a babyface and he got over by being credible, by being fierce, by being tough, but most of all by being absolutely afraid to look vulnerable despite all that. It mattered when Dory got in there and fired back; it mattered even more when Terry was recovered enough to do the same and it mattered because Terry was fearless and selfless and sold everything like it was the absolute most important, most devastating, most impactful thing in the world. The more he cares, the more you care.
And boy did he care here. The match starts with him trying to cheapshot Martel; he loses his hat in the process. Martel kneedrops it. Funk can't get out of his pants. Funk tries to use the branding iron. Funk tries a straight up assault. He climbs to the top and slips off and crotches himself. And then he loses it completely, chucking chairs into the crowd. And it's the most Puerto Rico thing imaginable. It wouldn't work anywhere else, but here? Here it was wrestling perfection. Of course he comes back in and has his pants pulled down by Martel. This is the first time I ever watched the match with youtube's translation function on and the apologizing after that from the announcers is hilarious. All of it is.
And when it comes time to turn to something weightier to balance out the stakes of the match (the winner to face the winner of Abby vs Colon for the title), Funk manages it perfectly, starting with a low blow mule kick (Foul!) and then taking it to Martel on the outside. Here's Martel's chance to sell and he does so to the very last row of a baseball stadium. The match comes back around with a mathematical equation closed off on both sides: (Funk Sleeper --> Funk choking Martel with string --> Martel choking Funk with rope --> Martel sleeper) and a hilarious and gnarly spot where Funk all but puts a chair over his head and lets Martel pile drive him, before going into the banana peel cheaty finish. Again, what a balance. Funk showed so much emotion for everything that was happening for him that the crowd had to be invested; they couldn't look away. Then when it was time for him to take over, he was all but seething with indignation. With the selfless actions, he built up a capitol that he paid off with venom and vitriol. Martel played the straight man well, better than most have for he's one of the best babyfaces ever, but Funk could have had this entire match with a broomstick and it still would have been amazing.
CM Punk/Ace Steel vs BJ Whitmer/Dan Maff (Street Fight) ROH Death Before Dishonor 7/24/04
Quite the match Tim has given me here. Quite the match. Fun fact. Tim had no idea that BJ Whitmer had been fired THE SAME DAY that he gave me this. So we have Ace and Punk on one side, basically the only guy other than Scrull who didn't survive the ROH internal Speaking Out probes in Maff and, of course, Whitmer. In Chicago. Good stuff.
I haven't seen this match in fifteen years, at least. It's a 46 minute video but the first five of that is Allison Danger playing Medea and calling down the heavens upon both teams for what she'd been through, manifesting doom in the form of plundah. It goes on for a bit too long but it's pretty theatrical. The last few minutes are Generation Next kickstarting their feud with the Saints with Steamboat taped to the ropes as witness. It's all pretty theatrical when you think of that capping.
The match is very good for one specific reason, one key reason that lays at the heart of every vaguely even streetfight and every hardcore match that isn't a massive mauling and a massive comeback: the violence escalates. It's huge. It's everything. It's why this works. It's why the fans act how they do when they do but we'll get to that if you don't already know. It starts with brawling. Brawling turns to Punk and Ace getting an advantage with teamwork. That gives way to Maff and Whitmer introducing chairs to take over and then their belts to dig in on it. The Saints get control of the weapons and fight back. Chairs and belts become tables and eventually the barbed wire bat. Too much, too soon, and Maff and Whitmer are able to avert it and start to use the barbed wire themselves. Then it teeters back and forth with each side taking risks and each side gaining and losing on a hair's breadth. Throughout this, Whitmer has his throws and Punk throws himself into everything with his usual awkward authenticity. One of the real strengths of our pal Phil is that he was able to leverage his modest physical shortcomings into something that just felt more abrupt and real.
So, blood, sweat, violence, all leading to them coming back to the chairs in a brutal standoff where Punk and Steel get the better of their opponents and the chairs (demolished opponents, demolished chairs) and everyone clears the ring in exhaustion. Except for the ref. The poor damn ref. This was the equivalent of a strike exchange towards the end of the match but with greater weight and consequence and build. Everything had led to this moment and the fans were frothing with bloodlust as it came and went and left them needing more. And for once, they themselves provided. A hundred chairs came flying in the ring, one after the next, as the ref covered up. You can practically see this poor bastard's hit points going down and years being taken off his life as metal and wood and plastic all come sailing in. And here I have to applaud their adaptability. They work a finishing stretch after this, a big dive onto a ladder after this, the actual finish after this, a whole post match angle with Ricky Steamboat after this! And all the while, everything is endlessly more dangerous and more difficult because there are chairs in the ring. They plow on, making the most of the chaos and the most of the moment.
And when you think about it, isn't it what we've been doing for the last year? Haven't we been throwing the chairs because of our own thirst for gossip and intrigue and dirt? It's built and built and built and we wanted more and more. After the match but before the run in, the crowd chants "Thank you" over and over again. Not Fight Forever. Not This is Awesome. Not ROH. "Thank You." I don't think that would happen today. Even with the Generation Next beatdown, I bet they all left on a high. I bet they went back and posted on the internet about what they saw, about what they were a part of. And some time later, maybe a day, maybe a week, maybe ten years, they looked back and realized what they had done, what they had contributed too. They watched the tape back to relive the visceral memory and this time they focused on the ref, hands over his head, trapped in the ring, a hopeless victim of a world he did not make, a man just doing his job, and they paused and looked away with regret. That's us now, isn't it? It's been fun, but we just want the ride to stop. And yet every Friday morning when someone recaps the Observer, it just keeps going and going, a train that we cannot get off, a trainwreck from which we cannot look away. This bet is over. Collision has begun. The chairs have been cleared out of the ring.
Yet here we are. Trapped together.
At least the company's good.
Shinya Hashimoto vs Kintaro Kanemura (Exploding Barbed Wired Match) WEW 5/5/03
This was a back up to the first match Tim had given me which was a random indy Monty Brown vs Sabu match that isn't quite dredged up from the depths of old tape traders yet. When it comes back around, I will watch it though. He had DEAN in mind and he had him in mind here. It's been two and a half months since we lost him and I think about him all the time. I watch wrestling all the time. I post on the Board all the time. I listen to music. I think about DEAN.
This match was supposed to be Hashimoto vs Fuyuki. I spent a hell of a lot of time with Fuyuki during the pandemic when I was watching AJPW. I like Fuyuki more than Kawada in Footloose. Kanemura is another meaty dude that teamed with him dozens of times. He's not a match for Hashimoto but who is? He has heart. He deserves to be in that ring. He deserves to pay tribute. He deserved the opportunity to work through his grief with pain and violence and perseverance. I can't relate to this, sitting in a finished basement in Maryland having just mowed a suburban lawn in poor air quality due to Canadian wildfires so that my kids wouldn't get stung by bees lurking in clover, or at least so they won't be afraid of the idea of it. I can't relate. I can empathize because I know grief. But I can't relate.
What sort of man is Kanemura? How did they pay tribute to Fuyuki's spirit? They took his urn in hand, first Hashimoto, then Kanemura. Hashimoto grasped the pure white receptacle and charged backwards into the wire, the explosion searing his skin as the pain seared his heart. Then Kanemaru took the urn and did the same. But the wire didn't explode. So he did it again. And yet still it did not explode. So he steeled his will and charged one last time and embraced the sparks and fire as he was baptized in a blaze of mourning and defiance, holding the ashes of his compatriot and ally.
And then they beat on each other for eight long minutes. Most of it was Hashimoto laying in kicks and chops and Kanemaru rising to take more and more. At one point he was able to force Hashimoto back into a second wire explosion and take over. With his hard-earned control, he slammed Hashimoto onto a barbed wire back and pressed down upon him, Hash becoming akin to a monk enduring flagellation in the name of a dearly departed soul. Hashimoto fired back, swept Kanemarue twice, and (taking multiple tries once again, as if Fuyuki's spirit was pleading uncharacteristic mercy from above) electrifying him, before downing him with the DDT, the kick, and finally crushing his skull from a high angle. Each time Kanemaru barely hung on until he could hang on no more. It was one of the damndest ways to work through grief I've ever seen and in its own way, maybe it, and this helped me through mine.
To me, this is the most ridiculous sort of DVDVR bullshit out there. You make a big claim. You back it up with a wager. The stakes are three matches. It's not all that common, but it's how we should rise up and deal with our disagreements in life, how we should be calling one another and putting one another on the spot when we get too big for our own good. Tim is a friend, and he showed me more mercy here than Hashimoto and Kanemaru showed to one another, and I consider myself fortunate that our fates were intertwined in a bizarro limbo for a year. It meant I was able to check in on him and hear about both challenges and joys in his life that I might not have otherwise. Certainly, this was one bet that I didn't mind losing. It was always going to be win-win for me to some degree. I'm glad to have closure on this one matter, even if it's reminded me that I might be chasing it for years to come on others.
This (and Tim's post) legit brought a legit tear to ole Gordlow's eye. Settling a difference of opinion in a constructive way. Thinking deeply about wrestling, and relating it to stuff going on around us (Navel-gazing, if you will). Paying tribute to a man we all miss terribly. All while enjoying a wide variety of pro wrestling matches.
Legitimately beautiful. What this site is REALLY about, in my mind anyway.
Thanks for this.
-
4
-
2
-
-
I think when you get a goofy-ass dance-off and also insanely dangerous nail board stunts on the same show and they both work and they both fit perfectly, you are talking about one of the all time great episodes of pro wrestling TV. Amazing. So glad they didn't do a crash pad dive off the top of the cage this year, also. They didn't need it at all. That was more than enough insanity for two hours. Loved how Mox came in and INSTANTLY escalated everything. Also the bloody kiss.
Edit: also, there was an interesting story being told there, about friendship. BCC lost because Pac and Takeshita are not their true friends whereas Golden Elite are all 100% loyal to one another... but also BCC lost because Mox ultimately cares about Wheeler. Good stuff.
-
13
-
-
10 hours ago, Octopus said:
What is the ~best~ Giant Baba match? I’ll also accept top ten lists.
Gimme a few minutes here. I'll post some videos so EVERYONE can enjoy the GREATNESS.
60s
Fritz
Kiniski
70s
Destroyer
Brisco
Robinson
Tag
Race
80s
Brody
Hansen
Surprising and fun tag
90s
Surprising and fun tag (edit: this match is actually pretty bad. I guess I was thinking of a different late-career Andre/Baba tag match).
There's so much more! Lots and lots of Hansen and Kiniski and Race and Butcher matches! Those guys all match up really well with Baba, in my opinion. Hopefully Matt also has some recommendations!(Maybe a Bock match?) Couldn't find the Murdoch match I wanted. Maybe the best Hansen v Baba match was from '82, but I couldn't find the video for that one. SO MANY surprising and fun tag matches in his later career after he phased himself out of the main event.
The Destroyer and Robinson ones are personal favourite matches, for sure. I personally LOVE all of these, but I love Baba in general. Let me know what you think! Hope lots of people can find joy here.
-
9
-
2
-
-
Wow! (Technically) that was FIVE matches and (technically) TWO of them were ladies matches!
(Insert "Scanners" type gif here later)
I say (technically) because (of course) the Taya match was a literal two-move squash. But, still. At long last, Tony Khan can stop being ashamed of himself!
I will also say this: Valkyrie vs Storm is a *very* Marvel Cinematic Universe type of match-up.
Similarly, Trentylocks got semi-squashed to set up an interesting-enough match-up for BotB. Actually, it will be *plenty* interesting to see how Orange solves the puzzle of how to overcome Archer's massive size and power advantage.
I was please that Mentallo got a little bit more in the Takeshita version of the Local Wrestler Gets Straight-up Squashed Match than McQueen was given in the Taya version. Cool to see him on AEW TV, however briefly. Ditto for Bambi! (And apparently her sister Liiza got a dark match, also, which is nice).
In addition to the three fun squash(y) matches we got two *really* good TV bouts.
They are really using Keith Lee like WWWF used to use Andre the Giant. Waiting on the apron for the long-delayed hot tag, then getting cut off before rewarding everyone's patience with a dominating finish. Classic stuff. Love it. Limitless Dust are too much fun together. Long may they tag.
The main event was pretty tremendous. You get the sense that Willow and Athena hate each other, know each other well, are very evenly matched up, and that everything is a struggle and everything hurts. Just first rate pro wrestling, there!
In an ordinary week that would probably be the AEW MOTW, but FTR vs BGC on a LOADED episode of Collision is still to come.
Plus Kento vs Nakajima (AJPW vs NOAH) at Korakuen, Kenny vs Vikingo at TripleMania, and nights one and two of the G1. That's one hell of a pro wrestling weekend!
-
6
-
-
Dang! Rampage gonna be Willow vs Ember, Limitless Dust vs 2.0, Archer vs Trentylocks, and a Takeshita squash.
That is booking straight at my heart! Four bullseyes and zero bullshits. Four straight matches of nothing but wrestlers I really like kicking each other's asses all over the arena.
Then it's straight into the G1! If nothing else, we'll get Kingston vs Ishii, Kingston vs Shingo, and Ishii vs Shingo matches, since they are all in the same block.
Pro wrestling, ladies and gentlemen! Pro wrestling.
-
9
-
2
-
-
On 6/29/2023 at 10:41 PM, EVA said:
The game also doesn’t do a great job of explaining how to do very basic actions. I lost the first match I played because I kept hitting the OWA too close to the ropes and couldn’t figure out how to drag Punk to the middle of the ring. The move list menu was no help.
On 6/29/2023 at 10:50 PM, Craig H said:Is there a way to pick your opponent up off the ground?
Tag matches are fucking annoying, but I’ll get into that later.
On 6/29/2023 at 10:53 PM, EVA said:R1 on the PS, and presumably whatever the equivalent is on the XB or Switch.
Again, something that is not explained at all.
Mine hasn't arrived yet. Had to order it from England, hopefully I'll be playing within two weeks. I'm like a little kid in mid-December, looking forward to Christmas. I like that feeling! Really enjoying reading everyone's thoughts here. Helped re-set my expectations to "reasonable."
MOST of the things y'all don't seem to like seem to be things I can deal with. The positives, overall, seem like the important things to me, generally. I mostly just wanna playfight as Bryan, Kingston, Wardlow, Hobbs, Shida etc etc while on my weekly train commutes to and from Osaka and Kyoto. Sounds like the Switch version of that will scratch that itch pretty well.
Killing time by making CAWs, maybe not so much. I'm cautiously optimistic that they'll eventually expand that via updates.
Anyway. Found this. Sounds like it might be useful!
-
1
-
-
Did it seen weird to anyone else that the ROH title match was the opener? I love that AEW generally starts with a banger, but that surprised me.
The match at times reminded me of the 2019 New Japan Cup match between Ospreay and Archer that is one of the best matches I have seen live. Speed and athleticism vs power, executed at a VERY high level. Impressive and enjoyable.
I guess I can see how you maybe wouldn't want to end the show with that finish.
I briefly considered just turning off my tablet after that match was over, because the rest of the card wasn't nearly as appealing to me on paper.
Good Guy Shawn Spears in his Bret gear got a more than decent reaction from his hometown crowd. I felt happy for him.
Also, @Zakk, who do you think came up with that joke?
Pretty good match as well. Worth sticking around for, certainly.
I liked Brother Zay's gear.
Nice that the ladies got the main event slot! DMD vs Thunder and Shida vs Hayter have set a VERY high bar. Shida's Dynamite main event match is one of my all time favourites (check Natural's thread if you don't believe me). This match? Not so much.
I think I have figured out my issue with Taya in AEW, at least: She is WAY more sizzle than steak. Blonde hair, huge boobs, great gear, polished and professional presentation; but the actual wrestling is... OK at best, sloppy and ill-timed at worst. And her facial expressions are terrible.
Enjoyed Shida's selling.
And: Hey! Strong vs Joe on Collision tomorrow! And DUSTIN vs HOBBS!!!
-
3
-
-
8 hours ago, Infinit said:
Super fun road trip with the crew to cap off a phenomenal week of pro wres!
The pictures are GREAT but I am sure I am not alone when I ask: Can we please get a couple of full-on Road Reports (including food & drinking & in this case baseball coverage) ?
Edit: @HarryArchieGus
-
4
-
-
48 minutes ago, tbarrie said:
Spears is from the Niagara region, isn't he? That's hardly western.
37 minutes ago, John from Cincinnati said:Gordy is just pretending he’s from the west to obscure his desire to see Spears beat in his home province in humiliating fashion! Take that, sports entertainer!
You are right! I think I was conflating him with Tyler Breeze.
That definitely adds an extra layer of interest to the match. It's not gonna be Punk in Chicago or Bret in Calgary... But will Spears get a decent "hometown" pop? I actually hadn't even considered that.
Did Iron Mike Sharpe get big pops in Hamilton? Henry O. Godwinn, in Bitters, Arkansas? Sid, in Anywhere He Darn Well Pleases?
And: Oh! The humanity! If Spears does get booed (or worse, if there's no heat on him either way).
It's one more point in favour of watching the show.
-
1
-
-
Rampage, baby! Episode 26:23. July 1st, Canada Day! 11am (J-time).
For me, this looks on paper very much like a one-match show. Meanwhile, The CM Punk Show has Hobbs vs Dustin and Samoa Joe vs Roddy Strong, both of which look REALLY good on paper. And will likely look really good on my tablet, also.
Will this be the first week Gordlow skips Rampage and watches Collision? (The general plan here is to do the opposite of that).
Let's take a slightly closer look:
Shawn Spears vs The Blade
So: The Blade in singles action is intriguing. And Spears is Canadian, (edit: NOT) WESTERN Canadian, as am I. So I feel I should support him. But, sad to say, the dude has done nothing for me during his run in AEW. And I feel it's likely he's going over here because former Sports Entertainment Superstars are often treated as intrinsically more important and valuable than former indie wrestlers in AEW booking, which is a thing I wish were not true.
Hikaru Shida vs Taya Valkyrie
So: I am a huge Hikaru Shida fan. And Taya is Canadian. WESTERN Canadian. As am I. So I feel like I should support her, etc etc. Although I do think Shida has at least a chance of winning here. Also, I cannot help but think of how much more excited I would be for Shida vs Nicole Matthews.
Hardy Party (Matt & Isiah) vs TV & QT
Can you maybe guess my feelings about Johnny TV in AEW? The whole QTV thing completely fails to amuse or interest me in the slightest, but in the ring both QT and Isiah are fun to watch. I just kind of anticipate that TV will be presented as the biggest star and most important person in this match. Which: not for me.
Claudio vs Komander for the ROH Championship
Oh hell yeah! If you are going to book a for-me-personally one-match show, you could do a hell of a lot worse than this as the one match. It's genuinely funny that CaesaROH is defending his title on Rampage, for free, after never appearing on the ROH streaming shows, which ROH fans pay for.
Who cares, though? Speed vs Power! Roh legend vs spry young luchadore! THIS is why I LOVE AEW.
So probably I'm gonna watch both shows this week, if my daughters don't need my help with anything or want to play cards or whatever, early-ish on Sunday.
-
2
-
-
11 minutes ago, EVA said:
Eddie is, in fact, booked vs. EVIL on the 19th.
19th here is the 18th there,though. And he's not scheduled to fight again until the 23rd here. So he could very well be planning to fly back and participate in a brutal bloody cage war between G1 bouts. I actually kind of hope that isn't the plan. That would seem to be pushing himself extremely hard. Taking extra damage in the middle of a notoriously brutal tournament seems crazy. Participating in Blood and Guts and subsequently fighting Henare while suffering from jet lag does NOT sound like fun.
I think that is probably the plan, though. Right?
-
1
-
-
3 hours ago, GuerrillaMonsoon said:
Though,really, not that big of a difference in this case.
-
8
-
-
Oh man. You cannot start out much hawtter than Mox vs Stone Pitbull. More than met my very high expectations. Is Mox's rose tattoo new? Speaking of Rose Tattoo, "We Can't Be Beaten" might not be a bad entrance theme for BCC at B&G. Anyone else old enough to get that reference? LOVED Kingston's involvement, and hope they keep Mad King vs Titty Master going after B&G.
After THAT opener, I honestly figured, "It's all downhill from here, and that's OK" But: Nooooope. Limitless Orange Vikings vs Cool Magic Death was way better than I expected. LOVED the extremely Cassidy backstory they provided for the fight! They used Keith Lee like WWWF used to use Andre in trios matches, keeping him on the apron until it was time to clean house. The subsequent cut-off meandered a bit, but the finish was excellent.
If Silver is next to leave Dark Order he could join Hanger, Matt, and Nick to form
SpoilerThe Hungie Bucks
and go for the 8-man titles!
I TOTALLY bought that one Silver near-fall.
Hook vs Jungle Boy could be REALLY good.
I am SO stoked for Dustin vs Hobbs.
If I were paying for ROH I would be mad that Claudio is defending the ROH title on AEW TV, I think. But I am not. (I LOVE JD Drake, Bear Country, Gates of Agony, and Athena... But I have managed to live in Japan for YEARS without a credit card. I don't want to get one just so I can watch them) SO... I am STOKED.
DMD probably getting the flu from her boyfriend is a weirdly romantic notion, to me. I have been there. Sickness spreading to everyone in my family. Taking turns taking care of each other.
When the metal bats knocked together did anyone else yell,
SpoilerIt's... DING!!!
I KNOW I am not the only one who yelled 'NOOOOOOOOOOO! " when Sting decided to take the too-far table dive. Hope he's not hurt! That was better than the Forbidden Door match.
Hell of a show. Started out white hot and kept going.
-
7
-
1
-
-
5 hours ago, Elsalvajeloco said:
Speaking of DBS, a video of Fit Finlay vs. Young David from 1982 popped into my YouTube feed. Has any other wrestler (maybe Brian Cage) had as drastic a physique change in 10 years as DBS? In 1992, he doesn't even look like a real human being. It looks like the transformation scene in Captain America: The First Avenger but on a more absurd level.
I feel like Jon Anderson's transformation from his days as the front man of prog rock band Yes into Strongman in NJPW was somehow EVEN MORE startling
:
Almost looks like two completely different people!
-
14
-
-
Dy no mite! 6/28
Dang! That week went pretty quickly.
We hear from Bungle Joy, and also MJF and maybe Adam Cole, plus they gonna announce more Lethal Lottery teams.
Curious what's next after 90210mygawd, but in my opinion, Jungle is better at fighting, riding dinosaurs, and being handsome than at talking into a mic in a wrestling ring on TV. Maybe Hook will run in, very quickly, to get revenge?
I am legitimately curious what other teams we might get (will there be more whacky mismatched partners?) and also I somehow enjoyed Cole & Friedman together more than I generally enjoy either of them individually. Synergy!
Ruby vs Britt in a first-round Owen match
Wasn't this the finals match-up last time? I think I was way more into both of these wrestlers a year ago. I am kind of resigned to there being a sports entertainment finish to this one. It would be cool if Hayter (or, say, Shida, or someone else I still really like watching) ran in to counter the INEVITABLE Saraya Storm interference. Any word on Hayter's recovery? Take all the time you need, Jamie... but we REALLY miss you!
Sting & Darby vs Jericho & Sammy
Here's hoping Sting looks better in this than he did in the FD 6-man. Also here's hoping the bulk of this is Darby vs Sammy. Milk that Sting/Jericho face-down pop!
Mox vs Ishii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kind of hard to believe that their G1 Korakuen Hall minor masterpiece was ALMOST FOUR YEARS AGO! They match up really well. This should be great. Mox gonna go over, considering Ishii got the pin at the PPV and presumably someone has to take that win back. But who gives a shit? Sometimes the journey is WAY more important than the destination.
Here's hoping there will be at least one more post-Door NJPW vs AEW match on the card! I'm pretty sure only three matches have been announced. But when one of those matches is The Titty Master vs Stone Pitbull, you really don't need to announce anything else.
-
4
-
-
If it's alright with all y'all I'd like to move this thread away from discussion of who is and who is not a WWF/WCW guy (which in my opinion was not really ever the point, though I guess I can see how it would be a fun thing to have opinions about).
I'd like to nudge it gently back in the direction of navel gazing and mental masturbation.
To me (a Canadian living in Japan, so what do I know?) Jazz and Pro Wrestling are two of the greatest and most unique forms of art to come out of America. (Along with, what? Blues. Stand up comedy? Blockbuster popcorn movies?)
And Jazz and Pro Wrestling have some very important things in common! Both involve improvisation. Both require paying attention to what your fellow performers are up to. The greatest moments in both are * often * unexpected and extemporaneous. It's common for cheesed-off grandpas to proclaim of the latest innovations, "That's NOT Jazz/Wrestling!" Both are WAY better live.
et cetera et cetera
That's Lionel Hampton and Buddy Rich jamming on "Hallelujah" (the c'mon get happy one, not the Leonard Cohen one). Two of the greatest virtuosos (and biggest show-offs) in all of music jamming with an absolute master. And it's phenomenal, in exactly the way you'd expect. All three men, unreservedly, themselves.
Tatum again, this time jamming with one of Duke Ellington's great tenor sax men, Ben Webster. To my ears, it is an absolute masterpiece. One of the most precious gems in the history of recorded music. It's a weird match, Tatum with the most prodigious technique and Webster more known for playing with feeling and tone... But it works like a charm, the tenor sax (it has been said) floating above the piano like clouds lazily reflecting on a fast-running river. Both men, gloriously, themselves.
Webster again, this time with fellow Ellingtonian Sweets Webster. Ben and Sweets is one of my favourite albums because it's two old swing veterans, in the age of bebop, just getting together and doing their thing. Both men, naturally, themselves.
So what's the relevance to pro wrestling? You have likely worked it out for yourselves already, but this IS the navel gazing thread, so: In wrestling, as in jazz.
Partly, greatness comes in many forms.
Partly, it's important to be true to yourself.
if Hampton, Rich, and Tatum hadn't gone all out like that it probably would have been disappointing. Them pushing each other to play more, more, more, faster, faster, faster is exhilarating.
(Kind of like Kenny and Ospreay, for example).
If Tatum had toned down his act to accommodate Webster or if Webster had tried to play as many notes as Tatum, we'd have been robbed of a genuine masterpiece.
(Maybe Samoa Joe vs Darby Allin or Hobbs vs Fenix work as examples of near-masterpieces that worked because both guys just stayed true to themselves. Or, like Tana vs Suzuki or Kenny vs Ishii).
If Ben and Sweets was two legends of swing trying to keep up with the times by playing like Parker & Gillespie, it would pretty likely be one of my LEAST favourite albums.
(May Suzuki & Ishii keep playing the hits forever, particularly when they face each other. Also Punk & Kojima were certainly better served by not trying to work a full-on go! go! go! style).
Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.
-
5
-
-
w/r/t my contention that Orangey Boy has been studying his Osaka Pro tapes:
I had somehow TOTALLY FORGOTTEN that he came over here and worked several shows for Osaka Pro (as Fire Ant) in Sept 2011. I was there for pretty much all of those! Kingston was over on the same tour. Chikara and Osaka Pro are two great tastes that taste great together.
-
4
-
-
I absolutely don't mean this in a disingenuous finger-wagging way. I literally mean that it is interesting: It's interesting that a card with three great matches and only a couple of matches below "very good" can be seen as kind of a disappointment these days. I sm certainly not the only one here old enough to remember when three great matches was a sure-fire Card of the Year. Nothng wrong with changing standards. But it sure is a sign that standards have changed. Also, it's a sign of just how high our expectations were for this card. Last year's FD was COTY and this year's was even better on paper so of course expectations were sky high. In a similar vein, I think part of the reason that the fake seizure spot hit many of us so negatively is that we LOVE Bryan and so felt deeply concerned for a moment there. I certainly hope it's the case that it was a desperate improvisation to allow the doc to look at his arm. I think I am suffering from whatever the opposite of recency bias is (primacy bias?) in that, as much as I enjoyed the show (a LOT) I feel like last year's was better and as much as I LOVED Kenny vs Ospreay II, I feel like the WK match was better. I particularly marked out for Ishii being the one to get the pinfall, and the EXTREMELY OSAKA PRO first several minutes of the four-way match. Like, seriously, Cassidy must have been studying tapes of old Osaka Pro multi-mans. I was legitimately VERY close to crying tears of joy during that part of the match. It would be faster and more efficient to list the four or five obvious (and already well-covered in this thread) things I disliked than to list the dozens of wonderful things that popped me while I was watching. (Like, say, Bungle Joy leaving through the heel tunnel. Possibly the best thing about that match). I had to work Monday morning (note to Fozzie: Zero Hour started at 8 am Monday morning Japan Time). Got to watch the preshow and the first three matches before heading out. I was VERY tired at work (I am also on a VERY strict diet at the moment, and it is terribly muggy here, weather-wise, so I slept poorly in addition to waking up early-for-me), after school was finished I hit the gym before teaching a couple of private lessons in a cafe. So I was a f'n ZOMBIE by the time I got home. Thought I'd watch at least one match before gratefully hitting the hay. Ended up watching right to the end with zero breaks, marking out more or less constantly. Then I un-muted the ppv chat I am in with several international wrestling maniacs, read through that laughing out loud, then popped over here. What a treat, reading (almost) everyone's thoughts on the show. I tore through the thread. Apologies if you deserved a like but I didn't give you one. I was pretty sleep-deprived by that point. Also it made me sad to think that DEAN didn't get to enjoy this show (unless maybe they have FITE in Heaven) and we won't get to enjoy reading his thoughts. I slept for about nine hours.
-
11
-
-
UE vs CHAOS. Did the camera work seem WAY more hyperactive than usual to anyone else? The delayed gratification of UE interrupting the group hug was the good kind of bullshit. In m opinion, if Cobb, Archer, or Keith Lee are in a match, dudes should be getting yeeted. "Does Yoh get confused during Max Caster's rap" was commentary gold.
Things get filthy on Rampage plus Royce Isaacs! STOKED for Filthy Tom. He's the best.
The Acclaimed . This will never get old. Crowd still pops for it. "You have SO many enemies." Cool they could squeeze more commentary gold in during such a short match.
Hopefully the pop and "He's gay!" chant gave some hateful grandpas a massive conniption fit. Because otherwise that segment was BRUTAL.
Sky vs Anna was not, in my humble opinion, one of the better recent AEW ladies matches. I have higher hopes for Athena vs Starkz.
It's time for the MAIN EVENT! "I don't know much about you, but that's okie-Douki" Meh on paper but (mostly) YOWZA in execution. Love when that happens. Some nice storytelling here. I find Sanada to be handsome, talented, and almost bizarrely lacking in charisma. Kind of like an advanced Japanese Shawn Spears. This was merely a good hour of pro wrestling TV overall, in my opinion. Below average for AEW, but still good.
-
3
-
AEW TV (Week of July 24, 2023)
in ALL ELITE WRESTLING
Posted · Edited by Gordlow
One on one? Never. In a tag? Never. I think they were both in Casino-type matches together before, but that's it. Mox matched up extremely well with Darby in the past. Mox won both of their singles matches but Darby came out of them looking like a future star. (Edit: Mox and Darby also had a singles in North East Wrestling, per Cagematch. Not surecifvI have ever seen that one). I have high expectations for Mox v Orange.