But before we get going, let's turn our attention to the headlines as we look at this week in news;
- Not only are NXT going to Toronto later this year for a TakeOver, they will be cruisin' California and heading to Japan. That homecoming for Shinsuke and Asuka is gonna be insane.
- Per Meltzer, Cody Rhodes has got some New Japan dates which include his desired match versus Katsuyori Shibata. Not seen any of post-WWE Cody yet, but that does sound cool.
- ROH has announced that there will be another Ladder War at All-Star Extravaganza 8, this time for the Tag Team Championships with The Addiction facing The Motor City Machine Guns and The Young Bucks. Hype indeed.
- Two new 'Collections' have been added to the WWE Network; 'Viva La Raza' focusing on the career of the legendary Eddie Guerrero and 'Hidden Gems' which is like a bunch of previously unavailable (I think, mostly at least) content. It does have Seth Rollins vs Kassius Ohno (Chris Hero), so I'm definitely checking that bad boy out.
- WWE have signed another 7 wrestlers from China this week, joining Bin Wang. I don't recall hearing whether Ho Ho Lun had gotten signed, but he was at some photo-shoot with them so he might be. Who knows? WWE probably.
- Alberto Del Rio has been released from WWE after not even a year back.
And now for the soft middle bit of this Milky Way of a wrestling blog, it's the matches...
Monday Night RAW
Best Match on RAW (5/9/16): Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn
Fuck me what a big name match to main event the first official Kevin Owens Show. We kick things off like most of the recent encounters between these two, throwing lefts and throwing rights. They went on the next bit taking turns knocking some shit out of each other, back and forth. One thing I did notice in particular is how good Sami is at flailing his arms when falling, he got bounced off of the ropes and fell like he was at a rave.
Had a cool spot of two tope con hilos in a row, and good lord they teased the fuck out of someone getting destroyed on the apron. Soon enough, Kev got Half'n'Half suplexed onto the floor. The amount of trust these two have in each other is insane. The callback to Sami's 'injured' ankle was cool, though I hope they don't go too overboard with it. Two weeks since the incident is probably getting close to an end there. Now the end saw possibly unintentionally the funniest superkick ever. Just point blank and nasty.
Pretty nice match here, not their best but its RAW, so I don't blame them and they did do a lot more awesome stuff than I thought they would. Big ups Sami & Kev!
And we got this fucking cool shot to open the show.
Best Match on RAW (5/9/16): Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn
Fuck me what a big name match to main event the first official Kevin Owens Show. We kick things off like most of the recent encounters between these two, throwing lefts and throwing rights. They went on the next bit taking turns knocking some shit out of each other, back and forth. One thing I did notice in particular is how good Sami is at flailing his arms when falling, he got bounced off of the ropes and fell like he was at a rave.
Had a cool spot of two tope con hilos in a row, and good lord they teased the fuck out of someone getting destroyed on the apron. Soon enough, Kev got Half'n'Half suplexed onto the floor. The amount of trust these two have in each other is insane. The callback to Sami's 'injured' ankle was cool, though I hope they don't go too overboard with it. Two weeks since the incident is probably getting close to an end there. Now the end saw possibly unintentionally the funniest superkick ever. Just point blank and nasty.
Pretty nice match here, not their best but its RAW, so I don't blame them and they did do a lot more awesome stuff than I thought they would. Big ups Sami & Kev!
And we got this fucking cool shot to open the show.
 |
| What a time to be alive |
SmackDown! LIVE
Best Match on SD! (6/9/16): The Miz vs Apollo Crews
Best Match on SD! (6/9/16): The Miz vs Apollo Crews
Here's a match that surprised me. Miz isn't my favourite wrestler in any regard and his matches aren't my favourite (but he's somehow quite high on the leaderboard), and when Apollo Crews came out, I was bit unenthusiastic about this SummerSlam rematch.
The bell rings and Apollo is straight off, right on the Miz, mile a minute. We get the Miz 'dick antics' of running away and the usual, but Apollo again does all this cool shit of flips and leaps a man of his structure shouldn't be able to.
The closing moments saw some screwy distractions and misdirection that led to Miz getting another victory over Apollo. It was good, but not that great. Hopefully once this new roster gets a bit more established, that's when we can have some awesome matches happening weekly.
As for Miz vs Ziggler at Backlash this Sunday, I don't give much of a damn about the outcome. Just plopping Dolph into this title picture hasn't done it for me, just someone please gimme an interesting title reign.
NXT
Best Match on NXT (7/9/16): Austin Aries vs Andrade 'Cien' Almas
Honourable Mention: TM61 (Shane Taylor & Nick Miller) vs Tony Nese & Ariya Daivari
Yes, NXT, this is what I wanted! Their TV has had some lulls lately, but this episode had two great matches.
The best of these was the contest between 'The Greatest Man That Ever Lived' Austin Aries and Andrade 'Cien' Almas. The pace here was the most noticeable thing, with both maintaining and producing a fluid match. Sure, there were a couple of breaks in the action, but as soon as they'd end the pace was cranked back up again, keeping it quick and exciting. Almas has started to expand his offence since his debut a few months ago, which is definitely a good thing, he's been wavering a bit lately but with what we saw here and against Roode at TakeOver, I hope he continues to keep incorporating some more lucha goodness.
We got a big nasty dropkick from Aries in this one that look unbelievable. How Andrade managed to take that and not get knocked silly amazes me.
Great match this, so glad NXT's bringing up the match quality on their TV and not saving all the big name matches for their specials. If you're gonna sign all these fantastic wrestlers, put at least a couple of 'em on the weekly show together. Keep it up, lads.
As for the honourable mention, Nese and Daivari put on a great showing, with TM-61 being possibly at the best I've seen them in NXT yet. Lots of cool moves, some great dives, and it's real nice to see Nese and Daivari on NXT.
Best Match on NXT (7/9/16): Austin Aries vs Andrade 'Cien' Almas
Honourable Mention: TM61 (Shane Taylor & Nick Miller) vs Tony Nese & Ariya Daivari
Yes, NXT, this is what I wanted! Their TV has had some lulls lately, but this episode had two great matches.
The best of these was the contest between 'The Greatest Man That Ever Lived' Austin Aries and Andrade 'Cien' Almas. The pace here was the most noticeable thing, with both maintaining and producing a fluid match. Sure, there were a couple of breaks in the action, but as soon as they'd end the pace was cranked back up again, keeping it quick and exciting. Almas has started to expand his offence since his debut a few months ago, which is definitely a good thing, he's been wavering a bit lately but with what we saw here and against Roode at TakeOver, I hope he continues to keep incorporating some more lucha goodness.
We got a big nasty dropkick from Aries in this one that look unbelievable. How Andrade managed to take that and not get knocked silly amazes me.
Great match this, so glad NXT's bringing up the match quality on their TV and not saving all the big name matches for their specials. If you're gonna sign all these fantastic wrestlers, put at least a couple of 'em on the weekly show together. Keep it up, lads.
As for the honourable mention, Nese and Daivari put on a great showing, with TM-61 being possibly at the best I've seen them in NXT yet. Lots of cool moves, some great dives, and it's real nice to see Nese and Daivari on NXT.
Cruiserweight Classic
Best Match on CWC (Episode 9): Zack Sabre Jr. vs Noam Dar
Oh, Cruiserweight Classic, your end next week will leave a void in my wrestling life. Here we have it, the penultimate episode of the tournament and yet again, they fucking killed it.
Like usual, this whole episode was awesome. Whilst Rich Swann and TJ Perkins had a right barn-burner, Sabre Jr vs Dar burnt brighter.
Like the commentary team pointed out, these two have known and wrestled each other for years, and you bet your ass it showed. These guys went hell for leather, with relentless strikes to the limbs, head and body, no punches pulled here. I think the best example of this hard-hitting action was this sequence ending in a jarring suplex.
Best Match on CWC (Episode 9): Zack Sabre Jr. vs Noam Dar
Oh, Cruiserweight Classic, your end next week will leave a void in my wrestling life. Here we have it, the penultimate episode of the tournament and yet again, they fucking killed it.
Like usual, this whole episode was awesome. Whilst Rich Swann and TJ Perkins had a right barn-burner, Sabre Jr vs Dar burnt brighter.
Like the commentary team pointed out, these two have known and wrestled each other for years, and you bet your ass it showed. These guys went hell for leather, with relentless strikes to the limbs, head and body, no punches pulled here. I think the best example of this hard-hitting action was this sequence ending in a jarring suplex.
Right on his head there, bet that was sore. And that uppercut, nothing short of stiff. Throughout we had the technical prowess the Brits are known for, just some incredible transitions and holds from both, mesmerising at times. Dar's constant usage of the knee-bar submission made for tense times, whether we'd see an upset victory with Zack heading home early. Zack centred his focus once again on the arm, yanking it, kicking it, stomping it, stretching and just about damn near breaking it. The contortions of the wrist and elbow made for a lot of wincing on my end.
The close of this was goddamn brutal, with Sabre Jr. barring both arms behind the back of Dar, his shoulders bent back and his whole chest stretched. Horrifying stuff, plus Dar's screams made it at least twelve and a half times worse. What an awesome match.
The close of this was goddamn brutal, with Sabre Jr. barring both arms behind the back of Dar, his shoulders bent back and his whole chest stretched. Horrifying stuff, plus Dar's screams made it at least twelve and a half times worse. What an awesome match.
Ring of Honour
Best Match on ROH TV (Episode 259): The Briscoes (Mark & Jay Briscoe) vs Jay White & Lio Rush
It's tag team action here as we see The Briscoes take on the team of Jay White and Lio Rush.
Talk about some fast action, bloody non-stop this. It's one of the great things about the ROH tag division, they have the talent and structure the matches so that there's frequently fresh bodies in and pushing themselves in short bursts. Rush fucking amazed me again here, with another phenomenal Frog Splash followed by a suicide dive with a tonne of velocity behind it. Briscoes did their usual which was 'beat fuckers up', with both putting some big moves on their opponents at ringside. In the end, it would see the brothers, Mark and Jay, pick up the win, pinning Rush.
In my opinion, Lio should be given the treatment Jay is receiving. They have this guy going to time limit draws with world champions, not taking pins, and he's been here like two months. Then you have Lio, who won the Top Prospect Tournament and has always had baller matches. ROH already have a bit of a negative stamp on them for putting New Japan guys over their own talent, and Lio really shouldn't be pushed aside for Jay who'll be gone in however long.
Didn't mean to put a downer on here, but hey, it's my blog god dammit. Nevertheless, that was a real cool match.
Best Match on ROH TV (Episode 259): The Briscoes (Mark & Jay Briscoe) vs Jay White & Lio Rush
It's tag team action here as we see The Briscoes take on the team of Jay White and Lio Rush.
Talk about some fast action, bloody non-stop this. It's one of the great things about the ROH tag division, they have the talent and structure the matches so that there's frequently fresh bodies in and pushing themselves in short bursts. Rush fucking amazed me again here, with another phenomenal Frog Splash followed by a suicide dive with a tonne of velocity behind it. Briscoes did their usual which was 'beat fuckers up', with both putting some big moves on their opponents at ringside. In the end, it would see the brothers, Mark and Jay, pick up the win, pinning Rush.
In my opinion, Lio should be given the treatment Jay is receiving. They have this guy going to time limit draws with world champions, not taking pins, and he's been here like two months. Then you have Lio, who won the Top Prospect Tournament and has always had baller matches. ROH already have a bit of a negative stamp on them for putting New Japan guys over their own talent, and Lio really shouldn't be pushed aside for Jay who'll be gone in however long.
Didn't mean to put a downer on here, but hey, it's my blog god dammit. Nevertheless, that was a real cool match.
Lucha Underground
Best Match on LU (S3E1): Pentagon Dark vs Rey Mysterio
This was my first time watching a full episode of Lucha Underground, and whilst I was a bit lost starting at Season 3, as soon as we got the matches going, that didn't even matter.
For those who don't know, Lucha Underground is not a typical wrestling show, primarily in two respects; the cinematography and the 'backstage segments'. The matches have no real hard camera, I don't think anyway, but multiple set up around the arena, some static and some moving. It gave this new viewing experience of mine another layer of newness, and then came the bits in between the matches. You've got these segments filmed like your on AMC, mate, just straight up drama filming. It's fucking cool.
Anywho, down to business. Best match? Pentagon Dark versus Rey Mysterio.
Rey Mysterio is now 41 years old, and he's bouncing and flying around here like it's 2005. He looks so much better in the ring than his last WWE run by about 3 miles; he's jacked, he's like new, and he's even doing new things in his matches. I wasn't much of a fan when he started wearing his vest in his matches, but given his new-found size, it looks great.
Now I know Pentagon Dark from his matches in Pro Wrestling Guerilla which were fan-fuckin'-tastic, and I'm getting more here. I dunno why he's now Pentagon 'Dark' and not Pentagon 'Jr.', he always seemed pretty dark to me to begin with, so I reckon I'll list him as just 'Pentagon' on the leaderboard.
These guys put on a hell of a show. Rey was moving like he's ten years younger with all his dives both in and out of the ring, plus pulling off some wicked hurricanranas. Could hardly believe what I was seeing. Pentagon is such a big lad, and he's hauling ass like a cruiserweight. I tell ya, he knocked some shit out of Rey-Rey, those chops and thrust kicks, thunderous. Amazing stuff here, and that finish with Mysterio landing a flip piledriver off the 619 was cool as President Calvin Coolidge (in name only - this A Level History course is paying off now).
The Verdict
Best Match of the Week: Zack Sabre Jr vs Noam Dar - Cruiserweight Classic - Episode 9
I know I did just spooge all over Lucha Underground this week, but this match was just too good. The whole psychology of it and the repetition of the limb targeting, the technical back and forth full of amazement and that finish, mate. So good. Like I said, the whole episode of the CWC was once again greater than great, so it's worth a watch.
I would also encourage the viewing of Lucha Underground this week, especially if you haven't before. If you were a fan of Mysterio back in WWE, it's such a mind-blowing experience seeing him now like this.
And with that, we come to the end of another action packed and wrestling filled week. With these results, the leaderboard now looks like this right here.
That's all from me folks, have a good weekend and an even better week. I'll catch you on the flip-side.
Best Match on LU (S3E1): Pentagon Dark vs Rey Mysterio
This was my first time watching a full episode of Lucha Underground, and whilst I was a bit lost starting at Season 3, as soon as we got the matches going, that didn't even matter.
For those who don't know, Lucha Underground is not a typical wrestling show, primarily in two respects; the cinematography and the 'backstage segments'. The matches have no real hard camera, I don't think anyway, but multiple set up around the arena, some static and some moving. It gave this new viewing experience of mine another layer of newness, and then came the bits in between the matches. You've got these segments filmed like your on AMC, mate, just straight up drama filming. It's fucking cool.
Anywho, down to business. Best match? Pentagon Dark versus Rey Mysterio.
Rey Mysterio is now 41 years old, and he's bouncing and flying around here like it's 2005. He looks so much better in the ring than his last WWE run by about 3 miles; he's jacked, he's like new, and he's even doing new things in his matches. I wasn't much of a fan when he started wearing his vest in his matches, but given his new-found size, it looks great.
Now I know Pentagon Dark from his matches in Pro Wrestling Guerilla which were fan-fuckin'-tastic, and I'm getting more here. I dunno why he's now Pentagon 'Dark' and not Pentagon 'Jr.', he always seemed pretty dark to me to begin with, so I reckon I'll list him as just 'Pentagon' on the leaderboard.
These guys put on a hell of a show. Rey was moving like he's ten years younger with all his dives both in and out of the ring, plus pulling off some wicked hurricanranas. Could hardly believe what I was seeing. Pentagon is such a big lad, and he's hauling ass like a cruiserweight. I tell ya, he knocked some shit out of Rey-Rey, those chops and thrust kicks, thunderous. Amazing stuff here, and that finish with Mysterio landing a flip piledriver off the 619 was cool as President Calvin Coolidge (in name only - this A Level History course is paying off now).
The Verdict
Best Match of the Week: Zack Sabre Jr vs Noam Dar - Cruiserweight Classic - Episode 9
I know I did just spooge all over Lucha Underground this week, but this match was just too good. The whole psychology of it and the repetition of the limb targeting, the technical back and forth full of amazement and that finish, mate. So good. Like I said, the whole episode of the CWC was once again greater than great, so it's worth a watch.
I would also encourage the viewing of Lucha Underground this week, especially if you haven't before. If you were a fan of Mysterio back in WWE, it's such a mind-blowing experience seeing him now like this.
And with that, we come to the end of another action packed and wrestling filled week. With these results, the leaderboard now looks like this right here.
That's all from me folks, have a good weekend and an even better week. I'll catch you on the flip-side.
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