grapswithgabe

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Wrestling Obsessives - Week #5: Chris Hero vs Mark Andrews - 5-29-2016 & Miu Watanabe vs Shoko Nakajima - 5-6-2024

Chris Hero vs Mark Andrews - 5-29-2016:

Even when I set my inherent biases and hate for Progress wrestling aside, I just couldn’t really get into this match. I keep my reviews pretty positive due to fact that I will always appreciate the athletic skills of the wrestlers within the match. Even with the obvious talent of Chris Hero and Mark Andrews though; this match simply didn’t grab me. Mark Andrews is an athletic but archetypical wrestler; he’s a flippy British guy whose whole thing is that he comes out to some punk rock, he likes wrestling, and he’s nice. Chris Hero is fucking awesome, his charisma makes his opponent seem like a block of wood. Even with Chris, I had my issues. I love me an athletic big man, but I wanted him to throw bombs and fucking knock Mark’s head off. It was too much grappling, counters, and athletic contests. Everything felt overly-smooth and weightless, there wasn’t anything that made me want to pay attention and really sink in. Honestly this just felt like a long TV match; no real sauce. These guys are proper athletes though; they move around the ring with ease and it’s a nice touch to have Chris rile up the crowd for Mark. This match just wasn’t for me.

Miu Watanabe vs Shoko Nakajima - 5-6-2024:

These are my two Teej goats. Miu Watanabe has it all, the charisma, the look, and the talent to back it all up. Seeing her as champ after her previous entry within this review series is a great sight to see. As alway my favorite feature of hers is the contrast between her appearance and her bruiser-powerhouse wrestling style. Shoko Nakajami is fun both in presentation and in the ring; a nice blend of mat-wrestling with a dash of lucha-libre. This match is established by the commentary team as a clash between to individuals that know each other like the back of their hands and it’s obvious with the amount of body-work and counters within this match. Targeting certain body parts is my favorite in-ring story and Miu puts her arsenal of back-breakers and submissions to good use. She essentially bends Nakajima into an upside down “U”. This match is heavily controlled by Shoko with Miu fighting from beneath her; Shoko is energetic and explosive in the ring. Her dive on the outside was fucking clean as hell. Of course I also have to mention the really fun test of strength that goes into a great monkey-flip countering sequence. The biggest moment towards the end is Miu’s massive swing. She fucking put her shit into high-gear for this one; she spins and an absurdly high speed and proceeds to dump Shoko to the edge of the ring. After a near fall and some more fun wrestling, Miu eventually makes the pin; cementing her first successful defense. Both of these women are fantastic; this match definitely shows the potential for how great Miu’s reign can be.

[grapswithgabe]

Wrestling Obsessives - Week #4: Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Kenoh - N1 Victory Finals 2021 & Yuma Anzai vs Hideki Suzuki - 6-24-2024

Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Kenoh - N1 Victory Finals 2021:

This match had it’s flaws but it’s successes out-weigh them heavily for me; I’ll start with the things that I’m not necessarily a fan of. I understand and appreciate the idea of an abrupt ending; it makes it feel like the match could have ended at anytime and it emphasizes the cleverness and resolve of the wrestler. It’s just that Nakajima’s finisher just doesn’t have that impact or wow-factor to me. If I didn’t look into the match afterwards, I would have had no idea that it was some kind of special “Diamond Bomb”. We joke that Kenoh is a soul-less move guy whose whole thing is getting so angry he does a move, I honestly assumed it was an exaggeration, but it’s honestly true. His expressions, his selling, and his overall persona is just based on the idea of being an angry stoic badass; it makes him feel hollow. Now the match itself was sick; these guys love their slaps and kicks. Each kick felt thunderous and you can almost feel the impact of their shins to their chests through the screen. These exchanges also had a nice sprinkling of counters and lock-exchanges. Nakajima stood out to me, he’s a good looking guy that wrestles with the right amount of power and snark. Kenoh’s is only able to express one emotion but he does it well; his fury and desperation is obvious towards the back half of the match. I really enjoyed the slap-strike exchange. I see a lot of bad machine-gun chops and slaps going around so it’s nice to finally get a good showing. The lighting of this exchange really enhances it; just seeing the steam and sweat bead off of Kenoh’s skin while Nakajima smacks the fuck out of him is awesome. Despite my little nit-picks, I 100% understand why people consider this an amazing match. It’s filled with so much nasty striking, and it honestly does not drag at all. I really enjoyed this one.

Yuma Anzai vs Hideki Suzuki - 6-24-2024:

This match made me long for an era that I was not even alive to see; before I even talk about the match I just want to gush about the production. The cinematic interviews, the bold text over the montages, the intensity pf the promos, and then the setup. The well-lit crowd, the boldly colored ring, and the simple yet distinct gear of the two competitors just has this vintage purity to it. The hallmark of a good match is a story that you can understand even without past context or knowledge of the language. This is a classic babyface champion attempting to best a grizzled veteran. Yuma works fantastically as this passionate underdog and the crowd is vocally behind him. He’s a competent wrestler that has the makings of an excellent ace for the company. His struggles to get over on the veteran Suzuki where well sold by his exhaustion; this is complemented by Suzuki obvious wealth of experience. Suzuki takes a lot of punishment throughout this match but you can tell that it’s simply him biding his time for the next strike; there’s also the way he shifts his weight and “sandbags” in order to prevent Yuma from hitting some big slams. Though a bit of Yuma’s inexperience kinda pokes through towards the end of the match, he has a charismatic presence and such a solid understanding of the art-form. This feels like a classic babyface champion main-event, much like how the company itself is a very classic wrestling promotion. A very good match, a strong story, and a good preview of what’s to come with Yuma.

[grapswithgabe]

Wrestling Obsessives - Week #3: Keita Yano vs Katsumi Usuda - 11-16-2008 & Arsenal vs Sexxxy Eddie - 7-24-2004

Keita Yano vs Katsumi Usuda - 11-16-2008:

I’m gonna be honest… Keita is not a wrestler that immediately hooks me in. Just like the first match I watched with him, it took me a bit of time to get into this match and into Keita as a performer. The match is filled with a lot of great mat-wrestling; the two combatants shifting over each other in order to keep the other pinned and immobilized. Keita occasionally using his little tricks and rope breaks to alleviate the pressure. It begins to transition into a proper shifting of locks, besides the ending sequences, this is where the match really shines. The way the bend each other’s limbs is just so nasty and the way the sell for each other is the cherry on top. The crowd is essentially silent throughout the match, so you hear their bodies hitting the ring, the impact of their strikes, the panting in their breathing, and the sounds of their screams. The way they wear each other down is displayed really well and the way Katsumi finally puts Keita down is just devastating. After releasing Keita from a really nasty lock, he proceeds to kick him in the head until Keita is knocked out cold. Yano attempts to beat the ten count and succeeds, only to end up convulsing, and then knocked out. This sequence was brutal and those kicks made me wince through the screen. It takes a bit to heat up for me, but this is a real solid match with some great sequences within it.

Arsenal vs Sexxxy Eddie - 7-24-2004:

There is something to be said about the white indie guys of the 2000s, especially in the context of death matches. They just have this freakishness to them; just watching a pale schlubby guy, with a bad hair cut, shitty facial hair, screen printed merch, and baggy pants bust out the nuttiest puro sequences and lucha moves of all time. Arsenal may not have had the strongest persona or character but his strikes and drops where fucking nasty; my favorite being his kicks to Sexxxy Eddie that caused him to bash himself between the two light tubes. Honestly it reminded me of Kawada Speaking of light tubes; I love plunder matches. If wrestling is theatre then these pieces of equipment are the props; they immediately create the steaks and force the wrestlers to move in such a way that really shows the severity of the situation. Every cut and explosion of glass just reminded me of how bad at this could be if they do not properly handle themselves within the ring. Sexxxy Eddie is a really good character in this match; though the commentary team tells us that he is a death match wrestler, his visual styling are quite traditional. It gives a good contrast to the archetypical nature of The Arsenal; plus the fact that he’s wearing trunks just makes it fucking nastier. That match contains a lot of fun, strike-exchanges and locks out eventually evolves into a true plunder fest that ends with Eddie taking the win. The aftermath of death matches always gave me the tingles, watching these freaks get stapled, duct taped, and superglued just puts me into the perspective of these performers. Held together with crafting implements and a passion for absurd violence. I enjoyed this match a lot.

[grapswithgabe]

Wrestling Obsessives - Week #2: AJPW Real World Tag League 1996 Final Match - Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue vs. Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama - December 6th, 1996 & Roddy Piper Vs Bret Hart Wrestlemania VIII Intercontinental Championship Match

AJPW Real World Tag League 1996 Final Match - Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue vs. Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama - December 6th, 1996:

To keep things short and simple, I will just say that this match is fucking awesome. Within this match there are four figures that are considered legends and the concept of Puro wrestling; and though I know them by name, I’m not gonna act like I’ve watched a shit ton of matches that feature them. After watching this match, I fully understand why Eddie Kingston does so much Puro cosplay. first of all the atmosphere is fucking electric, as they ran out to see each of their names the crowd fucking explodes and you get a sense that these guys are big fucking deals, and that they already know something crazy is about to come out from this match.  the piecing in this match is really good. You get the sense that everyone is doing their best to beat the shit out of each other and try to get a pin. It emphasizes the importance of this tournament and the importance of the smash. The match itself feels cinematic, every move, feel so precise, but somehow it doesn’t feel fake or rehearsed. The selling this matches fucking great especially from Kawada, who is my personal stand out for this match. I loved that chop and kick spot. Holy Demon Army as a unit really just impressed me; even as heels, you can tell that the crowd is behind them as well. Misawa and Akiyama also kill it in their own right. Their tandem offense and athleticism cannot be praised enough. The lil suplex train they did went so hard. The selling in this match was fucking great as well. Everyone looked like they got murdered at some point. The match also felt like a great example of organized chaos. Everything felt so messy and so nasty while also having an amazing sense of direction. I really enjoyed this match and it 100% hooked me into looking up more and more Puro matches.

Roddy Piper Vs Bret Hart Wrestlemania VIII Intercontinental Championship Match:

This match is a great example of telling a simple story through the physical act of wrestling; even without the promo, even without the build, you understand what is happening and you get the weight of the conflict between these two men. It’s a surprisingly short match that emphasizes the morality of Piper; you’re constantly on edge and wondering “When is he gonna snap?” “When is he gonna boil over?” Including the promo in this review, I want to just talk about how much I really fucking love Rowdy Roddy Piper, especially in the context of this promo. To me, Piper was never like this extremely exaggerated crazy character. Of course he’s doing the classic yelling into the camera amped up energy shit but he was never quirky or weird. He’s just a fucking dick, an asshole, a bully; throughout their conversation, he’s just being an annoying prick, but using the excuse of “Oh, I’m just having fun…” to escape any potential repercussions. Bret is just a killer like usual. This matches honestly not too flashy, some fun holds and locks. The real meat and potatoes are the little moments where your like “alright Piper is gonna do some fuck-shit..” and he just doesn’t. You get to the iconic moment of Piper holding the bell and wondering what he should do, he drops it and puts on the sleeper. He’s gonna win clean, until Bret out-wrestles him and pins him. You get a clean win and the potential rebuilding of the respect these two had for each other. Really good stuff.

[grapswithgabe]

Wrestling Obsessives - Week #1: Yuka Sakazaki vs. Miu Watanabe - TJPW Tokyo Princess Cup 2022 Finals & Keita Yano vs. Rey Paroma - Dovepro 7-5-2020

Yuka Sakazaki vs. Miu Watanabe vs Miu Watanabe - TJPW Tokyo Princess Cup 2022 Finals:

While watching this match the biggest thing that popped out to me was the fact that I was able to understand the story of this encounter, and in some ways their journeys through the whole tournament, through simple context clues given throughout the match. Miu Watanabe is a hot new-comer within the tournament who has been barreling her way to the finals; and Yuka Sakazaki is a crafty veteran who refuses to go down without a fight. This woman in harem pants is the mountain that this buff woman in a pink ponytail must climb. Though Miu’s unique look, charisma, and in-ring ability keeps her from being totally lost in the ring; this match is very much a Yuka highlight-reel. Her ability to counter almost all of Miu’s power moves just shows how much an intelligent and crafty wrestler she is; it also causes the giant swing spot to be a lot more satisfying. The match itself had a nice pace; knowing when to string along a series of moves and spots and then transitioning into their rest holds and exhaustion spots. Yuka ends up the winner of this match; I will say there is inherent value in both the story of a rookie ripping through a a tournament and a veteran refusing to be conquered. I would have been fine with either result. It was an extremely solid match; I just wished Miu was able to show off a bit more.

Keita Yano vs. Rey Paroma - Dovepro 7-5-2020:

Keita Yano really kept my attention throughout this match; he’s slick, simple, and impactful. The way he bridged himself in order to escape Rey’s hold, his transitions between his own holds, and his posture just made everything look so nasty. Rey was no slouch either; he filled the match with so many little moments of fun athleticism and his crowd control was stellar. It’s always so interesting to see the crossover between lucha and puro in regards to how the influence the presentation and styles of other wrestlers outside of their respective cultural origins. Another aspect about this match that I enjoyed was honesty enhanced by the fact that I don’t know a lot about either of these wrestlers. Watching Keita evolve into the Heel of the match as he essentially wraps himself around Rey to get a sneaky pin was so much fun. A very fun match, I’ll be looking into Yano a-bit more in my free time.