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colonelcrusto · 3 months

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Ring of Horror: Rosemary

Hailing from the Valley of Shadows (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) is Holly Letkeman. Better known today by the monstrous moniker of Rosemary. Okay, maybe it's not the most menacing or imposing of names, but Rosemary herself is both those things and more. Plus, Rosemary's Baby—A classic horror flick directed by convicted statutory rapist Roman Polanski so there's a spooky connection to the name. Getting her start in the business in 2008, Letkenman was trained by three Canadian greats, Johnny Divine, Tyson Dux, and Coach Scott D'Amore. She'd work her first match on January 30th, 2008, at a Prime Time Wrestling event in Belleville, Michigan, featuring heavy cross-promotion with the Insane Clown Pose's wrestling promotion, Juggalo Championship Wrestling.

In March, Letkeman took the ring name PJ Tyler, inspired by Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and possibly Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, and began performing across the Canadian Indies, frequently appearing for Scott D'Amore's Border City Wrestling. By her second year, PJ Tyler could be regularly seen on Pro Wrestling Xtreme and Great Canadian Wrestling shows.—It was in the latter promotion that Tyler picked up her first championship, winning the GCW WILD Champion in a tournament. PJ Tyler's run lasted 117 days before dropping it to some random dude named Anthony Darko. Info on the title change and Darko's run with the belt is .—And not really all that important. Near the end of 2010, Tyler switched up her ring name, dropping the PJ and the Tyler in favor of a Courtney and a Rush.

Courtney Rush didn't slow down, working feverishly across various indies North of the border and somewhat dipping her toe into the United States indie scene, mainly for SHIMMER Women Athletes' taping in Chicago, Il. She'd end up signed to Impact Wrestling in 2016. But before that, Courtney Rush dominated Canadian wrestling, amassing quite a collection of championships, including an 833-day regin with the Acclaim Pro Wrestling Woman's championship, among other not-as-lengthy but still pretty lengthy title runs.

On her own, Courtney Rush was bound to make it. She had all the tools needed to succeed in the industry. It was just a matter of time before Courtney Rush was signed with someone. Unfortunately or fortunately—depending on your perspective—Courtney Rush went, and doggone got herself possessed. Possessed by a demon assassin. Rosemary.

Track 10 off Marilyn Manson's fourth studio album, Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death), filled the Impact Zone on January 26th as Rosemary took the stage. Painted up like some kinda demonic, demented haunted house performer, smudges and smears specked her arms and legs, not a look wrestling fans were accustomed to. She delivered a terrible, nonsensical promo to the Wolves (Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards), who stood in the ring. Fellow Canadian Crazy Steve and fellow monster Abyss joined Rosemary on stage, officially coming together as Decay. The trio attacked the Wolves—Stealing their Tag Team titles in the process. Decay would legitimately hold the titles in March after defeating Beer Money Inc. (Bobby Roode and James Storm) at Sacrifice.—Early in the same show, Rosemary scored a shenanigans-filled win over wrestling legend Gail Gim. In October, Rosemary would get some gold of her own. Winning the vacant TNA Knockouts World Championship in a Six-Sides of Steel match against Jade.

A respectable 266 days with the strap ended with Rosemary dropping the belt in a title vs. title unification match with Global Force Wrestling Women's Champions Sienna (Allysin Kay) at Slammiversary XV. In the weeks leading up to the event, Rosemary turned Face, claiming The Hive had sent her to protect Allie, first saving her from a beatdown from Sienna and Laurel Van Ness. What The Hive exactly is is not entirely clear. It seems to be more of an idea. Or perhaps it's an ageless being from beyond the stars that is psychically and spiritually linked to the being known as Rosemary.

A feud with the debuting Taya Valkyrie would end before it started, thanks to personal issues on Valkyrie's part. Rosemary reentered the title hunt, failing to regain the yet-again vacant Knockouts title in a tournament. The feud with Taya Valkyrie picked right back up once Valkyrie returned. Their short-lived angle concluded in a fancily named hardcore match (A Demon's Dance Match.) No longer preoccupied with the title or Taya, Rosemary could again focus on protecting her pal Allie.

And help, Allie needed. Su Yung had her sights set on ending Allie. On the April 26th, 2018, edition of Impact, Yung, along with a legion of Undead Bridesmaids, attacked Allie, attempting to put her in a coffin.—An attempt stopped by Rosemary. If you're a fan of horror and wrestling, then this is the feud for you. The demonic Rosemary protecting the sweet, innocent Allie from the evil undead bride Su Yung—Chef's kiss. Big, sloppy, chef's kiss. An injury Rosemary sustained at an indie show facilitated her needing to be written off TV a week after the start of the angle. The May 3rd Impact featured a match between Rosemary and Su Yung. At least it was meant to. Before the bell, the women broke into a brawl on the ramp. Yung summed her Undead Bridesmaids, who with them brought a casket. Allie was there too, trying to assist her best friend, Rosemary. It didn't go so well. Allie was forced to watch as Su Yung dumped Rosemary into the casket, sealing her inside.

A lot happened while Rosemary healed up. Allie went, and doggone got herself possessed, turning Heel and aligning with former rival Su Yung. Allie (now going by Dark Allie) and Su Yung teamed up to defeat Jordynne Grace and Kiera Hogan (No relation to former singer/reality star Brooke Hogan) at the January 2019 Homecoming. Rosemary returned that night, saving Kira Hogan from a post-match beatdown and reigniting the storyline with Allie and Su Yung. Rosemary worked to free Allie from the demonic hold that had taken over her. Along with Kira Hogan, at March's Against All Odds event, Rosemary dragged Allie with her into the Undead Realm in hopes of retrieving her friend's soul. -- Rosemary failed to save the soul of Allie, losing her friend forever.

Rosemary's revenge came in May when she laid out Su Yung in a Demon Collar Match (Dog Collar Match) where the ladies worked smart rather than hard. It's not a terrible match. But it does lack the violence and aggression you'd want from such a heated blood feud between two unholy hell beings. Instead of using the chain to brutalize one another, they find creative ways to incorporate its use. Choking spots. Tripping and tangling each other up. Dragging and pulling each other around the ring. It all works. Just would've worked better in a different match with different wrestlers. These two should've been trying to kill each other. They should have bled and broke to finish off this feud. Though Rosemary did take Su Yung prisoner.

Rosemary kept her captive close, having Su Yung accompany her to the ring over the next few weeks until Father James Mitchell had Havok free Yung while attacking Rosemary during a non-title match with Taya Valkyrie. Rosemary continued her unsuccessful pursuit of the Knockouts Title while simultaneously battling James Mitchell, Havok, and Su Yung. The entire saga came to a head with James Mitchell banishing Havok and Yung to the Undead Wasteland and Rosemary rescuing them.

TNA/Impact Wrestling has always been a wee bit silly. But Wrestle House was the undisputed peak of Impact/TNA buffoonery. A goofy Big Brother/Real World-style reality show, except with a vaguely supernatural twist. They can't leave the house, possibly due to a curse from Rosemary. The whole thing was madness. Ridiculous fun to be enjoyed by all but a few wrestling fans with a penchant for brightly colored suits, Southern idioms, and tennis rackets. It might not have been "Real Wrestling," but it was stupid, creative, and different, which is always appreciated. Her time in Wrestle House led Rosemary to form a brief team with former enemy Taya Valkyrie.

The team of Rosemary and Valkyrie competed in a tournament for the Impact Knockouts Tag Team Titles. They lost and stopped teaming after. She wasn't single long. Disbanding her team with Valkyrie in December and getting back with one of her exes by January. Ex-partner, that is, and it was Crazy Steve whom she got back together, reforming Decay—Sans Aybss; in his sted, the group added Luchador Black Taurus and former Rosemary foe-turned-friend Havok. When it comes to the story of Rosemary, it is hard not to be reminded of the famous quote: "Do I not destroy my enemies by making them my friends?" Time after time, rivals become allies.

With Havoc, Rosemary would have her first run with the Impact Knockouts Tag Team Championship. The iconic team of The IInspiration (Cassie Lee and Jessica McKay) took the belts from Decay after 98 days. Rosemary floated around the Knockout Tag and Knockout Women's Championship scenes for a few months with no success. Havok abandoned Rosemary in June, leaving her without a partner to face the Knockouts Tag Team Champions—No longer The IInspiration but now The Influence (Madison Rayne & Tenille Dashwood). However, as fate would have it, an old frenemy was back to get Rosemary's back. Taya Valkyrie. Valkyrie partnered with Rosemary for a title match at Slammiversary. That night, Rosemary became a two-time Impact Knockouts Tag Team Champion. In addition to aiding Rosemary in getting back the belts, Valkyrie joined Rosemary in her quest to find and bring back Havoc.

In the Undead Realm, Rosemary and Valkyrie found a different… Maybe unpossessed Havoc, going by the name Jessicka. Eventually, the trio took the name the Death Dollz, defending the belts under the Freebird Rule.—A rule allowing any two members of a larger team to defend the belts. Possibly made most famous by supergroup, the Spirit Squad, a quintet of male cheerleaders made up of five young men who at one time had dreams of being "serious" pro wrestlers but ultimately just got drenched in poo.

Between 2022 and 2023, the Death Dollz held the belts twice. Losing their titles first to VXT (Chelsea Green & Deonna Purrazzo) before getting them back 56 days later. The Coven (KiLynn King & Taylor Wilde) ended reign two for the Dollz. -- In the wake of this loss, Rosemary returned to the Undead Realm to retrieve her former partner, leaving her current partner, Jessicka, to wait. Rosemary wouldn't return.

At the Under Siege pre-show from London, not that one, the Ontario, Canada one, The Coven faced the Death Dollz in a non-title match. Jessicka's partner was a surprise return. Not Rosemary, but rather, for the first time in some seven years, Courtney Rush—Free of Rosemary's demonic possession. Rush and Jessicka carried on as the Death Dollz until the demise of Impact Wrestling at the end of 2023.

A brief history of TNA/Impact Wrestling. Founded by J, E, double F, J, A, double R, E, double T, and his father, Jerry Jarrett, in the long, long ago of 2002. That same year, Panda Energy International purchased a controlling share of the promotion, appointing Dixie Carter (the daughter of the company's owner) president. Smashing Pumpkin's frontman and full-grown man-baby, Billy Corgan, thought he bought the company. He didn't. In 2017, Anthem Sports & Entertainment acquired TNA Wrestling, rebranding the promotion as Impact Wrestling. Anthem rebranded again in 2024, reverting to TNA Wrestling. Rebranverting? (That's a word, right?—If you use your imagination.)

The Rebranverting didn't stop with the promotion's name. The Death Dollz also got an all-new-old look. Rosemary was back with Havoc by her side as Decay, returning to become TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Champions at the rebrandverted TNA relaunch event, Hard To Kill. And for the most part, that's the road so far. There's so much more to the Rosemary story. Years of television, interwinding character arks, and continuity rarely seen in the weird, wacky, and wild world of wrestling make it something special and worth the time.

Holly Letkeman and everything she's created within TNA/Impact/TNA (Again) has continuously been a diamond in the rough. Horror or humor, she delivers. Rosemary and her host vessel, Courtney Rush, deserve to be known. Their story to be heard. You could say it's a shame Rosemary has had to spend so much time trapped in the endless purgatory of TNA/Impact.—On the other hand, WWE never would've leaned into the spooky absurdity of Rosemary's world. More people would've seen her and her story. But it wouldn't have been as good. It wouldn't have been nearly as good. No, Rosemary is right where she should be. And it's on us to find her. To join The Hive.

#horror #Wrestling #TNA Wrest #pro wre #Rosemary

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solarsonicsoda · 7 months

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Rebbie's Wrestling Show Reviews - RevPro: Live in Southampton 28 (11/2/2024)

For the first time since I started this whole blog, I went to a live wrestling show! So I thought, why not give a brief review. This was one of RevPro’s weekly shows, and the go-home before High Stakes in Crystal Palace (which I am also attending!!!), so for those unfamiliar with these bigger indies, it's essentially their version of a tv taping. These shows and their big shows are all available on RevPro OnDemand. The company is known for a strong relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling, being where they send trainees on excursion and in the past frequently seeing major NJPW stars hold the British Heavyweight Title.

Pre-Show

These shows are a breeze for me to reach down at The 1865 in Southampton, and always feature a pretty lairy crowd. It's a music venue, with the stage featuring some chairs with a few more on most sides of the ring. Wrestlers enter through a small walkway in the far corner of the building with a projected screen on the stage. It's an intimate and ever so slightly awkward venue, but I absolutely love it, and it's so easy to attend. Without further ado, let's get into the show, as the ever wonderful Francesca introduced the action.

Robbie X def. Joshua James by pinfall in 11:54

This was a really hot match to start things off. Robbie X is really popular with this RevPro crowd, and he earns it by always putting on a show. He’s facing Mustafa Ali in Crystal Palace, which is sure to be a highlight. On this night though, he was up against Joshua James, one of the Contenders. These are essentially the RevPro own guys. Something I love about RevPro crowds is how much they get behind the Contenders. They’re one of our own! Both men got a great reaction, and this was an awesome big vs small match. Josh James had a great power game on display, and Robbie is an awesome seller, so this went really well. It was never slow, just all action, and maybe my favourite match of the night in the end. Robbie is able to get the win when he hits the Handspring Cutter out of a James pounce, which was a counter of a previous handspring cutter attempt. That was pretty fun! The night is off to a great start!

3.5 STARS OUT OF 5

I feel it pertinent to mention it here as James sported the memorial armband and t-shirt, but this is the first show I’ve seen since Mad Kurt sadly passed away late last year. Mad Kurt was on the first few shows I saw in The 1865, and made an immediate impression. I��d known him from Twitter and had no idea what to expect from his wrestling, and I was charmed by his mixture of silly comedy and serious wrestling acumen. I was heartbroken by the news, and I’m so sorry to all those who knew him for their loss. There were multiple tributes to him throughout, and he is extremely missed. Mad Kurt Forever. If you want to support his family monetarily for the various costs in this trying time, you can do so via the GoFundMe here.

“Flash” Morgan Webster def. Will Kaven via pinfall in 10:12

The Modfather, one half of the British Tag Team Champions with Mark Andrews/Dani Luna, takes on Will Kaven of… PORTSMOUTH?! For those unaware, Portsmouth is the next city over from Southampton, so Kaven always gets a strong reaction from us Southampton fans… Portsmouth is actually more local to me originally than Southampton but shhh don't tell anyone!! This is another good match, a pair of guys who can mix high flying with a more grounded game, and we see all sides of that in this one. Webster is highly popular, and Kaven is highly unpopular, and it makes for a fun match. I think the crowd may have been a smidge tired here, but they still had plenty of energy! Webster gets the win with the Shadows Over Malice swanton bomb.

3 STARS OUT OF 5

Anthony Ogogo def. David Francisco by TKO in 14:52

Speaking of loving the Contenders, here’s David Francisco! We love David in RevPro, and the big man from Portugal was just as popular on this night. There was even a great chant I don't think I’d heard before of “Francisco” replacing “You are gold” in Spandau Ballet’s Gold. That’s inspired! His opponent was AEW’s Anthony Ogogo, the former Olympic bronze medallist boxer. For some reason, he still has The Factory’s logo on his jacket despite the group disbanding almost a year ago. This one was all about Ogogo, and he worked well as a heel, jibing back and forth with the crowd who had lots of banter for the “Pound Shop David Haye” as they chanted. He had a pretty good match with Francisco, who was predictably over like rover, and had a few nearfalls that could have been an upset. In the end though, despite showing resilient including a subtle rope break that fooled Ogogo, Francisco was knocked out, with the Union Jack being draped on him by the olympian. Fun if unremarkable match.

3 STARS OUT OF 5

Post-match, Ogogo got on the mic, bragging about his big American house, fighting with the crowd (including a passing fan and his middle finger), and most importantly, deriding Ricky Knight Jr. for being “cocky”. However, RKJ was actually here, and he met Ogogo in the ring! They had a war of words, with RKJ again challenging Ogogo for High Stakes. He promises to take all the vision in Ogogo’s damaged eye. Both men invoke the names of each other's families, and it’s when Ogogo says RKJ’s newborn daughter takes after him in being “butters, mate” as he put it that we get a big brawl. The backstage area clears out to seperate them, with great difficulty, but they are eventually split, with Ogogo seemingly going out the wrong door. I say this because during the next match, he quietly trots from there to the entrance way and heads to the back.

Luke Jacobs def. Yuto Nakashima by pinfall in 12:17

Beef! This is a clash of two big men, and the crowd were excited. We have here the first wrestler on the card that I’ve never seen in any capacity, that being Yuto Nakashima! One half of Young Blood passed me a few times pre-show and he is a big guy! Off the bat, love his vibe! A lot of personality and aura from him, as he enters with a big chain and wild hair. Jacobs also heads to the ring and looks in great shape! These two started a little slow in my opinion, but they ramped up and this one got pretty good by the end! Big strikes, and the highlights were some gnarly headbutts as these two had a colossal tussle. This also saw one of my favourite spots they do at these RevPro shows, as they cleared the chairs in front of me for Yuto to throw Jacobs clattering through them. Jacobs is able to secure the win in the end though, hitting Yuto with a great lariat. I was even further sold on Yuto with his post match sell, as he stumbled wildly all the way to the back, falling into the crowd and ring multiple times. He was also prone to a dance any chance he got the whole show long, and I love him for that.

3.5 STARS OUT OF 5

Intermission

This brought an end to the first half of the show, bringing a short intermission. Ogogo made conversation near the bar and took a few photos with fans, and Sha Samuels & Morgan Webster joined the merch table, taking photos and selling their wares. I was able to meet them both, and bought a shirt and print from Webster, despite some hassle with my card! I forgot to get a photo though, so I’ll have to see them again at another show! Both were lovely and shortly after that, our second half began.

Oskar Leube vs. JJ Gale ended in a no contest in 9:57

We came back with the other half of Young Blood taking on the other half of the High Stakes match between Luke Jacobs and JJ Gale. This match was really fun! This was my first time seeing Leube, and I was extremely impressed with his work. The man walked past me a couple times during the show and he is TALL. He uses that size well in the ring but is really smooth with everything he does. JJ Gale was a great opponent for him too, using his quickness to build a pretty cool match. Sadly, this one ended pretty quickly with a no contest, as Mark Trew & Kieron Lacey attacked both men, even wielding chairs. Yuto returns to help his partner, but he’s overwhelmed by the tag team. In the end, it’s Luke Jacobs who clears the way, wanting Gale at his best for the big show the following week. They end up brawling anyway though, as Young Blood stand off with Trew & Lacey.

3 STARS OUT OF 5

Mark Trew & Kieron Lacey def. Harry Milligan & Michael Oku (w/ Amira) by pinfall in 13:42

Trew & Lacey are already in the ring as the following match gets announced, with their opponents meeting them for their match. There’s a big “Mad Kurt” chant to start this one, which was touching. This was a decently fun match, with the champion and his younger ally contesting with the nefarious Trew & Lacey. Trew losing his beanie also elicits a big reaction from this crowd. This one is moving along decently enough, until Trew & Lacey bring Amira into the path of Oku’s shooting star press over the top rope to the outside. Amira’s down, and a distraught Oku carries her to the back for attention… Bit of an odd move to choose for that spot if you ask me, but who am I to judge? But Trew & Lacey capitalised off this numbers advantage to get the win over Milligan. Post-match, Young Blood take their chance to strike as Trew & Lacey continue to beat up Milligan. This brings out Oku, who’s keeping an eye on Young Blood. Leube gets on the mic and demands a tag team match at High Stakes! Exciting stuff.

3 STARS OUT OF 5

Cameron Khai def. Richard Holliday by pinfall in 12:59

We were breathing rarefied air next, when Richard Holliday from Connecticut, America came to the ring. He grabbed the mic from Francesca and began to introduce himself. He says he’s familiar with our game as a UK crowd, and said if we want to get ourselves over, we have to make a chant for him. He isn’t pleased with the crowd’s chants of “Dick”, saying he thought we were more original than that, as he finds one fan willing to sing his praises in song form. Sadly, I can’t for the life of me recall what the song is called, so you’ll just have to imagine the tune. It’s here that Holliday’s foe comes out: Cameron Khai! Khai is a really talented young wrestler who I’ve seen a couple times now, and he has had some absolutely great matches. One to watch for the future as he develops further! This is a decent match, but I think it’s pretty heavily overrun by fan chants. They were certainly entertaining though! Chants of “Dick Vacation” anger Holliday, as well as “You’ve got one fan, and he’s shit!” chants. There’s a fun moment as Holliday does some corner strikes, each punctuated by a call of “You’re not shit” directed at his loyal fan. What a heel! Not all of the chants were great though, you can imagine some of the humour derived from Richard’s first name. The chants really did distract from the in-ring action though, which I can’t imagine was desired. The finish comes when Khai is able to roll up Holliday with a small package pin for the win. Holliday sulks in the ring post-match, refusing to leave, which is a thread we’ll come back to shortly.

3 STARS OUT OF 5

Seeing Holliday for the first time, I was pretty impressed with his charisma. You can definitely see the comparisons to his former tag partner MJF in his promo skills. He was solid in the ring too, definitely doing his part for the match. Sadly, his promo riling up got out of hand. Excited to see what more he can do though!

Spike Trivet def. Sha Samuels by pinfall in 14:17

Richard Holliday is still in the ring as Francesca announces our main event, which comes with a small video package and everything! How fancy! It’s Sha Samuels intervention that ousts Holliday, with the East End Butcher clearing him from the ring with his entrance. Holliday lingers outside, seeming unhappy with this from Samuels. Trivet is out next, being understandably booed for being Spike Trivet. This grudge match, built from Trivet’s general attitude and attacking Samuels at Uprising, is a decent match! A fun spot is Samuels going to use his scarf, which the referee takes away, but Samuels using this chance to use his braces on Trivet. He gets as good as he gives! There’s some back and forth decent stuff, until Holliday returns to the ring side area. Samuels takes exception to this, as does the referee, which allows Trivet the chance to grab a weapon from the earlier discovered toolbox, and get the win over Samuels.

3 STARS OUT OF 5

Post match, Holliday and Trivet argue over beating up Samuels, before they decide to both do it. This brings out Cameron Khai and Flash Morgan Webster to even the odds, with all 5 men brawling all over the place! Right in front of me, Webster and Trivet went flying into the merch section! I couldn’t follow it all! It was a pretty fun ending after a few matches with a little less pizazz. Samuels ends the show on the mic cursing out his enemies.

Post-Show

With our show over, I went over to the merch table once again, this time getting a signed print from JJ Gale, where I had to get his PayPal for payment as I had no cash, as well as meeting Young Blood. The pair of them were lovely, and I actually remembered to get a selfie with them! I also bought a signed print of Yuto, as they only took cash and I only had £5. They better come back to Southampton so I can get a signed print with Oskar!

Final Thoughts

Overall, this was a pretty fun show. I’ve certainly seen bigger barnburners on these Southampton live shows, but this was good fun ahead of High Stakes. There wasn’t too much build to the big show, but look, I had fun. What more do you want from me? I think this show gets a high 3 STARS OUT OF 5 from me!

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grigori77 · 5 months

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Movies of 2024 - My Pre-Summer Rundown (Part 2)

The Top Ten:

10. LAND OF BAD – Remember back in 2020 when I heaped praise on the harrowing deep sea horror thriller Underwater, the first proper studio movie from up-and-coming writer-director William Eubank, after he’d become one of my one-to-watch rising star filmmakers with his first two, definitively INDIE sci-fi movies Love and The Signal? I’m sure my regulars will … anyways, he’s shed the more outlandish genre trappings for his fourth feature, but none of his winning auteur flair, robust atmospherics and deft skill at crafting meaty action sequences, this time turning his already deeply assured artistic hand to cranking out a good old fashioned action flick, and the results are as impressive as previous showings. This one definitely has the strongest star power to date, what with the new Netflix Witcher himself, Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games) putting in a typically solid action hero showing as Sgt. “Playboy” Kinney, a young US Air Force TACP officer who finds himself attached to a small Delta Force team braving Philippines jungle to rescue a captive CIA asset from an imbedded terrorist cell; Russell Crowe, meanwhile, chews the scenery as Capt. Eddie “Reaper” Grimm, the grizzled, OCD-riddled drone pilot assigned to provide overwatch and air support throughout the operation. Needless to say, when things go badly wrong and Kinney finds himself alone in the bush with angry hostiles hot on his heels, Grimm becomes his only hope for making it out alive … this is a typically big, loud and VERY dumb action-fest that wears its trope-heavy heart on its Star Spangled sleeve, but Eubank and The Signal’s co-writer David Frigerio keep things compelling and make it EASY for us to invest in the story’s well-rounded characters, while the cast are all on fine form, the two EXTREMELY capable leads ably supported by Heroes’ Milo Ventimiglia, American Gods’ Ricky Whittle and Hemsworth’s brother Luke (Westworld) as the Delta troopers, and Chika Ikogwe (Heartbreak High, The Tourist) as Grimm’s steadfast co-pilot Staff Sgt. Nia Branson. Of course, at the end of the day we don’t watch these kinds of movies for complex plots, Oscar-worthy performances or Shakespeare-level scripts – this is all about thrilling escapist action, big explosions and maybe even some deftly-executed, stylistic cinematographic eye candy, and Eubank and co DEFINITELY delivered on ALL those fronts, crafting a persistently white-knuckle rollercoaster ride that’s guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. Subtle it ain’t, but this movie does EXACTLY what it promises to, and does it with STYLE.

9. THE IRON CLAW – Acclaimed indie filmmaker Sean Durkin has been making waves ever since 2011 with his complex psychological drama Martha Marcy May Marlene and its long-gestating 2020 follow-up The Nest, but his third feature is finally propelling him into BIG TIME star-power recognition with this intense, unflinching and emotionally devastating exploration of the haunting true story of the Von Erich family, who rose to stardom in the late 70s to ALMOST become the dominant sporting dynasty in American pro-wrestling, except for a persistent family “curse” which kept them from every truly achieving that coveted top spot. Rocked by a string of accidents and harrowing deaths, it’s a compelling tale of tragedy and heartbreak which writer-director Durkin has turned into one of the year’s most powerful pieces of worthy Award-bait (only to be unfairly and comprehensively SNUBBED across the board, particularly by the Academy). The story unfolds predominantly from the point-of-view of Kevin Von Erich (Zac Efron), the (sort of) eldest son of the family’s brutally overbearing never-quite-made-it veteran wrestler patriarch Fritz (Mindhunter’s Holt McCallany), whose dream is to be the greatest pro-wrestler of all time, only for his dad to continually pass him over for his brothers David (Trust’s Harris Dickinson), Kerry (The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White) and Mike (Superior and Two Sentence Horror Stories’ Stanley Simons) while he tries to fulfil his own dream of creating a wrestling-based media empire … only for compounded tragedy to knock the Von Erichs off their newfound pedestal just as they’ve reached it. Durkin has crafted a potent biopic of significant raw power, turning one of the darkest chapters of the dawn of modern pro-wrestling into two of the most heartbreaking hours I’ve spent at the cinema in a good long while, largely reining in any artistic flair and indulgence to instead let the challenging story and well-realised characters do the heavy lifting, and the uniformly EXCEPTIONAL cast definitely rose to the occasion. All four of the young actors playing the Von Erich sons are amazing here, particularly White, while Maura Tierney and Lily James help to keep the film from getting TOO overwhelmed by burgeoning testosterone as the boys’ gentle, devout mother Doris and Kevin’s opinionated young wife Pam; in the end, though, the film is soundly dominated by the two-handed lead fireworks from Efron and McCallany – Zac has NEVER been better than he is here, going above-and-beyond by COMPLETELY transforming himself physically while also acting his socks off in what must have been an extremely draining performance, while it’s nice to FINALLY see Holt get a role that can REALLY get him his amazing talents the recognition they’ve long deserved, sinking his teeth into a complex portrayal of a man who never quite made it for himself and is now determined to live that dream vicariously through his own children, no matter the cost to their wellbeing. The results are, ultimately, a very tough watch, but this is an incredibly well-made film that rewards those who are strong enough to tough it out, albeit one which is guaranteed to jerk a whole lot of tears out of viewers before the end credits roll.

8. DOUBLE BLIND – Every year there’s at least a handful of under-the-radar indies that really impress me enough that I’m willing to really champion them, and it’s particularly gratifying whenever I find one which blows critics and other audience members away as much as myself. Such it is with the feature debut of Irish director Ian Hunt-Duffy, a sneaky psychological horror thriller which has earned itself a coveted 100% Fresh Score from Rotten Tomatoes with its mixture of slowburn creepiness, burgeoning stress-driven paranoid terror and some particularly twisted mind-bending body horror. Millie Brady (The Last Kingdom, Pride & Prejudice & Zombies) makes for a compellingly believable rough-around-the-edges every-girl heroine as Claire, a down-on-her-luck young woman who enrols in a double blind trial for an experimental drug to keep from becoming homeless, only to become increasingly miserable as the compound she’s been injected with causes chronic insomnia in herself and her fellow test subjects. Then one of them suddenly dies in the most horrible way when her exhausted body finally succumbs to long-prevented sleep, and it quickly becomes clear that every one of them is now living on dangerously short borrowed time, while the pharmaceutical company they’ve been commissioned by is suddenly refusing to let them out of quarantine … Brady’s ably supported by a small but perfectly cast collection of acting talent, with Akshay Kumar (Pandora, Homeland) and Diarmuid Noyes (Borgia) particularly impressing as fellow sleep-deprived lab rats and Pollyanna McIntosh (The Walking Dead) as the trial’s put-upon overseer, Dr Burke, while Hunt-Duffy wrangles his potent cast through the increasingly nightmarish twists and turns of the harrowing script, crafted with similarly assured skill by fellow newcomer screenwriter Darach McGarrigle. Altogether this is an incredible debut by a couple of clear one-to-watch talents, and a nifty little uncut gem which deserves some sleeper hit status going forward. Definitely well worth chasing down and giving a chance.

7. LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL – Australian writer-director duo Colin and Cameron Cairnes exploded onto the indie horror scene with their delirious jet black comedy horror 100 Bloody Acres back in 2012, which proved to be one of the most enjoyably OUT THERE horror flicks I’ve EVER SEEN come out of Aussie cinema, and they continued the trend with similarly ingenious but significantly more serious deadly prank-show slasher Scare Campaign. Their long awaited Hollywood debut definitely plays itself dead straight, presenting a fictional faux-documentary presentation of a long-lost episode of fictional 1970s chat show Night Owls (together with “recently unearthed” B-roll footage of backstage events) in which struggling TV host Jack Delroy (The Suicide Squad’s David Dastmalchian) attempts to put his long-time second-place show (always outshone by The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson) at the top of the ratings board by capping his annual Halloween Special with a live interview with a demon supposedly inhabiting the teenage sole survivor of the bloody massacre of a Satanic cult. This is EASILY the scariest film I’ve seen this year (so far), a genuinely skin-crawling, spine-chilling piece of thoroughly queasy-making atmospheric horror that uses its period setting to perfect effect to not only give the unfolding events a convincing flavour but also pay off some particularly interesting era-specific themes and conceits. Even before the horror elements start to come to the fore the film is shot through with a palpable sense of lingering dread, building to a genuinely terrifying climactic unleashing of nightmarish proportions to rival the very classic genre mainstays, like The Exorcist and The Omen, that it’s clearly paying loving homage to. There are quality turns from a very game cast, particularly Ian Bliss (The Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions) as one of the night’s guests, Carmichael Haig, a stage magician-turned professional sceptic, and Ingrid Torelli (Five Bedrooms) as Lilly, the supremely creepy overly-cheerful and polite vessel of demonic possession, but the film is definitely dominated by its lead, Dastmalchian turning in yet an astounding performance of perfectly pitched charismatic charm that hides an intriguingly affecting reserve of wounded vulnerability, powering the film’s horrifying events through to their genuinely shocking conclusion. Did I mention there’s also an enjoyably quirky turn from Michael Ironside as the documentary narrator? That’s just the icing on the cake for a truly perfect slice of horror cinema which, in a purely critical rundown, would likely top my horror cinema list for the year. As it is, this WAS one hell of a genre gem …

6. THE BEEKEEPER – David Ayer doing a big noisy action-heavy revenge thriller starring Jason Statham? That’s totally gonna be a clunky, cheesy guilty pleasure, right? It’s definitely what the trailer made it look like – imagine my surprise, then, when this turned out to be a surprisingly solid, meaty and, above all else, INTELLIGENT actioner which provides a far greater cerebral challenge than your average by-the-numbers exploitation thriller. Then again, maybe I shouldn’t be THAT surprised – Ayer may have made the lowbrow likes of the first Suicide Squad movie, Bright (which I nonetheless didn’t think deserved ANYTHING LIKE the amount of hate it actually got) and the rightly derided The Tax Collector, but he’s also the director who brought us genuinely IMPRESSIVE cinema like Fury, End of Watch and the best movie Arnold Schwarzenegger’s done in a damn long while, Sabotage. This one definitely belongs in THAT camp, Ayer delivering with gusto like he always does on the action front but also investing a good deal more substance and emotional depth, due in no small part to the additional efforts of a deeply committed leading man and a thought-provokingly timely screenplay from Kurt Wimmer (Law Abiding Citizen, Salt and Ayer’s own Street Kings). Statham stars as Adam Clay, a beekeeper renting some farmland from retired schoolteacher Eloise Parker (the legendary Phylicia Rashad), who falls victim to an online phishing scam which sees her stripped of her life savings and the entire balance of a $2 million charity fund she manages, leading her to commit suicide in shame. Bad news for the scammers, though, when it turns out that Clay’s profession is merely a cover, because he’s actually a FIGURATIVE Beekeeper, an agent for a covert governmental security program SO SECRET that almost nobody even knows it exists, a genuinely LETHAL former special forces badass so highly skilled that he makes Navy SEALs look like National Guard, and he’s got the technological counter-terrorist knowhow to make tracking down these nefarious f£$%ers proper child’s-play. You can, of course, TOTALLY see where this is gonna go … even so, this is a film which genuinely keeps you guessing, never telegraphing its heavyweight punches and throwing in plenty of twists over the course of its surprisingly streamlined 105 minute runtime. As the star of the Expendables and Transporter movies, Statham can do this kind of action (anti) hero role in his sleep, but he really shows up in all the ways that count here, making Clay come across as a preternatural badass who nonetheless has some subtly nuanced layers underneath his seemingly bulletproof, tightly toned shell; The Umbrella Academy’s Emmy Raver-Lampman, meanwhile, helps keep the exposition from getting dull and keeps the unravelling mystery fascinating as Eloise’s acerbic yet dogged FBI agent daughter Verona Parker, torn between her duty to bring Clay in and her personal investment in seeing the people responsible for her mother’s death pay for their crimes, while Josh Hutcherson and genuinely living legend Jeremy Irons make for compellingly complex antagonists as tech billionaire Derek Danforth, the louche and reptilian owner of the company that covertly runs the online scams, and his extremely reluctant protector, suave former CIA director-turned security expert Wallace Westwyld. Altogether this is in an entirely different league than most of the action cinema I’ve seen Statham in over the years, Ayer and Wimmer helping him create his most interesting genre character TO DATE, one that I trust, given the film’s skilful sequel teasing and its deservedly MASSIVE box office performance, shouldn’t take long to return to the big screen, and I for one CANNOT WAIT …

5. LOVE LIES BLEEDING – Rose Glass made a suitably offbeat splash with her directorial feature debut Saint Maud back in 2019, a deeply twisted psychological horror about religious fervour … so her subsequence team-up with A24 made perfect sense to me. Even so, when I found out that her next project was a psychological thriller about lesbian bodybuilders I still had NO IDEA what to expect, certainly not from THIS filmmaker … and even now I’ve seen it (TWICE, in fact), I STILL don’t know QUITE what to make of it. This is a seriously WEIRD film, kind of like a postmodern LGBTQ version of Body Heat married to the bizarre existential extremes of Mandy, maybe, but I can’t deny that, while it definitely left me baffled, I couldn’t deny that it was also a deeply fascinating, thoroughly compelling and unapologetically SEXY film too, one of THE hottest thrillers I’ve come across in a good long while. Kristen Stewart and my girl Katie O’Brian (seriously, I’ve been a fan ever since Z Nation, long before she was in The Mandalorian and Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania) are both ON FIRE, both metaphorically and VERY NEARLY literally, as Lou Langston, the very publicly lesbian manager of a cruddy Albuquerque gym in 1989, and new-to-town drifter Jackie Cleaver, an aspiring bodybuilder trying to make her way to Las Vegas to attend a competition in Las Vegas. The pair fall fast and VERY HARD in love, but storm clouds are already gathering as the FBI are sniffing round Lou, looking for her reluctant help in bringing down her local criminal kingpin father Lou Langston Sr. (Ed Harris), while Lou’s sister Beth (Jenna Malone) is suffering at the hands of her increasingly vicious abusive husband J.J. (Dave Franco), and one night everything comes to a head and their lives are thrown into utter chaos … this film has a much more complicated, overblown and downright TWISTED plot than it really has any need for, but this isn’t a film where the story is really THAT IMPORTANT, Glass and co-writer Weronika Tofilska instead concentrating most of their effort on the complex and morally ambiguous characters and their deeply unhealthy interpersonal relationships. Even the two lead protagonists, despite their powerful love, are definitely a much more toxic mess than the trailers made them out to be, but the way they’re played means we still can’t help rooting for them no matter WHAT they do – this is definitely THE BEST performance I’ve seen Stewart deliver to date, even putting her recent acclaimed turn in Spencer to shame, while I’ve been waiting so long for O’Brian to FINALLY land a role that TRULY fits her largely underrated talents, which this DEFINITELY IS, and their chemistry is genuinely OFF THE CHARTS, every one of their scenes threatening to ignite the celluloid, even when they’ve both got all their clothes ON; meanwhile the rest of the cast similarly impress, Harris particularly proving a suitably spooky villain as he plays it subtly charming and seductive, while Dickinson’s Anna Baryshnikov is supremely creepy as Daisy, an emotionally manipulative local lesbian who’s formed a particularly uncomfortable obsession with Lou. Steamy, unsettling, shocking and frequently downright NASTY, with a line in truly WEIRD hallucinatory escapism bordering on genuine body horror, this is definitely NOT a film for the faint-hearted OR the easily offended, but its many virtues FAR exceed any flaws it may display, meaning that Rose Glass has got another winner on her hands, while A24 have got another high profile ODDITY to further perplex and thrill their fans with.

4. ABIGAIL – My current horror movie of the year is TWO of my favourite things in the genre rolled into one – if there’s one thing I really CAN’T resist, it’s well-executed horror comedy, where a film is genuinely scary, but it doesn’t take itself OVERLY seriously, and has a real strong sense of humour. I’m also a real sucker for VAMPIRES (ahem). Put the two together and a movie has to try REAL HARD for me not to like it, so this one was pretty much guaranteed to get me on its side before it even started. Co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Opin and Tyler Gillett have been sneaking round the outskirts of my movie-fan radar for a few years now, having first proper popped up just before COVID with black comedy slasher Ready Or Not, before bringing the last two Scream movies into cinemas (I may have been underwhelmed by the fifth, but the sixth was definitely a major step back in the right direction). Not that I even realised THIS was from them until after the fact – I took it entirely for its own merits, drawn in purely by the intriguing premise and promise of equal part scares and laughs, and it did not disappoint, EASILY proving to be the best offering I’ve seen from them both so far. Scream’s Melissa Barrera stars as “Joey”, one of an anonymous crew of crooks brought together by sleazy criminal mastermind Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito) to facilitate the kidnapping of the eponymous young ballerina daughter (Mathilda the Musical’s Alisha Weir) of a local business rival. The job seems to go off without a hitch, and they settle in for a twenty-four hour wait in an isolated mansion before the ransom exchange, charged with keeping an eye on the girl … before one of them turns up dead in the worst way possible, and it dawns on them that there’s something truly monstrous stalking the halls of the house. Best not give away any more than that, ‘least not for those who didn’t get the twist pretty comprehensively spoiled by the advertising campaign … suffice to say that what unfolds is a blood-soaked, riotously entertaining blackly comic horror-show that kept me hooked right through a selection of effective twists to a particularly surprising climax. Barrera and the rest are clearly having the time of their lives here, everybody going all out with the material with more than one enjoyably ripe, larger-than-life performance to really impress (not least Dan Stevens, who chews the scenery with particular wild-eyed enthusiasm throughout), while this definitely provides a fitting farewell to one of the cast – “Dean” was the final role of Euphoria’s Angus Cloud before his tragic death last year, and he really did himself proud here. This is one of the most full-on visceral vampire movies I’ve seen in a while, rivalling last year’s horror highlight Renfield for gleefully disgusting practical effects, and while the scares here are VERY EFFECTIVE throughout, almost every sequence is nonetheless delivered with its tongue firmly planted in cheek, the directing duo never letting it get too (ahem) dark or depressing even when the blood really starts to fly. Those who enjoy their horror liberally laced with humour (like myself) will find this particular recipe to be all but irresistible, and as a result it’s gonna be a real tough act to beat before year’s end.

3. KUNG FU PANDA 4 – The Dragon Warrior is back once again for a long-awaited fourth adventure, and while there’s always room for more of my second favourite Dreamworks animated franchise there are strong indicators that this could well be it, and if it is, this would certainly be a worthy bow-out for one of my very favourite anthropomorphic movie characters. The eponymous martial arts master, Po (the boundlessly endearing Jack Black, as wondrously effervescent as ever), is at the height of his astounding abilities, and his crabby red panda mentor Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) thinks it’s time for him to take his place as the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace, while also choosing a successor to begin training as the new Dragon Warrior. Po, however, couldn’t be more against this particular idea, since there’s nothing he loves more than kicking butt and taking names (although he’s never been very good at the latter), so when it seems like his old foe Tai Lung (a welcome return for the great Ian McShane) has returned he jumps at the chance to investigate. Instead he discovers that there’s a new threat out there – a shapeshifting sorceress known as The Chameleon (Viola Davis) has taken control of the distance metropolis of Juniper City, making it her base of operations from which to launch her nefarious plan to reach into the Spirit World and steal the Kung Fu of ever master villain there. Po’s only hope of defeating her is to enlist the very reluctant help one of the city’s residents, a nefarious corsac fox thief named Zhen (Awkwafina) who may prove more of a handful than he bargained on … the series continues to fire on all cylinders with all prerequisite elements functioning exactly as they should – the franchise may have peaked with the second film, but they’ve maintained an impressive level of quality throughout, and this fourth entry definitely measures up very well by comparison, regardless of what some naysayers may have said. This is just as fun, amusing, ingenious, exciting and visually arresting as ever before, and rather than stripping away much of the fun by leaving the Furious Five out this time round, the story’s a good deal tighter and much more focused here, rightly focusing on the relationship that develops between Po and Zhen as they go from strangers to rivals to friends in very organic fashion. It certainly helps that the two leads have such strong chemistry – Black’s having as much fun as ever while his creation remains his adorably geeky self, while Awkwafina brings plenty of likeable sass and snark to proceedings, and they gel very well over the course of the film. Davis, meanwhile, creates a compelling villain with strong motives for her dastardly plot, while there’s quality support from returning voices like Hoffman alongside Bryan Cranston and James Hong as Po’s two dads Li Shan and Mr Ping, and series newcomers such as Ke Huy Quan, fresh from his post-Everything Everywhere All At Once success as Zhen’s estranged pangolin mentor Han. Granted, ultimately this feels like just a lot more of the same, but when the end results are still so consistent there’s no real room for complaint, and as far as I’m concerned the series is still as strong as it was when it started, from the gorgeous animation and inspired design to the exquisitely executed action and, once again, a spectacular score from Hans Zimmer, this time joined by regular collaborator Steve Mazzaro (the highlight here very much proving a truly WILD orchestral rendition of Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train during the film’s best set-piece). Ultimately, if this really IS it for the franchise, I think it’s a fitting place to call it a day, although I’m sure I ain’t alone in hoping for a little more, and there’s definitely a strong indicator where they COULD go from here …

2. CIVIL WAR – Alex Garland is a filmmaker I’ve been a big fan of since before he even WAS a filmmaker, back when he was just writing screenplays for the likes of 28 Days Later and Sunshine. That being said, he’s consistently blown us away ever since he covertly took the reins for 2012’s criminally overlooked Dredd (I’m definitely inclined to believe the rumours that he actually helmed that one himself, since it’s SO MUCH an Alex Garland movie), rightly wowing audiences with both ex_machina and Annihilation (Men was, ultimately, TOO strong and visceral an experience for me to really LIKE, but I can’t help admitting I was definitely IMPRESSED by it), so I was already onboard for this one even before the genuinely exciting first trailer starting making the rounds. But even if I hadn’t already known his work, I definitely would’ve been up for this truly fascinating premise – set in an uncomfortably believable near future (especially given where the current US political system looks to be heading), it follows a quartet of journalists as they travel into the war-torn heart of an America ravaged by a potent clash between the loyal forces of an authoritarian President who’s refused to step down after the end of his official term (Nick Offerman) and a coalition of secessionist states determined to oust him and his administration. Kirsten Dunst leads the cast with what might be the best performance of her career as Lee Smith, a cynical photojournalist with a fearsome reputation, joining her longtime work-partner Joel (Narcos’ Wagner Moura, effortlessly charming and lovably cocky as an unapologetic adrenaline junkie) in his quest to interview the President before he’s forcibly removed from Office; tagging along, meanwhile, are Sammy (a typically charismatic and stately turn from the mighty Stephen McKinley Henderson), a world-weary veteran reporter who’s just hitching a ride to the front lines of the conflict, and Jessie Cullen (Priscilla’s Cailee Spaeny, sweet and naïve but with a deep reserve of feeling), a wannabe photojournalist who idolises Lee and is determined to prove herself to her hero, even if it ends up getting her killed. Through their experiences on the open road and the various events they witness, we watch this terrifying war unfold as it builds to its powerful endgame, moving from the wilds of Upstate New York to the streets of Washington itself, and it’s brought home in genuinely harrowing detail just what a nightmare this could well be if it really does happen. Garland’s certainly not pulling ANY punches here, clearly fundamentally aware of where we might end up if we don’t wise up REAL QUICK (although by this point I wonder if the warning might have come a bit TOO LATE), while also delivering an endlessly fascinating dystopian action thriller for good measure, packed with stunning explosive action sequences and at least one genuinely UNBEARABLE scene of proper pants-wetting pregnant implied threat (those who know will already know), all while making us really THINK thanks to a particularly shrewd and fiendishly subversive screenplay, and even offering up moments of incongruous aching beauty in the midst of all the chaos, much as he did on Annihilation. Ultimately this is a perfect demonstration of a master filmmaker reaching the very height of his powers, final confirmation, if it was even NEEDED any more, that Garland is one of the most original and challenging cinematic storytellers out there right now.

1. DUNE, PART TWO – As if there was ever any doubt, after the already amazing first part made its KILLER debut back in late 2021 … no, it was a foregone conclusion that the second half of writer-director Denis Villeneuve’s immensely ambitious adaptation of one of his very favourite books OF ALL TIME, Frank Herbert’s genuine game-changer space opera Dune, would be JUST as incredible as the first, and it thrills me no end that that entirely proved to be the case. After all, this is also MY favourite book of all time, if they’d f£$%ed it up I would have been more heartbroken than I could possibly imagine, so Villeneuve and co have made me a VERY HAPPY BUNNY INDEED. Picking up RIGHT where the first film left off, we return to the desert world of Arrakis almost ten centuries into the future, with young Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet), now the Duke of an all-but-eradicated Galactic noble House, and his mother, the Bene Gesserit holy woman Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), are forced to hide among the desert tribes of the Fremen, hatching a desperate plan to take revenge on the monstrous Harkonnens and seize control of the planet, its massively lucrative trade in the obscenely valuable spice Melange, and, through it, the Galactic Empire in its entirety. To do so, Paul must use his growing prescient abilities to convince the Fremen that he is the Kwisatz Haderach, their prophesied messiah, but he is keenly aware that this means walking a deadly knife’s edge in order to prevent triggering an immensely bloody Holy War that will burn half of the known Universe … once again, Chalamet and Ferguson are the beating heart of the story, both acquitting themselves admirably throughout as they perfectly encapsulate the myriad complexities of their characters, but this time round they’re finally joined by Zendaya, barely glimpsed in the first film but now brought front and centre as the new emotional CRUX of the film in the role of Chani, the free-spirited and stubborn Fremen warrior Paul falls in love with as he learns to become a true denizen of Arrakis; other old faces return, meanwhile, with Josh Brolin bringing a roguish twinkle and a welcome sense of humour to proceedings as the exiled Atreides warmaster Gurney Halleck, and Stellan Skarsgård once again chills our blood as the repellent Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. More newcomers make their presence felt throughout, however, with Florence Pugh particularly standing out as Princess Irulan, the fiercely intelligent daughter of the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken, nowhere NEAR the bum note some have made him out to be), although the true shining star among the new cast (beside Zendaya, at least) is Austin Butler (Elvis), enthusiastically sinking his teeth deep into the meaty role of the Baron’s viciously sadistic sociopathic nephew Feyd Rautha. Once again Villeneuve has done his dream project justice in EVERY conceivable aspect, continuing to pay truly REVERENT respect to the source material as he makes Herbert’s incredibly rich universe live and breathe on the screen, the peerless production and costume design, visual effects and cinematography never hitting a single off-note in any scene, while the screenplay perfectly translates the weighty themes, compelling narrative and shocking twists into a deeply involving cinematic tour-de-force that keeps you invested throughout its seemingly brisk and pacy run-time (this may be close to THREE HOURS LONG but it sure doesn’t FEEL like it), enthusiastically propelled along by another MASTERPIECE score from fellow Dune superfan Hans Zimmer. This is a truly MASSIVE cinematic event that leaves you awed by the experience while also drumming some EXTREMELY weighty ideas and themes into you, as well as perfectly setting up the inevitable continuation when Villeneuve gets his already in-development adaptation of the next book in the series, Dune Messiah, off the ground. I’m definitely looking forward to that, and I know I’m not alone …

#2024 in movies #land of bad #the iron claw #double blind #double blind movie #late night with the devil #the beekeeper #love lies bleeding #abigail #abigail movie #abigail 2024 #kung fu panda 4 #civil war #civil war movie #dune part two

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blowflyfag · 5 months

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Wrestling World presents Wrestling Maniacs: JUNE 1999

BAM BAM BIGELOW: IS HE FOR REAL??

He’s big, he’s bad, he’s bald! He’s Bam Bam Bigelow and he’s after Goldberg! The man known as “The Beast of the East” will soon let the wrestling world know that he is “for real” as he continues to make life miserable for Bill Goldberg and anyone else who stands in his way!

By BT

[Bigelow goes for the pin on Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart.]

MONDAY night television record breaking wrestling WCW Nitro was recently interrupted as a man with a head full of tattoos walked out. Bam Bam Bigelow emerged and let it be known that he wanted Goldberg and he wanted him now. The announcements proclaimed that this man “does not work for our company!” He stomped through the crowd and security held him back. He demanded to wrestle Goldberg and, yes, the fans wanted to see it.

Even though this man did not work for WCW, Eric Bischoff probably felt he had to prove something. Bigelow was most recently seen in ECW, and Bischoff wanted to prove that Goldberg was better than any wrestler in ECW. He agreed to allow the match, but the match never took place. As Goldberg stood in the smoke, the huge Bigelow jumped Goldberg from behind. They brawled back and forth until there was another pull-apart. Within a hour Bam Bam Bigelow went from being a ECW main-eventer to successfully challenging one of the top men in the business of pro wrestling!

When Scotty Bigelow was born on September 1, 1961 no one would have imagined this New Jersey-native would grow up to be the monster he is now. Rumored to have been a bounty hunter before getting into pro wrestling, he always left a mark everywhere he has ever wrestled. The man known as the “Beast From the East” is on a mission to win the WCW World title and many feel he may be one of the few men who could actually beat Goldberg.

[Bam Bam gets in the face of former New York Giants’ linebacker Lawrence Taylor at a press conference before their WrestleMania bout.

Bam Bam has flames tattooed on his head and likes nothing better than tattooing his opponents.]

Bigelow made his debut in the sport in the ‘80s and is trying to make his name well-known as the 90’s come to a close. He wrestled many years on the indy scene in the U.S. He was trained by wrestling legend Larry Sharpe and later sued Sharpe for his rights to wrestle. He went to the WWF in ‘85, but left to wrestle in the New Japan Pro Wrestling rings in Japan. There, he was a big favorite of the Japanese due to his size and his agile ability. He was voted as one of the most popular U.S. wrestler to ply his trade in Japan.

He returned to the WWF in 1993 with Luna Vachon and joined Red DiBiase’s Million Dollar Corporation. He went to the Finals of the King of The Ring ‘93, losing to Bret Hart. He would then team with Luna to beat Doink and Dink at WrestleMania X in ‘94. Although he would lose in the first round of the King of The Ring ‘94 Tournament, he would finish the year with victories at SummerSlam ‘94 (teaming with IRS to beat The Headshrinkers) and Survivor Series ‘94. At Survivor Series, he would team with King Kong Bundy, Tatanka, and the Heavenly Bodies to beat Lex Luger, Adam Bomb (WCW’s Wrath), Mabel and the Smoking Gunns.

The next year didn’t start very well for Bigelow as he teamed with Tatanka only to lose to 1-2-3 Kid (X-Pac) and Bob Holly in the finals for a WWF Tag Team Tournament at Royal Rumble ‘95. And then, he would have what many feel was the match of his career.

Undertaker and Sting fan, Charlie Gentry, doesn’t think Bigelow has a chance in WCW. “Bam Bam got beat by Lawrence Taylor at WrestleMania XI. How do you think he is going to beat Goldberg?”

Lawrence Taylor made sports page headlines when he faced Bam Bam Bigelow in one of the co-main events of the 11th ‘Mania. LT won the match, as he was seconded by an “All Pro” squad (including current WCW star Steve Mcmichael) and serenaded by Salt ‘n’ Pepa. Taylor’s WrestleMania appearance may have been the lowest point in the career of Bigelow. Taylor was much better than Karl Malone or Jay Leno, but he was a celebrity outside of the sport. He came in and pulled a big upset on the beast. Bigelow came into the bout thinking there was no chance of defeat, but left the ring with his head down.

His relationship with DiBiase was strained by the loss to Taylor. Bigelow soon turned against the Million Dollar Corporation. Two months later he teamed with Diesel (Kevin Nash). Bigelow and Diesel teamed at the King of The Ring in 1995 to beat Tatanka and Sycho Sid of the Million Dollar Corporation. He soon served his ties with all the WWF and headed to ECW.

Longtime ECW fan Danny Ivy has nothing, but good things to say about Bam Bam Bigelow. “This guy is one of the toughest S.O.B.s in wrestling. He did nothing but kick ass in ECW and that is what he is going to do in WCW.”

ECW history will not be complete without giving the accomplishments of Bigelow. Most notably, he was a well known member of the Triple Threat of Wrestling–Chris Candido, Shane Douglas, and Bigelow.

During Hardcore Heaven ‘97. Bam Bam beat Spike Dudley with the highlight being Bigelow hurling Spike out of the ring and about four rows deep into ringside spectators. Bam Bam then won the ECW title from Shane Douglas in October 1997. Eventually, he lost it at November To Remember ‘97, to his soon-to-be-partner Douglas. This trio will always be remembered as the most successful in ECW history. They had the “wrestler” (Shane Douglas); the “showman” (Candido); and “toughman” (Bigelow).

During the Living Dangerously ‘97 PPV, Bam Bam took the TV Title from ECW’s Taz. It was a hard-fought victory for Bigelow. The ending saw Taz go for a submission and Bigelow sent Taz through the ring. Bigelow grabbed Taz from inside the ring and pinned him 1-2-3.

Unfortunately, he lost that title a month later to “Mr. Saturday Night,” Rob Van Dam.

[Within a hour Bigelow went from working in ECW to successfully challenging one of the top men in the business of pro wrestling!]

Bigelow and Taz continued their feud to Heatwave ‘98 in typical “Beast of the East” fashion in a Death Match with “falls counting everywhere!” At the finish of the match, Taz and Bam Bam went out to the ramp. Bam Bam went for a slam and Taz reversed it and hit a DDT that senf them both through the ramp!!! There was no movement! Bam Bam came out first, but Taz came out next and ran behind Bigelow and put the Taz submission hold on him. Before long. Bam Bam tapped out. Taz was the winner.

November to Remember ‘98 had The Triple Threat team to go against the trio of Sabu, Taz, and Van Dam, Bigelow’s team was on the losing end, but Bigelow proved to still be one of the toughest wrestlers around. Shortly after this PPV, Bigelow disappeared and then the world saw his debut on WCW Nitro.

So, will his stint in the “barbwire jungle” of ECW help him defeat Goldberg? Experience may be the key here. Bigelow’s experience may be the final straw that breaks the camel’s back. In a recent, special issue of Wrestling World during a roundtable discussion of Austin/Goldberg, Goldberg scored a measly 4.25 out of 10 points in the “experience” category. Stately Wayne Manor summed it up perfectly when he said, “Do you realize The Nitro Girls have made more appearances than Billybob?” Bigelow’s vast amount of experience from the indies of New Jersey to the rings of New Japan to the mats in the WWF to the “barbwire jungle” of ECW will do nothing but help him in his quest to defeat Goldberg.

[Bam Bam will soon let the wrestling world know that he is “for real” and will continue to make life miserable for Goldberg and anyone else who stands in his way.]

Bigelow has more to worry about than Goldberg, however. Recently, when he went to fight Goldberg, his old buddy Kevin Nash interfered.

“There will not be a match between those two tonight!” said Big Sexy. And, he made sure of it as all three of them battled it out for the top spot in WCW.

No matter which of these three has the title, each could be beat on any given night…by each other! A locker-room source has heard Nash say, “I know Bigelow very well. I have the book on how to beat him. Believe me, all I would have to do is pencil it in and it would be a win for Big Sexy.”

Somehow, we don’t think it would be that easy!

The focus of Bigelow vs. Goldberg would not be complete without these words from wrestling fan Wayne Jarred. “I have to agree with Jim Ross of the WWF, Goldberg is just a copy of Steve Austin. Why is everyone making such a big deal of Bigelow vs. Goldberg? Goldberg is nothing.”

Many fans feel that Goldberg is very overrated and has been fed his opponents, much like modern-day boxers”handpick” their opponents. Could Goldberg survive a “real” opponent? One that has one thing to prove–he can beat anybody and he especially can beat Goldberg? The wrestler known as Bam Bam Bigelow will soon let the wrestling world know that he is “For real” and will continue to make life miserable for Bill Goldberg and anyone else who stands in his way.

#bam bam bigelow #magazine scan #magazine transcript #wayne i agree on ur thoughts on goldberg buddy

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romiswired · 6 months

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Katsuyori Shibata vs. Will Ospreay (AEW Dynamite #234)

Of course, Will Ospreay is the best wrestler in the world. When he's carried by a better wrestler.

See, the thing about Will Ospreay is that he can be actually watchable whenever his dance partner decides to put a full stop to all the Super Indy-isms hidden in his body. Katsuyori Shibata is what Orange Cassidy was to Ospreay back in 2022: Because he is a wrestler who showed us from time to time less is more, contrary to Ospreay who thinks doing an exaggerated finishing stretch will get him more stars from Davey Boy (not that one)

What you see is not what you get surprisingly, because Shibata makes an inhuman effort to get Ospreay on the mat and make him EARN his comeback. Because every time Ospreay elbows Shibata, he just rocks his shit and forces him to rethink his game plan. And even if Ospreay pulls an Ospreay in a match that does not need something flashy to catch your eye, Shibata makes sure the match stays on the right track.

I don’t buy into Ospreay’s hype in recent years because I know that if the guy facing him was someone who allowed him to pull his Super Indy shtick this match would lose its balance and therefore, its logic. Yeah, I know I’m asking for logic in the wacky art of pro wrestling, but I could do without the Oscutter 20 minutes into a match that supposedly has Ospreay playing a game he’s awful at.

As I said in the review for NJPW’s War Games (which you can read here) Ospreay is a wrestler that I have seen countless times, therefore, I sit and see the minuscule details that simply blow away his house of cards. Luckily, this is Shibata’s house of cards we’re talking about.

This match is good because of that.

#will ospreay #katsuyori shibata #aew #all elite wrestling

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blueonwrestling · 9 months

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Got two obscure matches to talk about

billy ken kid vs. ryuya matsufusa (osaka light heavyweight title) - osaka pro 07/01/24 - 4.25 stars

akino vs mio momono (oz academy openweight title) - oz academy 07/01/24 - 4.25 stars

BKK vs ryuya is actually on youtube

youtube

last match here or around 1 hour 27 minutes in.

also in the mio vs akino match theres a spot where mio does the usual victory roll into a double stomp that all joshis do, but then instead of going for the pin she did it 3 time and that legitmately fucking ruled.

I think my 3.5+ star ratings will be for smaller/lesser known/indie promotions this year, and ill only mention 4.75+ star matches when it comes to AEW/TNA.

Yeah, thats the plan, if i dont mention an AEW match but you're curious about how I feel about said match, ask away, please do, because I can talk about wrestling forever.

#billy ken kid #ryuya matsufusa #osaka pro wrestling #akino #mio momono #oz academy #star ratings #Youtube

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banannabethchase · 1 year

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Okay clarification:

Bryan Keith is a Texas indie star. He's our New Texas Pro champion. He's absurdly good and talented.

I've met him. He grew up and went to school in the district where I teach. He went to one of the high schools, knew the school where I teach.

He's about to wrestle Hangman on Rampage.

HELL. FUCKING. YES.

#I asked him to come to my school to speak to the kids #I think he got busy #But I like. God I want my babies to know the places they can go #wtf i like wrestling now???#in which sara liveblogs

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celestial-thoughts · 1 year

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august 14, 2023 - weekly women’s pro wrestling news roundup: week of august 7-13, 2023

this week's news roundup includes:

News & results from last week’s editions of Monday Night Raw, NXT, and Friday Night SmackDown.

News & results from last week's editions of WWE Main Event and NXT Level Up.

News & results from last week’s editions of AEW Dynamite, AEW Rampage, and AEW Collision.

Other updates and news from last week.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated's weekly top 10 recap.

Things to look forward to in women’s wrestling this week!

spoilers below the cut for shows/events listed above!

Notable news & results from TV last week:

Monday Night Raw (8/7):

Raquel Rodriguez was shown in the trainer's room with Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae, as the trainer informed Adam Pearce that Raquel still wasn't medically cleared.

Becky Lynch came out to the ring and talked about her match next week with Trish Stratus, before being interrupted by Zoey Stark. As the two exchanged words, Shayna Baszler came out. She said that she had driven Ronda out of WWE, which prompted the crowd to begin chanting "Thank you Shayna." Zoey got in Shayna's face, before a match between the two was made official.

Shayna Baszler defeated Zoey Stark. Despite having a broken thumb, black eye, and injured elbow, Shayna managed to put Zoey down for the three count after using Piper's Pit. match length-11:50.

Shayna Baszler interrupted Becky Lynch during a backstage interview, saying that she had a long list of scores to settle, and that she would come for Becky soon enough.

Michael Cole confirmed on commentary that Sonya Deville has suffered a torn ACL, and that she will be out indefinitely.

As Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley was entering with The Judgment Day for the main event, she was attacked by Raquel, Candice, and Indi. The women brawled, before security finally managed to separate them.

NXT (8/8):

Blair Davenport defeated Kelani Jordan. Kelani argued with Dana Brooke after the match. match length-3:35.

Kiana James defeated Ivy Nile. match length-7:45.

Following the main event match, Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley was attacked by Lyra Valkyria.

AEW Dynamite (8/9):

A four way match for the AEW Women's World Championship at AEW All In was announced, along with a tournament to determine who would compete in that match. Former champion Toni Storm received a bye, automatically qualifying her for the title match.

Hikaru Shida defeated Anna Jay to retain the AEW Women's World Championship. By retaining the title, Shida locked in her spot at AEW All In, where she will defend her title the four way match. match length-8:48.

WWE Main Event (8/10):

Nikki Cross defeated Tegan Nox. match length-7:39.

Friday Night SmackDown (8/11):

Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair ended in a no contest. During the match, WWE Women's Champion Iyo Sky came down the ramp, accompanied by her Damage CTRL teammates Bayley and Dakota Kai. Iyo hit both Asuka and Charlotte with a dropkick off the top rope, forcing the official to call the match a no contest. After the bell rang, Iyo and Bayley beat up both Asuka and Charlotte, while Dakota watched from the ramp. match length-9:01.

NXT Level Up (8/11):

Fallon Henley defeated Izzy Dame. match length-4:31.

AEW Rampage (8/11):

Saraya defeated Skye Blue. With this win, Saraya secured her spot in the four way match for the AEW Women's World Championship at AEW All In at Wembley Stadium in London. match length-9:23.

AEW Collision (8/12):

Mercedes Martinez & Diamante defeated TBS Champion Kris Statlander & Willow Nightingale. match length-8:46.

Other news & updates from last week:

TMZ reported on Monday afternoon that Sonya Deville sustained a torn ACL last Friday on SmackDown.

On Wednesday, Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley announced her engagement to fellow pro wrestler Buddy Matthews.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter gave the SummerSlam WWE Women's Championship triple threat match a rating of 3.5 stars. The MMA Rules match between Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler received 1.5 stars.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated top 10 rankings recap:

Evaluation period: August 4-10, 2023. Published on August 11, 2023. Note: my recap of PWI's top 10 tag teams of the week will only cover the women's tag teams listed in the rankings for the week (PWI includes both men's and women's tag teams in their rankings). PWI lists their criteria for rankings as the following: championships held/defended, win-loss record, push, and technical ability.

PWI's Women's Wrestling top 10:

1: Iyo Sky (WWE) 2: Hikaru Shida (AEW) 3: Bianca Belair (WWE) 4: Tam Nakano (Stardom) 5: Mirai (Stardom) 6: Asuka (WWE) 7: Athena (ROH) 8: Alex Windsor (Freelancer) 9: Shayna Baszler (WWE) 10: Tiffany Stratton (WWE)

PWI's Tag Team Wrestling top 10:

No women's tag teams in the top 10 this week.

Things to look forward to this week:

Tonight on Monday Night Raw, Becky Lynch finally gets her hands on WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus, with Zoey Stark banned from ringside.

Tomorrow night on NXT, Dana Brooke goes one on one with Blair Davenport.

This Wednesday on AEW Dynamite, Dr. Britt Bake, D.M.D. takes on The Bunny, with the final spot in the AEW Women's World Championship match at AEW All In on the line.

Current Women's Champions in WWE & AEW:

WWE: - Women's World Championship: Rhea Ripley - WWE Women's Championship: Iyo Sky - NXT Women's Championship: Tiffany Stratton - WWE Women's Tag Team Championship: Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville

AEW: - AEW Women's World Championship: Hikaru Shida - TBS Championship: Kris Statlander

#weekly women's wrestling news roundup #celestial talks wrestling news #monday night raw #wwe nxt #wwe main event #friday night smackdown #nxt level up #aew dynamite #aew rampage #aew collision #wwe #aew

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rhlgull1331 · 2 years

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A Few Pro Wrestling Matches from 2022 (in chronological order) ((this post is long , sorry))

{4.75 stars & The Beautiful Excess award}

Just 3 weeks after having a legitimately perfect 1-hour match, they have to follow it up with something that matches their previous brilliance without being too similar. The easy solution was to further the game of one-upmanship present in their first encounter but with half the length. Main difference here is that the challenge Danielson presented to Adam Page went from "can you keep up with me, champ?" to "can you handle me headbutting you for 10 actual minutes?" Yeah, it's probably not a great idea for Bryan Danielson, owner of prowres' most valuable brain since Bobby Heenan, to engage in vicious head-based offense... but I guess he was fine. Who are we to question The American Dolphin?

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{4.5 stars & The Overcoming All Odds award}

Adam Page was AEW's best world champion and I doubt I'll change my mind until we see a champion come out on top in a manner as bonkers as this. You've probably seen a few deathmatches this year? I've only seen a few throughout the year. No single ultraviolent spot made me react the way Adam Page bouncing off the stairs and landing chin first against the ring post made me react. One thing I've slightly overlooked is how Lance Archer, for one more night, got to be a fucking star. It's a shame he didn't carry this momentum for much of the year.

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{4.25 stars & The King's Road Triumph award}

When Y2J lost the AEW title in 2020 it seemed to me that he would be closing the in-ring chapter of his career within 2 or 3 years. I was verrry wrong. He's had the best prowres year of his life as far as I'm concerned. I have a cynical tendency to hold Chris Jericho to the standards that both he and his fans insist he is at. A fair 75% of the time, he misses the mark that I would expect from a candidate for 'Greatest Of All Time'. This is one of the exceptions where he really hit a home run. The aforementioned cynic in me wants to hand it ALL to Eddie Kingston, but that wouldn't be fair. Jericho helped set up the dramatic heights of the bout just as much as Kingston helped in executing them. It was one of the closest 'duo-minded' matches you could see all year. I imagine both guys shared only a quick glance before walking to the ring, both knowing exactly how the match was gonna go.

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{5 stars & The Most Cathartic award}

I simply cannot do this justice in such few words. The feud between Punk and MJF was magical television. Every week was a highlight of ALL wrestlingI watched this year. Punk's promo where he invites Max to be. his. valentine. Followed of course by Friedman's promo where he reveals his 'origin story' of sorts, which is the undisputed best promo he's ever done. The feud was nothing too complex in the grand scheme of things, it's a grizzled veteran vs confident young guy story at its core... But it means a lot more to a gal like me who knows CM Punk's history. Someone who watched Punk as a kid and began to wonder what he was doing before he was in WWE. Learning about Punk's pre-WWE days invited me to find more Ring Of Honor matches online which inevitably led me to everything they had to offer. I found more about the American indies, I found New Japan and Pro Wrestling NOAH, I found my niche. And I can personally trace it all back to the time I learned that CM Punk pinned Austin Aries and then told a fable about an old man and a snake.

.....

The match was pretty good too!

Acute satisfaction came from seeing MJF finally get his comeuppance by way of a flatback bump into thumbtacks. Thanks Wardlow, you sexy man!

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{4.25 stars & The Better Than BOLA award}

(No, i didn't only watch AEW this year) Every couple of years in pro wrestling you find that one. The one who just ticks all the boxes. "Speedball" Mike Bailey is that one for me. They just know how it all works. Couple them with someone who also happens to tick all those boxes and you get this match. These two had had a match for 2022's Battle of Los Angeles tournament, which was fine but I felt it went a bit longer than needed. Well I thought it did, but it turns out this match here is only 4 minutes shorter than their PWG match. The difference is night and day, although some of the moments are carried directly from that initial match. It's just a much better execution for the most part.

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{4.5 stars & The Comedy Bullshit Award}

I love Jackass. I love Sami Zayn. You'd expect this to be an incompatible pairing, considering how explicit all of Jackass' content is, but the easy workaround is to have this match work as a straightforward comedy match rather than anything exceedingly violent. Let's not kid ourselves now, in what world would it be a good idea for Johnny Knoxville to have a legitimate pro wrestling match? He's had more concussions than Mick Foley. The action is as competent as a WWE prop-comedy scene could've been. If it were Johnny Knoxville with anybody else then it wouldn't be on the list. Samuel Zayn is the patron saint of giving a hundred and ten percent.

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{4.25 stars & The Bleedin' Gums award}

There are few ways to genuinely shine on TV when you've come up through the independents, even in AEW's world. Most of the time, crowds are familiar enough with a talent so that they don't have to establish much more about themselves that isn't able to be seen online. Wheeler YUTA took things a step forward by not resting on his laurels and instead finding a new way to stand out. In this case, he gets promptly massacred by Jon Moxley. The amount of blood that flows from YUTA's head could fill a pool. The one moment where he's face-up on the outside, face fully coloured in red, the money shot for Wheeler if there could've been one. Mox don't slouch either, he puts up one of his best performances all year and that's saying a lot. The speed when he starts hitting those Hammer&Anvil Elbows is remarkable.

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{4.25 stars & The Denzel Washington award}

This fight is a cult underground jazz record that was only on vinyl for 20 years and then inexplicably found its way to streaming after some weirdo celebrity found it and loved it. I feel it aimless to analyse this match as a match, since it's portrayed as a gang fight that just so happens to be in front of a crowd. We get a lot of wild moments throughout, my personal favourite being when Danny Garcia hits a Piledriver onto Ortiz or Santana from the apron onto stairs immediately after J.R says "Stop posing to the crowd, nobody's looking!" I could list off all the cool moments but I'm more inclined to praise Eddie Kingston for a bit. How is it possible for someone to feel so genuine when they are trying to light a man on fire while covered head to toe in another man's blood? I'd like to stop for another second to show love to the owner of that blood, "Daddy Magic" Matt Menard. This fuckin guy bled like a Funk Brother and then covered himself in mustard with those cuts still fresh. What a madman.

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{4.75 stars & The Best Sequel award}

yeahyeahyeah I know The Briscoes ain't the most jam-up guys in prowres, but they can still craft a fantastic match when they need to. FTR are unfortunately in this negative space with fans right now, because Dax Harwood (FTR Bald) is being outspoken about things that aren't exactly popular or fun to talk about. I don't know why Cash Wheeler (FTR Not Bald) is getting flack too but that's only because I imagine when Dax isn't around him, he de-spawns from the area like a video game NPC. My point is that these two teams made some magic with this match despite their inherent flaws as teams and as personalities. Perhaps a bit of length could be cut and perhaps a hope spot or two could be removed, but dammit this is the kind of pulpy, high-stakes tag team wrestling I adore. Plus I just love the 2/3 Falls stipulation. That was a big bonus for me. (btw their first and third matches are great too but i like this one more)

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{4.5 stars & The Marvel Movie award}

This match was unstable. (that's a joke) Imagine the unsubtle and overproduced fighting in a Marvel Movie action scene and now imagine that being applied within the confines of a wrestling ring and voila you have this match. WWE have this weird thing where they have main events for the world title feel complacent in their content. Roman is able to have a good/watchable match but only when he's with someone that he's wrestled before. He and Brock "Punches Moons Into Smaller Moons" Lesnar have had some stinkin' rotten no-good bouts before, just look at their match at WrestleMania this year! There was no optimism from me nor my pals, whom I watched SummerSlam with, that this match would be worth a damn. ... But then the tractor came out and the match shot from a solid 3.5 star snooze right to a 4.25 classic. ...... Then Austin Theory (yuck) got his SHIT ROCKED and it went up another quarter. Sometimes it's worth giving the benefit of the doubt. You may just turn the night around in your favour.

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{4.25 stars & Loud As F**K award}

I knew this match was good when Starlight Kid no-sold a Butterfly Suplex from the top and I had no qualms about it. This match is a sleeper hit that comes right in the middle of a round robin tournament where nobody expects it. Fast-paced and hard-hitting, two very common attributes for this promotion's best matches but quite bloody apt in this case. There's one bit where I swear Giulia's elbow pops out of place with how hard she swung it at SLK's jaw. It's no wonder both these wrestlers are my favs in all of STARDOM when they're this captivating in such a "throwaway" match during a Round Robin tournament.

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{4.25 stars & The Welsh Irish Pride award} This match is how to show you appreciation to the long-time star in Sheamus. Let him wrestle someone with no restrictions. Nothing but the hardest of hits and amplest of steps taken to get those hits in. This match is subtle for the longest time, waiting for a right moment for Gunther to get ruthless. If this were to be Big Gunth vs anybody else then it would probably open with one of his trademark CHOPS (in all caps), but they play it coy and they don't have Gunther hit Sheamus with a CHOP until a good few minutes in. And only from there do things escalate. The crowning moment being when Sheamus drops Gunther with the High Cross. A move that is always in Sheamus' moveset in the video games but one i've not seen him use since maybe 2011. If Sheamus' legend status in WWE was in question before this match, then that debate was taken out back and kicked up the backside after the crowd's standing ovation.

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{4.5 stars & The Bloody Tears award}

When it comes to deathmatches, I like to see men willingly bleed in pursuit of money and glory. Jun Kasai is one such man who has legitimately done that for 20 years. Look at his back and you'll see the shell of a tortoise. El Desperado is a New Japan star who I, admittedly, held in little regard beforehand but now i think i want to see this man succeed in every way possible. Jun Kasai is comparable only to a decrepit deity with aspirations for mayhem and reverence for suffering. He takes all the worst ideas for wrestling moves and then makes them more brutal, for a random example imagine a Canadian Destroyer. Right, you've seen one of those before? Picture that move off the top rope now. "Actually let's amp it up a bit and let's add a Double Underhook so then Despy can't protect his head on impact." Oh! Okay then Mr. Kasai. "Let's also add a stack of chairs so the aforementioned impact is a smidge more painful." Whatever you say! "That ain't the end of the match by the way." Fine by me! Don't stab me, sir!! It's a madman's match for sure. It also gets a bit sentimental during the end-match promo, but i must declare that I was a little distracted that point because i had seen the best deathmatch of my damn life. ------------- That's my list! I hope you'll want to watch some wrestling now. - Rhlgull

#pro wrestling #end of year list #AEW #WWE #new japan pro wrestling #ddt pro #and a few indies #i love wrestling #stardom #ring of honor

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