Welcome back fake sports fans!
The Watchlist is back in full force this week with another pair of exciting, excellent matches!
I was really spoiled for choice this week, no real stinkers, a LOT of good to great to incredible matches. Even the lower ranked matches that you can see below were still alright, just not great.
Here's what I watched this week;
WWE Bad Blood
Going into this show, I was really hoping there'd be at least 2 really good matches. Priest/Balor and Punk/McIntyre had all the pieces in place to be great matches and man, they both delivered.
Punk and McIntyre put on easily the best Hell in a Cell match in the last 10 years or so. A gimmick match that has really struggled at times, largely being hit or miss as the company was forced to move towards PG programming. Roman and Strowman had a real stinker of a cell match that ended in a no contest (???) and Seth and The Fiend (rest in peace Windham) nearly killed the entire match concept in one night. Couple that with the god awful red cage and it seemed like Vince was trying to destroy this match more and more each year. Punk and McIntyre had the best match of their trilogy in a match series that really needed this to make it feel like a proper blow off. Their last two encounters didn't quite live up to the hatred these two had for each other so it always felt like they could do more. Can't do much more than split a guy's fucking head open. Exceptional. Match of the Year contender.
Nia and Bayley had the unfortunate position of following that unbelievable cell match and wasn't able to make it out from that shadow. Quite frankly, I don't think card position was the real hindrance here. I think the world of Bayley even if she might not be as good as I try to tell myself she is all the time, and I've never gotten behind Nia, especially as champion. These two just didn't mesh well at all. Few spots felt off or weirdly timed, and Stratton coming out at the end was pretty paint by numbers. Not great.
Balor and Priest had a predictable excellent match. Balor has become something of a sleeper wrestler as of late, with a lot of people forgetting that he was in the conversation for best wrestlers in the world a few years ago, he's still got it when he wants to go. Priest, on the other hand, keeps making the case that 2024 is his best year yet. Great match after great match, proving he can hold his own against a number of opponents and situations, he's absolutely World Champion material. I'd be ok if they ran this match back again and even added a stipulation if they want to keep this beef going.
Rhea and Liv... man, I feel bad for this one. Nothing they did in the ring was bad, I think their match was really pretty good. Rhea is over like hell and Liv is so, so comfortable in her role its unreal. Dom in the cage was a lot of fun and didn't distract or take away from the match like they tend to make outside people do. Having him hung over the ramp was a choice, one that I'm honestly pretty indifferent on, but I think after this match we need to rethink the shark cage concept. At one point, Dom opens the door and fucking falls out the damn cage. I thought he was gonna land on his head but he had a chain/strap tied to his ankle. As if they wasn't weird enough, Rhea tells the ref, who has the fucking referee POV cam strapped to his god damn head "I'm gonna go beat him up, give me a minute." And you know what he says?! "Sure! You've earned that much!" I'm sorry, what?! I thought we were supposed to be impartial?! It wouldn't have been so bad if she just went out and clobbered him, but hearing teacher say "sure, go beat that kid up" is a whole other level of insanity. Anyways, Raquel returns and interferes for Liv and the match is called off. The in-ring stuff is totally forgotten after the bullshit with the ref. Get a clue.
Rhodes and Roman vs. The Bloodline is, say it with me folks! "Just another Bloodline match" God I'm getting sick of these. Its so fucking predictable its getting nauseating. Solo and Jacob beat down Roman or Cody, isolate the guy. Eventually they get outside the ring, someone goes through the table, the Tongan's show up and interfere, but this time, a mysterious hooded man superkicks Tama Tonga Loa (that's their new tag team name, I don't make the rules)! Who could it be?! Jimmy Uso is back! Anyways, Cody and Roman pick up the dub, the Bloodline runs off, Cody and Roman have an uneasy staredown when suddenly, The Rock shows up! I don't know if this means he's setting up a match with either Cody or Roman because they were both in the ring at the same time but this is the seed for a Mania match, I can smell it.
*Parts of this weeks blog post are formatted weirdly. I did my best to fix it but some of it is beyond my level of understanding. Next week the problems will be solved!*
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Adam Page - AEW Dynamite - 08/28/2024
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| "Ahh!" They say, affectionately. AEW |
I decided that this weekend was time to catch up on some Hangman matches. I've made it no secret that Hangers is one of my favourite wrestlers going right now (it's also important to remember, Hangman did nothing wrong) and he's been an absolute joy to watch since his return for the Owen earlier this year. I of course watched his return match and insane Steel Cage match with Swerve at All Out (which I've retroactively rated 5 stars) but have missed a few matches in between, so i went back to do my homework. This was the first thing I watched for the week and it started things off with a ridiculously high note.
Ishii is someone I've seen very, very little of. I know he's a huge name in New Japan and has a real die hard cult following but he's never been someone I've thought to seek out and watch more of. Couldn't tell you why, honestly. His recent involvement with Cassidy's stable "The Conglomeration" has led to him being featured a bit more and given time to interact with his stable mates. This match kinda came out of left field for me but man, I'm glad I decided to track this one down. What a match.
They hype this up as a match of two heavy hitters. Ishii is notoriously tough, you don't get called "Stone Pitbull" for nothing, and Hangman has proven that he can swing with the toughest in the company. They start this match off like we're 15 minutes into an All Japan triple crown match, trading violent forearm shots back and forth as the crowd starts to build, getting louder and louder with each bone rattling shot.Seriously, they drill each other for a solid minute with forearms until they break, trade shoulder tackles with Ishii dropping Hangman who shoots back up and meets Ishii nose to nose. Now, its a minute of chops, each hit echoing through the arena until Hangman goes nose to nose with Ishii again, backing him into the corner.
Theres absolutely nothing about this match that isn't heavy handed. Ishii takes the corner buckle and fires out with a shoulder tackle, dropping Hangman and barely budging the Stone Pitbull. Ishii tries to fend Hangman off with chops but he's walking into each one and absorbing them, pressing the advantage and keeping Ishii on the backfoot. Ducking a chop, Hangman picks up Ishii into a firemans carry position, stumbling towards the ropes as Ishii is able to escape to the apron.
Hangman goes for his triangle corner lariat but Ishii ducks, turning around just in time to catch a standing lariat from Hangers, dropping him hard. Climbing out to the apron with Ishii, Hangman cracks him across the chest with another chop before grabbing him around the neck (or lack there of, really) and spikes Ishii with a gnarly DDT. Lawn darting Ishii on the damn apron!
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This would probably hurt more against someone with a neck. Just sayin. AEW |
Ishii hangs upside down for a couple seconds, the impact stunning him until he falls to the outside, only to get tossed dismissively back inside the ring by Hangman. Ascending to the top strand, Hangman flies with a lariat that drops the Pitbull and covers him for a close 2 count. His aggression seeps out in everything he does, from how hard and decisively he hits Ishii to how frustrated he gets when the referee rightfully counts two.
With Ishii still on the mat, Hangman ties his feet up and rolls him to his stomach, going for some sort of heel hook/Texas cloverleaf blend. He clatters Ishii across the back with boots as he starts to crawl and dig towards the bottom rope, finally grabbing on and forcing the break. Hangman gets a few more kicks in before breaking the hold, getting in the face of the referee and backing him off. He's doing everything he can to make sure he's in absolute control in this ring.
Ishii is back on his feet and using the corner to stabilize himself, catching too much of a breather as Hangman charges from the opposite corner and crashes into him with a lariat, but Ishii absorbs it and steps to Hanger. Suddenly, there's fear in his eyes, he just gave Ishii a solid, heavy lariat in the corner after everything he's done and it did nothing. He tries to fend the encroaching Ishii off with repeated forearm shots, but its Ishii who's walking into each blow and asking for more. Hangman drops his arms for a second, and Ishii takes advantage, dropping him with a single solid forearm shot to the jaw.
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Back and to the left. AEW |
Hangman is back on his feet but not for very long, getting taken up and over with a back suplex that only scores 2. Now, Hangman is using the corner for support, pulling himself back up as Ishii seizes on him. The crowd comes alive for a combination of chops and forearms, until Hangman gets sent across the ring to the opposite corner and sat up top. Ishii tries to lock him up for a superplex, but eats a headbutt as he falls back to the ring. But it doesn't last long. He crouches down and shoots back up like a piston, driving his fucking head into the face of Hangman, stunning him as he climbs back up, taking him up and over in a beautiful brainbuster for another close 2 count. Just enough of a delay in the air to really make it hurt.
Again, Hangman is on his feet and gets Ishii up for a Death Valley Driver this time! He hits the ropes for a lariat but Ishii ducks, grabbing a waistlock for a high german suplex! They're back on their feet at the same time and charge each other with lariats. They trade forearms until a discus forearm from Hangman is met with the standing variant from Ishii, dropping them both.
Back standing, they trade fucking headbutts of all things, until Ishii decides chops and forearms might be more effective. They work well enough, until Hangman decides "enough of this shit" and drags the Pitbull down and into a crossface, wrenching back tight. Ishii rolls him back to try for a pin but Hangman forces him back down into the hold. Ishii is able to wriggle and position himself near the ropes, eventually getting his foot on the bottom rope to break the hold.
Hangman takes a chance to take in the crowd, facing the arena as they shower him with a mixture of cheers and boo's, the latter more dominant than the former. With Ishii back standing, Hangman hits the ropes for a lariat but again, Ishii eats the strike! This time leaving his feet for a leaping enziguiri! A strike exchange turns into a grapple exchange, Deadeye countered into a dragon suplex, dragon into vertical, vertical turns into a gut kick attempt and a spin into a german where Hangman lands on his feet! A lariat catches Ishii finally, and a german suplex puts the pitbull on his fuckin head.
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Time to fly big dog! AEW |
Sensing the end, Hangman goes outside and takes off for the Buckshot, but gets caught and dropped on his god damn face with a Deadeye from Ishii!! Shit! Ishii is calling for the end himself, cracking Hangman with a lariat the nearly removes his head from his shoulders and picking him up for a vertical suplex but Hangman slips behind. They're back to just hitting each other as hard as they can, with whatever they have left. Lariats leave Ishii stumbling around the ring, nearly out on his feet, with one more dropping him.
Hangman gets him back up and is able to land the deadeye, rolling to the apron and getting the Pitbull in his sights. He racks the shell and fires, hitting him with a buckshot dead on. He folds him over and gets the 3. What a fucking war.
Centre mass. A killshot. AEW |
I can see how a match like this may not be everybodys cup of tea, the whole "getting back up to keep hitting each other as hard as you can" type match but this was one for me, absolutely. So, so fun. I went into this one knowing I'd at least enjoy it, not like these guys are known for bad wrestling or anything, but I really didn't expect this. Heavy shots, big, nasty moves, these guys were trying to kill each other and it was so exciting. More please!
Violence is Forever vs. Miracle Generation - DPW Tag Festival - 06/18/2023
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| Respect among competitors. DPW |
I was looking forward to this show going into it, with the story of the current DPW tag team champions Violence is Forever putting their belts on the line for this tournament and the matches that were on the docket all looked exciting, but I wasn't prepared for just how good this entire match was. I mean two legitimately incredible tag matches to open the show, a great singles match with Lucky Ali and the return of Colby Corino (could have been another 5* if it wasn't for the Dusty finish, killed the mood for me) and a fantastic main event to boot? This may just be one of DPW's best shows they've ever put out. That's saying something.
We start this opening match with Miracle Generation (that being Dustin Waller & Kylon King) already in the ring and Violence is Forever (or ViF, consisting of Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku) making their fucking fantastic entrance. They've become a real crowd favourite as the shows have gone on, with he entrance song of "Zombie" by The Cranberries, a personal favourite of mine, bringing the crowd to a fever pitch every time they come out. Its unreal to see.
They've got a pretty relaxed attitude for this match, considering they're opening a tournament where their titles are on the line not once, but twice. If they don't get beat in this opening match, that is. Dominic and Waller start this match off with a handshake. Waller and Dom go to their opponents corners for a handshake as well, with King accepting the gesture from Dom, with Ku giving Waller a one finger *boop* in response.
It's chain grappling from the start, with Dom attempting a backsuplex but gets turned out of it and tossed into his corner, where Ku tags in and meets Waller in the middle, eating a dropkick that sends him reeling into his opponents corner. King is tagged in and wastes no time, turning the intensity in this match instantly up a few notches with a nasty spinebuster, ripping Ku off the mat by his arm and spiking him back down.
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| Gettin spike'd! DPW |
Ku fights up and runs Waller into his own corner now, with Dom tagging in and charging into King with a forearm, sending him flying off the apron as he rebounds and crushes Waller in the corner. With Ku taking the top rope, Dom gets Waller in position with a backbreaker as Ku drops the knee, a modified Demolition Decapitator. Both teams are doing everything they can to try and keep the advantage in their corner. Ku tags in again and takes King off the apron again, flipping him the bird as he tries for a pin on Waller.
Waller gets knocked back into the WiF corner and starts fighting from both sides. A nasty chop sends Dom reeling, a series of punches drops Ku long enough for Waller to roll across the ring to get King in. This shit is already going a mile a minute and we're less than 4 minutes in, with King catching Ku with a snap dragon suplex! A missile dropkick catches Ku in the mouth as he calls for a brainbuster, but Dom gets in and eats a knee, stumbling around as King snatches both of ViF and takes them up and over with a northern lights suplex! He bridges on Ku who gets out at 2, crawling to the corner and drilling King with a dropkick when he takes the opposite corner.
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| That shits nasty! DPW |
A top rope superplex is countered into a running powerbomb by King now, with Dom getting in to break the pin up. Waller is on top of Dom now, but they both end up on the floor with Waller getting ran into the post and hitting with an oh-so satisfying*tink* falling to the floor as the light fades from his eyes. Ku kicks the head off King as Dom plants him with a double knee lungblower, allowing Ku to hit the ropes with insane speed and level King with a massive lariat.
Ku pins King off the lariat who kicks out at 2, transitioning into an armbar. King starts to fight to his feet, letting Ku transition to a triangle as King keeps climbing, eventually planting his feet but Ku is too quick, snatching a foot and rolling into an ankle lock!King keeps trying to crawl, but Ku pulls him around the ring in complete control. That it, until King rolls out of the ankle lock sending Ku to the outside, turning around to find The Bone Collector (god, isn't that just the sickest name ever? The fuckin' bone collector) going for a suplex. King is able to land on the other side of Dom who hits the ropes chest first, turning with a disgusting lariat that kills King where he stands.
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| Consider your bones collected, sir. DPW |
Waller is back on the apron now, springboarding in and dropping Dom with an elbow drop but Ku is back in! He snatches Waller and takes him over with a Tiger Suplex! I feel like I've just been typing move after move after move here but thats seriously how fast this match moves. Once that spinebuster was hit this match went full speed. No brakes, no time to breathe, just fucking go from the bell. Its nuts.
Ku is alone in the ring and is getting double teamed by the Generation, kick after kick that drops him to a knee but the champ is still able to stand, if only barely. Waller and King line him up for one big double team shot, but Dom gets in and shoves Ku out of the way, taking a double kick shaped bullet for his partner.
The sacrifice may have been for nothing however, as King and Waller are able to land the intended shot on Ku, dropping him to his knees and colliding into his skull with knees of their own. Ku starts to stand again, but Waller snatches him with a springboard cutter and King folds him with a high angle german suplex, with Waller jack-knifing Ku for the pin. A close, close 2!
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| Tag team work at its finest. DPW |
King misses a monnsault as Ku rolls away and stumbles to his corner, tagging in Dom who starts to strike King with forearms like hammers. A backfist drops him to his knees as Dom pulls him in for a powerbomb, stacking him high for the pin. He doesn't even let King kick out on his own, instead opting to roll him over to his stomach for a single leg boston crab. Waller is back in the ring and chops Dom, still holding his partner. He yells in Wallers face and begs for more, with the challenger happy to oblige. He lights Dom up with chops, puncuating the assault with a superkick to drop Dom and break the hold.
Waller tags back in and is on top of Dom, challenging him saying "c;mon champ, get the fuck up" as he picks him up off the canvas. He tries for a springboard cutter again but Dom catches him in a sleeper, holding him tight as Ku leaps off the top and double stomps the gut of Waller. Dom shoves Waller to the centre, barely able to stand as Ku charges in with a running knee and Dom spins with a kick to the back of his legs, dropping Waller with disgusting effect as Dom rolls in for the pin, but its somehow only 2!
They get Waller in the centre again, with Dom hoisting him up into a brainbuster position for his half of Chasing the Dragon. Ku is standing in the corner, waiting for his mark to kick the head of Waller in. As soon as Waller is up off the ground, King charges from the opposite corner, crashing knee first into the head of Ku as Waller is able to pull Dom down with a spiking DDT! A moonsault is followed up by a 450 splash by Waller for the pin, but Dom gets out at 2!
Both King and Waller are sat on the top buckle now, with Dom picking him up for a muscle buster and Ku driving Waller into the top buckle with a nasty brainbuster. King is alone with both member of ViF, who get King up in the centre with a T gimmick, a double chokeslam. The end is in sight now, with Ku kicking the head of King in as Dom drills his carcass into the ring. Chasing the Dragon.
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| Consider the Dragon... |
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| ... Chased. DPW |
The champs cover and score 3, a pat of respect by Dom to the chest of his fallen opponent. A hard fought match, no love lost.
The celebration and handshakes between the competitors is short lived however, as The Workhorsemen jump ViF, only for Jackson Drake and Jay Malachi to come in for the save! These two teams are the next one up in the tournament, and their match starts off the back of this one.
God, what an insane spring this was. Just over 12 minutes and neither team let up for a second. I know I said a while ago I wanted to get away from doing "this move then that move into this move and another move too" reviews but this one had so much going on at all times it was hard not to. So good. Seek out this match as soon as you can, this whole show is great and this match (along with the next) are both show stealers. Violence is, indeed, forever.
There we have it! Another week in the books. I really didn't expect to find matches this good this week. Both of them completely snuck up on me and I'm so glad they did. I love going into matches knowing as little as possible. it's really hard to anymore being as tapped in as I am and trying to watch shows and matches I've missed, too often I already know whats going to happen or can piece it together and kinda run the finish for myself. But spoilers or not, these matches hit like you wouldn't believe.
Got matches you think I need to see or review? Send 'em my way! cliffmorganwstl@gmail.com or let me know how you like the new look for the blog. I'm really liking it, it's so clean. Big fan. Git more work in the pipeline, just need to carve out some time to get to work and then it'll be out there for all of you to see! Can't wait.
Until next time,
Cliff Morgan
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