August 2022

The Coffin Match This was the follow up to the great match these two had a couple weeks prior. Darby is just so good when he’s able to work with a big dude, he’s also at his best when he’s able to work with a guy who isn’t afraid to take a beating as well. Brody is one of his opponents that just seems to make sense. I hope to go back and check out their pre-AEW stuff because these two just HIT for me. I love that Big Bang Theory fans, if they weren’t careful, saw Brody King bleeding buckets 3 minutes after the credits rolled. This one had the violence, urgency and gutsy creativity of the first match, but added in some not entirely consequential overbook…

Masada comes into this match having begun his pro wrestling training three months ago. HARASHIMA seamlessly led Masada through the opening mat work portion. Masada busted out an arm-wringer, which had a nice snap to it. HARASHIMA went to work on the back, bringing his trademark brand of meanness to the match. The second half was designed to allow Masada to shine, and shine he did. Masada hit a gorgeous dropkick to kick off his comeback, later matching HARASHIMA strike-for-strike. Masada even busted out HARASHIMA's signature Falcon Arrow, but it was only enough for two. Takeshi's already decent at garnering sympathy from the crowd, with them erupting in chants of "Mas…

Real simple, straightforward tag team match, the likes of which are becoming increasingly scarce. Drake and Henry attempt to jump their opponents at the bell, but Sydal thwarts them, allowing Martin to hit springboard tornillo. Sydal then spends the bulk of the match fending off a two-on-one attack. It’s during the heat segment where The Workhorsemen shine, as they cut off the ring with stiff chops and hard kicks. I particularly liked Drake grabbing Sydal’s hair to pull him back into the corner. Martin got taken out with a piledriver on the floor. The WorkHorsemen even busted out one of my personal favorite tag tropes, as Henry went to the opposing corner and mocked Sydal…

Hot TV match with a raucous Toronto crowd. Gable brought the aggression early on, leading to a German Suplex on the apron. You could argue that an apron move wasn't needed since this only went 11 minutes, and that they went to the well too early, but all-action matches are scarce in WWE. I appreciated them going for something a little different than your typical television match structure filled with a bunch of rest holds. I also thought Owens' long-term selling of the effects of the apron suplex was solid, as he hobbled around the ring out of exhaustion for the remainder of the match. The highlight was a twisting Superplex from Owens to Gable. My biggest gripe is how qui…

I want to preface this review by saying I'm not some Cornette-ian weirdo who hates modern wrestling. I enjoy cool moves as much as the next guy. But I also prefer structure and find it far more impressive when wrestlers can work within a set of limitations. Where most tag matches lose me is when they forego that structure and do whatever they please, entering the ring haphazardly to give the illusion that something's going on underneath the surface. Ospreay and Fenix kick things off with your standard flippy exchange, nothing you haven't seen a million times before if you're familiar with either competitor. Things break down immediately, and everyone enters the ring …