November 2023

I didn't love them opening with a strike exchange, as they're largely played out. But it's Mark Briscoe vs. Rush. You're not exactly coming into this match expecting a scientific lock up. Besides, that can be forgiven when two people hit each other as hard as Rush and Briscoe were here. Everything looked snug and impactful, with both competitors hitting blistering chops. Their chests were beet-red, and both looked like they had gone through a war by the end. It's a minor quibble, but Rush and Briscoe both popped up from some moves too quickly. But again, it's an action-packed eleven minute TV match, so it's hard to complain about. It'd be different if they were shrug…

Interpromotional hatred! Bodies flying over guard rails! Bump freak Kiyomiya taking a wild spill to the floor! This was a ton of fun. Oiwa was a reliable face in peril, and Coughlin did his usual impressive power moves, but this was all about Kiyomiya and Kidd rekindling their rivalry that started in the G1. Kidd has thankfully toned down the horrendous trash talk and focused on what he’s good at, which is nailing Kiyomiya with some satisfying thwacks. Kiyomiya was fired up and had something to prove after their previous bout went to a double count-out. Chaos ensued on the outside, and Oiwa played defense just long enough for Kiyomiya to slide into the ring at nineteen an…

This was a long watch (nearly 30 minutes!) but a very solid match so it evens out. The first half felt very similar to a Mutoha grappling showcase: no strikes, lots of minimalistic wrestling and a slow pace. It still had incredible attention to detail (Keita trying for a Sugar Foot mid-transition was pretty epic) and the two focused on respective limbs to try to feel around for a weakness of some sort. Kengo throws the first strikes when he's able to snap on a kneeling shoulder crank with some actually good elbows to the head. This sets Keita off and he immediately follows up with some awesome lucha stretching alongside similarly heelish antics like stomping on Kengo's ha…

MJF's idea of selling is comical at best. He collapsed after slapping White. MJF's leg was fine enough for a Kangaroo Kick, but a debilitating injury seconds later. He attempted a Panama Sunrise and hit a top-rope diving elbow drop to the floor. Those two moves would've been annoying enough, but MJF went for leg-based offense constantly. Everything MJF does is for show, which extends to his in-ring work. For a guy who prides himself on being an old school heel, he loves movez, and poorly executed ones at that. The cutter over the top and to the floor was shoehorned in and completely antithetical to the story being told, given MJF's supposedly bum wheel. None of MJF's…