January 2024

IWGP Heavyweight Champion SANADA vs Tetsuya Naito - NJPW 1/4/24 Wrestle Kingdom 18 The hunt for a halfway decent New Japan 2024 match continues. Granted, I am doing this with express purpose of watching wrestlers I will watch in Japan at Korakuen Hall on April 22nd so watching Danielson in New Japan does not do me much good. Plus I am super familiar with Danielson so I dont need to watch him to prep for him even if he was to wrestle on that night. Anyways, never have been a Naito guy and nothing has really changed for me. He does not have much in the way of charisma nor does he do anything unique. Destino may be the worst finish of all time. It is so clunky and ugly.…

Dempsey dominates the early going, with the champion not being able to string together much offense. Nakajima realizes he can’t out-grapple Dempsey, so he resorts to striking and goads him into a skirmish on the outside. Dempsey’s work is smooth yet rugged. His European uppercuts have a little more oomph behind them, and he nearly bent Nakajima in half with a Boston Crab. Regaining control, Dempsey adjusted his game plan of gradually wearing down Nakajima for a more direct approach, going after his opponent’s leg. Dempsey’s dragonscrew leg whips are gorgeous, as he almost bridges backward with Nakajima’s leg while holding onto it. Dempsey hit a rolling Cattle Mutilat…

The combined age of the participants in contest is over 188. That doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, but given what they accomplished, it’s remarkable. The match is what you’d expect from three legendary maestros and a future one. Virus, Solar, Hechicero, and Navarro don’t set out to reinvent the wheel here, but they craft a good, sturdy one which will get you where you need to go. The extended Virus vs. Hechicero section at the beginning is delightful, a physical chess match where each hold serves the larger purpose of breaking down their opponents until one submits. I can’t recall ever seeing someone, in this case, Virus, countering a stretch muffler by …

In a highly anticipated showdown, Alexander and Ospreay engaged in an exhilarating back-and-forth match, showcasing their unwavering commitment and delivering a performance that surpassed their previous encounter. This time, they elevated the intensity with table spot, ramp spot, and poisonranas. The conclusion put over Alexander strongly and marked the first outstanding match for TNA in 2024.

Samoa Joe defends the AEW World Championship Fuck yes what a match. Joe looks like an absolute beast throughout, just destroying Hook in exploding fashion, and Hook looks like a badass taking that punishment & having superb moments of his own on the offense with his comebacks. 9 minutes of pure kickass action. ****

Fuchi the GOAT for being 70 and having a 20 minute match with one of All Japan's brightest and youngest stars. It was also really cool to see 90's prick Fuchi return; cool uncle Fuchi is nice and all, but that was his peak years in terms of entertainment and even here with all of the natural wear and tear he's brought with him you still get that occasional moment of greatness out of the guy that brings you back to those times. Anzai humours the vet with some basic lockup exchanges until Fuchi pokes the bear a bit too much with a cheeky slap to the face and a flash backdrop to try to end the match early for the upset, inviting a big beatdown from Anzai as he essentially ru…

AKINO comes in confident, overlooking the challenger. She brutalizes Momono, wailing on her with kicks before taking things to the outside. AKINO kicks the post, which is a common spot these days, but I liked that they opted for something different by using it to set up Momono’s big dive. When Momono starts to put up more of a fight than she bargained for, AKINO gets desperate and goes after her arm. Momono’s selling as the underdog is excellent. She even kept her bad arm at bay while going for a pinfall. Momono’s brief fire-up after being nailed with a forearm feels so much more believable than when most wrestlers do it. It feels like she’s fighting for her life and…

The action unfolded throughout Daily's Place, with Claudio showcasing his superhuman strength and Hangman embodying the spirit of a fiery babyface badass. The dynamic between them, coupled with the execution of exhilarating and daring maneuvers, elevated this television match to an extraordinary level of excitement.

Masato Tanaka may have shown signs of aging over the years, but he displayed an exceptional performance in this match. The bout commenced with intense mat work, gradually evolving into a captivating spectacle. Tanaka unleashed his aggressive side, relentlessly pummeling Hachisu at every opportunity. As a first-time observer of Kentaro Hachisu, I was thoroughly impressed by his resilience. He skillfully battled back from Tanaka's relentless assault, instilling belief in the lively crowd that he could secure a victory. The atmosphere was electric as spectators anticipated a possible triumph. However, Tanaka, unrelenting, concluded the match with a series of brutal Sliding D…

This was beautiful. Bryan is out for revenge after he broke his arm in their first meeting, and the agenda is clear. He wants an eye for an eye. He goes after Okada's arm ruthlessly in the most vicious ways you could imagine; he stretches it with violent intentions, he kicks the shit out of it (his kicks seriously looked more vicious than usual), slams it around. It's the American Dragon special & he is doing it to the face of the company at their biggest show of the year. Saying it's a beautiful sight would be an understatement. When I was an angry teenager my big complaint about big Okada matches was that it always felt like the work before the finishing stretch fel…

A fiercely intense physical showdown unfolded, with each woman matching the heightened intensity that propelled the match to swift progression. Masha seemed perfectly at ease in this environment, unleashing a relentless barrage of strikes and slaps that mirrored Miyu's ferocity in her powerful kicks. The dynamics of this encounter surpassed their previous meetings in the US, making it a vastly superior and more gripping spectacle.

It was an impressive bout between two seasoned professionals, which wasn't entirely surprising given the high-caliber athletes involved. They maintained a brisk pace throughout the match, skillfully executing moves without succumbing to an overly frenetic rhythm. Their dynamic performance managed to steer clear of any dull moments in the middle, building up to a compelling finish while keeping the overall experience tightly knit and compact.

The worst NOAH main event match since probably Misawa/Marufuji II. Heck that's a masterpiece compared to this. Christ Ibushi looked horrible here. I know he's basically crippled at this point given all of the injuries he just categorically refuses to have surgery on (including coming into this with a broken ankle he somehow obtained????) but he especially looked sloppy and unfocused here. The first half was mostly classic NJPW-isms with timewasting grappling at half-speed. Do you watch Ibushi matches to see him do week 1 headlock takeovers? Of course not; let's just ignore that section as much as they did. There was also a lot of awkward stalling that was played off …

In a jaw-dropping display of athleticism and sheer determination, Darby selflessly offered his body to Takeshita, transforming the ring into a battleground where Takeshita emerged as an absolute monster, effortlessly tossing Darby around like a rag doll, unleashing explosive bombs, and executing mind-bending maneuvers like The Chaos Theory on the ramp. Allin, embodying his never-say-die daredevil spirit, absorbed every punishing move Konosuke unleashed, defiantly asking for more, and responding with awe-inspiring hope spots. Undoubtedly, this electrifying showdown marked the inaugural masterpiece in television wrestling for 2024.