December 2006

Talk about it here.

Talk about it here.

Well, ok. The gimmick isn't bulletproof. This is a well known debacle. RVD starts with Holly, who took the place of Sabu in a first tone deaf booking decision. No heat. Pretty poor work. They had a really good match on TV, this isn't it. RVD re-does a bunch of his spots from the first EC match in 2002, but Holly isn't over. Has this guy ever been over ? RVD should never do running clotheslines, they look Ultimate Warrior level bad. CM Punk gets in and the crowd wakes up. They want him to win. Heyman did too, but that wasn't happening. He's the MVP of the match, turning it up a notch, doing the old Jerry Lynn double counter spot with RVD. That's the best and most h…

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Talk about it here.

Marufuji vs. Misawa – December 10, 2006 This was a total carry-job by Marufuji. He brought forth an energy that Misawa simply didn’t have anymore. In fact, Misawa just looked totally cooked in this match. Even if he was still alive today, I think this would’ve been the perfect time to start winding down or outright retire. He was so lethargic without any of the fire of Kenta Kobashi, who was also broken-down at this point. Marufuji’s work on Misawa’s left leg went nowhere, which really disappointed me. There was simply too much focus done for me to accept it being forgotten, especially for an all-time elite worker like Misawa. There was also almost a busines…

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These two matched up earlier in the year, in a match that was pretty fun but kind of one sided, with Ki just killing Necro. Here it was way more even, as both guys brought sick amounts of asskicking. This was worked under KO or submission rules and it actually reminded me a lot of the classic Yuki Ishikawa v. Daisuke Ikeda matches. Similar pacing with Ki unloading brutal kicks to the face and body, and Necro fighting back with headbutts and punches. Necro's punches were great, he just wastes Ki with some of the best bodyshots I have ever seen in wrestling, I almost expected Ki to spit blood, he also throws a great lead left hook. This had more chair stuff then those match…

A pretty good Shibata punishment match. I really liked Fujita's hope spots and the way he kept right on top of Shibata, transitioning from move to move in accordance with Shibata's actions. For example, when Shibata struggles against a sleeper, Fujita German suplexes him and goes back to the sleeper. When Shibata gets too close to the ropes, Fujita backdrops him on his head and applies the hanging front necklock. Again, when Shibata fights it off, Fujita DDTs him and re-applies it on the ground. Fun stuff. In the end, Shibata kills him with a powerbomb before tapping him quickly with the crab hold.

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This was a decent match as far as clean, technical Cena matches go. He had better matches than this when he first broke through, but he was in a vastly different role here to his early breakout period. As far as I recall, 2007 was Cena's best year. I didn't see too much foreshadowing of that here, and overall I thought 2006 was a weak year for Cena compared to his 2005, and even that year dovetailed towards the end. It will be interesting to see what sparks his 2007. Whatever merits this bout had were ruined by the run-ins at the end. I have zero interest in the DX reunion and Edge hamming it up at the end like a Saturday morning cartoon villain was ridiculous.

Bryan Danielson defends the ROH World Title Right now, this is in my all time Top 50. One of the most overlooked matches in US indie wrestling history. Heel masterclass by Bryan and a focused Homicide performance, which makes his character moment at the end more rewarding. Excellent dueling arm work and consistent selling from both. Great continuity with the past when it comes to previous Bryan title defenses and the finish has 1/20/97 vibes to it. ****5/8

I only bothered watching this show for the Sugiura/Takaiwa title change, and found this hidden gem. It's based around Marufuji working over Shiosaki's arm, and being just as crafty as he was with Misawa's knee from the 12/10 GHC match. But, this time it actually matters! Shiosaki sells it the whole match, and when he tries to start a comeback, he'll throw chops and elbows with the other arm, and even remember to sell it when he's in control. There's a really nice part where Shiosaki wears Marufuji down with a sleeper, stuns him with an Oklahoma roll, and then tries a German suplex, but loses the bridge because of his arm. The finish is odd, but goes back to NOAH not real…

Talk about it here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJl8Ug3j09E

Talk about it here.