October 2010

This is a Submissions Count Anywhere match, so naturally there's a lot of submissions showcased. Morrison & Miz aren't exactly who you would call submission-savvy wrestlers, but I think that added to the thing, seeing them do Dragon Sleepers, Texas Cloverleaves etc -- stuff that you wouldn't normally see from them. Will always remember this match for being the one WWE main roster match where Bryan busts out his good ol' friend in the form of Cattle Mutilation, too. They do good use of the ANYWHERE part of the gimmick as well w/ them going to the crowd, and ultimately ending the match on the entrance ramp. It's very fun stuff all around. ***1/2

WWE Champion Randy Orton vs Sheamus - Hell In A Cell 2010 Hell In A Cell Orton vs Sheamus, First Ever "Steel" Stairs In A Ring Match!!!!! It is funny in the PG Era of Hell In A Cell matches they have relied a lot on weapons to fill the violence left by blood, punches and stunts. There is no "weapon" on the rise more in the 2010s than the ring stairs. It has become a prevalent part of WWE to the point where there was a "Stairs" match between Big Show vs Rowan. They are more frequently used than tables at this point and I am surprised the WWE fans don't chant "We Want Stairs". The reason I bring this up is the last ten minutes or so centered completely around working sp…

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TNA World Tag Team Champions Motor City Machine Guns vs Generation Me - Bound for Glory 2010 I don't have too much to add to my previous review from their September match. The Bucks turning heel created a better transition into the heat segment when they hit a Super DDT off the top rope. That was a very good turning point and played off their attack. It also helped with the babyface shine as Shelley was using more stinging chops and the Guns were really dominating the Bucks with high octane strikes. Ultimately the match devolved into a spotfest. I liked the previous match better because there was more traditional wrestling and only two minutes of spotfest wrestling. H…

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Really fun feature bout between all of the great old-school grapplers....and a bored Suzuki, I guess. Fujiwara/Nishimura is a dream match that would've probably been one of my personal GOAT-tier pairings had they ever faced off, this is unfortunately as close as we get to that happening and it's hardly much to really appreciate given the undercard state this is plopped in. Their stuff is, however, still pretty sturdy. Fuji at his age isn't much of a workrate guy but he's a master of the small things; him getting flustered after being caught out by a sneaky Nishimura elbow smash going along with his usual fancy knuckle-lock/handstand spot just to get his arm exposed for a …

AJPW Triple Crown Champion SUWAMA vs Masakatsu Funaki - AJPW 10/24/10 FINALLY! This was uploaded in all its reigning glory I have probably been on the lookout for this for 5-6 year. This was even better than I expected. Table throws, furious strike exchanges and BLOOD~! Curious though we only get 21 minutes of a 29 minute match a little less than 75%. It feels complete so I am going to rate, but I wish we had it in its entirety. SUWAMA maybe the most underrated wrestler ever because he has been stuck in 21st Century All Japan his whole career, but the dude is a beast and if you like power wrestler like me you ought to check him out. Funaki is a shoot-style beas…

Two masters at what they do doing what they do best. 97% of this match is spent on the mat, working holds. The biggest impact move is a gutwrench suplex by Hideki Suzuki, who is still a young boy at this point in his career but already better than guys who've been working 10+ years. It's a simple game of chess on the canvas and if you can dig it, this is a match well worth checking out.

Kings Road/WWE main event parody match better than a lot of serious attempts at such things. Neat opening exchange, and you realize these guys are good at filling time and getting their match over, Dino actually is better at things like working a sleeper hold or emoting during a strike exchange than most wrestlers, even aside from all the effective butt comedy. HARASHIMA really laces him up with kicks in a way not many comedy workers would be content taking them, and there is really amusing "distraction" spot that works better than most outside distraction spots because it's self aware. Funny to think that this main event drew more people to Korakuen Hall than NOAH does …

This is from that time when Sato somehow almost won the first DDT election, and as a result they gave him a brief title run. It is a contendership match, HARASHIMA held the belt after beating Sekimoto in Sumo Hall. This match is good because Sato is great, he spends this match targetting Ibushi's arm. Sato's got a ton of setups for the armbar so even if he's just basically spamming one move, it's really great. Ibushi doesn't sell it for most of the match but it worked because Sato keeps targetting it and it plays into the finish. There's also a disgusting suplex where Ibushi falls on the crown of his head, because it's an Ibushi match.

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This is a rematch from the night before. Ziggler comes down to the ring with Vickie Guerrero and her NXT rookie Kaitlyn I didn't realise how long ago 2010 felt until I heard how Lawler was on commentary on this match. He was ripping into Vickie Guerrero for her weight and appearance and he's SUPPOSED TO BE THE BABYFACE. Anyway, you can tell Mr. Workrate Dolph Ziggler is having a whale of a time getting to wrestle the Indy Legend Bryan Danielson. He's clearly been watching his ROH tapes as the opening exchange seems very reminiscence of Bryan's time in ROH. Bryan scoops a leg and attempts to stomp on Ziggler's head, but he's just barely dodges. It's a neat exchange…

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