February 2000

The squad is all here. Rudos kill the tecnicos in the first fall. Fouls and punches are thrown around constantly. Satanico continues to brutalize TB. After some quick flash by the tecnicos in fall #2, here come the rudos again as they bum rush their opponents and win in two straight falls in an easy manner. 1000% Guapo. ***

Crazy has got himself a bit of a haircut. I have been slightly more lenient of the ECW type crowd than Charles up to this point but when Crazy barely botches a rana and they yell You Fucked Up here, I got annoyed. They double down by chanting for tables too. This was an all out sprint for these two as they run through their spots as fast as they can and then Crazy wins and hightails it out of here. **1/4

Well what do you know, the last half of a hot looking NJPW juniors match. Kanemoto is able to get some revenge by beating up Liger and Otani is always good for dishing out the punishment. The clips we see here look really strong and we do get enough in the back half for me to rank. Finish was a bit perplexing as Kashin pins Otani. **3/4

The first fall of this spends a lot of time grappling. The action is fine but not too inspiring. Super J (NOW Sting) mixing it up with the likes of Hash and Sasaki is an interesting look I suppose. Match breaks down and Sasaki is able to secure the first fall for his team. Hashimoto raises the intensity in the second fall by demanding that Chono get into the ring to face him. Second fall really features a big segment between Hashi and Tenzan which was exciting. Hash is able to tap him out for the second fall. A good match but it didn’t make me forget the multiman NJ classics we have seen before. That may be unfair but is kind of the expectations that are going to be prese…

A kind of by the numbers AJPW tag but still some good stuff to bite into. Mainly seeing Kobashi and Hansen revive their rivalry and go after each other with a ton of vigor. This match also provided a good look into Johnny Smith. He seems like a good mechanic but also someone that doesn't really move the needle for me one way or another. Akiyama is made to look strong as he was heading into the big Misawa singles match and overall this was mostly used as a Burning showcase. ***1/4

Beefy hoss tag that was about what you want from these four. A lot of clubbering clotheslines and some good double team and control sections. The only suspect part of this match was the finish. No Fear has just beat HDA and riding a wave of momentum so them losing here feels ill advised even given the story arc of Doc having a revival as a good worker. *** (6.0)

Probably the oddest match on paper we may see throughout 2000. Mascaras gets the big welcome which I expected. After the other four guys pair off with some rudimentary stuff, Mascaras and Dantes come in. I was actually shocked at the effectiveness of what Mascaras was doing in his late 50’s. His spinning head scissors wasn’t the prettiest thing I have ever seen but were still impressive to me. Dos Caras is also spunky on the outside. Hidaka and Otsuka is the feature workrate pairing and they look good enough here but I think it was just the shear shock at Dos and Mil looking competent that they got overshadowed. Mascaras has another good sequence with Violenca that is fol…

ECW looks to be running a barn tonight. Nice showcase for Guido here with no Big Sal, just him and Kash doing some wrestling. I really like how Guido can get himself over with his wrestling while being decidedly a heel. A strong workman match that maximized the time it was given. ***

Cory wants to talk to one of the Young Guns. Here comes Derrick King who really should have been more of a man throughout the 2000’s. Really fun three way match here that did more for me than any of the OVW stuff so far TBH. King just looks so smooth and this match really made me realize that distribution limits still exist a bit in 2000 as someone like King now could be ripping it up on CWF Mid Atlantic or Nova Pro and at least be getting their name out there more. King ends up winning the Young Guns title after a little bit of miscommunication and a ref bump. **1/2

Bless Gibson still having the RNR coat with NWA on the back of it. Gibson claims that him and Ricky WERE the greatest tag team. Robert is being a little heelish here which is exciting. Tommy Rogers comes out and calls him Ricky. Lol. I really love this back and forth and the tension that is building. Tommy says he will cancel his match and they can wrestle right now to prove who the better team is. Now Roger is calling the fans losers because they are chanting Rock N Roll. A referee comes out and we have a match. Robert has next to nothing left in the tank here in 2000 and here we are in 2017 and he still is doing indy shots. Tommy again should really have been doing IWA-…

AJ is announced as rookie of the year. Bailey comes out and does his usual great promo against AJ. Al Getz joins us in the commentary booth. Fun to see Southside Trash who were a great heel team. Richie Rivera is fucking huge. He teams going with Southside Trash before going against them. Skinny Kenny has a funny gimmick of not being skinny at all. Kenny is even wearing a shirt that says I hate fat people. Rukkus ends up winning and then Bailey comes out to give another scorching promo confirming that he had bought off Rukkus and owns the belt. They even bleep him when he proclaims he is like God. **

Some clips of Dinsmore vs. Conway where the action was good. Dinsmore also cuts a promo with Kenny Bolin being his lacky that was good. BJ Pain looks game for this match as he has some good offense when called upon and sells Dinsmore’s offense. Nick misses a diving headbutt. Damaja causes interference and BJ Pain picks up the upset with the frog splash. Good tv match. Dinsmore calls out Damaja and we get an impromptu match between them two. A little bit of back and forth here until the match breaks down. Dinsmore gets smashed with the case but Conway comes out and whacks Damaja and Dinsmore wins barely. Fun segment. **1/2

This is my peak Crazy Max team. They do all the great stuff that I hope. I thought Genki looked a little shaky at points here and it is clear that him and Saito are really young and just kind of finding themselves. Tokyo whiffs on a back spin kick but otherwise looks pretty damn good and his sequences with CIMA were the highlight from a technical standpoint. Fuji continues to maybe be my absolute favorite wrestler in 2000 so far or at least in contention. The comedy stuff he mixes in works and doesn't overstay its welcome and his move set and execution is spot on. I am thinking he might land on my GWE list in 2026. This didn't reach the tip top form of the other Toryumon …

I sort of love the short promos before the TWA matches. It gives the young guys a chance to spit out a promo without being expected to do too much. Buster Time continues to be pretty awesome and authentic. The irony isn’t lost on me with an HBK ran promotion having a tv show called Total Impact. Dragon and Spanky try stereo dives but miss. We have gotten a couple of minor whoas by HBK but nothing major so far. Dragon still has some miscommunication spots that happens when he gets atomic dropped by Chaz. This was mainly used as advancement for Spanky and Am Drag as they pick up the win easier than I would have guessed. **

Jindrak and Skipper is a promising tag team. Power Company is about as generic, meathead tag team as you can work up on a CAW mode on a video game. Power Company takes over on Skipper and their offense mostly consists of double sledge shots. It is effective if rudimentary. Hudson on commentary keeps mentioning that he is surprised that Skipper and Jindrak are getting along given Mark’s athletic background. Hot tag is made and Jindrak and Skipper run through a good bit of their offense and win. Both guys look like real strong prospects here. **

Action Jackson is the WWA World Heavyweight champion, while Bobo is a member of a group called the IWO, one of the lowest rent NWO rip offs I’ve seen. Big running boot to the face by Jackson, who I thought had alopecia but has in fact just got ‘#1’ shaved into his head. The commentators make mention of Iceman Parsons in this promotion and it would’ve been cool to see him in 2000. Big splash for our first two count of the match. Jackson works on Bobo’s arm and after a dropkick he rolls under the bottom rope to the floor for a chat with his second. The figure four is reversed, reversed, reversed and reversed until they’re in the ropes and the official breaks the hold. …

Kotsubo’s hair is a true treasure here. These Tanaka BattlARTS matches are really bizarre. I want to stick with them and the work is technically good for the most part but they lack any energy or urgency. It feels more like a sparring session than an intense battle of grappling. Its so weird given how much fire and energy he has given in his NJPW appearances. I liken it to a MMA fighter that grinds out victories in UFC on the ground where wins and losses can lead to releases or promotions but in another organizations like PRIDE or somewhere where hot action is appreciated above all else, they want to show off their striking. Kotsubo shoulders some of the blame here too of…

In the same way I critiqued Tanaka in the previous match for making things feel too much like an exhibition with his demeanor, I will praise Ikeda here. Him refusing a hand shake is a simple gesture but one that ensures that the hatred is there. He backs up that bravado by giving Otsuka some thudy elbows as soon as he is tagged in. I liked Otsuka weathering the storm and regaining the advantage by going the wrestling route where he holds the advantage. They built up to the first interaction of Ishikawa and Ikeda well. Those two swinging away at each other is something I could watch all day. Nagai continues to impress me in knowing his role as the junior member of the proc…

Gertner does his usual spiel. I again really loved Corino’s promo here. Different from a few nights before as he doesn’t rail against the crowd but gives an intense warning to his opponents as he calls them out. Dusty chants fire up as he makes his entrance and the brawl starts. Brawl to the outside with the crowd heat well but nothing much of note. Traditional tag match portion is fairly short and simple with Dreamer getting worked over, Dusty getting his hot tag and them running through the finish with stereo elbow drops for the pin. Rhino immediately attacks after the bell until Sandman makes the save to a HUGE pop. Finish was great ECW with Sandman getting the heroes…

Talk about it here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caaTvhYTxE8

This is kind of the final straw for me and GAEA to a degree. Sato and Nagashima are presented as a top tag team so lets see if the bullshit can be cut out and we get a strong wrestling match. This does break down into a brawl five minutes in but at least it was established by the beginning sequences and it stays between the wrestlers involved in the actual match. Add to it some Korakuen dives and double stomps involving chairs and I was more forgiving than in the past. A huge German is given to Kato on the chair that the referee won’t count the pin on. A double stomp is then administered and that gets a close nearfall. Lioness comes in with a chair of her own but that get…

It really feels weird seeing Hogan in 2000 cutting promos with Jimmy Hart. You can almost see him searching around for an exit so he is no way held responsible for what is inevitable happening to the company right now. Hogan comes out for the match and the reaction is huge. I mean the people won’t stop chanting his name throughout the whole match. It really is incredible to watch and one of those moments where no matter how much bullshit the Hulkster has (and it is A LOT) I have to just sit back and smile as he was transcendent for pro wrestling. An all time gif worthy shot of Nick Patrick happens when Hogan chokes Flair in the ring. Flair plays dirty and goes low and for…

I love the Total Package entrance. Luger is insanely jacked here. Funk sneak attacks him and starts off on top with punches. Luger comes back with a nice press slam sending Funk through the table. Luger is certainly moving slow but the psychology is still there. Funk misses a moonsault to a big pop and Elizabeth gets in the ring. That causes a DQ which makes no sense given the weapons we have seen. Arn comes down and steals the chair and Doug Dillenger chases Lex and Liz out. **1/4

Sid gets a real strong reaction coming out and he looks cool as hell. Maybe I am turning into a SID mark in 2000 as he has been really trying still. Jarrett too does well here taking a bump over the table and eating a drink from the crowd. Madden continues to drive me up the fucking wall with his commentary. Some weak offense by Jeff on top mainly consisting of a sleeper. Sloppy Sid makes an appearance with a boot that misses by a mile. Shoddy finish with Mickey Jay getting hit and Jeff using the belt for a nearfall. Jarrett then gives Jay the Stroke. Sid reverses the Stroke into a crossface. Harris Brothers come in and the ground chants for Goldberg. This had some promis…

Kane is back with Uncle Paul and is in a handicap match. HHH makes his entrance and then X-Pac. Ross is giddy at the thought of Kane getting his hands of X-Pac. Tori has a neck brace selling the damage from SmackDown. HHH pulls a switheroo and Big Show is now HHH’s partner vs. Kane. Kane grabs HHH during his water spit, why doesn’t that happen more often? Show and HHH work well as a team. It is weird watching this in 2017 and knowing how many hours I have spent watching HHH, Show and Kane and that 2 out of the 3 of them will have a high profile match at WrestleMania THIS year. Still, they both were doing well here and Kane was the weak link honestly and not being the best…