March 2000

Fun to see an Onita Pro undercard match and these two guys are banging around FREEDOMS today with Sasaki especially being a big deal within that promotion. Good action here besides a horribly botched Sasuke special. The Korakuen crowd seems appreciative too. A really interesting look at the genesis of the deathmatch workers of the future and even present. **3/4

I wasn’t crazy about the cosplaying of the GAEA stuff with constant interference but the actual moves here were really good and Aja was vicious throughout. Mariko and Aja have some miscommunication but they are able to ride the ship and pick up the win with Aja’s spinning back fist which is becoming a brutal move. We got less than half of this so I am not going to rank this one but it was a mix of good moves with a frustrating structure. NR

Holy shit was this an awesome seven minutes. It looks like we get five minutes clipped but this was just relentless with full of huge spots, big bombs and nice strikes. Mary Apache may be one of the most unheralded great workers of the 2000’s if the Billy Boy vs. Apache feud is as good as I remember. This was a great debut in the decade for her. Always tough to rank these type of matches but in a month with a lot of good stuff but nothing blowaway, this blew me away for the time it was on my screen. ****

Mima has really been active in 2000 so far in a variety of different areas. I guess Asari and Yagi pulled double duty today as we get their Arsion stuff after this. The camera work here makes it look like they are wrestling on the surface of the sun. So much yellow taking up my screen in this gym. The match itself didn’t do a whole lot for me as it started with brawling around the ring and the comeback for Asari and Yagi came too easy. Interference even plays to the finish which I have had just about enough of throughout 2000 so far. Looks like we got 9 out of 16 minutes. I was expecting a nice showcase for the ladies but this continues the joshi 2000 trend of being fairl…

La Parka has a lip synch gimmick which is pretty hilarious. La Parka’s yellow gear here is exquisite. I have never been a Chavo guy but it was clear in the La Parka sequence here how much smoother and overall enjoyable this match was compared to Chavo lumbering around. Parka does some dancing and the mis direction spots between Dandy and Silver King was charming. Parka even gets chants to use the chair. Parka slaps the shit out of Dandy then takes a shoulder into the post full steam ahead. Another swell match that only went five minutes that unfortunately had Chavo winning even though he was by far the least worker. **1/2

Seems kind of ill advised to be doing this match so close to the PPV. Again, Hogan and Flair are working pretty hard here along with Luger but stuff just feels way played out and more of an homage of a travelling road show that has just stepped out into a town again for their only appearance of the year instead of a weekly episodic promotion. Flair tries to flow some extra juice into this with his strap and the brawling on the table but overall this wouldn’t have exactly made me want to run out and purchase Uncensored. Hogan ends up getting his revenge here beating up all three Total Package members as we sign off the air. *1/2

Jarrett cuts a promo. Yeah, I’m not interested either. Any dynamic he had with Debra is devoid when he presents in this manner as a big ladies man. Action here with Booker and Jarrett was good. I wish we could have had a long standing feud based on in ring action and not everything else. Harris Bros interfere for the predictable bullshit finish. This gave a good look at the potential of Booker and bell to bell, Jarrett still has stuff to offer. **1/2

This match was just a multitude of people I was unfamiliar with. Even looking at trusty cagematch and google images left me shaky on a few. A really conflicting match with some stuff I loved like the way they did Asuka’s elimination. All four of the opposing team go after her and essentially bite the bullet in gaining a countout win against her. The rest was a mixed bag with some good action but also annoying interference, random weapon shots, etc. Finish was a nice moment of them overcoming the odds once they got through the big buzzsaw of Asuka. ***

Angle ragging on the local sports team doesn’t ever get old. I do love the pairing with Backlund too even though I could see some people thinking it is too comedic a spot. Chyna laughing at Jericho’s jokes on the other hand….. not a good fit at all as we have said. Match sadly only goes 2.5 minutes but again it is nice to see Tazz still in there with these guys even though I’m not a huge Tazz fan or anything. I wonder with it being mid March when he got inserted into the Hardcore stuff for Mania and why they shouldn’t have just made the triple threat at Mania a four way. End comes when Jericho has the Walls of Jericho locked in when Benoit interferes. This draws Chyna in …

Rock attacks before the bell on the outside. Pac bumps well for Rock and now he has been thrusted up to be the main DX lieutenant in a more prominent role than even 1999. Big Show and HHH along with their respective McMahons make their way down the aisle. That turns this match into a glorified lumberjack match with HHH and Show having pretty major beef now. I guess the coalition exploded earlier on this SmackDown. Rock gets in a spinebuster as a hope spot. Rock hits a good powerslam move that feels unique for him but Tori stops the count. X-Pac then pastes Rock with a spinning heel kick but eats a Rock Bottom while going for Bronco Buster. Show interferes distracting the …

Figures that it takes the minis to produce the first good match we have seen from AAA. This wasn't spectacular but it was refreshing to see a basic minis match featuring good action and some sick bumps from Abismo Negro. Again AAA has the roster to be ok they just keep letting the booking get in the way. ***

This was probably my favorite AAA thing so far actually. It certainly had too much referee bullshit for my optimal liking including the ref scoring the pinfall in the second caida, but it at least stayed based in the ring and had some semblance of a story that I could grasp. I really enjoyed the heel team here as it is filled with gruffy, grumpy men that don't give a fuck. Hopefully we can see more of this in the future. ***1/4

The atmosphere was amazing, the drama was epic. Loved Villano in this - his work on top was excellent, he brutalized Atlantis in such a brilliant fashion, and Atlantis' selling of that was really good, too. This is heavily pimped as the best lucha match of the 2000's, and it sure was a classic. ****1/2

What is the liability like for throwing fireworks into the stands? The roster for CMLL right now is just loaded. First fall is all rudo beatdown. This rudo trio isn’t particular flashy compared to Infernales and Guapos but they get the job done and do have a stature as big deals within the company. Feels good seeing Porky and he immediately does something of note by doing an amusing wind up with one hand while he quickly fouls with the other hand to Dantes. Heat for Caras and Porky squaring off was nuclear. Porky’s red hair is unfortunate. Segunda is essentially a Porky showcase and very entertaining for what it was. Third fall opens things up with a more hectic pace and …

Shocker’s outfit is pretty magnificent. Huge pop for the tecnicos and Perro coming out. I thought this was the best we have seen Shocker look as he looked poised to be a big star and finishes off the first fall with a great elbow drop onto Perro. So much for your homecoming. Tarzan Boy still is getting a good bit of heat from the Arena Mexico faithful and a rudo turn is possibly needed in his future with him getting the Roman Reigns reaction. Perro still is kind at doing the mano y mano strikes exchange as he has a strong one with Scorpio in the ring and then an even better one with Ano outside the ring. While all of this happened, Tarzan Boy picked up the second fall win…

So so opener. It was a bit rough to ask them to go out there and work a singles match on a show like this. There were some nice spots but not a lot holding it together outside of the big offensive moves.

A rating I really waft back and forth on. This had good action throughout and told a nice story of giving Ultimo Guerrero the rub while highlighting the right people in Olimpico. I liked Rivera and Mr. Mexico continuing their hot feud together. I do wish the Infernales might have been in something more meaty on this card given how great they have been in 2000 but again having a Torneo Cibernetico built around you on such a big card is no shame at all. ****

I really dug the opening of this. Snug mat work and big punches. The match kind of losses it way a bit as something is going on in the crowd which distracts everyone but without a camera angle or commentary, we have no idea what is happening. Things step up with Ian taking a reverse DDT onto a light tube outside busting him open in sick fashion with blood coming into his face from the back of his head. A gruesome visual is a young fan in the crowd having to turn away from the gore. Ian regains control with his barbed wire bat, some tube carving and a signature chair shot that gets the crowd cheering furiously. They do one of the best ballroom brawling double punch knockou…

So if you'd like to see a lot of wrestlers attempt to cripple themselves with nutty bumps, both intentionally and unintentionally, this is the match for you. TCK messes up a dive to the outside, which sets off a tragedy of errors that culminates in Low Ki falling off a ladder and hitting the apron in one of the scariest moments I've ever had as a wrestling fan, even watching 17 years later and knowing he is okay. Think I've seen the most insane moment of the match? Nope, think again. The next huge moment sees Ric Blade do a legdrop from the top of a basketball goal through a table. What the hell was wrong with these guys? This just about gave me a heart attack. I can't wa…

The dance-off before the match is something else. Someone has to GIF Lawler doing the whitest dance move in modern history -- the cabbage patch. That moment reminded me too much of one of my aunts after she's had too much Sunkist. Kind of a nothing match (Hey, Lawler supporters -- point us to the big list of good TV matches and has R-Truth ever had a good match? I'm not saying he hasn't, I'm just genuinely asking), but I saw the cabbage patch at least.

Well, they worked hard, but wow did we get some Indy Tendencies in this one that I hated. I realize they had less than five minutes to work with, but Youth was just working *so fast* and giving nothing anytime to sink in. I also wasn't crazy about the chair being used in plain sight of the referee, although it was good to see that Leon from Roseanne found work as a ringside second for Todd Morton.

This pretty much establishes that other than Tracy Smothers, Wolfie D is the best promo in wrestling. The crowd tries to sandbag him with a Jamie Dundee chant and he shuts it down because he ain't having it. Wolfie brings out Rob (Mo) to parody Ali, which isn't really good, but Wolfie D can make just about anything work. I love Wolfie's elaborate scheme to get Ali out of the arena earlier in the show! Finally, we get the match, which is a studio brawl that turns unexpectedly violent, with Wolfie even busting out a screwdriver. Spot is too old to do much in these matches, but when he's in with younger guys who know how to bump, he can get by on rep and this works. This sor…

Good match. Hoshikawa is shown as the senior throughout the match but Sugamoto does a good job of taking advantage of the openings afforded to him and using his speed. Hoshikawa really looks for a submission he can clinch on to earn a tap out. For the first part of the match it is the crab but eventually he relies of the Butterfly lock. I like how they showed that going back to the same hold could provide dividends later in the match. I haven't seen Sugamoto before but he was fine here. Not high end Osaka Pro but a good wrestling match nonetheless. *** (6.0)

Togo, Buffalo and QUALLT are heel's heels, which makes this a solid match. They go with the tried and true Southern tag formula, which almost always works, although this match would probably come off a little better in a slightly bigger venue. Togo has been working with Delphin and Yakushiji for years and it shows by how smooth all of their exchanges are, although they still manage to make everything look hard-fought. Osaka Pro is largely a promise unfulfilled at this point, even with some very good matches. I think the missing piece is atmosphere, as the work has been consistently good. ***

This was a good match, probably the best from OVW, and I wouldn't have minded the finish if OVW ever booked any finishes that didn't involve run-ins or ref bumps at all, but they don't seem to do so, at least not that we've seen. I was even prepared to give Cornette credit for dialing it down but by the end, OVW is its usual nauseating self. Ugh. *** match and a fun viewing experience until the finish if you stop immediately when the bell rings.