cactus
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Everything posted by cactus
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Inoki might of been in his 50s wrestling a seriously out of shape Vader, but they're able to create some magic by relying on some simple storytelling, playing on nostalgia and Inoki allowing himself to take a brutal beating. Vader decimated Inoki during his NJPW debut back in 1987 and he hopes to recreate that moment a decade on. Inoki is adored by the crowd and they are into every single thing he does, making his beating feel that much more dramatic. Everyone knows this match because of the sickening German suplex spot, but there's a damn fine match to be found here too. ★★★★½ -
Heel Liger is the best Liger. Liger has been donning his gimmick for five years at this point, and he is firmly placed as ace of the division. Sasuke is new to NJPW and he's been slaving away in the independent circuit, looking for his big break. After a surprisingly brilliant mat wrestling segment, Liger starts to torture Sasuke by stretching him all over the place and going to town on his arm. Sasuke has to find openings which usually involve him hitting some kind of insane dive. The finish might have one of the most infamous botches in puro history, with them covering up for it in a way that actually enhances the match. Sasuke slips on the ropes when going for a springboard, Liger mocks him, only for Sasuke to kip up and roll Liger up for the win. A wonderful ending to the best juniors match ever. This is simple pro-wrestling storytelling pulled off perfectly, with high octane juniors action. ★★★★★
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This might be one of the best sprints ever. There is zero downtime and it's a perfect entry point for someone who wants to get into puro or junior style wrestling. Benoit is as intense as he was in the WWE, but he's twice as quick here. Sasuke hits some incredible dives. This mainly suffers because it follows the Liger vs Sasuke match, which might just be the best ever juniors match. It's lacks the storytelling found in that match, but it can stand toe to toe with when comparing sheer workrate. ★★★★½
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Nita's crazy acting was cheesy, Muta looked bored and unmotivated, and the timed explosion that went off around the ring was totally laughable. Props for Onita taking those barbed wire bumps, as the explosions were quite intense. The whole thing with Nita's sickle was dumb in the same way as when Triple H uses a sledgehammer. I didn't hate this as much as everyone else, but this was still a bad match. A bad spectacle is still a spectacle. ★★
I didn't think this was that good, as Chono looked rather battered by this point in his career. Hashimoto saves this from total mediocrity with some great selling and the buckets of charisma he brings to the table. Truth be told, I'm not a fan of either guy and they had both seen better days by 1999. I liked the sequence at the start of the match where they tease nailing spinning wheel kicks and Hashimoto getting in Chono's head by doing squats after eating some nasty leg kicks was some king shit. The interference was welcome as I wasn't engaged in anything these two were doing, but the finish was crap and confusing. Don Frye gets on the apron as Chono locks in the STF. Hashimoto doesn't tap or pass out, but the referee rings the bell. Okay? This only went 15 minutes, but it still dragged. ★★
Don Frye looks like the lovechild of Brock Lesnar and Rick Rude. That is what a top tier wrestler should look like. His heel work looks a tad forced, but I can't argue with a man with a moustache as strong as his. Frye nails Norton down with a barrage of strikes to keep him grounded. This works until Norton powers up and starts an incredible comeback. When Norton starting no-selling Frye's headbutts, I thought I was seeing Norton being made into a star, much like Nakanishi earlier in the night. It's not to be as Frye is able to score a low blow when the referee is down and lock in a sleeper for a win, after caving in Norton's skull with some nasty punches. This was a fun hoss fight that hid both men's weaknesses and didn't outwear it's welcome. ★★¾
I can give or take the first ten minutes as not a lot happens apart from a teased fallout between Nagata and Nakanishi after a miscommunication, but nothing comes from it. Ohara and Goto are solid enough brawlers, with Ohara having some noticeably stiff strikes. This gets good once Nakanishi is Powerbombed on the outside and makes a monster comeback to clean house and save Nagata from his mugging. Nakanishi, bleeding from the mouth, launching Goto onto Ohara from the Torture Rack position was a cool spot that made Nakanishi look like a megastar. The crowd pops huge for Nakanishi and Nagata winning the straps. The booking of NJPW might of been all over the place around this period, but you could never say that they didn't have a wide selection of new stars to build the company around. ★★★
Koshinaka is washed up and Fujinami is wrecked physically by this point. Kojima and Tenzan look like stars and it's clear that they could make something enjoyable if they were matched with two wrestlers who could go physically. Fujinami still looks like a big deal when he's slapping around those cocky upstarts around and the crowd pop big for Koshinaka's butt bumps and Fujinami's Dragon Screws. This is a match that's carried on charisma and nostalgia. ★★
Kashin's gear makes him look like Hayabusa, but he has none of the charisma or high spots to make him as memorable as Hayabusa. This is a total carryjob by Kanemoto as Kashin doesn't bring much to table with the exceptions of the few flash submissions that he pulls out near the end of the match. They were clearly trying to work this as a hate-filled sprint, but the heat is noticeably absent. Koji stiffly striking Kashin in the face with close fists made Koji look like a total dickhead. This was a great Kanemoto performance found in a decent enough match. ★★¾
The more experienced team of Liger and Samurai rush Takaiwa and Otani and work this one as the heels. Samurai is a solid hand, but he's always overshadowed by Liger even when he's teaming with him. Otani has seven years of wrestling experience at this point, but he still has that fire in his belly that a lot of the NJPW young lions have and his springboard attacks look as spectacular as ever. Never has a springboard move look as effective than when it comes from Shinjiro Otani. Liger shoteis Takaiwa, but he powers up in a really cool spot. The youngsters are able to pull this one off, but this felt like it could of went either way. ★★★
Standing at an impressive 6'3 and being equipped with natural intensity, Brian Johnston looks like someone who would be a huge star. Looking like a freakish hybrid between Nathan Jones and Brock Lesnar, his flaws become suddenly apparent when the bell rings. His strikes look like shit and the ground game he works with a young Fujita looks subpar and awkward. Not a whole happens in this until Johnston lands a combo which looks to rock Fujita, only for Fujita to strike back, land a Fisherman's driver and lock on an armbar for a sudden win. At least this was short and the finish looked cool enough. ★¾
Of course! I probably should of just said good! I'm hoping they save Roman's return match for Payback. Otherwise they've got nothing they can whip up in 6 days to sell me on that event other than the inevitable Banks/Bayley turn.
Utterly dreadful main event, but Roman saved the whole segment. He looked like the dog's bolllocks out there. Hopefully he ditches the Shield gear and he can be the megastar he's always destined to be. Good PPV overall. Probably the best from this Covid era.
Pretty solid match all things considered. I really can't be arsed to stay up for Strowman/Wyatt seeing how poor their other matches have been. Hopefully it won't last long.
Holy shit, someone just flashed FIRE VELVETEEN DREAM on their screen.
Fun match. I'd say that was the first believable heel performance from Rollins. Guy comes across as a cartoon villian usually. Hopefully they carry on with the storyline.
Dominik's ain't half bad. He's no Pat McAffe, but all his shit looks decent. This is lacking in heat because of the whole ThunderDome thing, but I'm finding this match to be compelling.
Hopefully we'll see Deville again at some point. I'm well curious to see how they pull this off.
Can't really get into this match given recent events with Deville. The match feels like it has zero heat too.
I didn't even notice that Bayley's held the title for over 300 days until they've mentioned it. I could of swore she won it at 'Mania. Dominic can't act for shit.
Orton is definitely winning the title from Drew. Just not entirely sure if they're going to do it tonight or at a later date. ...the ThunderDome doesn't look half bad to be honest.
Lee vs Cross was underwhelming. Never felt like it got going and it needed to be more explosive. The result felt genuinely shocking though. I was totally expecting Lee to kick out. Good Takeover overall. Most I enjoyed NXT since last year's pre-Mania Takeover.
I dug Cole vs McAffe. McAffe is a natural and I hope he comes back. He's got charisma for days and he's incredibly athletic. Cole working a non-wrestler forced him to slow right down and it seems like he's got a solid set of fundamentals. More of this Cole, and less of Crossfit indyriffic wrestling Cole please! I didn't pay much attention to the women's match, but it looked decent. Riley looked fantastic in post-match.
I'm mostly done with ladder matches, but that was a lot of fun even if it did go go on a tad too long. There was plenty of innovative spots to be found there.