Matt D

Oh good, time to hype Halftime Heat and complain about Maroon 5 some more.

I'm glad they are doing 45 second intervals so that these guys can all get to bed.

This ramp is way too long for these old people.

Look, I missed a big chunk of the show: did we already make the joke how instead of dressing up like Venom, Nakamura decided his favorite superhero was Kane?

They need to get Jarrett out of there before he has a heart attack.

Sorry guys. I'm pretty sure of it by now. I can't come aboard for the Brock stuff. I can imagine a Brock match I'd like, but I can't imagine them actually doing it at this point. It's almost like watching an entire different medium or at least genre, one with different rules. It's offputting and I can't take the leap. I'm not sure I even want to anymore.

The end of that was really good. I missed a bunch before. What they did in the last ten minutes was a lot of pro wrestling stuff, things that had worked before, classic bits of booking, and sort of mixed it all together with a bit of pure magic in the middle and it all just worked so well.

It's so damn sparkly in there.

I'm dealing with getting kids to bed so I'm missing a ton of this, but I was floored they actually the top rope elbow without three cuts.

I've got specific nitpicks here but the big picture stuff in this one is all great.

Ok guys, it's 8 PM EST. I'm here. I'm ready for the PPV to start! I'm sure looking forward to that Asuka vs Becky match.

Not able to catch this but I liked a lot of the Prince Puma vs a base matches. This sounds like the opposite of that.

Jetlag NotJayTabb Tim Evans > joe g > Nintendo Logic ( who gives one to Tim) Grimmas cad Headcheese Matt D HC, I'll think up something for you ASAP.

By far the most frustrating thing was that they rushed into the Duggan program with Yoko on the idea that he'd never been knocked off of his feet, which makes no sense because it's how he eliminated Savage.

Ok, I'll spin in the next 24 hours. I just need a window where work and kids are both quiet.

I put this together, but it's more of the beginning stuff than the end stuff. http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2016/04/sombra-manny-andrade-spotlight-master.html?_sm_au_=iVVq4081PM2HVHMM Honestly, you ought to use this: http://www.luchadb.com/roster/matchfinder.php Just put in Sombra, la and a start date of sometime in 2014 with only matches with videos. Watch the title matches or the main event matches with Rush/Mascara/Sombra as a trios.

So I'm glad I watched this. It was good to see Ford in general. I liked seeing Blank too. It was good to see modern CHIKARA, probably good for me to see an intergender match since I haven't seen any in years and they're fairly common now. In general, I liked the presentation here. CHIKARA plays fast and loose with reality. I buy Black Widow being able to survive with the Hulk chasing her for three minutes in a crumbling Helicarrier. I buy Chun-Li fighting Balrog. I bought this too. Ford's sort of a tale of two worlds with her offense. The strikes are pretty good actually, especially the kicks. The acrobatic stuff, however, was hit or miss. That has less to do with her gender and more to do with the fact I've seen people hit it far better. If you're going to do a flip before your move, even in a heightened reality like CHIKARA, you need to make it seem like it's adding impact to the move, or at least that it's impact neutral. Stuff like the back-handstand before the shoulderblock in the corner felt like molasses. It's true with anyone, male or female. If you're going to do overly complicated stuff, you have to execute it well. Otherwise, don't do it. She did a lot well (selling, bumping, the strikes, just general presence) so it's a bit of a shame that what stood out the most was that. Blank was pretty delightful. The gimmick with the zipper over the mouth is clever. The idea of violent masterpieces feels original in a medium where nothing feels original anymore (and the loser must wear a mask gimmick sounds like it was pure CHIKARA). He had this was of oscillating between watching what was unfolding around him and explosively hit a move that was purely in character. Anyway, this was enjoyable for what it was. I'm not sure it could have worked anywhere BUT CHIKARA but that's a testament to the promotion so much as it's a red flag for the match. ----- In general, I can reroll fairly soon. I think we're all a little bumpy on things here. We've had, what, 1-2 reviews this week? Do people want to keep going or maybe call it a day for 2018-9 and maybe revisit things for Santo in July or something? I'm ok either way. Just let me know.

At the end of the day, it's cultural. Vince's life work was to redefine Pro Wrestling, the whole "taking out of the smokey halls" myth all the way up to "putting smiles on faces." Something like AEW is not a competitor. It's a heresy.

I've never actually seen Ford either, so I'm up for that.

Ok. New week. I think we'll keep riding until the end of January and then take stock. We probably have a little more overlap than before just through attrition. NotJayTabb > cad > joe g (joe gives NJT a match) Grimmas Matt D Jetlag NintendoLogic Headcheese Tim Evans Steven, have you seen this one?

I had come across this one a few years ago but I was eager to see it again. Romero being in there with Virus does give it a few unique wrinkles. There isn't a ton of 00-07 or so Virus readily available online and it's a shame because as good as he's been in the last decade, he was younger and faster then without really losing much of the finesse he's aged into. There are some reversals in the first caida (like catching a leg in mid air on a leapfrog and driving Romero down) which are just too good. Romero hung with him, starting out simple with the matwork but getting more intricate towards the finish, with enough personality to keep the fans engaged and get them behind Virus. He, maybe, escalated things a bit too fast too soon with the hangman's neckbreaker, for instance, but he won the fall, so I'm generally ok with it. The segunda was short and sweet, with Romero bringing the meanness and intensity and Virus almost instantly reversing things. That continues into the tercera. I'm not sure if the anti-cuban sentiment or what, but you have to love how thoroughly they lean into the heat for a title match, even while keeping that veneer of skill and technique. Romero supplies intensity and keeps the crowd angry at him, but it's impressive Virus can marry the two elements so flawlessly. How often do we complain that a grudge match starts with a lock-up? Here, though, he was able to make those convoluted holds feel like they were full of fury.

I'm surprised they aren't working with Bischoff even in a ceremonial role.

I'm a little slowed down by the snow we got in the DC area this weekend. I do hope to spin the wheel either tonight or tomorrow morning. Steven's on, Edger's off. Anyone else want to jump in or take some time off?

Is there really a wide expanse between poop jokes and dick jokes?

Someone tell me if I should check out the UK show. The alternative is probably watching a bunch of Chic Cullen matches.