I hope you don't mind if I post some single match reviews here.



Backstory: Quite an extensive one. We all know about Samoa Joe but Jay Lethal rose through the RoH ranks as Special K member, Hydro. In mid 2004, he switched to the name of Jay Lethal and Samoa Joe took him under his wing, his protage. In early 2005, Lethal was able to capture the Pure Title. The Pure Title was never a favorite title of Joe while he was World Champion. Regardless, there was a vignette at the start of the Manhattan Mayhem DVD that showed Lethal and Joe in the ring way before the start of the show. Both men get in each other's faces and say they both want to win this match. Comes across that the Pure Title doesn't mean as much as the two men wrestling each other. Great set up.

Outcome: Samoa Joe wins after the Chimaira Combo to become the new Ring of Honor Pure Champion.

Analysis: For those that don't know the rules of a Pure Title match, it goes like this. You get three rope breaks. Once they are used, too bad. No closed fists. First time you get a warning, second time it happens, you lose a rope break. Finally, there is a twenty count on the floor. Title can change hands on a countout or DQ.

On to the match. In all of the Pure Title matches I've seen, this is probably the smartest one worked. The first thing you realize is that Joe has never been in a pure match before. This concept is totally new to him and it takes him about five to seven minutes to realize that he can't use a closed fist. He tries not to punch Lethal but during some of his trademark offense, the punch, chop, punch, chop combo, he forgets it and loses a rope break. The other times, it comes as second nature to Joe to counter whatever Lethal is doing with a closed fist. So within the first ten minutes, Joe has used up all of his rope breaks because he doesn't know how to use the rules of a pure match.

The second thing is how Lethal is able to keep chopping away at Joe without getting dominated like most wrestlers do. Lethal picks his spots most of the time. The first time this happens is at the start of the match when Joe drives him into the corner. Lethal shows no fear and slaps, HE SLAPS, Joe down to the mat. Lethal knows that other then picking his spots, he has to be aggressive on his offense so Joe gets beaten down. Almost the polar opposite of what CM Punk tried to do at Joe vs. Punk II. Referencing I realize but it's a different way of trying to beat Samoa Joe. Another instance of Lethal picking his spots is when Samoa Joe has him in position for the Facewash. Lethal knows it's coming so he gets to his feet, grabs the leg of Joe and throws it into the ropes. While Joe is hung, Lethal hits a very nice dropkick on Joe. Otherwise, Lethal tries to focus on the head of Joe to set him up for his release Dragon Suplex.

When Samoa Joe has control, you see his normal offense. The STJoe, the Big Joe Combo, many stiff chops and kicks that paste Lethal. But I love how at one point in the match, Joe wants to use a closed fist but thinks better of it. He switches to a forearm because he doesn't want to lose a rope break. Just right after that, Lethal bounces off the ropes and Joe uses that closed fist as a defense measure. See, Lethal knows Joe loves to use punches because he is much larger then anyone else on the Ring of Honor roster. Smart wrestling. Just like when Lethal had the Facewash scouted, Joe had a Crossbody scouted from Lethal and simply walked away from the move. Things like that friendly rivals need to use when they wrestle each other because they know each other so well. Another one of the Joe spots is the Forearm Sucidia on Lethal. The turning point in this match that shifts the, well I don't want to say dominance from Lethal... but his control. Lethal attempts to use a Sleeper on the apron and it's legal because Joe was out of rope breaks. Joe was smart enough to realize that he needed to do something insane to get the hold broke. Joe runs backwards and jumps off the apron with Lethal still applying the Sleeper hold through a table.

The finish was pretty well worked. Lethal used the Dragon Suplex and it failed to put Joe away. So Lethal is frustrated and has no idea what to do next. Lethal picks up Joe and tries to give him the Dragon again but Joe knew it was coming. He moves it into the Chimaira Combo without ever having to use the Island Driver, Muscle Buster or Rear Naked Choke. Joe took advantage of a situation made by Lethal's overzealousness. In a nice touch though, "The Champ Is Here" plays after the match. Sure it has nothing to do with the match but it's just a cool effect.

But as far this Pure Title match goes, it's probably one of the best Ring of Honor ever had. Joe and Lethal were on that night with what they wanted to do and it showed. This is borderline fantastic match when you look at the history of both men. They know each other, they both know what they want to do but it's just Joe taking advantage of Lethal that makes all the difference in the end. ****

Recommendation: Yes, go try to find it however you can. One of the best Pure Title matches ever.


Any feedback would be pretty cool as I like reviewing matches in this form.

Sorry but I figured I'd post another one.



Backstory; This is a match to determine the number one contender for the Ring of Honor World Title. Danielson was out of a RoH for a while and this was his first match back. These two have hooked up before and after this. That's about it for a backstory. Aside from me trying to find a **** AJ Styles match.

Outcome: AJ wins after a Styles Clash.

Analysis: When I think of wrestling, this is it. This whole match is based upon picking a body part and sticking to it after an a lengthy chain wrestling sequence that led both men onto the floor. That sets the whole tone of the match. There isn't going to be high flying in this one. The first good thing about this match is how they manage to keep it clean as both men are faces but Danielson has been known to get a little cheap... more so now a days. Once Danielson gets the first advantage following a cheap shot out of a break in the ropes. He managed to sucker AJ in. That's part of the attack from Danielson in this match is to lure AJ Styles into a bad situation which he does on numerous occiasions. Example is when AJ goes for that Dropkick of his, Danielson manages to land on his back. Whether that was meant or not, it was very nice. The arm work that Danielson puts into this match is fantastic. It plays into the Cattle Mutilation which focuses on the arm of his opponent. During one point of working on AJ's arm, he twist so hard, you can actually HEAR the wrist of AJ snap. Scary but awesome at the same time. One of the more interesting Danielson moves in this match is when AJ goes for his Moonsault DDT. Danielson catches him and turns it into a neck lock following with knee strikes and then a suplex out of it.

When Styles is in control, it's either due to using athleticism or knowning when to take advantage of the agressive Bryan Danielson. The first time you notice this is when Danielson attempts to throw AJ into the guard rail. Styles leaps over and then hits an Enziguri. Fantastic. I might get on Styles a lot but that is one of his best spots ever. But the main control of this match that runs with AJ is when he manages to Suplex Danielson to the floor, forcing him to land on his leg. Styles uses many knee breaker variations on the floor that include onto a chair and the guard rail. Once he gets him back in the ring, it's pretty much what you would expect. Simple leg locks including a figure four. That's about the extend of AJ's control.

The finishing stretch of this match is tainted. AJ Styles forgets about the work done to his arm throughout the match and decides to be stupid. At one point he leads into his Discus Clothesline with his bad arm and Danielson is sadly forced to sell it. The second time is when AJ attemps the Styles Clash for the first time. Danielson manages to turn it into an Armbar varation and AJ hits a weaker Styles Clash from it. Thankfully that didn't put Danielson away. But yeah, AJ basically no sold the whole arm work done by Danielson throughout the match even after being hooked in the Cattle Mutilation a couple of times. That's the AJ Styles I know and hate. If the smart psychology AJ would show up like he did for the first four fifths of this match, I'd love to watch him wrestle. But as it is, this a damn good match. The psychology was down pat except for a few mistakes from Styles and even one from Danielson himself. But when you're the best in the world like Danielson is, it doesn't matter much. Ladies and gentlemen, AJ Styles doesn't get much better then this. ***3/4

Recommendation: Yes, watch this match by anyway you can. It's a great match and shows how great AJ Styles could be.

Nice reviews, and a welcome addition to the folder.

That Lethal/Joe match is a good one, indeed. It's hard to believe that it wasn't even the match of the night, as the Manhatten Mayhem card was unbelievably stacked.

The Backstory: A lot of it which I hardly remember. It was a good feud and everything but LAX owned and beat Styles/Daniels in that Border Brawl on iMPACT to win the Tag Titles. This is the rematch and Cornette wanted to give Styles/Daniels a fair chance in an Ultimate X Match.

Outcome: Christopher Daniels gets the belts to win for his team.

Analysis: What I liked about this was that it was fresh from the old Ultimate X matches. It brought forth a new flavor in the most signature match Total Nonstop Action has come up with. One thing defines the good thing about this match, the spots. Ultimate X is a spotfest in the vain of a TLC or even a Scramble Cage. A lot of great double team moves from both sides but mainly LAX due to the powerhouse Hernandez. Probably one of the good bigger wrestlers in wrestling today in my humble opinion. He probably did better then Joe did in the Ultimate X he was placed in but he had Homicide to help him out too. Other then the spots is the cheating LAX tries to do to win this match like trying to use a ladder to get to the belts instead of trying to get across the X in order to win. Plus they added in the chairs and the tables to add even more danger to the Ultimate X match. Some of the better spots were:

*Homicide's Tope Con Hilo on Daniels followed by AJ's Fozzybury Flop onto Homicide that looked to mess up his shoulder.
*Hernandez's Border Toss on AJ Styles. That always gets a "Holy Shit" from me.
*Then Hernandez's Cracker Jack on Daniels. Daniels flew across the ring.
*Homicide's Ace Crusher from the top of the X. Amazing spot.
*The Styles/Daniels combo of a Frog Splash-BME-Sprial Tap on Hernandez.
*Styles Clash through the table to Homicide.
*The Daniels Dive to grab the belts.

That sums up everything remotely interesting about this match.

What I didn't like about this match. It was far too plodding for an Ultimate X match. So much filler was involved. There was some good tag team moves like I mentioned but most of it was shrugged off due to the spots. I know that a match like Ultimate X wasn't supposed to tell a story with a body part but they got one when Daniels hit two moves to the arm of Homicide. If it had been Daniels or Styles getting the arm worked over, it would have made more sense. But this was just filler though. A lot of the filler offensive was due to Hernandez's size then anything else. He wasn't going to fly around the ring and when you have two brawlers with Homicide y Hernandez, you aren't going to see things you normally see in an Ultimate X match. Not like the one with Styles/Sabin/Petey Williams which was the best Ultimate X ever. However, even that one had its problems. In theory, Ultimate X is a great idea but much like a ladder match, there are so many ways you can mess it up. They tried so hard to make this a great match but they failed at some point and this just became a decent match on a pretty bad card. Probably one of the more overrated Ultimate X matches in TNA history but it was overrated because it was the first ever Tag Team version so they got a lot more credit then they deserved. **3/4

Recommendation: It's worth a view for the historical importance of making Ultimate X difference but otherwise, you'd be better off finding another one to watch.

Nice. You've taken a match that most people worship as if it was the second coming of Christ and given it a mediocre rating. Therefore, this was an excellent match to add in the early going, as it shows that you aren't suckered in by hype.

I've seen this particular match too, and I didn't think it was much (if any) higher than ***.

Yeah, I generally don't like anything that gets a huge amount of hype. There are a few exceptions but most the time if it gets a ***** from Dave Meltzer, it pretty much isn't. The only five star match I agree with him from RoH or TNA is Joe vs. Punk II, which is probably the best match on US soil this century.

Next couple of matches are gonna be ones that got hyped up so expect more of my picky style of wrestling taste.

I have to agree about that Joe/Punk II rating. I have a review of it on the main site :).

Looking forward to more of your reviews. It would be absolutely tremendous if you also wanted to start submitting full show reviews for the main site.

I suppose I could give reviewing a full show a try... never done it before.

Should I use the PbP style then for a full show?

You could if you want, but I think your current format would work too. I like it, it's different than what I usually see.

Alright... I'll get to work on the first show review then.

FIP Fallout: Night One will be the show.

Outstanding, I look forward to it :D .


Just ask Estragand for mailing info. He's the admin and posts all of the reviews for us.

Okay yeah... after doing half of Fallout Night One I came to the conclusion that there has to be a better show to do a full review on. Expect something different.

Can't blame you there, I have half of a 2003 Survivor Series review that I don't plan on finishing anytime soon.

Well I got it done and everything... phew.

Awesome, just e-mail it to admin@ dawrestlingsite.com and eStragand will post it when he gets a chance.

Now that my first full show review is posted on the site... I plan on trying to do a full show every two weeks and a single match review whenever I can.

I just looked through your review and it was excellent. I hope Estragand gives you the spotlight card spot. I really appreciated your format, especially giving the nice backstories (I'm waaay to lazy to include those half the time in my reviews). If you do submit a review every week, that would be a huge plus to the site.

I'm thinking about doing compilation reviews too.

I have around 40-50 DVDs so I should have plenty to keep me going for a bit.

Don't worry, I spotlighted the review. Found what I believed was an older pic of Samoa Joe, so that worked.

Full shows are always cool. I don't like to post homemade compilation or single/random match reviews, though. I think those are more at home on the board.

So I'm trying to decide what show to do next... here are my possible picks:

Ring of Honor Death Before Dishonor III
Ring of Honor Joe vs. Kobashi
Total Nonstop Action Bound For Glory 2005
Wrestlemania X-7

Any ideas?

I'd be interested in all of those, but I'd like to see your thoughts on Bound for the Glory the most.

Not too many TNA flashbacks around here, so that'd be my choice as well. Was 2005 the year they brought in Macho Man, plus Hall and Nash as the "Kings of Wrestling"?

Oh yes... you gain points for not starting a separate "What Should I review next" thread/poll :) Damn, I hate those.

Yes it was when they brought in Hall, Nash and Macho Man but only Nash really lasted for anything.

On the review though... this show is so dull I do like three matches and want to throw up. Hopefully it'll be done before the Bound For Glory PPV this Sunday night.

So, the epic Joe/Luger match that lasted all of seven minutes didn't float your boat?


;)

You mean Joe/Liger right?

Joe/Luger would peak my interest for sure.,......

Yep, that's exactly what I meant, what an amusing typo :P

It is an amusing typo. However, the thought of Luger in a wrestling ring just makes me want to vomit.

In other news though... I finally got Dullsville 2005 done. I cried I was so happy. I am NEVER reviewing a TNA show again!

Backstory:[b] It was a Title Match? I honestly have no idea.

[b]Outcome: Pillman wins after a cradle pin.

Analysis: Both men bring the awesome in this match. To start the match, they do what nearly every indy match does anyone is the whole exchange thing with the near misses and double dropkick before stancing for the applause. This shows how much this match is respect as Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko would start their ECW matches like this. In the early going though, Pillman takes the advantage using his speed moves, mainly dropkicks. The main offense he brings to the match is high flying, hence why Jim Ross would call him "Flyin" Brian Pillman during his time in WCW. Pillman springboards, dropkicks and crossbodies his way through this match when he isn't trying to work over the midsection of Pillman with a Body Scissors or an Abdominal Stretch. He knows how to counter what Lyger tries to do at times like when Lyger goes for the Surfboard, Pillman gets to the ropes.

When Lyger is in control, he focuses on the leg of Pillman after Pillman made a mistake. Lyger uses kneebreakers, leg locks and a Figure Four to HUGE pop from the crowd. After Pillman reverses the Figure Four, Lyger keeps going after the knee, or tries to with stomps and a Single Leg Crab. But yeah, other then the knee control, this match is pretty back and forth with their moves, getting the crowd really into it. Both men use a dive to the floor at one point, making the crowd pop extremely hard. They weren't used to seeing this kind of action in the United States in the early ninties. This whole match outside of the small control segments is back and forth with counters to everything the other does.

One instance is Lyger going for a Crossbody and Pillman catches him with a Dropkick. Pillman tries to a Missle Dropkick but Lyger catches him with a dropkick. They're running so many counters with kicks for about a minute, it's very nice. The last third of this match is pretty much counters for anything they do or try. The huge downfall for Lyger in this match is when he goes for a Headbutt and Pillman moves out of the way and rolls him into a cradle to get the win.

Now, this match really helped getting the Junior Heavyweight Style recognized in the United States by the causal fan. Yeah, we all know about the hardcore fans but this match was vital I think. When you listen to the crowd pop for all these moves they are doing, it's insane. Anymore if someone does a Moonsault off the top rope, it's nothing. Ironic when Pillman wins though, a fan in the front row is giving him a thumbs down like he wanted Lyger to win. But yeah, this is a great early nineties match that showcases the ability of the juniors. Granted this doesn't hold up as well as some of the current stuff but this is a must see match mainly because it has Pillman and Lyger. They know what they want to do and they go out and do it but it just came down to that one last counter move that ended Lyger's title reign. ***3/4

Recommendation: Yes... now!

Please delete this post.

I'm gonna be working on quite a few show reviews this weekend as I have nothing going on. On the schedule is:

Full Impact Pro Fallout Night One
Full Impact Pro Fallout Night Two
Ring of Honor Final Battle 2005
Ring of Honor Final Battle 2006
Ring of Honor Good Times, Great Memories

Quite the full docket but those are the next five shows that are going to be reviewed.

Backstory: This is the blow off match for a feud that's been going on for a while. A couple of clips are shown to know what is going on but there are two refs for this match as Nigel has cheated to beat a Double C a couple of times. Nigel loves using his iron.

Outcome: Nigel McGuiness via DQ as Claudio originally won after hitting Nigel with the iron but the second ref saw Double C use it. Dusty finish basically.

Analysis: This is a good Pure Title match. If you know the story behind the need for two refs, the whole thing makes sense. If you don't, look back on some of the shows they faced off in 2005. But the story of the match is Nigel getting frustrated because of the second ref on the floor that notices all the little things he does in order to get the edge in Pure Title matches. It's a good gimmick to put onto this match, it really is. It added to what they were going for in the way of story telling. Nigel likes to cheat, he can't because of that second ref.

However, once the second ref gets knocked out, Nigel is able to go back to cheating to get the edge of Claudio after a fine wrestling sequence which is what the Pure Title is all about. But yeah, after the ref on the floor eats a tope, Nigel takes over Claudio and dominates him by manipulating the ref to his advantage to gain that edge. Smart right? I thought so. What I don't like though is Claudio's comebacks. His offense mainly consisted of European Uppercuts of all varities and while those are all well and good, it gets a bit tiresome.

Otherwise the only other thing I have a problem with is the finish. But it in a sense, it fit into the whole story pretty well. Claudio used Nigel's iron to knock him out. The ref in the ring was down but the ref outside just saw it in time but was still groggy. The crowd exploded for the win as it seemed for Double C but the rug was taken out under them. Now, a real finish would have been nice instead of this but you can't have everything all the time. That said, this is still a good match. Nothing wrong with it outside of the dusty finish and the two ref bumps. ***1/4

I just recently found myself at a place with wireless internet for a few days. So I went ahead and have downloaded around 40-50 matches. Most of them are from Japan. Regardless, once I buy some blank DVDs, expect a lot of random reviews.

Where are you getting these matches?

I got some from "TheSmarkMarks" forum.

Most of them were from The Ditch.

Ah, I get quite a few there. I'm too cheap to sign up for the megaupload account, so I can only download about three or four at a time.

I've never heard of The Ditch.

This is an excellent format for reviews. Would you be at all offended if I tried doing reviews in a similar format?

Not at all. Go right on ahead.

Okay folks, it's that time again where YOU get to choose what DVD I review next. The choices are:

Ring of Honor Dragon Gate Challenge
Ring of Honor Manhattan Mayhem II
Total Nonstop Action Against All Odds
WWF Wrestlemania XX
Full Impact Pro Fallout: Part Two

Dragon Gate Challenge, please :).

*Points above to the quoted section*