It's been an eventful two weeks in the world of professional wrestling. So let's take a look back by answering some questions (questions submitted mostly (entirely) by me).
Do you only write about pro wrestling now?
I promise that I will write about movies or something next time. Maybe I'll get angry about the Oscars or something.
What was the best match of the past two weeks?
I'd say Okada/Suzuki but it's not quite a slam dunk. The Cena/Styles match from the Royal Rumble (the end of which reminded me of Misawa double-killing opponents like Seagal in order to leave no doubt of the finish), the Elimination Chamber match (a violent spectacle), and Hiromu Takahashi vs. Dragon Lee (about ten violent spectacles packed into one match) all have a legitimate claim. I'll get to the highly praised Elgin/Naito match later.
But Okada vs. Suzuki for the IWGP Heavyweight Title gets the nod. And not just because Okada is my favorite wrestler. Or maybe it does. I've said before that Okada is my favorite because I really care if he wins or loses his matches (similar to Daniel Bryan when he was still active). Going into this match I was sure that Okada would retain. I would have bet money on it if I were a gambling man and if I knew anyone or anywhere who would take bets of Japanese wrestling. Suzuki-gun's return felt like a place holder while they waited for Kenny Omega to return. And yet as the match went along I increasingly believed that Suzuki was going to take the title and have a mini-run with the belt. I thought Suzuki was going to tear my boy Okada's leg clean off.
The one nitpick I have is that Okada was jumping around a little too much at the end of the match (even if he was still selling a knee injury while doing so). Besides that it was flat out great. They told a story, they timed everything perfectly, and Suzuki reminded everyone why he's so great after a two year absence.
Worst match of the past two weeks?
I'm here to celebrate, not to denegrate. That being said, Iizuka was heavily involved in the NJPW shows including a singles match. So you can come to your own conclusion there.
What was the most unexpectedly good match of the past two weeks?
It's gotta be a tie between two matches from the NXT Takeover show - Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bobby Roode and The Authors of Pain vs. DIY. I expected the main event to be dreadful and it was very good. I expected the tag match to be awkward and mediocre with a few moments of brilliance and I found it to be brilliant with a few moments of awkward.
Most overrated match?
I honestly loved the first half of Elgin vs. Naito on the New Beginning Osaka show. Naito working over the knee to counteract Elgin's power advantage is a smart way to structure a match. Only it didn't last. Once the match turned into infinite near falls it kind of lost the drama to me. In contrast to Okada/Suzuki it didn't feel like there was much of a story in the latter half of the match - just who could kick out of what increasingly ridiculous move. It reminded me of the Michael Elgin vs. Davey Richards match from a few years ago. If you like that match, you'll probably love this one. If you don't...well, come grab a coffee and commiserate with me, friend.
205 Live is...good?
It was for one week at least! I liked Mustafa Ali having to win his spot in the main event. I liked Brian Kendrick continuing to develop his "loathsome old guy at the office who got passed over for promotion too many times and now simply lives to shit ineffectually on all the bright-eyed young kids who still have a shot at being all the things he never could." And that main event was just awesome. Jack Gallagher's umbrella thing is silly but if it's what the bosses think is getting him good reactions then it is what it is. Gallagher/Neville should be awesome. Neville has been arguably the best guy in WWE in 2017 but fans have been only kinda sorta responding to it. Neville demolishing happy-go-lucky Jack Gallagher should go a long way toward getting those fans to care.
So overall a show that executed everything well, had a great main event in a style unique to the rest of the WWE main roster product, and made me look forward to next week's show. I'm not super confident that they'll keep it up, but for one week at least 205 Live was exactly what it should have been.
Was NJPW's New Beginning really a "new beginning?"
Not really. Most of the top champions retained and nothing set off in a bold new direction this year. There weren't even many shock upsets on the undercard. I guess they can't rebrand the event as "NJPW Business As Usual" though.
Have you turned the corner on Roman Reigns yet?
Oh heavens no. But I did enjoy his Universal Title match with Kevin Owens. The guy is willing to lean into a beating and make other guys look good, that's for sure.
For all that good will though, entering at the end of the Rumble was just a hilarious kick in the nuts on WWE's part to the point where it must have been intentional. "We don't want Orton to get booed so we better slot someone in there who the fans despise. Everyone is starting to like the Miz again so that's not gonna work...Alex Riley is long gone...We accidentally rehabilitated Sheamus...Roman, get on out there and give 'em hell!" It was such a good Rumble until then too!
Then the next night he goes and makes Samoa Joe look like a killing machine, even more than he did when legit injuring Rollins.
So there you have it...Roman would have been one of the great jobbers ever, I guess. He could have made a whole career on putting people over and making them look less awful in comparison. He just got stuck in a leading man role he can't escape.
Are Dragon Lee and Takahashi okay after that match they had?
I once went to a CZW show during finals week senior year of college. This was not as easy as it sounds as I did not go to school in Philadelpha. Or Pennsylvania. Or New Jersey. Or anywhere within six hours of the old ECW Arena. There was a particularly violent match where one of the wrestlers appeared to get hurt for real. After the show we went to the Oregon Diner and ran into some of the wrestlers and managers. After a quick "enjoyed the show" conversation (that was almost entirely one-sided) I asked Maven Bentley, "Is ________ okay?"
His response was a clipped, concerned "no."
I imagine a similar conversation happening in Osaka after this match.
This was a wild, out-of control, irresponsibly dangerous match. I refuse to believe that they walked away from this unharmed. These men are ghosts now. Please honor their memories by watching this match.
Have you watched any of the new Hidden Gems on the WWE Network?
I did a few mini-reviews on Twitter. A lot of the ones I saw are interesting in the novelty of the matchups but not so much for the inherent match quality. The best thing I watching on there was the Lightning Kid (Sean Waltman aka X-Pac aka Syxx aka 1-2-3 Kid) vs Jerry Lynn 2/3 Falls match. Still holds up all these years later. The Edge & Christian vs. Nova & Kazarian match is solid as well.
Any thoughts on Wrestlemania?
Lots! But I'll tackle that as things get closer and the card comes together more. And also after I write about some non-wrestling stuff.
Ask me about wrestling and other stuff on Twitter @fakemikecoast
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