Day 25 2019

Day 25

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla: Fear

Kevin Steen and Super Dragon vs. The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson)

((Fair warning if you cringe at that kind of thing, there are an abundance dunce of weapon shots to the head. It’s pretty much “Fuck Your Concussion Protocol: Th Match!” at some points)

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little project and I hope you enjoyed whatever you did or didn’t celebrate. With the pleasantries out of the way Guerrilla motherfucking Warfare!

This is chaos before the match even formally begins as Steen and Dragon meet The Bucks outside. The four brawl all over the Legion Hall, risking lawsuit after lawsuit as they whip weapons and each other around like it’s an empty arena. The four madmen go to absolute WAR. If I tried to list off all the bumps they took we’d be here ‘til New Years. Burning Hammer off the apron through the table, Matt ramming the bottom of a trash can into Steens face, a Nick Jackson 450 onto a trash can that’s on top of a prone Super Dragon. It’s fucking nuts.  

This is wild, and entertaining as hell! If you’re looking for story there’s a little here, if you’re looking for technical wizardry it ain’t here. These four had one of the wildest matches I personally have ever watched. 

Day 24 2019

Day 24

WWF Raw 12/24/01

Bubba Clause vs. Tajiri Clause

Why am I more ok with this then Sandow vs. Mark Henry? Because neither of these guys wrestled for the World freaking Title two weeks before...anyway let’s stay on topic. Bubba Clause, or Bubba Santa as Lawler called him, is introduced first but personally I’m going to be referring to him as Santa Dudley cause I think it’s funny. D-Von accompanies Santa Dudley to the ring, and I’d call him Santa’s elf but that implies a master servant relationship and nothing says Christmas cheer like accidental race humor. I wish there was a spot where Tajiri Clause hit Santa Dudley with some kind of KFC themed weapon but alas wrestling isn’t perfect. 

Am I stalling? Yeah there’s not much here. A very basic match and not a lot to talk about in terms of in ring action (although Tajiri Clause pulls out an Asai Moonsault which is the gif that reminded me of this match and caused this review) but it’s the extra stuff that’s fun to talk about. Like Tajiri losing his wig mere seconds after the bell and Santa Dudley keeping his wig, beard, and glasses on for almost the entire match. 

Like I said not much in the way of an actual match, which is kind of a cop out, but it’s inoffensive and fun so wanna get in the spirit with a quick match, here’s a recommendation. 

Day 23 2019

Day 23

Bar Wrestling 27: In The Midnight Hour

Darby Allin and Pricilla Kelly vs. DoomFly (Eli Everfly and Delilah Doom)

DoomFly are dating and Kelly/Allin are married so there’s an interesting dynamic at work. The Allins request a handshake but Pricilla wants to give Doom a proper Hells Handshake and rubs her pussy before slapping Doom and we are go. 

The match is quick from the get go with constant moving action and tag team from the couples. Both couples work well with their partners and opponents. That’s kind of where my praise for this match ends. The match is pretty sloppy at points and I think that’s a result of moving too fast as opposed to lack of talent. 

Still though the match is ok. Other then a few sloppy moments there’s nothing else bad that sticks out but outside of the combo there’s also not much to put it above ok. I don’t know, I guess I wanted more then I got out of this.

Day 22 2019

Day 22

ECW Fancam Dallas Texas 7/28/00

Steve Corino vs. Rob Van Dam

RVD being over as hell while Pantera plays in the background is a great visual. There’s a lot of playing to the crowd and messing with Cyrus early on because again RVD was hot as hell and Cyrus was more or less the Antichrist to these fans. RVD controls early on, which is awesome because RVD, especially prime RVD, is a blast to watch. Corino takes control after Cyrus interference and we have our pace for this match. 

The match is kept at steady pace. Not too slow, not super fast. It’s the sweet spot that makes a good but basic match. Corino takes him working over Van Dam and antagonizing the crowd and Bill Alfonso. RVD still gets his shit in of course. 

Like I said, a good match but very house showy. Neither exerted too much energy and honestly I don’t think they needed to on a live show. Both were over in their respective ways so playing to Corino and Cyrus being so hated while showcasing RVDs big spots worked really well. I’m sure these two faced off on TV which probably made for a more exciting match but as it stands not bad. 

Day 21 2019

Day 21

IWA Mid-South: 8th Anniversary Show

Mickie Knuckles vs. Mercedes Martinez/Mercedes Martinez vs. MsChief 

“When in doubt smack the bitch.” CM Punk 2004

Getting something of a double feature for Day 21...I didn’t expect this either. Anywho, with the NWA Mid-West/IWA Mid-South Women’s Title on the line Knuckles faces Martinez. The match doesn’t take long (literal seconds) to turn into a strike fest between the two. They still show off some submission skills and for a short interaction the match is pretty. MsChief comes down to ringside and breaks a pinfall by dragging Knuckles out of the ring. She beats on her for bit before throwing into the ring post twice. 

When MsChief (Thats more annoying to type then you realize.) pulls Knuckles out from the ring shes got color so MsChief adds insult by applying a Camel Clutch with her studded vest. She gets in the ring and the title match becomes MsChiefs. Ok quick background, MsChief beat Mercedes in a Non-Title Six Way Match but Mickie won a Number One Contenders match, hence the beef...err problems. 

Martinez and MsChief get straight into a pier six brawl. The fight goes to the outside where Martinez takes a nasty looking bump into the seats at ringside. Seconds later she repays the favor and does the same to MsChief. The two continue to brawl to the twenty count and the match is declared a double count out but the two still fight. It ends when MsChief repeatedly bashes Martinez’s head into the wall. 

While they weren’t full matches they were enjoyable for what they were. MsChief looked like a threat, Martinez looked like a fighter, and Mickie is set up for another title match along with a brief MsChief feud. Good stuff all around

Day 20 2019

Day 20

Pro Wrestling NOAH: Great Voyage 2012 in Ryoguko 

Masa Takanashi vs. Taiji Ishimori

When the chain wrestling at the start is cool you know your in for a treat. It doesn’t hurt that Taiji follows up the sequence with one of the most brutal Double Footstomps out of a Vader Bomb I’ve ever seen. These two move quickly from one spot to the next, they didn’t have much time and they weren’t wasting a second. Ishimori is a fucking blast to watch, he’s so smooth and so quick. Takanashi doesn’t get much spotlight but his Schoolboy into a Sharpshooter and brutal looking Shining Wizard are great. 

A fun ass sprint. The two weren’t given much time and didn’t hold back. They threw big moves at each other early and didn’t stop. I only scratched the surface but the packed a bunch into a 7 or 8 minute match and it’s all so good.  

Day 19 2019

Day 19

WXW:Fans Appreciation Night 2013 Night 2

Ricky Marvin vs. Tommy End

End attacks before Marvin is anywhere close to the ring. Apparently that’s payback for Marvin Superkicking him. For the majority of this match End kicks the crap out of Marvin and works his leg. Marvin has some moments of control but they usually end with End catching him off guard. Marvin survives everything End throws at him and nearly wins with a driver that I know the name of but can’t think of. 

This was certainly a match. I said before in this thing that End is one my current favorites to watch but something about this didnt click. It wasn’t bad but I just felt bored. The pace wasn’t super slow just something felt...off about this match. The nearly silent crowd didn’t help matters. A good match that’s a bit of a bore. They can’t all be winners. 

Day 18 2019

Day 18 

PWG:DDT4 2011

The Briscoes vs. Kevin Steen and Akira Tozawa

Sweet Jesus this is my type of match. 

An absolute barn burner. The four teams move quickly and don’t shy away from some stiff strikes. It’s really well booked too, with the experienced team of the Briscoes pulling out tag team combos while Steen and Tozawa fend for themselves more or less. The crowd is absolutely on fire for this match. Steen and Tozawa looked great for first time partners. 

Great match depending on your preferences. If you like the more psychology driven wrestling with old school Tag Team work than this match isn’t for you. If you don’t mind four guys just busting their asses for upwards of ten minutes then like you’ll enjoy the hell out of this. 

Day 17 2019

Day 17

ROH: Conquest Tour-Philadelphia 

Adam Cole and Roderick Strong vs. reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly)

Well then this is quiet...shocking?

There’s an added touch to this match as Roddy and Fish and Cole and KOR and feuding as singles wrestlers. This leads to Roddy and Cole avoiding the respective members of reDRagon early on. KOR and Fish dominate early on, keeping the match on the mat. Things quickly break down into an all out fight on the floor, including some innovate tag work from Cole and Strong. 

The match slows down afterwards with the heels in control. KOR eventually outsmarts them to temporarily give reDRagon control again. They match picks up again with both teams throwing everything at each other.

Four great wrestlers out a great tag team match, who would’ve thunk. If you’ve seen their worm in NDT you know how well all those men work together and it’s on display in here. Great wrestling, great tag team work, great match. 

Day 15 and Day 16 2019

Day 15

WWF SuperStars 8/15/95

Shawn Michaels vs. Skip

I FELL BEHIND AGAIN FUCK ME. 

ANYWAY...excuse me, anyway. I picked two shorter matches so I could knock these two out then concentrate on  today’s review. 

HBK and Skip with Sunny at ringside. Michaels is attacked from behind while distracted by Sunny...just stew on that for a moment. Anyway these two don’t play around. They keep the match constantly moving and make the most of a short ring time. Mid-match HBK mocks Candido for losing to Barry Horowitz, which is Barry’s cue to emerge from the back...looking like a goddamn dork. Anyway a small brawl between Skip an HBK before the match continues in the ring for a few minutes until Shawn hits the Sweet Chin Music for the win. 

Day 16

NWA World Wide Wrestling 6/24/89

Scott Steiner v. Great Muta

Steiner was still a rookie here but he dominates early on before Gary Ahrt gets involved. Muta takes over and controls most of the match. Steiner gets a lot of shine nearly getting the win over the then unbeaten Muta and dogged his signature Moonsault. In the end Steiner fell to Muta driving his fingers into Scotty’s throat.

Two good fast paced matches. Both these matches are examples of how good these four are to make something good out of so little time when it easily could’ve fallen apart. If you’ve got a couple minutes to spare and just want to throw on a quick match, give these two a look. 

Day 14 2019

Warrior Wrestling 3

Team Whitewolf (A Kid and Carlos Romo) vs. Lucha Brothers (Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix)

Kid and Romo have recently begun to break out of their small hometown scene in Spain working around the world. This particular trip to Chicago put them against the renowned and awesome Lucha Bros.. Matt Sydal was Kids original partner but he dropped out due to I think an injury. 

The two teams have similar styles and we see that early on with the incredible sequences between Fenix and Kid. It’s back and forth to begin but Whitewolf eventually take over. The keeps a consistent pace until the third act (so to speak) when they start revving shit up. 

A great match from two teams that work really together. I’m 99.9% this is a first time which only highlights the skills of all four men. The wrestling was smooth, the tag work was great, the crowd was into it. Awesome pro wrestling. 

Day 13 2019

WWE Extreme Rules 2012

Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena

I swear I’m going to start doing these on time again. 

Lesnars first match in WWE and wrestling in general in almost six years. This match goes about how you’d expect. Cena gets the crap kicked out of him for the majority of the match, even being busted open within the first few seconds of the match. Brock manhandles him in both conventional (ground and pound, working the arm) and unconventional (wrapping a chain around Cenas then hanging him from the turnbuckle post and using him like a heavy bag) ways. 

Brock looked like an absolute monster. I’ve seen this match  get high praise and honestly I don’t see it. It’s a fun brawl, but maybe I’m just so burnt one the Brock formula that I can’t see this as anything more then a prototype of that. I’ve seen people deride the ending but I think it works. Good match, but I think my expectations were a little too high. 

Day 12 2019

New Japan Pro Wrestling:

Antonio Inoki vs. Tiger Mask 

Gonna be a quick one today, I’m tired and for some reason struggling to find the energy for this project. I promise more WWE stuff tomorrow so no one uninterested in other companies, whether through choice or just by circumstances, feels like they can’t enjoy this. 

Anywho, Inoki and Sayama. Inoki is a legend in Japan and Tiger Mask broke barriers throughout wrestling in the late ‘70s and into the ‘80s. The match is short and Tiger doesn’t show off too much. His kicks are impressive, including a Trouble in Paradise to the back of Inokis head though him and Inoki spent a majority on the mat or moving around. That stuff is still smooth though. The two worked well together to deliver a short but good match. 

Day 11 2019

Progress: Natural Progression Series 6

Gene Munny vs. Scotty Davis

Gif not from this match, jsut felt it backed up what I said about Davis. 

The Natural Progression Series has been Progress’ way of introducing some new faces into their company and every winner has gone on to greater success, both in and out of kayfabe. From Will Ospreay to Toni Storm, it’s a talented list of winners. This year they put the tournament as its own show and put it up on YT for free, and I recommend the whole show, but we’re just here to talk about Munny and Davis.

Coming into this I never saw a Munny match and only one Davis match, but Scotty impressed me so I was eager to see more. I knew Munny had a mostly comedic character, proven by him popping out of a doghouse wearing a fur coat, collar, and sailors and being introduced as The Damn Dirty Dog. I was sold. Him belly flopping into the ring and humping the canvas just sealed the deal. 

Anyway some of those comedic shenanigans slip into this match but mostly it’s just these having a damn good match. Both men are fluid and smooth. The winner had two or three more matches to go through so they kept it light but not to this matches hindrance. It’s not a masterpiece but it’s a fluid, good match. Keep an eye on the name Scotty Davis, he’s so good and smooth and has so much upside. I don’t know how he is as a promo though...oh and he’s not even twenty yet and has been freestyle wrestling since he was six.  

Days 9 and 10 2019

Wrestling advent calendar 2019

WCW Monday Nitro 6/7/99

La Parka and Silver King vs. Cicople and Damien

This is a Falls Count Anywhere Mexican Hardcore Match...because all four are Mexicans. Get it! Ugh. Anyway this match gets ugly quick as La Parka and Cicople take chairshots to the head followed by a sloppy Van Daminator from King to Damien. 

That sets the tone for this match. This is nuts. Take the spotfest style of Lucha and throw in weapons. Among the highlights is Cicople ducking down too early for a Poetry in Motion only to have to get up so he can place the trash can that Damien retrieved over La Parka. Cicople takes a fucking whooping in this match ladies and gentlemen. The dude takes the Suicide Dive into a chair shot bump and its seven levels of fucking ow. Then towards the end the fucker takes a Tornado DDT through a table, he did not get payed enough for this. 

All four threw out caution and safety and just took nasty bump nasty bump for like seven minutes and it’s so much fun to see what these crazy bastards do. The perfect throw away Hardcore match.  Oh, one more Cicople highlight, not that the others didn’t have highlights (Parka dancing on his chair only to be kicked off with a Modified Dropkick from Damien, Damien hurling a chair into King as he does the Jericho dive from the inside to the outside, King doing an Asai Moonsault onto the other three while one has a trash can over his body) he hits Parka with a trash can lid to save Damien but it goes flying towards the crowd and apparently Tony Schiavone caught the goddamn thing. 

I don’t know if this was good, but fuck I had a blast!

PCW Ultra Into the Void

Savio Vega vs. Mil Muertes

Muertes is defending the Ultra Championship in this match. Well we have our first meh match of this project. The brawl through at the start and even more so once they officially enter the ring and start the match. Muertes works over Vega with submissions and heel tactics such as digging his fingers into Vegas eyes and biting him. The match is slow, the opposite of Bryan/Reigns though. 

They don’t try to push Vegas clear limitations and the crowds kind of out of it. They work with what they have before an anti-climactic Flatliner from Muertes ends the match. A slow kind of boring brawl. Vegas past his expedition date and shouldn’t be main eventing shows especially after a massive brawl between PCUWs Tag Champs and their challenges. Crowd didn’t care and neither did I. 

Day 8 2019

WWE Survivor Series 2017

Baron Corbin vs. The Miz

Welcome to matches that shouldn’t have been as good as they were. Now I like Corbin, and don’t mind the Miz, but neither are renowned for their in-ring work. That said both can work within their limitations and deliver good to greats matches. And the two can talk. This feud was mostly built over Twitter while the TV show  focused on the men’s and women’s Survivor Series matches.

The two start slow and it’s a pace they keep for a majority of this match. The two are evenly matched throughout and mostly stick to strikes. Miz does eventually begin working over the future kings leg with help from the Miztourage. Corbin sells it well enough but stills pulls out his big moves (Deep Six and End of Days.).

A good match. Though not as heated as the promos promised, the two worked well together and they didn’t overuse the Miztourage interference. 

Day 7 2019

AEW Dark 12/3/19

Proud-N-Powerful (Santana and Ortiz) vs. Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt)

Tag team wrestling can be great. Whether its something old school and story heavy like DIY vs. Revival or something fast paced and spot heavy aka Lucha Six Man Tags. And then there’s ones that have a little of both. 

While this match is quick paced it’s not an outright spotfest. PNP actually isolate, dominate, and mock the much, much smaller Stunt. Jungle Boys hot tag is great and the match gets a little more spotty towards the end on the part of the faces.  Both have great chemistry between the partners and judging from this match between each other as well. Not an all time classic but a very good, very fun sprint. 

Day 6 2019

WrestleCon: Mark Hitchcock Memorial Show 2019

Eddie Kingston vs. Masato Tanaka

The WrestleCon SuperShow has been a staple of WM weekend since about 2013. Like the name implies, the show brings together big names from the Indy scene and overseas. Hell this show alone also featured Tajiri and Jushin Thunder Liger mixing it up with the likes of LAX and Caleb Konely, while elsewhere on the card is Bandido vs. Will Ospreay and the Lucha Brothers competing against each other. But it’s the opener we’re here to discuss. 

Kingston is one of the premier brawlers of the 2000s and beyond Indy scene and Tanaka is a goddamn madman best known for his wars against Mike Awesome both in Japan and stateside in ECW. He’s out his boy through near literal hell and barely aged a day. He can also take and give as much as he ever could, just a little slower. 

Aside from the obvious slugfest this match becomes, Tanaka runs through his highlight reel. A Diamond Dust, Elbow Strikes, the Sliding D, Tornado DDT, etc. and it all looks good. He’s not selfish either as Kingston gets in a good amount of stiff offense including some nasty looking Saito Suplexs. 

A damn good slugfest between two legends of different scenes. Tanaka shows that he can still hang and Kingston makes him look like a million bucks. Well worth a watch via the Highspots Network (or whatever streaming sites you prefer I’m not here to judge.).

Day 5 2019

WWE Extreme Rules 2019

Cesaro vs. Aleister Black

I can’t say I’m a huge fan of the way they’ve booked Black since the split from Ricochet, but it did get us this match. It also looks like we’ll be getting Black vs. Buddy Murphy out of this stupid gimmick, so if great wrestlers keep knocking on Aleisters door then I guess beggars can’t be choosers. These two are two of my current day favorites to watch, so naturally this booking made me happy. 

The two waste no time and spend most of the match exchanging strikes. Both of these men are so goddamn smooth, the make this shit look easy. The two first time singles opponents have a great chemistry together. Both men excel at the wrestling and the selling during this match, and of course I can’t finish this review without bringing up the spot where Cesaro catches Blacks Meteora and turns it into a Very European Uppercut. Cesaro is a goddamn treasure.  

Fuck this match is great. I don’t know how many 100 Matches of 2019 this will make but it’s definitely one to seek out if WWE hasn’t been your cup of tea this year. Fuck the crowd for being silent most of this match. 

Day 4 2019

WWE Fastlane 2015

Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan

Hot off the heels of what might be the most polarizing Royal Rumble match, the Roman Reigns hype train was full speed ahead to a showdown with Brock Lesnar for the WWE Title at WM Play Button. The crowds didn’t take well to this and even four years later some of the fans haven’t budged. In what almost feels like WWE higher ups fucking with the vocal audience, Daniel Bryan was given a chance to take the WM opportunity away from Roman. 

At first the match goes as expected with Bryan outmaneuvering Reigns. But his cockiness gets the best of him and Roman takes control turning the match into his preferred brawling style. One thing I didn’t remember is how slow the match is. On a match to match basis slower paced can either make for a tense match, or a boring one, for this one it works. 

The two throw everything at each other. From Bryan’s signature strikes to Roman pulling out moves I don’t think we’ve seen since (seriously when was the last time he used one Pump Handle Suplex, let alone three in a row?). The audience wavers in and out of this match but they bite for every near fall. 

This was a proving match for Roman and I’d say it almost succeeded. Bryan brought out the best in Reigns and they delivered a hell of a match. The stand out of possibly the first two or three Fastlanes. Great match, if it’s been a while I’d say check it out. 

Day 3 2019

Hakim Zane vs. Space Monkey- Glory Pro Wrestling: Only the Strong Survive

This is the first full match I’ve seen from Zane but if you’ve been watching Impact the past year or two, you’re  probably already familiar with him and questioning my credentials to be doing this...you should be doing that regardless. As for Space Monkey, he’s a hyper intelligent monkey whose been to space...hence the name. He’s well traveled wrestling in his native Canada, and in America for various promotions of varying degrees of notoriety, from as well known as CZW to smaller promotions like Freelance. 

Now I know what you’re thinking when you see the name Space Monkey. He’s comedic, he does banana spots, uses tail in spots, checks opponents for bugs...and you’re right he does all of that. But he’s also a really good wrestler. From watching Zane is no slouch either.  With both men being from the same scene, it’s no surprise they work pretty well together. No major spots to really write about, it’s a good match but it’s just kind of card filler. 

While the action is good and I’d recommend checking out Space Monkey, I do have to talk about a negative portion of this match. One of the commentators is refusing to put over Monkeys gimmick. Maybe I got worked but he drained the fun out of the match and sounded legit pissed that Zane would have to sell for a comedy gimmick. Fuck him, it annoyed the hell out of me. 

Day 2 2019

WCW Starrcade 1990

WCW World Tag Team Championship Street Fight

Four Horsemen (Barry Windham and Arn Anderson) vs. Doom (Ron Simmons and Butch Reed)

Originally supposed to be Arn and Flair but Flair was attacked in his limo in kayfabe. But I think the Black Scorpion being booked in a Cage Match on the same show may have had something to do with the switch.  I have no idea of the backstory but apparently things got heated. 

In a nice touch both teams come out dressed in appropriate street clothes. It doesn’t take long for this match to turn ugly...it literal becomes a fight as soon as the champions Doom step in the ring. Like a good old classic blood feud the weapons and the blood come quickly. By the end of this match all four men are busted open and beating the shit out of each other with fists, chairs, belts, and a small bit of wrestling.

Then the finish happens. Oh boy the finish happens. Both teams get the pin, leading to a no contest. The two teams continue brawling after everything is settled but nobody seems to really know what to make the situation. A good, intense fight with a pretty cruddy ending. 

Day 1 2019

NXT War Games 3

Yes the whole fucking show. For the third year straight NXT is giving the War Games a spotlight. And once again The Undisputed Era head in to the match. UEs run in NXT has been three or four of straight dominance while also having their moments out of the main spotlight (Cole being North American Champ while Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa dominated the main event). War Games has become something of a signature match for UE, the rules allowing them to utilize their brotherhood. In kayfabe of course, in shoot the four are great at just about everything and KOR, Fish, and Cole aren’t afraid to bump like madmen. Their War Games match against Ciampa, Keith Lee, Dominik Dijakovic, and Kevin Owens headlines the show and is just as nuts as the previous two. All eight bumped like crazy with highlights being a Panama Sunrise in the steel beam connecting the two rings and an Air Raid Crash off the top of the cage through two tables. A brutal, creative fight featuring eight great talents. 

On the undercard were a Triple Threat match between Pete Dunne, Damien Priest, and Killian with a shot at Adam Coles NXT Title at Survivor Series on the line. Dunne would end up a fun spot fest but the match they had to follow was almost unstoppable but the three tried their damndest.  The second undercard match was Matt Riddle (taking a shoot injured Garganos place in the feud and match) against Finn Balor. That match was a let down. It felt like both men were holding back on a much better match then what we got. Not saying it was bad, it was pretty good but it could’ve been better.

And the opener for this show was the historic all women’s War Games Match. Shayna Baszler, Bianca Belair, Io Shari, and Kay Lee Ray vs. Rhea Ripley, Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, and Tegan Nox...sort of. They turned Kai heel and wrote out Nox in the process which made the match a four on two handicap match. These eight had something to prove and not only did they deliver on the potential of this match, they stole the whole show. Like the men all four didn’t back down for crazy bumps (i.e. Ray getting swatted out of mid-air with a dented broken trash can, and Shayna taking Ripleys finish onto two chairs) but something this one topped the men’s.

With two very, very good bookends, a really good undercard match, and a pretty meh one, this maybe isn’t the strongest top-to-bottom Takeover. The show as an easy watch as always, and nothing felt dragged out. The two War Games matches were the highlight as the name implies and my God both should be required viewing if you’re trying to watch the best of 2019. The Triple Threat was fun and Riddle/Balor could’ve been on free TV, but still quality show overall. 

(On the pre-show was Shane Strickland vs. Angel Garza, a last minute addition. It had some really good moments and was a really good match overall. But there were a few sloppy moments and like Balor/Riddle, it felt like it could’ve been so much more.)