AEW Full Gear: Zero Hour 2022
Singles Match
Jun Akiyama vs. Eddie Kingston w/ Ortiz
May 1st 1998, Hiroshi Hase battled Jun Akiyama in the Tokyo Dome for AJPWs 25th Anniversary. At some point in Yonkers, New York an eighteen year old on the wrong path would see this match and his live would change. From that point Eddie Kingston knew he wanted to be a wrestler. This match meant the world to Kingston, this is him standing across the ring from his goddamn hero.
It starts slow and Eddie takes the early control with a Full Nelson. Akiyama gets to the ropes and the two trade Chops (Kingston) and Forearms (Akiyama). Eddie wins out and knocks Akiyama to the floor when the legend attempts to counter. Eddie tries for a Half-and-Hakf Suplex on or off the apron but Akiyama breaks free and fucking spikes Eddie with a DDT on the apron. He follows this up with a Gullotine Knee Drop which he follows up with a Curb Stomp. Grandpas in Japan are fucking brutal.
Akiyama decides he needs another does of head trauma and spikes him with a picture perfect Piledriver. Like it’s beautiful, it would make Bret Hart cry. Eddie kicks out of the pin attempt though and eats a Running Knee for his troubles. Jun tries to go high but Kingston cuts him off and hits a Superplex. He also bites Akiyama and I imagine biting your hero must be a very weird feeling.
Once the two are up, Kingston pays homage to another one of his hero’s, Kenta Kobashi and unleashes a flurry of chops in the corner. Akiyama absorbs them though and retaliates with a flurry of Forearms…which Eddie absorbs and retaliates with more chops, bearing more successes the second time. Akiyama blocks the Back Drop but misses the Lariat and gets Half-and-Half Suplexed. But Grandpa isn’t settling in for Jeopardy just yet and is right back to his feet and nails Eddie with an Exploder Suplex.
Eddie says fuck it and is right back up and returns the Exploder only to eat a running knee after Akiyama takes the Suplex with a grin and a hard on. Fucking Bushido man. It only elicits a near fall and Eddie counters a second Exploder with a DDT that spikes Akiyama. Brutal and beautiful. Backfist to the Future, near fall, second Backfist to the Future blocked and countered with an Exploder followed by a bare knee Sliding Knee murders Kingston. But Kingston kicks out and digs into the Virtual Pro moves menu to counter a Wrist-Clutched Suplex with a Northern Lights Bomb. Eddie drops the straps! Shit has gotten real! Backfist to the Future and Eddie puts away his hero.
Very good match. It’s not action packed and a little slow but it’s very…impactful, I guess would be the right word. I don’t know, watch it and you’ll what I mean. Eddie got to hang with his hero and the crowd loved Eddie. Shout out to Tazz who decides to be a good commentator for this match.
TNA Victory Road 2010
TNA Tag Team Title Match
Beer Money Inc. (James Storm and Bobby Roode) vs. the Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley)
Tag titles are vacant going into this. Why you may ask? Well becuas the champs before this were The Band, Kevin Nash, Eric Young…and Scott Hall. Long story short, Scott Hall pulled a Scott Hall and instead of just letting Nash and EY defend the belts, TNA stripped them completely…of the titles not their clothes.
Anyway, Shelley and Storm open. Shelley takes early control and the Gun run through a sampler of their beautiful, quick, and crisp tag team offense. It’s beautiful. Things re looking good for the faces until Beer Money use their craftiness to gain control…and almost neuter poor Alex Shelley. The heels ground and isolate Shelley, including a gorgeous Gut Buster from Robert Roode.
Shelley finds an opening and uses the heels own tactics against them to tag in Sabin. Sabin runs wild, again just so quick without sacrificing any smoothness. God there’s one Standing Hurricanrana where you don’t even see Sabin snap over, it’s like a frame rate glitch in a video game. Fucking outstanding.
Beer Money show some tag hutzpah though with two great combos, a Hurricanrana black pass over into an Eye of the Storm and a Slingshot into a Codebreaker. I’m overusing the word here but beautiful. Everything is just so smooth and crisp. Love it! Time for the finish, Storm goes to spit beer into one the Guns eyes but the Gun ducks and referee Brian Hebner gets blinded by the booze instead. Neckbreaker/Top Rope Splash almost seals things for the Guns but substitute Ref Earl Hebner is just a second too late getting into the ring.
Beer Money near fall as Roode counters a Top Rope Crossboy into a pin. Desperation is starting to set in as Roode and Shelley just start laying into each other. More Guns double offense takes out Roode. Sabin pins Roode but Storm rolls up Shelley. Earl counts the three. Brian counts the three. Double pin!
Fucking the counts are perfectly synced by the way, the work of two seasoned vets. No room for error. Earl, the senior official, declares the match must be restarted. There will be a winner! Beer Money waste zero time taking it to the Guns. Things are looking for the heels until Shelley sends Storm balls first into the corner. He lays out Roode with a Superkick and packs away Storm with a Backstabber. Neckbreaker-Top Rope Splash Combo seals it for the Guns securing them their first titles.
Fuck what a match. The chemistry between these two teams is off the charts and well documented. I could genuinely watch the MCMG do their thing for hours. If only there were more matches between these two teams…
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