Day 1 2020

 

WWE Raw 5/20/02

WWE Undisputed Title Match

Undertaker (c) vs. Rob Van Dam

The night before Taker beat Hulk Hogan for the belt (yes in 2002) and he opened Raw by assaulting Van Dam. Van Dam starts hot and controls most of the early match. Takers selling is a little goofy but his intentions are good...at least RVD isn’t getting pinned by Takers wife. 

Contrary to rumors of Taker during the time, RVD gets his shit in and is booked to even outsmart and hang with Taker. The crowd was really into the finish  and J.R. sells it beautifully. A pretty good high stakes brawl that made both men look good. The match isn’t as good as their Vengeance match but it’s still a TV match worth a watch if you’re bored.  

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.