Official 2014 wrestling challenge

[THG?]

Match: Biff Busick vs. Drew Gulak
Promotion: Beyond Wrestling
Show: Swamp Sessions
Rating: ***1/4
Comment: As you'd expect, a really good technical bout between these two. Probably the two guys who have some of the best chemistry together in the indies. Good watch.

Match: JT Dunn vs. Kimber Lee
Promotion: ISW
Rating: ***1/2
Comment: First match of Dunn I watch, and and I can already tell this dude's gonna be a star. This match was almost flawless, little to no botches, and both worked smoothly in the ring. Short and sweet, JT won with the rolling elbow.

Match: Trevor Lee vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Andrew Everett
Promotion: PWG
Show: Mystery Vortex II
Rating: ****
Comment: A very critically acclaimed match and it did not disappoint. Great outing from all 3 men, especially from Lee and Everett. I've been familiar with Everett for a while, but seeing Lee in action was a real delight (I actually saw this Everett vs. Lee CWF music video weeks before his PWG debut, and he fav'd my tweet, then when I saw him in PWG I realized he was the guy in the vid, funny heh.). But yeah, it was great seeing all men get their shit in and guaranteeing themselves (for now) a regular job at PWG. Good stuff.

Match: Jushin Liger vs. Bryan Danielson
Promotion: ROH
Show: Not sure.
Rating: ***3/4
Comment: Liger was super over in this. This match had a very methodical pace to it, and it only really picked up in the last 5 minutes. And those last 5 minutes was good enough for me to rate it just short of 4 stars. Liger's super brainbuster from the top rope (2sweet), won it for him. Also, Punk sounds so different on commentary here.

THG?'s Match? Counter?: 34

 

[Trevor~]

i'm signing myself up, should be interesting. Considering i've been meaning to catch up on a lot of stuff since I got back in to Wrestling at Mania and hadn't watched for nearly a year since. Also been meaning to get into NJPW since I haven't ever checked it out.

 

[THG?]

Match: Hirooki Goto vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan
Promotion: NJPW
Show: G1 Climax 24 Night 7
Rating: ****
Comment: Didn't really expect much out of this one, but it ended up being one fun slugfest. Tenzan is having a good tournament, and Goto is having an even better one. Good finishing stretch. Tenzan one after a Tenzan Tombstone and the Anaconda Max to make Goto tap.

Match: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Yuji Nagata
Promotion: NJPW
Show: G1 Climax 24 Night 7
Rating: ****1/4
Comment: Three words. Stiff. As. Fuck. But nah, this was a really good match. These two killed eachother out there, Shibata's no-selling may have gotten redundant at times, but I enjoyed the match regardless. I really liked the backdrop driver finish Nagata did too , good stuff.

Match: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Promotion: NJPW
Show: G1 Climax 24 Night 7
Rating: ****1/2
Comment: Yeaaaa, this was amazing, as expected. It took like 5 Boma Ye's to put Ishii away. Everything seemed to flow well in this match, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Match: AJ Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki
Promotion: NJPW
Show: G1 Climax 24 Night 7
Rating: ****1/2
Comment: Now, I've seen people call this a 5-star classic, but I don't considerate it THAT good. Yeah, it was awesome and a MOTYC, but I think calling it a 5-star classic is a bit of an overstatement. That by no means signifies that I disliked this match, because it's all of the contrary. I loved this match. I loved the counters and the arm work by Suzuki. I loved Styles' performance and selling in this too. All around awesomeness.

THG?'s Match? Counter?: 38

 

[Majour]

I've been awful at this so far. I've watched so many matches but not taken notes, I'll try and play catch-up!


Match: Mia Yim Vs La Rosa Negra
Show: Warning Shot 5
Promotion: NWA/FUW
Rating: 2.5/5
Comment: Not the greatest match- it was really messy in places and a few calls can be heard.

Match: Mickie James Vs Mia Yim
Show: Shamrock Cup (31/07/10)
Promotion: Maryland Championship Wrestling
Rating: 3/5
Comment: Not the most exciting match, but both worked well.


Match: Dean Ambrose Vs Cesaro (No DQ Match)
Show: Smackdown
Promotion: WWE
Rating: 4/5
Comment: What with the PG-ness of product I was expecting a few kendo sticks at best. Two of my favourite guys in WWE and they didn't disappoint. Especially with the use of the chairs.

Match: Jessicka Havok Vs Sami Callahan (Intergender match)
Show: King and Queen
Promotion: CZW/WSU
Rating: 3.5/5
Comment: Chop and boot heavy, less techinal but it was impressive.

Match: The Hardys Vs American Wolves (World Tag Team Championship)
Show: Destination X
Promotion: TNA
Rating: 4/5
Comment: It looked like The Hardys might have a chance for the titles but The Wolves showed exactly why they deserve gold


Majour's Match Count: 19

 

[Majour]

Match: Johnny Gargano vs. Rich Swann
Show: Bushido 2013
Promotion: Dragongate USA
Rating: 4/5
Comment: Some great spots. Swann shows off his athletecism. A lttle super kick party but a shame it ended in DQ.

Match: KazuchikaOkada Vs Lance Archer
Show: G1 Climax 24 Block B
Promotion: NJPW
Rating: 3/5
Comment: Lance Archer starts strong, Okada puts up some decent defence but all in all, underwhelming.

Match: Doc Gallows Vs Shinsuke Nakamura
Show: G1 Climax 24 Block A
Promotion: NJPW
Rating: 4/5
Comment: Doc Gallows spends a lot of the match dominating Nakamura. There are a few really close falls towards the end. Once Nakamura picked up the pace it got exciting.


Majour's Match Count: 22

 

[Pop Tatari]

Match: Dojo Bros vs Young Bucks
Promotion: PWG
Event: Mystery Vortex 2012
Rating: 4

Review= It took a while to hit top gear but when it did it was a exciting contest, there was a great spot when Strong was going for Nick and nick dodged and pulled down the ropes as Strong went out and Matt Jackson dived out on top of him while Nick springboard off the ropes and planted a vicious DDT on Edwards who was on the outside ring apron. Lots of superkicks exchanges and great little roll up counters followed. Strong was on top form.

Watch Count= 36

 

[Pop Tatari]

Match: Eddie Edwards vs Kyle O' Reilly
Promotion: ROH
Event: Reclamation Night ONE
Rating: ***3/4
Review= Very enjoyable contest between theses two, Nice technical affair mixed with some brutal strikes. Maybe a bit too long and the finish came out of nowhere. Eddie Hits a awesome top rope Rex Plex.

Watch Count= 37

 

[Stopspot]

Back in the driver seat for this then. Up and at them!

Evolve 35

Johnny Gargano vs Drew Gulak
Rating: 3,6
Comment: Strong match to open the show. Gulak has that old school technical mat style that Evolve is looking to showcase as its trademark style from now on and does it real well. And Gargano is a versatile worker that brings the more typical flair to this match, a nice mix of styles that meshes well.

Timothy Thatcher vs Tracey Williams
Rating: 4
Comment: Thatcher has quickly risen to become one of Evolve’s top stars in his short time with the promotion, and the crowd responds in kind. Thatcher, like Gulak wrestle a very old school catch inspired style, only more rough and physical than Gulak, which goes well with his more rugged British hooligan look. Thatcher being the Styles Battle 2014 winner and ranked number 2 in Evolve currently obviously gets a lot of space in this match, but the debuting Williams also gets ample time to shine. This is Williams’ debut in Evolve and in a bigger indy overall and he wrestles a similar style to Gulak and Thatcher. Crowd responded positively to Williams and I see him being brought back to Evolve and becoming one of these guys that they build the “Evolve style” around.

Drew Galloway (Evolve champion) vs Roderick Strong
Rating: 3.8
Comment: If the first two matches were based in mat wrestling, then this one was based in potatoes and stiff strikes. Drew and Rod hit a high pace from the word go and just went to town on each other. I really enjoyed this match and it continues Drew’s strong booking as Evolve champion and ingraining him in the Evolve culture and crowd. The rematch between these two with the belt on the line will be even more fun I believe.

Biff Busick vs Zack Sabre Jr
Rating: 4,1
Comment: My personal match of the night. Great mat wrestling, stiff strikes and intensity. Both these men do what they do so well. Sabre is arguably the best technical wrestler in the western world not signed to the WWE right now. And Busick has had a rocket strapped to his back the last two years, rising through the ranks in independent wrestling working a similar style to Gulak and Thatcher, but like Thatcher a more vicious and brutal style. These two went to town and put on a clinic. Would definitely watch a rematch!

DGUSA tag titles match: Rich Swann & AR Fox vs P.A.B. (Caleb Konley & Anthony Nese) vs Bravado Bros ©
Rating: 3,5
Comment: Fun three way elimination tag that was brought down by the clunkiness of the defending champions. For being brothers and a long term established team the Bravados sure don’t have a lot of sync in their offense. It picked up towards the end with a lot of spots and a high pace. Good for what it was.

DGUSA Open the Freedom Gate match: Uhaa Nation vs Ricochet ©
Rating: 3,7
Comment: A bit of high flying, a bit of striking, a bit of match wrestling with a couple of spots sprinkled in and you have this main event match up. Both dudes know each other very well and it shows in their chemistry. Neither guy are particularly good strikers so the match is carried by the high flying style and mat wrestling from both men. Uhaa is insanely agile for a dude his size and continues to have a strong year. Nice way to end the show although I personally am not a fan of the DGUSA belt closing off Evolve shows.

Stop's Spot Count: 93

 

[Stopspot]

Night of Champions 2014

The Usos (c) vs Dusty Rhodes boys for the WWE tag team championships
Rating: 3.5
Comment: Good and smart way to open the show. Two teams that are in good form and perform well together. The Usos have been on a roll in 2014 and this is easily their most over year in the WWE. And Goldust has had a career resurgence since returning, and we all know how solid Cody is. These guys put out a good match that got the crowd going.

Sheamus (c) vs Cesaro for the US Championship
Rating: 4.0
Comment: Match of the night. These guys click and put on a Hoss clinic. It was stiff, it was well paced and told a real good story. And it didn't become too intense, leaving room in this rivalry to grow and for coming matches to intensify. Cesaro looked like a million bucks and Sheamus proved that he can hang with one of the most praised performers out there. Loved this.

The Miz vs Dolph Ziggler (c) for the IC championship.
Rating: 2.9
Comment: Solid match in the ring, but ruined by awful commentary and putting too much focus on Florida Georgia Line. Miz and Ziggler work well against one another and their rivalry on TV has been really entertaining, not to mention Miz's pairing with Sandow which is hilarious. I hope we get a rematch that isn't ruined by awful commentary.

Mark Henry vs Rusev
Rating: 2.9
Comment: Solid hoss battle, but it was obvious that Henry couldn't keep up with the younger, fresher and lighter Rusev. Made up for with solid story telling. Maybe not the most unpredictable match, but it did what it was supposed to do.

Randy Orton vs Chris Jericho
Rating: 3.3
Comment: Another solid match. Two veterans who have gone to war before. A little older now, a little wiser. Obvious that these two can do much better. But I enjoyed it.

Didn't watch the divas match.

John Cena vs the superhuman suplex machine (c) for the WWE World championship
Rating: 3.6
Comment: Weaker than their Summerslam match. But still solid. Brock smashed for most of the match, but Cena got his comeback in the end which showed that he just might be able to conquer the beast.

Stop's spot count: 99

 

[Pop Tatari]

Match: KENTA vs Tyler Black
Promotion: ROH
Event: End of an Age
Rating: **** 1/2
Review: With theses two incredible athletes you are going to get one hell of a match. Great spot where Black is running and goes for a boot and KENTA grabs his leg and applies the STF and then as Black is about to go for the ropes,KENTA grabs his other arm and forces him up to to a tiger suplex only for Black to flip over and land on his feet and bounce back off the ropes only for KENTA to lift him up and deliver a brutal Ace Crusher. Very good chemistry shown here, both men doing a lot of springboard moves. Black later does a amazing top rope flip over the ropes. Black was made to look strong against his superior opponent and the finish of the match was well executed and thrilling.


Match: Cesaro vs Regal
Promotion: WWE/NXT
Event: NXT 25/12/2013
Rating: **** 3/4
Review: A real joy to watch two ring generals at very different stages of their careers put on a clinic, amazing holds,counters and a real great story told of the veteran who is in the twilight of his career still showing he can go and and his opponent who has a great career ahead of him but lacking respect.

Match count:39

 

[Stopspot]

Team Teddy vs Team Johnny Smackdown 15th Anniversary tag match (Mark Henry, Jack Swagger, El Torito, Sheamus, The Usos & Los Matadores vs Damien Mizdow, Cesaro, Bo Dallas, Mini Gator, Slater Gator, Star & Goldust)
Rating: 3.6
Commentary: Just when you think WWE has forgotten that they have midcarders completely they do this. Was an entertaining multi man match in my opinion which allowed every competitor to shine and showcase themselves, even the minis.

Stop's spot count: 100

 

[Pop Tatari]

Match: Daisuke Harada(c) vs Hajime Ohara vs Zack Sabre Jr
Promotion:Noah
Rating: 4
Comment: Fun three way dance match for the GHC JR title, some nice little spots and some great near falls and interactions between Harada and Sabre, all three guys got time to shine to deliver a great contest. Some really great moves and holds as well. Well worth checking out.

Match: Namomichi Marufuji(c) vs Takeshi Morishima
Promotion: Noah
Rating:4
Comment: GHC heavyweight contest, pretty decent match ending was well executed and made sense, not a classic but solid affair considering the talent involved. Maybe too much interference ruined it,.

Match Count: 41

 

[THG?]

Match: Shinobu vs. Daisuke Sekimoto

Promotion: BJW. Not sure of the show but it's from this yeah.

Rating: ****1/4

Comment: It's been a few weeks cine I've watched this, but man oh man, this was so good. Such a great big man/small man match up and these two played their roles perfectly. I love Daisuke, absolute tank, and Shinobu definitely held his own here as the underdog. The finishing stretch especially was crazy with Shinobu kicking out of Daisuke's power moves and with Shinobu finally picking up the win with a brutal armbar after kicking out of a Straight-Jacket German. One of my fav matches this year.

Match: Kagetora and Susumu vs. T-Hawk and Eita

Promotion: Dragon Gate

Show: SATL Finals 2014

Rating: ****1/4

Comment: These four put it all on the line here, and the heightening drama in this match was done really well, with each move getting bigger towards the end. It was really cool and shocking to see Kagetora get the pin, but this is a must-watch for any Dragon Gate fan.


Match counter: 40

 

[MGS32]

@Stopspot Would anything like this ever come back? It was a really cool idea and it was some good fun.

 

[Roadster]

@Stopspot Would anything like this ever come back? It was a really cool idea and it was some good fun.

Oddly enough I was thinking of restarting this, yesterday. However, I'm sure I've already made it, or a version of it. I'll probably shift through, and try to find it.