Segunda Caida

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Tuesday, January 07, 2014

2014 Ongoing Match of the Year List

2. Goldust/Cody Rhodes vs. Antonio Cesaro/Jack Swagger WWE Raw 1/6/14

ER: So it's been no secret the last few months that week in, week out the most consistently great thing about Raw/Smackdown has been Goldust performances in tag matches. This match is another awesome tag sprint on what's now a pretty impressive list for the Rhodes Brothers. Obviously the other participants are no slouches as Cesaro has been one of the best in the world over the last year, but these tags are all about the Goldust show. When he's in he's arguably the most electric performer in the world. When he's on the apron I find myself watching him and waiting for him to either tag in or just bask in his apron work. The match is a hot 10 minutes with a couple great nearfalls (WWE spent so many years having guys use a roll up as a finish that it's now one of the more believable nearfall tricks they can pull on me) including Cesaro leaping in from the floor with a glorious battering ram headbutt to break up a pin. Great callback spot with Goldust taking a mammoth yakuza kick that sends him spilling off the apron, climaxing with Dust roaring back in to save Cody a couple minutes later with a bigger yakuza kick. The Goldust swinging rana off the top is probably the coolest move a wrestler has added to his arsenal past the age of 40. Cesaro is such a great catcher that it's no shock it was Dust's best rana since adding the move. Expect more Rhodes Bros. tags to show up on our list as the year goes on, as Dustin hot tags are pretty much the most exciting thing in wrestling for me right now.

PAS: Yeah this was really fun. If they keep the team together I could see this list as 60% Rhodes brothers tags, as they have a really fun group of heel teams to work against, always seem to get enough time and are maybe the best working babyface tag team since the Rock and Roll Express. I am going to write ad infinitum about how awesome Goldust is, but I really think Cody is the most improved wrestler in the world. He has a set of impressive offensive moves which he has different ways of executing, takes big bumps and sells great. Honestly the coolest spot in the match was Cody freaking out and trying ten different counters before Goldust ran in with that awesome Yakuza kick.

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3 Comments:

Blogger Brian said...

I enjoyed this but liked the Brotherhood vs. Wyatt's tag from SD! 1/3 more. It was more physical and had a more satisfying, crowd-popping finish although to be fair the hurricanrana on Cesaro was super slick.

8:42 AM  
Blogger EricR said...

I like that match more as well, but I think it was technically taped in 2013 and aired in 2014. We're gonna be obnoxious like that.

12:13 PM  
Blogger Brian said...

Ah I didn't think of that. Good call.

8:00 PM  

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