2017 Ongoing MOTY List: Starr v. WALTER

79. WALTER v. David Starr WXW 3/10

PAS: This is your other big pimped WALTER match from the WXW tourney, and I liked it a fair bit more then the final. We open with both entrances including some WXW fans sieg heiling WALTER incase you thought all of my jokes about WXW fans were unfair. Starr spends the first part of the match cleverly avoiding WALTER and using his aggression against him. Whenever WALTER catches him he really lays into him, every one of his forearms and kicks lands with real force, he is also really great at throws, there is a real explosion when he chucks a guy, and his slap down german is one of my favorite signature spots. Starr has nice offense and his big shots seem plausible, his elbows to the back of the head are super nasty, and he hits a big clothesline. Still Starr is a complete ham, his dramatic acting is cringeworthy it is on a 10 on the Shawn Michaels cry face level and it takes me out of the match, it takes me out of the drama of a match when one guy is going "LOOK HOW DRAMATIC THIS IS." Still there is a lot to like here, and WALTER has really turned into a beast.

ER: I always used to be slightly disappointed in WALTER matches. I always wanted to like him more than I actually ended up liking him. But WALTER has definitely grown into a guy that does not disappoint. Starr wrestles like Drew Gulak, if Gulak kept the strikes but decided to be Johnny Gargano instead of work the mat. He's a good babyface that hits hard, which is great as you need to hit WALTER hard to make things at least somewhat plausible. WALTER swings big and misses early, although the hits hit big. I love his big kicks and I love how Starr flies around for them. I love his throws and I love how Starr flies around for them. Starr wrestles like a guy with bad offense, and every time he goes on offense I expect it to look bad, and it usually looks great. That consecutive topes spot ranges from looking terrible to being a huge moment depending on who uses it: Seth Rollins looks like he's barely nudging a guy, whereas Blue Panther is old and a great babyface and makes it feel triumphant. Starr's topes here were closer to BP than they were to Rollins, and WALTER did a killer job flying around and into chairs. Starr shoving WALTER into the ropes to blast him in the back of the head over and over was one of the nastier moments I've seen in wrestling this year. WALTER was selling it great (although I'm sure a lot of us would sell a shot to the cerebellum pretty believably) and Starr's shots kept looking meaner and meaner. We don't overdo things to build to the ending, with one giant kickout by Starr after a release German and a lariat that upends him. I agree with Phil that I really would have loved Starr to dial things WAY back down the stretch. That wide eyed open mouth scream selling, like you're fucking Andy Dufresne bursting out of a hole outside your prison in the middle of a rainstorm after you kicked out of a headdrop? Stop it. But the good in this was great and I want more WALTER.

2017 Ongoing MOTY List

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They Praying For Jail but Togo Mastered the Pen

Dick Togo/Takuya Wada vs. Koji Iwamoto/Nobuhiro Tsurumaki Hard Hit 9/24/17 - GREAT

PAS: This was on an all grappling Hard Hit show, and was worked with no strikes as a jujitsu exhibition. I enjoy watching great mat work, and was really impressed how credible Togo looked against a Shooto guy like Tsurumaki. The Iwamoto v. Wada sections were really great too, I loved the great Iwamoto judo throw, which Wada was able to turn into a shoot powerbomb. Finish was what really took this over the top and made it a nomination. Tsurumaki has a tight standing guillotine choke which Togo is able to escape and turn into a crossface for the tap. Looked totally legit and showed great skill. Fun diversion.

ER: I've never been too acquainted with "mat Togo" so this was a real treat. It would have been very easy for this to look like an exhibition and I don't think it ever did. We get a lot of really cool competitive grappling, some nice rolling legbars, cool work around headlocks, all the stuff you would want. Again, super impressed with Togo here as it's always awesome to see someone absolutely go on the mat who you usually love for completely different reasons. I really liked when Tsurumaki was weighing him down with a chest press working for a limb, and Togo kept bucking him and bouncing hips until he wriggled free. I also liked some of the playfulness, like Togo spinning free and standing during an exchange with Iwamoto, but Iwamoto grapevining his leg and almost tripping him to the mat while he stood. We build to a big ending with Wada hitting the lone highspot of the match, rolling through and hitting a shootstyle doctor bomb on Iwamoto that was as awesome as it was unexpected. The Togo gets in and maneuvers swiftly into a snug crossface for the quick tap. A nice treat.

COMPLETE AND ACCURATE DICK TOGO

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