AEW Five Fingers of Death (and Friends) 12/1 - 12/7 Part 3

ROH Final Battle 12/5/25

Lee Moriarty vs Nigel McGuinness - Iron Man Match

In general, it doesn't make sense to argue in good faith against those who argue in bad faith. 

A cottage industry has sprouted where grifters spout takes they barely believe in order to tear things down to get engagement. That provides them followers, clicks, appearances, and maybe, if they're particularly successful, lucrative attention from corporate overlords. 

The thing is that younger people see this, and they see that it comes from someone with a big following and some level of past authority and significance, and they cling to it as at least a possible truth.

So no, I don't think it's worth validating them and their thoughts by spending too much time with it, but spending a little, well, there's not too much harm in that, especially when it doesn't take me too far afield from where I'd be anyway.

The question at hand? Storytelling, specifically the validity of implicit, in-ring storytelling vs something more explicit and driven by out-of-ring angles and promos. Can the text itself stand without being buoyed on a sea of context. 

The case study: Lee Moriary vs Nigel McGuinness from Final Battle 2025. An Ironman match between two pure rules stalwarts. 

On paper and certainly as the grifters would grift, this was a cold match. It was announced about a week before the show. It was set up solely on pride. The title wasn't on the line. It wasn't under pure rules. Moriarty had successfully defended the title against Nigel. Nigel had defeated Lee in the technical spectacle 4-way to score a title shot at Zack Sabre, Jr. at Forbidden Door 2025. They were 1-1 against each other. Lee is the longest running Pure champ. Nigel is the second longest running champ and the one who really put the title on the map. This, therefore, was about pride. That's the story coming in. That's it. One backstage promo. No angles. 

But that's not how wrestling works. There are always implicit characteristics. Lee's used to wrestling pure rules matches and here the rules were relaxed (rope breaks didn't count against you, for instance). Shane Taylor was allowed at ringside. Nigel came in with arguably more to prove. He's the one that made the challenge. Moriarty, on the other hand, had just been taken to the limit against Komander in a Proving Ground match and he'd have to defend against him upcoming. This was a distraction from that in some ways. Nigel had dropped twenty-two pounds for this and while he wasn't in the same sort of ring shape as Lee, he was far more rested up. They were in relatively neutral ground as McGuinness came up in Ohio but it's not far from Moriarty's home in Pittsburgh. 

All of this potentially matters, but at the same time, none of it is a sure thing. They're all elements and details, just a few of many, that could potentially be used by the wrestlers to craft a story. And even though the wrestlers might choose to tap into these, that doesn't mean that the story is compelling. I had a period when I was younger that I valued logic above all else in a match. Were all the parentheses closed? Did everything make sense? Was it all set up and paid off? Was anything extraneous? Now I realize that it's much more of a bare minimum or a starting point, and it's also not the be all and end all. Narratives can be a little messy if the sacrifice of coherency somehow increases emotional connection, if it helps people feel instead of think at a key moment. In most cases, however, structural underpinnings bolster that emotional connection instead of disrupting them, and the absence of such is not due to some stroke of creative brilliance but instead pure laziness. In a world with more nuance and less grifters, it'd be easier to point out such examples. As it is, we have to be careful not to use too wide a brush.

So coming in, a single question, quite often the most primal, most important question in all of pro wrestling: "Who is better?" And various attributes that separate the two wrestlers, and a situation primed for the wrestlers to explore these differences between them. You can see why this is a perfect case study. 

They had thirty minutes (and, of course, eventually an overtime) to ply their craft and make their art, and they went right to it. The first few minutes were a feeling out process, hold flowing into hold, reversals opening up new possibilities. There were risks here. It could feel too much like an exhibition. It could be too formless with nothing driving the action but technique. It could feel too collaborative where it's obvious they were propping one another up. But they walked the line well. Nigel was perhaps more the aggressor but Moriarty had answers, a series of interesting and intricate escapes. They both used rope breaks liberally, establishing to a crowd that had just seen a women's Pure title match that here they were fair game.

Notably, after being tagged by a back elbow on a switch, McGuinness snapped into the ropes to throw his comebacker Les Kellett lariat, but Moriarty simply walked out of reach. That would come into play a couple of minutes later as he went for it again, wanting a quick fall to take an early lead. Moriarty had him scouted and went behind for a roll up. McGuinness reversed into a pin attempt of his own, but Moriarty was a couple of moves ahead and turned it into his signature Border City Stretch. McGuinness, in their previous title match, had spent a debilitating minute in the hold. Here, with less than five minutes gone, he couldn't afford that. Instead, he quickly and strategically tapped so no damage was done.

The fans chose this moment to start supporting the quantitative underdog, chanting for McGuinness, and Moriarty went to the floor to burn some time and play to them accordingly. Back in the ring, McGuinness, now down a fall, ramped up the intensity. Moriarty picked an ankle after a roll, and Nigel went right to the ear to drive him to the ropes. He started opening up on Moriarty's arm, slamming it onto the mat and then working it over to create a vulnerability. Moriarty sold accordingly. Nigel went for the Tower of London in the corner, but Lee was able to escape, but not press an advantage. Instead, Nigel became even more aggressive, escalating things to strikes, first in the ring, and then, after chasing Lee out, on the floor. That aggression cost him dearly, however, as after chasing Moriarty back into the ring, Lee was able to roll him up for a quick three count making the match 2-0. 

Nigel, now in a hole, responded by going in harder on the arm. That made him predictable in some ways but it also gave him an advantage in the moment. For instance, if Lee went for a sunset flip, Nigel was able to block it just by slapping at the hands. Moriarty utilized his superior athleticism and comparable canniness to reverse repeated attempts at moves and use the distance McGuinness occasionally provided in setting up bigger attacks to fire back, but Nigel was able to cut off Moriarty by driving forward and attacking the arm. If Lee missed a move, sometimes the sheer recoil of it caused him to be momentarily stunned and to hold his arm, excellent selling that provided a clear, logical, immersive narrative opportunity for Nigel. 

McGuinness locked in his London Dungeon armhold once, but Moriarty made it to the ropes. After a missed corner charge by Lee (set up through a complex series of reversals), he locked it in again, and this time scored the submission. It was still 2-1 however, and Nigel, increasingly desperate with about ten minutes left, yet smelling blood given what he had just accomplished, immediately went for it again. It was a completely reasonable and compelling character decision from him, yet Lee was able to capitalize upon its predictability, rolling through and locking Nigel into a deep cradle to make the score 3-1.

Now, as the clock continued to tick down, they had built a match through the idea of contesting advantages. Lee had a clear quantitative advantage, up by two falls with time on his side, but Nigel had a clear qualitative advantage, with Lee's arm weakened and damaged. If Nigel's desperation drove him too hard to capitalize, Lee would be able to predict it and counter, however. Nigel did press, working over the arm and chopping Moriarty down, but another attempt at the London Dungeon was reversed. He shifted gears to a triangle choke, but Lee made it to the ropes. 

With about three and a half minutes left, they crashed into each other and Nigel finally hit the Les Kellett clothesline, but only for two. Moriarty escaped the ring. Nigel followed again. This time Shane Taylor got in between them and that distraction allowed Lee to lock in a choke. Nigel barely beat the count but was vulnerable to the Border City Stretch. Maybe because Nigel wasn't softened up enough (given his early tap at the start of the match) or because Lee's arm was damaged, Nigel was able to turn it around into a pin and make the score 3-2. Everything from them crashing into each other to the roll up to the pin was part of a single narrative sequence that also played upon what had come before (the quick tap, the multiple attempts at the clothesline, Nigel successfully chasing him to the floor earlier in the match but getting caught on the way back in). It was elaborate but because it was grounded in both character and what they had already built within the match; it absolutely worked.

Things only got wilder from there. Lee had tried unsuccessfully to wrestle defensively when he was further up in points (including on his back, Inoki style). Now he seemed more at a loss, still up but with momentum having shifted away from him. Nigel didn't let him rest and after going back and forth on waistlock attempts, they crashed into each other once again. Lee recovered first, but instead of letting the clock run out, he advanced and got tied up by Nigel for the equalizing pin. Lee, distracted, went to Taylor for advice, was rolled up  and with Nigel holding the tights, it was suddenly 4-3 with only seconds left. As the ref checked on Lee, Taylor clocked Nigel from the outside and with time running out, Lee scored the pin to equalize things at the buzzer. 

There was a sort of moral equivalency here, Nigel's tight pull and Taylor's interference, but perhaps one was more of a transgression than the other. Regardless, and despite Taylor's vehemence that Lee just take the draw that he got by the skin of his teeth, Moriarty called Nigel back for a sudden death overtime. Here they did a series of quick roll ups and pin attempts we've seen so often, but even with the relatively low stakes, the match that they had built and the intensity they brought to bear made these feel visceral and gripping, competitive instead of collaborative. On a double pin, Lee was able to get his shoulder up at the last second, winning the overtime fall and the match. 

Post-match, in an emotional moment, McGuinness presented his original ROH Pure Title belt to Lee. Meanwhile, Shane Taylor was still upset over with how things had played out and argued with Moriarty. Even though this match had come in relatively cold with little outside story hooks, they had, through the match itself, created one moving forward as there's now possible dissension within Shane Taylor Promotions.

Thirty minute matches can be hard to write about. On the match narrative itself, from bell to bell to bell, I went 1250+ words. Character traits and attributes drove the action here. Things were set up early that were paid off late. There was architectural connective tissue (and let's say the ligaments in Moriarty's arm) that kept the match from falling apart despite the length and the complexity of some of the sequences and the technique therein. 

So what else can you even say? There was a story here. It was a wonderful sports-based, competition-based story between two athletes, two masters, two warriors testing themselves against each other. It was full of human failing and triumphant opportunism. 

Grifters are going to grift and try to get people to underlook a match like this. Maybe it could have been built better and supported more on the way in. I'm not going to dismiss that possibility, but it still stood tall as it was. It was given everything it needed to succeed (time, freedom, a presentation on commentary that took it seriously and treated it as important) as an artistic endeavor and compelling story and it ultimately did succeed because the work itself was so detailed, rich, and strong. I feel for anyone that either can't see this because of ignorance or won't see it because they're only in this to make a buck. 

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D3AN~!!! Day 6: MORIARTY~! WOODS~! TAYLOR~! FOX~! GYPSY JOE~?

DEAN~!!! 3 9/6/25

Lee Moriarty vs. Josh Woods

MD: Look, this is the D3AN review and I really enjoyed the match, especially on the rewatch, so I'll promise to only spend one paragraph on the rope breaks.

Let me talk about Pure Rules matches in general first. It's a singular gimmick. There's nothing else like it. Every other gimmick match relaxes one rule or another. For Pure Rules, though, the gimmick is that the conventional norms and rules of pro wrestling matter more and not less. You get one punch. You get three rope breaks. Interference is nullified. There is a time limit and judging as opposed to just draws. Etc. It leans into the rules and puts more weight on them. It enhances certain aspects of pro wrestling and creates a more vivid and distinct box. In doing so, different stories can be told and the limitations can actually create narrative possibilities and inspire creativity. I've seen people say that Lee Moriarty isn't as technical as they might want and while I don't necessarily see that, I'd argue that he's strategic instead and that in strategy, more than just technique in and of itself, you find more explicit storytelling. His Pure Rules matches are full of those.

Which brings us to the rope breaks. Shortly after Woods opened up the match by targeting Moriarty's midsection, he trapped him in the ropes, and yanked on multiple limbs at once. Mike Posey, the ref often noted on commentary as a "Pure Rules" expert, called this a legitimate rope break. Later on, Moriarty, who had started to target the arm, did something similar by bringing Woods to the ropes and yanking on the arm. Dylan and Mose did a good job covering on commentary, but I'm going to cry foul. Again, it's about the rules meaning more. Sure, that means that if someone can sneak in a punch without the ref seeing, they can get big heat from that. Likewise if a rope break is somehow missed by the ref, but this was blatant and obvious. You can't get charged a rope break on a hold that is intrinsically illegal. It's on the ref to break it. If you were to outright choke someone and they went to the rope on the five count, there's no way that would count on a rope break because it's an illegal hold. I have no problem with Moriarty trying to make use of the approach after losing one break, because then the ref had already weighed in on it, but it has to be nipped in the bud now or else it'll become a slippery slope that will destroy the strategic elements of Pure Rules matches moving forward. And that's all I'll say about that.

That said, the match was a lot of fun. Woods brought a certain level of Steve Williams-esque intensity and bestial strength to go along with his technique, hefting Lee this way or that. Lee, on the other hand, had a lot of slickness and precision, kicking limbs away, getting in a counter that snap targeted the arm, etc. That's not to say Woods couldn't bring that to the table too, like when he locked in a lightning fast Navarro-style lock out of nowhere. 

When the match did open up, the duel "limb"work was interesting because Woods was working with one arm and Moriarty's midsection was what was targeted, leading to some unique and consistent selling. Between his strength and skill, Woods came off as a unique challenge, losing only because of Moriarty's superior experience with the rules. In this, you can argue from a story perspective that Woods himself was thrown by the rule disruption. He got his third ropebreak, but instead of honing in on the body, he went to the ankle, and instead of letting Moriarty crawl to the ropes and maybe even make use of them himself, he chose to drag Moriarty back to the center of the ring, setting up the roll up reversals. Muscle memory and an inability to think on the fly and maximize his advantages cost him the match, which is a very solid and compelling sort of story for a Pure Rules match. 

But yeah, I have some heat with Posey here.

AR Fox vs. Shane Taylor

MD: To me, the comparison point to Fox is RVD. It's not a one to one, but stylistically, he should be so different from everyone else in wrestling just as RVD was. The way he moves, the creativity, the dubious physics, the effort. The problem is we're in a world where a lot of wrestling actually looks like what Fox does. Imagine if everyone moved like RVD in the late 90s-early 00s. Even if he was the absolute most of what he was, he wouldn't stand out nearly as much. Things that you'd accept and laud in him would frustrated instead because familiarity would breed a level of contempt. That said, I tend to forgive some of the more ridiculous stuff and see it more as a feature than a bug or at least as an exception. 

It helps when he's working real contrast instead of something similar, and he had that here with Taylor. I liked how impromptu and free flowing this felt. Yes, it was a DEAN show, but it was also at the 2300. Taylor was a brick wall and Fox had to use every trick to chip away at him. Some of Taylor's matter-of-fact blocks as shots were coming at him from every angle were great. 

And Fox had to defy gravity, shoved off the apron and landing on the guardrail to finally hit the flurry that managed to get Taylor off his feet, a true moral victory. Unfortunately, he had to continue to escalate the risks to try to put him down for good and all it took was one miss for Taylor to throw the punch that ended it. This was a great way to feature two very different wrestlers in a short sprinty impromptu match.

Gypsy Joe Invitational

MD: Little disclaimer here once again. What I'm about to say is just me talking. I've got nothing to do with the running of this show. I write on the blog. I love writing on the blog. Phil and Eric are friends and creative collaborators, but this is their baby with the other Matt and TK and the coaches and wrestlers involved with the show. This is just me talking as me. 

We're not getting this thing. It's lost media. I don't even know who won it. I don't know who was in it. I've seen one photo of Slade and one photo of a flying VCR.

So obviously, something went wrong or it went off the rails or who knows, right?

But that's the DVDVR spirit, isn't it? Read the road reports. Read the DVDVR reviews. Look at what's been archived from the old board. Sometimes wrestling is messy. Sometimes indie wrestling is especially messy. That's part of the beauty of it. It's live and raw and real and passionate.

There's a perfectly polished company with glossy, pre-planned everything, which has sacrificed creative freedom for total control. 

And then there's a competitor brand. And sometimes that brand is going to be a little rough around the edges, and that doesn't mean it's not professional. It means it's professional wrestling. Sometimes you go to a wrestling show to see someone hit their head on a ceiling that's too low. 

DEAN is all about diversity, about finding love in all sorts of wrestling, about just how weird and outlandish and messy pro wrestling can be. Sometimes it's going to be the absolute serene. Sometimes it's going to be the Anticristo promo. And sometimes it's going to be Survival Tobita vs Ken the Box. 

I have no idea what happened here. I have no idea what I would have found good and what I would have found bad in this.

But I sure as hell know that Dean Rasmussen would have squeezed every bit of joy out of it and created his own where it was missing. He would have called out the mess but he would have embraced it too. 

So yeah, look, I don't think we're getting this. And that's fine. I'm so glad we got to see any of this show, that it existed at all. We're in a world where the maestro match happened at the 2300 and was up for us to see. That's a beautiful world. That's a world that wouldn't exist without people that care so much about pro wrestling. 

But...

Some of you were there. Some of you witnessed this. 

Come on over to the Board. It's there. It's working better than it's been working in a couple of years. You can actually scroll between pages now. Modern technology at its best. Hit the thread. Do a mini road report. Write about the match. Document the thing. The good, the bad, especially the ugly. Throw in some ~'s. Have fun with it. It'll be off in a corner of the internet not too many people will see, somewhere that won't cause any trouble for anyone. but it'll be where some of the people that care the most will be able to see it.

This show is an amazing, mind blowing, almost impossible to imagine way to honor the spirit of the DVDVR and the big guy at the heart of it, but so is writing about what you saw and what you feel.  

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AEW Five Fingers of Death (and Friends) 8/11 - 8/17

AEW Collision 8/16/25

The Technical Spectacle (Nigel McGuinness vs Daniel Garcia vs Hechicero vs Lee Moriarty)

MD: My dislike for 4-way matches is pretty well documented at this point. I went into detail back during Double Or Nothing a few years ago. In short, 4-ways are the ultimate immersion killer. They're quite possibly the least organic form of pro wrestling ever invented. They're excuses for big spots and big set pieces that are elaborately set up in ways that have nothing to do with winning a match. They force wrestlers to act outside of their established norms, often contriving them to do things in parallel in a way that doesn't hold up under scrutiny. You end up with people laying around for far longer than they would in any other match and it all becomes a muddle with too many cooks and too many ideas. At best, you get some cool and memorable things, but we're so desensitized to that anyway that it barely registers after the fact. 

Quick pause on that. I've been watching a lot of Newborn UWF/UWF 2.0 lately. It's almost all on YouTube so I suggest people go and do the same. It's helped me refine my thoughts about shoot style and how best to engage with it. I'd seen my share of UWF 1.0, but that's so centered around a few characters and they were still figuring out the style so that you're not necessarily watching a distillable shoot style match so much as you're watching a Super Tiger or Fujiwara match. With UWF 2.0 though, everything is more locked in and refined. You can best understand the matches along three axes: technique/physical attributes (this is self-evident), opportunity (what openings exist in any single moment and how can a wrestler take advantage of them), and personality (who are these people and how do they approach the fight). You can't necessarily look at things through a traditional narrative (shine/heat/comeback) lens. Instead, by trying understanding those three things you can jump in and see how, let's say a smaller fighter apt to tire his opponent out and fight defensively like Shigeo Miyato will face off against a larger fighter who has to make use of his size and press hard early (but that might still get one powerful blow in late) like Tatsuo Nakano. Who are these people? What drives them? How does that create opportunities and how do they respond to them? What opportunities do those responses then create in the moment and throughout the match?

Still with me? Ok, so maybe people wouldn't necessarily define the Technical Spectacle as shoot style (maybe they would), but it was at least a sibling or cousin to it, and so many of those same tenets operated here. Unlike almost every other 4-way I've ever seen, this was set up around opportunities and personalities. Nigel carries the weight of the world on his shoulders knowing full well the possibility of every impossible opportunity (a different sort of opportunity, but related), having had so many of his dreams slip through his fingers. Garcia is watching his own dreams start to slip as well, stumbling through a series of failures and wanting to wrench back his future. Moriarty sees himself as the present, the time-tested Pure Champ, but without the recognition or respect he deserves. And Hechicero is just a malignant spirit, Bandido and a title shot ahead of him, a wretched, brilliant creature that just wants to ply his craft and hurt people. 

In parts of the match technique drove things and the wrestlers grappled evenly, looking to create opportunities. But when those opportunities arose, it was their personalities that defined the action, this a direct opposite of so many 4-ways where the necessary over the top spots override and overwrite personality. Moriarty was the one who went out of his way to get multiple people in a submission at once, leaning into his bravado and swagger. Garcia always had an eye out for what Nigel was doing, seeing him as the biggest threat, as the one he'd never faced off against (only teamed with). And Nigel? Nigel may be a sympathetic figure given his journey, but there's something of the rogue within him, of the scoundrel, but even more than that, the stone-faced realism of a man that has been through life's wringer. When his opponents were in simultaneous submissions, he laid in an opportunistic stomp to break it up. In a similar moment, he dropped an elbow on Garcia. And then, when it seemed like Garcia had his Scorpion Deathlock on while he himself had the London Dungeon locked in, he threw a nasty, chippy, possibly even underhanded elbow, flooring Garcia. It wasn't personal; in fact, it was even regretful on some level, but it was life, the only life Nigel knew and the only life that he could possibly have left.

And all throughout, the technique was as compelling as the personalities. Handfighting, moments of leverage, tricked out takedowns, lightning fast pin attempts that never felt like needless waterfall spots existing for their own sake. They solved the problem of someone laying out by almost constantly having wrestlers paired off, and here it worked because success for one wrestler didn't mean a headdrop or huge bump but instead gaining advantage over a limb or locking in a hold. 

While watching this, I had the sense of something incredibly rare in 2025: the feeling of watching something brand new. Usually things that are touted as new are instead just "more." Bigger spots, more excess, more people, more risk, brighter colors and flashier fireworks; adding another few floors to a tower that already exists. Here though, even the foundation felt new. This feels like something that could be done again with the same wrestlers or different ones, with huge stakes, incredible techniques, and opportunities driven by personality.

They could have done this the old way, could have had all of the holds be tandem things, could have done so many more suplexes, could have slipped in a tower of doom spot and some dives, could have gone around the world a few times with all of their finishers. That would have been safe as crowds tend to be more favorable towards those things than I am. This was not safe. It was brave and it was daring and in its own way, it was brilliant. So much of that was on the courage to trust that the crowd would come along, that their own skill and personality and commitment would win the day. But win the day it did, and in doing so they broke ground on something that felt brand new and very worthwhile.

CMLL 8/15/25

MJF vs Zandokan, Jr

MD: Another data point has arrived from Arena Mexico and the results are conclusive: the system works. Pro wrestling is a wonderful, gripping, engaging, vibrant art form, and it is as strong as ever in a fabled place where the fans can live and breath on every heroic and villainous act and find exhilaration in every single punch (yes, there are punches there too, not just chops and forearms).

The combination of MJF, with Jon Cruz at his side, in Arena Mexico, is the best act in wrestling today, and so much of that is due to the sheer commitment to everything that's always worked, the timeless, universal elements of pro wrestling, an appeal to the heart based on morality and identity and pride. 

This replicated a number of the elements from MJF's previous appearances in Arena Mexico, most especially the recent title win over Averno, but in every way, it took the act even further. Now Cruz was out dressed like Abraham Lincoln, still taking editorial license on MJF's insults stretching them this way and that, as his twisted, fawning C-3PO. Zandokan's response was perfect, shutting it all down instantly so the match could begin and getting a crowd that was already inclined to support him due to his upstart rudo charisma fully behind him. But then, of course, Max hit the floor to massive boos. The game had begun.

And what a game it was. At Zandokan's first touch, Max rolled back out and complained (on the mic with translation) about hair pulling. Then, of course, later, when it came time to cut Zandokan off, he pulled the hair and mask himself. Perfect hypocritical pro wrestling symmetry meant to get heat. When Max was in control, he made sure to punctuate each and every offensive move or cut off by rubbing it in the face of the fans, and they booed huge. Whenever Zandokan fired back, MJF sold for the back row and the back row was duly elated. Cruz intervened all the more which meant that when it was time for Zandokan to really come back, Cruz got to bump huge for him as well. Chekhov's Gun was loaded and fired and the universe was placed in perfect balance. 

The dive, when it came, was singular and spectacular, smashing MJF who had been draped on the guardrail (again a likely unintentionally but wholly meaningful parallel to how he lounged on it when he ducked out of the ring a first time). And they build to an exciting series of finish attempts before Max had to go an extra mile to get the ref out of position so he could hit another foul and steal the win, a payoff to the match and a set up for the post-match Mistico challenges to come. 

With so many different opponents each with their own quirks and history (imagine him against Blue Panther or Ultimo Guerrero or Barbaro Cavernario, etc.), this match, as much as anything else, was proof positive that the act isn't just one spectacular firework meshing old and new, but instead something with real legs and that can bring real joy each with each and every outing. 

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AEW Five Fingers of Death (and Friends) 7/21 - 7/27

AEW Dynamite 7/23/25

FTR vs JetSpeed 

MD: Wrestling isn't math. 

Except.

And yet, they found a way to overcome.

Wrestling isn't math, except for when it comes to the maximized balance of a southern tag. There became a trend over the 2010s, all the way from the start of the decade, where finishing stretches to tag matches got longer and longer and longer, gobbling up more of the shine and heat. Eventually, half the match took place after things broke down, creating minute after minute of exciting action where all four wrestlers could come in at the same time, cycling in and out, spot after spot, nearfall after nearfall, endless noise crashing into the face of the fans. 

It came at a cost. Ironically, it was the exact opposite of the Bulldogs-driven WWF 80s house style (maybe an overcorrection now that we have even more footage, but not too much of one), where the shine became so long relative to the heat and comeback that matches fell into a "heel-in-peril" mode. Modern tags tend to have everything break down as soon as possible so as to fit the maximum amount of sensation into the match.

The problem is this: it does a disservice to the natural benefits of the southern tag. You ramp up the pressure as much as possible during the heat so that the moment of comeback means as much as possible. The benefit of the tag gimmick isn't that there are four wrestlers in the ring at once as much as possible (that's a Tornado Tag, totally different thing). It's the rules keeping a wrestler out until a tag. That allows for an entirely different sort of hope spot and cutoff than you can get in a singles match, one that hinges on the idea that salvation is just around the corner, one heroic, desperate grasp away. To toss that by the wayside just to do more "stuff" is almost criminal, with the victim being the narrative advantages of the form.

The Revival found a way to compensate in the mid-10s, because they had the canvas to do so in NXT. Less constrained by time limitations in their role as a featured act on a developmental brand, they were able to simply put more into the matches. The finishing stretches were just as long and just as elaborate as ever, but it didn't come at the cost of lengthy heats. They rebalanced the equation by taking up more real estate making those exciting stretches actually mean all the more for how they were earned but it was a luxury that wouldn't carry forward onto the main roster. 

Coming off the exceptional Outrunners match from a few weeks ago, where they raised the stakes on the heat by putting both babyfaces in peril simultaneously, they again pushed the storytelling envelope last week, this time against JetSpeed. Here, they came up with a plausible way to have everything break down extremely early, almost from the start but in a way that still (as a one time thing to be used very, very rarely) managed to serve the possibilities of the form due to the simple threat of paying off narrative expectations. 

The name of the game here was pressure. This was part of an eliminator series for a title shot. The stakes were high. There are spots and then there is strategy, and when the former is underpinned in a character driven way, everything shines. It sounds simple but it actually happens in a relatively small number of matches. Some of the best wrestlers of decades past were able to do it instinctually. In today's comprehensively planned out style of pro wrestling, it has to be baked into the mix.

Here, it absolutely was. FTR charged in early and attempted an immediate Shatter Machine. They wanted the quick win. When that failed, they just kept pressing and pressing, trying to pull JetSpeed under. 

They never could for long though. I'd argue that this didn't necessarily have a shine. I'd argue that it didn't really even have a heat. I wouldn't call this the sort of "sputtering heat" you'd get from 80s Guerreros matches. It was simply constant pressure from FTR in a way that needed an absolute purity of vision to work. The heat was constantly threatened but it was never allowed to manifest. 

They tried using Dax's jacket to cut off the ring (early enough that the ref would allow it). They tried pile drivers on the outside. They had Dax slam JetSpeed into Cash's elbows and knees (not his fault as he was still holding the tag rope, as he was quick to point out). They tried the PowerPlex, twice. When they went to the legs for Bret's figure four around the ringpost, it worked right until it didn't, leaving Dax as an open target for Speedball's kicks. They pressed and pressed and pressed, but they couldn't hold the offense for more than a minute at the time. 

But it was that pressure even in the face of JetSpeed's comebacks, that gave the match form and substance. It never came off as "Your Move, My Move." It never even felt like momentum shifts to me. It was the constant, incessant, groaning pressure from FTR and JetSpeed using their skill, speed, finesse, and heart to constantly push back against it and get their shots in. 

I'm not sure I've ever quite seen a tag like it. I led off by talking about southern tags, but after a second watch, this really wasn't a southern tag at all, because it never really came together in a way to break down in the first place. For it to still feel coherent, for it to still feel story-driven, for it to feel purposeful and not just like a tornado tag spotfest, for it to still somehow feel like a conventional tag match that threatened, at any and every point to become a southern tag and to start a heat segment that JetSpeed never quite allowed to come, is, to me, very impressive in and of itself.

A structural achievement and a testament to both teams. I thought there was still meat on the Outrunners bone, different variations of that same story that they could do with another team in another way six or nine months down the line.

With this, I think they stretched it just about as far as it could go without it falling apart completely and losing cohesion and focus like so many other spotfest tags of the last fifteen years. 

That said, part of me wants to see them try to prove me wrong. 

AEW Collision 7/26/25

Dustin Rhodes vs Lee Moriarty

MD: With Fletcher looming later this week, it's hard to say how many Dustin defenses we'll actually get, but I'm glad we got this one. It had time to breathe, a dueling limb story, and Lee served as a very game, very unique opponent.

He's the ROH Pure Champion, and it made sense for Dustin to not try to face him along those terms. But this was Dustin's first defense of a major singles title in decades and the TNT belt, itself, can switch between being a TV type title and something more prestigious depending on who has it. You got every impression that Dustin wanted to come in like a classic champion and take things to the mat. Lee kicking the hand away on the shake to the start only drove that thought home, as did his early bits of finesse leading to a Border City Stretch out of a rollup.

That was right down Moriarty's alley as Pure Champ, to burn rope breaks early even on moves that wouldn't get him the win, ones that were more about bluster and opportunity than actual damage. In fact, if you look through the match, Dustin would have burned his third rope break towards the end on the bodyscissored anklelock. That's great cover for Moriarty in losing because if this was a Pure match instead, he very likely would have won with a hold shortly thereafter.

It wasn't though, so that served more as insult than injury and led to Dustin taking things to the outside and unloading on Moriarty's arm. Shortly thereafter, Moriarty was able to get a Dragon Screw out of nowhere and hone in on Dustin's leg. 

And that was match for you. Dustin, given his reach advantage and Moriarty's arm, was going to win on a standup strike exchange. Moriarty, on the other hand, could lean hard into his own youth and speed advantage to hit Dustin quickly and from odd angles to take him off his feet. At one point, for instance, Dustin kicked Moriarty all of the way out of the ring on a figure four attempt. It was just a hope spot however, as Moriarty was able to dart back into the ring at high speed and take the leg out once more. Even after Taylor worked his arm out on the outside, Moriarty still couldn't get every hold he wanted every way he wanted however. 

Solid substance for the match and they worked it through the break until Dustin could come back with a powerslam and a pretty interesting Destroyer which Dustin, himself, took as a flat back bump instead of seated. No idea if that was intentional or not but if not it was a happy accident that served the match, since it allowed him to plausibly protect his leg on it. They went around a bit on the finish, including Dustin going for the Unnatural Kick and paying for it (but only to the tune of a one count, maybe not the time or place for it, but if this is his one title defense, what the hell, right?). Lee got a more legitimate naerfall after that and Dustin only managed to sneak out a win on a roll up on a second figure-four attempt. It'd be lovely if we had another five or six of these types of matches from Dustin against all sorts of comers, but I'm glad we got this one and I'm glad that it had the time it did.

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AEW Five Fingers of Death (and Friends) 6/23 - 6/29

ROH Global Wars Mexico 6/26/25 (taped 6/18/25)

Lee Moriarty vs Blue Panther

MD: Wrestling is not about making the impossible possible. It's about making the incredible plausible, and on paper everything about this match was incredible. Blue Panther is 64 years old. He's 64 years old with a lifetime of bumps (rolling or otherwise) onto hard mats and hitting and taking dives. He's all that and he's still all this and along with Lee Moriarty, he created such a match. I'm sorry, but that is incredible. 

How then did it happen? Wrestling is the art of using illusion to create emotion, with reality utilized sparingly to underpin it all. For the first third of this match, reality was technique. The illusion? That was Moriarty creating motion as Panther controlled the center and (at first) Moriarty's arm along with it. The arm was barred so tightly, so precisely, hands in the right places, balance perfectly held, Panther presenting himself immaculately, that Moriarty had the perfect base to push off against as he expressed the painful consequence of the hold and tried again and again to escape. 

When he finally did, they opened things up, while still grounding it all in the technique you would expect from a Pure Champion and a true maestro. Moriarty edged a leg in between Panther's own to lock in a cravat. Now it was Panther's turn to sell, his arm flailing with each cinch of the hold. Not for long though as he was able to go behind into a full nelson. Moriarty lifted his own leg up, interlacing his fingers underneath it to give him leverage to break the hold. Then it was a leg pried in between Panther's once more to lock in an abdominal stretch. The game of chess continued as Panther pried off fingers, shot two elbows into Moriarty's leg, and tripped him. Moriarty flowed straight into his next gambit, pressing off against Panther's waist to propel him back up and then up and over Panther's shoulder with a spectacular takeover. 

Technique is well and good, but it's the means and not an end unto itself. With that countermove, Moriarty began to stretch not just his skill but his bluster and swagger as well. Here it was over the top clapping for itself. After a slick pinfall attempt a minute later, it was a gloat to Panther that he almost got him. And then, feigning sportsmanship, he offered a handshake and threw in a bonus kick for good measure. As he took over the Infantry, seconding him, gloated as well, and once he got Panther out, he cemented his control with two explosive topes.

Illusion was underpinned by technique. The different flavor of reality that would come, Moriarty's dives and subsequent superplex, helped serve his heeling, his arrogance, his borderline villainy, as Panther took a stiff upper lip and forced himself to survive. The dives are never the point. The superplex is not the point. They're tools carefully used to help support the underlying emotion. In this case, it was Panther's legendary prowess against the upstart invader. Panther survived through the Border City Stretch, ducked a shot coming in and fired back, and then, with one mighty burst of energy, hyped up the crowed (making the most of the moment) and hit a dive off the ramp. 

Even then, Moriarty had youth on his side, all else equal, and he mounted one last offensive. All else was not equal, however, for Panther had the home arena advantage and, even more important, the advantage of inner discipline, of age and wisdom, turning a seeming weakness into a strength. Moriarty got cocky one last time and Panther dropped him into an armbar for a quick tap. After would come the pageantry and chaos of an assault, a rescue, a celebration, but none of those thing were as impressive to me as the beautiful mix of illusion (down to the mask which hides Panther's age) and reality, both technique and impact that allowed this unlikely match to capture imagination as it did. That's pro wrestling though. It crosses eras and borders, a universal falsehood that reveals inner truths.

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DEAN~!!! 2 Day 5: Lee Moriarty vs. Matt Mako

DEAN~!!! 2 5/24/25

Lee Moriarty vs. Matt Mako

MD: I'm a big fan of modern Pure Rules matches. Any match with a constraint is a match where you are forced to be creative. Maybe that sounds counter-intuitive but structure forces meaningful, driven, focused innovation in the same way that total freedom might allow for unbridled, wasteful, senseless innovation. It's not all the time in either case, but to me, it tends to be inherent in the nature of pro wrestling. 

When you get the right two opponents (or since Moriarty is a given, the right opponent for Moriarty), you end up with interesting, thoughtful bouts, ones that thread the needle between technique and imagination. I really liked how they set this up. Mako's the master of the cross-armbreaker and he went right for it twice. In a normal match, that might open him up to counters or wouldn't have much impact on a fresh opponent who could fairly easily get to the ropes. Here, though, that meant Moriarty had to blow two rope breaks right from the start. Moriarty countered with an early Border City Stretch but just mathematically, he was on a path towards defeat.

So he opened things up, using his speed and finesse to start attacking the arm instead. Thus the game of chess, one where the path of least resistance bumped up against strategic thinking and quick reactions, kicked into a higher gear. Mako utilized pins to force Moriarty into position for submissions. Moriarty made a brilliant and unexpected roll to lure Mako in. Both carried the damage to their respective arms with every move and counter move, even as they saw their rope breaks evaporate to zero. 

In some ways it became a race to the finish on who would get their hold on first (and therefore last), fully recognizing that any attempt to do so would be marred by the damage already done. Moriarty got Mako into position but couldn't lock him up fully. But he, fluid master of his own style, compensated by utilizing his foot in place of his arm and retained his title. It was a wrestler's duel underneath flickering, two practitioners of pressure and pain matching wits and mettle under flickering, unstable lights, fully grounded and just a little surreal, just how wrestling ought to be.

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2023 Ongoing MOTY List: Cassidy vs. Moriarty

 

11. Orange Cassidy vs. Lee Moriarty AEW Rampage 2/8 (Aired 2/10/23)

ER: I've never been a Lee Moriarty Guy. I didn't use to be an Orange Cassidy Guy, and then one day I realized I had become an Orange Cassidy Guy. It doesn't always work but I root for it to work much more than I used to. So I'm an Orange Guy but not yet a Lee Guy. For 5 or 6 years now Lee Moriarty has done a mechanically sound recreation of a style I have grown tired of seeing; a guy doing a Technical Wrestler gimmick with the precise hollowness that the Smooth Technical Wrestler gimmick requires. Did the acting get better from both, to the point I eventually grew to like each of their styles? Maybe. I think their styles have grown and evolved and now they're both just better versions of the guys they were when I didn't like watching them wrestle. 

I'm not ready to call myself a Moriarty Guy just yet but I can say this match is the most I've liked him in a match. There's still a theatrical disconnect there in the application of every single thing, so it's a lot of faces and ham, but now his stuff has a much better combination of painful application and stiffness so that it overshadows the times it veers into mechanically technical. Cassidy brought even more ham with a match-long arm sell that was aggressively present in a way that I appreciated but wish we actually saw less. Most of this match is Orange Cassidy shaking out his arm like his hand was stuck in a hornet's nest, pervasive enough that it felt like a waiter topping off your coffee too often, not understanding the rhythm of too much or not enough Checking In. You were getting constantly topped off coffee and mostly avoiding eye contact while saying a sincere but progressively muttered Thank You. 

But all of Moriarty's stuff stretching out and bending at Cassidy's arm looked painful and Cassidy's athleticism gives him fun ways to fight out of snug holds. Moriarty has good elbows and strikes while working holds now, and he has a real gas tank. Like Cassidy selling the arm too dedicatedly, Moriarty comes off probably too active. But they both work this like limb shaking overactive spazzes and I'll take hyperactivity when it leads to Moriarty getting spiked by two different awesome tornado DDTs and weird spots like Cassidy climbing all over him like a sleeperhold spider monkey. I like how Moriarty goes floppy limbed on tightly timed late kickouts, and the way he flops too much for bumps. When there's actual honesty to the holds and leveraged pins, the hyperactivity adds to the game. Maybe I am a Moriarty Guy now. Maybe it only clicked for me this one time. That's fine. I click with a Natalya match every couple years and maybe Moriarty fills that Natalya Niche. 

I can't see a future where I suddenly find out I'm a Danhausen Guy, but I guess that's why we watch this shit. Maybe I'll be a Danhausen Guy next week I don't fucking know. 

2023 MOTY MASTER LIST

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AEW Five Fingers of Death 5/15 - 5/21

AEW Dynamite 5/17

Darby Allin/Orange Cassidy vs. Lee Moriarty/Big Bill

MD: One brief thought. I'm only going to speak for myself here, because Eric really has his own way of looking at things, even though the two of us agree a lot. When you watch as much wrestling as we do and are just awash in so much discussion about wrestling, you're often juggling multiple contexts. This is where some of the old prevailing thought (and I won't name names) that people can't judge old wrestling because they're not looking at it with the specific context of its time is silly and dismissive and throttles conversation instead of encourages it. This match is a great example. Do you know what excited me the most about this? The fact that I saw a couple of spots that Allin and Cassidy tried out in the House Rules match against QT and Hobbs (and maybe the Moriarty/Bill match from the day before which we don't have). There was the ref-missed hot tag hope spot while Cassidy was trying to knee his way out of Bill's suplex and then the combo Stundog/Code Red. I was legitimately happy that they were using the house show run as an experimental proving ground to see see if something worked or not in front of a crowd and that we had video proof of this.

Now then, if I were to watch two Rockers vs Powers of Pain matches from January 1990 at MSG and Philly (which I wouldn't because we don't have Philly that late) and they ran almost the same match both time, I'd probably be disappointed instead of happy. I'd forgive them given the travel schedule and the fact that there would be almost no way that someone would have seen both matches, but I certainly wouldn't be excited about it. There's a joy in watching Buddy Rose in Portland where we have him on a week to week basis, often against subpar opponents, in front of the same crowd, where he has to constantly keep things fresh. Likewise with Negro Casas in Arena Mexico year in and year out. You almost always see something, an action, a reaction, and interaction, new and different in each match. It's not dissimilar with modern television workers. They're in front of the same TV audience ever week and have to switch things up to a degree. But here we really got to see Cassidy and Darby workshop something in front of a controlled crowd and then immediately, just a few days later, unveil it on a national stage, and that was exciting to see.  

AEW Rampage 5/19

Dustin Rhodes vs. Bishop Kaun

MD: There's not much in wrestling as comforting and reliable than Dustin getting an AEW feature match in Texas. On paper, including him in the extremely prolonged Swerve vs Keith Lee feud might not be the world's best idea, but I'm not going to argue about additional Dustin matches. He and Kaun matched up pretty well. Kaun's obviously a few inches shorter but he's presented, with Toa, as monsters, and he carries himself decently along those lines, though I would have maybe liked to see him somehow swallow Dustin up more when he was in control here. I'm not sure what that would have looked like. It probably would have looked like more woundwork and less neckbreakers, actually. 

The opening was very good. Dustin had an answer for everything Kaun had, leaning into his size and expertise. He could come back on every chop. He was dealing with Skandor Akbar in 1990. Prince Nana isn't going to distract him all that much. It took the reversal into the corner and amazing bump into the camera to change the direction. Really, that was one of the best transitions of the year, and as it was on a time-shifted Rampage, it's something they should steal for a PPV match at some point. I'm not sure if anyone on the roster could execute it as well as Dustin did here, but even half as well to lead to blood and a beating would be memorable. Kaun was focused after that and of course Dustin drew sympathy and brought the crowd up and down for his hope spots but given the amount of blood at play, I could have used just a little more viciousness. Dustin's string of signature spots on the comeback were as crisp and perfectly timed as ever, and everything worked out well post match to set up, hopefully, a singles match at the PPV. They could have gotten here quicker and more directly, but if they're going to have an extraneous player, better Dustin than almost anyone else.

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AEW Five Fingers of Death (and Friends) 4/17 - 4/23

Ring of Honor 4/20

Lee Moriarty vs Konosuke Takeshita

MD: I'm a low vote on Takeshita. That's probably not entirely fair. I'm a relative low vote, which I suppose is what being a low vote means in the first place. Eric manages to be aloof and carries more of a purity in his reviews than I do. I'm as low on Brody because of what he does in the ring (bumping without selling, crummy looking offense, dragging down AJPW tag matches that look fun on paper with his antics), but it feels like a personal crusade because of the pillar he's put on by people who don't revisit his matches. If Takeshita wasn't an absolute darling of the community, voted most Underrated, and looked at as unquestionably (or at least unquestioned) great, he probably wouldn't bug me quite so much.

But he is, but he does. I'm happy to admit it. Just like I'm happy to admit the positives. He has size, to the point where he stands out against the AEW roster. His stuff generally looks good. He stays in the moment and throws himself into his matches and connects with the crowd. The whole "wrote a thesis on the German Suplex" concept is very good when used smartly. There's a lot of upside. In fact, even down to his emoting, he reminds me a lot of Adam Page, not in who he is, but in both a lot of the upside and why he doesn't work for me in many matches. With him, it's just too much, too soon. When he's in a position to work from underneath and have to fight to earn things, the build and the payoff is there. When he's against an opponent whose idea of wrestling gels more with his own, it's a lot of noise and not a lot of resonance. Pop ups and strike exchanges and Germans flying freely. It's kinetic and exciting and I probably would have loved it twenty years ago, but there's no meat on the bone and no substance to the action; engaging in the moment but forgotten with the next spot. So he has great raw talent but instincts that bug me and probably, like Page, a real pride that what he's doing is the right thing. It gets a reaction, doesn't it?

Thankfully, Lee Moriarty is having a pretty solid year so far and he has enough skill, stuff, and focus to keep Takeshita engaged and interested but sticking to a plot. It was a pretty good one too. The AEW house style is one of tease and tease and payoff. Sometimes the payoffs come too early. Sometimes that still works due to the idea of a reversal later on. An early payoff should be momentous and impactful, should change the course of the match. Too often, Takeshita hits something bit early and it doesn't matter nearly as much as it should. Here, he went for the Blue Thunder Bomb twice and Moriarty was ready for it, driving the arm down and opening up the match. Takeshita has a tendency to drop limb selling for bursts of offense, and while he, as the protege of Akiyama can get away with that, it's not often something I personally want to see. Selling isn't something to be done dogmatically for no reason; it's the definition of "reason" within a match. It's the primary way to express consequence to action. Actions are fine. People like actions. Reactions are what gives the story weight. There's a narrative gain to shrugging off selling in order to hit a burst of offense but there's a cost as well, not just to the match and everything that had happened in it, but to every match as it conditions fans that moves are actually not impactful. For guys with a lot of big offense, it's shooting themselves in the foot in the long term. 

Point being, that didn't happen here. Takeshita used the need for a crutch (or at least a splint) as a crutch and it helped explain Moriarty's cutoffs and why he might be able to hit a move but not capitalize. Everything was harder for him. Everything was more interesting as he tried to overcome. He was protected despite having the size advantage and letting Moriarty take so much of the match. Lee looked like a precision killer. The counters and reversals were compelling. Because he was starting from a detrimental point, Takeshita's kickouts and escapes and reversals actually seemed gutsy and resilient as opposed to just it being his turn to get stuff in. You really got the sense it could go either way or that Moriarty had a clear advantage until Takeshita jammed one reversal too many from Lee and dropped him on his skull. Even after that, there was a question of how Takeshita was going to put him away with one arm and without the bridging German (The answer was a knee to the face). Good showing. I don't need every Takeshita match to be limb-based, but because he was willing to commit fully here, it gave him an easy focus to lean into. I don't care what that focus is in most of his matches, so long as it's there and consistent and grounded. Here it was and it made for probably my favorite Takeshita match ever.

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AEW Five Fingers of Death 4/3 - 4/9

AEW Rampage 4/7

Darby Allin vs. Lee Moriarty

MD: There's always going to be a patina of authenticity around Darby because of his stunt hobbyism. There's a downside to that given that he might arrive at any given Dynamite missing half the fingers on his left hand, but it helps with the suspension of disbelief that's entirely necessary with a guy his size who is constantly surviving the things he survives inside the ring. Here, he got ran over in New York City the day before and had visible bruising up and down his back. That didn't entirely define the match, but it helped to inform it. It certainly provided opportunity and 2023 Moriarty is a guy who is going to make the most of every opportunity he gets.

For him, it wasn't just the bruised back to give him one of the two focuses he needed to believably control this match (the other being 6' 10" with a great big boot and the range to smack someone off the apron and able to interfere right in front of Rick Knox as one is want to do). It was also the opportunity to wrestle Darby Allin, a guy in a title program, on live TV, and take most of the match. That's not too surprising against Darby given that he gives up most of the match against most opponents, but there's a pretty deep hierarchical difference between these two, and Moriarty was able to take it even further than most, jamming and avoiding most of Darby's big comeback spots. 

If you go back to the site looking at Moriarty in 2019, I think there was always the sense that he had a hard edge underneath some of the more gimmicky and over the top matwork. That edge was hone sharp over the last two years and you're more likely to see the spark of iron against iron in a current Moriarty match. Here there was a fairly extended feeling out process, but it always felt competitive and led to Lee sneaking shots in to Darby's back. When he really took over after Big Bill's boot on the outside, it was as much nasty stomps to the spine as anything else. Of course, when "anything else" includes a beautiful Reinera to twist Darby in half, you end up with very little to complain about overall. Eventually they cycled into a pin exchange that as much about Darby being desperate as about trying to win. That led to the code red and the singular visual shock of Allin zigging instead of zagging and pinballing Big Bill with a dive before hitting the coffin drop for the win. Good showing by both guys here along Darby's path to the main event.

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AEW Five Fingers of Death: Week of 4/18-4/25

AEW Dynamite 4/20

CM Punk vs. Dustin Rhodes

MD: Hey, it's two of our guys wrestling each other. Phil, unsurprisingly, covered this over at the Ringer, but here's my take. I love how organic this felt. Some of that is Punk adapting, both in the obvious ways, like when the bow and arrow didn't work, but also how he responded to the crowd. The match had spots but it wasn't about them. Punk knew that the crowd was going to get behind Dustin when he was in holds, but he couldn't know what the split would be or how best to capitalize on it before the fact. It gave a pretty good preview overall to what Punk vs. Page might look like and how Punk might adapt with the crowd.

The other half of it was how both Dustin and Punk responded to the moment. They sold everything, both physical and emotional. At one point a CM Punk chant broke out, even when he was on top, and he gave Dustin a sly grin. Likewise, when he taunted Dustin later with the Goldust bit, the crowd turned on him and he again reacted accordingly. The turning point of the match was after Dustin went flying through the ropes and hurt his knee. There was a chance Punk wasn't going to capitalize on it, but Dustin kicked up at him and it visibly pissed Punk (the character) off and he started on it. Later on Dustin had control and hit the ten punches in the corner only to sell the leg huge as he landed back on it again. Everything had weight and consequence, not just the spots but every incidental movement, every interaction between the two wrestlers, every reaction from the crowd. The wrestlers cared about everything and then the wrestlers care the fans care and when the fans care you can get real emotion and something like the hug and the handshake at the end resonates and stays with you. That's what the masters do, they take something fabricated and artificial and they give it substance and make it real. It may not be spectacular or conventionally breathtaking in a 2022 sense, but it still can manage to take your breath away in how it engages your heart and mind and gut.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Dante Martin/Lee Moriarty/Brock Anderson

MD: This had a great beginning and a great finishing moment and some good ring time for Brock Anderson (past maybe landing on his head with Moxley's Half and Half) in the middle. Yuta's turned a corner in his ring-work which is exactly what needed to happen. One of the first things he did in this one was to pull Martin back to his corner by the ear. The early Martin vs Danielson stuff was really good too. I know we're not getting those long single epics from Danielson right now but there's still a lot of value in seeing him with little exchanges like that in tags. Everything built to Moriarty coming in to get the hometown pop and he made the most of it. Danielson turning the Border City Stretch into a capture suplex was fairly magical too. Things felt a little bit out of control and unhinged towards the end until the Blackpool Combat Club got control with the stomps and hammer and anvil elbows and Dante went way up for the Paradigm Shift. Overall, this was a functional piece of business with a couple of unique, fun exchanges that furthered along Yuta's development and everyone else some ringtime or shine.

Darby Allin vs. Andrade el Idolo

MD: A lot of the spectacle of this one was in the first half leading to the Sting dive. The back half had a little too much set up or getting things into position, but the payoffs were all good so it only matters so much. Because it was structured to have all of the nonsense up front and end with Andrade vs. Darby, I could have used another minute or two in that section, maybe a little more back and forth, even if a totally believable aspect of Darby's MO is to survive everything and win with a big one-two shot where he sacrifices his own body, as happened here. If this is the feud blowoff, it feels a little past due, but they have a lot of masters to serve. I'm curious where both wrestlers go next.

AEW Rampage 4/22

Eddie Kingston vs. Daniel Garcia

MD: Apparently about half of this was cut. I rewatched it with that in mind and the biggest takeaway was that the gaps weren't too easy to pick up on, except for that the damage done to Garcia was not equal to what we actually got to see. Kingston's so good at sneaking shots in from every angle when he's working from underneath but still, Garcia's chest would just be lit up or his lip would be opened and you weren't quite sure when that happened. So this explained that. There were a few things going on here, the hierarchical beating and finishing stretch where Garcia kicked out of the exploder and it took both the Saito Suplex and the backfist to put him down; the great equalizer in Kingston taking his stomach/chest/ribs out on the stairs and Garcia using that in his offensive focus and the cut offs. I liked the Big Josh log roll in the corner but it really hammered home how while Yuta is changing up his act, Sports Entertainment Garcia is just Garcia with a new hat. He really needs to work in Road Dogg's shaky legs knee drop or the Worm or a bunch of catchphrases or something. It's not enough to just troll people with the gimmick. He needs to figure out what being a sports entertainer actually means in ring and then work that into his matches. Otherwise, what we actually did get of this was unsurprisingly very good, clipped and all. 

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AEW Five Fingers of Death Week of 2/14-2/20

AEW Dynamite 2/16

Bryan Danielson vs. Lee Moriarty

MD: A whole lot to like here. The match was built around Danielson not letting Moriarty do his thing for long and grinding him down instead. Moriarty tried early, able to hang on the mat and hit his sweeps and legpicks and whatever else, but Danielson kept jamming him at every point, even though he couldn't get a strong advantage either. That lasted right up til the point that Danielson got him in the ropes and started kicking. Danielson continued the beating through the break, cutting off a hope spot here or there (including one timed well with the fans' clapping, as Danielson kept them engaged by interacting with little flourishes). There was a real Bockwinkel sense to how Danielson kept telling Moriarty to come on and get back into it. Eventually, he did, showing a real fire by trading strikes with Danielson, on his feet, mounted, and even upside down with their legs locked. Danielson's reaction wasn't to panic at the monster he was creating in real time, but instead a sort of sadistic elation as he took the violence up an extra notch and took Moriarty's face off, first with the knee and then with the stomps. Danielson really channeled all the things that make Moriarty special while tamping down on the elements of his work that can sometimes get to be a little over the top. It was a perfect match for this point of the broader storyline.

ER: I thought this was pretty great. Danielson broke Moriarty out of some of his patterns and built up a violent match, one where he often overwhelmed Moriarty while letting him stand with him. Danielson has saved some of the more vicious ring work of his career for this AEW run, and I flipped when he had Moriarty's feet draped on the ropes and brought a knee right up into his chin. Relentless Danielson is tough to root against. He knows how to keep up a beating and bring some heat out of his opponent, and the build to a bunch of sicko Red Bull Army low angle suplexes was a sick surprise. I thought Moriarty was build up more credibly in this match than any of his other AEW work, Danielson shaving the top and bottom end off and leaning him a more interesting way. I was expecting more reversals of reversals and I got neck bouncing suplexes and a real scrap. 

4. Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara

PAS: Wrote this up over at The Ringer

MD: As Darby matches go, this wasn't one I was particularly excited for. I'd rather see Sammy against a base, but as this went on, Darby sort of leaned in that direction, working the leg with a bunch of interesting and compelling bits of offense that took advantage of Sammy's flexibility (my favorite bit was the coffin drop onto the folded leg) and controlling the pace. Along the way, it wasn't my move/your move at all, after the initial feeling out process, there were clear control segments with interesting transitions. Sammy hitting the fireman's carry facebuster onto the top rope was the usual great Darby bump, then Darby took the scenic route to really earn opening up the leg after the initial Sammy mistake. I thought Sammy's selling thereafter was pretty consistent. He had flashes of being able to move but they were just flashes. He missed most of the high risk moves he went for after that, or jumped right into Darby's clutches out of desperation or a foolish desire to keep up. Obviously, the cutter on the floor was an all time counter, but even then, he couldn't fully capitalize because of the leg. Finish was what it was as they had to keep the stories going and this was just a TV main event with one week's build, but I ended up liking this one more than I was expecting.

ER: I love both of these guys, and while they're similar size I don't really see them as similar wrestlers. But this felt like the most similar we've seen them, and they managed to mirror each other in interesting ways while never once approaching a 50-50 match. Darby takes a couple of really great bumps to the floor, and I loved how Sammy bounced him off the corner ropes diagonally, sending Darby bouncing down to the apron and to the floor. It looked like a less insane version of the Hell Storm/Crazy Crusher ladder match bump, and that's because Darby applies backyard death wish sensibilities to his more controlled bumps, finding the perfect balance. And speaking of sicko bumps, I loved Sammy's missed swanton to the apron. Excalibur called it perfectly on commentary when he referred to it as an "unforced error". The legwork story in between those bumps was really well done and nicely sold by Sammy. Darby dropping tiny coffin drops on Sammy's body like JYD headbutts was a real treat, and while I didn't know what the match was quite building to, I certainly was not expecting that cutter counter. I don't know if you can make a Darby tope countered with a Sammy cutter look any better. Half the time cutters don't get hit this clean when a guy is standing perfectly still, let alone flying as fast as a Darby tope flies. These two have had a bunch of matches together and have cool chemistry and great ideas, and even with the angle-advancing finish I think this was exceptional. 

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AEW Five Fingers of Death Week of 11/29-12/5

AEW Dark 11/30 (Taped 10/24)

Infinito vs. Ray Jaz

PAS: I am not sure the point of this Danielson gimmick.  He gets a chance to work some fast exchanges with Jaz - who looked good - and I really liked Jaz's bumps on the monkey flips. The shtick of the match was Infinito winning with the airplane spin, but it wasn't a great looking airplane spin. For an airplane spin to really work they need to be fast, and I thought the Infinito one was pretty slow. Long slow airplane spin isn't going to do much. It's fun that Danielson gets to experiment, but this was a miss for me.

AEW Dynamite 12/1

Bryan Danielson vs. Alan Angels

ER: I like Heel And Loving It Danielson, laughing that he's getting booed against Alan Angels just for showing up, not working disrespectfully but cutting much more to the point. Angels is fired up in front of his home crowd and Danielson works the vibes of a guy who is underestimating his opponent, who isn't actually underestimating his opponent. His smile is infectious as he hits chops and running dropkicks and the crowd boos, and I liked how he responded to a nice Angels backslide with a sick butterfly suplex into an armbar that I thought was going to polish off Angels right there. Angels got to have his fun hometown comeback, hitting a dive and a Spanish Fly, but misses a moonsault. Once that moonsault missed you could tell Bryan was going to shut this thing down, and stomping the guys' face a bunch before just locking in a kneebar is a cool bad guy way to finish a match. 

MD: This never quite boiled over like I thought it might. We've seen Angels really go and I thought this might be an opportunity for Danielson to turn it up a notch. What we got was fine though. Dragon's most interesting right now with his little mannerisms, laughing off the crowd chanting for Angels, pointing to his ear to draw the boos to a couple of different sides of the ring, indicating his knee after grinding it into Angels' face. Angels sold big for Danielson, leaping into the corner after getting chopped. The transitions and cutoffs were ok: Angels using a backslide to get some kicks in, Danielson cutting Angels' strike attempts off by whipping him around to plant him with the double underhook into the cross arm-breaker, the knee counter to a suplex attempt which is 100% the novel zeitgeist AEW spot of 2021. None of it really told a broader story though. And with that broader story absence, I sort of wanted them to just go harder. I don't always want that, but I wanted it here. Good reactions all around though, especially that smile on Angels' face as the crowd greeted him to start the match. He'll have that with him the rest of his life.

CM Punk vs. Lee Moriarty

ER: Well this stunk. I have no idea how Lee Moriarty became a guy people want to see, because I don't see it. I thought Moriarty looked awful here. None of his offense looks good, he sells every move the same  way but doesn't sell actual parts of his body that get worked over, sets up spots incredibly lazy, and has no punch whatsoever behind any of his dreadful chain offense. How is this guy getting 12 TV minutes against CM Punk? The match goes from bad to worse when Moriarty breaks out one of the dumbest wrestling reversals (taking a top rope huricanrana fully and then just rolling into a bad sunset flip) and then straight into a brutally bad Malenko/Guerrero sequence. This was some not ready for primetime shit, and it made Punk look weaker being associated with it. MJF on commentary was even laughing about how Punk couldn't beat this guy, and when the man is right, he's right. 

PAS: This was just an awful matchup for Punk. I am not a Moriarty guy, but his best stuff has been doing that kind of slick reversal match with guys like Alex Shelley and Daniel Makabe, and that is something that Punk has never really been good at and definitely isn't his strength now. Moriarty really hasn't been on TV, and took way too much of this match for the crowd who didn't know or care about him. It made Punk look bad and didn't do much to make Moriarty look good, especially with MJF clowning him on commentary. That rana into the Malenko/Guerrero stuff looked awful, and the final reversal run wasn't much better. The mic work between Punk and MJF basically worked last week, and it really didn't work this week. None of the jokes landed and it felt very WWE Rawish. The first real complete miss of the Punk era and cutting the incredible Kingston feud short to run this seems like a bigger error each week. 

MD: I had a hard time even paying attention to this one because of MJF on commentary. I'm under the belief that there's payoff to all of this, but it's not to be found in this program. Punk beating MJF doesn't change the fact that he's been presented as struggling with guys like QT and Moriarty, to a level that the jeering heel has more than a point. In that case, it makes MJF look worse for not being able to overcome the guy struggling against QT after his faction has been sent away. If MJF beats Punk, he's beaten a Punk that's obviously diminished. There can be a payoff which is Punk finding his fire or going heel or whatever, but I don't think it can happen within this program. Even done open-eyed, it feels like a missed opportunity for the guy who came back with the most buzz in years. It makes people like Darby and Kingston look worse in defeat, since it was this obviously lesser Punk that still managed to defeat them. As for the match, I'm not arguing with Eric or Phil. A lot of this comes down to presentation. They made the point that Punk was working a heavier schedule than MJF but just like they didn't press in hard enough on QT's low blow, I don't think they were able to hone in on Moriarty's specific skills that'd give him an advantage and make him hard to deal with. They called him young and talented but it was hard to talk over MJF's absolutist bluster. I still like Punk using the bodyslams in various ways. The best of the dancey counter stuff was the Pepsi twist. But they're not putting the exacting care they need to in this presentation. This needed to be much clearer and more focused both in-ring and on commentary.

49. Darby Allin/Sting vs. Gunn Club

ER: I really liked the Darby/Billy Gunn match, and the Darby/Billy moments were my favorite parts of this tag. Gunn really plants Darby with a full nelson slam, like he was trying to put him through the ring. We miss some cool things during the commercial break, which is a shame. The picture in picture caught a lot of the Gunn Club cutting Darby off from Sting, but cut to an actual commercial when Gunn was about to hit a big slam, then came back and Darby had a cut on his head. Darby is always cool with blood (I guess that goes for every wrestler though so), and he hits two classic unhinged Darby dives, a great tope into the guardrail on Austin, and a tope con giro that bounces him off Billy Gunn's head. Sting was fun on his hot tag and the Gunn Club is a strong act, but I just love that weirdo Billy/Darby chemistry. 

MD: A lot to like here. They work the first couple of minutes almost like a mixed-tag with Colten feeding for Darby's speed. The transition when Billy tags in works great. Someday I'll revisit his "The One" run because I look at things differently now, but I didn't have a lot of time for it back when it happened. Even then, I loved the One and Only cobra clutch slam and him catching Darby into it was so good. Darby's hope spot where he landed on his feet after the fall away slam right into the crucifix and the subsequent cut off with Billy's slam was all more than solid. I saw a feed with no PiP which helped. Austin would have been preferable to Colten for that slowed down commercial heat since he's just more naturally irritating, whereas his brother needs to work for it. Darby is the world's most sympathetic Sabu. The second we see the top of his head bleeding, he immediately hits a jawbreaker with it. And those pinball dives. Putting over Sting in Atlanta is as good a way to end an undercard streak as anything.

PAS: I thought this was really great, and it is amazing how effective Sting is at this point of his career. He shows up every couple of months or so, and has these great Southern tags. He is a really good in the corner worker, and is a tremendous hot tag. I loved Darby using those insane topes as cut offs, giving Sting the chance to clean house. The flip stunner into the Scorpion drop was awesome, and the Gunn Club were great stooges, even Austin's big punch ruled. What a great bit of business. There are so many match ups I am excited to see the Darby/Sting tag team work, how great would a Darby/Sting vs. Hook/Dante Martin tag be?

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SUP Swing of the Axe 10/9/20

25. To Infinity and Beyond vs. Violence is Forever

PAS: This was totally killer, TIAB ramped up the violence to meet the potatoes that Ku and Garrini were throwing. Delaney was skin singeing in a chop battle with Ku and Cheech landed some nasty back elbows to Garrini's jaw and the back of his head. Infinity are the best team at the world at cutting off the ring and other old school tricks and I loved how they kept cutting off VIF''s double teams by pulling them out of the ring. They also did a great job of working over Dom leading to a wild Ku hot tag. Great traditional tag structure with moments of gross violence mixed in. Infinity crunched Garrini's neck with a Kudo Driver combo, and VIF obliterated Colin with a Total Elimination. They kept a crazy pace, but nothing felt overdone. Really good stuff, would love to see this be a series. 

ER: When this started out I thought it was going to be one of those inside joke matches, where we were going to get some gags based on something that happened the night before at whatever hotel conference room everyone was hanging out at. And while there is some comedy and Delaney wears a Buzz Lightyear backpack for a bit, once this starts with Cheech rolling with Garrini, Garrini dragging him down into an ankle lock and then each rolling through a series of cool wrenched in armbars, I knew we were running. I love the way To Infinity lays these matches out, and as long as opponents match the pace then the formula is lights out. Their best matches are filled with quick tags and quick set-up, and this had all sorts of complicated double teams and timing spots that never seem to lag or hitch with To Infinity. 

Ku seems like a guy who likes working quick and is a perfect opponent, as he's always running hard into people and sending his legs even harder. He had a sliding knee on the apron that looked an hair away from a broken jaw, and I like that he doesn't always go for style on strikes. He misses some but they always look like they're thrown to land. He takes offense well, will splat head first on a rope hang DDT, and had a couple of late saves that saved Garrini. The double team vertebreaker was disgusting, and it's a frequent reminder of how talented Dom is, while also knowing there will almost always be something this nuts taken in a Dom match. There were a few misses here, didn't love Ku's standing chops to hold of Infinity, and the big head kick as part of the finish looked like it completely whiffed (it's always unfortunate when the finish doesn't look nearly as cool as the rest of the match) but when you go this hard you're going to miss a couple things. 

29. AJ Gray vs. Nolan Edward

PAS: I am fully aboard Gray just becoming Black Stan Hansen (which feels like a secondary nickname for a Griselda crew hanger on, Daringer should totally start calling himself Black Stan Hansen in drops). The story of this match was plucky youngster Nolan Edward proving himself against a veteran, and Gray delivered the asswhipping that match structure needs. He jumps Edwards at the bell and just plasters him with reckless forearms and punishing chops. There was no carefully timed shots in between stares, just blows thrown with no real concern for where they land. Edwards fired back with some stiff shots too, just to let you know he was there, and got a couple of well timed kick outs, but Gray was a Mack Truck and Edwards was the possum who crawled onto the road. 

ER: You're going to do an under 5 minute match, this is how you do it. This is the kind of AJ Gray match that people will talk about when they talk about Gray becoming their favorite wrestler. He doesn't give Nolan Edward time to breathe for the first 2 minutes, fast walking from the back straight into the beginning of his ass kicking. He's throwing full arm shots, just pummeling Edward's body, hard forearms to the jaw, and I swear at one point picks Edward up just to send a forearm straight into his teeth. Edward weathered the storm and managed to send Gray off balance with a high dropkick, then flew into him as hard as he could on a tope (and what a great tope catch by Gray). Edward's missile dropkick believably sends Gray flying across the ring into the corner, and Edward hits a wild spinning heel kick that almost sends him flying to the floor in an unprotected tope con hilo. If that had happened, Edward may have delivered a meaner spinning heel kick to his own head than the one Gray almost decapitated him with earlier. When Gray finally catches him it is a no more fucking around situation, as he lays Edward out with three increasingly brutal clotheslines. That finishing shot has to have the claim for lariat of the year. Nolan Edward came out of this looking like a man for withstanding way more of a beating than most of us could imagine, and Gray came out of this looking like a superstar. 

Allie Kat vs. Davienne

PAS: US Indy women's wrestling is something I am a real low voter on, however I would much rather watch B- Aja Kong vs. Bull Nakano matches then B- Stardom matches, and that is what we got here. Two thick girls beating on each other until one of them drops. Allie Kat didn't do any of her cringey "I am a human cat" spots, and instead just threw forearms, jabs and sentons. Davienne knows how to use her size well and threw herself into everything. Didn't wear out it's welcome, kept it moving and had some oomph, this gets a thumbs up for me. 

ER: This was good enough for me, and a thing I really like about Allie Cat is her willingness to take a shot. Unfamiliar with Davienne, but liked her willingness to also hang in and let Allie's limbs and body land on her face. I did not like the moments of unnatural set up, like Davienne missing hooks by 3 feet just to set up Allie jabs. There's just got to be a way to make those look like they were actual misses. But there are a lot of hard landings and snug pinfall attempts, and I liked how Davienne really scooped Cat's legs every time she tried to cover. Allie Cat's best offense is when she just runs in and flings herself at her opponent, and she really crushes Davienne in the corner with a hip attack and cannonball. My favorite things in the match were when they twisted a sequence just slightly, like when I thought they were going to do a played out "I hit you in the corner and then you chase me to the other corner" spot, and Allie just drops to all fours and sends Davienne faceplanting over her. Things like Allie sliding on her knees face first into the buckles was cool, and I think plenty here looked cool. 

34. Daniel Makabe vs. Lee Moriarty

PAS: Reversal heavy matches are normally not my thing, but I have to give a lot of credit to all of the cool shit both guys did in this match. Makabe especially looked awesome, although I wish there had been a beat or two more in between spots and reversals. Makabe hits this incredibly awesome La Magistral cradle into a rear naked choke, but Moriarty is on to the reversal before it even gets locked fully in. Give me a beat, let me soak in that move a bit before you move on. The finish was a much better example of what works better: Moriarty puts the Makabe lock on Makabe, and we watch Makabe move Moriarty's legs into position before spinning him into a sort of a reverse Cattle Mutilation for the pin.  There were also some cool big impact moves, Makabe's top rope rana looked moments away from killing both guys )which made it great), and there was a couple of nasty suplexes too. This is Makabe's only pandemic match, and he made it count. 

ER: I thought this was great, while also thinking that Moriarty was kind of playing the Angle to Makabe's Eddy. Moriarty is very smooth and has some slick maneuverings, but there were several things I wish he let breathe. What's perhaps most impressive is that while a lot of things were moved into and out of very smoothly, this never had a big cooperative feel to it, and it's hard to get to this level of smooth without feeling and looking entirely mapped out. I think there were a couple times where Moriarty kind of left Makabe hanging on a couple spots, requiring him to sell in place while Lee set up the next bit of offense, but mostly this was seamless. And while I also wish there were a couple beats and I was allowed more time to ruminate on certain things, I was at all times impressed by the pace. This whole show has felt like a real "pace" show, and these two filled the most time of anyone, and it's not easy to make an 18 minute match feel like a 9 minute blur. 

The match felt like one cool reversal after another, far too many (and far too pointless) to list here, but they all looked great and only a couple times did it look like Makabe was intentionally leaving a limb out for Moriarty (there were also clearly Makabe playing possum sells, so they all easily could be chalked up to that). Moriarty targeted Makabe's left arm, and I like how Makabe had this desire to land his big right hand, and the more it appeared Moriarty had scouted it the more it made Makabe want to land it. Makabe's roll through reversals are one of my absolute favorite things in wrestling, the way he springs his legs back over his head to wind up in a position nobody was expecting to grab a limb or snag a pinfall that nobody was expecting, it's insane to me he manages to do it around his opponent. It never once feels like his opponent is adjusting their momentum or trajectory just to make his slick rolling reversal work, and that's wild to me. He has a great sense of where he needs to be to make a spot or submission work, and I dig the way he gets to that spot. Reversing direction on a magistral to drop into a rear naked choke would be a contender for spot of the year, and I hate that Moriarty basically slipped right out of it into something new. There's value to adding rope struggle or positional struggle to things, but this felt like the most interesting match that could happen while showing both guys almost exclusively neutralizing each other.

Makabe finally catches the Big Unit punch (if we're naming it after guys who have had at least one good season as a Mariner, I think that punch should now be called the Doug Fister) while Moriarty was up top, and eventually hit a crazy LATE rotation rana that I was not expecting at all. The trap leg bridged suplex looked outstanding, and I dug how commentary pointed out how high end Makabe's bridge work is. It's an important thing to note, as he has several different important spots where the leverage is made all the more painful with his bridging. Moriarty was eel slick getting into and out of everything, and that really did make me appreciate the home stretch where Makabe kept getting better and better at trapping him, before finally trapping him. 

O'Shay Edwards vs. Jake Something

PAS: I like that indy wrestling has gotten more legit big dudes lately who wrestle like big dudes and just hit each other. This wasn't a Lee vs. Dijak rana fest, this was all forearms and clotheslines and big slams. I especially liked the early section where Something taunted Edwards into going for a running shoulderblock, and as he turned his back cracked him in the back of the neck with a forearm. I do wish Edwards was like 15% stiffer for what he is trying to achieve. On this card you have guys like Gray, Ku, Garrini and Manders and Henry absolutely obliterating people with strikes and there are some forearms in this match that look pulled. Structure was cool, but I wanted it cranked up a bit.

ER: I thought this was cool, and keeping with the theme of the night of people running into each other as hard as possible. Jake Something really laid into O'Shay with everything he threw, including three different brutal shots to the back of the head. He nailed him once early in the match after a missed shoulderblock, then late in the match ducked a clothesline to nail his own to the back of Edwards' neck, then ran off the ropes to lay him out with the hardest lariat of the match to that same spot on the back of O'Shay's neck. I'm pretty tired of standing elbow exchanges, but loved how much of their body they were putting into these shots. You could see both of them following all the way through with their weight, and they looked like the kind of shots that at best would break my jaw and send me flying 8 feet backward. They didn't linger on them (always weird to me when people put long strike exchange spots in their matches, effectively making none of their strikes mean anything) and moved quickly into standing lariats, and there haven't been many times in pro wrestling this year where full arms landed hard on chests. 

We quickly went into a home stretch of big moves, like that diving lariat of Something's I mentioned, a Thesz press/Vader bear attack from Something, or O'Shay hitting a sick over the shoulder piledriver, and we wrapped up with another economical ass kicking. Although, at this point it's obvious that this match would have stood out so much more on a show that had a lot more variety. Given the choice, I'd rather see a show like this with a ton of matches filled with stiff beatings - a style I love - rather than a few bad cooperative flipper matches leading to a match like this. But having 6 different "people laying in the shots" matches is going to mean some excellent things blend into the background. 

52. Anthony Henry vs. Jaden Newman

PAS: This was our second young guy gets beaten by a veteran match, and Henry lays in an appropriate beating. I liked the early section with Newman using his speed to frustrate and taunt Henry. When Henry takes over he really laces into the kid, including some whip kicks to the torso which were Akitoshi Saito level nasty. Newman got a couple of nice comebacks before being put away with an absolutely vicious looking trapped arm dragon sleeper, one of the cooler new submissions I can remember seeing. 

ER: This one really didn't land as with me as some of the other big bangers, even though I liked just about every single thing Henry did. This is another example of a match that probably would have stood out on a bunch of other shows, but not really on this one. I've been to plenty of indy shows in my life where this match would have easily been the best on the card, but it has some stiff competition just 90 minutes into this show. I also think that you can't really go 12 minutes doing an underdog match on the same show where you had an amazing underdog match that didn't even go 5 minutes, and I didn't really think some of Newman's comeback offense fit into what they were going for. 

Henry can be really nasty and that's where this match was at its best, and you knock half the time off the match I think you end up with something far more memorable. The opening exchanges were really good, as Newman stayed a half step ahead of Henry while everyone knew it would last, leading to Henry dishing some good punishment. Henry gets a ton of force on his kicks, and at one point is just standing and walking on Newman's face in the corner, later he somehow pulls off a double dragon screw without making it look the least bit implausible. Henry is great at taking Newman's offense, landing on the top of his head to sell a rolling cravat snapmare, has no problem banging his chin on the mat taking an F5. The finish run was really cool, loved how Henry anticipated Newman lunging at him from behind and ducked, Newman going sprawling, and Henry going after his arm to go after his leg to trap both arm and leg while throwing a capture German. The ending of match trap arm dragon sleeper was sick, made me need to see Makabe vs. Henry in a battle of that dragon sleeper and Makabe's magistral RNC. I think I'm actually really liking this match a lot more, the more I think about it. 

Brett Ison vs. Erick Stevens

PAS: This didn't do a ton for me. I think this card really needed another tag or trios match, outside of Makabe vs. Moriarty every match on this card was some variation of a stiff slugfest. This was worked very similar to the rest of the card, but was the least of those matches. I have the same issues with Ison I have with O'Shay except even more, they announcers kept selling those forearms as monster shots, when we just watched Henry in the previous match. This wasn't an actively bad match, but I can't recommend it. 

ER: This was pretty easily the weakest match on the card, not just because of the same-y feel it had, but there seemed to be no real strong rhyme or reason to kickout vs. power up, and Ison's offense seemed to get weaker as the match went on (and the match was only 6 minutes). I liked Stevens trying to tie Ison up with subs, and some of the early stuff looked really good. That Ison face wash is a killer, even though it always looks like he half asses the lead up back elbow to focus on the face wash. He leans a bit far out of the double underhook piledriver, and the arm unroll backfist did not work as a finisher for me, especially on a show that's been filled with a couple dozen gnarlier strikes. Stevens came off much more impressive, and either Ison comes off smaller than he really is or Stevens works bigger than he really is, because Stevens worked this as if he was Ison's strength equal and pulled it off. This also would have played better on a different show, but the flaws here were more real. 

48. Manders vs. AC Mack

PAS: This was a really fun main event, with Mack playing the role of the sneaky heel champ faced with a powerhouse babyface. Manders hits a ton of big time offense, big lariat, Iowa Stampede, Doctor Bomb, second rope powerslam. Mack found a bunch of different ways to weasel his way out of loss, and give a big Un Foul to get the pin after escaping Manders. I would have rather seen Mack hit the Mack 10 after the low blow, as it felt like one low blow was a little weak to put down Manders, but this was classic Flair stuff, Nikita does everything but win the title, and you sell the ticket for the rematch. 

ER: Manders came off of this one like an out and out badass, maybe the guy I would least want to be hit by, on a card populated by nothing but people who I wouldn't want to be hit by. Manders got that heavy low end that grounds all his big strikes, makes every charge explode. Really the only problem with the match was I don't think a lot of Mack's stuff looked like it should fell Manders. There were two different kicks that were supposed to be big exclamation points to completely stop the beast, but both were grazing shots at best, coming right after Manders did nothing but waste Mack. It kind of felt like a babyface Shawn Michaels or Macho Man performance during some portions, the kind where they would eat a tough beating and then the heel would have to sell a Michaels bodyslam while he took forever to climb to the top rope. It threw the dynamic off when the babyface was just destroying Mack and half of Mack's entries into the match looked like shots that shouldn't have been sold. 

Manders has some of my favorite offense in modern wrestling, those running shoulderblocks and avalanches are full bore, his lariats and chops hit super hard (love how he throws missed clotheslines with the same ferocity), got a great powerslam, great Iowa Stampede, great Doctor Bomb, really I'm not sure he has any offense I even remotely dislike. He even makes things that could look silly - like his 3 point stance running chop - look devastating. I've seen several people try to pull off the running chop, and it never works. It goes against your bodies own momentum, you have to throw across yourself while also running, just doesn't work. And here Manders makes everyone else who's ever tried it look like a real dummy. Mack did have some great stuff, so it wasn't completely one sided. His Liger bomb out of the corner was a great surprise, he throws a couple of punches throughout the match that appear to target Manders' ear, neck, and jaw, and he hits a yakuza kick that really mashes the sole of his boot into Manders' teeth. I also wasn't a fan of the finish, even though I LOVED Mack grapevining the bottom rope to prevent the kickout. It made me want to see Manders wreck Mack for the title. 

Which, well, considering AJ Gray comes out after the match, eats a kick to the balls and just wastes Mack with a lariat for the title anyway, I am not sure when we're actually going to get that title match. Curious to see how they book the Bonestorm title going forward, but AJ Gray's lariat going up against Manders' um...everything? Also, Gray/Manders is a match that's happened a few times, and I need to seek those matches out pronto. 

ER: There are still some Collective shows I need to see, but it's going to be tough to beat this show. It's not often the weakest match on your show still stands out as a fun match, and this show landed a ton of matches on our 2020 Ongoing MOTY List. This made me want to see more of just about every single person on the card, and there aren't many better ways to leave a show than that. 

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