Board 8 > All-Purpose Wrestling Topic 494: But The Stock Is Up!

(+) Yeah! (+)

eheheh

---

Oh good, I was waiting for the new topic.

#35 - Kenny Omega vs Jon Moxley - AEW - Full Gear, November 9th
I imagine this might be the match on the list that the most people in this topic have seen, so I'm not gonna spend a lot of time on it. Mox wasted literally no time after his escape from WWE's clutches in doing everything he possibly could as a wrestler, up to and including this "Lights Out" match that would've felt right at home in his old CZW days. Except, you know, Kenny Omega is about 1000x better than pretty much anyone Moxley wrestled during that time.

I'm not normally a fan of this sort of match, but there were enough creative spots and memorable moments executed extremely well that I was thoroughly entertained the whole way through. It was essentially the best possible version of a match like this.

It's also the only AEW match outside of a couple scattered offerings on Dark that I've watched since October. What a shame.

#34 - Kazuchika Okada vs Minoru Suzuki - NJPW - Royal Quest, August 31st
Like Ospreay and ZSJ, this is another pairing that has a MOTYC-level bout anytime they step into the ring with each other. Now, this one didn't quite hit the heights of some of their previous outings, but that's not some damning indictment. This was still great. Suzuki always seems to delight in beating the hell out of Okada even more than he usually does with his opponents, and Okada does a masterful job of playing the champion who gets in over his head challenging him to a chest-thumping slugfest and having to find a way to survive and then escape the hole he digs for himself.

It's an Okada title defense, you know? You can count on one hand, without using every finger, the number of times those haven't delivered something great.

#33 - WALTER and Daisuke Sekimoto vs Yuji Okabayashi and Yuji Hino - BJW - Ryogokutan, November 4th
You want to see four beefy, giant men stiffing the crap out of each other and shaking the ring with suplexes and roaring? Of course you do.

Three weeks before he'd be unceremoniously buried for absolutely no defensible reason at Survivor Series, WALTER went to Japan and reunited with on-again off-again rival Sekimoto to prove that WWE doesn't really train good wrestling out of you, they just kind of... obscure it. He's absolutely still one of the best wrestlers in the world when he's put in a position that allows him to show it.

#32 - Masaaki Mochizuki vs Kenou - NOAH - N-1 Victory Night 7, August 29th
This is one of those matches that reminds you that wrestling doesn't have to be the least bit complicated to be good. Not long after Mochi had a fiery kick-fest with dickhead Nakajima, he did pretty much the same thing with the much more stoic but possibly even more dangerous kick man in Kenou. Seriously, if you like guys kicking each other in the chest and the back and the head, this is the match for you. It told a little more intriguing story as well. You have Mochizuki from the flashy and often over-the-top Dragon Gate bringing stylish strikes hit from innovative angles. Kenou, from the much more straightforward and reserved NOAH, is just looking to get the job done without caring one iota about how pretty it looks. It makes for a nice back-and-forth with neither man willing to give an inch until their bodies just simply start giving out.

#31 - Maya Yukihi vs Tsukasa Fujimoto - Ice Ribbon - Ice Ribbon #974, August 3rd
In some ways, this is a Joshi version of the Tanahashi/Okada story. Fujimoto has been one of the most popular and beloved wrestlers for several years among fans of the scene, and she's carried Ice Ribbon on her back as the undisputed ace of the company for a good long while. Yukihi had been slowly making her way up the card over that period, clearly being groomed as the next big thing for the promotion, and after a few failed challenges at ICExInfinity Championship, their top belt (two of those challenges against Fujimoto herself), she finally overcame her at the end of 2018 at their big year-closing show to win the title.

Yukihi subsequently spent most of 2019 firmly establishing herself as the next ace, including a ~3-month period where she held all three titles in the promotion (two singles, one tag). It was an awesome year where she frequently lifted up challengers beyond their normal level to have some very memorable matches, and it was enough to get her my vote for Best Woman Wrestler in the APWT awards.

But this was her best. Fujimoto wasn't ready to relinquish her spot as the face of Ice Ribbon just yet, and she threw everything she had at the champion. Yukihi thought she'd finally figured Fujimoto out, but this was a Tsuka possessed, bringing new tricks and a bit of a focused edge that hadn't really been seen before. Perhaps she'd gotten a little complacent in her spot and now finally realized she was going to have to fight to protect it.

Fujimoto takes the vast majority of the offense in this match, and it all leads up to a point where Yukihi has kicked out of every big move in her arsenal, multiple times in some cases. All the mainstays that have brought the former ace so many victories aren't working anymore. So she turns to the rarely-used Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex, and if you know anything about Joshi you know why that's a big deal and why it's so rarely seen. Yukihi herself has never survived it - it wasn't used in her title win - and as the match wears on it becomes clear not just to Fujimoto but to the fans and even Yukihi herself that not only will it put her down for sure, it's the only thing that will. Fujimoto gets more and more desperate to hit it, which culminates in what is easily my favorite match finish of 2019.

If you're a fan of women's wrestling, you owe it to yourself to give this match a look.

---

Didn't have a lot to say about a lot of today's matches, partly because I knew I was going to gush over the #31 but also because I don't think any of the others need to be sold very hard - they all sort of speak for themselves.

We'll finish up the 4 1/2 star stuff tomorrow. Hope folks have been at least enjoying this even if they haven't really been inspired to seek out much or any of the stuff on it they haven't seen yet!

---

The stock may not be up, but Paige's cup size definitely is



---

Paige isn't even the same woman anymore.

---

did she suddenly become a fan of JoJo Part 6 with that hair style

---

_PandaMaster_ posted...

Paige isn't even the same woman anymore.

yeah now she has even bigger titties

---

okay you sold me on the mochi vs kenou match, definitely checking that out when i get home

---

Don't really have time or energy to do write-ups today but these matches probably all speak for themselves, especially at this point in the list.

#25 - Kazuchika Okada vs Kota Ibushi - NJPW - G1 Climax Night 17, August 10th

#24 - Kento Miyahara vs Naoya Nomura - AJPW - Dream Power Series Night 6, March 19th

#23 - Hirooki Goto vs Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW - G1 Climax Night 12, August 1st

#22 - Shingo Takagi vs Dragon Lee - NJPW - Best of the Super Juniors Night 8, May 23rd

#21 - Jay White vs Kazuchika Okada - NJPW/ROH (lol) - G1 Supercard, April 6th

---

So I know everyone will accuse me of being a shill.

But RAW has been consistently good for a decent stretch here.

---

Kevin Owens being in a main event feud will do that

---

I think it's more a top-to-bottom solid thing. Angel Garza had a great debut tonight, DREW MAC is getting more over with the crowd, Ruby Riott had a great return, etc.

---

TheRock1525 posted...

So I know everyone will accuse me of being a shill.

But RAW has been consistently good for a decent stretch here.

it's too long still but the individual parts are fairly watchable right now

---

tim thatcher is rumoured to have signed with wwe and i will be Logging Off for a while to cope.

---

I predicted Ricochet would get a random title match just so Brock can get revenge for Royal Rumble and have someone to kill at Saudimania this month as warmup for McIntyre.

Goldberg's scheduled to appear Friday. Predicting Corbin gets fed to him in Saudi Arabia since it appears the Reigns feud is over.

---

Goldberg and Reigns had that brief Twitter spat. It could be to build this match
---

Tim Thatcher is rumoured to be signed with WWE. please go easy on me during this trying time.

---

https://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.php?id=133568

fuck this. anyone know anything else worth watching? how is hockey?

---

Seems like the best place to be if you want him to be quietly irrelevant on an already extremely bloated roster

I guess you might have to skip a filler match on NXT once in a while

---

Don't worry I'm sure he'll get his chance to get squashed by Brock as all should be

---

Lopen posted...

Seems like the best place to be if you want him to be quietly irrelevant on an already extremely bloated roster

that is not what i want

---

Tom Bombadil posted...

Don't worry I'm sure he'll get his chance to get squashed by Brock as all should be

that match would rule but wwe are not brave enough to do it sadly

---

anyway tim isn't a geek and has wrestled a good match once in his life so i would be upset if brock squashed him

---

Everybody else is a geek it is the price of good booking and having to actually attempt psychology once a decade

Such good shit

---

no idea what you're trying to say dude but I assume it's more about how you hate Brock or something
---

I have no idea what either of you are trying to say

Please submit your views in essay form.

---

Tim Thatcher good, signing with wwe bad I cry
---

Steiner is sad some dude went to wwe

I am giving him a hard time in continuation of my previous, apparently hot take that brock's rumble run wasn't enjoyable


---

Oh here I thought you disliked Tim based on the way you were talking about him

If Tim is a great man who you will no longer be able to see good matches from due to being tainted by WWE style, then I feel your pain

I suppose that is the more natural way to think about it. Maybe I was just feeling more positive towards WWE than usual.

---

Tim is literally my favourite wrestler and he'll be nobody in wwe. He's also the wrestler who most embodies what wwe doesn't in 2020 so it's especially disappointing.

Tom you're the only person I know not lavishing praise on the Brock segment of the Rumble so yes I'd call it a "hot take"
---

Tom just hates Brock Lesnar.

My only disappointment with Brock part of Royal Rumble was my boy MVP not getting to do anything. Other than that freshest Rumble in years and years.

---

Thank you for your essays, the committee has now been educated with the facts.

---

I like Brock okay

I don't like him (or presumably anybody else) surpassing Peak Cena levels of dominance

---

Lopen posted...

Tom just hates Brock Lesnar.

My only disappointment with Brock part of Royal Rumble was my boy MVP not getting to do anything. Other than that freshest Rumble in years and years.

I felt this until finding out mvp was retiring 2 days later and in that case, do you want him to do any more?
---

Steiner posted...

mvp was retiring 2 days later

;_;

---

So while I'm nitpicking Lesnar's Rumble segment... two other things bugged me. The first, not sure why recently redebuted John Morrison was thrown out in 9 seconds, since he's one of the few WWE guys who isn't poisoned right now due to just being a new face. Would have been better as a later entry I feel where Brock wasn't there if you don't want him doing anything against Lesnar.

Also personally I would've liked if the late Brock entry sequence went:

Keith Lee -> Braun Strowman -> Shelton Benjamin

Shelton helps Brock when the two hosses are starting to overwhelm him, Brock double elims them in similar fashion, then does basically the same "hey buddy!" spiel with Shelton Benjamin

But I guess that would make Shelton Benjamin look like less of a geek, and Keith Lee and Strowman would get eliminated for reasons that isn't them being stupid, so I guess we can't have that.

Oh wait one more minor nitpick-- I knew Brock was out very soon, 100%, once he hit 13 elims, because of WWE's STATZ fetish. Letting Shelton Benjamin pick up an elim for him would've given him some more time.

But other than those and MVP, I have literally no problems with Brock's segment of the rumble. It was pretty amazing.

---

Steiner posted...

mvp was retiring 2 days later

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

---

Man it's a royal rumble, he ain't pinning these dudes. Brock is just strong enough to throw anyone over the top rope, in a 1 on 1 situation. It's not squashing anybody.
---

I think the Shelton bit makes sense in that Brock letting Shelton help him would be Brock viewing somebody as being worthy of helping him, or implying that he needs the help, when it's already been established that he even only tolerates Heyman. It aligned very well with what has been made known about Brock and his ego, even if from an outside look it seems dumb. That's because Brock IS kinda dumb since he's blinded by his ego.

---

Steiner posted...

It's not squashing anybody.

perhaps this is our disconnect because I would argue that all those geeks did in fact get squashed by getting chucked out like Santino

---

Steiner posted...

https://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.php?id=133568

fuck this. anyone know anything else worth watching? how is hockey?

Hockey is really cool, I can wholeheartedly recommend it.

---

Well I'm not saying it didn't make sense. I totally got why Brock didn't want his help.

I just think having Benjamin actually help Brock for a bit, then going into that thing they ended up doing makes everyone involved look better, even Keith Lee and Strowman because I think being attacked by Benjamin makes them look better than just being dumb (except maybe Brock himself, but oh well he would be fine)

But then again I'm just a big Shelton Benjamin fan who really wished he did anything relevant ever

---

Tom Bombadil posted...

perhaps this is our disconnect because I would argue that all those geeks did in fact get squashed by getting chucked out like Santino

In about 95% of matches anymore, someone gets thrown over the top rope, and in half of those matches, they go on to win.

---

*Watches Drew prance and dance and own his segment against Mojo*

Hey, WWE....more of this please. Just...just...more of it. Drew is awesome, and shame on you for waiting forever to let him show it.

---

did any of those people look like they were remotely on brock's level, though? "getting thrown over the top" isn't the end of the world in a vacuum, sure, but the entire story of the first half of the match and what I saw of the build is "nobody has a chance against Brock." He beat a dozen dudes in a row, most of them in seconds, and they combined for a grand total of like two moves of offense that got no-sold.

---

Tom Bombadil posted...

did any of those people look like they were remotely on brock's level, though? "getting thrown over the top" isn't the end of the world in a vacuum, sure, but the entire story of the first half of the match and what I saw of the build is "nobody has a chance against Brock." He beat a dozen dudes in a row, most of them in seconds, and they combined for a grand total of like two moves of offense that got no-sold.

This is precisely why people like Brock, though. WWE for years has only had two kinds of wrestler. The first is the John Cena or Roman Reigns that is pushed far above everyone else's level while the company constantly insists they're the underdog. The second is the category everyone else on the roster falls into, where regardless of the situation they're more or less presented to be completely evenly matched with whoever they're feuding with at the time.

Brock breaks this rule. It's something different that gives people a breather from the sterile look and feel of the rest of the WWE brand and actually resembles something like pro wrestling.

---

our disconnect is probably over the idea that any one of the 13 dudes brock threw out should ever be on his level. not one of those dudes is a Mania main eventer, or big time potential star. they're mostly guys who have already been defined, by wwe over the years, as geeks we shouldn't care about. Now, you can fault the booking that got us to this point, which i do all the time, but in the context of this match I just accept that we are at the point where, for example, Cesaro isn't ever going to be a main event player. So why would you devalue the one person you have who IS still special by having him go toe to toe with random geeks in the rumble?

---

Tom Bombadil posted...

and they combined for a grand total of like two moves of offense that got no-sold.

and this bit is just, you're literally not looking at the match anymore. brock is the best seller in the company and he sold perfectly again in the rumble. when the new day, or keith lee or drew or ricochet landed the offense that mattered, brock immediately conveyed a sense of danger and urgency that had everyone in the building on their feet. you're blinded by your hate for brock here man,

---

Here's the thing:

Last year you could have put the word "Drew" in place of "Cesaro" and no one would have objected.

---

Lopen posted...

The first, not sure why recently redebuted John Morrison was thrown out in 9 seconds, since he's one of the few WWE guys who isn't poisoned right now due to just being a new face. Would have been better as a later entry I feel where Brock wasn't there if you don't want him doing anything against Lesnar.

Bro he's here as a nostalgia act as shown by his teaming with Miz

---