Tag: editor

Dave Meltzer’s top-rated matches of 2017: Okada vs. Shibata

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Editor’s Note: Every day this week, we’ll take you back to one of Dave Meltzer’s top-rated matches of the past year, starting with No. 10 and going through No. 1. What follows is an edited version of Dave’s writeup of that match from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Dave’s review of this match was written before it was known that Katsuyori Shibata’s injury was legitimate and would end his career. Shibata has chronicled his recovery in blogs, made an appearance at the G1 Finals in one of the best moments of the year, and has an autograph signing set for next week’s fan festival prior to Wrestle Kingdom 12.

IWGP Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. Katsuyori Shibata
NJPW Sakura Genesis | April 9th
*****

Kazuchika Okada retained the IWGP heavyweight title over Katsuyori Shibata in 38:09

They returned to doing the video before the match where they showed the images of everyone who had ever held the IWGP title. This is such a great idea for setting the mood to the prestige of the title and I don’t know why other promotions don’t do that. As soon as the bell rang, the place popped like they were all here just for this match and it had the “big fight feel” thing that is said about ten times more than it really happens.

After the Omega vs. Okada match, I watched a Misawa vs. Kawada match from 1994 and the two were entirely different. However, they had their similarities and this one came off like a brutal fight with great psychology, intensit, and all kinds of twists and turns. The crowd was hot in wanting to see Shibata win the title to the point Okada was booed early on. As the match went on, they cheered more for the match and still wanted the title change, but weren’t booing Okada.

Okada was booed like crazy early when he didn’t break clean. Shibata then killed him with forearms and a hard kick to the back. Shibata used the figure four, but Okada got a rope break and was selling the left knee. Okada dropkicked him off the top rope to the floor, whipped him into the guard rail, and gave him a running kick over the guard rail. He followed with a draping DDT. Okada used a reverse kravat submission and Shibata made the ropes. Okada kept it on before breaking to get the heel response. Shibata then told Okada to throw his best shot and Okada started throwing elbows but Shibata dropped him with a counter. Shibata continued to work him over with elbows and a running dropkick into the corner. Shibata used a running dropkick into the guard rail. Shibata used hard kicks to the arm and chest. Okada came back with the Savage Elbow 60% of the way across the ring. Both were on their knees trading elbows. Okada used a missile dropkick but Shibata then got an armbar out of nowhere. Shibata used sick kicks to the right arm and a chop to the top of the head. They traded super hard slaps while on their knees.

Okada used Shibata’s trademark running dropkick into the corner, so Shibata came back and used an Okada style dropkick to the shoulder and threw kicks to the head. Shibata went for the penalty kick, but Okada got up and hit a dropkick. Okada used some German suplexes and set up the Rainmaker. Shibata kicked him in the face. Okada then hit a weak Rainmaker, and that’s when Shibata hit the sick headbutt, splitting his own head open. Shibata used the octopus and continued to work on the shoulder. He got a choke and then hit a choke suplex. Shibata was slapping the hell out of Okada and threw a sick kick to the chest, but Okada came back with a desperation Rainmaker, and then hit another Rainmaker for the pin.

When the match was over, Shibata and Okada both collapsed. The idea is that both men gave everything they had in a war that lasted 38:09. Had it not been for Okada’s match with Kenny Omega, this would have been a strong favorite for match of the year. The idea is both gave it everything they had. Okada won, but it was a battle of attrition and by the time it was over, neither had anything left. As Shibata was being helped out of the ring to the back, he lost his balance and fell to his knees more than once.

The match was among the best held anywhere in the world in the past few years, but there was the one spot more memorable than any. Okada, who had his arm weakened during the match, finally connected with the Rainmaker. Shibata not only didn’t go down, but responded with a sick headbutt that immediately split his head open.

It sounded terrible watching it at the time, but the one thing about Japanese wrestling is that as hard hitting as the matches seem on television, television greatly mutes the actual sound and impression. That’s why Japanese bouts are generally so much more impactful live and move emotions more. One person who was at ringside watching noted to me that it sounded like a baseball bat hitting hard wood and that the sound literally turned his stomach. The match was universally praised and the spot was praised in some circles because it was the single most indelible memory of the match. But, it was decried as well because that type of stuff shouldn’t happen in the ring. You shouldn’t mess with the head.

In fact, the entire match had questions about it. Okada, the guy whose role it is to carry the promotion for the next decade or so, took incredible punishment. You simply can’t get hit that hard and that many times and not develop injuries. Injuries in wrestling are the killer to longevity as well as the killer to longevity in being able to produce the kind of matches that are the current standard to headline big shows in Japan.

This isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon, especially when it comes to the protection of the long-term star performer. There are tradeoffs in the sense there is an emphasis on having great matches that move the audience, particularly in Japan when there are so many companies and the standard is so ridiculously high. But, careers shouldn’t be sacrificed for one night pops.

Backstage, Shibata collapsed again, motionless. Well, almost motionless. It was reported he couldn’t move, but that actually was not the case. The doctors were checking him and said there was internal bleeding and he was rushed to the IUHW Mita Hospital. It was said that Shibata was fully conscious and coherent at the hospital, but he was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma and was said to have undergone emergency surgery.

Dr. Shunji Asamoto, who performed the surgery, stated, “There is no medical evidence, but it is said it can easily recur. If he still wants to be a professional wrestler in the future, strict examinations will be necessary. I am not optimistic at all.”

So the big question is: is this real or was this a way to sell and make the match even more legendary, give Shibata time off (and it’s possible with all the injuries he’s been working through that he needed it) and have him come back as an even bigger star? There is no answer.

From communicating with people there, the belief is that this was an intricate work. Certain evidence was presented to me as to why. A few things are notable that unfortunately can’t be discussed here, but aren’t necessarily proof either way. The obvious aspect is that it does fit into a potential great long-term plan for all involved (provided Shibata returns. If he doesn’t, it’s very clear this was real) and that Gedo is a great booker. Of course, having a great booker doesn’t mean something that fits into a great long-term story is necessarily not real.

Still, one person noted he’s gotten stories that are polar opposites, and another said that it’s seemingly a subject they can’t discuss. Most are taking it as it being real. It could be. Some of the talent believes it is. Some don’t, but in pro wrestling, you are taught not to believe anything. Even one person who said he believed it was a work and had evidence conceded the possibility it wasn’t and that evidence would lead one to believe it was a work but it wasn’t proof enough.

It is certainly being portrayed as a potential career ending injury, coming right on the heels of the situation with Tomoaki Honma, which is an even more likely career ending injury. As a booker, does that mean the Honma timing would enable the public to believe it more and thus makes it a better time to do it, or would the timing be you wouldn’t want to do anything that reminded people of it? In wrestling, historically the former would be used in the thought process more than the latter, but to many, the latter would also be used.

That Shibata and Honma were the two guys in the promotion, along with Tomohiro Ishii, who would take stiffness to a different degree is probably a telling tale about limitations of what a human body can take. The reality is that the modern style is going to lead to more injuries because of the bigger bumps and higher flying moves. It’s somewhat tempered by the guys who work this style doing much fewer matches than their predecessors and generally being smaller, but I’m not confident of the long-term prospects.

The long-term prospects of the older generation, for the most part, wasn’t good. The long-term prospects of the All Japan stars in the Misawa and Furnas era was downright horrible, although some of that was bad luck like Steve Williams, Kobashi and Gary Albright that wasn’t necessarily ring related. Others, like Misawa, absolutely was. With Doug Furnas, it probably was as well.

For now, Shibata is off all shows. In time, it will be very clear what was and wasn’t real.

*****

Previous Matches:

– Keith Lee vs. Donovan Dijak
– WALTER vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
– Tanahashi vs. Naito
– KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay

JJ’s Best Of The NXT Florida House Show Matches 2017

Posted on by JJ Williams

Images: JJ Williams

NXT’s Florida schedule, known as “The Coconut Loop” to talent, recently wrapped up for 2017 and as we head toward another year of expansion for the brand, I took a look back at some of the highlights that stood out from the 36 non-televised live events that I attended.

These are the matches I consider The Best Of NXT Florida 2017.

Kassius Ohno vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas | January 6th | Largo, FL 

This was a major surprise as Ohno had only appeared off-camera at the first NXT Full Sail TV tapings of the year earlier that week. Yet, there he was at a Largo house show wearing his Seattle SuperSonics “Chris Hero” gear and entering to his original FCW/NXT music, officially kicking off the return of Kassius Ohno to the Coconut Loop. This match, much like many other former indie talents’ first matches in NXT, was absolutely incredible. He and Almas did lucha spots, threw hard hitting strikes, counters, and worked at a pace that normally isn’t seen down here. Ohno set up the rolling elbow and set the future champion down for the count.

The Revival vs. Tye Dillinger and Roderick Strong | January 7th | Ocala, FL

This was The Revival, the best tag team NXT may have ever produced in a town that was molten hot for them every single time facing off against one of the most popular men in the promotion and the fresh excellent work of Strong to boot. This was as good as it gets. The crowd was at the top of their lungs yelling “You’re a chicken” at Dash and Dawson to the point that they actually left the venue and had to be chased down by Tye and Roddy. This featured some of the loudest chants in NXT Florida house show history that made this something special. The Top Guys will forever be missed by the Ocala Hilton wedding tent faithful.

Asuka, Heavy Machinery and Tye Dillinger vs. SAnitY (Nikki Cross, Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, and Killian Dain) | February 4th | Largo, FL

The first time Cross and Asuka faced off was in this eight person tag team main event. It was absolutely wild stuff from all involved as Heavy Machinery were just starting to catch fire, SAnitY were still the villains at this time, but their work was so good that many appreciated them. Dillinger was one of the most popular performers down here for years at this time so all of this together in one match created a superstar-driven moment. Here was the memorable post-match celebration.

Aleister Black vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas | February 18th | Cocoa, FL

Very early in the “Aleister Black” era, we were still getting a grittier version of wrestling on live events. Almas was finally becoming a sassier persona at this time as well. In what we may see as a NXT Championship match someday, this one was great and you could tell they’d deliver even more when the time was right.

Johnny Gargano (w/ Tommaso Ciampa of DIY) vs. Dash Wilder (w/ Scott Dawson of The Revival) | March 16th | Ocala, FL

In a better time for DIY when they were rolling together and The Revival were on their way up to the main roster, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa were treated as kings in the Hilton’s Ocala wedding tent. This venue has a history of being Anti Revival country with some of the loudest “You’re a chicken” chants I’ve ever heard from 300 people as a callback to the previous match on this list and the year before. Gargano and Ciampa celebrated with a fan’s sign that simply said “CHIKIN” because of course it did.

Shinsuke Nakamura and Tye Dillinger vs. Riddick Moss and “The Straggler” aka “El Vagabondo” aka “Bob Dylan” aka “Definitely Not Elias” Elias Samson | March 25th | Tampa, FL

Nakamure finished up his Florida house show run with a bang. “The Straggler” was out to sing to us about drifting and whatnot before Dillinger showed up to challenge him, Moss then got involved which lead to the huge Nakamura reaction. During this one, Shinsuke thought he had Elias figured out by removing his lucha mask, only to reveal a second underneath. Shinsuke then put on the first mask and proceeded to do lucha armdrags and floatover counters to everything El Vagabondo did, which felt like a callback to FantasticaMania. Moss was able to snatch the mask off of Shinsuke which garnered the most negative reaction of the night. This was all-around nonsense from all involved and a great send-off for Nakamura.

Drew McIntyre vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas (w/ Zelina Vega) | August 25th | Tampa, FL

As we’ve all seen from their TakeOver match, these two have an excellent dynamic between them. While they had worked before around the country and plenty in Florida, this was the first time we saw Vega added to the Almas act vs. then-champion Drew McIntyre.

Buddy Murphy vs. Lio Rush | October 27th | Sanford, FL

Murphy has been the unsung superstar of the Florida crew for well over a year, thus his self proclaimed moniker “The Best Kept Secret”. This wasn’t a match I had ever envisioned when Rush joined the company, but it was as good a pace as anything we’ve ever seen down here.

Women’s Halloween Royal Rumble | October 27th | Sanford, FL

By far, this was the funniest and most unexpected match of the entire year as the entire available female roster, along with two lovely men, took part in this spectacle the Friday before Halloween in a brand new venue for the promotion. Nikki Cross as No Way Jose, Rhea Ripley and Lacey Evans as The Street Profits, Wesley Blake as Liv Morgan’s pet pig, Riddick Moss as Sexy Batgirl, and many more were honorable runners up to the final two of Darth Vader Shayna Baszler and Where’s Waldo Ruby Riot(t). They had a toy lightsaber duel before Ruby had her hand targeted and was left hanging over the top rope before being released by Lord Baszler in a quality Star Wars tribute spot. Baszler also used The Force to chokeslam Moss.

**********

This year saw countless additions to the already competitive roster. Graduations to the main roster can come at any time and you never know who may show up or change their entire style down here in Florida. 2017 showed us that even with the television crew touring worldwide, The Coconut Loop would still be here creating memories for fans and talent. Everyone’s goal may be WrestleMania but the path to WWE goes through Largo and the Ocala Hilton wedding tent.

Here’s a collection of all my photos from the last year as well.

Dave Meltzer’s top-rated matches of 2017: KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Editor’s Note: Every day this week, we’ll take you back to one of Dave Meltzer’s top-rated matches of the past year, starting with No. 10 and going through No. 1. What follows is an edited version of Dave’s writeup of that match from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay
NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Finals | June 3rd
*****

With the worldwide boom in quality lighter weight wrestlers, this year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament looked to have potential to be the best one ever. Between the ridiculously loaded A block and a solid B block, the tournament largely lived up to that. Not every match was great, but most were good, and almost all the dream matches lived up to and, in some cases, he exceeded expectations.

It came down to 24-year-old Will Ospreay trying to become only the second repeat winner (Tiger Mask in 2004-05) and 34-year-old KUSHIDA doing his comeback storyline. KUSHIDA had suffered a number of losses including the two minute loss to IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi on April 9th at the Sakura Genesis show. Then after winning the ROH TV title from Marty Scurll, the simple story was that he developed a new finisher: a small package power bomb called Back to the Future.

Then in the tournament, he pulled a Cleveland Cavaliers, going down 3-1 in the best of seven before pulling out the win for his block and then beating A block winner Ospreay in what may have been the greatest match in the history of the tournament with a history that dates back to 1988.

The match featured great wrestling, tremendous selling, body part working and blow away moves that made it probably one of the top four matches at this point o of an amazing year. It was held before a sellout crowd of 3,454 fans at the smaller Yoyogi Gym in Tokyo, Japan.

KUSHIDA beat Will Ospreay in 27:59 to win the Best of the Super Juniors tournament

This was an incredible match that blended in so many different facets and so many different styles. Ospreay did a great stepover toehold escape when they were trading holds early. Ospreay was bleeding from the mouth right away. There were a great series of misses leading to both guys missing a dropkick at the same time. They traded hard elbows with Ospreay getting the better of it, but KUSHIDA used a koppo kick to knock Ospreay out of the ring and did a flip plancha off the top rope to the floor. He then started working on both the right arm and the knee and clamped on the figure four. Because of AXS and New Japan World, there are a lot more American fans who fly over for the big shows which was evident by the noticeable “Whoo” for that move.

Ospreay did two running dropkicks into the corner and the Octopus hold, a tribute to Katsuyori Shibata. KUSHIDA came back with Divorce Court off the middle rope. Ospreay later did his dropkick where he landed on his feet and followed with a step-up enzuigiri. That knocked KUSHIDA out of the ring and Ospreay did a Fosbury Flop, followed by a springboard forearm. However, he missed the Robinson special (the spinning kick he uses just before the Oscutter, named after British wrestler Paul Robinson).

KUSHIDA used a Pele kick which Ospreay followed with a standing Spanish fly for a near fall. He went for the Sky Twister but KUSHIDA got his knees up. Ospreay got out of Back to the Future, but KUSHIDA used a Dragon suplex. He went up for the moonsault, but Ospreay got up and dropkicked him. Both were standing on the middle rope when KUSHIDA put on the Hoverboard lock. Ospreay hit a shooting star, then a reverse huracanrana on the ring apron, but KUSHIDA managed to get in just before the 20 count. Ospreay followed with the Essex Destroyer, a crazy move that ends up as a DDT, for a near fall.

Ospreay came off the ropes for his Oscutter, but KUSHIDA caught him in an armbar. He was arching his back while applying it with the idea of added pressure to it. He switched to the triangle, but Ospreay then broke it with the one arm power bomb into the turnbuckles. Later, when KUSHIDA came off the top rope, Ospreay hit the RKO (a tribute to Randy Orton) with perfect timing and then hit the Robinson special. He went for the Oscutter again, but KUSHIDA moved and Ospreay fell on his ass.

KUSHIDA hit a handspring diamond cutter and put on the hoverboard lock but Ospreay punched him in the face to break it. Ospreay delivered a series of Kawada kicks, and KUSHIDA came back with Kawada kicks of his own. They traded elbows, leading to Ospreay throwing a punch and KUSHIDA coming back with a punch. In every long KUSHIDA match, he throws exactly one punch, and his timing of when to throw it is impeccable because the crowd always goes crazy. Both were down.

KUSHIDA went for the hoverboard lock, and then went for Back to the Future which Ospreay reversed into a stunner. Ospreay hit the inverted 450 for a near fall. The key is that was the move Ospreay used on Taguchi last year to win the tournament. Ospreay used Sami Zayn’s helluva kick in the corner, and then tied up KUSHIDA in the corner and threw seven hard kicks to the face. Ospreay went to the top rope again but KUSHIDA pulled him off with the Back to the Future off the ropes and did a second one for the pin.

Adding to the atmosphere was Dragon Lee, Tiger Mask, Ryusuke Taguchi, Ricochet and Volador Jr all kneeling around the ring watching the match. They kept the heels away so there would be no interference. Jushin Liger was also at ringside doing commentary. After KUSHIDA and Ospreay hugged after the match, they presented KUSHIDA with the trophy and he told all the wrestlers at ringside to get in the ring, thanking them. He then told Liger to get in the ring. Liger wrestled his final Best of the Super Juniors match of his career a few days earlier, and was the most over wrestler in every city except on the final night. He then addressed the different guys in the tournament, led the crowd in a big wave, and they had a confetti celebration and trophy presentation that gave the feeling you just saw something noteworthy, which, in fact, we all just did.

*****

Previous Matches:

– Keith Lee vs. Donovan Dijak
– WALTER vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
– Tanahashi vs. Naito

Dave Meltzer’s top-rated matches of 2017: Naito vs. Tanahashi

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Editor’s Note: Every day this week, we’ll take you back to one of Dave Meltzer’s top-rated matches of the past year, starting with No. 10 and going through No. 1. What follows is an edited version of Dave’s writeup of that match from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
NJPW G1 Climax A Block Finals | August 11
*****

Tetsuya Naito pinned Hiroshi Tanahashi in 26:42 to win the A block

This was fantastic storytelling. As compared with a lot of the guys in the tournament having great matches, this was safer and more of a work of art that a car crash action movie (not that car crash action movies aren’t art in a different way).

For purposes of the match, it was Tanahashi with the bad right arm and Naito somewhat selling the shoulder. Tanahashi also had a knee and a rib injury by this point, but that didn’t play into the match. Tanahashi started stomping Naito when he did the tranquillo pose. Tanahashi came off the ropes with a crossbody into a dropkick to the bad biceps. Naito started working on the right arm. Tanahashi did the high fly flow to the floor and again started selling the arm. He went for the Texas cloverleaf, but the idea was that with his weakened biceps, he couldn’t get it. The crowd was super hot at this point.

He went for a dragon screw but Naito started punching the biceps and snapped his arm over the top rope, followed up by a slingshot dropkick to the arm. Tanahashi came back with a straitjacket German suplex. From superplex position, Naito started working for a Kimura and then hit a top rope Frankensteiner, which Tanahashi turned into a sunset flip and then hit a dragon screw. Naito used a German suplex. Later, Tanahashi used two sling blades and a crossbody off the top, but missed a high fly flow.

Naito had some offense and then came the highlight. Tanahashi finally got the Texas cloverleaf, but Naito struggled to the ropes. Referee Red Shoes Unno told Naito he was going to stop it, which meant more because of the Sabre-Ishii finish. Just as Unno went to stop it, Naito made the ropes. The intensity was tremendous here.

Naito came back with a tornado DDT and a Destino off the top rope that Tanahashi kicked out of. Naito tried another Destino but Tanahashi hit two Twist And Shouts. Naito reversed the third into a destino, then hit a second one and got the pin.

This wasn’t the best tournament match for flashy moves, but for psychology, it beat everything up to this point.

*****

Previous Matches:

– Keith Lee vs. Donovan Dijak
– WALTER vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Dave Meltzer’s top-rated matches of 2017: Donovan Dijak vs. Keith Lee

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Editor’s Note: Every day this week, we’ll take you back to one of Dave Meltzer’s top-rated matches of the past year, starting with No. 10. What follows is an edited version of Dave’s writeup of that match from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Donovan Dijak vs. Keith Lee
PWG Battle of Los Angeles Night 3 | September 3rd
*****

The best match of the BOLA weekend was an insane match of the tag team of The Monsters, Donovan Dijak and Keith Lee, in a singles match. This followed a tag match between their team and Matt Riddle and Jeff Cobb two nights earlier that was nearly as good.

Lee is probably 6’2″ and 330 pounds while Dijak is about 6’5″ or more and 270 pounds with a good physique. From an in-ring standpoint, he is the most agile guy of his size that I’ve ever seen in pro wrestling, surpassing even Don Leo Jonathan. They have wrestled before and tore the house down in Northeast Wrestling, and many felt they had the single best match of WrestleMania weekend on March 31st for EVOLVE. That really says something when you consider the competition.

This match was ten minutes longer and had the same freaky athletic spots, but had tons more crowd heat than the EVOLVE match according to people who saw both live. It was also said to be far better than their May 20th EVOLVE match. This was their final meeting as Dijak started full-time with WWE in Orlando two days later.

Booked as the third match on the show, they went out there and did athletic spots and power moves with endless near falls. It was a cross between an Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels WrestleMania match and an Ishii vs. Shibata match, except with more spectacular moves thrown in. The crowd got hotter and hotter with each near fall, and when they kept kicking out of moves everyone figured were the finish, they got hotter and did the “fight forever” chants which was not a chant this hardcore audience would do lightly. 

Keith Lee pinned Donovan Dijak in 21:41

There were so many insane moves and they kicked out of everything. Very early on, the ring broke, but unlike the night before, it only made things a little wobbly. You wouldn’t even notice it as a fan watching even though these were good sized guys landing hard from off the top rope. I could see it being uneven in spots and heard the spot where it broke, but didn’t know it was a break until after the match was over.

Early on, Dijak did a Fosbury flop dive and Lee came right back with a running flip dive. The rest of the match was filled with acrobatic spots that guys this size shouldn’t be doing: leapfrogs, matching huracanranas, one count kickouts that made the crowd explode, monster big man spots, and big power spots. Lee finally won with his second jackhammer (his finisher) which Dijak had kicked out of earlier in the match. Because the two have a unique chemistry, I guess the idea was to do their best match possible since they knew they’d never have a chance to do this kind of a match together again. 

Even if Lee ends up in WWE and they feud, there’s no way WWE would allow them to do this kind of a match unless perhaps it was on a TakeOver show and even then, I doubt they’d let then kick out of so many finishers.

When I compare it with different key U.S. matches, Undertaker vs. Michaels got more out of doing less and were able to sell more because of the advantage of who they were. But this still felt like watching that match given the hot crowd and people buying the near falls so heavily, except the moves were far more spectacular. With Bate vs. Dunne (**** 3/4) or Cena vs. Styles (**** 3/4), those matches were similarly hot, but it was much bigger guys doing far more athletic things. That’s saying something when you talk about athletic things in a PPV main event and compare it favorably to Styles.

As compared with the SummerSlam main event, the advantage of that match is that I can remember the moves and structure of that match today. With this match, it was far more spectacular and blew the crowd away equally as a prelim match with far lesser name stars, but I can’t say the spots were as memorable because there were so many of them. I remember the four-way at SummerSlam better as far as the key points went, but it was a match relying on four guys doing their big spots over and over as opposed to Dijak-Lee where the guys did far more, but with moves I wasn’t as familiar with.

It was two different kinds of roller coaster rides: a great ride on one you’ve ridden since childhood but it still fun vs. a new updated coaster which has a lot more twists and turns but you don’t know it and aren’t as familiar with it.

A key to this match was the physical dynamics. The two have worked together a few times and because they mostly work with smaller guys, there are some limits as far as certain acrobatics. For guys this size, you need a powerhouse base that they usually don’t have. The fact they did this match in a ring that broke a few minutes into the match (there were people under the ring fixing it as the match was going on) made it even more impressive as they didn’t skip a beat. There were people who have been fans for decades saying it was the best live match they had ever seen.

There is the belief, and it was expressed by some after the fact, that wasn’t the kind of match to do that early in the show, and there are questions about kicking out of so many finishers. The reality, however, is this match didn’t burn the audience out for the rest of the show. I could see hating to follow it, and when it was over, I thought immediately that they should have at least taken an intermission.

*****

Dave Meltzer’s top-rated matches of 2017: WALTER vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Editor’s Note: Every day this week, we’ll take you back to one of Dave Meltzer’s top-rated matches of the past year, starting with No. 10. What follows is an edited version of Dave’s writeup of that match from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

WALTER vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
PWG All-Star Weekend | October 21st
*****

The match of the weekend by far was Walter vs. Zack Sabre Jr. I’ve given five stars to two PWG matches so far that both of which, by coincidence, ended with “five star match” chants. This one had no such chants, but I still had people coming up to me individually saying that live it was five stars as it reminded me of being there live for the 1989 Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat classic in Chicago except WALTER’S chops were much stiffer.

Flair-Steamboat did have an element of artistry and the feel of a historic match between the two best guys around battling for a real world title that this one couldn’t touch. But, this was more physical and far more heated. Still, the key to the match were the chops and physical matches always translate better live than on television or later viewing, so I don’t think people viewing this later would rate it the same. It was a better version of the WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov match in wXw earlier in the year that I didn’t see live and gave ****3/4, but people who were there live thought was the best match they’d ever seen and were consistent that it was five stars. Zabre is better than Dragunov and WALTER is the same WALTER so this match felt better to me, but, at that level, they’re all great.

WALTER beat Zack Sabre Jr. (20:02)

WALTER highlighted this match with some of the hardest chops you’ll ever see thrown. It was amazing live because they’d go into the crowd and would throw chops that sounded like a shotgun was fired. They played up the size difference. WALTER threw some great suplexes and when it was time to sell, he was great there too. I’m really not sure why he isn’t more on the international stage given his size and how well he works. His body is soft, but he comes across like a “Big” Bill Miller-sized guy and is far better than Miller ever was, and Miller was a great star. I’m not sure how his personality when it comes to talking would hold up but as far as the ability to work and get a match over and come across like a tough big guy while not destroying his opponent, he’s incredible.

Sabre went for a cradle and Walter got behind him for a choke for the submission. There were people who said this was the best PWG match ever. I wouldn’t go that far, but it was an incredible live spectacle.

*****

Subscribers can listen to Dave and Bryan’s November interview with WALTER now.

The aforementioned WALTER-Dragunov match can be seen below for a limited time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoWyWAo4Ci4

JNPO: MMA Year In Review, April-June

Posted on by Josh Nason

Yours truly continues his look back at the year in MMA one quarter at a time and was joined by two guests to help look back at a fun and historic three month stretch in the sport.

Bleacher Report lead MMA writer, Co-Main Event Podcast co-host and author Chad Dundas dropped by to discuss all the happenings in April which included:

  • Light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier retiring Anthony Johnson at UFC 210 in Buffalo to set up a rematch with Jon Jones
  • Demetrious Johnson retaining his UFC flyweight gold for the 10th straight time
  • The continued will they/won’t they surrounding Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor
  • Dana White going retro with public comments against a slew of foes, and lots more.

Then for May and June, combat sports commentator Sean Wheelock steps for a 90-minute chat about the following and much more:

  • The announcement that Mayweather vs. McGregor was signed and all of the questions we wanted answered
  • Demetrious Johnson going public with his grievances against the UFC
  • An eventful UFC 211 headlined by Stipe Miocic retaining his heavyweight gold
  • Bellator’s return to PPV with a mix of old stars and emerging talents
  • A slew of interesting results and newsbits

Just in time for your holiday shopping, enjoy this giant-sized two hour edition of Josh Nason’s Punch-Out now as well as the January-March recap with Paul Fontaine now.

Right click save

The Week In Japanese Wrestling: Daichi Hashimoto wins gold

Posted on by Alan Counihan

Editor’s note: The following originally appeared in this week’s edition of Figure Four Weekly.

**********

At Big Japan’s “Death Vegas” show in Yokohama this past weekend, Daichi Hashimoto had the crowning moment of his career — becoming Big Japan’s new Strong Heavyweight Champion.

In 2011, when he had his much-hyped debut against Masahiro Chono in Sumo Hall, this achievement six years later would have been seen as a shocking disappointment for the son of the great Shinya Hashimoto. However, just a few years ago, it would have seemed to be an achievement that would be way out of reach.

The reality is that Sunday’s win was indeed a great triumph for the young 25 year old. It marked the fact that he has well and truly stepped out of his father’s shadow and is carving his own path where he’s comfortable and has been accepted.

Daichi is not Shinya. He does not have his father’s size and does not have his father’s presence. The expectations that were placed on him in his formative years were too much. He had great veterans like Chono, Keiji Mutoh, and Shinjiro Ohtani (all friends of Shinya) looking out for him, but they were trying to hold him up as something he wasn’t. And media and fan expectations didn’t help. It was a severe amount of pressure for someone just entering his 20s.

Daichi ended up trying to strike out on his own when things just weren’t working for him. He got into the fold with Antonio Inoki’s IGF, which is not exactly the healthiest and most nurturing environment for a young wrestler. That didn’t last, and it really looked like Hashimoto’s career might be a wash-out.

He was given a lifeline, though. Over the years, Daichi had sporadically popped up in Big Japan, regularly opposing or teaming with his namesake Kazuki Hashimoto. It always seemed like the smaller-scale (and somewhat grimier) environment allowed him to perform with more relaxation and confidence. He also appeared to strike up an obvious bond with Kazuki.

At the beginning of 2016, BJW announced it would be taking Daichi in as a full-time member of their roster. Under the tutelage of Daisuke Sekimoto and with a real brotherhood surrounding him (as opposed to his father’s legendary friends), Daichi started to really flourish. His personality was coming out more in the way he carried himself and in his appearance, with more of a punk look mixed into the pure martial artist ensemble he had previously.

A sign that BJW were committed to him and saw him as a potential big-time player for them came on March 31st, 2016 at Korakuen Hall when Hashimoto pinned Sekimoto clean in the main event with the Rising DDT. It was easily his best career performance to that point and a huge victory.

Daichi has for the most part pushed on from that point and had more very strong performances. He’s flourished whenever he’s had the opportunity to face any of the younger BJW dojo prospects as he’s been able to act as the aggressor and more of his cocky charisma has been able to come through.

In Yokohama, he went one-on-one with Hideki Suzuki — champion since March and one of the most commanding in-ring presences in the sport. It’s hard for even the biggest and most dynamic guys to look credible against Suzuki as his legit shooting skills just make him seem at such a higher level of ability. It was going to be hard for Daichi to come across like a worthy conquerer of the Billy Robinson protege.

But when it was all said and done, he absolutely did. He took a beating but kept pushing forward and didn’t ever look overawed (this sounds like I’m talking about a UFC fight, but Suzuki’s matches are oftentimes more akin to that than pro wrestling). Hashimoto needed big offense to make it look realistic that he could beat Suzuki — and big offense he delivered. Thunderous kicks and a brutal sheer drop brainbuster, which drilled the champion through the mat, gave Daichi the win.

It was the culmination of a really unique seven-year story, and the beginning of the next chapter of the Hashimoto legacy.

JNPO: MMA Year In Review, January-March

Posted on by Josh Nason

With a few weeks left to go before the end of the year, that means it’s time to begin our annual look back at the MMA year that was, broken up into four parts.

This 90-minute edition of Josh Nason’s Punch-Out covers the first three months of the year and features WrestlingObserver.com and MMADraws.com writer Paul Fontaine, returning for his third straight year of kicking off the series.

Just a few of the items on our topic board:

  • Mayweather vs. McGregor started moving from ‘no way’ to ‘it looks like there’s a chance’
  • GSP officially announced his return and was booked in a middleweight title fight with no date or location
  • The fallout from Ronda Rousey’s late-December loss
  • USADA suspended Brock Lesnar in January and then he retired in February
  • Meryl Streep takes a dig at MMA during her Oscars speech and the MMA world goes nuts
  • Tyron Woodley made news by feuding with Dana White, teasing a fight vs. Michael Bisping and having a boring rematch against Stephen Thompson
  • Everyone wanted to box. EVERYONE.
  • Tito Ortiz retired, Matt Mitrione had kidney stones, and Bellator announced their return to PPV
  • Germaine de Randamie won the UFC women’s featherweight title and turned everyone against her in the process
  • Our Tom Lawlor got suspended by USADA
  • A dream fight of Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov was canceled at the last minute due to a bad weight cut, causing all of us to cry
  • Bellator signed a slew of free agents, changing up the game
  • And plenty more!

Click below to listen now:

Right click save

UFC 218 Observer Panel Picks: Max Holloway vs. Jose Aldo II

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

UFC returns tonight for its second show of the weekend with an event that looks exciting on paper but probably won’t be breaking any box office records. Top to bottom, though, it’s one of the best shows of year headlined by a featherweight title rematch where Max Holloway defends the belt against longtime former champ Jose Aldo.

In the co-main, a future heavyweight title contender should emerge as up and coming prospect Francis N’Gannou hopes to extend a five fight UFC winning streak against MMA legend Alistair Overeem, making one last title run in the twilight of his career.

In a fight that promises to steal the show, and both competitors have said as much, TUF 26 coaches Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez will square off in a lightweight bout. In another main card fight with title implications, top flyweight contenders Sergio Pettis and Henry Cejudo meet in attempt to determine another victim for division kingpin Demetrious Johnson.

Rounding out the main card and our panel picks is a strawweight bout between former Invicta atomweight champion Michelle Waterson against Tecia Torres. Both are top contenders to the belt recently won by Rose Namajunas and the winner could be in line for a title opportunity.

If you’re new here, our panel picks are listed below and listed alongside the fighter’s names are their worldwide FightMatrix rankings, as well as BestFightOdds.com betting odds. The panelist’s 2017 records is in parentheses, and we also have panel consensus picks as well as a line where we show how the betting favorites did:

  • Dave Meltzer (50-25; .667) — Wrestling Observer publisher
  • John Pollock (50-25; .667) — Co-host of John and Wai’s Reviews
  • Favorites (50-25; .667)
  • Steve Juon (47-28; .627) — MMA Mania writer, Angry Marks publisher
  • Consensus Picks (46-28; .622)
  • Josh Nason (46-29; .613) — Host of Josh Nason’s Punch Out, WrestlingObserver.com assistant editor
  • Mike Sempervive (46-29; .613) — Wrestling Observer Live and Big Audio Nightmare co-host
  • Mike Sawyer (46-29; .613) — Tough Talk MMA publisher
  • Tom Lawlor (23-15; .605) – Co-host Filthy Four Daily; pro wrestling undercard fighter; UFC enhancement talent currently suspended due to wellness violation
  • David Bixenspan (45-30; .600) – Deadspin pro wrestling columnist; Between the Sheets podcast host
  • Ryan Frederick (43-32; .573) — WrestlingObserver.com UFC writer
  • Front Row Brian (40-35; .533) — MMA newsbreaker, beloved internet personality, podcast host
  • Paul Fontaine (38-37; .507) — MMADraws.com publisher, WrestlingObserver.com writer

> UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway (18-3) vs Jose Aldo (26-3) II

Holloway KO’d Aldo in the third round of their first fight this past June and was initially scheduled to face Frankie Edgar in his first title defense. But when the former lightweight champion pulled out due to injury, Aldo was chosen to step in as he was training for a fight with Ricardo Lamas.

In a very unique stat, this will be Aldo’s 11th fight in UFC and they have all been title matches. Only Ronda Rousey, with eight title matches and no non-title bouts, is even close. He was getting the better of Holloway early in their first bout but gassed out, allowing the younger challenger back into the fight he eventually won.

Holloway has won 11 straight since losing a decision to current lightweight champion Conor McGregor and he’d love nothing better than a chance to avenge that loss some day in a different weight class. While that is unlikely for now, he’ll have to settle for attempting to defeat a bonafide MMA legend for a second straight time.

  • Holloway #1; -250 betting favorite: Sawyer, Juon, Pollock, Meltzer, Fontaine, Sempervive, Lawlor, Nason, FRB, Bix
  • Aldo #2; +255 betting underdog: Frederick

> Francis N’Gannou (10-1) vs Alistair Overeem (43-15)
HEAVYWEIGHTS

N’Gannou has taken the UFC by storm, winning five straight with five finishes in just over two years. He’s finished nine opponents in a row overall and if he can manage to beat long-time contender Overeem, it’s likely he’ll get the shot at champion Stipe Miocic.

Aside from a first round KO loss in his first and only UFC title shot, Overeem is on quite a roll himself. Sandwiched around that defeat are six wins, including four by KO. Three of those victories came against former UFC champions, including his most recent win over Fabricio Werdum.

This is your classic ‘next big thing’ vs. the fading legend, but we’ve seen the legend pull out a win before and if Overeem can manage to do that here, it would be quite a story.

  • N’Gannou #7; -208 betting favorite: Frederick, Sawyer, Juon, Pollock, Meltzer, Fontaine, Sempervive, Lawlor, Nason
  • Overeem #2; +200 betting underdog: FRB, Bix

> Henry Cejudo (11-2) vs Sergio Pettis (16-2)
FLYWEIGHTS

Cejudo is a former Olympic gold medallist who burst onto the MMA scene with nine straight wins before running into Demetrious Johnson in a title shot that he probably took too early in his career. He was KO’d in the first round and then lost a split decision to Joseph Benavidez in his next fight. In his most recent fight, he KO’d recent title contender Wilson Reis and looked great in doing so.

Standing across the Octagon will be “The Phenom” Pettis, riding a four-fight win streak and basically the only top contender left who has yet to face Johnson. He will almost certainly get that elusive title fight with a win here while Cejudo could also get the nod with an impressive finish.

  • Cejudo #3; -269 betting favorite: Frederick, Sawyer, Juon, Pollock, Meltzer, Sempervive, Lawlor, Nason, FRB, Bix
  • Pettis #6; +265 betting underdog: Fontaine

> Justin Gaethje (18-0) vs Eddie Alvarez (28-5)
LIGHTWEIGHTS

Gaethje, the former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion, made his UFC debut in spectacular fashion with a win over longtime contender Michael Johnson in a fight of the year candidate that landed him two post-show bonus awards.

Alvarez is a former Bellator champion that shocked the world by winning the UFC title over Rafael Dos Anjos. He would go on to lose the strap to Conor McGregor. He followed that up with a strange no-contest against Dustin Poirier that was shaping up to be a hell of a fight before he landed illegal knees, causing the fight to be prematurely stopped. Both guys are promising to deliver a fight of the night performance.

  • Gaethje #7; -175 betting favorite: Frederick, Sawyer, Juon, Pollock, Meltzer, Fontaine, Sempervive, Lawlor, Nason, Bix
  • Alvarez #3; -165 betting underdog: FRB

> Tecia Torres (9-1) vs Michelle Waterson (14-6)
STRAWWEIGHTS

Torres, aka “The Tiny Tornado”, has won five of her six UFC fights with the only loss coming at the hands of current champion Rose Namajunas. She does hold a victory over the champ in a pre-UFC bout early in their respective careers and a third bout between the two would be a chance to settle that rivalry.

Waterson is somewhat undersized for this division but the former Invicta 105-lb champion started her UFC career with two straight submission wins before being stopped by Namajunas in a title eliminator bout earlier this year. At 31, she’s one of the oldest contenders in the division and she’ll probably need a decent winning streak to get back into title contention.

  • Torres #10; -225 betting favorite: Frederick, Pollock, Meltzer, Fontaine, Sempervive, Lawlor, Nason, Bix
  • Waterson #22; +220 betting underdog: Sawyer, Juon, FRB

**********

The rest of the card:

> Paul Felder (14-3) vs Charles Oliveira (22-7)
LIGHTWEIGHTS

  • Felder #20; +105 betting favorite
  • Oliveira #13; +110 betting underdog

> Alex Oliveira (18-4-1) vs Yancy Medeiros (14-4)
WELTERWEIGHTS

  • Oliveira #9; -218 betting favorite
  • Medeiros #34; +220 betting underdog

> Drakkar Klose (8-0-1) vs David Teymur (6-1)LIGHTWEIGHTS

  • Klose #88; +160 betting underdog
  • Teymur #59; -170 betting favorite

> Felice Herrig (13-6) vs Cortney Casey (7-4) STRAWWEIGHTS

  • Herrig #14; -120 betting favorite
  • Casey #11; +110 betting underdog

> Abdul Razzak Alhassan (7-1) vs Sabah Homassi (11-6) WELTERWEIGHTS

  • Alhassan #157; -240 betting favorite
  • Homassi NR; +220 betting underdog

> Dominick Reyes (7-0) vs Jeremy Kimball (15-6) LIGHTHEAVYWEIGHTS

  • Reyes #54; -425 betting favorite
  • Kimball #53; +450 betting underdog

Angela Magana (11-8) vs Amanda Cooper (2-3) STRAWWEIGHTS

  • Magana NR; +415 betting underdog
  • Cooper NR; -440 betting favorite

Allen Crowder (9-2) vs Justin Willis (5-1) HEAVYWEIGHTS

  • Crowder #106; +195 betting underdog
  • Willis #56; -215 betting favorite

Action begins with the Fight Pass prelims at 6:30 PM EST and moves over to FS1 at 8 PM EST. The main card airs on PPV at 10 PM EST, and yours truly will have play by play coverage of the show.

The Week In Japanese Wrestling: Sekimoto is coming to WWN’s WM week

Posted on by Alan Counihan

Editor’s note: The following originally appeared in this week’s Figure Four Weekly.

In terms of producing high-end in-ring action in New Orleans for WrestleMania weekend, WWN has played the best hand so far with the surprise announcement that Big Japan’s Daisuke Sekimoto will be one of their featured wrestlers for their EVOLVE events and the WWN Supershow.

While the likes of Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kenny Omega will draw more headlines as part of other shows, Sekimoto is a far better bet when it comes to potentially delivering some classic matches that week.

For those unfamiliar, Sekimoto is one of the best wrestlers in the world. He has been for at least a decade. He blends jaw-dropping power offense with a throwback style and an ability to weave subtle stories into a match. Most importantly for a live crowd, particularly one unfamiliar with him, is that he carries an immense aura and physical charisma which has seen him get over instantly in front of all kinds of crowds over the years. From wXw to CHIKARA to any number of promotions in Japan, Sekimoto has fans in the palm of his hand minutes into most matches. On top of all that, he never takes it easy and always gives 100 percent with incredible fire shown in his performances.

In terms of wrestlers I’ve seen live, the best comparison I can give to him is that he was like a blend of Kenta Kobashi and Bryan Danielson. He commands your attention like Kobashi, and then he takes you on a rollercoaster ride like Danielson. Needless to say, if you can get to one of the events he’s on, you need to — particularly if he’s paired off with someone who knows him well like WALTER or Zack Sabre Jr.

Here are some of Sekimoto’s best bouts from his home promotion BJW and other companies in his homeland. Check these out and you’ll probably be willing to swim to New Orleans to see the great man in action!

  • vs. Kento Miyahara (Triple Crown Championship, AJPW 2016)
    A gem of a World title match with Sekimoto coming off winning the Champion Carnival as an outsider. They cut a heck of a pace, and Sekimoto poses all kinds of questions at the then-dominant champion. Really well worked and executed.
  • vs. Hideki Suzuki (Strong World Championship, BJW 2017)
    Two title matches in March of this year. Both need to be watched to see how brilliantly they weave an intricate story into the bouts. For fans of intense old school mat wrestling, these are must-see.
  • vs. Yuji Okabayashi (Strong World Championship, BJW 2015)
    A bona fide epic on the biggest BJW show of all time, their Sumo Hall debut. Sekimoto puts over his protege in a terrific bout.
  • w/ Okabayashi vs. Twin Towers (BJW Tag Titles, BJW 2015)
    One of the craziest tag matches I’ve ever seen — a 30-minute war. Sekimoto and Okabayashi get a rare chance to play underdog and their fighting spirit comes through in spades).
  • w/ Okabayashi vs. Hama/Soya (All Asia Tag Titles, BJW 2011)
    There’s a lot going on in this match, but what makes it so fun is seeing Sekimoto try to deal with former Sumo wrestler Hama. They have great chemistry. Super heated inter-promotional match.

With ‘Nature Boy’, ESPN opens a door for WWE Network to bust through

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: WWE.com

I was out walking the dog a few minutes before ‘Nature Boy’ debuted on ESPN Tuesday night and was thinking about some of the chatter I had heard from those who had previewed the doc, nearly all of which were wrestling media.

I thought about how difficult it was to please those within our bubble because there’s never enough information, never enough stories about the old days, and, at times, never enough content. We always want more when it comes to the classics, be it to scratch the itch of nostalgia or to provide an escape hatch away from the current pro wrestling product.

As I sat down to watch the much-promoted Ric Flair ESPN 30 For 30 documentary, a idea came to mind on how to build a bigger hatch, but I’ll share more on that after a few paragraphs about what we saw with the documentary, much of which was covered by the most recent Wrestling Observer Radio.

Going in, we knew it was going to be difficult to cover an iconic career that spanned decades in just under 90 minutes. But filmmaker Rory Karpf and company did about as good a job as you could expect putting together a story that was geared toward the mainstream sports audience, not just wrestling fans.

What would you expect to see is in here: the backstory of his upbringing, how he got into wrestling, his desire to be out on the town rather than at home and what that did to several marriages and his relationships with his kids, the classic feuds, the lifestyle, the death of his son, his WWE run, and even his sad TNA run. These are all the stories we have heard before, just from a different storyteller and different perspective.

Finding their way between the major story rocks was a lot of interesting sand. The interviews with Flair were good and the supporting cast helping tell the story was a wrestling who’s who from nearly every stage of his career. I found the interviews with his ex-wives very interesting as they helped paint a clearer picture of the guy that we didn’t see off camera. That contrasted with the footage of him with son Reid which gave us a look at a doting father, setting us up for the devastation that happened to Ric following Reid’s death.

My biggest takeaway from ‘Nature Boy’ was how much Flair was, and is, uncomfortable with being Richard Fliehr. How his parents responded to his rise in fame and success was jarring as were the stories of how from “1972 through 1999, I was never home.” Along the way, Ric Flair swallowed Richard Fliehr whole, a common thread throughout the history of the entertainment industry. It’s when we get to see the wreckage left behind by that takeover that we realize that fame truly comes with a price.

‘Nature Boy’ is well worth the watch, but here’s where that idea, and really a question, comes in: Why didn’t WWE Network do this first?

Considering the amount of interest this garnered and their desire for the Network to be a must-have service for wrestling fans, a no-brainer of an idea is to keep the story going and do their own Flair documentary but over the course of several hours. Essentially, WWE should create a Netflix/HBO style limited documentary series that fills in all the blanks for a different audience: us.

I understand their desire to keep the audience’s focus on the current day and future and how the past should remain where it is, but not doing longer documentary series on some of the game’s biggest legends is a lost opportunity. I wouldn’t keep my Network sub going for Ride Along, but I definitely would for great storytelling and true event television like this.

With the HBO Andre The Giant documentary likely to garner the same positive pop culture buzz, I wish they would further build out a group with the intent of becoming great documentary storytellers, taking advantage of all of the footage and access they have at their fingertips.

If ‘Nature Boy’ told us anything, much like the wrestling business consumed Ric Flair, there’s an audience ready to consume the stories about how that happens.

UFC 217 Observer Panel Picks: NYC, MSG, GSP

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

UFC 217 is a big one Saturday night as UFC returns to New York City’s Madison Square Garden with a main event of middleweight champion Michael Bisping vs. former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, returning to action in a new weight class after four years of inactivity.

In the night’s co-main event, heated rivals Cody Garbrandt and TJ Dillashaw will meet for Garbrandt’s bantamweight title while women’s strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk puts her title up against Rose Namajunas.

In another key main card fight, Stephen Thompson, fresh off two unsuccessful title challenges against Tyron Woodley, squares off with Jorge Masvidal in a pivotal welterweight matchup.

The last fight our panel will be picking a winner for is the featured FS1 prelim bout between lightweights James Vick and “Irish” Joe Duffy.

If you’re new here, our panel picks are listed below and listed alongside the fighter’s names are their worldwide FightMatrix rankings, as well as BestFightOdds.com betting odds. The panelist’s 2017 records is in parentheses in addition to panel consensus picks as well as a line where we show how the betting favorites did:

  • Dave Meltzer (49-21; .700) — Wrestling Observer publisher
  • John Pollock (48-22; .686) — Free agent
  • Favorites (48-22; .686)
  • Consensus Picks (45-24; .652)
  • David Bixenspan (45-25; .643) – Deadspin pro wrestling columnist; Between the Sheets podcast host
  • Josh Nason (45-25; .643) — Host of Josh Nason’s Punch Out, WrestlingObserver.com assistant editor
  • Tom Lawlor (21-11; .636) – Co-host Filthy Four Daily; pro wrestling undercard fighter; UFC enhancement talent currently suspended due to wellness violation
  • Mike Sempervive (44-26; .629) — Wrestling Observer Live and Big Audio Nightmare co-host
  • Steve Juon (44-26; .629) — MMA Mania writer, Angry Marks publisher
  • Mike Sawyer (44-26; .629) — Tough Talk MMA publisher
  • Ryan Frederick (40-30; .571) — WrestlingObserver.com UFC writer
  • Paul Fontaine (38-32; .543) — MMADraws.com publisher, WrestlingObserver.com writer
  • Front Row Brian (38-32; .543) — MMA newsbreaker, beloved internet personality, podcast host

> UFC Middlweight Champion Michael Bisping (30-7) vs Georges St Pierre (25-2)

Most of the focus has been on the return of GSP after a long layoff. Since being beaten by Matt Serra in one of the greatest upsets of all time, he hasn’t lost in over 10 years. We last saw him edge out Johny Hendricks by decision at UFC 167 (2013), a controversial result that was followed up by him feuding with Dana White over his announcement of taking time off.

He’s also never faced anyone even close to the size of Bisping, who won The Ultimate Fighter and several UFC bouts at light heavyweight. Bisping has won five straight en route, including wins over former champs Anderson Silva and Luke Rockhold as well as the legendary Dan Henderson in his last title defense.

The big question: can GSP’s wrestling ability and presumed speed advantage overcome the speed and boxing ability of Bisping? The other big question for those interested in UFC business is whether lapsed fans will return to see the former face of the sport in GSP. We shall soon find out.

  • Bisping #1; +110 betting underdog: FRB, Nason, Pollock, Fontaine, Meltzer, Bix
  • St Pierre NR; -105 betting favorite: Lawlor, Juon, Frederick, Sawyer, Sempervive

> UFC Bantamweight Champion Cody Garbrandt (11-0) vs TJ Dillashaw (14-3)

Garbrandt stormed his way into the title scene with three straight first round KOs before completely dominating Dominick Cruz to capture the title last December. This set up a fight with longtime rival and former training partner Dillashaw, a fight originally scheduled to happen this summer before a Garbrandt back injury postponed it.

Dillashaw is a former bantamweight champion with two title defenses before he dropped it to Cruz in January 2017. White wanted him to drop down to flyweight earlier this year to challenge Demetrious Johnson, but Johnson refused, causing a bit of a public argument between the champ and his boss.

The winner will likely face the winner of Cruz and Jimmie Rivera (December fight) as their next challenger.

  • Garbrandt #1; -175 betting favorite: Juon, Frederick, Sawyer, Nason, Pollock, Sempervive, Fontaine, Meltzer, Bix
  • Dillashaw #2; +165 betting underdog: FRB, Lawlor

> UFC Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk (14-0) vs Rose Namajunas (6-3)

While a win will give Joanna Champion a tie with Ronda Rousey for the most title defenses by a female UFC fighter, she is also fast approaching the men’s consecutive title defense record that was just set by the aforementioned Johnson. Should she emerge victorious on Saturday, it will be her seventh straight win in a title fight and sixth defense of her belt.

Since losing her first title challenge to Carla Esparza at the TUF 20 finale, “Thug Rose” has won four of her last five fights, including three by submission, to get another crack at the title. Most feel she will be outmatched in this one, but she has been proving people wrong for most of her career and hopes to do so again on Saturday.

  • Jedrzejczyk #1; -550 betting favorite: Juon, FRB, Frederick, Lawlor, Sawyer, Nason, Pollock, Sempervive, Fontaine, Meltzer, Bix

Stephen Thompson (13-2-1) vs Jorge Masvidal (32-12)
WELTERWEIGHTS

Thompson is fresh off 10 rounds of mostly razor-thin action with current champion Tyron Woodley. However, the last fight in particular was not something anyone is particularly interested in seeing again as they had one of the most poorly received title fights in history. An exciting win on a big stage here would go a long way to rehabbing his image in the eyes of fans.

Since moving to welterweight, Masvidal is just 3-2 but does have wins over Donald Cerrone and Jake Ellenberger. His last fight was a close split decision to Demian Maia so he’s very close to title contention. If he wins here, fans will be clamoring for him to get a title shot but he’d probably need one more quality win to earn it.

  • Thompson #2; -170 betting favorite: Juon, Frederick, Sawyer, Nason, Pollock, Meltzer
  • Masvidal #6; +160 betting underdog: FRB, Lawlor, Sempervive, Fontaine, Bix

> James Vick (11-1) vs Joe Duffy (16-2)
LIGHTWEIGHTS

Vick has fought most of his career bouts in UFC with a loss to the very tough Beneil Dariush being the only blemish on his record. He very nearly won the TUF 15 competition, losing to eventual champ Mike Chiesa after three prelim wins.

Signed to a new deal, Duffy is famously one of the only fighters to ever beat current divisional champ Conor McGregor. The Irish-born fighter has won four of his five UFC fights including three in the first round. His only loss was to hard-hitting Dustin Poirier in his toughest UFC matchup to date.

In a crowded division of contenders, neither of these two are getting a title shot any time soon but more high-profile fights will come for the winner of this one.

  • Vick #35; +130 betting underdog: Juon, FRB, Frederick, Pollock, Sempervive
  • Duffy #49; -140 betting favorite: Lawlor, Sawyer, Nason, Fontaine, Meltzer, Bix

**********

The rest of the card:

> Johny Hendricks (18-7) vs Paulo Henrique da Costa (10-0) — Main Card
MIDDLEWEIGHTS

  • Hendricks #20; +248 betting underdog
  • Costa #65; -270 betting favorite

> Mark Godbeer (12-3) vs Walt Harris (10-6)
HEAVYWEIGHTS

  • Godbeer #71; +310 betting underdog
  • Harris #48; -340 betting favorite

> Ovince St Preux (21-10) vs Corey Anderson (9-3)
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS

  • St Preux #11; -141 betting favorite
  • Anderson #15; +130 betting underdog

> Mickey Gall (4-0) vs Randy Brown (9-2)
WELTERWEIGHTS

  • Gall #212; -105 betting favorite
  • Brown #123; +105 betting underdog

> Curtis Blaydes (7-1) vs Oleksiy Oliynyk (55-10-1)
HEAVYWEIGHTS

  • Blaydes #32; -330 betting favorite
  • Oliynyk #10; +300 betting underdog

Aiemann Zahabi (7-0) vs Ricardo Ramos (10-1)
BANTAMWEIGHTS

  • Zahabi #117; +185 betting underdog
  • Ramos #54; -185 betting favorite

Action begins with the Fight Pass prelims at 6:30 PM EST and moves over to FS1 at 8 PM EST. The main card airs on PPV at 10 PM EST, and our own Ryan Frederick will have play by play coverage of the show. 

Get a preview and more discussion about UFC 217 with this week’s Josh Nason’s Punch-Out.

Should Pedro Morales be in the Wrestling Observer HoF?

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by Dan Marsiglia for F4WOnline.com

Induction into the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame isn’t easy, nor should it be. This is necessary to separate “the men from the boys” and to encourage lasting and constructive discussion on wrestlers and wrestling history.

I am adding to that discussion that Pedro Morales deserves enshrinement. The man’s title history speaks volumes in and of itself. At a time when belts were an emblem of a promoter’s confidence in a wrestler’s ability to draw money, Morales’ stack of gold would sink a battleship.

By the mid 1960s, Morales was becoming a huge star on the west coast. In Cal and Aileen Eaton’s Worldwide Wrestling Associates based in Los Angeles, he became a two-time world heavyweight champion, beating the Destroyer and Luke Graham, respectively. Between March 1965 and August 1966, he held the top prize for 425 days.

His success was not stalled when he moved up the California coast to the Bay Area. Pedro (along with Pepper Gomez) was a multiple-time tag champion in the San Francisco territory, once beating the legendary duo of Pat Patterson and Ray Stevens en route to a 399 day title run from May 1967 to April 1968.

Pedro’s next venture was even farther west – Hawaii – and he thrived there too. Between June 1969 and September 1970, Morales thrice won the promotion’s top singles title, defeating Gene Kiniski, King Curtis Iaukea, and Johnny Barend along the way.

Now firmly ensconced as a major player in wrestling, Vince McMahon Sr. of the WWWF brought in Pedro to be his next ethnic babyface champion following the gigantic successes of Bruno Sammartino.

In many ways it was a perfect fit, especially in the territory’s center stage – Madison Square Garden in New York City. Not only was Morales born in Puerto Rico, of which there are (and were) heavy numbers of immigrants in New York, but he was raised in the city borough of Brooklyn, giving him even stronger ties to the locals.

And, they loved him. The only person in the history of the Garden with a higher sellout percentage is legendary Hall of Famer “Superstar” Billy Graham. The difference, however, is that Morales has the second most appearances in the Garden all-time with 111, second only to Sammartino’s 159. According to Wrestling In The Garden, Graham does not even crack the top 26 in terms of overall appearances. 

Morales’ reign as WWWF Champion began on February 8, 1971, with a raucous victory over Ivan Koloff, who had recently stunned New York with his victory over Sammartino. After a double pin sequence in which both men’s shoulders were down, Morales was able to raise one shoulder before the count of three. MSG erupted.

As Jeff Bukantz recalls, “Whereas the Koloff win was met with eerie silence, the Morales win was met with a two-tiered pop. The crowd popped, but not a mega-pop, as the double pin looked like a potential screw-job and the fans weren’t quite sure the title changed hands. Then, referee Terranova raised Morales’ arm and a guttural and cathartic roar erupted. Then Bruno ran in to congratulate Morales and the roar continued. The only time I heard a roar like that in Madison Square Garden was when the Rangers won the (Stanley) Cup in 1994. Backlund’s pop (for beating Superstar Billy Graham in 1978) was huge. Hogan’s pop (for beating Iron Sheik in 1984) was unreal. But the second part of the Morales pop, the roar, had them both beat.”

Morales finally went down to defeat on December 1, 1973, in Philadelphia, after holding the WWWF title for 1,027 days. Morales stayed with McMahon until 1975, and then bounced around for a few years with stops in San Francisco, the AWA, and Florida. Wrestling for Eddie Graham, Morales found himself as the Florida promotion’s top champion in 1977.

Morales rounded out his Hall of Fame career with a resurgence in the renamed WWF. Within a couple years Pedro, already a United States champion in his first run with the WWWF, won the tag team championship and the Intercontinental championship, not only becoming the first triple-crown champion but the first quadruple-crown champion in WWE history.

Morales’ combined 619 days as IC champion remains a record to this very day.

When looking at the top draws of the 1970s, it is impossible to ignore Pedro Morales’ place. Between 1971 and 1973, only the Sheik drew more gates of 10,000 of more. Looking at the decade as a whole, Morales ranks 5th. The top four (Sammartino, the Sheik, Graham, Andre the Giant) and six through ten (Harley Race, the Crusher, Dory Funk Jr./ Ernie Ladd, and Dick the Bruiser) are all in the Observer Hall of Fame. Morales is not.

Several years ago, Dave Meltzer did a study to try and determine the top contenders for a “real” WWE Hall of Fame based on merit. Several metrics were used to determine who, in general, were on top for the longest and drew in that position. Morales finished in the top ten. The other nine wrestlers (Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, Bob Backlund, Argentina Rocca, Triple H, Undertaker, The Rock, Steve Austin, and Shawn Michaels) are all in the Observer Hall of Fame. 

Morales is not and it’s about time that changed.

He is a top five draw of the 1970s, a top ten performer in the history of WWE, a heavyweight champion in Los Angeles, Hawaii, Florida, New York, and Puerto Rico, and a major tag team champion in the Stevens/Patterson dominated San Francisco territory. He was an above average worker in his day by most accounts, and even something of a renowned high flyer in the 1960s. He is one of the biggest draws in the history of Madison Square Garden and has the highest sellout percentage of any babyface champion in company history.

Pedro Morales is a Hall of Famer.

The Week In Japanese Wrestling: Joe Doering wins AJPW’s Triple Crown

Posted on by Alan Counihan

Editor’s note: the following originally appeared in this week’s Figure Four Weekly.

It’s well documented that 2017 has been a crazy year in pro wrestling. The list of stories from this year is a mile long, but there may be none sweeter than that which concluded this past weekend when Joe Doering won the Triple Crown Championship in All Japan.

Doering is one of the most unique wrestlers in the world; a total throwback. He is like 1984 Stan Hansen dropped into 2017, but he doesn’t feel like a ripoff of the legendary Texan. Doering is his own man, and has his own great relationship with the Japanese crowd. He’s wild and they love him. His matches are tremendous and look completely different to any other matches out there. For all those reasons, it’s really cool that he’s become champion. But none of them are the reason why this is arguably the best story of the year.

In March of 2016, Doering was pulled from the upcoming Champion Carnival. He had a brain tumor.

It was not known whether the Canadian would ever wrestle again. He underwent brain surgery and all the chemotherapy needed, and he defeated the illness. Joe Doering said “F*ck Cancer” and that’s exactly what he meant! He now sells an incredible T-shirt with that slogan and a picture of him essentially giving a lariat to cancer.

He was back in the ring at the beginning of 2017 and looked like he didn’t miss a beat. Considering he had been out of action with an injury for a long period before the diagnosis, this was extra impressive. To be honest, he looked better than he ever had before.

The crowds have been behind him all year. His entrance where they chant “Joe!” to the beat of his awesome music never fails to create excitement. His matches against Shuji Ishikawa and Daisuke Sekimoto (among others) were absolutely fantastic, and his turn on stablemate Suwama during the summer made him seem even more wild and unpredictable.

On Saturday in Yokohama, it was Doering against Suwama one-on-one for the Triple Crown. His opponent was just coming off winning the title himself two weeks earlier in quite possibly the best match of his career against Kento Miyahara, but you can bet Suwama was only too happy to be the man to drop the historic championship to one of his closest friends.

While the match has not yet aired, from the photos and live reports, it appears to have been a great scene. Doering’s triumph was not just a victory for him, but it was a victory for the belief that professional wrestling can still be a magical sport where great stories are always possible. “Joe! Joe! Joe!”