First, some personal announcements. For those that missed it: COMMISSIONS ARE OPEN ONCE AGAIN. You can get a review of your choice just by following the details on this post here. Be sure to check my previous reviews and work to see if I might have covered the match before. If I’ve only written about it briefly, I may choose to push through and do a longer review for the website. Otherwise, any hitches we can iron out in the DMs.
On to The Real…
It is a stacked week for the column today. It was a busy weekend with several major shows overlapping and that delivered in great numbers. This week we have matches from standard bearers like CMLL, New Japan, ROH, and AEW, joshi highlights from Sareee-ISM and Sendai Girls, and even some stuff from smaller American independent promotions such as St. Louis Anarchy and Elevation Pro. It’s a real variety of stuff here, and some pretty high peaks as well, so let’s get into it.
Note on dates: Review dates refer to my local timezone in the Philippines, match dates are based on the timezone each match occurred in.
Bobubobu Momo Banana vs. Red Energy (Sendai Girls Kariya City Industrial Promotion Center Aioi Hall 5/19/24)
Reviewed: July 29, 2024
Another great tag bout from the pair of Mio Momono & Yurika Oka here. It’s a real great stylistic mix here with Red Energy focusing a lot more on their striking ability. BMB can strike with the best of them but focusing instead on their quickness, combo moves, and flash pins make them much more sympathetic figures in a match like this. It allows them to absorb the stiff shots from Iwata and Takase (who puts in one of her best performances all year in this) while building the momentum steadily to try to get things in their favor. It’s a signature of theirs at this point, but those repeated dropkicks from both Momono & Oka always works to raise the temperature and excitement for BMB’s comebacks. It’s not been the greatest year for 2v2 tag team wrestling, but all the best stuff seems to be happening in Sendai Girls.
Rating: ***3/4
Virus vs. El Satanico (CMLL Martes de Glamour 7/23/24)
Reviewed: July 24, 2024
The obvious obstacle here is that Satanico is long past his physical prime. He doesn’t have the same quickness and fluidity that he did in the previous century. Where we’re blessed though is that Satanico has retained the malice in his spirit. What that means is that a match that’s mostly a llave exhibition on occasion reveals the flashes of demonic evil that made Satanico one of wrestler’s greatest workers. It’s not just how lovely it looks to see Satanico work his way in and out of holds, but also the way he actually wrenches on those holds such as to cause real pain. When he grabs a headlock, he’s cranking on it. When he grabs an ankle, he twists in a way to break. Towards the end, we even see hints of those beautiful worked punches of his as well. Virus is immensely talented, of course, but in this match he’s really more of a vehicle to let Satanico apply his craft. One couldn’t pick a more suitable dance partner than this. Together, it’s just a joyous reminder of what one of wrestling’s best ever can do even in his twilight years.
Rating: ***¾
Yuya Uemura vs. Konosuke Takeshita (NJPW G1 Climax 34 N4 7/25/24)
Reviewed: July 26, 2024
From the very first match, Yuya Uemura’s G1 campaign has been met with high praise. While certainly not reaching the highs of the very best G1 runs in the company’s history, many have been pointing to his incredibly solid performances as a positive step forward for a promotion in as much creative and commercial flux as New Japan is now. Both the Finlay and Goto matches were very good in my opinion, but neither really cracks the level of “great” in spite of how strong I’ve found Yuya’s performances in them to be.
This match against Konosuke Takeshita is great.
Perhaps my favorite thing about Yuya Uemura in the G1 so far is his willingness to just straight up wrestle. There is a life to his opening chain wrestling that I just love. It can be seen in things like him rolling through on Soup’s wristlock escape attempts so that he can retain control. More than just the intrinsic quality of that early work though, there’s a narrative weight here that I love. That early armwork stunts Soup’s momentum, oftentimes more than he’s expecting.
For my money, this has to be one of Soup’s better performances all year. I’ll be the first to admit there’s a bit of a performative veneer to his selling here, more thought through than lived in, but I still find it very valuable to the match as a whole. I love the transitions built around the arm, like swinging wildly for the elbow outside and catching the ringpost instead. There’s moments to like being in the ring and finding he doesn’t have as much power behind his elbows anymore which forces him to headbutt instead. All of it accumulates too, creating tension around Uemura’s arm submissions, but also nicely tying into him finally trapping Takeshita’s arms to get the Deadbolt for the win.
More of this from both men, what a great time.
Rating: ****
Mad Dog Connelly vs. 1 Called Manders (SLA Circus Maximus 7/26/24)
Reviewed: July 27, 2024
I’m reviewing this based on the livestream version from IWTV. To be entirely honest, that’s sometimes the least ideal way to consume St. Louis Anarchy stuff as their sound mixing almost always improves a little on the VODs. For example here, the entrance music is just blown to absolutely shit and I suspect it’ll be less heinous once the VOD drops.
Every match these two have had is violent. Their last few have all read as very explosive, action-forward matches in their own way. It’s not that that’s lost here, this is still violent as hell, what with the wonderful punching, stiff chops, and foot violence(!). But something else seems to crystallize here. For lack of a better word, there’s an acceptance of the hatred now that means these two savor the little things just a little bit more. It drives them to indulge in smaller violences like stabbing at each other’s foreheads with the ring bells or biting at each other’s toes. But there’s a certain understanding there too that their legacies are probably now intertwined whether they want it to be or not–something only reinforced by the (barely audible) post-match interaction where Manders promises to take this feud all over the world.
All the while though, the brutality just never gets lost with this too. Natural spots built around the rope, blood, and meaty strikes all the way through. Mad Dog vs. Manders coming to a town near you. Can’t wait for more.
Rating: ****
Leyla Hirsch vs. Diamante (ROH Death Before Dishonor 7/26/24)
Reviewed: July 29, 2024
On the surface, not all that different from the standard plunder car crash one finds in these Khan Promotions matches. It’s focused around blood, big bumps, and cool setpieces. What sets this a cut above the rest is all the space in between. For one, these two are throwing absolute heaters the whole. Hirsh especially throws a real mean forearm and punch, but Diamante shines too especially with those initial punches right to the head when Hirsch starts bleeding. They also maintain a great sense of pace. Yes, this has those long weapons set ups but they’re aided by these mean potshots in between to ensure the other opponent is down, or having other cool reasons for the distance like Hirsch being duct taped to the ropes and thus unable to stop Diamante. It’s that ability to keep the “down” moments lively and filled with danger that makes this so great.
Rating: ****
Wheeler YUTA vs. Lee Moriarty (ROH Death Before Dishonor 7/26/24)
Reviewed: July 29, 2024
Coming into this, YUTA is slated as the babyface, with him even coming in after getting suckerpunched by Lee’s stablemate Shane Taylor. That said, this crowd wanted a Pure Title change, and they received YUTA as an obstacle to that goal. It’s to YUTA’s great credit then how well he slipped into his more heel-ish persona throughout the match. He brings the smugness to help rile up the crowd, and to make his eventual defeat at Lee’s hands all the sweeter. When he’s on the sell too, it’s a little less sympathetic but without leaning too far into stooging. It’s not perfect, but it’s a careful adjustment to listen to the crowd and tell the story right for the moment.
There’s some compromises here as the match structure paints Lee as more of the heel, but it’s all just sensible and fun enough that it’s easy enough to just cheer Lee on as outsmarting the champion. On top of that, the action is just so, so good. Love watching these two riff on their chain wrestling, it is just so clean and delightful to behold. There’s a good amount of that lovely problem/solution wrestling in it too with Lee’s dogged hammerlock in the middle of the match. Then there’s the mindful YUTA arm selling throughout, having to adjust to do his signature moves, constantly protecting it when taking risks. Everything feels grounded, solid, and purposeful, exactly the kind of wrestling that made these two famous to begin with. Easily their best match together to this point.
Rating: ****
Mark Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong (ROH Death Before Dishonor 7/26/24)
Reviewed: July 27, 2024
I don’t know that there’s too many wrestlers on earth quite as endearing as Mark Briscoe. In his role now as ROH World Champion, with the added context of his brother’s tragic passing, Mark Briscoe may just be the most likable pro wrestler on earth. And don’t just chalk that up to tragedy either. It’s the performance, his overwhelming enthusiasm and electric charisma. He’s over the top but without sacrificing any gravitas. When he speaks about the feeling that Roderick Strong constantly looked down on him as a lesser brother, one feels his pain at that insult.
No better dance partner for someone as fine tuned and sharp as Roderick Strong is. Roddy’s such a relentless buzzsaw of offense that it really does feel like a big deal when Mark’s able to control so much of the early half. It’s a real classic feeling babyface shine, with our hero effortlessly demonstrating his ability to handle and even control a killer of a challenger. Mark really makes Roddy work for control, forcing Roddy to scrap, hit harder, and find ways to cheat his way into victory.
There’s early attempts at Roddy’s signature back work but he’s constantly cut off by that great Mark throat chop, and it’s a real thrill to see Chicken get the best of him constantly. And that makes it all the better and when Roddy finally a real great shot in and sends Mark into the ringpost and the blood starts flowing. Hell fucking yeah, it’s always a good time when a Briscoe’s bleeding.
Of course, Mark is wonderfully sympathetic, but Roddy deserves so much credit for what a prick he is in control. The punches to the open wound stand out, but there’s also what might be the greatest heel move of the year when Roddy nails Mark Briscoe with the Jay Driller. Don’t think a one count has felt as good or as earned all year like that did. Get his ass, Mark.
Lots of wonderful small details mixed throughout too like the match protecting Roddy’s killshot knee strike and Mark furthering his step out into his own singles legacy by getting the win with the Froggy Bow. We all love Jay Briscoe, and we always will, but a match like this goes a long way to cementing Mark Briscoe’s legacy as his own man.
Rating: ****½
Trevor Lee vs. Jackson Drake (Elevation Homecoming 7/27/24)
Reviewed: July 29, 2024
Everything about the presentation of this match makes it clear: it’s a CWF Mid-Atlantic tribute bout. Trevor Lee returns to North Carolina, the dulcet tones of Ruby Friedman accompany him, and Robbie Walsh is refereeing. Right in that late 2010s nostalgia, even for someone like me that hasn’t seen nearly as much of the CWF Mid-Atlantic as those that truly love it.
Drake starts things off here by keeping his Elevation Title off the line here, which can’t help but telegraph how things will go. That being said, even if his title had been on the line, everything about this match conveys that Drake’s the one in the “challenger” position here. It’s Trevor Lee’s region, his best friend as the official, his fans. Jackson Drake’s the one with everything to prove here, and commentary rather hamfistedly hammer home the idea that Drake’s been walking in Trevor’s footsteps from basically the start of his career.
Drake’s performance in this is a mixed bag, but I lean positive on what he delivered here. I’ve enjoyed him before as a babyface against Adam Priest in DPW, but here he plays a cocky regional champion. There’s some hiccups in the performance, like some of his posing feeling a little forced and stunting the momentum of the match, and a little more urgency and viciousness could still be added without ruining any of the chickenshit vibes. That said, there’s good stuff from him here. I especially enjoy the early attack on Trevor’s leg which he tries to turn into a submission victory at the end with an Ankle Lock. It’s a tactic that mirrors Trevor’s own habit of “putting money in the bank” on a limb early in his main events.
There’s also these brief flashes of brilliance from Drake like how well he worked the figure four, even adding in choking with tape and some punches. In conjunction with Trevor too, he’s also smart enough to understand that a big part of being a heel is denial. Together they structure a match where Drake can deny Trevor those signature moves the crowd desperately wants, so that when Trevor does get them deep in the match, it feels even bigger.
But really, the match is about Trevor Lee coming home. And wow, is his performance in this so good. The man feels like he’s built of stone, just solid and unshakeable here in his home. He never really feels shake by any of Drake’s antics, and even when his leg becomes an issue down the stretch, it’s never to the point that he feels like he’s in danger. The possibility of a win being stolen always hangs in the air, but Trevor just exudes this real quiet confidence through the whole thing. His work is just so mean too–the way he nearly rips Drake’s arm off to open, and the way he fully twists Drake up at the finish. Gruesome stuff, can’t wait to see more of him out in the open world again.
Rating: ****
Hologram vs. The Beast Mortos (AEW Collision 7/27/24)
Reviewed: July 29, 2024
You gotta love a fireworks show with a little thought behind it. It’s nothing complicated really, a simple babyface shine to start, then Mortos gets a heel heat through the commercial break. Those with FITE streams are lucky enough to see Mortos not only play the bruiser, but the petty bully as well with how often he goes for the mask to draw heat during the break. Notably too, Hologram uses his quickness and evasion to constantly get the better of Mortos here. When given even the slightest bit of distance, Hologram uses the quickness and daredevil stylings to create just increasingly stunning offense. Of particular note are how Hologram goes around the world on Mortos to get a great tijeras, those crazy leaps off the top rope to the floor, or my favorite in going for a tope which Mortos tries and fails to catch into a power hold. And when Mortos gets the turn to be on offense? Just sickening, back-breaking power holds combined with a shocking agility. These two are well-practiced together under different names, but with even the slightest bit of a classic structure applied to their very modern pace and offense, what results is a breezy and dazzling TV match.
Rating: ****
Yuya Uemura vs. Jeff Cobb (NJPW G1 Climax 34 N6 7/28/24)
Reviewed: July 29, 2024
Once again, Yuya Uemura leans on the fundamentals to produce something great. This time around, it’s his take on the David vs. Goliath dynamic. Uemura has been succeeding in the G1 up to this point thanks to a dedication to the classic techniques of pro wrestling and building upon those to get victory after victory. In Cobb’s raw power, he finds a challenge he can’t quite overcome. I love how much work Uemura puts into the early portions of the match just to demonstrate the challenge ahead of him. He struggles to get any of his usual plans into motion as Cobb cuts him off at every turn with raw strength and even his own surprising agility. While it still lacks a little urgency for my tastes, Cobb’s control is one of his better ones in a bit too. Something like those powerslam hold knee strikes felt real gross combined with all his usual slams and suplexes too. In the back half, Uemura builds his hope spots not around finisher nearfalls or big bombs, but sudden quick pinfall attempts. And my god, I bit on those too. Yuya Uemura, slowly bringing the classic power of pro wrestling back to New Japan. What a thing to behold.
Rating: ***¾
Timothy Thatcher vs. Josh Woods (GCW Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XI 7/28/24)
Reviewed: July 30, 2024
Beyond the tightness and grittiness of the action, which is to be expected from any Thatcher match, I think I appreciated the emotional escalation here more than anything else. Thatcher controls much of the match on the mat, and he enjoys getting to work, grinding bones down and pulling on limbs to torture them. But there’s a pesky, nuisance energy that Woods brings to the fight here. Perhaps the clearest example comes from grinding his forearm into the bridge of Thatcher’s nose while the latter tries to apply a hold. It’s a small thing in the grand scheme of it all, but it looks so nasty still. One can see the friction against Thatcher’s nose, makes the viewers eyes water as well.
Woods is so pesky that it makes sense when Thatcher escalates in return, making this a much more heated fight. Getting lost in that anger allows Woods openings to nail some throws and suplexes, but the increasing animosity between the two leads to these constant nasty looking spills to the outside. It’s all in service to a double count out but I don’t mind it here when both guys took the time to set the groundwork for why a double count out makes sense here. By the end, when they’re both scrapping with that final countdown happening, it feels like the best of the old All Japan non-finishes. Hard to make something like that feel earned and sensible, but these two make a good go of it.
Rating: ****
Best Friends vs. Mio Momono & Riko Kahawata (Sareee-ISM Chapter IV 7/29/24)
Reviewed: July 30, 2024
This starts off on a pretty lighthearted note with some shtick that I don’t care for. But even in those opening stages, there’s room for Mio Momono’s creativity to shine through. I enjoy her running circles around Arisa and Tsukasa well enough, but the good shit comes when her and Arisa start throwing heaters. It’s at that point the match really comes to life with these real vicious exchanges between Arisa and Mio resulting in the Best Friends becoming more dominant almost bully-like workers in control of the match. As great as the Mio/Arisa interactions in this are though, much of the late match focuses much more on Riko Kahawata. To her credit, I found this to be one of the better performances from her I’ve seen. All her kicks came off crispy, without sounding too thigh slap hollow, and it felt good seeing her try to overcome the sheer force of Arisa’s aggression. The best match on Sareee-ISM IV, keeping things simple, tight, and hard-hitting.
Rating: ****
