We’ve got a lot of stuff from AEW and AEW-adjacent TV this time around! It’s been a good string of TV matches they’ve put on of late, and in one instance, Arena Mexico magic has done its thing on a particularly frustrating performer. Beyond that though, we hitch our wagon to Oleg Boltin after the unfortunate injury to Yuya Uemura’s arm taking him out of the G1, plus two (yes, two!) great matches from a single episode of Monday Night Raw.
On to the Real…
Note on dates: Review dates refer to my local timezone in the Philippines, match dates are based on the timezone each match occurred in.
MJF vs. Templario (CMLL Super Viernes 8/2/24)
Reviewed: August 13, 2024
I would never have touched this match if not for Matt D’s praise of it, and specifically his praise for MJF’s performance. And as someone who’s put a lot of time into criticizing and ragging on MJF, I’m pretty happy to say that the praise is earned in this instance. Perhaps the biggest weakness of MJF as a performer is his constant need to compromise aspects of his act for the perceived needs of the crowds he’s working to. In Arena Mexico though, where the most straightforward and pure wrestling in the world exists, MJF’s able to distill it down to everything he’s always claimed he could do: just a straight, heel champion performance.
I still don’t love how he leans on racial tensions for his pre-match promo, but he’s also far from the first (and sadly, far from the last), person to play that card down south. But when the bell rings, he makes the right decisions nine times out of ten. He stooges early, getting thrashed by the hometown hero, only ever gets his way by going for the eyes or clawing at the mask. And all his attempts of “outsmarting” Templario only lead to his own demise. Grabbing the ropes on the figure four? Caught. Rolling out of the ring to avoid Templario? Get dived on (twice!). Putting his hands on Kemalito in one of the best heel moves of the year? Get intercepted once charging in. Hell yeah, eat shit, Max.
In short, MJF structures the match around committing sins and paying for those sins immediately. He’s not trying to prove he can do llave or dive with the best of them. He’s just getting shown up until he gets one brief opening to put Templario away. Panama Sunrise still sucks, but it’s a good performance outside of that. More of this please, don’t let this stuff live and die in Arena Mexico alone.
Rating: ***1/2
Jeff Cobb vs. Oleg Boltin (NJPW G1 Climax 34 N12 8/7/24)
Reviewed: August 9, 2024
I’m always interested in this idea that the “simple things” are a relic of a bygone era. That only the flashy and highly dazzling can really capture an audience in 2024. And yet, you get these two big boys out there in Korakuen Hall, and suddenly the small things mean so much even for the crowd gathered in the building. It’s a power struggle early as the two show off their skills in amateur wrestling, just trying to get each other down to the mat. At one point, Cobb goes for a takedown that Oleg stuffs and wouldn’t you know it, the crowd actually pops for it. A small thing, given importance by the narrative, received with a lot of energy from the fans. And then when Cobb’s the one who finally gets taken down and rolls out of the ring? Same thing. A big pop. It’s the things like that that build this match’s energy. Small touches like the back and forth attempts at deadlift gutwrench suplexes with Oleg needing to prove he could do more than Cobb. There’s moonsaults thrown in there from Cobb, but otherwise, it’s all the meat and potatoes. Proof that what once worked still can, and for good reason.
Rating: ***¾
Orange Cassidy & FTR vs. Roderick Strong, Rush, & The Beast Mortos (AEW Dynamite 8/7/24)
Reviewed: August 9, 2024
Another rock solid multi-man tag with Roddy at the helm. This once again follows the classic Collision formula of double heat segments leading into a big finishing stretch. I’m glad that a match like this gets just enough time to breathe on Dynamite too without being excessive enough to lose the plot on what they’re achieving. Once again, it’s all about how Roddy in particular makes the babyfaces work for everything they’ve got. The transitions always center around just how much work Roddy puts in to isolate any of our heroes in the corner.
And once they do get isolated? Just classic heel tag stuff. Cutting off the ring, using the numbers as an advantage, preventing big tags in the corner. Denial, denial, denial, all before that big catharsis of the hot tag. Love Cash in the face-in-peril role here, and Dax always makes for a fun hot tag along with Orange Cassidy. Nothing gets lost with how threatening and good the heels are, especially Mortos who continues to dazzle, but they’re also never admirable enough to outshine the babyfaces. Even when Rush gets his big cool moment at the end shrugging off a Superman punch, it’s really only so he can be set up to fail when teamwork comes together to put him away.
Rating: ****
Bryan Danielson vs. Jeff Jarrett (AEW Dynamite 8/7/24)
Reviewed: August 8, 2024
100%, raw, uncut real shit. First, I want to talk about the American Dragon. I do think, even now, that there’s a tendency to take Danielson for granted. That’s not me saying that everything he does is pitch perfect or that this is his one of his best years (if we’re talking on a consistency level, it really probably isn’t). But I think the otherworldly expectation placed on him, even by me, has taken away from just how genuinely great he still is match-to-match.
In this bout, he’s able to tap into that classic babyface fire. I’d put it up there with some of his best babyface performances in AEW alongside the strap match with Ricky Starks or the Fight for the Fallen singles bout against Daniel Garcia. Most of these excel from having Danielson be one of the truly great sympathetic faces of our time, and while there’s elements of that here what we really get here is ass beater Bryan Danielson. There’s no real extended section of him selling, as much of this is focused on him fighting back against Jarrett, tapping back into the killer instinct required for Wembley. What that translates too is some beautiful punches, bumps on concrete, and simple yet creative use of ringside weaponry. Few things in wrestling this year have garnered a reaction of “WHY HASN’T ANYONE ELSE THOUGHT OF THAT” from me like Danielson bashing Jarrett’s knees to try to escape a figure four.
But if we’re talking about selling, goddamn it, Danielson makes that work too. The obvious nerdbait thing here is the late match leg work. And of course, Danielson does that beautifully. A slight stutter on his steps when going for his famous kicks, the immediate pain after landing the superplex. But it’s in the big stuff too like when they fight up into the arena and Danielson’s bouncing off of the fans gathered around them in response to every punch by Jarrett. Another stellar performance from the greatest ever.
And then, Jarrett.
Jesus Christ, does he make this whole thing sing. The pre-match ambush is such a great choice, immediately setting the tone and getting right into the action. A Memphis-bred slugger like Jarrett brings his own array of wonderful worked punches to this. But also, he brings an organic chaos to this that just can’t be matched. When he reaches for a trash can to fling at Bryan Danielson at full force, I don’t feel like it was a trash can set aside for them to use. Or when he grabs a chair to take out the GOAT’s legs, it doesn’t feel rehearsed in the slightest.
Jarrett brings this whole thing to life, and since Danielson’s a master of matching his opponent’s energy, what we get is just this violent, vibrant piece of work that pops off the screen unlike anything else all year long. Bryan Danielson proves that he’s all in, and I am too. Get that gold, GOAT, I’m not ready to see you leave yet.
By a comfortable margin, the best TV match of the year.
Rating: ****½
Darby Allin vs. The Butcher (AEW Rampage 8/9/2024)
Reviewed: August 12, 2024
One of those quietly excellent pairings that AEW would be smart to utilize more often. These two had a great match on TV two years ago, and they’re wonderful together here again. For The Butcher, it’s a rare opportunity to stretch his legs and show what he can do on TV. He’s got the gruff, meanspirited manner of the TV obstacle exactly correct, and that’s complimented by how well he utilizes his power to thrash Darby Allin around. And Darby’s a perfect guy to make the Butcher’s work look vicious. Beyond just the freak bumps, it manifests in little surprising bits of offense like how The Butcher just powers Darby into a Texas cloverleaf without even needing to step over to get into position. As an extension of that too, it is a horrifyingly smooth powerbomb that The Butcher gets directly from the Texas cloverleaf position.
Of course, it’s a Darby Allin match, both in narrative and as a functioning piece of work. The things that man puts into these matches is insane. First and foremost is the ability to look like he’s constantly working from the brink of death. There’s a few of his crazy bumps in this, such as a great tumble from the ropes and taking a crash into the turnbuckles, but as always it’s everything else he does that makes it so satisfying. The constant selling between bumps, the way his body gets all cut up from his past matches just from the ferocity of this match, and the desperation he puts behind every attempted comeback. Those scrappy punches or even his literal scratching and clawing for the right opportunity. It’s that effort that makes the dazzling high flying land harder, and makes the sudden nature of the finish here feel entirely earned. One of the decade’s great TV workers does it again.
Rating: ****+
Wheeler YUTA vs. Rocky Romero (AEW Rampage 8/9/24)
Reviewed: August 12, 2024
Back from injury, Wheeler YUTA is once again putting in the work on Friday nights. This time, it’s against Rocky Romero, and it’s a neat stylistic fit. Romero’s ability on the mat and his wealth of experience in Mexico means that there’s a flavor of llave-stylings to the opening moments of this bout. It’s not always perfect, there’s a couple of holds that slip when they shouldn’t, but this match does very well to escalate through its runtime. Perhaps the most rewarding thing here though is how YUTA works to space out the big moments in the match. There’s always these two to three steps to help build anticipating before the big pay off. It’s in how his rebound counter gets denied and denied, before it finally leads to the tope to the outside. Or in the ring when he’ll absorb multiple shots and fire up stronger on each one before finally getting his comeback. It’s those touches, adding structure to each moment of a match, that speaks to the ever maturing skillset that YUTA displays.
Rating: ***¾
Konosuke Takeshita vs. Oleg Boltin (NJPW G1 Climax 34 N14 8/10/24)
Reviewed: August 12, 2024
This match has one of the best suplex trading spots I’ve seen in a long while. It’s a trope that tends to get annoying, but there’s a few ways to make it work. Most people tend to err on the side of speed, rush through the suplexes as a big spike in action as well as to serve the kayfabe narrative that the two competitors are utilizing adrenaline to get past the damaging effects of the suplexes. Takeshita and Boltin opt for the other route entirely: slow that shit down and actually give the viewers the chance to feel each bump. The two are groggy and battered after each German, it’s a struggle to get back to their feet, and it adds a hell of a lot of meaning to the bumps here.
They accomplish so much in this match by sticking to that simple principle of allowing things to have meaning. Again, Oleg forces a more amateur-based start here which leads to Soup not breaking clean on the ropes and nailing a big elbow instead. Oleg’s also able to utilize some great offs in this like when he snatches Takeshita mid-leaping lariat and hits him with an F5 instead. They smartly use that great moment to lead right into the finish too, which speaks to how well this match is paced and structured. It never feels too rushed, always allows everything to breathe, and as a result, everything they do takes on so much more meaning and impact.
Another great entry in a strong G1 campaign for Soup, and a great point to take the Oleg pill as well.
Rating: ****
Alpha Academy vs. American Made (WWE Raw 8/12/24)
Reviewed: August 13, 2024
One of the better WWE gimmick matches I’ve seen in a bit. Where it succeeds that the others don’t is in never feeling like they’re working towards their big spots. Everything here feels wonderfully timed and even spontaneous, even when we know that it isn’t. There’s a real sense of struggle there with all four men throwing themselves into the action, quite literally in most cases.
Structurally too, there’s a lot of great choices made here. Despite being a Texas tornado tag match, there’s a classic idea at play here. The Creeds work to eliminate Tozawa from the match (by bumping him right to the floor) before working to double team Otis. And when Tozawa makes his “hot tag” comebacks too, it’s awesome with him and Otis working to double team the Creeds in a way that suits the chaotic atmosphere.
It’s really Otis’ match though. He’s so goddamn energetic and charismatic through the back half of this match. Just bursting with character and with a real fire and violence to his actions too. That big man just swatting the Creeds just rules. These big Vader-like clubbing blows and these massive lariats carried out with an almost casual brutality. What a great worker, really bringing to life an already crackling TV brawl.
Rating: ****
Bron Breakker vs. Sami Zayn (WWE Raw 8/12/2024)
Reviewed: August 13, 2024
From what I’ve seen, Bron Breakker’s career match. There’s still rough edges there. I don’t love when he pauses to talk shit, and the punches remain a constant weak point (except for one beautiful worked punch in the final fall). But outside of that, this match works entirely to his strengths as a performer. It’s all about his freak power and strength, he’s constantly overpowering Sami and just putting him through the ringer with big throws and slams. The peak of this is obviously the truly spectacular lawndart throw sending Sami right into the timekeeper’s area. Hell fucking yeah, dude, looked sick and gross as anything.
What this means is that Sami can focus his time on selling for Breakker, and getting in some perfectly timed comebacks. The first fall going his way mirrors Money in the Bank as it’s with a flash Helluva Kick that Sami gets the pin, but otherwise it’s a steep climb for Sami. He always looks on the verge of death, and it’s only with some savvy and quickness that he gets anything in the back half. It’s mostly Bron though, and it’s Bron in his ideal state: explosive and vicious.
One of the best WWE matches of the year.
Rating: ****¼
