Red's Wrestling Blog

Match from Pro Wrestling NOAH The Spirit 03/22: 1.AXIZ vs Marufuji, Minoru ***1/2 Thoughts: Chop battles are always fun, aren't they? Go and Naomichi did their thing, Naka dicked out on Tanaka, and the entire match worked nicely as a fun filler tag. It's funny that NOAH can have such a basic match with a minimal audience still come off as worth seeing, yet here we are. For those excited for tonight's show, make sure to check this one out!

Match from DDT Dramatic Hykaumangoku! 03/22: 1.KO-D 6-Man Titles: ALL OUT(Takeshita,Shunma,Iino)(c) vs DAMNHEARTS(Endo,T-Hawk,Lindaman) **** Thoughts: I loved this. The heel unit came off as meticulous and calculating and the lovable ALL OUT as the heroes that just couldn't overcome this new threat. They worked a very strong match that just felt bigger than it should have, and in front of 200 fans they put in for a fantastic contest that I fear will get skipped by most. Check this one out if you get the chance and don't be a schmuck.

Match from AJPW Dream Power Series 03/23: 1.Triple Crown Title: Kento(c) vs Suwama ****1/4 Thoughts: Missing a Kento title match and still calling yourself a wrestling fan should be considered a true sin and one punishable by death. Luckily for some, him dropping the title here guarantees that they have less a chance at dying soon. I am a huge fan of Suwama as those who know me can attest. I am aware that many are a bit upset that Suwama was the one to end the current reign of Miyahara versus one of the younger talents they've been building, and I can agree that I would've preferred such a result, but I'd by lying if I said I wasn't excited by the idea of, assumingly, one last run from Suwama. No, the only questionable behavior I see here is this show running with an audience. And, at this point, I'm strongly hoping everyone else stops even running empty arena shows. Can't do anything about it, so let's just enjoy this match... As expected, they w

Matches from Dragon Gate Glorious Gate Empty Arena 03/22: 1.RED(BxB,Yoshida) vs Team Toryumon(Yoshino,Doi) ***1/4 2.RED(Eita,Big R,Ishida) vs Team DG(Kzy,Santa Maria,Dragon Dia) **** Thoughts: I might dislike their streaming service and the customer service that comes with it, but people that know me know that I have been a Dragon Gate fan for a very long time and I will always make time for them when I can. So, this is from their empty arena show and you should jump about 90-minutes in to start where I did. I don't care much for the new Dream Gate title design, for the record. I still miss the older model that they lost off the back of a truck. Anyway, the first pull was pretty fun, albeit chaotic, but they ruined things and ensured it remained outside of recommendation levels with a cheap finish. This isn't WWE, we don't need that type of thing just to lead into the main event. Luckily, the final match of the night turned out to be a truly fantastic trios e

Match from ROH TV #444: 1.Briscoes vs Cobb, Maff ***1/2 Thoughts: This one popped up on my radar so I figured I'd take a look. The Briscoes remain one of the elite teams in the US scene and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying the duo of Cobb and Maff. The steak & meatball pairing aren't the smoothest together, but there's a lot of promise and potential here as both are quality in solo. Matches such as these are great ways to improve, and they all worked well enough for me to be able to call this worth checking out. Ring of Honor pissed away a lot of fans but I do hope there's enough goodwill left over that some might consider giving another look. They've been having a good year thus far and it'd be a sad thing to miss or write off completely.

Episode Card: 1.Hajime,Honda vs Hijo Pantera,Niki + 2.Tonsho,Pegaso vs Alejando,Fujimura + 3.Koji vs Kodama + 4.Kuma,Soya vs Ganseki,Ito + 5.Ashino vs Seigo ++ 6.Andy Wu,Inaba,Seiki vs Kaz,Kono,Kondo ++ Thoughts: Everything looked good-great, with the last two coming off as the best of the night. I couldn't help but think the entire time I watched this that I am wondering where everyone will go now, once they can go somewhere, and that made it admittedly hard to really enjoy the episode as much. Watch if you're a fan. Skip if not.

Match from PWG Makings of a Varsity Athlete 12/20: 1.PWG World Title: Cobb(c) vs Bandido ***3/4 Thoughts: Culminating off of the BOLA victory, PWG finally put the belt on the charismatic luchador while ending Jeff Cobb's 427 day reign with the green belt. This was truly great with the right guy winning and I look forward to seeing what they do with this once they can start running shows again. Check this one out!

Matches from PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2019: Night One 09/19: 1.Cobb vs Sekimoto ***1/2 2.Lucha Bros vs MexaBlood ****1/4 Night Two 09/20: 3.Atlas vs Jungle Boy **** 4.Fenix vs Aramis **** Night Three 09/22: 5.Dragon Lee vs Atlas **** 6.Dragon Lee vs Bandido ****1/4 7.BOLA Finals: Bandido vs Starr vs Gresham ***3/4 Thoughts: So, I'll go add these to my 2019 Recommendations list now. I'll go ahead and watch the last show of their's from 2019 and then I will officially consider that section complete. It took longer than I'd have liked to watch these, but at least I finally did. I have a deep love and respect for PWG so it was a must that I check them out. Simply put, BOLA is a beacon of excellence every year and this was no exception. Hoss battles, indie showcases, lucha brilliance.. Pure magic on display. Go buy these now if you missed them and remind yourself why PWG is still one of the best wrestling promotions in the world!

Match Card: 1.Fujimura vs Niki + 2.Alejandro, Andy Wu, Hijo del Pantera vs Ganseki, Honda, SUSHI + 3.Tanaka, Tonsho, Pegaso vs STRONG HEARTS(CIMA,T-Hawk,Issei) ++ 4.Soya, Kondo, Seigo, Lindaman vs Hajime, MAZADA, Ito, Toshizu ++ 5.W1 CW Title: Seiki(c) vs Heat ++ 6.Muto, Hama, Nakanoue vs KAZMA, Kono, Sai + 7.Kuma vs Okabayashi ++ 8.W1 Tag Titles: Enfants Terribles(c) Doi, Inaba ++ 9.W1 World Title: Nakajima(c) vs Kaz ++ Thoughts: The last major W1 show ever is the focus of this episode and, as a result, the experience was bittersweet. What especially added to that feeling is simply how awesome this show was to see. I love watching WRESTLE-1 TV and this was one of my favorite episodes ever. Sincerely, I strongly recommend anyone who's ever considered watching this company to give this one a click. You will be missed.

Matches: 1.Cody vs Havoc *** 2.Darby vs Kip **3/4 3.Hager vs Chico NR 4.Brodie vs QT NR 5.AAA Mega Title: Omega(c) vs Guevara ***1/2 Thoughts: The PIP with the workers gambling backstage was a nice touch this week. The opener was good but I am surprised they booked this at all, since Havoc was rising up a but before this. The current situation obviously changed things a bit, though. Post-match, we got a pretty decent package from Snake and then a nice Allin package, too. The second match was solid, but not at the level I had hoped for. The right guy won, at least. Now, AEW has done very few squashes and I love them for it. That wasn't true for the next two matches, but they were good uses of a rare squash on Dynamite either way. Mox running in to attack Hager was a decent moment and Brodie's package with the little Vince shot was pretty well done. Knowing that we'll be getting Vanguard moments going forward is fun. Someone get Nick a senzu bean. Now, w

Matthew Hardy enlightens the unaware of the specifics of who is currently controlling his vessel. DAMASCUS is here to eat those in his way and is 3,000 years old. I am very eager to see how far he goes as well as how far AEW allows him to go with this character. Let's wait and see. I just hope that he uses his years of wisdom to help find us a cure for this covid19 shit, though...

Matches from IMPACT Wrestling 03/24: 1.X-Division Title #1 Contender Scramble: Mack vs Bey vs Romero vs Daga vs Jake Crist vs Cousin vs Raju vs Trey ***1/2 2.Moose vs Stevens NR 3.Tessa, Edwards vs Elgin, Taya ***1/2 Thoughts: More pulls this week than usual. The first was a very fun spotfest showcasing what the X-Division should be all about but often isn't, and I love Willie Mack taking the W. The second was all about the angle which saw Suicide return. I love the new look. I hate this dead crowd, though. The main event was also very good with the two teams working hard to give a preview for a show that has now been canceled. IMPACT provided for some fun today and I recommend checking it out. Maybe you can be more excited than that shitty crowd was.

Matches from wXw 16 Carat Gold: Night One 03/06 1.Bailey vs Ridgeway **** 2.Irie vs Taurus ***3/4 Night Two 03/07 3.Bailey vs Bandido ****1/2 4.wXw Unified World Title vs Career: Gunns(c) vs Starr ****1/4 Night Three 03/08 5.Thatcher, Ishikawa vs WALTER, Ikeda ***1/2 6.Bandido, Cobb, Pace vs Taurus, Puma, Hektor ***3/4 7.16 Carat Gold Finals: Cara Noir vs Bailey **** Thoughts: It's time for this year's 16 Carat Gold tournament and I'm pretty stoked. The first pull saw Mike "I am too awesome yet still have trouble catching a break" Bailey  and Chris "kick your fucking head in" Ridgeway working together in a battle full of echoing strikes with a touch of technicality and high speed action mixed in for good measure. A lot of opening round tournament matches have a phoned-in tendency but these two went all in. Fantastic stuff here, people! Up next, we get one of those awesome displays of agile hoss-ness that I absolutely love to see. I, of

I forgot to send my roster that wasn't participating in the tournament out on loan. That sucks... PURE HEART TOURNAMENT II 1.Quarter: Fuji b Anderson 2.Quarter: Wilson b Koichiro 3.Quarter: Bailey b Baron 4.Quarter: Takaya b BB 5.Semi: Fuji b Wilson 6.Semi: Takaya b Bailey 7.Finals: Fuji b Takaya This brought in 16,913 fans and had an average rating of 83.4%. I used the American urban medium hall here. James Bailey appeared on a comedy show, Live from New Jersey for solid ratings. Good shit. Vuelo, BB, and Fuji got a raise. I changed things up and schedules a crossover event with BDG and then sent most of my roster to various promotions on loan. I sent scouts looking for hidden gems. WSW/BDG I 1.Takaya b Muchos-69% 2.Wilson b Romero-75% 3.RDM b Torres-72% 4.BDG HW Title: BB b Navarro(c)-72% 5.ACE HW Title: Greyson(c) b Gutierrez-70% Once again, WSW comes out on top of another promotional standoff. These events are semi-shoot style in my mind, with the talent

Matches: 0.Kazusada vs Heatley *3/4 1.Keigo,Naomi vs Okatani,Shunma **1/2 2.DDT Iron Man Heavy Metal Title Battle Royal NR 3.Moonlight Express,Oishi,Aoki vs DAMNHEARTS(CIMA,Soma,Pauli,Lindaman) ***1/2 4.ALL OUT(Akito,Iino),Chambers vs DISASTER BOX(Marufuji,HARASHIMA,Ueno) ***1/2 5.DAMNHEARTS(Endo,T-Hawk,Nobuhiro) vs Eruption(Kazusada,Yukio,Saki) ***1/2 6.Right to Challenge at Saitama Super Arena Sword: Endo vs Chambers *** 7.DDT Universal Title: Brookes(c) vs Daisuke ***3/4 8.KO-D Openweight Title: Tanaka(c) vs Takeshita **** Thoughts: The dark match was okay for what it was and the opener was decent. They followed this by getting a lot of the lower card guys in on an extended section highlighted by the Iron Man Heavy Metal Championship changing hands. It was entertaining but not something I'd give a rating to. They cleaned the ring afterward. The third match was a high energy affair and I love the alliance between #SH and DAMNATION. It just hit recommendation le

Wolf Spirit XII 1.ACE HW Title: Greyson b Arai(c)-66% 2.DFW 6-Man Titles: Noble(Robinson,Anderseon,Bailey) b UD(Williams,Dickson,Brian)(b)-94% (UD were full dicks here; violent and bloody) 3.SWA HW Title: Young b Fuji(c)-70% (Young was viscous, even attacked after) 4.DFW HW Title: RDM(c) b Collins-62% (RDM attacked after this high speed squash) 5.Tag Team Challenge: Vuelo, Walker, Henry, Bullock vs Koichiro, BB, Stewart, Houston-73% (Houston KO'd Walker) 6.WSW HW Title: Howard(c) b Wilson-84% (Close call) I hope to "unify" some of these belts. Sure, the game will make me defend them separately, but that's okay. Anyway, HybriDeath have been a more neutral team thus far but they were clearly more heel this time around that usual. Vuelo is hurt (2 months) Attendance was 44107 with an average rating of 74.8. I used the American urban large hall option. Current Champions in Wolf Spirit Wrestling WSW HW-Howard WSW JR-Collins WSW HW TAG-HybriDeath(RDM,Youn

Matches from AAA Nacemos Para Luchar: Tonala Parte 2: 1.Jinetes del Aire(Vikingo,Myzteziz,Octagon) vs OGT's(Averno,Chessman),Escorpion ***1/2 2.AAA Trios Titles: Jinetes del Aire(c) vs Los Mercanarios(Texano,Escorpion,Hiedra) NR Thoughts: I didn't want to watch the full episode this week, so instead I just pulled these two. The first match was pretty damn good. Vikingo missing a spot near the end was surprising, but everyone was largely on their A-game here. After the tecnicos took the W, Los Mercanarios appeared and beat them down and demanded a title shot. It didn't last long. The champs took out the rudo unit in quick order and stood tall at the end. Very fun stuff here. Give it a click!

Matt chats about the troubles of the current situation and how, despite it, they're doing well. They mock the hoarders, Omega sneaks out with TP, and we get to see Matt taking a shit just to realize he can't wipe. Who sits down before checking for TP and who the fuck drinks coffee on the toilet? Oh, and Kenny has officially snapped. Is that what the hoarders are doing with TP? Cutler is the only one flying. Pretty sure he should have been bumped to first class, but whatever. Matt gives us a look at the production side of things from last week and then Kenny updates us on the hand. He tests it out before we get the best Colt appearance yet. Great running bit! Matt gets a few seconds to cut a promo. I read this week that he based the broken character off of a concept he got from True Blood. I love that. Matt pays Page's tab ($300) and starts to chat with the Hangman before the cut away. Note that AEW also announced a change to their schedule and that they are

Matches: 1.Wonder of STARDOM Title: Hoshiki(c) vs Bea ***3/4 2.Tag Team Gauntlet NR Thoughts: This week's episode, in my opinion, aired backwards. The gauntlet was shown in highlight form and was decent but forgettable. The Wonder defense, on the other hand, was great and I would've much rather them air it second. Alas, my opinions on the matter aren't worth much. Watch this one for sure, but feel free to cut it off after the title match. Overall Rating: 80/100%

Matches from DDT Universe Live! One Chan Saturday 03/07 : 1.ALL OUT(Takeshita,Shunma),Chambers vs DISASTER BOX(HARASHIMA,Naomi),Makoto ***1/2 2.ChrisMAO vs DAMNATION(Daisuke,Paulie) *** 3.Delayed Entry Time Difference Battle Royal ***1/4 Thoughts: Say what you will about DDT, but I personally really like a lot of what they're putting out. Their roster is stacked with talent and their humor can be entertaining at times. I'm not huge on some of their lower card content, but that's true of many companies and in this case it's largely only because it's a bit too heavy in gags. Anyway, during this whole situation they put out a few empty arena shows and I've had a good time with all of the things I've pulled. The playing to the camera in particular brings a smile to my face nearly each time. But, I said I've enjoyed these pulls thus far and that's true once more with these three. Oh, and HARASHIMA needs to remember to rub butter all over himself

And now we're done with the second month of 2020. It's a good feeling. So, let's close things out the right way and take a look at some last minute pulls! Note that this time I'm just including general thoughts alongside each match description/rating/link. Match from Diana 02/09: 1. Team Sendai vs Haruka,Kaoru,Inoue  ***1/4 The Sendai Girl squad were good as usual and the size dynamics at play here made for a few fun moments but this still wasn't anything I'd recommend. I just had to see a DASH match right now and this looked promising. Skip it. Match from RevPro High Stakes 02/14: 2. Undisputed British HW Title: Sabre(c) vs Ospreay ****1/2 Hell yes, this fucking rocked. Not only was it another superb showing from my 2019 Wrestler of the Year as well as one from my favorite tech wizard, but this was a true MOTYC with high quality action alongside top notch storytelling and drama. Don't miss this one! Match from Sendai 02/16: 3. Kagetsu vs Chihir

Matches: 1.Mary Caporal, Miss Delicious vs Lady Cat, Miku *** 2.Copa Higher Power Cibernetico: Gym Tepito vs Gym FILL ***3/4 3.Shun Skywalker vs Super Nova ***1/2 4.Bandido, Fuerza Guerrera Next Gen vs Emperador Azteca, Toxin ***3/4 Thoughts: Time for some IWRG action! I've been meaning to watch this one for a few weeks now, so I'm glad I got a chance now. Our opener here was a women's tag team match and it was stiff entertainment. A bit rough around the edges, but good enough to still be called good. The women's division being added could be a nice move, at least. The latest IWRG cibernetico exceeded expectations. The Welcome to Mi Barrio boys worked a slightly disjointed, brawl heavy battle alongside the IWRG regulars and it was chaotic fun. This truly felt heated and close to breaking out into a legit, huge fight a few different times and they mixed some truly sick spots in for good measure. Great stuff. Up third, Dragon Gate's Shun Skywalker's