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Recommend a match/MOTYC

Holy shit, Hechicero vs Bandido from ROH Death Before Dishonor might even be better than Bandido vs Dorada or Bandido vs Takeshita. What a run this guy is on in 2025. Both him and Hechicero looked like two of the best in the world in the match and some of the sequences were sick. It was paced perfectly for a long match and I loved it. Maybe my new choice for MOTY. Could just be the recent hyperbole of just watching it.

And, I had so much fun with Paul Walter Hauser vs QT Marshall from the same show. Hauser looked much much better than the match with Sami Callihan a few years ago and paced himself. QT is a total pro and is perfect for celeb matches. Both guys took sick bumps and Hauser is so damn committed to this with the bumps and spots he was pulling off for his size and build. I've had a soft spot for the guy since his first role as a juggalo on Always Sunny, so he's one celeb wrestler I really enjoy. And, he doesn't skeeve me out like Jelly Roll does.

Gonna watch Mina Shirakawa vs Athena next.
 
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Brocklock said:
Holy shit, Hechicero vs Bandido from ROH Death Before Dishonor might even be better than Bandido vs Dorada or Bandido vs Takeshita. What a run this guy is on in 2025. Both him and Hechicero looked like two of the best in the world in the match and some of the sequences were sick. It was paced perfectly for a long match and I loved it. Maybe my new choice for MOTY. Could just be the recent hyperbole of just watching it.
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I liked this more than I didn't.

I like Bandido, I greatly appreciate how much of this match actually felt like a wrestling match as opposed to just a collection of overly choreographed tumbles, and it has two highspots that literally made my jaw drop (Bandido's surfboard escape and the suplex on the barricade). I also have some love for how Hechicero connected with that kick to Bandido's shoulder early on and how it factored into Bandido not being able to lift Hechicero for a bit.

I didn't like the length (felt like you could shave 10-15 minutes off and have a more exciting match as a result), and I don't care for lucha-style technical wrestling at large due to how "loose" it feels.

I think ***1/2 is a fair rating.
 
What's a modern match you love? I'm generally curious and would watch if I haven't seen it. I used to watch modern wrestling similar to you, but the last year I've had the most fun watching wrestling since ROH in the 2000s. I used to care about minimalism, punches, "everything making sense" etc. I got so disillusioned by modern wrestling a decade ago that I stuck to just 80s stuff like Memphis, Puerto Rico, and World Of Sport for variety. I hated Ospreay, Omega, The Bucks, etc. But, modern wrestling is more akin to anime battles or an insane fight scene from a movie like The Raid, and I've grown to love it for what it is. I've gotten so many rushes of adrenaline this year just from some of these matches.

ECW, CZW, TNA, even early ROH with the Low Ki/Red Kung fu standoff, all had spots that looked as much if not more overly choreographed than AEW. I love the AJ/Joe/Daniels Unbreakable match and XXX/AMW cage match, but they all have spots as egregious and long to set up as what Kenny or Ospreay do. Kurt Angle in TNA was pretty much the precursor to Ospreay's style, and he probably sold less than either Ospreay or Kenny.
 
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The most recent pro wrestling matches that I'd call legitimately great are probably ZSJ/Bryan from WrestleDream and Iyo/Bianca/Rhea from WM41 (I'd rate both around 4.5, fwiw). The former is a lot of great and competitive matwork that leads to both men losing their cool before dropping bombs, the latter is go-go-go with each of the three offering a different attitude. I can dig spotty matches, but they need to have a good tempo with minimal stalling so that the spots and sequences keep you watching instead of giving you too much time to breathe.

Brocklock said:
But, modern wrestling is more akin to anime battles or an insane battle fight scene from a movie
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That's my problem in a nutshell. I hate anime, and the fight scenes I enjoy most in movies are stuff like the Raid or, more recently, the Extraction flicks, where the impact is snug and they serve a greater purpose to the overall story. Even the John Wick sequels suffer from the action scenes being either too redundant (everything in the 3rd one, which is the worst of the series by far) or too slick (the battle in the Japanese club at the start of the 4th).
Brocklock said:
Kurt Angle in TNA was pretty much the precursor to Ospreay's style, and he probably sold less than either Ospreay or Kenny.
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Angle never hit someone with an uppercut, took 15 seconds to taunt, and then hit the ropes only for Joe (or AJ) to do the same. This is something that happens in nearly every match featuring Omega, Ospreay, Takeshita, etc.

I tried giving Omega/Ospreay from Forbidden Door an honest watch and I was really, really into it until they pulled the "is Ospreay concussed" bit. It killed the flow, but I figured they could maybe work their way out of it...and then they go back to doing their usual routines and I realized there was still 20 minutes left in the match. I tried another 10 and it completely lost me because it was just devolving into self-conscious epic territory, which is the same criticism we all used to throw at Davey Richards.
 
I loved both of those matches.

Angle had a 50/50 finisher kickoff fest with Road Dogg on a random late 2000s Impact where Road Dogg kicked out of an angle slam that's more annoying to me than the taunting and fighting spirit. Also Angle having every opponent after his 2006 Taker match put him in a tombstone so he could do the ankle lock reversal was really irritating to me.

Hell id probably love most of the matches I called Self Conscious Epics 15 years ago. Can we retire that term BTW? I felt so geeky typing it out. I think DVDMB coined it after HBK vs Angle from WM 21 and I still love that match until the drawn out anklelock finish.
 
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Brocklock said:
Angle had a 50/50 finisher kickoff fest with Road Dogg on a random late 2000s Impact where Road Dogg kicked out of an angle slam that's more annoying to me than the taunting and fighting spirit. Also Angle having every opponent after his 2006 Taker match put him in a tombstone so he could do the ankle lock reversal was really irritating to me.
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All valid arguments and why I don't rate everything involving Angle in TNA highly. He shined brightest with AJ, Joe, and (of all people) Anderson. With everyone else he delivered stuff that I'd consider in the 2.5-3.5* range.

Which shouldn't be taken as a knock. Push the scale from 5 to 10, and 3.5* becomes a 7/10. That's absolutely what I'd call a very good movie, and the 2.5* becomes a 5/10, or an average movie. I'd also say that reserving anything over 8.5/10 (4.25*) for something that just really rocks on all levels isn't outlandish.

Saying it like that? Bandido/Hechicero is a 7/10 to me. It's a very, very good match.

Also, just because I personally love a match, or a movie, means I'm giving it a perfect score. One of my all-time favorite matches is Roderick Strong vs. TJ Perkins (PWG Threemendous III), and I'd rate it 3.5*, just like one of my all-time favorite movies is Toxic Avenger IV, and I'd similarly give that a 7/10 rating.
 
Ratings are so subjective that they're meaningless and the internet puts way too much weight on star ratings. What's fun isn't always good, what's good isn't always fun, and everyone has different tastes or expectations. There's a lot of genuinely great matches or workers that I don't feel for whatever reason and lot of terrible matches or workers I'll go out of my way to watch.
 
Valeyard said:
Ratings are so subjective that they're meaningless and the internet puts way too much weight on star ratings. What's fun isn't always good, what's good isn't always fun, and everyone has different tastes or expectations. There's a lot of genuinely great matches or workers that I don't feel for whatever reason and lot of terrible matches or workers I'll go out of my way to watch.
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Ratings for wrestling are the same for any other type of art and depend on the taste of the critic.
 
Yeah, I know it's unpopular, but I actually like reading the star ratings of even Meltzer or whoever. It's fun to see different perspectives and I'm a numbers/stats nerd. It's a good way to gather matches to watch too, even if I end up disagreeing with the rating.
 
Ratings are great for a guideline. I guess the modern era where the average fan is now where the typical "smart fan" was when WCW was at death's door has confirmed my belief that liking what you want is what's important.
 
Exactly. I give matches that Brocklock, Epic, and CWM rave about in this thread a good chance. Sometimes I agree with their takes (the FTR/Briscoes trilogy comes thisclose to 6/9/95 for GOAT tag work for me, and I like just about everything that Kyle Fletcher does), sometimes I'm not far off, sometimes I'm completely on the opposite end (like almost anything maining a NJPW card).

It's all just some assholes chatting about grown-ass people wearing tights and pretending to fight.
 
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Seiki Yoshioka Vs MUSASHI, 5/18/25
Desperado Vs Jun Kasai, 6/4/25
Tanahashi/Marufuji Vs Kiyomiya/Oiwa, 6/29/25
Zack Sabre Jr Vs Hirooki Goto, 6/29/25

A fun AJPW juniors! Despy/Kasai bleed like stuck pigs! Marufuji looks just fine here as the old dawgs go to war with the next gen! Sabre tortures Goto's arm to death and back!
 
I just finished MJF vs Mistico from the CMLL 92nd Anniversario and what a goddamn match. The visual of Mistico bleeding a gusher through the mask was so great, and the match was paced perfectly with a ton of hate. MJF is so good at what he does. He has a classic face/heel match with Mistico, and then 18 hours later has a CZW/IWA-MS style deathmatch with Mark Briscoe and both are fantastic matches. Mistico has this aura that few have right now. Feels like a true legend and icon of Lucha Libre, and he's one of the best babyfaces at the moment. Him hulking up after getting the MJF dick bump to the face ruled so much.

And, I'll get on the jump and say I absolutely loved Hangman/Fletcher and Fletcher is definitely going to be world champion by 2027 imo. What an incredible display from both men.
 
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AEW 9/20
Mark Briscoe vs. MJF
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mascara Dorada
Jon Moxley (w/Marina Shafir) vs. Darby Allin
AEW World Tag Team Title Four Way Ladder Match
Adam Page (c) vs. Kyle Fletcher
 
September AEW TV matches I liked with my favorites of the month in bold. Dynamite was pretty stacked this month imo.

Dynamite:

Mercedes Mone vs Alex Windsor - 9/3
Bucks/Alexander/Hechicero vs Hangman/Omega/JetSpeed - 9/3
Hangman Page vs Josh Alexander - 9/10
Timeless Toni Storm vs Skye Blue - 9/10
Death Riders/Bucks vs The Opps/Brodido 9/10
Bobby Lashley vs Toa Liona - 9/17 (This was a exceptional hoss fight with Lashley taking some great bumps for his size and age)
The Young Bucks vs The Bang Bang Gang - 9/17
Mascara Dorada vs "The Beast" Mortos - 9/17
Queen Aminata vs Thekla - 9/17
Briscoe/Hologram/Orange vs Hechicero/Okada/Takeshita - 9/24
Kris Statlander vs Mina Shirakawa - 9/24

Collision:

Jon Moxley vs Daniel Garcia - 9/6
FTR vs Priest/Billington - 9/6
Konosuke Takeshita vs Mark Briscoe - 9/6
FTR Vs Priest/Billington - 9/13
Kazuchika Okada vs Michael Oku - 9/13
Garcia/Moxley vs Paragon - 9/13
Death Riders vs Menard/Paragon - 9/27
Kyle Fletcher vs Komander - 9/27
 
ISHIN/YoshikiKato/KAI V Bendito/Flamita/LuisMante, 9/4/25
Ryoya Tanaka Vs JACKY Kamei, 9/4/25

A super rare ladder match in japan, the first I know of in DG for the multiman.
 
10/18
Kyle Fletcher (c) vs. Mark Briscoe Kyle Fletcher
Brodido Vs Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita
"Hangman" Adam Page (c) vs. Samoa Joe
"I Quit" Match: Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley
 
Gabe Kidd Vs Yota Tsuji, 10/13/25
Syuri Vs Sareee, 10/13/25
YotoIce/OSKAR Vs Uemura/Umino, 10/13/25
Takeshita Vs Sabre Jr, 10/13/25
 
Ridiculously stacked month from AEW Dynamite especially. Here are the October 2025 Dynamite and Collision matches I liked with my favorites in bold

Dynamite:

Brodido/Omega vs Bucks/Alexander - 10/1
Kyle Fletcher vs Orange Cassidy - 10/1
Statlander/Darby vs Marina/Yuta - 10/1
Jon Moxley vs Tomohiro Ishii - 10/7
Kyle Fletcher vs Kyle O'Reilly - 10/7
Okada/Takeshita vs Brodido - 10/7
Orange Cassidy vs PAC - 10/7
Jurassic Express/Omega vs Hechicero/Alexander/Davis - 10/15
Jamie Hayter vs Skye Blue - 10/15
Kyle O'Reilly vs Jon Moxley - 10/22
Briscoe/Orange/Strong vs The Death Riders - 10/22
Kazuchika Okada vs Bandido - 10/22
Darby/Orange vs Yuta/Garcia - 10/29
FTR vs Jurassic Express vs Young Bucks vs JetSpeed - 10/29
Jon Moxley vs Kyle O'Reilly - 10/29
Samoa Joe vs Bobby Lashley vs Hook vs Ricochet - 10/29

Collision:

Kevin Knight vs Dax Harwood - 10/4
FTR/Bayne vs JetSpeed/Willow - 10/11
Brodido/Briscoe vs Fletcher/Rocky/Archer - 10/15
The Death Riders vs Paragon/Orange/Ishii - 10/18
PAC vs Tomohiro Ishii - 10/25
JetSpeed/Jurassic vs FTR/Bucks - 10/25
 
catching up on various puro that's fallen through the cracks

HARASHIMA Vs Kazusada Higuchi, 7/13/25
Naoya Nomura Vs Ryuki Honda, 8/3/25

I don't watch a lot of DDT or AJPW anymore, DDT because outside of a few guys it's never really caught my interest style wise, and AJPW because the roster has shrunk and shrunk to the point it's just become uninteresting (and they've pushed some terrible workers). That said they still both have their moments.

HARASHIMA has been a perennial Top Dawg in DDT for as long as I can remember (15 years?) but Higuchi is a Big Deal now. Nomura/Honda is a full out 12 minuteish sprint of two big boys dishing out bombs.
 
MSuzuki/Marufuji Vs KENTA/Shibata, 9/3/25

Takayama made these teams at his yearly show, he even does commentary which is great to see. A wonderful mix of hatred (Shibata has neither forgotten nor forgiven what Kenta has done to him) and comedy, since after all everyone is there for a good cause. Kobashi is on commentary and they make sure to get him in on the action. Not an actual MOTY but from a sheer happiness POV it's a joy to watch.

Hiromu Vs YOHEY, 9/8/25
OZAWA Vs Kenoh, 9/17/25
 
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AlphaWolf/DragonBane Vs Alejandro/KaiFujimaro, 9/23/25
Yuya Uemura Vs Yuto-Ice, 10/6/25

I really enjoy Wolf/Bane whenever I check out NOAH, which isn't often anymore. Yuto-Ice's yakuza/gangsta gimmick is great and he brought the best out of Uemura.
 
Full Gear
TNT Championship No Disqualification Match: Kyle Fletcher (c) vs. Mark Briscoe
AEW World Tag Team Championship: Brodido (Brody King & Bandido) (c) vs. FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler)
No Holds Barred: Jon Moxley vs. Kyle O'Reilly
AEW World Championship Steel Cage Match: "Hangman" Adam Page (c) vs. Samoa Joe

The cage match is mostly for the blood and the booking.
 
Daga/DaikiOdashima Vs AlphaWolf/DragonBane, 10/11/25
Kento Miyahara Vs Shiozaki, 10/22/25
Takeshita Vs Hirooki Goto, 11/2/25
Tanahashi Vs Yota Tsuji, 11/2/25
JACKYKAMEI/Riita Vs DragonDia/Yoshiaka, 11/3/25
 
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AEW TV Matches I liked from November with the best in bold

Dynamite:

Claudio Castagnoli vs Orange Cassidy - 11/5
Babes Of Wrath (Harley/Willow) vs Mercedes Mone/Athena - 11/5
Darby Allin vs Daniel Garcia - 11/5
Blood & Guts: Marina/Bayne/Mone/Triangle Of Madness vs Babes Of Wrath/Statlander/Toni/Mina/Hayter - 11/12
Hangman Page vs Powerhouse Hobbs - 11/12
Blood And Guts: The Death Riders vs O'Reilly/Briscoe/Strong/Orange/Darby - 11/12
Shelton Benjamin vs Speedball Mike Bailey - 11/19
Hangman Page vs Katsuyori Shibata - 11/19
Kyle Fletcher vs Kazuchika Okada - 11/26
Jon Moxley vs Mascara Dorada - 11/26
Kevin Knight vs Darby Allin - 11/26

Collision:

Bandido vs Mascara Dorada - 11/1
Bang Bang Gang vs FTR - 11/8
Kyle Fletcher vs Ace Austin - 11/8
Roderick Strong vs Jon Moxley - 11/8
Mark Davis vs Mark Briscoe - 11/15
Bandido/JetSpeed/Juice vs FTR/Rush/Sammy - 11/15
Mercedes Mone vs Red Velvet - 11/19
PAC vs Speedball Mike Bailey - 11/27
Konosuke Takeshita vs Roderick Strong - 11/27
 
Gabe Kidd Vs Shingo Takagi, 9/25/25
OSKAR/YutoIce Vs Taichi/Ishii, 9/25/25
Yota Tsuji Vs David Finlay, 9/25/25

Fletcher Vs Bailey 12/10 C2

A NJPW show that I only just got around to and a great C2 show. I missed last weeks AEW shows and I don't know when I'll get around to seeing them so no idea how those matches were.
 
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