Wrestling (WWE, etc.)

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Johnny Mundo (also known by the ring-names Johnny Nitro and John Morrison) always struck me as incredibly underrated, seeing how good he was in his WWE matches, yet never even getting a single push from that company.

I also watched that match and it was really good. It reminds me of that awesome IC championship match between Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio several years ago.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Reminds me of how WCW would put Rey Mysterio, Chavo Guerrero, Chris Jericho, Dean Malenko, Ultimo Dragon, Billy Kidman, Eddy Guerrero, Konnan, Psychosis, and so many others primarily in the mid-card or early in the show. And they totally deserved better.

Yet here, such talent is given the main event slot and totally show they earned it. That spoke loudly to me about LU more than anything.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

On another note, on the subject of great matches, anyone with even the slightest appreciation for brilliant technical wrestling combined with excellent characters and unforgettable in-ring personalities will be able to tell why this classic is one of the greatest singles matches of all-time: https://youtu.be/gjB6cjafXdM

It's also always engaging without any downtime. Rarely is a single move ever used twice (and if it is, it's because the first attempt didn't land), and the match is so unpredictable as the result of two geniuses playing around with your expectations, taking the match in the opposite direction of what you might be expecting at every turn. And all this with their own athletic talent. Not a single gimmick prop is used (unless you count the table).

The outcome is ballsy as hell, too. I mean....

Spoiler

....how many matches can you think of that have the face lose to the heel, cleanly, by submission?

[close]

[talonmalon333]

Glad you guys like it, too.

It's a really well executed match, especially as the show's first main event. It almost feels like it was made for those who grew tired of modern WWE. And yeah, Johnny Mundo and Prince Puma were incredible in that match, and they continued to be so all throughout, and are among my favorites on the show. Johnny Mundo is given the push that he should have gotten long ago in WWE. Overall ,it just gets better and better.

I also love the dark, cinematic style of the show. Plus, it has the best authority figure/villain since Mr. McMahon.

Just don't tell WWE you liked it. If you do, they will ask why you didn't watch last their pay-per-view last Sunday, where the WWE World Heavyweight Champion faced a wrestler twenty years passed his prime, while all the young and incredible talent was used as time filler in the pre-show.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I also watched the first Trio match. That was exciting. All six wrestlers had different styles, they all preformed really well, and they all showed they deserved to win.

It's really weird to find yourself applauding a match after a heel wins, but like the Angle/Michaels match, you kind of just get taken with the talent and spectacle before the result. And maybe that's how it should be. Anyway, that's the second great match I've seen from LU, so I'll definitely be on the lookout for more.

I've often found tag matches not as exciting as they could be and often going through the same formula (much preferring "Tornado Tag" matches instead), but adding in an additional team member adds a lot to the proceedings. It gets much crazier and more exciting at that point.

[talonmalon333]

Can you remind me what wrestlers were in that Trios match?

As for tag matches, I think it depends on how they are done. Lucha Underground does a really got job making Trios/six-man tag team matches really exciting. WWE, on the other hand, makes them feel really sloppy, which is especially bad because they do so many of them nowadays.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I believe it was Pentagon, Super Fly, and Sexy Star,  against Kill Shot, Big Ryck, and The Mack. They all had different styles, and it worked so well.

[talonmalon333]

Right, I remember that one. Excellent match. In particular, Pentagon Jr., Sexy Star, and Big Ryck are some of my favorites in the series. Pentagon Jr. is great as a creepy villain.

It's also always engaging without any downtime.

Something I wish WWE could still do. Seriously, an episode of Raw is three whole hours. It used to be two hours, but they extended it. Instead if using that extra hour wisely, they just make every match much longer and dragged out... in addition to pointless promos, advertising, and nonstop recaps, but anyway...

That's another thing I love about Lucha Underground. The matches end when they need to. They always go for a perfect amount of time and are a spectacle from start to finish. And they are always the heart of the show.

[talonmalon333]

For those who like WWE's Royal Rumble format, I recommend Lucha Underground's match titled "Aztec Warfare". It's basically the entire roster fighting in a Royal Rumble to be crowned the inaugural Lucha Underground Champion. The format is largely the same as a Royal Rumble, but with a few differences.

[talonmalon333]

Seth Rollins, the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion, suffered a bad injury yesterday at a house show. He'll be out of action for 6-9 months and the belt will be vacated.

I have to admit, I'm legitimately depressed about it. I'm not going to claim Seth's title reign has been amazing or even great. But it's been nice having him featured prominently, and the problems with his reign entirely had to do with WWE's booking. Whenever I say he's the best in the WWE, I mean it. His mic work wasn't perfect initially, but once he became the champ and needed to cut promos on almost every episode of Raw, his mic skills really got great. As far as in-ring work goes, he's fantastic. Without a doubt, he's even better than Daniel Bryan. Just watch his match at this year's Royal Rumble, where he went against John Cena and Brock Lesnar and stole the show.

Along with all of that, despite the problems with his reign, I was looking forward to seeing where it would go. For Survivor Series this month, he was scheduled to face Roman Reigns in a title match, you know, his former brother in arms. That could have been a great feud. Plus, there was always that part of me that wanted to believe Seth's reign would culminate with a Triple Threat Match at WrestleMania 32 between Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose, the three former members of Shield. It's so sad that it has to end this way.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

So, let's take a moment to talk about tag-team matches. In theory, they should all be great because you have twice as many competitors, so there's no reason for the match's pace to slow down (if two guys get tired, the other two can take center stage for a while). Yet in execution, it's actually a lot harder to pull it off right than you might think. Twice as many athletes means that you need that much more coordination between all of them. If even one person is not on the same page as the rest, then you'll probably see the match easily fall apart. On top of that, not only does each participant need to have great chemistry with both of their opponents, but they also have to have it with their own teammate above all else. This is why truly great tag-team matches aren't that common, but when everything clicks, you get some of the most exciting matches in all of pro-wrestling.

I want to share two personal favorites of mine. One is a nostalgic match that I watched on TV back when I was a kid:

Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit vs. SCSA & HHH (Tag-Team Titles Match)
https://youtu.be/SBAwBUuqdc0

The second half of this match is what makes it for me. Everything is so intense and chaotic, but in a good way since you're invested in the outcome and want to see these two up-and-coming stars take down these much bigger (both figuratively and literally) veteran heels. And what's great is that you get a strong sense of teamwork from both teams, which makes literally every major twist in the match feel so unpredictable.

As a fun fact, HHH heavily injured his quad during the match (a very careful observer can actually spot where and when it happens during the match), but having CJ lock him into the Walls of Jericho late in the fight flat-out tore his quad and hospitalized him for months. So to see him suck it up and still finish the match as if nothing happened makes him a permanent bad-ass in my eyes. Anyone who says that pro-wrestlers don't count as real athletes because they don't have to endure real physical pain can go blow themselves.

Now that was a fun match, but my absolute favorite tag-team match is:

Edge & Rey Mysterio vs. Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit (Tag-Team Titles Match)
https://youtu.be/-iwRK3qdiKw

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a full video for the one that I really wanted to show you, which was their first confrontation, so instead I linked to this 2 out of 3 falls rematch, which is almost as good, and which I still HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you watch if you want to see something truly special.

You see, between 2002-2004, Smackdown was actually far superior to RAW, and was widely considered to be the best wrestling show around. Why? Because it had Paul Heyman as the head writer, and this guy knows how to make for entertaining wrestling story-lines and how to book matches that people will get excited for better than Vince ever did. In fact, Brock Lesnar owes him a lot for his massive popularity both back then and now, but that's besides the point.

In the latter half of 2002, Smackdown was essentially ruled by not a single star, but many of them, among which were the Smackdown Six: Three tag-teams that had an ongoing three-way rivalry with each other (two of which are featured in this match, and the other being Los Guerreros, consisting of the late, great Eddie Guerrero and his cousin, Chavo Guerrero).

They had an excellent series of memorable matches with each other, but the one that I linked to is my second favorite. This has all of the great qualities that make up excellent tag-team matches which I talked about, including great chemistry, unpredictability, teamwork, intensity, and even a shit-ton of creativity. There's one move in the match in which Rey Mysterio does a jumping attack off of the ropes and hits Chris Benoit who is being held up on Edge's shoulders, for instance. It wasn't a special move that he ever did before or since then. It was specially innovated for this match, making it stand out and feel unique, and there are plenty of spots like that throughout it. At one point it seems like the match is over, but the referee withdraws his decision and the fight continues, and your reaction from the edge of your seat is: WHAT!?! HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO ME!!!!!

It absolutely drove me insane (in a good way) the first time that I watched it. And just like the HBK vs. Angle match that I talked about a while back, all of the competitors are full of in-ring personality, on top of already having great in-ring technical skills. The match manages to tell a story without the need for words. Angle and Benoit's characters hate each others' guts since they are long-time rivals, but they begrudgingly have to work together to keep their titles, despite Angle being a heel and Benoit being a face. Meanwhile, Edge and Rey Mysterio are both baby-faces and act like brothers-in-arms, where one would easily take a hit for the other. They truly encapsulate the heart and spirit of teamwork throughout this match.

This leads to a very interesting theme for the match. It isn't typical good vs. bad, but rather raw power and expertise (Angle and Benoit) vs. skill and teamwork (Edge and Rey Mysterio). What's best of all is that the answer isn't so clear, since this match goes back and forth pretty evenly without a single wasted or dull moment, and Angle is the only real heel in the match, but his involvement with Benoit keeps it from being a heel team.

THAT is how great a tag-team match can and should be.

[talonmalon333]

Today's tag team division could use some fixing. The tag team champions are perfect because they are great wrestlers. Plus, because they are so good on the microphone, they are one of the few acts that WWE has given complete control to in terms of their dialogue. They are always one of the best parts of the show. But there's no one quite on their level.

It would be wonderful if we could see more great tag team matches, like those you posted.

You see, between 2002-2004, Smackdown was actually far superior to RAW, and was widely considered to be the best wrestling show around. Why? Because it had Paul Heyman as the head writer, and this guy knows how to make for entertaining wrestling story-lines and how to book matches that people will get excited for better than Vince ever did. In fact, Brock Lesnar owes him a lot for his massive popularity both back then and now, but that's besides the point.

In the latter half of 2002, Smackdown was essentially ruled by not a single star, but many of them, among which were the Smackdown Six: Three tag-teams that had an ongoing three-way rivalry with each other (two of which are featured in this match, and the other being Los Guerreros, consisting of the late, great Eddie Guerrero and his cousin, Chavo Guerrero).

Feels like such a distant memory now, thinking of when SmackDown was so good. It's become so irrelevant . Honestly, I wouldn't mind if Vince retired and Paul Heyman took over control of writing storylines nowadays.

[talonmalon333]

Tonight, on Raw, we will see what WWE's plans are, now that Seth Rollins is out of action for the next 6-9 months. He's vacating the belt, and they will be finding a way to crown a new champion. Big surprises are said to be coming tonight.

I just hope they don't have John Cena as their next champion. He's currently taking a vacation and isn't scheduled to come back until sometime next month, but with things the way they are now, it would just be too easy for them to say "Ratings slump! Uhhhh someone call Cena!" especially if they bank on the buzz of him tying Ric Flair as the longest reigning World Heavyweight Champion. They are in a ratings slump, and with Seth and Randy Orton both injured, I really hope they don't just crutch on Cena. That might give them a bit of a boost, but it's such a short term fix. To truly save themselves, they need to cultivate talent. But as things are, they haven't built up any young stars, except for Seth Rollins.

Let me list some names. These are all incredibly talented people that the fans like if not love, but aren't getting any pushes by WWE: Dean Ambrose, Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler, Sasha Banks, Cody Rhodes/Stardust, Calisto, Neville, Becky Lynch, Wade Barrett, Damian Sandow, Adam Rose, Bo Dallas, and Zack Rhyder. I could list more, but you get the point (I'm not even going to get into the number of incredible people in NXT that could be bumped up to the main roster shows) These people are all drowning in mid-card limbo, but could absolutely shine and put on show stopping matches if WWE just believes in them.

This bad spot that WWE is currently in isn't just a result of people getting injured. It's also because of their own stupidity.

[talonmalon333]

Looks like WWE is having a tournament to crown the new World Heavyweight Champion (none of the contestants are Cena, thankfully), and it will culminate at Survivor Series at the end of the month. They had announced this last week already, but I wasn't sure it was 100% confirmed, considering how much the writers must be scrambling now that their Seth-based plans for the next handful of months have been scrapped. But, either way, the tournament started tonight. Basing episodes of Raw around a tournament is a good idea because then the matches actually have stakes. It gets so tiring watching wrestlers who are in a feud trading wins because those wins never mean anything. But, with a tournament, they are actually fighting for something.

Triple H tried to convince Roman Reigns to join the Authority in exchange for getting the World Heavyweight Championship Belt for free. He also revealed that, back when the Shield was feuding with Evolution last year, he had strongly considered choosing Reigns instead of Seth as their top man. Of course, Reigns refused his offer and will fight his way through the tournament. I wouldn't be surprised if this tournament ends with a match between Reigns and his buddy Dean Ambrose. Rumors have suggested a feud between the two of them for months now, with one of them turning heel (Dean would be more likely to turn heel, but I think it would be better for Reigns to turn). Either way, I'm perfectly happy with that as a final match.

Seth Rollins' championship reign was fairly weak. I mean, he was perfect of course, but the way WWE booked him wasn't very good, and I had been looking forward to seeing how it would end (but of course, him dropping the belt because of an injury is a sad way to end it). Looking at a lot of the wrestlers in this tournament, things could turn out promising. Here's hoping something good comes out of this unfortunate situation.

[talonmalon333]

So, I have a question for you guys. Who is the best of all time in the WWE? Is it Shawn Michaels, or is it the Undertaker?