WWE Battleground, Kobe World, G1 Climax & more!

[Rich Kraetsch]

Voices of Wrestling is back with a major show talking about all the major shows from last weekend: WWE Battleground, Dragon Gate's Kobe World 2015 and NJPW's kickoff to G1 Climax 25. Topics along the way include Kevin Owens becoming "just a guy", Roman Reigns, Kota Ibushi's selling, whether T-Hawk delivered in the Kobe World main event and much more along the way.

http://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2015/0 ... imax-more/

[soup23]

The Roman Reigns discussion was very interesting. I am glad that Tanahashi was brought up because based on comments about him being in the WOTY contender with a huge G-1, it seems like a similar case. I seem to be way higher on the Bryan/Reigns match and Big Show/Reigns than both Joe and Rich as those two matches in addition to the Mania Main event give him 3 ****+ matches for the year in my eyes. I do think it is slightly unfair to talk about in the New Japan stuff both in Ibushi/Tanahashi and Nakamura/Goto from Dominion that the beginning doesn't matter because the finishing stretch was so good and criticize that against Reigns for his match structure.

[Shining Wiz]

You can buy porn through Amazon? You guys teach me something new every time.

[Joe Lanza]

The Roman Reigns discussion was very interesting. I am glad that Tanahashi was brought up because based on comments about him being in the WOTY contender with a huge G-1, it seems like a similar case. I seem to be way higher on the Bryan/Reigns match and Big Show/Reigns than both Joe and Rich as those two matches in addition to the Mania Main event give him 3 ****+ matches for the year in my eyes. I do think it is slightly unfair to talk about in the New Japan stuff both in Ibushi/Tanahashi and Nakamura/Goto from Dominion that the beginning doesn't matter because the finishing stretch was so good and criticize that against Reigns for his match structure.

I did the written review for Dominion on this site and ripped the first half of Nak/Goto to shreds. I liked the entire Ibushi/Tanahashi match so that wouldn't apply, but i'll compare Reigns basic match structure to Nak/Goto.

Reigns essentially works a modern version of the old Hulk Hogan match. Sell sell sell, superman comeback, go home. I was bored by it when I was 8 in 1985, and i'm bored by it now that i'm 38 in 2015. Nak & Goto, as noted in the review, did a mediocre, drawn out build to a fantastic closing stretch. I criticized them for going long for the sake of going long and not filling the time in a compelling manner. Same for the Kobe World main event. Zzzzzzzzz. If you are going to bore me, then just cut to the chase and skip the bullshit. Give me a great 11 minutes like a G1 style match. I do'n't need the other 15.

Reigns usually does a less than mediocre, barely out of wrestling school build (Wyatt match is exhibit A) and then finishes it off with the same three move sequence, because that's all he's got. He's still green in a lot of ways. Now, Hulk Hogan did just fine with that strategy, and if the fans eat it up fine, but nobody considered him a super worker. If we're just critiquing bell to bell, I see Reigns as a very limited worker who has shown very little capacity to do anything out of his wheelhouse. I've never seen a guy with so few great matches, and so much utter shit to go along with it, praised so strongly in a WOTY context. He's improved greatly. Probably will continue to prove. But let's pump the brakes right there. That's all im saying. I think it's insulting to what others have done to lump him in with the year's best wrestlers.

[Wiretaup]

That Sheamus/Morrison match was a ladder match to boot.

[Joe Lanza]

That Sheamus/Morrison match was a ladder match to boot.

I still have no recollection, but I'm going to watch all of the matches Rich brought up.

Sheamus is a guy I like as a worker, he gets knocked for being stiff but I think that's what sets him apart in WWE. It really just struck me out of nowhere when I thought about it and couldn't come up with any great matches.

[Joe Lanza]

That Sheamus/Morrison match was a ladder match to boot.

also, are you "wiretap" from the Observer board?

[Wiretaup]

That Sheamus/Morrison match was a ladder match to boot.

also, are you "wiretap" from the Observer board?

Yep.

[Rich Kraetsch]

Welcome!

[DIFH]

Reigns essentially works a modern version of the old Hulk Hogan match. Sell sell sell, superman comeback, go home. I was bored by it when I was 8 in 1985, and i'm bored by it now that i'm 38 in 2015.

Do you just block out his matches with Sheamus?

and on the subject about being limited...people fucking love Ishii and he's been having the same match for like 3 years now

[Joe Lanza]

Reigns essentially works a modern version of the old Hulk Hogan match. Sell sell sell, superman comeback, go home. I was bored by it when I was 8 in 1985, and i'm bored by it now that i'm 38 in 2015.

Do you just block out his matches with Sheamus?

and on the subject about being limited...people fucking love Ishii and he's been having the same match for like 3 years now

True, but at least the Ishii matches are really good and always exciting. He's several light years ahead of Reigns in every way. You're talking about a guy who was a near universal WOTY contender last year who pumped out great match after great match.

[DIFH]

But your point was asking how a guy can be great when he only does one match. Everyone loves Ishii because he only does one match. Not the strongest point

[Joe Lanza]

But your point was asking how a guy can be great when he only does one match. Everyone loves Ishii because he only does one match. Not the strongest point

Fair, but Ishii's matches are always great. Step back and see what you're doing here. If Roman's matches were always great, it would be harder to knock him for it.

[BillThompson]

I love Ishii, but he can be hit or miss. I mean, his entire feud with Makabe was one giant shitfest after another.

[Joe Gagne]

Oh cool, a new VoW on Thursday, the busiest podcast day of the week. That's really great.

0:00:00 - 0:03:08: Intro/No Big Japan this week
0:03:08 - 0:13:00: Buying porn/Fake Taxi
0:13:00 - 0:41:29: DG Kobe World
0:50:13 - 0:58:37: Ricochet/Lucha Underground
0:58:57 - 1:00:04: DG wrapup
1:00:04 - 1:22:10: G1 Climax Night 1
1:22:10 - 1:31:02: Selling tangent
1:31:02 - 1:34:06: G1 wrapup
1:34:06 - 1:37:34: NJPW on AXS renewal
1:37:34 - 1:40:48: Seafood Pro Wrestling
1:40:48 - 1:43:59: Triplemania on PPV
1:43:59 - 1:47:08: Battleground
1:47:08 - 1:53:32: Seamus
1:53:32 - 1:58:23: Battleground part 2
1:58:23 - 2:15:55: Roman Reigns is the best
2:15:55 - 2:20:51: Diva revolution
2:20:51 - 2:30:45: Cena/Owens feud
2:30:45 - 2:35:00: Undertaker/Brock
2:35:00 - 2:39:18: WWE stupidity
2:39:18 - 2:41:38: Outro