WWE Battleground, Kobe World, G1 Climax & more!

[Larsosc]

I'll probably be on an island for this (and trust me, it'll sound crazy), but the Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan 2/3 Falls match is my favorite WWE match of the last 5 years. I don't even think it's the BEST match WWE has produced in the last 5 years, but there's a few big reasons why I still rewatch it and smile.

- This pretty much directly followed the 18 second loss at Wrestlemania. For everyone (I'll include myself in this) who was livid that Bryan was screwed out of a real Mania match that could steal the show, this was a big validation.

- Because of that 18 second loss, Bryan was CRAZY over at Extreme Rules in Chicago. After the second fall in this match, Bryan has the crowd absolutely in the palm of his hand with YES chants.

- The way Bryan works this match is the closest we've ever seen to ROH Bryan Danielson (his heel persona no less). He even subtly drops in the "I have til 5" shtick too.

- Even in a vacuum, I still think this is a great match and it's probably the performance of a lifetime by Sheamus. He sells the arm/shoulder tremendously and the viciousness Bryan shows is so great.

- Finally, the commentary for this match is surprisingly decent by WWE standards. It does have Booker T involved, but I thought they sold the action really well and focused on what was happening in the ring far more frequently than they would today.

I'll be the first to admit I'm biased when it comes to this match, but I definitely think it's worth a watch and would confidently say it's the definitive Sheamus match. Granted, it's more because of his opponent, but he holds up his end of the deal.

I could have wrote this and not changed a thing. That match to me is a WWE classic, ****1/2 and all. Simple story with Bryan getting to display his technical skill to prove a point after making a major mistake last time against the smash-mouth bigger guy. It was a platform for Bryan to get his shit in but Sheamus really held his own by selling Bryan's offense like "alright, this guy is really good" and it made Bryan look so legit whilst nothing was taken away from Sheamus. Played into each other's strenghts, loved it.

That was a legit great Sheamus match and arguably the best Bryan match in the WWE. I remember giving Cena/Bryan ****1/4, so I may just rewatch that too and see if I still prefer this Sheamus match over that.

[BoxingRobes]

...white hot e-beef...

...start with a lockup.

I think we found out who bought the porn.

If there was a Scooby-Doo who'dun'it for who purchased the porn, I'd be the red herring, for sure...hell, as it was being mentioned on the podcast, I was pretty sure I was going to be named #1 suspect.

However, Joe and Rich have known me long enough to know, I won't pay for intellectual property.

[BoxingRobes]

...white hot e-beef...

...start with a lockup.

I think we found out who bought the porn.

I saw what the porn was. Way too tame for Larry.

Way too tame for most people, actually.

I'm convinced the purchase was

Emmanuelle In Space: The Complete Collection

[BillThompson]

Yup, you've got me. That reverse logic sure did me in.

But honestly, if you honestly think that Tanahashi/Ibushi match was a 1* match, why do you watch New Japan?

I'm not saying you have to love Tanahashi, or that the match was even the best on that show, but if you thought that match was THAT bad, does any of New Japan rank high at all for you?

Because,

1) I like to keep an open mind and give wrestlers chances to improve/change, or for my opinion to change.

2) NJPW is no different than any other promotion; there are plenty of wrestlers I like and plenty that I don't think are all that good.

I am curious who it is in New Japan you like.

Side Note: Please don't say Honma. I love Honma, but bemoaning his lot in life and burying Tanahashi is a stereotype of NJPW haters that I tend to immediately tune out. And by tend I mean 100% of the time.

Ishii, Nakamura, Honma (though I don't bemoan his lot in life, he's just a good wrestler who I like watching), Liger, Kushida at times, O' Reilly at times, Goto at times, and a few others.

[Goat]

Because,

1) I like to keep an open mind and give wrestlers chances to improve/change, or for my opinion to change.

2) NJPW is no different than any other promotion; there are plenty of wrestlers I like and plenty that I don't think are all that good.

I am curious who it is in New Japan you like.

Side Note: Please don't say Honma. I love Honma, but bemoaning his lot in life and burying Tanahashi is a stereotype of NJPW haters that I tend to immediately tune out. And by tend I mean 100% of the time.

Ishii, Nakamura, Honma (though I don't bemoan his lot in life, he's just a good wrestler who I like watching), Liger, Kushida at times, O' Reilly at times, Goto at times, and a few others.

Fair enough. Makes perfect sense why you watch NJPW. Thanks for responding.

[Eddie]

I'll probably be on an island for this (and trust me, it'll sound crazy), but the Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan 2/3 Falls match is my favorite WWE match of the last 5 years. I don't even think it's the BEST match WWE has produced in the last 5 years, but there's a few big reasons why I still rewatch it and smile.

- This pretty much directly followed the 18 second loss at Wrestlemania. For everyone (I'll include myself in this) who was livid that Bryan was screwed out of a real Mania match that could steal the show, this was a big validation.

- Because of that 18 second loss, Bryan was CRAZY over at Extreme Rules in Chicago. After the second fall in this match, Bryan has the crowd absolutely in the palm of his hand with YES chants.

- The way Bryan works this match is the closest we've ever seen to ROH Bryan Danielson (his heel persona no less). He even subtly drops in the "I have til 5" shtick too.

- Even in a vacuum, I still think this is a great match and it's probably the performance of a lifetime by Sheamus. He sells the arm/shoulder tremendously and the viciousness Bryan shows is so great.

- Finally, the commentary for this match is surprisingly decent by WWE standards. It does have Booker T involved, but I thought they sold the action really well and focused on what was happening in the ring far more frequently than they would today.

I'll be the first to admit I'm biased when it comes to this match, but I definitely think it's worth a watch and would confidently say it's the definitive Sheamus match. Granted, it's more because of his opponent, but he holds up his end of the deal.

I could have wrote this and not changed a thing. That match to me is a WWE classic, ****1/2 and all. Simple story with Bryan getting to display his technical skill to prove a point after making a major mistake last time against the smash-mouth bigger guy. It was a platform for Bryan to get his shit in but Sheamus really held his own by selling Bryan's offense like "alright, this guy is really good" and it made Bryan look so legit whilst nothing was taken away from Sheamus. Played into each other's strenghts, loved it.

That was a legit great Sheamus match and arguably the best Bryan match in the WWE. I remember giving Cena/Bryan ****1/4, so I may just rewatch that too and see if I still prefer this Sheamus match over that.

Gotta join in on the love for this match, I also thought it was fantastic.

I loved everything Bryan did in this match, and feel that he was really able to get the best out of Sheamus here. His selling of the shoulder was excellent throughout and I remember some of the exchanges between the two being really fun as well. I don't think there's any doubt that Bryan made the match what it was, but Sheamus more than held his own, I feel.

I also agree that this match, up until that point anyway, was the closest we got to seeing ROH Bryan Danielson in the match. And after the whole 18 second fiasco it was just really refreshing to see Bryan work a long match in the same manner that made him my favourite wrestler when I first saw him. It's why heel Daniel Bryan has been my favourite version of his character to watch in WWE, because it enabled him to be the aggressor in his matches, which has always been when he's at his best.

[Larsosc]

That's 3 of us really enjoying that Extreme Rules 2012 match in which Sheamus did more than good. I know a couple of friends who thought it was fantastic as well. Hoping you guys get to watch this, I was kind of surprised this match didn't pop up immediately during the Sheamus discussion.

[Angry216]

I guess this is where I'll throw my two cents into the debate in prior pages. I've never actually done a rant but this probably might end up like one. Eh gotta finally live up to the gimmick right brother jack dudes?

Look, I totally understand that people aren't going to like what I like, not just in wrestling, but in life. That's the way it is. But I do generally think there's this problem on both sides of when someone has an unpopular opinion and how that's perceived. Now on this forum, I generally respect people like Dylan and Bill and TJ(I think I've tweeted him that once) because I know they might not like something, but they'll generally check out a match that gets some buzz and will put their personal bias aside. They generally only dislike something once they've seen it and can judge for himself. That I can totally respect.

But there are people, not of this forum I think but on Twitter and even on the WO boards that will go into a match, already not liking a particular wrestler or style because they feel wrestling has to be wrestled in one particular fashion, already determined they're going to hate REGARDLESS of how that match turns out. And I think that mentality creates this borderline "elitist" esue attitude that wrestling can only be great if it's done in one particular fashion. If the leg is sold this way, if the arm is sold that way. If a particular part of the match goes this way, And to me, there's some people on Twitter that have that elitist viewpoint and I think that's bullshit.

Wrestling should be viewed however anyone wants to interpret it. It also should be debatable among people. I personally love debating. It's great especially when the debate is a great topic. But this whole idea that wrestling can't be great unless it's a certain way needs to stop. It's cool if people don't like Dragon Gate or the WWE or any other promotion. That's all fair game. And sure I'll debate someone over why I like Dragon Gate(for example) and such and such because again, that's all fair game, but when some people are like "[insert promotion/wrestler]" is shit and the people that like [insert promotion/wrestler] are shit, that's the problem. And it just shows those people are unimaginative, ignorant and narrow minded, wrestling fans floating around.

So yeah, there's that.

[Quentin Moody]

Let me hop on the love for Bryan vs Sheamus from Extreme Rules, that was really a great match. Easily Sheamus' best match in WWE and one of Bryan's best performances working in the company.

[AndyItwaru]

I think im speaking for at least more than one of us when I say that I would love a debate episode! I think maybe it would work if we pick a super specific topic, like 'is tanahashi an all time great pro wrestler based on work rate drawing power etc' or 'Where does Jerry Lawler rank on the greatest of all time? or is he even on the list?' or something along those lines. Anything that pits the south and the north against each other is okay with me in this smark civil war scenario.

[Statoke]

forget Dylan, it's pretty obvious that the real heat is with the Dragon Gate crew, who are so disgusted with me that they won't even post

As a more "junior" member of the DG crew, I agreed with you on the main event. I felt bored throughout and by the end I was forcing myself to like it and get invested. It may be silly but when I watch, I want to get involved and feel like I'm there. I chant, clap and say wrestlers names (all of this very quietly, under my breath), this happens with pretty much any good match and I didn't do anything during the main event. I didn't chant or anything until the end where I was almost forcing myself to do it and felt no emotion behind it. I am not feeling it with T-Hawk anymore, Flamita save us

[benjaminkicks]

Loved the brief Masato Tanaka praise in the show. I thought I was on an island in thinking that he's a legit all time great. I love the guy, and he will be in my top 30 at least on my Greatest Wrestler Ever ballot. I'm not a big Dragon Gate guy usually, but I'm going to check out that tag match pretty much solely because of Tanaka's involvement.

[BackLash]

Seafood Pro Wrestling eh? Well, Sharkboy has found lifelong employment.

On a separate note, wouldn't Goto be pre-New Day Kofi Kingston? Neither of those guys won the big one whereas Sheamus has done it a couple times.