Real F'n Show's Random Match Reviews

[Guest Real F'n Show]

The Match: Vader vs. The Undertaker vs. Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart

The Event: WWF In Your House: Final Four

The Stipulations: The WWF Title is on the line. Wrestlers can be eliminated by pinfall, submission, or being thrown over the top rope.

 

Undertaker with a flying clothesline to Vader as Bret and Austin go at it. Undertaker attacks Bret and Austin and he gives the old school ropewalk to Austin. Vader with a belly to belly suplex to Undertaker, and he throws him through the middle and top rope to the outside. Vader follows Taker outside the ring and rams him into the barricade as Bret works over Austin in the ring. Vader tries to nail Undertaker with a chair, but Taker ducks and Vader hits the ringpost. Austin whips Bret into the corner. Vader tries another chairshot, but gets it kicked back into his face by Taker. Austin covers Bret back in the ring for a close 2 count.

 

Austin elbows Bret for another nearfall as Undertaker whips Vader into the steel steps at ringside. Vader is busted open. Meanwhile, Bret gives Austin a backbreaker in the ring. Vader pounds away on Taker as Bret locks Austin a sleeper hold. Austin counters with a jawbreaker and gets a nearfall. Undertaker chokeslams Vader, but Austin gives Taker an early stunner for a nearfall. Vader runs into Bret for a nearfall. Undertaker works over Austin as Bret and Vader fight at ringside. Austin gets a neckbreaker on Taker for a nearfall, as Vader hits Bret with a chair on the outside. Austin and Taker now fight outside and Austin attempts a piledriver outside, but Taker back body drops him in the isle.

 

Back in the ring Bret clotheslines Vader. Undertaker suplexes Bret from the apron back into the ring for a nearfall. Vader tries to hit Austin with the steps, but Austin kicks him and slams him into the steps. Austin then drops the other set of steps onto Vader. Vader fights back on Austin as Undertaker gets a nearfall on Bret. Bret works over Undertaker’s leg as Vader drops Austin onto the barricade outside. Austin irish whips Vader into the barricade. Undertaker clotheslines Bret and crotches Austin on the top rope. Vader rams Bret into the barricade in the isle but Bret whips Vader over the barricade and into the crowd.

 

Undertaker gains a nearfall on Austin back in the ring. Vader rams Bret into the ring steps as The Undertaker attempts to throw Austin over the top. Austin with a clothesline off the top onto Taker for a nearfall. Vader puts Bret in a sharpshooter on the floor. Austin outside now, and he slams Bret into the steps. Back in, Taker and Bret work over Austin. Austin with a Lou Thesz press to Vader. Undertaker with a clothesline to Vader. Undertaker whips Vader into the corner but runs into a clothesline. Bret with a piledriver on Austin for a nearfall. Vader misses the FAT moonsault on Undertaker. The Undertaker chokes Vader with a camera cord at ringside as Austin works over Bret in the ring. Vader fights back on Taker at ring side and chokes him with the cord as Austin tries to throw Bret over the top rope. Bret battles back against Austin as Undertaker gains a nearfall on Vader. Bret gives Austin his elbow from the middle rope for a nearfall. Austin gets a rollup on Bret for a nearfall. Bret and Vader go at it and Bret gets a low blow on Vader. Austin slams Undertaker’s leg into the ringpost as Bret gives Vader a russian legsweep for a nearfall. Vader clotheslines Bret as Undertaker almost throws Austin over the top. Austin and Taker continue trying to throw each other over the top, but both fail. Undertaker with a short-arm clothesline to Vader for a close fall. Vader pounds away on Taker. Bret throws Austin over the top rope to eliminate him! Steve Austin is eliminated.

 

Vader clotheslines Bret and pounds away in the corner. Undertaker irish whips Vader into the corner and nails him with a running corner splash. Bret and Taker duke it out and Vader clips Taker’s knee. Vader with a suplex to Bret and he heads up top, but Bret stops him and superplexes Vader! Wow. And now Bret locks Vader in the sharpshooter! Undertaker nails Bret from behind to break it up. Dumbass. Vader with a powerslam to Undertaker as Austin returns and attacks Bret at ringside. Vader tries for the Vader Bomb but Undertaker moves, and low blows Vader, sending him over the top! Vader is eliminated.

 

Austin works over Bret but Taker clotheslines him. Undertaker with the chokeslam to Bret! Undertaker tries to tombstone Bret, but Austin grabs Bret’s leg and crotches him on the top rope. Bret rolls up Undertaker for a nearfall. Bret nails Austin and clotheslines Undertaker over the top rope to the floor to win the match and title in exactly 24:00.

 

Great, underrated match here. All four men looked good, especially Vader. Definitely Vader’s best WWF match, and the other three were excellent as well. Nice work all around. ****1/4.

[Guest Real F'n Show]

The Match: Al Snow vs. Chris Benoit

The Event: ECW Double Tables 1995

The Stipulations: None

 

They trade wristlocks to start. Benoit gets a fireman's carry takedown. Benoit wins a test of strength but Snow bridges up and overpowers Benoit. Benoit now bridges up and into a pinning position for a nearfall. Great pinfall reversal sequence and Benoit with a dragon screw legwhip to Snow. Shoving match, and Benoit pounds away on Al Snow. Irish whip criss cross ends with Snow superkicking Benoit. They trade hammerlocks and Benoit elbows Snow. Benoit chops the hell out of Snow, and whips him into the corner. Snow lands on the apron but Benoit knocks him off the apron with a clothesline. Benoit knocks Snow into the guardrail with a baseball slide. Snow gets right back up and hits Benoit with an awesome Shinjiro Otani-style springboard missile dropkick!

 

Snow misses a baseball slide and Benoit rolls back into the ring. Benoit kicks Snow but misses a clothesline and Snow nails Benoit with a couple roundhouse kicks. Snow then gets a spinning leg lariat to the back of Benoit’s head, sending Benoit to the outside. Snow teases doing a plancha but Benoit gets out of the way. Benoit drops Snow across the top rope. Snow elbows Benoit from the apron but misses a missile dropkick from the top rope. Benoit with a german suplex to Snow for a nearfall. Benoit KILLS Snow with a lariat and slams him down.

 

They trade blows and Benoit whips Snow HARD into the corner! Benoit with a sick belly to back suplex for 2. Benoit tries another back suplex but Snow lands on top of him for a nearfall. Benoit stomps Snow and slams him again. Benoit up top, and he comes off with the diving headbutt! He covers but Snow kicks out at 2. Benoit with a vicious powerbomb for another 2 count. Benoit with a snap suplex and a german suplex for yet another 2 count. German suplex reversal sequence and Snow gives Benoit an Ocean Cyclone Suplex. Benoit tries for a german again, and Snow reverses and gives Benoit a release german suplex!

 

Benoit misses a clothesline and Snow clotheslines him down. Snow stomps away on Benoit in the corner. Snow backdrops Benoit and a superkick gets a close 2 count. Snow with a Blockbuster suplex, pretty much a cradled exploder, for a close nearfall. Snow tries for yet another german suplex but Benoit counters and kills Snow with a german of his own. Snow tries to fight back, but Benoit quickly ends that with a Dragon suplex for the pin at 14:36.

 

Awesome match, with Benoit destroying Snow with his stiff strikes and vicious suplexes. Snow looks a lot better here than he ever has in the WWE, pulling out some cool moves I hadn’t seen him do before. Great beating from Benoit and nice hope spots from Snow lead to an excellent match. ****.

 

TOMORROW:

 

I take an in-depth look at Paul London vs. Jamie Noble from the 3/6/04 Velocity.

[The Mandarin 0]

So..there was actually a ECW event called "Double Tables"? It wasn't just a tables match between Snow and Benoit?

 

..oh.

[Guest Real F'n Show]

So..there was actually a ECW event called "Double Tables"? It wasn't just a tables match between Snow and Benoit?

 

..oh.

Yeah, the main event of the show was a double tables match. Haven't seen it (Snow/Benoit is from my RF Best of Chris Benoit tape), but I think it involves Public Enemy and Sabu/Taz.

[theintensifier 0]

The ME has PE vs. Sabu/Taz, in which Benoit super powerbombs Sabu from the top rope through a table!

[Guest Real F'n Show]

The Match: Jamie Noble vs. Paul London

The Event: WWE Velocity (3-6-04)

The Stipulations: None

 

Collar and elbow tieup to start, and London gets a go-behind into a waistlock takedown. Noble goes to the ropes, and rolls to the apron to break. Back in, they lock up again, with Noble getting an armwringer. London twists out and gets his own armwringer, but Noble somersaults on the mat, then comes back with a cartwheel to reverse the hold yet again, and he flips London over his head with what I can best describe as a back body suplex. Kind of like a northern lights but a little sloppier looking and no bridge. Noble goes right from the suplex into a ground wristlock. Noble keeps London grounded with the wristlock for a while, but London kips up and flips Noble over by his wrist. London then locks in his own wristlock on Noble, before locking both of his hands with Noble’s and forcing Noble’s shoulders to the mat for a pin attempt, and Noble gets his shoulder up at 1. London powers him back down, but Noble gets his other shoulder up for another 1 count.

 

Noble kips up and kicks one of London’s hands off of his own, before taking London’s other arm and locking in a top wristlock. London reverses into a hammerlock, but Noble counters with a heel trip and floats over into a front facelock. London tries to roll through but Noble changes to a rear naked sleeper of sorts. London fights off and rolls through into a grounded hammerlock. Noble rolls through and puts his own hammerlock on London, as both men are now standing. Noble rolls forward onto the mat, with the hammerlock still locked in, putting London onto the mat. Noble then adds a grounded headscissors while he has London in a wristlock on the mat. London kips up, but Noble immediately gets a single leg takedown, only to be kicked off by London. Noble charges right into a drop toe hold from London, into an armlock. London keeps the armlock applied as both men get to their feet. Noble breaks the armlock by shoving London off, face-first and HARD into the middle turnbuckle. Jamie Noble stomps away on London in the corner, before delivering two vicious chops to the chest of his opponent. Noble tries for a third chop, but London ducks it and fires away with three stiff chops of his own. He then delivers a hard forearm to Noble’s face, and a snapmare, followed by a STIFF running kick to the back. With Noble still sitting on the mat, London runs off the ropes and connects with a running flipping neckbreaker! Awesome. London covers Noble for a 2 count. Paul London attempts an irish whip, but Noble reverses, sending London into the corner. Noble charges, but London elbows him right in the face. London then hops to the second rope and comes off with a jumping knee to the back of a standing Noble’s head. London covers for another nearfall. London scoops Noble up and slams him down hard with a bodyslam for another 2 count. London picks his opponent up and whips him to the corner. London charges at Noble, but Noble back body drops him over the top rope. London is able to hang on to the ropes, however, and land on the apron. He gives Noble another stiff forearm shot from the apron, and jumps to the top rope, facing away from Noble and the ring. Noble quickly pushes London off the top rope, sending him face-first into the barricade at ringside! And we take a commercial break.

 

We’re back, and Noble has London locked in a sleeper back inside the ring. London elbows Noble in the gut, and gets two hard forearms to Noble’s face to break the sleeper. London runs off the ropes, but Noble side-steps his opponent, and throws London over the top rope. London hangs on to the ropes again, and tries to skin the cat back in, but Noble abruptly stops that with a sick dropkick to the head and chest while London is upside down, sending London crashing back-first to the outside! Sweet spot.

 

Noble rolls outside and grabs his opponent, before rolling him back in again. He covers for a nearfall, as London just gets the shoulder up. Short-arm clothesline from Noble for another 2 count. Noble covers again, this time grapevining the inside leg for yet another 2. Noble gets a standing legdrop on London, and then pulls down his kneepad, before dropping his exposed knee right onto London’s face. Noble earns another nearfall off of that, and decides to lock London in a sleeper. Noble elbows London in the face twice, while keeping him in the sleeper. Noble then transitions to a cool looking grounded neckbreaker chinlock on London, driving his knee into London’s back. London slowly fights out, but Noble grabs his opponent’s hair and slams the back of London’s head into the mat. Noble quickly goes right back to the grounded reverse chinlock move, continuing to drive his knee into Paul London’s back. Again, London slowly fights out and gets to his feet. Noble tries to roll through the move, but London catches him and hits his sweeping DDT! Both men are down as we get the double KO spot.

 

Both men slowly back to their feet, and Noble tries to grab London, but London counters with a jawbreaker! He then nails Noble with the dropsault! London back up and he gets a jumping side kick to the side of Noble’s head! Cover, but Noble just barely kicks out at 2. Both men to their feet again, and London forearms Noble in the face, before attempting an irish whip. Noble reverses, sending London off the ropes. Noble tries a clothesline, but London ducks it and hits his double chickenwing into an inverted sit-out powerbomb! He covers, but Noble JUST gets the shoulder up! Noble gets back to his feet, and staggers into the corner, and London follows with a VICIOUS running forearm in the corner! London off the ropes again, right into a snap powerslam by Jamie Noble! Into the cover, and London juts barely kicks out at 2! The crowd’s getting into the match now. Noble pulls London up and tries an irish whip, but London reverses, sending Noble to the corner. London charges at Noble, but Noble elbows him right in the face. Noble tries to go up top, but London kicks one of Noble’s legs, causing Noble to be crotched on the top rope. London then grabs Noble by the head and delivers 5 vicious step kicks to the face of Jamie Noble! London then climbs up top and takes Noble off with a top rope hurricanrana! Noble rolls through into a sunset flip! London JUST gets the the shoulder up for a heated nearfall!

 

Both men up now, and London tries a clothesline, but Noble ducks and hooks Paul London’s arms for the Tiger Driver! London fights out, however, but Noble jumps onto his opponent with a front facelock, wrapping his legs around a standing London! Standing Paydirt! London counters with a northern lights suplex into a bridge! 2 count, but Noble rolls back through and sits out, locking London in Paydirt! London taps out, and Jamie Noble wins one hell of a match in 10:14 aired.

 

Excellent match, between two great workers. It had psychology with Noble working over London’s upper body to set up for Paydirt, or even the Tiger Driver now that I think of it. London stuck with Noble, even countering Noble’s submissions most of the time into submissions of his own, or one of his high impact moves. The pacing was great too, and the work in the match was crisp. They also used some sweet reversals in this match, especially the finish. The crowd came alive towards the end with the nearfalls and London and Noble went back and forth down the stretch to produce a great finish to an awesome match. Some problems in this match were present though, although it’s definitely not either worker’s fault. First of all, the crowd wasn’t really into the match until the end when they really came alive. It would have been nice if they didn’t seem so bored with the awesome ground sequence at the start, but they only came alive for London’s sick bumps and the stiff shots that both guys gave each other. Also the match was too short, of course, but it is the WWE, and these are cruiserweights, so I guess I should be happy with 10 minutes. Excellent match that not many have seen, and the best match in Velocity history. ****

 

UP NEXT:

 

1.) Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart- Steel Cage Match- WWF Summerslam 1994

 

OR

 

2.) Rey Mysterio and Edge vs. Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit- WWE No Mercy 2002

[HarleyQuinn 0]

Summerslam 94, feel the blood hate

[LucharesuFan619 0]

Steel Cage - Owen vs. Bret.

[theintensifier 0]

Same as above.

[DCMaximo 0]

Best cage match ever- Bret vs Owen

[Guest Aecas]

Bret/Owen Cage Match

[Guest Real F'n Show]

The Match: Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart for the WWF Title

The Event: WWF Summerslam 1994

The Stipulations: Bret’s WWF Title is on the line. This will be a steel cage match.

 

Owen attacks Bret as he enters the cage and hammers away with the 10 punch in the corner. Owen with a snapmare, and he rams Bret into the corner. Owen with a nice European uppercut and some stomps. Owen with some chops and a headbutt but Bret fights back with an atomic drop and a clothesline. Owen retaliates and stomps Bret’s hands! Awesome. They slug it out and Owen rakes the eyes. Bret counters getting rammed into the cage with a DDT and he hammers away. Bret with a legdrop to Owen and he attempts to climb the cage, but Owen pulls him down. Owen hits his trademark enziguri. Owen climbs the cage, but Bret catches him and back suplexes him to the mat. Bret crawls to the door of the cage, but Owen grabs his leg and kicks the hell out of it. Owen whips Bret into the corner, but Bret gets the boot up on the charge. Bret with a bulldog and he tries to get out but Owen stops him. Owen dives for the door but Bret pulls him back. Each man tries to dive for the door, but the other stops them. Bret tries to keep Owen from getting out, but Owen bites his fingers! Owen was the man. Bret pulls Owen back to the middle of the ring and elbows him. Bret climbs up but Owen grabs him by the leg and slams him from the top rope to the mat.

 

Owen climbs up and over the cage but Bret catches him and pulls him up by the hair. They trade punches on the top rope until Owen knocks Bret back down to the mat. Owen with his SWANK missile dropkick, and he tries to climb out again, but Bret stops him. Bret pulls Owen back in and climbs to the top of the cage. They battle it out near the top of the cage on the top rope. Bret knocks Owen back down to the mat and tries to escape but can’t. Owen tries for a piledriver, but Bret back body drops out of it. Bret applies a headlock, before punching the hell out of Owen. Owen shoves him off, and they end up colliding. Owen reaches for the door but Bret grabs his leg. Bret pounds away on Owen and drops an elbow. Bret tries to climb out but Owen grabs his leg. Bret kicks Owen but Owen stops him from climbing up and over the cage. Owen yanks Bret down, causing the Hitman to get crotched on the top rope. Owen reaches for the door, but Bret grabs him by the leg again. Bret with the headbutt to the groin and he starts to climb, but drops the second rope elbow instead, but misses. Owen climbs up but Bret stops him again and pulls him in by the hair, then slams him to the mat. Owen stops Bret from climbing out and nails Bret with a samoan drop. Owen climbs to the top of the cage but Bret stops him. Owen tries to ram Bret into the cage but Bret counters and rams Owen into the cage. Bret climbs over the cage but Owen grabs him by the hair and pulled him back in. Owen then hits Bret with a back superplex.

 

Owen with a piledriver and he tries climbing out again, but again, Bret stops him. Owen knocks Bret off the top rope, but falls off himself. Bret tries to escape through the door but Owen grabs his legs and gives him some punches. Owen dives for the door but Bret grabs him and pulls him back into the middle of the ring, before catapulting him into the cage. Bret crawls to the wrong corner, but eventually gets to the door. He nearly wins it by escaping out the door, but Owen barely stops him. Owen irish whips Bret into the corner. Owen gets a go-behind, but Bret ducks and Owen runs into the cage. Bret climbs over the cage, selling the leg, but Owen grabs him just in time, and grabs Bret’s hair. Owen with a spin kick, and he tries to climb the cage, but Bret stops him. Bret pulls Owen back in by the hair. They trade blows on the top rope but Bret knocks Owen to the mat with a kick. Bret climbs up but Owen pulls him down and nails another awesome european uppercut. Bret misses an elbow and both men collide. Owen climbs the cage again, but Bret catches him and gives him a superplex off the cage! Awesome.

 

Bret slowly crawls to the door, but Owen grabs him by the leg and pulls him back in. Owen locks Bret in the sharpshooter, but Bret fights out and locks Owen in his own sharpshooter! Bret climbs the cage and almost wins it, but Owen barely stops him again. Both men fall to the mat. Owen gets up and starts to climb, but Bret stops him. They both climb over the cage, and Bret rams Owen into the cage, causing him to fall! Owen’s leg is caught in the cage though, and he hangs upside down, unable to reach the floor! Bret jumps down and wins the match in 32:14.

 

Lots of drama in this match and some great spots, especially for the time. Owen played an awesome heel here, stomping and even biting his brother’s fingers at one point, and Bret played the great face, of course. Not as good as their Wrestlemania classic, but definitely the best cage match ever, with a great story to go along with it. One of my personal favorites. *****

 

UP NEXT:

 

1.) American Dragon vs. Low Ki- ROH Round Robin Challenge

 

OR

 

2.) Low Ki vs. AJ Styles vs. Paul London- ROH Anniversary Show

[Beast 0]

Dragon vs. Ki, only because I have it and I want to see your opinion

[theintensifier 0]

The three way, since I've never seen a review of it before.

[Guest 2pacallyps]

Dragon vs Ki. Also do you review Japanese matches? If not I can see why you rate the mathes so high. It's not a knock on you but most people that rate any WWF matches ***** have never seen any puro. I do like your reviews and if you have seen AJ in the 90's or will ever watch some of the legendary matches please write a review on them.

[Guest Real F'n Show]

Dragon vs Ki. Also do you review Japanese matches? If not I can see why you rate the mathes so high. It's not a knock on you but most people that rate any WWF matches ***** have never seen any puro. I do like your reviews and if you have seen AJ in the 90's or will ever watch some of the legendary matches please write a review on them.

I only have a few puro tapes, and most of them are comps. There have been ***** matches in the WWE, it's just that there's been alot more in Japan. It's just because the Japanese have more workrate then entertainment, but if I really like a WWE match (ie: Bret/Owen) then I'll give it *****.

[The Mandarin 0]

Cool review. Nice to see you're using the term I love so dearly, "SWANK". The cage match is also the best one I've seen.

 

I'm gonna go with Dragon/Ki.

[Copper Feel 0]

low ki .vs. paul london .vs. a.j styles ive heard mixed fellings about this one all over the interweb.

[Guest 2pacallyps]

If you compare the quality of Japanese matches to WWE matches than I don't know how you can rate a WWE match *****. There're over 20 Japanese matches that are better in quality than any North American match I have ever seen. My top North American match is Flair vs Steamboat ****1/2 followed by HBK vs Ramon WMX ****1/4-****1/2, Eddie vs Rey Halloween Havoc ****1/4(Best WCW match ever), Austin vs Rock WMXVII ****-****1/4, Bret vs Owen WMX ****, Bret vs Austin SS96 ****, HBK vs Foley Mindgames ****, Bret vs Austin WMXIII - ***3/4 and some other matches I'm forgetting that are near the ****. There're probably 5-9 matches that I would rate ***** and all happened in Japan.

[Guest 2pacallyps]

Real F'n Show so if the match really intertains you (Bret vs Owen) do you ignore the flaws or maybe you don't notice small flaws because you get into the match so much? I can understand that. For example Benoit vs Angle really entertained me when I first watched it live but when I looked closely and anylized it I saw that it was a good match and nothing more. Maybe I try to anylize matches a little to much instead of marking out. I mean I still enjoy the matches just not as much as when I was younger. Although I still get into the top Japanese matches like I'm a kid it's just very few matches do that to me.

[Guest Real F'n Show]

Real F'n Show so if the match really intertains you (Bret vs Owen) do you ignore the flaws or maybe you don't notice small flaws because you get into the match so much? I can understand that. For example Benoit vs Angle really entertained me when I first watched it live but when I looked closely and anylized it I saw that it was a good match and nothing more. Maybe I try to anylize matches a little to much instead of marking out. I mean I still enjoy the matches just not as much as when I was younger. Although I still get into the top Japanese matches like I'm a kid it's just very few matches do that to me.

Yeah, more or less I give the star rating on how much the match entertains me first off all, and the workrate is the afterthought. I guess I can't really get into the outside story of a puro match as opposed to a NA match where I can understand the announcers. I know alot of people say that puro matches tell the story through the match, but it just doesn't work for me. Kawada/Misawa 6/3/94 and Kobashi/Misawa 1/20/97, two matches that I HAVE seen, are ***** no doubt though. Review coming soon.

[theintensifier 0]

Posted by: 2pacallyps on Jul 2 2004, 07:24 PM

 

If you compare the quality of Japanese matches to WWE matches than I don't know how you can rate a WWE match *****. There're over 20 Japanese matches that are better in quality than any North American match I have ever seen. My top North American match is Flair vs Steamboat ****1/2 followed by HBK vs Ramon WMX ****1/4-****1/2, Eddie vs Rey Halloween Havoc ****1/4(Best WCW match ever), Austin vs Rock WMXVII ****-****1/4, Bret vs Owen WMX ****, Bret vs Austin SS96 ****, HBK vs Foley Mindgames ****, Bret vs Austin WMXIII - ***3/4 and some other matches I'm forgetting that are near the ****. There're probably 5-9 matches that I would rate ***** and all happened in Japan.

 

You're not impressing anyone rating NA matches lower then they should be. Obviously Japan and NA wrestling is completely different, it's like night/day.

 

The matches you "rated" are definatley 5 star matches in NA. And there is no way in hell that there are 20 matches in Japan that are better than Flair/Steamboat from '89 and Austin/Hart '96-'97.

[Guest 2pacallyps]

Theintensifier I'm not trying to impress anybody. It's just my opinion. Please don't compare Flair vs Steamboat to Austin vs Bret matches. Flair vs Steamboat best match(Clash VI) is vastly superior to the Austin vs Bret matches. Hokuto vs Kandori(DreamSlam I women's match) is much better then Flair vs Steamboat. That match tells the story of Hokuto's whole career and her determination to finally win the big match although she failed countless times before. It plays of all of Hokuto's major injuries. For example Hokuto had her neck broken at 19 of a tombstone. So to built the story she get's tombstoned on a table in the match. If you think that the best North American matches compare in quality to the best Japanese matches that's your opinion. I on the other hand don't. If you want me I can name 20 matches that I think are better than the best Flair vs Steamboat match. You might not agree but that's ok.

[Guest 2pacallyps]

Also I don't hate on North American matches. My third favorite match is Shawn vs Razor ladder match (WMX) but just beacause it's one of my favorites doesn't mean I'm jaded by the quality.

[Michrome 0]

Do Dragon vs. Ki. It's probably my second favorite of their series, a very fun match, but in my opinion a very flawed match. Some people absolutely love it though, so we'll see where you fall.

[Guest Real F'n Show]

Do Dragon vs. Ki. It's probably my second favorite of their series, a very fun match, but in my opinion a very flawed match. Some people absolutely love it though, so we'll see where you fall.

I'm interested in what you thought was their best match? A review of Ki/Dragon is coming within the next few days...

[Guest Real F'n Show]

The Match: American Dragon Bryan Danielson vs. Low Ki

The Event: Ring of Honor: The Round Robin Challenge

The Stipulations: This is the final match in a round robin series of matches that these two had with Christopher Daniels. Low Ki has already defeated Daniels earlier in the night, while Dragon was defeated by Daniels. In other words, if Low Ki wins, he wins the Round Robin Challenge, and if Dragon wins, we have a three-way tie. Ken Shamrock is serving as the special guest referee.

 

Low Ki lands a kick to Dragon's leg early, but Dragon retaliates and takes Ki to the mat. Dragon tries a cross armbreaker but Ki counters. Dragon targets Ki’s neck, but Ki flips him over and lands some mounted punches. Low Ki mounts Dragon again and applies a bodyscissors. Ki lands some stiff headbutts and applies a sleeper while keeping Dragon in the bodyscissors. Dragon counters with a painful looking surfboard type submission on the mat. Dragon locks on a sleeper, and wraps his legs around Low Ki. Ki escapes and gets some more punches. Dragon applies a head/arm submission and pulls back on Ki’s neck. Dragon then pounds away on Ki with some stiff shots.

 

Dragon locks in another sleeper on Low Ki. Ki reverses, however, and locks Dragon in a front facelock. He lands some knees to Dragon's head while maintaining the facelock. Dragon backs Ki into the ropes and throws an elbow but Ki blocks it. Dragon blocks a kick to the head from Low Ki. Low Ki takes Dragon down to the mat again and lands some more mounted punches. Dragon tries to counter into a cross armbreaker, but ends up settling for an upside down version of the move, with Ki face down on the mat. Ki rolls out of the move and kicks Dragon in the head. Ki tries to work over Dragon’s arm, but Dragon lifts him up and slams him. Ki continues to try and work over Dragon’s arm on the mat, and tries a cross armbreaker of his own. Dragon flips over Ki and locks on an STF variation, but Ki gets to the ropes. Ki lands a SICK kick to Dragon's face from a prone position on the mat and Dragon rolls out of the ring.

 

Back in, Low Ki takes Dragon down with a waistlock. Ki bridges up and gains a nearfall. Dragon hooks Ki's legs and applies a cool surfboard type move, and then flips him over onto his shoulders for a nearfall. Dragon goes to work on Ki’s leg, possibly to isolate the stiff kicking that almost killed him earlier in the match. Dragon tries a legbar but Ki kicks him in the head with his free leg. Good idea, bad execution, Dragon. Ki with some more kicks and knees to the face. Dragon rolls out of the ring, and his eye is busted open.

 

Back in again, and Dragon applies another cross armbreaker but Ki quickly gets to the ropes. Low Ki with more stiff knees to the face. Dragon hooks Ki's leg and rolls him up for a nearfall. Dragon applies a chickenwing. Dragon gets a back suplex on Ki. Dragon with a snapmare and a STIFF kick to Ki’s back. Dragon chops Ki in the back of the neck for a nearfall. Dragon goes after Ki’s arms again. Ki fights back with more knees and a kick to the face. Low Ki with some chops and now HE snapmares Dragon and kicks him in the back even harder! These guys are gonna be sore after this match, no doubt about it. Low Ki with another snapmare, and a chop to the back. Ki with a double chickenwing on the mat, followed by another stiff kick to Dragon’s back. Ki tries for the Dragon Clutch, but can’t get it all the way on. He gets a nearfall and then applies a cobra clutch with a bodyscissors on Dragon. Ki locks Dragon in a sleeper but Dragon gets to his feet and they both tumbled through the ropes to the outside, with Ki still keeping the hold on!

 

Ki covers back in the ring for 2. Ki with a double foot stomp to Dragon’s stomach! Dragon actually bridges up with Ki standing on his stomach! And Ki stomps him back down! Ouch. Dragon counters an attempted Ki Krusher, and nails Low Ki with a roaring elbow. Dragon suplex from Dragon! 2 count only. Dragon with a snap DDT, and he heads up top. Diving headbutt! But Ki manages to knee Dragon in the face on the way down! Ki covers for a close 2 count. Ki hits the Tidal Crush in the corner! Low Ki with a Dragon suplex of his own! Close nearfall. Ki locks Dragon in Dragon’s own Cattle Mutilation! Dragon counters into Ki’s Dragon Clutch! Dragon wraps his legs around Ki but Ki gets to the ropes. Dragon cranks on Ki's neck and hits a fucking SWANK~ (CM Funk approved) Neck Crank suplex! Heated nearfall. Dragon with an elbow in the corner, and he follows it up with a northern lights fisherman’s suplex (northern lights with leg hooked) for a close nearfall. Cool.

 

They trade STIFF chops and Dragon gets some forearm shots. Ki jumps to the middle rope and tries his springboard enziguri, but Dragon dropkicks him in mid-air! A cover gets a close 2 count. Dragon tries a suplex, but Low Ki kicks him in the leg and gets a brainbuster for another close nearfall. Ki with some more stiff knees and kicks. KI KRUSHER! 1…2….but Dragon kicks out! Holy shit! Backbreaker from Low Ki, and he heads to the top rope. Ki soars through the air with a beautiful Phoenix splash, but hits Dragon’s knees on the landing! American Dragon with another Dragon suplex for a heated nearfall. Dragon sits Ki up top, and hits a back superplex! Dragon sits Low Ki on the top rope again and looks to be trying for another back superplex, but Ki retaliates with chops. Ki grabs Dragon, TOP ROPE KI KRUSHER!!! Holy shit is right. It was more like a super fisherman’s buster of sorts, driving Dragon’s head right into the mat. Both men are out, and Dragon rolls out of the ring again, so he can’t be pinned.

 

Back in, and Ki finally covers Dragon, but Dragon gets his foot on the ropes! Ki with another kick, and some chops. Low Ki tries the Tidal Crush again, but Dragon catches him in a full nelson. Ki counters a Dragon suplex, but Dragon nails a cradled back suplex! Dragon then applies the Cattle Mutilation. Dragon releases the hold and then reapplies it in the center of the ring. Ki won’t tap out, but finally passes out from the pain at 32:09.

 

Both men get a standing ovation after the match, and Dragon gets on the mic to thank everyone. What a fucking match. 15 minutes of straight matwork to start, which ruled it like no other, and added a sense of realism to the match. Then there’s the stiffness. I was thinking Dragon was legit knocked out at least twice in this match from Low Ki’s fucking STIFF kicks. Never seen a Low Ki kick? Imagine Tajiri times 5. The huge moves were also here, especially the super Ki Krusher/fisherman’s buster, which is just insane. There’s also a sort of story in the match, with Dragon playing the mat wrestler, and Low Ki playing the striker. Dragon takes it to the mat and locks on various sick submission, and Ki tries to hang with him, but isn’t as rounded as Dragon is on the mat, so he’s forced to strike Dragon to break the holds, instead of countering all of them. So it’s basically Dragon’s submissions versus Low Ki’s strikes, with both men using some of their opponent’s strategies every once in awhile, namely Dragon’s elbows and Ki’s submissions. There’s also a sort of sub-story to this match, as Dragon started out working Ki’s arms and neck to set up for the Cattle Mutilation, but Ki kept breaking the submissions with kicks. So Dragon then started working over Ki’s legs to isolate the kicks, and THEN tries to set up for the Cattle Mutilation. Overall, this is the second best Ring of Honor match I’ve seen, behind Paul London vs. American Dragon 2/3 Falls. Keep in mind, I haven’t seen the Punk vs. Joe 60 minute draw yet, so that could change. But as for this match, I’m giving it ****1/2.

 

UP NEXT:

 

1.) The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge and Christian - ladder match - WWF No Mercy 1999

 

OR

 

2.) The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar - Hell in a Cell - WWE No Mercy 2002

[Guest Black Lightning]

Hardyz vs. E&C. I still haven't seen it, and I've only heard about it from a mark's perspective. I'd like to see what you think of it.

[Beast 0]

Ladder Match

[Michrome 0]

I'm trying to remember the date...the best Dragon-Ki for me was ECWA 7/01 with Ricky Steamboat as the ref.