What's Great in Wrestling? #1
Keeping it Real
While I haven’t taken the time yet to write up a larger piece on what Modern Marks is or what it’s all about, I think it’s fair to say from what I’ve written so far that it will have plenty of pro wrestling criticism. Well-written criticism is fun and enjoyable to read, whether you agree with it or disagree. I read a ton of it, myself. But it’s also easy to get lost in criticism, for your joy in a hobby to turn into a hobby of hating. That’s why, for both myself and for y’all, I want to take routine fresh breaths and remind myself why I love this ridiculous pro wrestling thing. That’s what this What’s Great in Westling newsletter will be all about.
This is by no means an excuse for me to focus more on criticism in my other writing, by any means. The balance between celebration and constructive criticism of pro wrestling in my pieces will swing week-to-week based on what’s happening. For those who prefer to focus on the positive without dealing with the rest, though, What’s Great in Wrestling will be the best option to read. I’ll even make sure to revisit anything great I might cover in my other articles here, too.
This is the point of being a wrestling fan, after all. I want to see great wrestling. I want What’s Great in Wrestling to be all of the wrestling I watch. This has to be the most important part of what I write about wrestling.
Canadian Alpha
The best match at AEW’s Wrestle Dream 2024 PPV was the 3-way performance from Will Ospreay, Ricochet, and Konosuke Takeshita. In that match, Takeshita’s Alpha character evolved into its purest form. In many ways, it’s a traditional heel role. Takeshita lets the faces deliver most of the moment-to-moment audience-thrilling offense, while delivering devastating strength-based strikes, counters, and moves in response. That’s mixed with Takeshita’s modern style of sudden adrenaline rushes with athletic surprises and unique spots. Takeshita’s Alpha has now had his first match since winning AEW’s International Championship, wrestling Mike Bailey at the debut show of Maple Leaf Pro. It was exceptional.
It is my humble opinion that Mike Bailey is at his best when up against a performer of superior physical prowess. Bailey is all about getting his signature spots in, his dozen styles of powerful kicks, his Fisherman Driver variations, his Shooting Stars, and so on. It can make his opponents come across as overwhelmed, or even out of their depth. Takeshita, at 6’2” and a brawny 250 lbs., never looked anything less than the obvious favorite. Even as Mike Bailey delivered his offense, and brother Mike Bailey got all of his shit in, Takeshita ever looked impressive. Takeshita offered an indomitable presence for Bailey to overcome, and it was up to Bailey to persuade us he was a capable challenger. He did.
By the end of the match, there had been multiple series of moves where it looked entirely possible for Takeshita to lose. Similarly, there were multiple sequences where Bailey probably should have lost, only for his underdog face spirit to drive his shoulder back up. When the match did finally end, following a devastating Power Drive Knee and a Raging Fire, both men looked justifiably exhausted. It was a nearly 25-minute marathon and every minute of it was exhilarating.
It’s difficult to understate just how impressive Takeshita looked in this match. Much of his performance will be familiar to those who have seen the Wrestle Dream 3-Way, but where that was a much more focused showcase this was a brutal back-and-forth battle. And Takeshita didn’t need Don Callis’ help, either. Here’s hoping the same Takeshita shows up for his match against Josh Alexander for MLP Forged in Excellence Night 2’s main event.
The Hurt Syndicate Helps
On Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, Hurt Syndicate (is the faction name officially confirmed, yet?) member Shelton Benjamin had his first match as part of the roster against Lio Rush. This was overall an excellent match, with Shelton looking strong and Lio Rush overdelivering in his role as a small quick guy trying to overcome a powerful larger guy. What’s elevated an obvious build match to something more is a simple yet excellently told story and setup for a feud with Swerve Strickland. It’s perhaps AEW’s best story of the moment, which is saying something considering how much time and focus is being given to Moxley and the BCC.
The premise is simple. MVP has joined AEW and is putting together a faction. He wants Swerve to be a part of that faction, and his argument is that Swerve’s manager Prince Nana is responsible for Swerve’s recent losses. It’s a great face/heel framing, with MVP making a cold but rational argument that wrestling is a business and Swerve rejecting that in favor of retaining Prince Nana who he described as family. MVP’s goal is to prove his approach is right by beating Swerve, and vice versa. Where Swerve is a known quantity in AEW, MVP’s made clear there’s more to his plans than has yet been introduced.
For now, however, MVP’s plan is for Shelton Benjamin to kick Swerve’s ass. That match is already set for the Dynamite before Halloween. AEW’s goal for now is to make make certain that Shelton Benjamin is presented as a genuine threat to ex-champion Swerve. The Lio Rush match could easily have been a job. Yet not only was the match excellent, easily the best match of the night, but it was also framed as part of the bigger picture. MVP gave Lio his card after the match ended, and Lio followed up on Twitter implying he was at least considering listening to what MVP might offer. It wasn’t just a build match. Lio Rush is now a part of this story, even if it’s just a thread that may or may not be pulled on.
In the grand scheme of things, Shelton Benjamin is not the focus of this story. Bobby Lashley is waiting in the wings. But as a first chapter, it’s incredible how well everyone involved has made everyone involved feel important — has made everyone involved look great.
Britain’s Brawn
Zack Sabre Jr. is now the IWGP Heavyweight Champion in NJPW. Will Ospreay continues to be AEW’s most consistently impressive in-ring performer. Mariah May and Jamie Hayter are dominating AEW’s women’s division. And none of them are what this topic is about. No, this is about giving praise to the world’s best indie promotion — Revolution Pro Wrestling.
The COVID-19 pandemic undercut the indie wrestling circuit across the world. A lot of promotions didn’t survive it. Others haven’t been able to build back to their prior success. RevPro was hit hard, and had to deal with WWE’s UK NXT effort simultaneously. It’s taken some time, but RevPro has built back, and the show-to-show quality of its wrestling can no longer be denied. It really is just that good.
Men including Michael Oku, Luke Jacobs, Robbie X, Rickie Knight Jr., JJ Gale, Zozayo, and more. Women including Alex Windsor, Lizzy Evo, Mercedes Blaze, Kanji, Rhio, and more. They’re showing up and they’re putting on outstanding performances every show. These are wrestlers who, if they were stationed in the USA and weren’t limited by extended travel, would be scouted by both WWE and AEW and potentially wrestling on TV by now (and for some, may be doing just that soon). Oku specifically deserves so much praise. With Ospreay semi-retiring from indie wrestling to focus on AEW, Oku has stepped up and led RevPro through example. He works his ass off and is a great ambassador for the promotion. And when he does drop the belt eventually, there’s plenty of talent there ready to lead in his place.
In all fairness, RevPro isn’t doing this all on its own. It has a significant partnership with NJPW. Talent including Zack Sabre. The most recent RevPro show featured talent including Zack Sabre Jr., Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomohiro Ishii, and Yota Tsuji. Stardom talent including Mina Shirakawa and AZM also joined in the fun. But it’s RevPro’s talent that are making the most of it. If you’re not watching RevPro already, check it out online at revproondemand.com.
Halloween Hexcitement
There’s a lot to be excited about in the coming weeks of wrestling. Halloween is less than two weeks away, which always leads to some especially wild shenanigans.
As for shows to watch out for, AEW’s doing a special Fright Night Dynamite show on October 30 that will definitely have a few shocks and horrors. The second night of MLP’s Forged in Excellence debut is tonight, with Konosuke Takeshita vs. Josh Alexander main eventing. NJPW’s Super Junior Tag League starts this week. It’s not typically packed full of must-see matches, but there’re always a few that end up standing out.
One other match worth mentioning is the second Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura Produce Kakuto Tanteidan event. In the first iteration, which happened in October 2023, Fuminori Abe beat Takuya Nomura in one of the year’s best matches. This year, Abe is pairing up with Yuki Ishikawa to take on Nomura and his partner Kazunari Murakami. These men are certain to go all out, so hopefully they have another Match of the Year candidate to talk about.
As of the publication of this newsletter, I’m not sure if What’s Great in Wrestling will become a weekly thing or not. Hopefully, there’s enough great wrestling relatively quickly to justify it. Otherwise, talk soon and enjoy yourselves!
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