MOTY 2010: January (WWE - TV)

Christian vs. William Regal - WWE 01.19.2010


This wasn't as exciting as I remember. Regal's five minute matches with Bourne and Goldust later in the year are much better. It's as though he turns it up a notch in those smaller matches, ramping up the intensity and stiffness to pack as much in as possible. Matches like this lose out in comparison, which isn't fair to either performer, but it can't be helped. That said, Regal's attention to detail (here: bending fingers in wrist holds; elbow tie-up struggling; twisting Christian's wrist and chin during different holds etc.) makes almost any performance worth watching. He slows down the pace whilst Christian injects faster bursts with his turnbuckle shenanigans and sudden slaps. Jackson's presence at ringside is highlighted at points, impacting on the match, but moments like the staredown leading us into the commercial break weren't particularly compelling. Then again, we get Regal using a northern lights suplex as a cut-off which heads straight into a cool spot as Regal kicks Christian's skull into the post (pictured above) which was very compelling. Fun match. Won't last long but it lingers for now.

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OVERALL TOP TEN
1. Rey Mysterio vs. Undertaker - WWE 01.31.2010
2. Christian vs. Ezekiel Jackson - WWE 01.31.2010
3. Christian vs. William Regal - WWE 01.19.2010
4.

US TOP FIFTEEN
1. Rey Mysterio vs. Undertaker - WWE 01.31.2010
2. Christian vs. Ezekiel Jackson - WWE 01.31.2010
3. Christian vs. William Regal - WWE 01.19.2010
4.

MEXICO TOP FIFTEEN
1.

JAPAN TOP FIFTEEN
1.

MOTY 2010: January (WWE - PPV)

I'm restarting my 2010 MOTY list. Again.

This time I'm doing so with the intention of typing up reviews for the matches. That way a) I won't forget why I like certain matches (believe me, it happens...) and b) the blog remains active as I head into this semester's final assignments. Yay!

Power v. Agility would have to be the most entertaining dynamic in professional wrestling. The smaller guy, who's hopefully adept at bumping, brings the excitement and desperation whilst the opposing behemoth cuts them off with impact, slowing down the tempo. Dominate with more impactful stuff, teasing further comebacks, taunting the audience, before it eventually does happen leading into the finish... When done well it's a really, really fun structure and at WWE's Royal Rumble this year we got two examples of it.

Christian vs. Ezekiel Jackson - WWE 01.31.2010


Christian / Jackson was probably the lesser of the two. That said, it was still a fun opening bout. A great aspect to Christian's game is how he anchors offense on agility and veteran savvy; it's mostly counters, agile dodges and reactionary offense. That works extremely well when partnered with a big dude like Ezekiel. What makes this even better is how well Christian stays on the right side of selling. Working the grounded role in these kinds of matches, it's easy for the worker to compromise selling during their bursts of momentum. Even fellows like John Cena and Rey Mysterio, who are great, sometimes fall into this trap. Christian, however, maintains an impression of fatigue in his performance later in the match and builds his offense around the guy standing in the ring. His comeback sequences don't actually necessitate running about the ring as much. In fact, it generally requires the opponent to do the running for him. Christian achieves this without greatly undermining the 'rush' these comeback sequences evoke.

On the other side of things is 'Big Zeke' Jackson. His job is to drag the pace down in-between Christian surges whilst being interesting. He utilises a number of fun strength-based spots both within his control segments and as cut-off spots. It's not as compelling as, say, Umaga's was but what we get is perfectly fine. I really dig the swinging clothesline to the back of Christian's skull. As I do the few simple slams, which accrue some nice impact, originating from Jackson basically lifting Christian off the mat and dropping him (with force). We receive a trading bombs finishing stretch which caps it off nicely. A good match between an accomplished worker and a promising heavyweight.

Rey Mysterio vs. Undertaker - 01.31.2010


I don't think these two milked the comeback sequences particularly well. There was a long stretch in the middle where Mysterio was dominated with very little teasing of momentum shifts, which only served to make Undertaker's time spent walking around in the gap between moves feel aimless. I don't want to say 'looked lost' as it's Undertaker we're talking about here but nevertheless it didn't allow for a good ebb-and-flow to the match.

With that said lets talk about the good here, which there's a lot of. Some of Taker's cut-off spots were great: stopping Mysterio's opening flurry by simply tossing him out of the ring; punching Mysterio mid-top rope leap to send him crashing back out; the big boot to a springboarding Mysterio; the one-handed shove sending Rey hard into the ringside barricade etc. Basic offense used in a thrilling way. This is why power v. agility is usually awesome: no need for complex offense to create a sense of impact. Just have a guy leap into an uppercut. I know I said the comebacks weren't milked very well, which may cause one to wonder how I can like the subsequent cut-off spots. It's more that the comeback sequences weren't drawn out a little longer before the jarring stop. The cut-offs themselves were still very good. As was the ending, again highlighting how simple offense is transformed into something very significant within the structure of this match: has the Last Ride ever looked better? What has been a standard bomb in Taker's arsenal for the last five years once again looks like a bonafide finisher.

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OVERALL TOP TEN
1. Rey Mysterio vs. Undertaker - WWE 01.31.2010
2. Christian vs. Ezekiel Jackson - WWE 01.31.2010
3.

US TOP FIFTEEN
1. Rey Mysterio vs. Undertaker - WWE 01.31.2010
2. Christian vs. Ezekiel Jackson - WWE 01.31.2010
3.

MEXICO TOP FIFTEEN
1.

JAPAN TOP FIFTEEN
1.

Black Terry / Doctor Cerebro vs. El Hijo del Diablo / Gringo Loco - IWRG 01.24.2010

As the image reveals this isn't your usual IWRG match of competitive mat-work, fast-paced exchanges and aerial assaults. This is a simple, bloody brawl featuring a back-and-forth war between the two teams. Diablo and Gringo Loco gain the upperhand early, outsmarting Terry and Cerebro whom storm the aisle before the bell only to be ambushed from behind. Blood flows quickly with the rudos dominating for five minutes until momentum shifts. The carnage is all strikes and weapons to begin with, which is great as it allows the heat to sink in, before the bombs and dives cap it all off.

As the brawl splits apart whilst it's taped by the one person you're bound to miss parts. As such, it would've been nice if Black Terry Jr. had followed Doctor Cerebro around a bit more. That's my only criticism though, easily forgotten when you see how good what you do see is. Like Diablo shoving Terry's mangled face into front row spectators. And a wonderful close-up of Terry (again) having a cactus leaf grinded into his forehead. Sure, that sounds ludicrous. But within the context of this match it comes across as nasty. A very, very fun brawl.

Negro Navarro vs. Angelico - IWRG 01.21.2010

What I liked about this is the 'expressiveness' on display. It's more of a subtle thing in Negro Navarro's performance but it absolutely contributes to the match. After each hold both performers take time to 'react' to what they just endured. Angelico's is more of an explicit depiction of pain and admiration; Negro's a stoic hinting at underlying frustration and surprise. It adds another dimension to the taking-turns-to-prove-who-can-bend-the-other-into-a-better-pretzel convention that seems to open most IWRG contests. It also creates a slow burn through each caida building to a nice finishing stretch.

Another welcome touch in the mat-work is the twisting / bending of limbs in some holds. Most IWRG matches I've seen are usually content with the complex sequence of locking in holds which, once latched on, is enough. That's fine but here we have small moments within post-hold execution - Angelico twisting Navarro's arm between his knees, for example - which makes it look slightly more painful. It's not something I demand in these matches (the victim's selling under duress is generally enough) but it's appreciated.

Angelico and Negro Navarro stick with the mat-work mostly, allowing the emotion they portray boil over into a finish less about them taking turns to lock on holds, with one emerging on top, than two guys competing for the win simultaneously. I liked it. In place of aerial spots and brawling it did well to remain entertaining. A nod to Black Terry Jr.'s camera work: He doesn't end the footage immediately after each fall, but shows a minute or so afterwards focusing on the loser selling pain. It allows the impression that the move they eventually submitted to was on another level to all else endured. Nice.