Determined to write something positive about wrestling, this week I scoured the world looking for something to put a smile on my face. I found it.
My usual routine is to watch impact on Friday, Raw on Tuesday, then spend the rest of my time trying to find something worth talking about in either show. This week, the only thing that really stood out for me is the similarity in the way Austin Aries and Cesaro are treated by their respective companies.
I mentioned a few weeks ago how Aries had gone from pushing the champ all the way, to losing to some green mist as he was used in an attempt to get another lame gimmick over. This week he is back as number one contender. I also mentioned last week how Cesaro seems to be in the position where he is always close to winning a belt, but at the last minute the rug seems to be pulled from under him.
He follows that up by knocking out Miz, then getting superkicked out of another title. Both Cesaro and Aries seem to have all the tools necessary to be a champion, except the confidence of those in charge that they can actually pull it off.
So, what was it that put a smile on my face? Well, I took a little detour out east, and watched a match that is probably a couple of months old, I went to my default when I want to see a good match. I watched some AJ Styles.
In this instance, it was a G1 match against Minoru Suzuki, you have probably all watched it. If you have not, go do it.
I probably need to explain that I never watch Japanese wrestling, I suspect this is NJPW, but in reality, I do not know, and do not care. Whichever company it was, they do a fantastic job of presenting a show, no Tron, no pyro, no big stage to appear from, just rows of seats around a ring in a gym hall. More NXT than raw or impact. The ring itself resembled a boxing ring, and I don’t mean the shape, I mean the logos all over the mat, the bigger, solid turnbuckle pad, and the extra space outside the ropes.
The show seemed to be filmed with one or two cameras, with a host of photographers at ringside, again, it reminded me of watching a boxing match.
Now that might not mean a lot, but for me it gave a sense of watching a real fight. The crowd helped too. They oohed and aahed all the way through the match.The commentary being in Japanese was actually a plus for me, I might not understand it, but that is still an improvement on what we get from WWE or TNA.
But the ring and the crowd and the announcers were all irrelevant really, what made this match so good was the two guys in the ring, and the match they delivered.
It wont come as a surprise to many when I say again how much of a fan of AJ I am. I have followed wrestling for a long time, and have watched Styles be the man in TNA for almost ten years. He pulls off moves that look impossible, he pulls off moves that look dangerous, and he does it all the time.
Minuro Suzuki on the other hand, never heard of him. Between the two however, they managed to put on a match that looked as real as it gets. They stared each other down, they exchanged strikes, they told a great story, with Suzuki looking for submissions, while AJ looked to use brute force. They pulled out moves that looked like they were not planned out in advance, but were used because that was what was needed at the time.
Suzuki at one point had an arm bar on Styles, who countered it three times only to find himself back in it again. I guess what I am trying to say is that the match looked more realistic because you could see a reason for moves. There was no Peoples Elbow, no ‘You cant see me’, or any of the other signals wrestlers might use to tell the crowd what is coming next.
If an arm was within distance, an arm was attacked, or a hand, or a finger even. Same with legs. Moves looked like they made sense, and this added to the realism of the match. Both wrestlers sold everything really well, and added to that stare down and a generally stiff looking style, it made it hard to tell whether some of those moves were a bit more real than was needed.
Even afterwards, Suzuki looked to be raging at losing, throwing stuff at Styles in an apparent tantrum. We even had a run in that made absolute sense, and a fantastic ref bump that looked as good as the rest of the match. In fact, the only thing I could possibly criticise was the haircuts. both looked awful. If TNA are looking to copy anyone, this is the stuff to copy. Not the haircuts, just the rest of it….
I should probably apologise to my fellow writer and esteemed podcast host Duckman at this point, he has been talking up the G1 tournament for quite a while, and I pretty much ignored that recommendation. Whatever Duckman said about it, he was wrong, it was better than he said, and for ignoring his words, I truly am sorry.
But back to AJ Styles, who has to be in the conversation about best in the world right now. He left TNA, who have got to be kicking themselves, and went to Japan, where he has made himself a credible champ. The question now is could he actually do it in WWE, and would he want to?
Personally, I would say no to both. AJ has built a solid career, and mostly he has done that as an alternative to WWE. Realistically, if Bryan was not in WWE, and they were looking for an underdog character, then AJ might fit the bill, but so would Ambrose, Rollins, Ziggler, Bo Dallas, any number of guys.
Going to WWE would only make Styles a big fish in a massive pond, and he suits being in the smaller pond, where he can do pretty much what he likes with little interference. He can also play off that thinking that if only he was in WWE…
As promised, something positive written about wrestling, although I should probably say that while I like AJ in the ring, that would be as far as it goes. I will never be the guy at ROH with the gloves on. EVER
And so to my usual round up of what else is available right her at sltdwrestling.com.
Dave Webber has recently started a series of interviews with the fine ladies of Bellatrix. most of these names are new to me, and i look forward to learning more about them. Duckman is obviously waiting to see what I write so he can steal my ideas, while in the dungeon of Davie, we get a look at Seth Rollins. AOB will no doubt be along with another fine article soon, and the much anticipated final table for the prediction league is out soon. If I don’t win, we riot…
Almost forgot…. FREEDOM!!!
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