A bit of a weird month, nothing noteworthy from some of the darlings of the year, NJPW & ZERO-1’s shows didn’t necessarily materialize into great matches. However one promotion had debatably it’s signature show plus a lot of consistently awesome goodies from the usual suspects and more! Hot summer, hot fights and all the like: we keep moving. Enjoy!
Daisuke Ikeda & Kotaro Suzuki vs. KENTA & Ricky Marvin (Pro Wrestling NOAH Accomplish Our Third Navigation 2003 - Day 2 - 7/1/2003) - Back like we never left. As a show opener this is a match that is suited to get one of the new fellas brought in for the incoming Junior Tag Tournament final for the new shiny tag belts for the division. Marvin is able to dazzle the more unique crowd in Morioka. Having Kotaro work as his base, he’s able to hit some awesome dives and a truly breathtaking Tornado DDT, hell, he even has some hefty strikes throwing down for a short period of time against Daisuke Ikeda. There’s also more of what is able to get these matches to work so consistently for me throughout, Ikeda and KENTA having a stiff strike exchange and are able to build so much suspense in the beginning minutes immediately getting down to business without much formality. KENTA’s bag is also beginning to differentiate on the cusp of the tournament beginning as he’s pulling out a couple more ranas and new bombs, and having the everyman of Kotaro Suzuki to work off of it works like a charm. Rather fun opener to the second half of the year continuing the themes we have consistently seen throughout the first six months. Bread and butter, this is. - ***¾
Yoshihiro Takayama, Shinya Makabe & Takashi Sugiura vs. Jun Akiyama, Akitoshi Saito & Makoto Hashi (Pro Wrestling NOAH Accomplish Our Third Navigation 2003 - Day 2 - 7/1/2003) - Takayama rallies his understudies from both of his promotions he has called home in 2003 and wages war with Sternness. Wild-eyed Shinya Makabe in this match is immediately the trick up big Takayama’s sleeve - and it absolutely pays off in droves. Makabe is such an immediate force in his first ever NOAH appearance. Despite being regulated as one of the up and comers in NJPW he immediately is shot out of a cannon and owns the place in this match. Soaking up the disdain like a sponge taking out one of the top dogs of NOAH before the match. It leads to one of the most entertaining beat-down segments that the entire year has given us with Takayama, Sugi, and Makabe cascading down bombs to a prone Akiyama. If it weren’t for the tenacity and cleverness of Sternness, a more cohesive unit, there’s a high likelihood this match would not have gone on much longer. Yet, the anger is so combustive here with all the egos at play and the framework of a raucous brawl. Takayama is such a force of nature hitting all of the beloved NOAH talents with knees, standing on them, and commanding his forces to isolate each wrestler. Akiyama’s defiance is what makes him one of the finest talents here, being able to be beaten pillar to post by all three of Team Takayama and coming in as a commanding force returning to the match with his jumping knee and instant aura that shifts the match. It helps he’s so giving to both of the younger fellows here, but also factoring Hashi in with his feisty demeanor facing off against the much larger Takayama, and Saito always willing to scale the arena in a brawl, we have one of the finest six man tags 2003 has given us so far. A real feat to stick such a landing on such a match once more. - ****¼
Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin vs. Eddie Guerrero & Tajiri (WWE SmackDown! - 7/3/2003) - Haas & Benjamin fully shed the ‘Team Angle’ moniker throughout this feud and transition smoothly from general secondary heels to more of a traditional pair of dumb jocks and they fully assume this role for the first time coming out to face off against the tag champs Eddie & Tajiri. It’s a raw and simple piece of work here despite all the theatrics and gorgeous low-riders ringside involved, Eddie and Tajiri are consistently rolling hitting some of the most engaging moves that the blue brand has to offer before Haas & Benjamin use their brute force as well as sound minds to isolate Tajiri. Tajiri has been consistently fantastic in this role as one to build sympathy for the imminent hot tag to one of SmackDown’s most over acts at the time. Eddie is still fantastic here running away with the Lie, Cheat and Steal gimmick, introducing the tag rope as his way to stay on the referee’s good graces even if the tag rope is nowhere near the corner. It’s awesome when he breaks up a submission Tajiri is deep in the clutches in yet Eddie scampers back to the corner to hold up the tag rope in front of the referee. Eddie of course when this hot tag goes crazy, but all the kineticism is all for naught after he misses a crucial frog splash and then gets suplexed on the outside landing feet first. It allows for Tajiri to come in and keep the team at bay, yet through no fault of his own Tajiri is kicked to the outside and takes one of the most ludicrous bumps I have seen in a while landing right on the hood of the low-rider that Eddie and Tajiri entered with. I love how truly out of nowhere the spot is as it immediately sets a more shocking tone to make way for the finish. It doesn’t allow for a smooth finish as the finish is super abrupt and clunky, but all the aspects of the match beforehand with Eddie and Tajiri putting their own spin upon a simple structure is simply too great to deny. Too bad that they didn’t get more of a chance to run with these belts, but I have a feeling we will revisit Haas and Benjamin later on with how much growth they have displayed throughout this year. - ***¾
Chikayo Nagashima & Nanae Takahashi vs. Meiko Satomura & Kayo Noumi (GAEA Brat Pack - 7/5/2003) - Though it’s nice to see a lot of the same names mix it up and find new ways to be innovative in the confines of a tag match like a lot of puro is generally structured in this era (NOAH, ZERO-1, etc.) the same crowd being in every match truly is tiresome when doing such an extensive project as this. It’s commendable on all fronts whenever new names come in to switch the dynamic and build more here and I feel we get a lot of that for this match here. With what GAEA Brat Pack was, bringing in more TV style sensibilities as well as names outside of the lexicon of GAEA to the greater Joshi scene it can make for matches like this one here. Noumi and Nanae are not necessarily the biggest highlight of the match, but having such an engaging dynamic mixing it up with fellow great talents in Meiko and Chikayo and throwing down with their brand of fiery striking and bomb throwing it allows for an all-captivating addition to this match. It’s easy though when you have one of the best ever to play off of like Meiko, as Meiko is breathtaking in this environment. Matrix-dodging the opponent’s strikes, all the agile offense, as well as the palpable passion you can practically feel through the screen watching her perform during this time. It’s especially fun when she’s playing off of Nanae trying to avoid Nanae’s strikes after being perched up on the top rope, as well as hitting one of the most gorgeous overhead kicks that lands flush on Nagashima’s head. I wish there was more of Chikayo for me to write about too for this project - she’s a great contrast to one of the best to ever do it and has been a truly enticing performer to watch in the face of grave danger such as Meiko’s striking proficiency or Noumi’s bombs in this match, as well as her defiance and comebacks during this match and the greater project. All in all, it’s the best of the bunch of the many exciting GAEA tags we have seen with their diverse array of talent on this display, and it is even more criminal knowing how much is currently missing right now from not only GAEA but the Joshi scene during this time as a whole. In a just world, the incandescent passion on display for this little charming tag would be more of a consistent find. - ****
Toshiaki Kawada & Ryuji Hijikata vs. Satoshi Kojima & Kaz Hayashi (AJPW Summer Action Series 2003 - Day 1 - 7/6/2003) - It feels good to finally have some Kawada back to watch for this project after his return from injury. Oddly enough, this match actually was the same day as the big Z-1/AJPW main event at Ryogoku between OH-Gun and Kawada & Muto in another chapter of the inter-promotional rivalry there, which thanks to everyone being banged up it didn’t move me (surpisingly much like the entire show). This did though for the simple fact that this match is easily one of the most stiff matches of the project so far. Kawada pairs up with former Ishikawa protege in Ryuji Hijikata against Kojima & Hayashi, two of the Mutoian stars in the promotion. Kawada and Kojima absolutely wallop each other in this one. Egregiously mean stomps to the head, lariats, kicks, all the good stuff. One of Kojima lariats even gives Kawada a near injury scare that took Kawada out to ringside, but thankfully Kawada was able to finish the match and continue to pummel the prodigal son in Kojima repeatedly. It feels good we did get a chance to see Kawada just be absolutely forceful and not get sucked into the vortex of tomfoolery that 2003 AJPW tends to do with weird talents all across the board that don’t necessarily help the promotion. But between Hijikata and Hayashi they’re also very strong as Hayashi is an ever-versatile force to work with balancing out his more graceful offense with relatively solid fisticuffs, but Hijikata fit the environment much more and was a treat to watch as well, especially with a wild finishing sequence having the Korakuen Hall environment come absolutely unglued. It has a few features I could have done without knowing how AJPW did their tag team matches during this time period, lots of time could have been shaved off but regardless it’s easily their most complete work for a big main event tag team match that they have had this entire year so far. - ***¾
KENTA & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Tsuyoshi Kikuchi & Mitsuo Momota (Pro Wrestling NOAH Accomplish Our Third Navigation - Day 6 - 7/6/2003) - With the tag belts on the line in ten days at the last show for this tour, stakes is high, especially for this matchup between the prodigal sons and the oldest guard. One of the first true KENTAFuji matches here, we get a true treat of what makes this duo click so well. The vibrancy of Marufuji counterbalanced by the cool and calculated KENTA, it tended to work much smoother in reality rather than concept. It just so happens there’s a chance to establish the status quo for these belts immediately with this duo taking on two of the most tenured and well beloved Juniors in Kikuchi and Momota. Despite Momota slotting in incredibly smoothly in the comedy opener division NOAH had, he’s given one last shot with ol’ Kikuchi as his partner in crime as gangly members of the old guard. Even with Momota’s Polar Bear in Arlington, Texas standing, he’s clearly the standout performance in this match against both of the younger talents. He’s 55 and doesn’t have much but heart and soul, and that’s what makes this match so engaging and endearing. Despite some heinous strikes from KENTA, and Marufuji’s speed and smarts, Momota is able to consistently stay in it and provide a platform for engagement that allows for the crowd to become unglued with Momota’s performance. Whenever he gets a chance to fight back, whether it’s a ridiculously risky dive to KENTA or being able to outsmart Marufuji’s pinning combinations, the gravitas of the moment allows for Momota and Kikuchi to rise to such a momentous occasion. It’s so much fun seeing him step to the electric young guns with ease, despite Marufuji not necessarily always clicking with the much older competition. Kikuchi doesn’t have as much brought to the table outside of what works for him, and that works to this matches benefit greatly to avoid certain pitfalls. Despite it’s faults, it’s one of the most uplifting performances of the year so far seeing this battle of older vs newer talents. One of the finest tournament matches of the year so far. - ***¾
Mascarita Segrada vs. El Torito (IWA Puerto Rico Summer Attitude 2003 - Day 2 - 7/12/2003) - Minis action!!! I have been eager to dive into the land of the minis for this project and thankfully with the biggest IWA PR show of the year we get a chance to see Mascarita Segrada cook with ease. It’s all around a lot of fun between a pairing that works seamlessly between Torito being the bulbous heel base to the eccentric and nimble Segrada. There’s a lot of what makes this style so exciting with Segrada hitting nifty armdrags and ranas with Torito bouncing around just as cartoonishly against a cartoon character come to life. Even with the referee shenanigans with Segrada being a nuisance to the ref, everything is so snappy and fun in an air-tight package that is executed down to a science. It’s in a similar vein to the famous Ebessan/Kamen match from the beginning of March or the Nunzio/Taker match from June where it doesn’t attempt to set out for anything outside of what it truly needed to accomplish. Not quite rocket science, but it doesn’t have to be whatsoever. - ***¾
Chikayo Nagashima vs. Devil Masami (GAEA Storm Signal 2003 - 7/13/2003) - Continuing the theme of the old guard vs. the new generation in GAEA, we revisit this theme with a more interesting narrative between Nagashima and Masami. Nagashima is proven, but Masami is still after all of these years still as unforgiving as ever. There’s a lot of the underdog versus seemingly impenetrable force goodness here, Devil Masami’s reactions to everything Nagashima does throughout this match make this match so much more of a delight than it already is. She feels like the originator of the type of cartoonish reactions that Yuji Nagata would take from many years later. Even as Nagashima can’t throw down with Devil, it allows for her to think on her feet more. It does allow for Devil to send her down to earth consistently, but Nagashima has the speed, pain tolerance and in turn the ability to thwart Devil by using these traits. It’s a delight of a big heavy vs. spiteful little match, with all the pummeling power and thrilling comebacks to make this work so nicely. Easily one of the finest GAEA singles we have seen this year. - ****
Aja Kong & Chigusa Nagayo vs. Meiko Satomura & Ayako Hamada (GAEA Storm Neutral - 7/13/2003) - Once more, old vs. new done exceptionally strong. Meiko and Ayako are both top tier talents in Japan at this time, and Aja brings in her ally in Chigusa for a battle that seemingly feels like the two ideals of GAEA at this time squaring off for supremacy. Meiko and Ayako do feel more representative the future of Joshi wrestling, as they would both be instrumental to the success of such a scene making it primed for a resurgence in the following decade, and the respected past of Chigusa and Aja represent the past and how that would bookend such a scene in the coming years as we traverse the dark ages. Even if Chigusa is far from her era as a Crush Gal and is very much in her role as a senior, especially wearing athletic shorts and a tank top, it is never a doubt that she couldn’t still be capable of awe-inspiring things, especially being able to catch Meiko in a gnarly submission only to eat an absolute god-damner of a dropkick from Hamada. Meiko and Aja spend a ton of time continuing to expand on their already ridiculous catalogue and Ayako Hamada gets a chance to show why she is one of the premier freelance talents at this time. Between four incredible talents and the ability to just let loose with one of the great blank canvases that pro wrestling can provide - a hot Korakuen crowd, it’s a blisteringly exciting tag match that whips ass. Quite simple, isn’t it? - ****
Arashi vs. Nobutaka Araya (AJPW Summer Action Series 2003 - Day 6 - 7/13/2003) - In itself, AJPW is such an oddball promotion because despite it’s tendency to be tiresome and odd array of talents, the oddities just end up hitting their stride when done incredibly well. Case in point, the battle between these two behemoths that have made the upper midcard home. Araya and Arashi have been more than serviceable, consistently being the better talents in the many six man tags that have been on AJPW’s house show circuit during this time. Araya is eager to prove he’s the finer talent by getting a chance to jump Arashi at the bell and use the outside tools to his advantage. Karma though comes for Araya, Arashi immediately has Araya repent for his sins. It’s all supplemented by incredible punches, headbutts, blood, and weapon shots all done in an air-tight timeframe. It’s the perfect execution of the previously mentioned cheat codes for success when they’re executed to a tee like this. It’s more likely than not the fact that there’s a hefty amount of Tenryu influence in both as they both spent plenty of time throwing down alongside and against him in WAR or AJPW, but that being in their lifeblood is evident here by executing such a simplistic match at a high level. One of the finest sprints of the year in a year full of fantastic sprints. - ***¾
Yuji Nagata vs. Jun Akiyama (Pro Wrestling NOAH Accomplish Our Third Navigation - Day 12 - 7/16/2003) - Nagata gets a chance to continue to antagonize the NOAH roster, this time big Jun. Defending the honor of his home promotion, Jun Akiyama with all the anger in the world decides to throw caution into the wind and have an all out battle in a short period of time. Both talents are so combustible in this environment, they both have explosive offenses that compliment the tempo of the match graciously. Nagata also has all the mannerisms, such as his salute taunt to pepper out this type of match with a lot more personality as an invader. Akiyama in attacking Nagata’s neck is also vicious, pummeling him with DDTs and suplexes to dispatch Blue Justice. Nagata is one of the best wrestlers at going short form in this time, similar to most of the NOAH roster, so he fits in this environment of arrogance like a glove. Nagata is able to stay in the fight and suckers in Akiyama towards the end with vicious exploders after rocking his chin. Everything in this match is so brutal, but is detrimental to what’s in store for both talents knowing what they would be up to in the coming months. One of the finer short matches of the year so far. - ****
Burning [Kenta Kobashi & Tamon Honda] vs. Yoshihiro Takayama & Shinya Makabe (Pro Wrestling NOAH Accomplish Our Third Navigation - Day 12 - 7/16/2003) - The GHC tag belts have been the centerpiece for momentous all star tags throughout the year and the dividends have paid off exponentially. With Shinya Makabe being brought in by Yoshihiro Takayama, and immediately antagonizing a good amount of the NOAH roster in his debut at the beginning of the month, karma would be in store with Kobashi and Honda as the ones to deliver it. Makabe and Takayama are a real neat foil to the ace and his partner in Honda. Though Kobashi and Takayama are both world champions at this point, Makabe is a little asshat who hits hard enough in his early stages seemingly primed for greatness, in contrast to someone like Tamon Honda where this title reign would end up being his most significant accomplishment in NOAH. Makabe easily gets under the skin of both of Kobashi and Honda by continuously pestering at them, using a table in his measures as well as his hard-hitting offense already. Takayama on top of this also just can throw down with anyone as this all-encompassing presence no matter where he goes, always feeling like a force to be reckoned with against Burning defending NOAH’s honor. However, Makabe soon after gets punished by the Ace, and the Burning guys send him to hell in due time by getting busted open and thrown down in one of the craziest tag spots of the year. It has the gravitas of all of these classic Kings Road adjacent tag matches as well as the NJPW/NOAH rivalry continuing to run rampant. A ferocious one to add to all four people’s repertoire. - ****
KENTA & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Takehiro Murahama (Pro Wrestling NOAH Accomplish Our Third Navigation - Day 12 - 7/12/2003) - For the brand new GHC junior tag straps, it’s the prodigal sons facing off against the invading forces. Liger & Murahama going into this match have the experience, they are the current Osaka Pro tag champs, yet KENTAFuji as a pairing are the two foremost of the NOAH borns. It is a big match due to the fact that it is one of the first times the wrestlers with a majority of NOAH DNA main event the supercard that concludes the tours for NOAH. Thankfully, we don’t lose ourselves in this moment. Even if KENTA & Marufuji have been effective at cracking a code to get 3.75s throughout the year, this match is a different beast due to the seismic shift it would create in the greater canon for NOAH. KENTA & Murahama are one of the great lost pairings in wrestling, they complement each other so nicely for two wrestlers who only faced off twice. With their strike exchanges always not only standing out from the crowd of many, many other different exchanges I have sat through with the different arcs and angles the kicks are thrown, to the weight of all of the strikes. It’s a pairing that is vital to this match, as well as Liger who suits both of KENTA & Marufuji’s best traits. KENTA takes the role as this match goes down to a formula that he absolutely shines in by playing face in peril, bumping around and taking a beating for a lengthy control segment that showcases Liger as one of the best heels in the world in 2003 despite not always playing this role. He and Murahama sucker him in and revel in the infamy, and then the tone shifts completely once Marufuji tags in. Marufuji’s subsequent hot tag ignites this match to explode like a firework, immediately setting a breakneck pace for everyone to punish each other to etch their name in history. It’s incredible how smoothly executed it all is and how it doesn’t break down. Ferocious bombs, jaw dropping dives, and all the action NOAH juniors wrestling is so famous for climaxing in a joyous way. Adopting this simplistic formula and adding all the little nooks and crannies that each talent can work so well, makes it a truly seismic moment. Two of NOAH’s most beloved Juniors establish themselves even further with this one, and a force to be reckoned with is born. - ****¼
Los Hanava Brothers [Rocky Romero, Bobby Quance & Pinoy Boy] vs. Virus, Ricky Marvin & Volador Jr. (CMLL On Televisa - 7/18/2003) - For an introduction to a division that didn’t receive much time on TV for CMLL it was a surprise to see how immediately this paid off. The light heavyweights get a chance to prove themselves on TV and run with the opportunity. Between a new rudo unit with a very young Rocky Romero, Bobby Quance and TJP as ‘Pinoy Boy’, Los Havana Brothers hit the ground running. They aren’t able to go full heel style, but as a cohesive unit of NJPW trainees they’re able to spread their wings enough to bring in suave and sleek offense and to be effective bases for the tecnicos. It’s also appropriate that the tecnico team also is immediately firing on all cylinders. Ricky Marvin comes back from his NOAH tour immediately showcasing his growth as a performer with more grace and instinct to his work in comparison to the few appearances he had on TV before. Though Virus doesn’t get a chance to stretch the competition thin via his many Jave at this time, his mind is still firing on all cylinders, bringing in eccentric bombs as well as finding ways to be a conductor for his hyper-athletic teammates. It’s an all around breezy trios match that sees everybody working with something to prove, and that allowed for all cylinders to fire with relative ease. - ***¾
Los Infernales [El Satanico, Mephisto & Averno] vs. Los Guerreros Del Infierno [Ultimo Guerrero, Tarzan Boy & Rey Bucanero] (CMLL On Televisa - 7/18/2003) - For my money, these are two of the best trios teams in Mexico. The ceiling is high for either of these teams considering how great GDI are whenever they get a chance to work as a unit or any iteration they have as a tag team, and Los Infernales have been in the tag team of the year conversation throughout the first half of the year. Infernales and GDI are both electric in their offense in this one. Each unit manages to be absolute tacticians in their attack, swarming in at the right time. Los Infernales also begin to work as rudos once more, doing more jubilant emoting after their successes that displays their arrogance. Even as Ultimo Guerrero is a natural rudo, he also works efficiently as a tecnico alongside his teammates, pinballing around the ring with speed and grace and playing to the crowd, even doing the first ever raise the roof taunt that I have seen on this project so far! Though Los Infernales find a way to outsmart GDI in the end, it was a contentious battle and another success for both teams to have an electric all star trios even if there could have been much more achieved. Even if it is closer to the floor for both, it’s still full of life and heat, with all the action you can ask for. - ***¾
Toshiaki Kawada & Satoshi Kojima vs. Naoya Ogawa & Katsuhisa Fujii (AJPW Summer Action Series 2003 - Day 9 - 7/19/2003) - AJPW gets a chance to try their hand at the most outright brash type of Inokiism with the the UFO/Z-1 contingent coming into the raucously packed Budokan against two of the top gunslingers. This match has a lot of weird moments, it’s certainly a choice to have Satoshi Kojima, someone who is the personification of brute force during this time working with Katsuhisa Fujii who squabbles with him on the mat and completely outclasses him. But this match lies all in the aura and intrigue of a Kawada and Ogawa match. This match devolves into a messy, scuzzy fight full of anger and disdain on one of the biggest platforms puro can provide during this time period. I am delighted to finally get a chance to discuss Naoya Ogawa on here as he is one of the great attraction-like figures during this time by pummeling team AJPW with throws and STOs, and even has moments of his brash charisma shine through against Kawada, clapping his hands and getting in the face of Kawada in a similar manner that Wanderlei Silva got into Chael Sonnen on TUF many years later. Between all the heft and ability that Kawada has to absorb offense, and all the big knee drops, STOs, lariats, and more, it’s such an evil battle with all the scale in the world to move mountains despite it’s issues riding off of the high of one of the feuds of the year. - ***¾
Low Ki vs. Deranged (ROH Supercard Of Honor - 7/19/2003) - The Special K guys are in over their head and they get their karma once more for having dance parties in the ring and grinding on each other. Simultaneously though, this is maybe the finest piece of booking around Low Ki throughout ROH with his return here. Despite his shoulder apparently being at ‘75%’ he picks a fight with a bunch of the Special K crew. It just so happens after killing two of the junkies, Deranged comes in and actually is willing to take on Ki. Deranged gets a chance to be the kinetic little force that he is, flying around the ring in all orange representing the goofballs he is apart of. Obviously, the match is not known for this, but it becomes all too different with THAT brutal sequence with it’s immediate tonal shift. Between that, and Low Ki finding a way to squeeze the life out of an invading heavy with Slugga and dispatching the little doofus that is Deranged for good, it feels like the finest piece of TV wrestling that could have been conjured up for Low Ki during this time. He sure as hell wasn’t going to get this in the land of TNA, but in an area like ROH it turns out to benefit him the most by getting a chance to dispatch a youngster with grotesque force. You wouldn’t get this force much at all elsewhere, but we did get a chance to see it at least once this year. - ****
CM Punk vs. Raven (ROH Supercard Of Honor - 7/19/2003) - The Rosetta Stone for the Straight Edge Savior. The Raven feud has been well documented as the real beginning for CM Punk’s graduation from IWA-MS born talent who has been etching out what is best for him by having lengthy matches full of experimentation to a true can’t-miss talent. All of these ideas are distilled, perhaps by his dance partner here, to immediately have one of the finest feuds of the year to this point. All there is to do is to deliver. Punk and Raven simply export a lot of the aspects of the tag matches that worked so well before, but add all the greatness of the almighty Dog Collar. Lots of cleverness of both talents getting a chance to use it to the advantage by throwing each other around by pulling at the collar, two gnarly blade jobs to logically play up the gimmickry, selling from whichever limb manages to be in the way of the collar between the many collisions of flesh, and so much more of the aspects of what makes this stip the best stip wrestling can offer. This match also has a lot of a usage of a motif that Punk is able to use throughout the next twenty-one years of his career - the microphone. By cutting a promo before the match and prompting ‘CM Pussy’ chants, and then using the microphone to get under the skin further of Raven, it feels like this does come from Punk cutting his teeth in Clarksville. Finding ways to rile up the crowd and then his opponent, and even show some more traditionalistic ideals by stooging on the mic before the match even begins. All of these parts see the beginning of the character that we would know and love develop right before our very eyes in this match. Between the execution being so incredibly impressive, full of great punches, clever selling from both parties, and the promo tying into the finish in a sense pulling the rug out of the viewers feet in an incredibly clever way. One of the most rewarding viewing experiences this project has had. - ****¼
AJ Styles & Amazing Red vs. The Briscoes [Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe] (ROH Death Before Dishonor - 7/19/2003) - One of the more exciting performances of The Briscoes as a cohesive unit so far. Consistently on the indies having good matches, The Briscoes in their beginning days have had great matches with Styles and Red and this is the culmination of the rivalry as the last chance they would have is right here. It’s a tenacious performance from The Briscoes, zeroing in on Red’s knee which Red does a rock solid job of selling and working around. Styles as the heroic partner as the hot tag is another great role for a talent that seems to have so many different great roles in his arsenal. Despite The Briscoes doing a great job at isolating Red, their inexperience as a tag team shines through in a more subtle way as they get under the skin of AJ from the beginning of the match and throughout, firing him up for an exciting hot tag for him to turn the tide largely stemming from a heated forearm exchange to start and some saliva projected into his face from Jay. Poking the bear, especially when that bear is the NWA World Champ, is not the smartest idea, but pressure can make diamonds or break pipes. The inexperience is also apparent when Styles pushes Mark into Jay breaking up a pin that would have ended the match off of an assisted Jay driller. Styles and Red don’t hit all the fireworks that made the first installment one of the finest ROH matches of the year, but there’s still more than enough exciting flips and tricks peppered in to a more traditionalistic tag team format. All around, another rock solid affair to round out the trilogy. - ***¾
Paul London vs. Samoa Joe (ROH Death Before Dishonor - 7/19/2003) - The supposed ending to Paul London in ROH sees him give one last shot against the final boss of ROH. With Paul London’s impending run in the WWE Cruiserweight division, his final match is in the promotion that has suited him the most. London here in this match is fantastic, he knows the danger of wrestling someone with the power of Joe and it shows here. Even if there is an obvious capper here knowing the context of this match avoiding injury, London manages to work all of the aspects of what can make a farewell match so powerful. He consistently tries every trick he can against the monster, he does hit a few of his dazzling moves in the ring, and though he doesn’t do as many other tricks that he is known for, he does have all the sympathy drawn to him in the world facing off against one of the most fearsome wrestlers in the world at this time. He’s also great at taking punishment from Joe in this match. Joe is able to work his atypical magic by not necessarily working as stiff as he usually does, but more working around the impending doom all of his spots have such as the Ole Ole kick. He does hit some god damner strikes here, but London is able to consistently stay in the fight hitting all of his moves due to his penchant for staying into fights for a lengthy amount of time, even outsmarting Joe at one point. Though London is heroic for staying in for so long, he manages to fall into the clutches for one last time and is unable to escape. It’s simplistic, yet powerful knowing the context of this match. Yet another brilliant performance for Samoa Joe in his world title reign, and a fitting farewell to one of the true first stars for Ring Of Honor, it inspires the feeling. - ****
Super Dragon vs. TARO (Revolution Pro Road To The Gold - 7/19/2003) - The two top dogs of local indie promotion Revolution Pro in City Of Industry, California go out to entertain a quite sparse crowd that is absolutely raucous for everything here with a big title fight. There are a lot of aspects of this match that are beloved about the best of Super Dragon at this time: all the head drops, egotistical mannerisms, crowd play, it’s the largest appeal of this match to see this seemingly sweltering building watching their folk hero at work. TARO however as the champ is more than serviceable, being agile enough and smart enough to have some solid comebacks for Dragon’s offense, he’s always weaseling his way along to consistently survive and finding ways to get Dragon on the ropes. Not everything is perfect in the bag of tricks for either as this match does go rather long, but all the moments of cathartic violence Super Dragon is able to weave in as well as TARO being rather nifty in response to the onslaught makes this match enough of a treat. It also helps that the crowd is having the time of their lives, bringing all the charm in the world for this one. - ***¾
Alex Shelley vs. Jimmy Jacobs (IWA Mid-South - 7/19/2003) - In the 1980s, a lot of the most famous underground musicians, Black Flag, Sonic Youth, Husker Du, and the like toured across the country for the first time to only handfuls of people in the process of mastering the craft. The Shelley/Jacobs matches feel akin to that on a wrestling platform with the chance to hash out what works best for them. Hell, this random IWA MS weekly show with not anywhere near as much pomp and circumstance as some of their bigger shows is dedicated to the Jacobs/Shelley rivalry by having a best of 3 series with this match being the final - a Texas Death Match. The main flaw is the lack of continuity from those two previous matches, as well as some stumbles and some corny monologuing, but on its own it is very much geared to my own tastes. This is both talents at their most Ian-like, it’s very improvisational with all the different spots but it all works so nicely. Yet, it tows the line to where it is apparent that the time of working with each other countless times was instrumental to their development as talents. Getting a chance to use the vast plunder and entire scale that the IWA MS has it gives them more of a chance to experiment, both bags of offense are bursting with creativity. They can use everything from stiff chops, ol’ reliable chairs, or even bags of soda cans to work around on top of already having fun movesets for a couple of rookies. Shelley and Jacobs also have been well acquainted with their own characters as Jimmy Jacobs is the flamboyant plucky Barbaric Berserker with big furry boots and Alex Shelley is much more of a traditionalistic underdog babyface, they’re both technicians at this point in a character sense so there’s a lot of unease with a match that’s full of weaponry. There’s a moment that I especially remember with Jimmy Jacobs attempting to set up a ladder to jump on Shelley, yet he completely sets it up wrong and eats shit, which was a brilliant moment because why would Jimmy Jacobs be comfortable with a ladder? Between managing to hit their marks with some ridiculous IWA magic, it’s a treat to see two future all timers hit their stride. It also helps when you have Nate Web and Chris Hero riffing on commentary. - ***¾
AJ Styles vs. Jimmy Rave (CZW Deja Vu II - 7/20/2003) - AJ with the NWA title gets a chance to come into uncharted territory for the Combat Zone defending his title against one of the handful of true kindred spirits he can take on during this time with Jimmy Rave. Almost all of the CZW Light Heavyweights have a sense of being a bunch of pieces that haven’t been sorted out just yet, but if there was one that was head and shoulders above the rest it would be Jimmy Rave. It’s a perfect match from the start, having one of the finest mat exchanges that somehow got a large pop from the ultra-smarky CZW crowd, maybe because they were attacking each exchange with a tenacity that not many other opening exchanges have had this year. AJ is just so fluid and agile, and although some of the crowd does turn against him, he soaks like a sponge into this more heelish role throughout by having little moments of arrogance and frustration in the face of Jimmy’s defiance. It also helps AJ does a lot of new nifty things he may have been workshopping to wear down the upstart Rave. Even if I wish there was more moments of opportunity for Jimmy, the few moments we do tend to feel gigantic. There would be plenty to improve upon in the coming years, but it is a great additional installment of AJ vs. Blue Chipper that we saw in the Sabin match a while back. - ***¾
Shin M2K [Dragon Kid, Kenichiro Arai & Masaaki Mochizuki] vs. Crazy MAX [CIMA, SUWA & TARU] vs. Italian Connection [Milano Collection AT, YASSINI & YOSSINO] (Toryumon Verano Peligroso 2003 - Day 15 - 7/23/2003) - The precursor to the big famous four-way trios match that happens soon after. By this point, it should be known that these guys already have this down to a science. There’s all the caffeinated energy radiating through units cohesion with wild dives, ranas, and bombs. Everybody has all their roles down with Dragon Kid going absolutely crazy with his brisk athletics, Mochi’s crunchy striking, Arai hitting his goofy ass diving headbutts, Crazy MAX donning the black caps, Milano being one of the more crafty performers and YOSSINO bringing all of the speed that he would make himself famous with later on. There’s also some very entertaining multiman spots that we would see later applied such as everybody in this match going for a sleeper, train style. The one-upsmanship is strong with this installment, it’s the Toryumon well-oiled machine working at the utmost power. Even more of the wonderful magic here from the Ultimo Dragon gym. - ****
Yumiko Hotta vs. AKINO (AtoZ Flagship Battle ~Attention Please!~ - 7/25/2003) - A twist to the whole changing of the guard narrative we have seen throughout joshi wrestling in 2003. Yumiko Hotta, the new owner of the promotion comes in with her first match in her “new” promotion against someone still wearing the ARSION spirit throughout - AKINO. This match has all the animosity that a battle of ideals like this should have. The opening minutes are such a treat due to all of the anger between both talents. AKINO is very ARSION-like, has all the tools that are most beloved by some of the more athletic performers in ARSION. Not only all the tricky grappling but also some gnarly dives and other feats of said athleticism. In return, Yumiko Hotta is reminiscent of her AJW days still, kicking the hell out of AKINO and generally having a much stronger resistance to bombs largely thanks to many days in AJW’s prime. AKINO may have her number on the mat, but Hotta manages to stay alive and outclasses AKINO with big head drops and kicks. It becomes a passionate battle of ideals, even if AKINO isn’t necessarily too different to Hotta, it’s still the ARSION spirit with it’s blend of Bati-Bati and Lucha Libre ideals versus the new sheriff in town looking to pass down a more basic approach. Big, mean, and hateful with a strong sense of finding purpose, one of the finer joshi matches of the year. - ****
La Familia De Tijuana [Damian 666, Damian El Terrible & Halloween] vs. Los Talibanes [Bestia Salvaje, Emelio Charles Jr. & Scorpio Jr.] (CMLL On Televisa - 7/25/2003) - Arena Mexico by the time we hit the year we have been traversing has made a facelift to a much more polite era. No bloody brawls, and the sense of it being a destination for tourism is beginning to show. Sometimes though you’ll still get trios matches that are just bursting at the seams like this one. Familia De Tijuana have supposedly turned Tecnico since their feud with Los Infernales and now they take on the trio of the hilarious yet aptly named Los Talibanes, a team representative of the old guard. The Rudos absolutely throw around the Tijuanan Tecnicos with force. It has a strong sense of the almighty ‘dirt under your fingernails’ aesthetic that permeates the best of the previous decade’s lucha libre, but also has a snappy tempo that makes this match so intoxicating. In the face of the bombast and fisticuffs, Damians both 666 and Terrible as well as Halloween have so much fire in the face of such a task to expedite the bad guys. Having the seasoned veterans in this match work an old school, grubby lucha libre match that is instilled in a much more technicolor era of Arena Mexico is such a joy. Far from perfect, but a very delightfully mean trios match. - ****
Zandig vs. Nate Webb (CZW Ultraviolent Tournament Of Death II - 7/26/2003) - One of the finest deathmatch tournament openers of all time. It’s a daunting task to set the tone for an ultraviolet tournament such as this. Not escalating the violence too much to spoil greater heights, but still towing the line to set the tone for a great show. This match performs such a task perfectly. Nate Webb gets a chance to play a cartoonish villain who uses playground insults against the face of deathmatch wrestling, gets a chance to stooge but also capitalizes on Zandig being a lot less mobile than himself. It allows for Nate to perform daredevil bumps and work around the gigantic Zandig’s simple approach, peppering in all these goofy aspects to make this match take a new approach whilst keeping the grotesque weaponry usage that we love for tournaments like this. It’s also sweet to hear Nate Webb slowly but surely win over the crowd despite being a part of the invading IWA army. A wonderful little thing. - ****
Nick Mondo vs. JC Bailey (CZW Ultraviolent Tournament Of Death II - 7/26/2003) - These two kindred spirits in look and in practice go to war in a Light Tubes and Ladders match. Though this isn’t either performer’s finest hour this year, Mondo and Bailey do have a lot of gross weapon shots here and some terrifying bumps onto Werner ladders and luminescent glassware. There’s a cool little detail that Bailey exploits in this match with Mondo’s injured wrist, starting off the match exploiting his injured wrist by wrenching it to get an early advantage and returning to it once more to his advantage. Mondo though is more experienced, he hits as hefty tube shots and has a clear stronger tolerance to the pain.Despite Bailey being more in control throughout the runtime of the match, Mondo has his openings pay off with much more rewarding returns due to experience. He finds ways to hit more disturbing moves on the much less experienced Bailey despite his injury (and all of those moves kick ass). A welcome addition to a stacked card full of bloodshed. - ***¾
Necro Butcher vs. Corporal Robinson (CZW Ultraviolent Tournament Of Death II - 7/26/2003) - Two of the performers that side more on reckless abandon now stand off in a four corners of pain match. It’s more of an electric performance for one of the all-time fantastic brawlers in ol’ Necro. Despite this being one of the earlier Necro performances, he has his work down to an absolute science. Every piece that can be of use in this match is swung violently, including more mundane pieces in comparison to your tubes, cut cans and ladders - he absolutely wails on Corp with the cooler he uses to bring out broken glass, and lays in a hilarious shot using a ring bell. Corporal isn’t afraid to respond, as he also swings a beer bottle on Necro that splits open on him crazy style. It’s not either performer’s peak in such a raucous environment, but one where you can see both performers flexing their muscles. Corp’s ridiculous pain tolerance, and Necro’s selling and brawling, even if there is a rather abrupt finish. Another electric performance for Necro despite not having enough bookings in places like CZW or IWA to this point to make a mark on the WOTY standings, and a chance for Corporal to work in a much more condensed environment to suit his strengths much more. - ***¾
Ian Rotten vs. Necro Butcher (CZW Ultraviolent Tournament Of Death II - 7/26/2003) - Deathmatch wrestling in 2003 is in it’s early heyday, we are not far off from several of the other spiritual classics championed throughout the mid-2000s that we would continuously see for years and years to come. It’s only appropriate one of the great proprietors of going ultraviolent, Ian Rotten is squaring off with someone who would be known as the greatest of this style. It’s an intersection of such that feels seismic in retrospect with two of the most creative talents wrestling has ever given us. Thankfully, they’re given the finest template in a Fans Bring The Weapons match where we see all sorts of comical contraptions. What follows is a masterclass in every sense of the word from both of these two. Rotten is one of the great reactors in this type of situation - everything between the pre-match promo, to his instincts in this match working over several aspects of Necro throughout is what makes this a career performance for the IWA’s top general. Incredible selling, bleeding, and weapon shots he deals out. His bleeding is especially noteworthy knowing how deep the crimson is on his forehead and the amount of times he is taking some weapon to his noggin. He also has several of the great instinctual moments throughout as he works on Necro’s chest at one point using Tenzan-like chops to Necro’s flubby build, truly inspiring stuff. As you may expect, Necro is just as incredible. Though I am sure that Necro has a lot of incredible matches in previous years, it’s hard to imagine he reaches the heights of this before. He works what is quietly one of his quintessential performances. He gets a chance to not only swing with reckless abandon once more but also like his counterpart play up to the zaniness of all the weapons brought in by CZW faithful with proficiently cartoonish bumping and selling. A big reason this also works is the aforementioned reckless abandon being willing to take all the ridiculous pain from Ian, especially in the finishing stretch. Even if he has been consistently great throughout this year this does feel like one of the first performances he would have that would sprout a shift in his demeanor in big matches like this. This performance mirrors a lot like his greatest hours against Toby Klein, Super Dragon, and of course Samoa Joe. It only helps we have oddities like Thumbtack Paint Rollers, Half of a broken beer bottle and Thumbtack Boxing gloves. One of the great highlights of the indies this year, bar none. - ****½
Nick Mondo vs. Zandig (CZW Ultraviolent Tournament Of Death II - 7/26/2003) - Surprisingly enough in comparison to the match that it follows, this actually doesn’t have much to comment upon. We all know why it’s here - it has THE deathmatch spot. It’s the moment that is debatably most synonymous with this fucked up art we love. We all love it! Outside of that, the first and third falls have just enough grotesque weapon spots and sense of danger to be coherent enough to bolster such a spot. Even if I do wish there was more of a concrete setup to such a wild spot, the finish is clear and makes sense, which is a minor miracle knowing what precedes it. For a match centered upon largely one spot, it rules. Duh. Not too shabby on your flagship show to have one of the matches of the year and follow it up with one of the moments of the year. - ***¾
Nick Mondo vs. Ian Rotten (CZW Ultraviolent Tournament Of Death II - 7/26/2003) - Nick Mondo’s last ride of the ol’ cowboy. You wouldn’t expect the name ‘Nick Mondo’ to grace this article once more after the match before in the semis but Ian Rotten decided to hell with that. It’s a lofty task after what is already considered before the main event a show of the year contender to deliver in any way but Rotten was insistent on taking some heinous stuff here himself and work smartly enough to not also kill our hero in the process. Rotten does get some real cringe-inducing weapon shots knowing the state of Mondo’s back, but throughout the match it’s evident that this was written in the stars to be Sick Nick’s night. Somehow, Mondo is still agile enough to hit some springboards and a lot of his signature bag of offense despite being bandaged crazy for his injury. He’s rather nimble and Rotten made sure whatever he was going to endure was going to look sick enough to make a win believable. Despite it’s flaws due to the circumstances of the previous match, it ends one of the finest shows of the year, CZW’s finest hour in this year so far, and one of the more memorable short careers of a performer on a feel good note. - ***¾
The World’s Greatest Tag Team [Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin] vs. Rey Mysterio & Billy Kidman (WWE Vengeance 2003 - 7/27/2003) - On the first PPV that’s exclusive to the superior brand for WWE in 2003 by a wide, wide margin, the cylinders to this point weren’t firing as they should. Eddie and Benoit got overbooked, and try as Gunn and Noble might five minutes with a match based around wanting to have sex with Torrie Wilson can only get you so far, as well as watching the APA steamroll everyone in APA shenanigans. The magic though is always there with pro wrestling’s greatest superhero - Rey Mysterio. The World’s Greatest Tag Team’s mutation to such a name finally feels worthy in this match. Haas and Benjamin fire on all cylinders, perfecting the magic that had been conjured up as Team Angle with much more effective cut offs and psychology. Like with Punk in ROH, it’s been one of the most satisfying things to see this team reach their apex into one of the best talents the WWE has to offer. It also is how we easily get a career performance for an unlikely talent - Billy Kidman. Always serviceable, yet in this match he’s the real surprise being the cohesive piece of selling to build suspense for some of the biggest moments through thorough selling of the matwork by Haas & Benjamin, as well as bumping around for the high impact moves all around the canvas and greater area of the match. He’s got a lot of facials and reactions to the extended control segment that fit the bill, as well as hitting some gnarly moves that rival our hero in this match. Throwing in someone like Rey who is handedly in contention for the best wrestler in the WWE at this time is just where the magic is complete. All the matches on SmackDown where he was slotted in against Angle-adjacent talents paid off, especially for Haas & Benjamin getting a chance to seamlessly base for all of the wonders that Rey has up his sleeve. Despite it’s couple stumbles, it’s the SmackDown machine finally working at it’s finest. All of what the brand was set out to do once the guard changed in the previous year. - ****
Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar vs. The Big Show (WWE Vengeance 2003 - 7/27/2003) - SmackDown’s main event scene explodes as the revolving door of Angle/Lesnar/Show throughout this year has been one of the brightest highlights of a consistently good to great TV show. This match is a format that the WWE has a very consistent hit rate with to this day, and it absolutely rocks. The three top stars let loose, they get a real neat blank canvas with this format having a strong emphasis of the ‘No DQ’ aspect of the Three Way stipulation. Lots of the aspects of this era’s best of this heavyweight division with a lot of blood, weapon shots, big superhuman power moves, and all the gravitas that these matches entail. Angle and Show do their own shticks very well, it feels that both talents have the aspects of their game down to a science and still have tricks up their sleeves here. Angle is still finding ways to sinch in the ankle lock, but he also even throws some different tricks in especially with the electrifying punch exchange with Brock that was the absolute highlight of this match. Show is able to please as he does take some offense he hasn’t sustained before with some of the showcases of Lesnar’s power, but also brings all his wildman howls and mannerisms, I do wish we did get more of a showcase for him in this match. Lesnar all around though is bafflingly incredible in this performance hitting the aforementioned power moves and bleeding, but also getting a chance to ragdoll his body around selling for the other foes in this match and display a fire and instinct that makes him so magnetizing to watch. It lacks some cohesion, but all the action here is landed so snug. One of the many rock-solid heavyweight frenzies that WWE has showcased. - ****
Shinjiro Otani vs. Arashi (ZERO-1 Fire Festival 2003 - Day 2 - 7/30/2003) - The battle rages on in what has been so far pro wrestling’s feud of the year, ZERO-1 vs. AJPW has fed the proverbial families, and applying the feud to a singles format after much more tag matches has made this battle much more intimate. Two of the finer talents on each side, the hate has continued to simmer as even after each promotion took a win in the big main events for this month. Otani, one of Hashimoto’s kindred spirits, has his back against the wall against one of wrestling’s journeymen who has made his home in AJPW in Arashi. This match is what I have been eagerly waiting for watching Shinjiro Otani throughout 2003. Emblem is the real shit, don’t get me wrong, but Shinjiro Otani has yet to have a major singles run this year, so the Fire Festival is where he will cut his teeth. What follows is one of Otani’s meanest performances, always scrapping at Arashi’s nose, arm, and pummeling him with weighty bombs that leave the giant reeling. Otani was chomping at the bit to get to the enemy, and he makes the bulbous Arashi’s life hell. He revels in such a role, mocking the sumo background of his opponent, which only would rub salt in the wound. If Arashi wasn’t: A. Absorbent as hell to all of the offense due to his build, B. had a strong pain tolerance by being an older gangly force who is just now reaping what he’s sown in late 1980s AJPW and 1990s WAR, this match would have a different story. Every time Arashi finds an opening it just sends Otani back to square one, whether it’s a vicious sumo tackle or a lariat, it’s one of the great narratives to roll with when you have someone as big as him in the ring. Despite Otani continuously antagonizing Arashi, and in-turn some of the neutral fans that came out, one of these final moments gets Arashi a moment to cement himself and a major slice of karma for ZERO-1’s soldier on this battlefield. The battle, once more, rages on, and there is still so much to see. Otani the meanest person in the world and Arashi as the underdog veteran just works so well. The real shit. - ****¼
Shinjiro Otani vs. Kintaro Kanemura (ZERO-1 Fire Festival 2003 - Day 3 - 7/31/2003) - There’s still simmering frustration from the Team No Respect camp and the ZERO-1 roster, especially ones close with Otani after their battles in the beginning half of the year. Otani and Kanemura are polar opposites, Kanemura vividly one who is most effective using weaponry and Otani an undeniable everyman, but that’s where the magic lays in this match. For Otani to stay competitive in the fire festival, he has to beat Kanemura at his own game. Kanemura, for all his faults, is a truly charismatic force in this match. He drags Otani kicking and screaming into his kind of match, and Otani has to adapt and find a way to work within these confines. The weapon shots have the oomph they should have, Otani bleeds and has a strong performance amongst the battlefield of chairs and tables, the action is stiff and ripe with a sense of frustration coming from Kanemura’s camp knowing all of the events of getting embarrassed at the last couple of WEW shows. In the end, Otani is the one to send Kanemura back to earth in a similar manner to how Hashimoto did roughly two months ago, sending him down with a pummeling thud to rub salt in the wound and stay alive in the fire festival. Lovely little summer tourney magic here. - ****
Eddie Guerrero vs. Tajiri (WWE SmackDown! - 7/31/2003) - The good-good from the SmackDown side on display. Though it does have some awkward gaps, it’s for the most part an all too breezy and spontaneous little TV gem. The US title is a perfect way for Eddie to get more reps in before he gets his main event push, as well as master the Lie Cheat and Steal mantra. Said mantra is the throughline for this match and it just has a high floor due to the creativity Eddie can pursue the gimmick with, he also acts brilliantly in a reaction sense, whenever the ref gets on his ass he cheekingly shakes his head in denial like a troublesome bully, and makes such to tow the line where he isn’t doing too much when Tajiri gets on the offense. Tajiri has all the wonderful striking and some gnarly counters, real textbook work from the buzzsaw. It has it’s faults but seeing two of my guys with a lot of crunchy offense being peppered throughout a rock-solid TV affair. - ***¾
Thanks for reading! Much love.
I've always loved that WGTT vs. Rey/Kidman match, and Death Before Dishonor was such a good show.