michrome (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} michrome) wrote,@ 2004-12-26 14:48:00 |
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Joe vs. Dragon
The 2 best matches in the Meltz calendar year were the Joe-Punk match I reviewed below, and Samoa Joe vs. American Dragon on October 2nd. I tend to favor the Joe-Punk draw, but not by much. I rewatched this again recently, and I think I'm settling at ****1/2. Here's the review.
ROH Title: "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson vs. Samoa Joe:
People often ask what differentiates RoH's booking from other US promotions, and the answer stares them right in the face in this main event: patience. They're in no hurry to rush out big matches, they build them on their own schedule, and try to maximize anticipation. This is the first meeting between the 2 in Ring Of Honor in over a year and a half. In the first 2 matches, both of which were slugfests, Joe beats Danielson's ass both times, but Danielson scores a rollup victory in the second, making him the last man to beat Joe in a singles match.
I'm a big fan of matches where one guy comes in with a strategy, and uses mini strategies as means to that end. That's what this match is all about, and it's evident from the beginning. Danielson knows he can't allow Joe to get on a roll, because that's how Joe always wins--a series of killer power moves in a row almost always ends Joe title matches, and Joe's momentum is hard to stop, given his size. Danielson's goal is clear: Don't let Joe get any real momentum, and the title is his.
The opening matwork is really good, as per usual with Danielson matches. Danielson doesn't let Joe get anything, quickly countering a leglock with an enziguri. Joe grabs a cross armbreaker at one point, and Danielson immediately bails. That ends up being the only time all match that Joe really wins anything resembling a mat wrestling situation. Danielson has a counter to pretty much everything Joe busts out on the mat, and comes out of one hold with an interesting leg submission counter, which he uses as a base for his main strategy. Joe gets frustrated and rubs his arm in Danielson's face in the corner, but Danielson cuts him right off at the leg. The work is really realistic, which is something these 2 do very well. Everything is a struggle, and the atmosphere does feel like a title fight. Danielson makes the mistake of getting into a strikefest with Joe early, and gets fucking owned for it. Joe goes for his first big move about 10 minutes or so into the match, a German suplex, but Dragon blocks, so Joe dumps him to the floor. He goes for the ole kick, but Dragon counters it, and comes off onto Joe with a really nice springboard dive, followed by 2 dropkick versions of the Ole kick. Danielson's confidence builds.
"This motherfucker is gonna pay."--Bryan Danielson
Another thing they do is the story of strikes vs. submissions. Joe is the king striker in ROH, so early on when Danielson makes the mistake of going to strikes, Joe makes him pay. We see this early when Joe kills Danielson following a Danielson headbutt, and also murders him on a strike exchange. The tide changes after the dive and ole kicks though, as Joe comes roaring back with a series of strikes in the ring, but Danielson cuts it off at the pass with a simple eyepoke. Danielson starts winning strike wars at this point, and up through 15-20 minutes or so, his strategy is working perfectly, and he is in control. It's also worth noting his cocky smile and little dance after the eyepoke counter.
Ironically enough, Joe's first real offense comes when he uses new move, a knee to the ribs. It's not part of his usual arsenal, but that usual arsenal isn't cutting it tonight. He follows up with a KENTAesque fireman's carry knee strike to the ribs that looks real painful (another new move). He follows up with 2 hard kicks to the ribs, and Danielson struggles to catch his breath. He locks in a seated full nelson, and collapses down, putting pressure on the ribs in a nice touch. Danielson counters though, cutting the offense of Joe short again. Danielson goes back to the strikes that were just working, and they continue working, but Joe gets a desperation slide tackle for 2. Joe goes for a submission, but Danielson counters AGAIN, and then floors Joe with a series of strikes, followed by a half hatch suplex and a flying headbutt for 2. Joe mounts a short comeback, Danielson blocks his lariat, but Joe hits a big enziguri, sending Danielson to the floor, followed by a nice tope. Joe is finally feeling it, and hits 2 of his ole kicks. I'm not really a fan of how long this took, but it made sense for Joe to go to his bread and butter for much needed offense.
The next transition is great, as Danielson suckers Joe into making a mistake. He lays on the floor a long time after the Ole kick, forcing Joe to roll him into the ring after a long time. As Joe gets in, Danielson pops up with a chopblock to the bad leg from earlier, again cutting off Joe's offense. His legwork in this section is nice too, he busts out an Indian deathlock and some other nice work. Danielson successfully nails his corner forearm, and goes for another. Usually you'd think this was stupidly asking for a Joe sidewalk slam, but Danielson has the counter, and in a really smooth sequence counters out of it and hits a beautiful second rope European uppercut to really move us into the final faze of the match.
Dragon again gets a little too cocky after a successful counter, and gets planted with the sidewalk slam he just avoided seconds ago. Joe hits the Powerbomb/STF combo, but can't trap the leg because of his leg. He moves into a crossface, and Danielson is able to make the ropes. Everything is getting a nearfall now. Joe goes for a German again, but Danielson counters by kicking out the bad leg, he charges, Joe misses the lariat again, and Danielson comes off the ropes with a dropkick to the knee. He locks in his reverse Indian deathlock (?) that I love. Joe makes the ropes, and Danielson charges, only for Joe to catch him with the snap powerslam for 2. Joe moves into his cross armbreaker, but Danielson counters into the leglock suplex for 2.5! Danielson immediately moves into the Cattle Mutilation, and the crowd is buying it as a finish, but Joe is too thick, and his grip breaks, so he moves into a pinning combination for a GREAT nearfall. Danielson is really feeling it now, and puts Joe up for the super backdrop. Joe gets a pretty unique counter, and slips out from behind Dragon, and grabs him in a choke! He has to break because Dragon is in the ropes, but he takes Dragon off with the German that has been blocked twice, and immediately follows with the big lariat that has been blocked twice for another fantastic nearfall. Joe goes for the musclebuster, but Dragon slips out! He hits 2 hard elbows, and then a rolling elbow, but Joe still doesn't go down! Dragon comes off the ropes with a dropkick to the bad knee, followed by the Dragon suplex! Joe's shoulder comes off the mat at 1, and Dragon immediately moves into the cattle mutilation again. This gets a really believable near-submission, and the crowd is nuclear, but Joe gets the ropes. Danielson moves for the charge again, but Joe catches him with that same knee to the gut again. Joe starts going crazy with his big knees on the mat, but Danielson has a counter to this too, and moves out of the way. Danielson makes the same mistake he's made earlier though, and this time to fatal results: He gets too cocky, and goes into Joe's wheelhouse and tries to kill Joe with knees of his own. Nobody beats Joe at this kind of game, and Joe recovers with massive sick knees before locking in the choke, and moving into the choke clutch for the win.
This match is really everything I love about wrestling. You have the long-awaited first title match of the promotion's uncrowned champion, and he comes in with a clear strategy, and the whole match is based around the strategy. All of the work is really realistic, they fuck each other up with strikes, the mat counters all look plausible, and there's never a point in the match where it doesn't seem legit. Some criticize ROH matches for being too bodypart-oriented, but it worked brilliantly in this match because the work was a means to an end, the end being cutting off Joe's offense. There are a couple things that keep it from being flawless--Joe's shoulders naturally coming up twice off the mat sort of ruined 2 near falls, but it didn't take away much from the match. Joe's long ole kick segment kind of felt out of place, but really, that's about it for flaws. The show is titled Midnight Express Reunion, but make no mistake, this match is the main attraction. This was the best match in company history when it happened, but went on to be topped 2 weeks later.
****1/2
The 2 best matches in the Meltz calendar year were the Joe-Punk match I reviewed below, and Samoa Joe vs. American Dragon on October 2nd. I tend to favor the Joe-Punk draw, but not by much. I rewatched this again recently, and I think I'm settling at ****1/2. Here's the review.
ROH Title: "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson vs. Samoa Joe:
People often ask what differentiates RoH's booking from other US promotions, and the answer stares them right in the face in this main event: patience. They're in no hurry to rush out big matches, they build them on their own schedule, and try to maximize anticipation. This is the first meeting between the 2 in Ring Of Honor in over a year and a half. In the first 2 matches, both of which were slugfests, Joe beats Danielson's ass both times, but Danielson scores a rollup victory in the second, making him the last man to beat Joe in a singles match.
I'm a big fan of matches where one guy comes in with a strategy, and uses mini strategies as means to that end. That's what this match is all about, and it's evident from the beginning. Danielson knows he can't allow Joe to get on a roll, because that's how Joe always wins--a series of killer power moves in a row almost always ends Joe title matches, and Joe's momentum is hard to stop, given his size. Danielson's goal is clear: Don't let Joe get any real momentum, and the title is his.
The opening matwork is really good, as per usual with Danielson matches. Danielson doesn't let Joe get anything, quickly countering a leglock with an enziguri. Joe grabs a cross armbreaker at one point, and Danielson immediately bails. That ends up being the only time all match that Joe really wins anything resembling a mat wrestling situation. Danielson has a counter to pretty much everything Joe busts out on the mat, and comes out of one hold with an interesting leg submission counter, which he uses as a base for his main strategy. Joe gets frustrated and rubs his arm in Danielson's face in the corner, but Danielson cuts him right off at the leg. The work is really realistic, which is something these 2 do very well. Everything is a struggle, and the atmosphere does feel like a title fight. Danielson makes the mistake of getting into a strikefest with Joe early, and gets fucking owned for it. Joe goes for his first big move about 10 minutes or so into the match, a German suplex, but Dragon blocks, so Joe dumps him to the floor. He goes for the ole kick, but Dragon counters it, and comes off onto Joe with a really nice springboard dive, followed by 2 dropkick versions of the Ole kick. Danielson's confidence builds.
"This motherfucker is gonna pay."--Bryan Danielson
Another thing they do is the story of strikes vs. submissions. Joe is the king striker in ROH, so early on when Danielson makes the mistake of going to strikes, Joe makes him pay. We see this early when Joe kills Danielson following a Danielson headbutt, and also murders him on a strike exchange. The tide changes after the dive and ole kicks though, as Joe comes roaring back with a series of strikes in the ring, but Danielson cuts it off at the pass with a simple eyepoke. Danielson starts winning strike wars at this point, and up through 15-20 minutes or so, his strategy is working perfectly, and he is in control. It's also worth noting his cocky smile and little dance after the eyepoke counter.
Ironically enough, Joe's first real offense comes when he uses new move, a knee to the ribs. It's not part of his usual arsenal, but that usual arsenal isn't cutting it tonight. He follows up with a KENTAesque fireman's carry knee strike to the ribs that looks real painful (another new move). He follows up with 2 hard kicks to the ribs, and Danielson struggles to catch his breath. He locks in a seated full nelson, and collapses down, putting pressure on the ribs in a nice touch. Danielson counters though, cutting the offense of Joe short again. Danielson goes back to the strikes that were just working, and they continue working, but Joe gets a desperation slide tackle for 2. Joe goes for a submission, but Danielson counters AGAIN, and then floors Joe with a series of strikes, followed by a half hatch suplex and a flying headbutt for 2. Joe mounts a short comeback, Danielson blocks his lariat, but Joe hits a big enziguri, sending Danielson to the floor, followed by a nice tope. Joe is finally feeling it, and hits 2 of his ole kicks. I'm not really a fan of how long this took, but it made sense for Joe to go to his bread and butter for much needed offense.
The next transition is great, as Danielson suckers Joe into making a mistake. He lays on the floor a long time after the Ole kick, forcing Joe to roll him into the ring after a long time. As Joe gets in, Danielson pops up with a chopblock to the bad leg from earlier, again cutting off Joe's offense. His legwork in this section is nice too, he busts out an Indian deathlock and some other nice work. Danielson successfully nails his corner forearm, and goes for another. Usually you'd think this was stupidly asking for a Joe sidewalk slam, but Danielson has the counter, and in a really smooth sequence counters out of it and hits a beautiful second rope European uppercut to really move us into the final faze of the match.
Dragon again gets a little too cocky after a successful counter, and gets planted with the sidewalk slam he just avoided seconds ago. Joe hits the Powerbomb/STF combo, but can't trap the leg because of his leg. He moves into a crossface, and Danielson is able to make the ropes. Everything is getting a nearfall now. Joe goes for a German again, but Danielson counters by kicking out the bad leg, he charges, Joe misses the lariat again, and Danielson comes off the ropes with a dropkick to the knee. He locks in his reverse Indian deathlock (?) that I love. Joe makes the ropes, and Danielson charges, only for Joe to catch him with the snap powerslam for 2. Joe moves into his cross armbreaker, but Danielson counters into the leglock suplex for 2.5! Danielson immediately moves into the Cattle Mutilation, and the crowd is buying it as a finish, but Joe is too thick, and his grip breaks, so he moves into a pinning combination for a GREAT nearfall. Danielson is really feeling it now, and puts Joe up for the super backdrop. Joe gets a pretty unique counter, and slips out from behind Dragon, and grabs him in a choke! He has to break because Dragon is in the ropes, but he takes Dragon off with the German that has been blocked twice, and immediately follows with the big lariat that has been blocked twice for another fantastic nearfall. Joe goes for the musclebuster, but Dragon slips out! He hits 2 hard elbows, and then a rolling elbow, but Joe still doesn't go down! Dragon comes off the ropes with a dropkick to the bad knee, followed by the Dragon suplex! Joe's shoulder comes off the mat at 1, and Dragon immediately moves into the cattle mutilation again. This gets a really believable near-submission, and the crowd is nuclear, but Joe gets the ropes. Danielson moves for the charge again, but Joe catches him with that same knee to the gut again. Joe starts going crazy with his big knees on the mat, but Danielson has a counter to this too, and moves out of the way. Danielson makes the same mistake he's made earlier though, and this time to fatal results: He gets too cocky, and goes into Joe's wheelhouse and tries to kill Joe with knees of his own. Nobody beats Joe at this kind of game, and Joe recovers with massive sick knees before locking in the choke, and moving into the choke clutch for the win.
This match is really everything I love about wrestling. You have the long-awaited first title match of the promotion's uncrowned champion, and he comes in with a clear strategy, and the whole match is based around the strategy. All of the work is really realistic, they fuck each other up with strikes, the mat counters all look plausible, and there's never a point in the match where it doesn't seem legit. Some criticize ROH matches for being too bodypart-oriented, but it worked brilliantly in this match because the work was a means to an end, the end being cutting off Joe's offense. There are a couple things that keep it from being flawless--Joe's shoulders naturally coming up twice off the mat sort of ruined 2 near falls, but it didn't take away much from the match. Joe's long ole kick segment kind of felt out of place, but really, that's about it for flaws. The show is titled Midnight Express Reunion, but make no mistake, this match is the main attraction. This was the best match in company history when it happened, but went on to be topped 2 weeks later.
****1/2
