The Internet is for Wrestling #4

With all the madness that's been goin' on with televised wrasslin', it can easy to overlook that there's still good wrestling to be found online. It may not have the huge repercussions pushing it like what's on TV, but that doesn't mean what's there isn't some good stuff. Let's get to it.

WWE NXT (7/19/11)

NXT is definitely a show I've been liking more and more lately. Sadly, there's not a lot to this week's episode.

WHAT'S HOT?

Derrick Bateman continues being hilarious, and during the rookie challenge for the week, he hits an Earthquake Splash on a training dummy. There's a solid enough match between two of the rooks, Darren Young and Titus O'neil, and we get to see Vladimir Kozlov take out JTG (which is always a positive in my book). Yoshi Tatsu also makes an appearance in a pretty hilarious segment where he finds his action figure completely destroyed by Tyson Kidd.

WHAT'S NOT?

The slim amount of wrestling that's shown this week is definitely a detriment, as neither of the two matches are barn burners. There's also another pretty pointless rookie challenge (an oxymoron). My growing pet peeve is the way that these shows are often being used to just regurgitate clips from the week's RAW and SmackDown. I know they have to push their storylines as much as possible, but it's just a waste of time that could be used on showcasing more wrestling.

VERDICT?
SKIP IT! Although Kozlov slamming JTG on the back of his head is enticing, you could better spend an hour of your life.

WWE Superstars (7/21/11)

Superstars aired on my birthday this week, and it was a pretty good birthday present. I'd been a bit disappointed in Superstars in recent weeks, but this week features a few great matches and tons of crowd-pleasing moments.

WHAT'S HOT?

Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel open the show in a quick one, but one that has a couple of great spots. Serious mark-out material comes in the form of Zack Ryder teaming with Santino to take on the tag champs. Normally I'd be pissed at how week the tag champs look, but when the dudes their jobbing to are Ryder and Santino, I'm cool with it (WWWYKI). Evan Bourne also shows up, and has a hell of a match with Primo. Primo doesn't get enough credit for his ability to put on a great match, and when he's going up against Evan Bourne, the results are pretty spectacular.

WHAT'S NOT?

GUESS WHAT?! We get to see what happened on RAW AGAIN! That is silly as all hell. Also, Alicia Fox takes on Natalya. This match is much better than their first, and the fashion in which Fox takes this one makes a lot more sense, but it's still ridiculous that this is getting pushed as a rivalry.

VERDICT?

WATCH IT! EVAN BOURNE. ZACK RYDER. SANTINO. 'NUFF SAID.

NWA Hollywood Episode 44 (7/16/11)

I must admit that my enjoyment of NWA Hollywood is on the decline. I can't quite put my finger on it, but my excitement for the show's arrival each week has waned. Does that mean it's not worth watching?

WHAT'S HOT?

Los Luchas put on a hell of a show against Ricky Mandel and Hector Canales. Their tandem moves are better than anything you'll see on the major promotions nowadays. Mandel actually pulls double duty and takes on So Cal Crazy in the week's main event, which manages to be thoroughly entertaining on its own. Of course, there's the backstage promos that give NWA its old-school feel and, indeed, much of its charm.

WHAT'S NOT?

NWA's crowd is killing me. Besides the fact that the sound is mixed horribly, the muted crowd just sounds that much worse. With the likes of Willie Mack gone, A-Double now signed at TNA (and another big name being lost soon, as well), I'm a little worried about a lack of talent being a problem with NWA in the near future.

VERDICT?

CONSIDER IT! NWA Hollywood really needs the fan support, so it deserves for you to give it a chance.

Chikara Podcast-a-go-go 273 (7/18/11)

Chikara is great, and doubly so for putting out quality matches for free. This is one of those.

WHAT'S HOT?

Mike Quackenbush takes on Shane Storm (now STIGMA), and you can feel the power of the storyline taking place even in this singular match. Quack is always amazing to watch, and there are some ridiculously awesome spots here.

WHAT'S NOT?

Eeeerrrr... it ends?

VERDICT?

WATCH IT! Seeing about ten minutes of Chikara wrestling for 0 dollars is never not a good deal.

That's it for now! Next week is another The Internet is for Wrestling, and more wrestling recaps and reviews! Until then, suck on some of this...

The Internet is for Wrestling #1, 2, and 3

The RAW Recap (7/18/11)

The RAW Recap 7/18/11

If you're a wrestling fan and you're not aware what happened just a few nights ago on WWE's Money in the Bank PPV, then you seriously need to rethink your priorities.

Not to belabor the point, it's the first time in quite a long time where you shouldn't need to qualify your love for professional wrestling. It's a brand new world, and WWE RAW showed us the first few steps into it. Without further ado, let's hit the...

RECAP

Vince comes out and really sells his shame and anger about CM Punk taking the title and running. He announces that there is to be a new WWE Championship, and that the winner of an impromptu tournament will be the new champion. The brackets are laid out, and with it we get the promise of a full night of wrestling!

Round 1: Alex Riley vs. The Miz

This isn't a match up we haven't seen before, but Miz sells his injuries from the previous night. Riley has really picked up his game, and though he's a bit sloppy, his high energy and high intensity makes him somebody who could go places. Miz manages to pull this one out, despite being injured, saving him from completely looking like Riley's bitch as of late.

VERDICT: FUN MATCH! These two basically just beat the crap out of each other each match, but that somehow remains interesting.

Round 1: R-Truth vs. Jack Swagger

The oddball of the first round, this match had two heels facing one another. Thankfully, the two's natural abilities made this a cool, if not somewhat quick match. The crowd actually seemed to get behind R-Truth at points. That's kinda cool, and I'm glad a guy like Ron Killings is getting showcased. Truth steals one with a roll-up.

VERDICT: SOLID! Swagger and Truth can bring it, and they provided an entertaining match.

Round 1: Alberto Del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston

I thought it was a bit weird that Del Rio was placed in the tournament, as he also had Money in the Bank, although I guess a tourney for the WWE Championship wouldn't be complete without him. Kofi, despite being a face and an exciting guy, gets no love from tonight's audience, and his high energy moveset suffers for it. Luckily both guys are top performers, and it was a nice twist having Kofi take the upset. Gives him a bit of a boost, and continues the storyline of Del Rio being veritably screwed out of every chance he has at the title. Also; Ricardo Rodriguez is back!

VERDICT: SOLID! Another great first round match.

Round 1: Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler

The prospect of Dolph winning double gold is an intriguing one. Zig's been a guy that's really come up in my eyes. Speaking of my eyes, it's also always good to see Vickie Guerrero (rawr). But anyway, I thought this was the highlight of the first round. Both guys are incredibly athletic, and there were some gnarly spots to the outside that looked like they genuinely hurt. I appreciate when both guys really go for it, as it gives legitimacy to the thing they're fighting for. Rey takes it, perhaps unsurprisingly, but nobody was a loser in this match.

VERDICT: BEST OF THE FIRST ROUND! Both Ziggler and Mysterio deserve equal praise.

7-on-7 Diva Tag Match

If you read that and think it's a ridiculous idea, that's only because it is. To make a long story short, this was another two minute Diva match that had no point. The only bright spot I can see is that Beth Phoenix was the one to come in and get the win for the face Divas with an impressive Glam Slam.

VERDICT: POINTLESS! Why give the Divas so little time? If you want them to look legitimate in the eyes of the fans, then build genuine feuds and give them time to have good matches!

Round 2: The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston

This was a fairly forgettable match, sadly. Again, Kofi can't rile the crowd, and he doesn't attack Miz's injuries like Riley does. This ends up being just a standard contest between these two, with Miz using his head to take it.

VERDICT: MEH! Both these guys can be fun to watch, but without the psychology of the leg injury, and with Kofi getting no crowd reaction, it just kinda fizzled.

Round 2: Rey Mysterio vs. R-Truth

Now THIS is more like it. These two have worked together well before, and they do it again here. Truth is the clear favorite here, and Rey works his normal underdog schtick. However, with the unorthodox moveset that each of these dudes has, the match is incredibly entertaining. Rey takes the hard fought victory from Truth, much to the delight of the crowd.

VERDICT: GOOD STUFF! Truth and Rey work great together.

And then comes the finale that everyone is talking about. The finals of the tournament are teased, with Rey still in the ring ready to face Miz. Instead, Vince hits the ring and tells Rey that the finals will conclude the next week. He has something important (IE firing John Cena) to do right now. So Rey leaves, and out comes Cena.

Before Vince can say a thing, Cena takes the mic and pleads his case. He insists he's not gonna kiss Vince's ass, and that he loves his job. Vince don't care, and is about to fire John when...

IT'S TIME TO PLAY THE GAME! Triple H makes an unexpected appearance, but he's in a rather somber mood. And in one of the sappiest and cheesiest segments in WWE RAW history, a tearful Triple H informs Vince that the "board of directors" have replaced Vince with Hunter as the acting head of WWE, and that Vince is relieved of his duties. Triple H then proceeds to tell Vince that "I LOVE YOU, POP" before leaving a crying Vince to end the show.

A fine finish, sure, and one that intrigues and leaves one wondering what next week holds, but just so damn cheesy! I guess this is wrestling after all. Still, a hell of a good RAW from top to bottom.

Stay tuned for this week's The Internet is for Wrestling. Don't know what that is? Then check out the FIRST, SECOND, and THIRD installments to getchoo some goodness!

The Internet is for Wrestling #3

For yet another week, it seems like the best place to find some good quality wrasslin' is on the interwebs! Sure, it might not have the big storylines going, and certainly there are no blatant petitions to get the WWF Superstars Ice Cream Bars back on the shelf, but wrestling on the internet is fun. More than that, it's wrestling. What more can you ask for?

WWE NXT (7/12/11)

I kinda take back everything bad I said about NXT at this point. As the show has gotten down to the final three competitors, they've dropped the silly budget American Gladiators nonsense and gotten to some good quality wrestling. It may only have featured two matches, but both were quality.

WHAT'S HOT?

The rookies have a triple threat elimination match, which actually manages to showcase why all three of them could make decent pros. They may be a tad green, sure, but it's a well put together, lengthy, and solid match overall. Furthermore, we get yet another excellent match between Tyson Kidd and Yoshi Tatsu. This one even is preceded with a promo by Yoshi, which is thoroughly entertaining despite (or perhaps because) the dude can barely speak English.

WHAT'S NOT?

Only two matches to fill and hour show is a tad light. It's good because each match got plenty of time, but that only makes me wish the show was longer! Also, we get another segment of Hornswoggle. I think I've made it clear how little I care for those.

VERDICT?

WATCH IT! NXT has become the most solid wrestling show on the internet in the last couple weeks.

WWE Superstars (7/14/11)

From most improved show to the show I've been most disappointed with recently, Superstars was solid this week, but I can't help but think that it's missing something.

WHAT'S HOT?

Zack Ryder and Santino open the show. Whilst I wish they had a bit more time in this one, you can't go wrong with these two. The Usos also continue their ascent into being one of my favorite tag teams in a match against the "champs" Otunga and McGillicutty, and Beth Phoenix gets the main event. Wade Barrett also takes on another squash match of sorts, which I think is the right move to start building him up as a threat again.

WHAT'S NOT?

I can't believe how meaningless the tag titles have become, and just how lackluster Otunga and McGillicutty look against a more solid team. I also would have liked to see Phoenix take on a more talented opponent, as she's against Maryse here. She's good enough to carry the match, sure, but it's still not the match I'd liked to have seen. I'm also getting tired of Superstars ending with clips from RAW.

VERDICT?

WATCH IT! It may not be the best show this week, but Superstars sure packs a lot of wrestling into its one hour.

NWA Hollywood (7/13/11)

HEY, I was totally at the NWA taping this Sunday! Does that have to do with anything? No, especially since this episode was taped sometime last month... but hey, NWA Hollywood is cool, right?!

WHAT'S HOT?

This was just a solid show top to bottom. Triple threat tag match to open it up? Yes indeedy. Ray Rosas in an amazing match against Ryan Taylor? Yes please. Disco Machine taking on James Morgan in the show's main event? Cool with me. Throw in that old school cheese that makes NWA Hollywood a delightfully nostalgic piece of entertainment, and you've got NWA Hollywood in a nutshell.

WHAT'S NOT?

Again, NWA's lack of crowd noise and production value definitely doesn't do it any favors. It's something that you can get over, but it also makes the show not as exciting as it could possibly be.

VERDICT?

WATCH IT! An hour filled with good indy wrestling is always an hour well-spent. Which brings us to...

Chikara Podcast-a-go-go 272 (7/11/11)

Chikara's "brand of pro wrestling fun and excitement" never fails to sastisfy and WOO boy is it a doozy this week.

WHAT'S HOT?

Incoherence (Hallowicked and Frightmare) take on FIST (Icarus and Chuck Taylor) in some hot tag team action. There's humor, there's amazing spots, great commentary, awesome audience interaction, etc. There's just nothing not to like about this show. It's why wrestling is great.

WHAT'S NOT?

The fact that the show does eventually end is the only negative I can see about this week's podcast.

VERDICT?

WATCH IT! For the love of God, if you're not watching Chikara, buying the DVDs, or supporting the company in some way, there is something wrong with you!

Next week cometh and goeth, and with it another installment. Hopefully I can get some more reviews of wrestling shows and wrestling related stuff between then and now. Until then, check out this other good stuff from the Rotunda!

The Internet is for Wrestling #2

The Internet is for Wrestling #1

CHEESE-A-MANIA

WWE All-Stars Review

PWG All-Star Weekend 8: NIGHT TWO

The Internet is for Wrestling #2

Another full week of internet-based grappling is behind us, and as it goes every week, this is where the good shit is. What makes the internet my favorite source for wrasslin'? Well, besides the fact that it can be watched any time and just about anywhere, as we'll see this week it's always full of surprises. Let's get to the run-down starting with the big E.

WWE NXT (7/5/11)

I made my problems with NXT known last week, and while I still could not care less about the competition aspect of this show, this week's episode does a smart thing and leans heavier on quality wrestling!

WHAT'S HOT?

The "rookie challenge" this week is actually simply cutting a promo, and whilst it wasn't anything spectacular, the rookies at least showed promise. Derrick Bateman in-particular was hilarious on the mic. Other than that, we've got YET ANOTHER amazing match between Tyson Kidd and Yoshi Tatsu. I could genuinely watch a thousand matches between these two. Oh, and Daniel Bryan is in action in a tag match. That's enough to make me a fan of any wrestling program.

WHAT'S NOT?

I still find it hilarious that the main NXT story thread involves Hornswoggle. I don't inherently dislike him, but I still find the character utterly pointless. Also, as seems to be a big problem with WWE online shows this week, they used NXT to show highlights from this week's TV shows. The show is already short enough without having large chunks taken up with things we've already seen.

VERDICT?

WATCH IT! NXT brings a couple of great matches to the table, and although the show attached still isn't my favorite, who am I to argue with good wrestling?

WWE Superstars (7/7/11)

Sadly, when one WWE internet show does well, the other seems to fail. This week, Superstars is the show that falls short.

WHAT'S HOT?

ZACK RYDER! The Long Island Iced Z is typically a Superstars staple, and he makes a triumphant return this week. It helps he's working a match with Drew McIntyre, and I think he's the perfect guy to get Ryder over. This isn't a technically exciting match, but it's thoroughly entertaining.

WHAT'S NOT?

The other featured matches on Superstars just aren't up to snuff. Natalya wrestles a match against Alicia Fox, and it's just painfully obvious how much more talented Natalya is. Worst of all, she JOBS to Fox, which is ridiculous! It doesn't help that it's commentated by Matt Stryker and Jack Korpela. Korpela is solid, but Stryker's lack of any sense in the booth makes Booker T look like Gorilla Monsoon in comparison. The main event is a squash match featuring Wade Barrett... so yeah I don't think I need to explain why that's disappointing. Lastly, as bad as NXT was with utilizing the show to simply play clips from the past week's TV shows, Superstars doubles that up with two complete segments dedicated to it! If I wanted to see what happened on RAW... I would watch RAW!

VERDICT?

SKIP IT! As much as it pains me to recommend skipping a Zack Ryder appearance, just don't bother with this week's Superstars.

NWA Hollywood Episode 42 (7/6/11)

It's the best wrestling show you've never heard of! This week's NWA Hollywood episode had it's problems, but it was still a thoroughly enjoyable hour of old-school wrestling goodness.

WHAT'S HOT?

NWA doesn't screw around with overlong story segments, but what is there is always nostalgic fun. Colt Cabana makes an appearance to introduce the return of Adam Pearce, and although many people may have never heard of these two dudes, I marked out for Pearce saving Cabana as if it was Savage saving Hogan. The main event between Peter Avalon and Scorpio Sky was fun as all get out.

WHAT'S NOT?

The other matches on the program had their problems. The women's match-up between Buggy and Kitana had a few significant botches, and never came together even at the end, only being saved by the interference by Candice Larae spraying Buggy in the face. Also, Natural Selection was in action against the Tribe, and whilst both teams are great in their own right, this one ended before it really got started (and was hampered by a pretty significant botch in the middle).

VERDICT?

CONSIDER IT! In the end, the good and bad of this week's NWA Hollywood was a wash. It's certainly not the best the company's put out, but if you're at all interested in the promotion, you should put aside an hour to check it out.

Chikara Podcast-a-go-go 271 (7/4/11)

The funnest wrestling promotion on the planet puts its best foot forward this week in a match that highlights its zany storylines and its over the top characters.

WHAT'S HOT?

Fan favorites UltraMantis Black and Delirious go head to head here. Through the commentary and wrestler interactions, you can pick up the semblance of a storyline in progress. That storyline is goofy as all hell, and when Ares blows a dog whistle to send Delirious into a frenzy, you know you're watching something not concerned with realism. What follows is a brawl that goes into the audience, and that highlights both wrestlers' strengths in portraying their given personas.

WHAT'S NOT?

As fun as this match is, it's fun because of the wrestlers involved rather than anything that actually happens. Aside from a savage exploder suplex by UltraMantis, there are really not noteworthy moves executed in this match. If you can't get behind the characters, you may find this match a bit on the basic side.

VERDICT?

WATCH IT! Chikara is all about the personas, and these are two of Chikara's best.

Next week will bring another brace of internet wrestling shows, and with it another installment of The Internet is for Wrestling! Stay tuned! Until then, check out the following links for more from the Rotunda...

The Internet is for Wrestling #1

RAW Recap 7/4/11

CHEESE-A-MANIA

WWE All-Stars Review

The RAW Recap 7/4/11

You'd think that when taping a show that would be played on 'Merica's birthday, WWE would bring their A game. Heck, the company made a huge deal when Osama was killed, and they're famous for their patriotic characters.

Sadly, no matter how good this RAW was, it had to follow in the wake of CM Punk's amazing promo from last week. And with CM Punk nowhere in sight, just how good could this RAW be?

RECAP

Cena Opens the show, a main event is announced, and Vince is said to be on his way to the building. Pretty standard opening, but their addressing CM Punk's promo from last week so directly kinda takes the steam outta the angle.

Kelly Kelly and Eve Torres vs. The Bella Twins

Not much to say about this at all, as might be expected. It makes me sad to know that Beth Phoenix and Gail Kim are having great matches on Superstars, yet the TV audience sees matches like these. No wonder nobody can stand the Divas division.

VERDICT: BAD. VERY BAD.

Promo for Andy Levine pops up. I really wanna see what he can do in a real match, but I hope they take their time developing him.

Santino and Kozlov vs. Otunga and McGillicutty

Santino and Kozlov are great. They may not be the most technically sound, but damn if they aren't entertaining as all hell. Sadly, the team they're against is the opposite of entertaining. Otunga and McGillicutty are just so damn boring! This is a decent little tag match, but these four have actually had one better on Superstars. Still can't get over Nexus having the belts...

VERDICT: OK. There's always some entertainment to be had in a match with Santino.

ZACK RYDER SIGHTING! WWWYKI

Sargent Slaughter vs. Jack Swagger

Swagger makes Sarge angry and therefore IT'S MATCH TIME! I'm always a little leery of having legends past their prime step back in the ring, but this diversion was successful enough. Swagger beats up on Sarge and Evan Bourne makes the save. We get some July 4th goodness and the Bourne/Swagger feud is given one more piece of fuel to keep going.

VERDICT: HARMLESS. Sure, this diversion wasn't necessary, but it ate up like no time and was good fun.

Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio vs. R-Truth

There have been a lot of 3 and 4 way matches featuring these three, and this match reminds us why. BECAUSE THEY'RE GREAT AT THEM! There are some great three-man spots, and I honestly wasn't sure who was gonna take this one. In the end, the win goes to ADR (and a number one contender spot with it). Good decision, and an even better match.

VERDICT: MATCH OF THE NIGHT. These three always bring it.

Dolph and Vickie have a pretty silly segment. I'm not afraid to say that I actually enjoyed this segment, as it reminded me of some really old school heel/manager segments. It's also worth mentioning that Lawler's comments about Vickie at this point are not only unfunny, but just really dumb at this point.

Miz vs. Alex Riley

Another back and forth brawl between these two. Somehow that remains entertaining, mainly because the Miz has good ring psychology and Riley is SUPER over. It's ridiculous how much the fans love this guy. Miz also puts a good post-match beatdown on Riley.

VERDICT: GOOD. These two don't put on spectacular matches, but they're solid and have a decent story backing them.

The show ends with Vince and Cena having an argument about whether Punk should be reinstated. This angle has EVERYONE bringing their best to the table, and this is no exception. Vince and Cena both convincingly plead their case, and in the end, Punk is reinstated. Of course there's also the stipulation that Cena will be FIRED if he loses, which kinda takes some of the drama out of the match (which is kinda the opposite of its intention), but this is still a better angle than WWE has had in some time.

Overall, RAW tonight was just okay. It had its highs, but it felt a tad empty without the presence of CM Punk and without more than one extremely good match, it's just not terribly exciting.

Stay tuned for my second installment of The Internet is for Wrestling. Until then, check out the first installment and enjoy some wrestling!

The Internet is for Wrestling #1

As I've said before on this humble blog, I spend lots of time on the internet. I also spend lots of that internet time watching professional wrestling. Lots of that shit is old/obscure/comedy-related wrestling, sure, but there's actually "new" professional wrestling shows that are featured primarily on the internet each week. Stuff either produced directly for consumption by web users and/or stuff that finds its largest audience on computer screens.

So in my new (and hopefully) weekly series, I take a look at all these web series and tell you, my faithful five readers, what's hot in each of these and whether or not you should check them out for yourself. We're going with a basic "WATCH IT", "CONSIDER IT", or "SKIP IT" rating here. Let's get started with the big boys at WWE.

WWE NXT (6/28/11)

I must admit to really liking the concept of NXT since its inception, but have kinda hated the execution. It's cool that WWE would want to pair up new up-and-comers with seasoned pros and have them fight it out for a spot on the roster, and some of WWE's younger stars have spawned from the series, but the fact that the series devolves into stupid events and no-shows by the mentors means that it's just not super compelling. I recently caught up with this season's goings on, and am sad to see it's very much the same.

WHAT'S HOT?

Yoshi Tatsu and Tyson Kidd have an OUTSTANDING match, one that's kicked off when Kidd rips the legs off of one of Yoshi's prized Yoshi action figures (anyone who follows Yoshi on Twitter knows how much he loves the little guys). These guys have gone at it a million times, but they never fail to entertain. This match was great, the crowd gets behind Yoshi, and these two put on a solid show.

WHAT'S NOT?

The rest of the show is dominated by the NXT contestants, and while these guys aren't necessarily bad, they just are difficult to get amped up for. The audience is already relatively dead for the festivities, but the lack of reaction during matches really cements the problem with having such a long series devoted to unknowns. Also, I love William Regal, but I don't think his commentary is the greatest. Both he and Grisham sound bored at ringside.

VERDICT?

SKIP IT. Unless you're a huge Yoshi Tatsu or Tyson Kidd fan and really want to see their match, this just ain't worth your time.

WWE Superstars (6/30/11)

Perhaps consistently my favorite WWE show, Superstars is essentially (for lack of a better word) a place where all the dudes who job to the big players on RAW and SmackDown can shine. That might not sound super appealing, but rest assured that these dudes and dudettes regularly put on better, more entertaining, and more high-energy matches than stuff you'll see on TV. This week's installment certainly wasn't the best, but it was solid.

WHAT'S HOT?

The show opens up with a fantastic match between Beth Phoenix and Gail Kim. Honestly, Kelly Kelly and the Bellas get more play than these two? That's totally ridiculous, and this match proves why. There's a solid match featuring Chris Masters and JTG that's some good fun, and the show caps with a 6-Man Tag with the Usos and Trent Baretta vs. Gabriel, Slater, and Tyson Kidd. That match is great, but one spot in particular towards the end of the match is totally worth the price of admission. I won't spoil it, but you'll definitely want to see it.

WHAT'S NOT?

There's a pretty meh Divas contest between Alicia Fox and Kaitlyn. This "feud" has been building up for some time between Natalya's face team and Rosa's heel team, but it just isn't going anywhere, and boring matches like this aren't helping matters.

VERDICT?

WATCH IT. Superstars is one WWE show that rarely disappoints. It deserves your attention for one hour out of your week.

NWA Hollywood Episode 41 (6/29/11)

Perhaps the best kept secret on the wrestling scene, NWA Hollywood features some of the more talented performers from the indy circuit beating the crap out of each other in an old movie theater in Hollywood. That never fails to be fun.

WHAT'S HOT?

Just about damn near everything. The show opens with a pretty incredible falls count anywhere tag match between the RockNES Monsters and the Cutler Bros. This thing goes all over the theater, and features some pretty intense spots and bumps. From there, the night just keeps on rolling along with some ladies action, a match featuring the 400 pound wrecking machine, Terex, and a main event with Joey Ryan and SoCal Crazy. All this with Colt Cabana on commentary. What's not to like?

WHAT'S NOT?

The production values of NWA are obviously not going to be anywhere near the level of WWE or anything, and that can be a tad off-putting. However, if you're into the indy scene, that's no problem at all.

VERDICT?

WATCH IT! NWA Hollywood needs to be discovered. Support this awesome promotion!

Chikara Podcast-a-go-go 270 (6/27/11)

Indy darling and fan favorites Chikara put out one of their great archived matches online each week with their Podcast-a-go-go. Some of these have been absolutely fantastic, so it's completely worth your time plumbing their youtube channel for older episodes. How does this week's effort stack up?

WHAT'S HOT?

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brodie Lee is this week's featured effort, and that makes for a solid big-man contest. The strikes are great, the psychology is strong, and there are some pretty amazing feats of strength by Castagnoli here. The finish, too, is pretty creative.

WHAT'S NOT?

As solid as this match is, it's only just that. Solid. Chikara puts these matches out each week, free of charge, and it's almost prickish to critique them or to expect more. Still, I do. Match was great, but the Podcast-a-go-go has put out EPIC in the past.

VERDICT?

CONSIDER IT! Chikara fan? Watch this for sure. Got fifteen minutes to kill? Go ahead and give it a watch. You're not, however, missing all that much by skipping this.

I'll be back next week with the second installment of The Internet is for Wrestling, and stay tuned as I try to get back on track with a regular review schedule!

CHEESE-A-MANIA RUNNING WILD

Recently, at the compulsion of a community project on ComicVine.com by one XeroxKitty, I made a photo comic of sorts using some of my old WWF action figures.

Now, I'm no photographer, but since I'm hard up for new content and under the influence of some major writer's block here, I figgered I'd share these pics with my readers (whatever few I have). Hopefully you enjoy them and give you some nostalgic jollies...

i-Rix Review: WWE All Stars

Professional wrestling's been a big part of my life ever since I was a child. Take that as you shall, but much like the industry's quality, even I'll admit that the quality of professional wrestling games fluctuates from great to embarrassingly bad. From that heap arrives WWE All Stars. Between its list of classic wrestlers and fun over-the-top action, there's a lot to potentially love in THQ's latest foray into the squared circle. However, a laundry list of finicky issues and lack of compelling content cut-down this top prospect in its prime.

CONTENT

The first big failing in WWE All Stars comes from its rather meager selection of modes and match types. There are one to four player variations in standard matches, tornado tag matches, cage matches, elimination matches, and "extreme rules" matches, but that's about it. Also, because of the way each match plays out, there's just not a lot of variation even in these different match types. These all play into the two main single-player modes, Path of Champions and Fantasy Warfare.

In Path of Champions, you take a superstar of your choosing through one of three "story-lines" in order to become a WWE champion. Each of these is accompanied by some pretty brilliantly produced cutscenes that have the champion of the given path taunting you in true professional wrestling fashion (the best of these involving the Undertaker and PAUL FREAKING BEARER cutting promos from their funeral parlor), which flesh them out more than simply being a series of matches on an arcade-style ladder. Fantasy Warfare, on the other hand, takes one superstar from the current generation and pits them in a "dream match" against a classic superstar. While the video packages that splice actual footage of both superstars together as if they were actually feuding are spectacular, and matches like Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. CM Punk for "Superior Lifestyle" make complete sense, some of these just feel a little forced. I'm sorry, but there is NO competition between John Morrison and Randy "Macho Man" Savage for "Most Charismatic". Throw in a pretty meek suite of online modes, and you've got all that WWE All Stars has to offer.

GAMEPLAY

Of course this is a wrestling game. Wrestling should be tantamount here. And for the most part, WWE All Stars is a lot of fun. Four attack buttons and two defensive buttons make up your combative capabilities, and by combining these together, you can string strikes, grapples, strikes and grapples, and signature maneuvers together in creative ways. There's a good, almost fighting game level of depth to the action that makes experimentation both fun and rewarding. The first time I saw my little brother bounce a guy up with a powerbomb, grab him out of the air and flip him over only to Spear him out of mid-air with Edge, I knew there was some big potential here.

Further adding to the variation is the fact that each wrestler falls into one of four categories that help determine his moveset and abilities. For example, Big Men like Andre the Giant and Kane have devastating strikes and grapples that throw the opponent around the ring and can absorb more punishment, where as Grapplers like Mr. Perfect and Jack Swagger can link together grapples into a near-infinite chain of punishing slams and submission holds. Further adding to the mayhem are Signature and Finishing moves, each governed by their own meters. A multi-tiered bar (which also governs your wrestler's stamina for running) can be expended to use a Signature maneuver, which are unique, show-stopping moves that can devastate your opponent and turn the tide in your favor. They also help substantially fill your Finisher meter, which when full, lets you charge up your wrestler's finishing maneuver which can end a match outright. Knowing when and how to use these, and experimenting with them is all part of the fun of All Stars.

But sadly, there are some extreme caveats to that fun. As I stated, All Stars is pretty lacking in modes. Once you beat the Path of Champions a couple times through with different dudes and finish up Fantasy Warfare, there's not a ton left to play around with. Part of this is due to a disappointingly small roster and, whilst other competitors are already up for DLC and more have been announced, the way THQ is dolling them out at a snail's pace isn't doing the game's short shelf-life any favors. This is expounded by the incredibly weak online options. It's enough that the modes and options aren't there, but with no penalty for rage-quitters, copious lag, and nobody playing online, there just aren't any legs to the game.

Lastly, even the minute to minute gameplay in All Stars has some big blemishes. For one thing, certain options in combat aren't viable in the least. Options like using weapons are worthless. Spotty hit detection and random happenings may be acceptable in wrestling games as a norm, but that doesn't make them any less aggravating. All Stars is no exception, and the fact that this is a game much more about fighting game execution than any other, that is doubly so. The first time you botch a reversal that you KNOW should have worked, or when your rope spring miraculously doesn't hit the opponent despite passing right through him, you'll be making a Cornette face.

PRESENTATION

The presentation in All Stars is similarly spotty. The cartoony artstyle fits perfectly with the action in-ring, and the animations given to these over-the-top moves are smoother than any recent wrestling game. Epic moments even occur in the slow-motion uber versions of your given wrestler's Signature and Finishing moves, and although the exaggerated physiques of each ring warrior look a little ridiculous, ridiculous is what this game's all about. Of course, the video packages and in-engine cutscenes (complete with more than competent voice-acting) are the best parts of the presentation here. Sadly, there's just a lack of character in the rest of package, and even some of the action is stilted with emotionless wrestlers going at it and some minor clipping. Also, as repetitive as this game already is, having to look at the same five or six rings doesn't help matters at all.

FINAL VERDICT

WWE All Stars is a fun game that is kept from greatness with its inconsistency. There are good ideas in the game's content, but it's overall lacking. The gameplay has some spectacular innovations, but a lack of polish keeps it from elevating above a certain base level of enjoyment. The presentation is inspired in points, and lazy in others. Overall, if you're a fan of professional wrestling, you'll want to check out All Stars if only for a novelty. There's something potentially special here, but there are just too many mistakes in this rookie outing. It's a prospect to watch, but right now it's just middling in the mid-card.

WWE All Stars gets 3 stars out of 5.

SmackDown Sum-up 6/10/11

How is SmackDown not the flagship of WWE? It has comparable talent to RAW, it has great production value, and puts on quite possibly the best overall wrestling show on television. Of course even great shows have off nights. Was tonight one of those nights for SmackDown?

NOPE! Let's hit the recap!

Christian Spits the Truth: Christian jerks the curtain with a heel promo with a Michael Cole assist. Christian's always been great, but WWE didn't seem to know how to utilize him as a face. As a heel, they're letting him go all out with his smug bastard-ness and he's turning out to be a fantastic heel. He's getting heat right away and building his rivalry with Randy Orton. Both are good ideas.

6-Man Tag: The Corre takes on Ezekiel Jackson and the Usos. While it's weird that they'd just throw the Usos together with Zeke to make a team, this actually turns out to be a decent enough match. The Corre and Zeke carry most of the action, but the Usos do a good job and seem to get over with the crowd alright in this match. Furthermore, this match continues to build up the tensions within the Corre. Wade leaves towards the finish and Gabriel and Slater get beat, leading Slater and Gabriel to tell Barrett that they won't have his back at Capitol Punishment. I think this means the belt is primed to be put on Zeke, which is a cool prospect, but only time will tell.

Jinder Mahal Squashing: Another squash match to set up how awesome Jinder Mahal is. I can't quite decide whether I like Mahal or not, but he's a big athletic dude, so I'm sure he has potential. He squashes Trent Beretta real nice here, and Great Khali comes in to apply the Kona Crush to him. We'll see how this duo plays out (primarily if they put the belt on Zeke).

AJ vs. Tamina: It's time for the obligatory Diva segment, which typically means a pointless two minute match that leads to nothing. However, they ARE trying to push the Divas face stable of SmackDown vs. the heel stable, and this match tries to further that. I'm not a fan of AJ's personality, as I feel WWE is trying too hard to appeal to dorks (LIKE ME) with her, but she's not a bad in-ring performance. And believe it or not, this was actually a fairly solid match. Decent psychology and a win for the face. Surprisingly, I want to see where this thing goes.

THE REAL MAIN EVENT: Okay, maybe that title's a little misleading, but this building feud has so many of my favorite performers and so much young talent that it DESERVES to be a top billed deal. First, Sin Cara takes on Ted DiBiase in a singles match that starts off fairly solid. However, Cody (who had another fantastic pre-match segment) interferes and gets Ted disqualified. Daniel Bryan runs in for the save and Teddie Long (in true Teddy fashion) demands the match be restarted as a tag match.

What follows is a great classic tag team contest. The heels control the action, wearing down the uber-technico Sin Cara, then Bryan gets hot-tagged in for the clear out and finish. It was a little predictable, yes, but every guy in this match is so much fun to watch work that I could care less. It's a shame they won't likely build this feud up into Summer Slam where I'll get to see these guys go at it live, but it's been a fun ride so far. Can't wait to see more.

Sheamus vs. Orton: Sheamus gets a no DQ, non-title match with Randy Orton... alright. I'm not complaining. This match actually starts off a little slow, and at points it devolves into a punch/kick fest. However, it actually had some decent "NO DQ" stuff including some kendo stick work and some pretty brutal stair spots. Sheamus actually gets power slammed onto the stairs, and the bump looks beyond brutal. In the end, and perhaps a little predictable, Christian brains Randy with the belt again and Sheamus gets the win. Of course this isn't about Sheamus, and Christian gets tons of heat going into Capitol Punishment.

SmackDown this week was great. It's not always such, but I maintain it's the best WWE has to offer. Story building, decent Divas match, Daniel Bryan, Sin Cara, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, stair bumps...

What else needs to be said? 5 stars out of 5.

CHECK OUT THIS WEEK'S WRESTLING SHOWCASE

AND FOR SHITS AND GIGGLES, HERE'S LAST WEEK'S SMACKDOWN SUM-UP FOR COMPARISON.

The Weekly Showcase 6/10/11

I'm going to admit it. I haven't been keeping up with the Rotunda this week. I've watched plenty of wrestling, sure, but for some reason I've been a tad slacking in writing stuff for my little corner of the wrestling universe.

So this week's showcase is gonna be a short one and basically will just be "pimping my shit out" and to point out a pretty awesome match most people didn't see (which is what this thing is for, right?).

Anyway, above is my trailer for WWE '12 combined with Kanye West's "Power". It's kinda an inside joke, but I hope you enjoy anyway...

The other part is pimping out NWA Hollywood's weekly show. Since I live in the area that they broadcast, I got to see this awesomeness last Saturday, but now YOU TOO can see it.

The show this week is overall just okay, but ends with an AMAZING match between the RockNES Monsters (who are awesome) vs. The Cutler Bros. (also awesome) in a two out of three falls match. It's really good stuff with an even more amazing ending.

Anyway, SmackDown's on, so I'll peep you maniacs later...

Last Week's SmackDown Sum-Up

Last Week's Showcase

SmackDown Sum-up 6/3/11

SmackDown is consistently better than RAW in the eyes of THIS reviewer (which, seeing as I have to wear contact lenses, are very poor). However, this week's RAW was actually exceptional, so what did Friday night's show come back with?

Let's hit the recap!

• Christian vs. Mark Henry: After a brief summation of what's been happening with Christian in recent weeks, SmackDown opens right up with a match. It's not horribly long, and I'm not a huge Henry fan, but he's utilized well here. Christian has to chop him down and eventually gets the victory. The next segment has Christian demanding a title shot, only to be shot down by Teddy Long. Then, for some reason... Teddy names Christian as special referee for the Sheamus/Orton main event? I don't see the logic there, but without it, we get no BIG TWIST at the end of the show. Overall, an effective, if not average opening segment.

• What Just Happened?: Out of nowhere, we get a Diva tag match with... some Divas I don't recognize. Honestly, I don't know who over half of the Divas actually competing were (Natalya's team). Even worse, just as I was getting used to each Divas style and actually getting slightly into the match, it ends. Thanks again, WWE, for these pointless segments.

• Oh Cody. You so crazy: Cody Rhodes comes out and cuts a wicked promo. I like the build up and animosity they're going for between him and Daniel Bryan, but sadly I can bet that the pay-off will still come out underdeveloped. Nevertheless, great segment that shows off just how good Cody has gotten on the mic. Definitely one of my favorite heels in the company.

• Jinder Mahal vs. Yoshi Tatsu: Jinder Mahal actually gets some time in the ring. The match is a squash, with poor Yoshi Tatsu getting absolutely 0 offense in. This kinda upsets me as, yes, I understand it's meant to make Mahal look powerful, but instead it makes Tatsu look weak. This is because Mahal doesn't pull off anything really impressive. A necessary evil, but brings the show down nonetheless.

• Ezekiel Jackson vs. Wade Barrett: I was surprised to see this match-up, let alone this match-up for the belt. I figured the Corre would have some way of making sure Barrett walked away as champion. Sure enough, they do after a brief match that has Jackson dominating. I think they have the potential of over-hyping Zeke and making him a new Batista (or worse), but he's got a good intensity AND charisma that makes him fun to watch. I don't think he should be man-handling the Corre each week, but I wouldn't be opposed to them sticking the IC belt on him.

• Daniel Bryan vs. Ted DiBiase Jr.: Match of the night! It's been a while since we've really seen DiBiase's in-ring ability stretched, but him and Bryan put on an awesome match. Tons of false climaxes, back and forth action, stiff striking, big spots. This match had it all. Rhodes attacks Bryan after he beats DiBiase, but who should run to American Dragon's aid than Sin Cara. That was a nice surprise, and the promise of the two tagging together is a really intriguing prospect.

• Randy Orton vs. Sheamus: Pretty standard main event. Sadly, Randy DOES resemble John Cena a bit too much nowadays, as he'll get beat up a majority of the match and then have a miracle comeback, but this match was solid enough. Some good back and forth, and I'm becoming a bigger and bigger Sheamus fan the more I see him work. I nearly forgot Christian was reffing the match, his presence was that small until the finish. Orton picks up the victory and then SURPRISE, Christian makes his big heel turn. He brains Orton with his own belt, and walks off with it as SmackDown ends.

Decent card with solid matches from top to bottom. However, I can't help but feel that, without the Bryan/DiBiase match, this SmackDown would be dangerously close to mediocre. It still easily gets 3 stars out of 5 in my book, but I hope next week's installment is a little stronger.

Until then, keep an eye out for more updates, and check out some of my stuff from earlier in the week...

The Weekly Showcase 6/2/11

RAW Recap 5/30/11

PWG All-Star Weekend 8: Night Two

The Weekly Showcase 6/2/11

Still reeling from the events of last weekend and still with PWG on my mind, I bring you the weekly showcase. First up on the docket is a promo that actually COMES from their big All-Star Weekend event that I was lucky enough to be a part of. Following Night One, PWG stars cut some promos to bring the hype for Night Two. None stuck out like this delightfully racist one from the Fightin' Taylor Boys...

Unfortunately, Chucky T had to pull out of Night Two because of an injured groin, and Ryan Taylor was grounded for taking steroids (if Chuck is to be believed), but this promo is still a hoot. In fact, it reminds me of another great promo PWG put out years back featuring Colt "Boom Boom" Cabana and El Generico...

Anyway, time for some ACTUAL wrestling. As was announced this week, the WWE's Kharma (aka, Awesome Kong) is going to be out for quite a while as she's pregnant. That's good for her, but sadly this means that we wrestling fans will have to continue to slog through the slim pickings of WWE Divas action until she returns (or the WWE gets smart and actual utilizes ladies like Nattie Neidhart and Beth Phoenix).

So I decided to feature a match with, not only Kong, but with some really great women's wrestling. It's once again a featured Chikara Podcast a-go-go match, and it features Kong with Raisha Saeed (AKA Cheerleader Melissa) taking on one of my favorite wrestling duos, Sara Del Rey and Daizee Haze. Enjoy.

Keep an eye out for more show recaps, and I'll see you next week on the showcase.

RAW Recap 5/30/11

Last night, WWE seemed to be swinging for the fences with RAW. Long, solid matches. Decent story building. Not a lot of extra fluff. Does that give RAW the power to topple SmackDown as number one in my WWE fortified heart?

No. But it tried its darnedest. To the recap!

• R-Truth Rant: People on the East Coast and other places may have got "technical difficulties", but here on the West Coast of the US, we got the full effect of R-Truth's insanity. And, as most things he does lately, it was AMAZING. Truth has become such an effective heel over such a short time. This segment also set up our main event (Cena vs. Truth) so it was top to bottom solid. A good start to a decent show.

• Ziggler vs. Kofi: This match has only barely been built up in recent weeks, but that didn't stop this from being a good opening match. Despite a few segments where the two's styles didn't gel (leading to some awkwardness), both Kofi and Ziggler were great. The finish relied on Dolph staying evasive and using his brain, and yet again Kofi loses due to his reckless style. I'm not sure WHY the WWE powers that be put the belt on Kingston if they're going to continue to make him look this weak, but that's neither here nor there. This was just a solid opener. ALSO; it stands mentioning that Vickie Guerrero... lookin' pretty good lately. She can "Excuse Me" any time. That... that doesn't make sense...

• Another Pointless Divas Match: Yep, another Divas match that ends as quickly as it starts. I'm hoping that, seeing as what's going on with the Divas roster (revealed later in the show), WWE starts developing the Divas more, or putting the belt on more talented Divas that can carry actual matches. As it stands now, the Divas are barely worth mentioning.

• CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio: The match of the night. When you get two guys with such stellar in-ring ability together, the match can't help but be entertaining, and this was no exception. Mysterio still has that ability to sell just about any move, and Punk has such great ring psychology (working his heel persona the entire time). A couple of big false climaxes ramp up to Punk finishing this one with a kick (kinda cool to see). I'm sure this will lead to an underdeveloped feud between these two, but when they can put on matches like this, I couldn't care less.

• Kharma Says Goodbye: Surprise! The biggest news of last week is confirmed to be true by the woman herself. I gotta admit, I was pretty touched by what Kharma had to say, but I think the segment was handled poorly overall. As I've said before, the Divas are so underdeveloped and useless right now, what was the point of making the Bellas have a heel moment? What could have been an extremely sincere moment, instead turned ugly.

• Bourne vs. Swagger: Bourne and Swagger have a small feud currently going on, and they go at it again tonight. I think Swagger actually works particularly well against smaller guys, and he carries the match here as he shows off a lot of his strength and physicality. They give the win to Bourne with a roll-up, and keep the feud going. It's not much, but both these guys are good and it's good to see some mid-card feuds outside of the usual five or so "main" guys.

• ZACK RYDER!!!: Internet Champion sighting! I really don't know where they're headed with him showing up with Cena all the time, but I'm not complaining. WWWYKI.

• The Main Event: Surprisingly, the main event with Truth and Cena isn't a long drawn out war. Rather, the E uses this opportunity to further R-Truth in his heel status, having him steal a quick one against Cena via count-out. While this isn't exactly "wrestling", it's still good story-telling.

RAW was solid. Solid in terms of RAW, solid in terms of WWE, and solid in terms of wrestling. Period. Does it eclipse SmackDown? Not quite. I'm still feel like SmackDown's production value and booking beats RAW, but I think this is a step in the right direction. With all the stupid Michael Cole nonsense out of the way, I look forward to seeing where an unfettered RAW can go. As for Monday, it gets 4 out of 5 stars.

Be on the lookout for more Pro Wrestling fun and analysis later this week.

Until then check out some of my more recent postings...

Last Week's Wrestling Showcase

My Adventure in Reseda, California at PWG's All-Star Weekend

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla All-Star Weekend 8: NIGHT TWO

For as much as I despise the use of such vulgar terminology, I was, for all intents and purposes, a virgin to the world of indy pro wrestling. I'd seen videos, sure. I'd followed wrestlers and done my research. But, like anything beautiful in this world, one truly cannot understand or appreciate that majesty until experienced first hand. Last night, I spent a wild night with PWG, and it's a night that I'll never forget.

It's true, the American Legion Hall is not the prettiest girl in the world, nor is Reseda the ideal city I'd like to spend copious amounts of time in. I waited out in the cold, then was packed into a humid building literally rubbing shoulders with fellow wrestling fans mere feet away from a weathered ring. This was something new to me. Yet, mere minutes into the opening bell, I felt right at home.

Let me attempt to take you on a journey down the card with me.

• It Begins: Excalibur opens up the show. He tells the crowd that there have been changes to the card, but the crowd's biggest concern, that Low Ki was scratched, is addressed when Excalibur announces that Ki is in the building. It probably goes without saying that the audience approved.

• Brian Cage vs. Kenny King: Chuck Taylor accompanies Cage to the ring. Apparently, old Chucky T's the man who was scratched from the card as he pulled his groin at Night One. Did this prevent Chuck from regularly interfering with his "brother's" match against Kenny King? Hell no, and Chuck was as much fun to watch as the match itself. This was a solid opener which brought the humor, and some good technical spots. It didn't have the same big spots as matches later in the card, but King and Cage both got great responses. Cage got either his nose or mouth busted open at some point near the finish, as when King hit his finish and Cage hit the canvas, he was bleeding a good amount. Awesome opener.

• Nightmare Violence Connection vs. RockNES Monsters: It's Akira Tozawa's last night on the west coast before he heads back to Dragon Gate, and him and Kevin Steen are ready to kick in some skulls. Unfortunately, so are RockNES and they get the jump on the NVC. This match, only two into the card, set the bar RIDICULOUSLY high. In short, all four dudes beat the shit out of one another. Tozawa showed off his trademark tenacity and intensity, and the crowd was loving it.

• I'm just getting into the NWA Hollywood, and despite being regulars of that promotion, I've not seen RockNES wrestle until last night. And I must admit, I was impressed by both their ability to deal out exciting offense and to take ridiculously hard strikes and bumps. Highlight of the match had Steen Package Piledrive-ing Johnny Yuma onto the apron for the finish. Yes... he dropped a man on his head onto the apron. It was pretty gnarly-looking. Anyway, after some good sportsmanship, Steen is attempting to thank Tozawa for his awesome-ness, the Young Bucks do a run-in and attack Steen and Tozawa, but are saved by Hero. Again, thanks to the card shuffling, Hero challenges Tozawa to a singles match later in the show. The audience loved that they would get to see one more match from Tozawa.

• Willie Mack vs. Ricochet: With Chris Hero taking on Ricochet, he unfortunately couldn't take on Willie Mack (which admittedly made me a sad panda). However, Ricochet didn't have someone to wrestle with Chuck Taylor's groin and whatnot, so HEY, let's have these two go at it. This was just an extremely solid match. Obviously, with the last match what it was, this had a lot to try and top which it didn't quite do. However, Willie Mack is super over with the crowd, and there were a couple super surprising spots here. Two that stick out are a standing shooting star press by Mack and (almost unbelievably) a standing 630 senton by Ricochet. Both these dudes are bound for greatness, and I will keep being a huge Willie Mack fan as his skills just keep improving.

• Dynasty vs. The Cutlers: This was another big "HEY, NWA DUDES! SWEET!" match for me, as Joey Ryan (one of my favorites) teams up with Scorpio Sky to take on the Cutler brothers. Now, I don't know much about the Cutlers, but I think their heel gimmick really is great. To an audience that regularly engages in profanity, dudes who don't take condone that behavior are great. Even so, the audience was pretty well split on who they were rooting for. This was a more traditionally paced tag match than the NVC/RockNES match, but it was tons of fun. The Cutlers are as athletic as they come, Sky is exciting as all hell, and Ryan is so sound in just about everything he does. He even speared the Cutlers off the apron and into the front row not once, but twice during the match, not to mention delivering something that can only be described as the "Fuck-plex". Just some more fun stuff here.

• El Generico vs. Eddie Edwards: Another contender for match of the night (aren't they all?). Generico and Edwards both have similar styles, but different mentalities in the ring. Comedy came early in the match when an audience member yelled to Generico that Edwards hated orphans, sending Generico into an enraged frenzy. However, before too long, Edwards started working Generico's knee, which eventually became the focal point of the match and Generico's downfall. A lot of back and forth made this one super unpredictable, and although it was about as long as any other match, it was so fast paced that it seemed to go by in an instant. The audience was begging Edwards to come back at match's end.

• INTERMISSION: Huffing and puffing from the heat of American Legion, not to mention the awesome in-ring action, I actually looked forward to intermission time. But first, it was time for the merch table, and who should be manning it but...

• Yep, Claudio Castagnoli was selling his merch (Generico was selling his before the show), so I snatched up on of the new glow in the dark Kings of Wrestling shirts from him (and also managed to stammer out how awesome I thought he was while I shook the man's hand). I also, literally, ran into Eddie Edwards as I was heading outside. I made sure to tell him how amazing his match was. One bottle of water later and it was time for more wrestling!

• Young Bucks vs. Aries/Strong (Tag Team Championship): As good of heels the Cutlers were earlier, you just can't beat the Jacksons for antagonizing a crowd. Coming out in full "Impact Wrestling" garb, they make sure to get the audience firmly against them. Aries and Strong turn this one goofy right away as they chase the Bucks into the bathroom and come running out shoving toilet paper down their throats. This match also featured the most impressive use of back and chest rakes I've ever seen in a wrestling bout (and were pretty damn real if the evidence on Nick Jackson's back was any indication as he writhed around a couple feet from me). The Bucks actually steal a win with a crucifix pin, leading to the only "THAT WAS BULLSHIT" chant of the night. I'm guessing that's the reaction they wanted.

• Akira Tozawa vs. Chris Hero: Quite probably the match of the night (again, debatable), this was a classic David vs. Goliath match amped up to 11. Hero plays it stiff with the strikes and keeps knocking Tozawa down, but he keeps coming back. Just when it looks like Hero's got it wrapped up, Tozawa hulks up and delivers an amazing series of suplexes to Hero. I'm impressed at Tozawa's strength AND Hero's ability to take an obscene series of bumps to the back of his head and neck. Tozawa takes it (as could be expected), and what followed was a genuinely touching/hilarious show of affection between Tozawa and the PWG crowd. Never before have I heard a "Fuck You" chant be directed as a term of endearment. I may not have really followed him super closely while he was here, but I've become a Tozawa fan forever after his showing this night. Truly spectacular.

• Claudio Castagnoli vs. Low Ki (Heavyweight Championship): Finally, it was main event time. I think everybody was still doubting that Low Ki was actually in the building because he got a pretty huge pop when he came in. Of course everybody loves Claudio (I sure do). This match is definitely more deliberate and slow-paced, typically building up to bigger spots, where other matches on the card typically had a GO GO GO attitude once the match got properly underway. That didn't stop the match from having some of the night's most memorable spots, including some of the stiffest strikes of the night (kicks and uppercuts galore). Ki had a great counter to Claudio's pop-up uppercut with a double stomp, but Claudio ended up landing it for the victory.

And thus concluded an amazing night. I quickly got outta there following the main event as, it being about midnight and me having an hour+ of driving ahead of me, I couldn't dilly dally. But still, my initial experience on the indy circuit (PWG in-particular) was overwhelmingly positive. I cannot wait to get to another show in the coming months, not to mention picking up both nights of All-Star Weekend 8 when they're released on DVD. I'm officially hooked. 10 stars out of 5!

The Weekly Showcase 5/26/11

Wasn't there a thing I used to do for WWE Monday Night RAW? No? Well then why would you even bring it up?!

Anyway, welcome to the weekly showcase, where I try to hunt down some decent stuff for wrestling fans who may be a little underwhelmed at the weekly professional wrestling offerings from the mainstream promotions.

This week, I'd like to direct attention at a "local" promotion here in Southern California that I believe is just starting to gain traction thanks to some stellar talent. That promotion is NWA Hollywood. Every Saturday at 11 p.m. over here, this division of the greater National Wrestling Alliance puts on the best show possible.

Check out THIS particular episode featuring Colt Cabana taking on Adam Pearce for the heavyweight title. It's a ton of fun.

Head over to their website, find them on Twitter, and support their wrestlers. This is a fun promotion I'd like to see stick around.

Anyway, that's gonna do it for the showcase this week. I'll be at Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's All-Star Weekend 8 this Saturday, making it my first indy show I've ever been to. Really looking forward to seeing Claudio Castagnoli, El Generico, Willie Mack, the Young Bucks and others.

Meanwhile check out past weeks' entries, be on the lookout for my SmackDown Sum-up this week, and possible stuff about my experience at the show.

Until next time, stay sexy, wrestling fans, and remember... genital warts DON'T rule.