75. Falls Count Anywhere: Cage vs. The Mack – Ultima Lucha 7/29/15
While I talked about Alberto El Patron and Johnny Mundo
opening night two of Ultima Lucha, this was the official opener of the
festivities. Cage had been booked like a monster in Lucha Underground, which is
fitting given his look. The Mack is just a bunch of fun. Fun is actually the
word I would use to describe this. Clocking in at just 7:45, it is one of the shortest
bouts on the list. It was just such a blast from bell to bell. If you asked me
about my ideal Falls Count Anywhere match, I’d want one that never went in the
ring, which is what happened here. In the short timeframe, they crammed a good
amount of stuff in. There was a big table spot and an especially cool moment
where Cage got hit with a cooler. Out spilled beers, so Mack chugged some and
hit a Stone Cold Stunner. Commentary sold the near fall like they were shocked
because of how well the Stunner worked in the past. The finish to this was the
most spectacular moment as Cage curb stomped Mack through a cinder block in an
absolutely brutal moment. I didn’t expect too much from this and I came out
blown away. ****
74. WWE World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match: Seth
Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose – WWE Money in the Bank 6/14/15
A title reign built around shenanigans, false finishes and
interference led us to this mach. Seth Rollins would face his rival, Dean
Ambrose, in a ladder match. These two were no strangers to each other, having
met in a Lumberjack match, Hell in a Cell match and of course, a plain old
singles match two weeks earlier. On that night, Ambrose seemed to win the WWE
Title but we got the dusty finish. Dean stole the title, setting the stage for
this match, where Seth demanded he do things alone. No Authority, no J&J
Security and no Kane. When the bell rang, we got to see a different side of WWE
Champion Seth Rollins. For most of the 35:40 that this match took, Seth was an
animal. He was a vicious heel in the same vein as early 2000’s Triple H. He
attacks Dean’s leg and just comes off as a brutal and cunning heel, unlike the
cowardly heel he had portrayed during his run. This wasn’t your typical high
spot ladder match, instead taking me back to the Rock/Triple H ladder match
from SummerSlam 1998. It seemed like two guys using the ladder as a weapon
because they hate each other. Seth hit some sick powerbombs on the guardrail
and ladder outside near the finish. Both Dean and him pulled down the belt in
the end, but Seth landed with control and retained. With a better, more
definitive ending and more selling from Ambrose, this would have ranked higher,
but it was one of their better encounters. ****
73. Roderick Strong vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – ROH Global Wars
5/16/15
Similar to another match you’ll see on this list later,
Roderick Strong played the role of “Mr. ROH” against one of the top stars from
New Japan Pro Wrestling. The Toronto crowd was red hot, knowing they were
seeing something special and especially popping at the sight of Shinsuke
Nakamura. In every appearance with ROH, Nakamura is over like a god. They
adhered to the Code of Honor, following it with a start that you’d expect from
two guys like this. They jockey for position and feel each other out, trying to
gain the upper hand. Nakamura came with the bigger offense first, hitting some
knee strikes, before Roddy turned things around and focused on Shinsuke’s back.
On this tour alone, Strong had split matches with Hiroshi Tanahashi and
KUSHIDA, though coming into it, you kind of knew Nakamura would win. Still,
Strong goes into an offensive flurry that includes a sick kick and backbreaker,
bringing upon a near fall that I bit on even on my second viewing. He also
avoids a Boma Ye by striking with a knee of his own in a pretty great moment. Shinsuke
proves to be too much, winning after a Boma Ye after 17:02 of great back and
forth action. ****
72. No Holds Barred: Timothy Thatcher vs. Biff Busick – Evolve
48 8/16/15
I haven’t been able to
see the rivalry between Timothy Thatcher and Biff Busick but judging by the
commentary in this, it was pretty heated. Thatcher inadvertently broke Biff’s
thumb and when Biff returned, he injured Thatcher’s left ear, causing him to
nearly go deaf on that side. That led them to this main event bout. Now, when
you see the No Holds Barred stipulation, you may expect a hardcore match with
weapons. Not here. The rule was in place so two badass dudes could go to war.
Biff relentlessly attacked Timothy’s ear, seemingly trying to make him
permanently deaf. He repeatedly went after it and even busted the Evolve
Champion open at one point. A bleeding ear is quite the sight to be honest.
Thatcher didn’t play his normal game, instead realizing that he needed to do
what Biff was doing in order to survive. He started to target Biff’s thumb and
the protective tape over it. In the end, he exposed the thumb and seemingly
broke it once again. He instantly applied the Fujiwara armbar and Biff tapped
out at 13:36. I know he’s only the list once, but I do love me some Biff and
he’s my third favorite guy not in WWE, NJPW, TNA or ROH. ****
71. Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/15/15
Interestingly enough, despite taking place back in March,
I only saw this match for the first time in December. It happened during a time
when I had to cancel my New Japan World subscription. Going back and watching
it led me to see that it was pretty damn good, which honestly isn’t too
surprising. Kota Ibushi and Tetsuya Naito are among my absolute favorites in
all of New Japan. This was before Naito’s fantastic heel turn, so he’s still
playing the white meat babyface that I’m not a fan of. For this match though, I
was fine with it. It was two of the most athletic wrestlers, not just in Japan,
but in the entire world going at it. They tried to one up each other at every
turn though they come off as so evenly matched, nobody really gains an upper
hand. It is only when Ibushi reaches into his bag of tricks and starts applying
a more physical style that he takes control. His ability to hit hard is one of
my favorite things about him. At the 14:14 mark, Ibushi wins with a sitout
powerbomb and advancing to the finals, which he would win to earn a shot at AJ
Styles and the IWGP Heavyweight Title. ****
