Flip Forever

Martin Stone VS Flip Gordon - Beyond Wrestling 1/27/2018

JJZ: Why the hell don't wrestlers these days care about wearing the same colors?! You'd never see Flair and Dusty both rocking black trunks with white trim. In spite of this ignorance this is a very good match. And with Scurll in the rear view he might want to watch this match to see how to work a finger. Just saying. Very nice flyer vs technician psychology in this match. Crowd is okay but Wrestle Factory crowds aren't always over the top.

I know I didn't do you any favors by picking a Martin Stone match Chris but ever since he changed his gimmick around the time of the UK tourney I've been a big fan and this match shined a bright light on both these wrestlers.

CJD: First of all, I'm almost positive I've watched a Flair VS Terry Taylor match where they're both wearing identical Kelly green trunks. Might have been VS Kerry Von Erich, but either way. I think you need to get over this fixation or you may not ever be able to enjoy pro wrestling again. Just saying.

Stone is one of those guys that I never seek out when I see him on paper but he adds a ton to any card he's on. It was really interesting to see Gordon work heel, using a lot of the same exact spots from last week, but getting legit heat with them. This was fun undercard wrestling 101, the type of match that keeps the pace of a show moving right along while still delivering something substantial and satisfying. I left the match wanting to watch more of both guys, and I'll do just that with Stone next week!

You Either Die A Party Marty, Or You Live Long Enough To See Yourself Become The Villain

Marty Scurll VS Flip Gordon - ROH 01/06/2018

CJD: When searching for a Scurll match for this week I wanted it to check a few boxes. Not an epic, not against someone he was extremely familiar with, where the Villain looks great without having to do a ton, and makes his opponent look great in the process. I honestly have never seen a Scurll performance that fits that description, but in this one he knocked it out of the park. I'm starting to think he's grown a lot this year between these two matches. I'm going to have to start giving him a fair shake again. Oh and hey I watched a Flip Gordon match for the first time in the process.

JJZ: The cagey vet versus the energetic green horn. This was a nice titty for tatty match. Watching Flip trying to get the huge victory in his young career was the story unfolding the whole time. I think him going so fast with everything worked really well to showcase it. The crowd was white hot and was buying into everything. The super kicks were so fucking stiff!!! But for the love of god ROH please stop main event wrestlers from wearing the same color trucks!

CJD: You had two guys in purple in your last match there buddy!

JJZ: Haha. This has been a ROH problem since we were going to shows. That's why I didn't call out the wrestlers.

Editor's note: This match has been taken down since we originally shared it. We'll check back periodically to see if we can find a new link. We apologize for the inconvenience!

Gonna Fly Now

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6hibjq

Will Ospreay (c) VS Marty Scurll - NJPW IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship 4/1/2018

JJZ: This was a no brainer for me. In my top three matches of the year. Ospreay is one of the best in the wrestling world right now, he has evolved into a complete wrestler that tells you a story that you never want to end. Now Marty, I'm 50/50 on the Villain. He can be great or he overstays his welcome. But that isn't the case in this match at all. This match is a present for you Chris. I hope you enjoy it.

CJD: I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. There's a lot about this match I loved. But as was the case with previous Ospreay/Scurll matches I've seen, I think they took things too far. This match told a complete story, reached a logical conclusion. Then it kept going for a few more minutes and it made so much of what they worked so hard to build feel less important. Make no mistake that for almost a half hour these are the best babyface Will Ospreay and maestro Marty Scrull performances I've ever seen. I feel similarly on the Villain, I often think he's a great entrance and cool character on paper who doesn't translate in the ring. That wasn't the case here, he was methodical, nasty, everything he did in the ring had purpose. Ospreay's selling and sometimes inadvertent continuous punishment to his neck was reminiscent of an action movie like Die Hard or Shoot 'Em Up. It just kept getting more ridiculous but it worked. But by the end I wanted a little less. I know you don't feel the same, but that's my honest opinion.

JJZ: I knew the only way I could get you to watch this match was to force it on you. I couldn't disagree with you more about the end stretch. I think they nailed it with this match. These two always went too far. Sometimes so far I didn't even want to watch the finish. But when the finish happened in this match I was like "Yes! They got it perfect this time."

CJD: In order to continue this conversation I'm going to have to touch on some vague spoilers, so if our readers don't want to know how this match ends, then proceed no further until you WATCH THE MATCH...

Stiff Shot Of Scotch

Drew Galloway (c) VS Will Ospreay - WCPW World Title 6/3/2017

CJD: Alright Alright! I'll see your Drew Galloway against smaller GIF machine indy star in a suit and raise you a Drew Galloway VS smaller GIF machine indy star in (half) a suit! Normally I think we both try to bring variety with the same wrestler week to week but this time the matches are fairly similar, right down to some silliness that I could do without in both. But once again when this one is good, it's damn good. Dare I say great. Between another stop along the way of Galloway's monster indy run and the story of Ospreay maturing and starting to become the complete package in the past two years, I think this one is well worth getting as many eyes on as possible.

JJZ: Third time I've watched this match and I'm really happy to watch it again. I always liked Ospreay but when I watched this match for the first time last year it made me go YES! That's what I'm talking about! His heel work is excellent and his placement of his highspots are spot on. They really showcase the size and strength difference well in this match. Drew comes out looking like a monster and Will comes across like a little shit you'd love to slap. The crowd was pretty good but I remembered them being hotter for some reason. The finishing stretch was done really well, I bit and thought both guys had the match won on several falsies. Well done Chris.