Bitter Friends, Stiffer Frienemies

Joey Janela VS Sonny Kiss - WrestlePro 11/27/2021

CJD: Last time around with Janela and Kiss we talked about how they'd fit right in sharing a 40 and a smoke outside of Fun Rama in West Philly on a Sunday afternoon. Well we know those types of friends and we know the falling outs can be dramatic. So this feud made a lot of sense to me. That said I honestly wanted to go a different direction with Joey this week. I didn't want to rehash ground we already covered with him. But when you think about what we've featured on the blog, his super memorable match VS Orange Cassidy, a fun TV tag with Kiss, VS Scott Norton of all people, and now a heated longer singles match in a feud with his former partner... the man is a swiss army knife. Plug him in wherever you need him and you'll get good results. And I absolutely loved this match. The crowd was electric, Kiss gave the best performance I've seen from her, tremendous selling and fire, and the match built to and delivered some amazing highspots. I'm so glad I went this direction after exploring other options. This was such a great example of what I love about pro wrestling, maybe a little more of a Friday match on a Tuesday, but you gotta keep them guessing!

JJZ: Love the shot of a cannon start! I popped big time for that rana! I thought this was a really different style for Joey than what we've shared. Yourrecap of his PIF journey really showed his depth as a worker. The story and the build with this match had me hooked. And with independent wrestling you're telling a tale that some people in that audience might not be familiar with history of. Rocky showing up in a suit in Rocky 3 doesn't have the same impact if you didn't see Rocky 1 and 2. But it still all came across in this match loud and clear. That home stretch kept me guessing. I couldn't figure out when they were taking it home. And I'll agree this was the best Kiss match I've seen to date. Really nice pick baby cakes!

He'll Save Every One Of Us

Scott Norton VS Joey Janela - AIW 3/24/2017

JJZ: Fuck it, let's see what happens. I've watched some underwhelming Scott Norton matches before finding this. Janela really works his ass off for Flash Norton in this one. I mean he really makes the match to be honest. Scott's limited offense is executed nicely though. Everything he hits looks good and tight. But Double J really over sells to make the point and to make it seem like Scotty is still a fucking monster. Which he kinda is. Dude is twice the size of most humans. I know how much you love AIW and this venue in particular so I know you'll also probably love this.

CJD: I'll say this about Norton's performance in this match. What he can't do physically, he more than makes up for with the little things. His body language, his selling when necessary for Janela, how engaged he is in this match. We've both seen vets, especially with a physical mismatch like this, just take a payday and mail the effort in. That wasn't this match at all. Now the match was still more of a novelty than anything great, but that was kind of Janela's MO against aging stars around this time, the guys he grew up idolizing. I've seen a few of those matches and I'd say this is one of the better ones. It's simple, both guys are really in the moment, and it's fun. Everything I could have asked for given the circumstance.

Bad Lad Bad Boy

Orange Cassidy (c) VS Joey Janela - ICW IWTV Championship 5/18/2019

CJD: I see AEW fans who don't follow the indies so much struggle with understanding why Joey is so beloved and OC is so over. I feel like Cassidy is pretty self explanatory and some people just hate fun. But Joey is a bit more of a chameleon and for a guy who got famous for getting yeeted off a roof and losing a thumb this match shows his versatility and creativity.  I don't think this match will convert anyone who isn't open to a little reality bending comedy in their pro wrestling. But as someone who isn't necessarily a huge fan of this style, I was surprised how much this one stuck with me. There's layers to the goofiness. And a legitimately good match breaks out somewhere along the line!

JJZ: I thought for sure you'd go with a Jungle Boy match! But I ain't ever upset about watching Joey Janela. Now this match is why Independent Wrestling is so fucking fantastic. Like when Pete Dunn and Tyler Bate worked each other's gimmicks. They ain't putting this shit on primetime television! I can't x and o this match so I'll describe it in one word. FUN. I had a smile on my face the whole time. It just made me happy. And it made the crowd happy. They were so into it. Joey trying to kip up had me rolling. This match totally entertained me from bell to bell. And isn't that the point of professional wrestling? Daniel Bryan said on an interview one time that the NFL NBA MLB AND NHL don't care if you had a good time at their event. But that's what makes wrestling special. When it's done right the promotion and the wrestlers will make sure you enjoy your experience. And ICW, Orange Cassidy, and Joey Janela sure did that night. I know I enjoyed it and everyone in that crowd did too. This was a great pick my friend. Thank you for sharing this.

I've Been Kissed By A Concrete Rose On The Gray

Jurassic Express VS Joey Janela/Sonny Kiss - AEW 11/10/2020

JJZ: I honestly don't know what's more impressive. A 30+ minute title match that gets over a 4 star rating. Or a 10 minute TV match that tells a complete story with falsies and a good finish. I'm being totally serious. It's a special kinda skill and level of talent to pull that match off. This contest highlighted everyone's strengths. I think no one come out of this looking bad. I was also happy that we got to showcase Sonny in singles and tag matches.

CJD: One of my complaints about AEW for a long while was how they didn't have an identity that I felt translated to a fan who just happened to catch a random match outside of a few exceptions. I don't think that's as much of a problem anymore and I honestly think undercard talent like this and matches like these go a longer way establishing that identity than their main event talent does. We talked about the art of the complete 10 minute TV match all the way back when we featured Eddie/Psicosis and I like when a match is a little less busy while attempting so much in a short period of time. That wasn't what these guys wanted to do though and I'm fine with that too. Jungle Boy is a bright spot on every AEW show I've seen him on and this was no different. I think Joey has had a hard time translating to a TV product but Sonny goes a long way in helping that problem. They have such a natural chemistry, they remind me of a pair of kids you'd run into at a West Philly house show smoking outside sharing a 40 between bands. This match was exciting, filled with personality, and you could feel how much fun everyone was having. Once again I have to give AEW a lot of credit for so much growth through the pandemic.