Forever Forward Fridays

Zack Sabre Jr VS Jonah Rock - 6/23/2018

CJD: I was going to go a different direction with ZSJ this week and watched a much more ambitious match of his in Mexico. But I had some problems with it and his opponent's performance, so I decided to watch one more to compare and contrast. I've liked everything I've seen from Jonah/Bronson so this was an easy choice. And this match won my rose for the week simply because it didn't have any glaring weakness. It was the type of match that on a great show, maybe a PPV, it might not be the second or even third best of the night. But if that's the case it just means you watched a damn fine event. It has a satisfying, steady pace that builds logically. They do a very good job of highlighting the powerhouse VS technician dynamic, with a nice sub theme of Sabre going after the leg to take away the Australian Samoan's base. And both men are excellent at selling the damage as they keep chipping away, giving you the sense you're watching a brutal competition. In the end the other match I watched had slightly higher highs but it was a lesson in you're only as good as your worst player. Rock was a better opponent and this was the match I decided to play forward to you this Friday my friend.

JJZ: Another reason way I love Play It Forward. If I watched this match under different circumstances I think I might be disappointed. Zack has put himself in the realm of match of the night every match. So when I plan on watching a ZSJ match I'm expecting it to be the ace of the show. But with PIF matches I'm looking for little things that make it stand out to us. In this match I realized that Zack has the ability to eliminate the size advantage that bigger wrestlers have over smaller or lighter wrestlers with his joint manipulation and violent striking. Honestly I can't recall a match where he was just totally over powered and was working from under most of the time. Please correct me if I'm mistaken baby cakes. Jonah does a great job of adding some really nicely timed flying spots. I enjoyed this one. I see that this was a rematch, I'd be curious to watch their first meeting!

Pink Pleather PLNCO Power

Atsushi Kotoge VS Kota Ibushi - NOAH 7/22/2012

CJD: I'll tell you what. If you were to watch a round of lightning fast paced matches, this one would fit the bill very nicely. As this built and built in its economical run time you could feel this match mattered to both guys. There was a little extra snap crackle and pop to even minor things like pinning attempts and kick outs. Two creative, unique talents, but they kept things fairly dialed in with a couple of key moments to wow you. And this match caught me at the right time because it really wowed me. A nice show of respect and admiration between the two post match as corny as that is to care about. But I'm a cornball and I do. I don't know JJZ, is this just a lesser version of a million great Ibushi 10 minute matches and I'm in pro wrestling withdrawal with how little I'm watching right now? Or were you also highly satisfied??

JJZ: Man, so this built so much more than I expected. And for it only being like 10 minutes. You nailed it with this match having some wow. I loved the little fake out from Kotoge for the big hip toss off the guard rail but then just a dropkick instead. Ibushi sold the fuck out of it with bumping on the chairs. This era of Kota is by far my favorite. He was great in the main event stuff with NJPW but this shit he was doing was so fire. Kotoge is someone I think was on track to do big things but wandered off the path for whatever reason. Seeing his chemistry with Ibushi cements that to me. When you look back at the talent NOAH had and brought in at this time it blows my mind that they weren't bigger. This was fantastic brother.

Forever Forward Fridays

Keith Lee/Shane Strickland VS Zack Sabre Jr/Matt Riddle - AAW 10/13/2017

JJZ: I was so goddamn excited to watch some Shane Strickland magic! So I've watched several Strickland matches and all of them were worth sharing but I just flat out was marking out to this one. I get it's rich with tip top indy talent but they are top indy talent for a reason. This match is just entertaining. Fun ass spots. Close falls. Crazy bumps. I know we're watching this for free but if I paid for it I'd say I got my money's worth. I appreciate the color coordination from both teams. Not gonna lie, I was surprised who took the fall. Also didn't know Keith Lee and Shane Strickland tagged before AEW. Enjoy baby cakes.

CJD: I had no idea Lee and Swerve tagged together previously either and I love that little bit of continuity and storyline thread! Man this rocked. Dream tag matches on paper often feel like less than the sum of their parts in reality, but this felt king sized and delivered colossal action. My only criticism is there was a good amount of standing around and trading double teams late, but that's not surprising in this kind of setting. And there was a well developed and really satisfying psychology to the match with Strickland's stubbornness and perseverance. And the color coordination!! There's a reason these guys are top talent indeed, and part of it is talent, but I think effort is an even bigger factor. This match had it in spades and they delivered something extremely memorable as a result.

Forever Forward Fridays

Jason Cade/Veda Scott...? VS Shane Strickland/Adrian Alanis - FEST Wrestling 2/9/2018

CJD: I wanted to find Leva doing her own thing more so than doing someone else's schtick this week. But the more I dug the more obvious it was that that's exactly what her thing is. This match reminded me a lot of your Veda/Mike Bailey tag match from a little while back, ironically, since Leva is cosplaying as Veda here. Or is she?? (Yes she is). I really liked how slapdash this felt, and I also like using the word slapdash for the first time in my life. Everyone had great chemistry for something you could tell just got thrown together in the back. I feel like I should have seen a lot more of Cade over the years but I think this is only the third or fourth match of his I've watched. He may have been my favorite part of the match, and you know I'm a Swerve mark. The greenhorn more than held his own (that name has gotta go though). Also dug how we had a little FEST Wrestling fest these past couple weeks!

JJZ: Would have killed for the full Strickland entrance. This was a fun rag tag match. I loved your comments on this match btw. The announcers going back and forth about Leva being Veda was funny. And the ref getting into it was great. Stuff like this is was makes indy wrestling so fucking appealing. A little one off story like that includes everyone down to the ref. Action was solid throughout, the intergender aspect is there but doesn't overpower the psychological of the match. We're both Shane Strickland marks and I'm not super familiar with Cade but he was great too. Leva always is a treat to watch. You're 100% right on that name but Adrian definitely added more than he took away. Nice pick baby cakes.

Portrait Of A Young Master Piece

Daisuke Harada/Atsushi Kotoge VS Taiji Ishimori/ACH - NOAH Junior Tag League Finals 7/30/2016

JJZ: So I've had this match in my book of matches. Matches that I sometimes share with you during a night that we only watch wrestling. At one point I thought this match could be the Ace match of the night. I rewatched it a few times back when I first found it to try to decide if it was on that level. Watching it now, I just find the match very good. It covers everything I loved about Harada's NOAH career. His relationship with Kotoge. His feud with Ishimori. And his ability to work with foreign talent so well. This was the finals of the 2016 NOAH Jr tag league. At the time I followed this league as well as I could. I was pleasantly surprised that ACH and Ishimori made the finals. No matter how good or great I thought this was, you can't deny the amazing spots and smooth transitions these four wrestlers did in that ring on July 30th 2016. Enjoy baby!

CJD: I watched this match on my first week of the graveyard rotation while keeping my daughter home sick during the day two days in a row. So it took about three sleep deprived sittings and I wish I had time to watch it back straight through because the flow seemed like one of the strongest aspects of the match. Maybe I'll come back to it down the line. I agree that this match lands in the "very good" camp and sometimes good is good enough! This hit the right notes and the fans loved it, although they seemed a bit surprised at the finish. Curious if this lead to a rematch?? I really liked the pairings here, ACH and Kotoge had a natural chemistry with their big bodacious offense back and forth. Harada and Ishimori were smooth as silk. And I love what a big moment this was for ACH and how swept up in it he seemed. And I will say this, despite having to break up my viewing, the match was so good I never felt like I missed a beat. So glad you had the opportunity to cross this one off and share it with me.

Regeneration X

Daisuke Harada VS Kaito Kiyomiya - NOAH 1/7/2017

CJD: I love how many Tuesday epics we've had lately. But let's go back to Kiyomiya's early years and let's pay tribute to an unsung great who's career unfortunately ended far too soon. I hope above all else Harada is able to retire with a decent quality of life, but I will miss him as the anchor of a very inconsistent and constantly changing NOAH juniors division. He single handedly elevated everyone around him for years and years and while I know you appreciate the work he did JJZ, I wish more did. Maybe now he'll get those flowers! This match doesn't reinvent the wheel but it does feature Kaito paying those dues while showing flashes of the main eventer he is today. Enjoy my emerald amigo!

JJZ: This is brand spanking new to me baby cakes. I probably chose to skip it back then because NOAH young boy matches were always underwhelming. Well fuck was I wrong. This was truly a great match for what they were trying to do. It also helps that it hits me in all the feels right now with Harada having to sadly retire so young. It did everything you want a match like this to do. You could see all the potential in Kiyomiya while still seeing Harada shine bright like a diamond. I think Harada is vastly under appreciated in professional wrestling. He was as consistent as any junior over the past decade. No matter what was going on with NOAH you knew Harada would always give you your money's worth. I'm literally excited as hell to find a Harada match to play forward to you. One more thing on Kiyomiya, I know we both got to watch his recent match against Okada together, and I got young boy Okada vibes from him watching this one!

CJD: Totally agree on the young lion Okada vibes.

Forever Forward Fridays

Effy (c) VS Leva Bates - FEST Wrestling Championship 3/31/2018

JJZ: I love the little backstory we got coming in to this one.  A lot of mind games for this match. Loving all the stuff Leva is doing to get into Eff'ys head. The size difference is real so Bates playing psychological warfare to even the playing field is smart. This was so much fun imo. A lot of great spots. Really thought the game of shadow Leva played on Effy was genius. Honestly this match had so many little touches that made it special. But it also had some sick fucking spots. The chair spots were insane baby. I've seen a lot of Effy so I knew how good he was with the extras in a match. But Leva over delivered in so many parts to this. Really impressed with her in this one.  Hope you enjoy baby cakes.

CJD: Effy brought a star power to this match that impressed me big time. If I had to sum this match up in one word it would be enjoyable. It was a rollercoaster and not every little bump along the ride will be for everyone but when all was said and done this was a fun package. An experience if you will. You know I'm not the biggest on intergender matches but I know there's one in particular that just grabbed a bunch of headlines so this is fitting right now. I've almost played Leva forward for you on Fridays many times over so I'm glad to dig into her a little more. Effy isn't exactly new to me but I left these two matches with a new appreciation for him. He explodes off the screen and makes everything he touches more interesting. Oh and $2 PBR?? Probably not anymore in 2023 but sign me up!!

Forever Forward Fridays

Fuego Del Sol VS CSJ - VWC 2/11/2023

CJD: Special Request Jones over here! We had this match sent over to us and to say I'm flattered to be asked to review wrestlers performing at this level is an understatement. This is indie wrestling 101 here, kids having a great time, awesome oddball venue, lackluster commentary, colorful personalities, a couple of big spots, a self contained story but also connecting to a larger one if you follow the promotion. I was really impressed with CSJ who I was totally unfamiliar with. His dynamic with his manager Enoch (always a fan of more managers!) as his hired gun helped make him look strong even as a very effective heel in the match. Fuego is obviously an exciting wrestler who's easy to root for but I thought Jamal held this together at times and helped with a lot of the connective tissue that made the match work so well. Really satisfying finish. This match could hold its own on any of our Friday features and I'm really glad it got sent our way as a special feature.

JJZ: I was totally expecting a splashy junk food match but this was so much more. It felt like I was watching WCW Saturday Night. The psychology in the ring matched with the trouble making manager that keeps butting his nose in the action. The match had a solid structure and build to a back and forth homestretch. Both Fuego and CSJ really had some nice moves and some fantastic spots in the second half of the match. Jamal stood out as a unique talent on the indies these days. Would love to watch more of these guys soon!

KONGOH Are Forever

Kaito Kiyomiya (c) VS Kenoh - NOAH GHC Heavyweight Championship 1/1/2023

JJZ: I feel like playing this match forward just seems like a no brainer. We've watched the growth of these two wrestlers and I think this match really showed how far they both have come. This is their most recent GCH title match from NOAH's New Year's Day show. When I saw it was only twenty one minutes I couldn't believe it. I don't think I've watched a Global Honor Crown heavyweight title match in years! Kenoh and Kiyomiya didn't hold anything back and really made every minute of this match count. They followed some GHC title staples but were economic with their time. I saw a couple new moves from both guys that popped me. Also saw a big old slice of pepperoni that I choose to ignore. Hope you enjoy baby cakes.

CJD: I am love love loving this NOAH voyage we are on currently. Something I appreciated about this match is it gave me deja vu to Kenoh's great rivalry with the man we just featured, Sugiura, and the way that generational shift helped bring NOAH back from a dark period after Misawa's death (even if it had some bright spots).  Kaito and Kenoh have a very different dynamic than that feud between former tag partners. But like all the great NOAH rivalries there's something unique about these two, this veteran/emerging Ace feud has a chemistry that gets me particularly excited for their matches. I'd love a Kenoh/Kiyomiya DVD comp if anyone is willing to take the commission!! I could immediately tell this match had an extra edge to it so I read up on the backstory. They had a big chip on their shoulders on this platform taking the semi main event spot behind Muta/Marufuji. Kenoh in particular ran his mouth as Kenoh does. And these guys wrestled a statement match that both fits the great legacy of GHC Heavyweight Title matches but also lays a new path for the next generation. After Go delivered so many epics in his historic pandemic reign (great callback nearfall here speaking of which!) I was over the moon with how straight to the point this was just like you were. I'll forgive a sloppy slice of pepperoni pizza when the rest of the pie is this well done any day of the week. And speaking of toppings. Kaito, that hair is WILD!

Forever Forward Fridays

Effy/Donnie Janela/Suge D VS Derek Neal/Steven Michaels/Tony Evans - New South Wrestling 3/28/2021

CJD: We've been doing Forever Forward Fridays for almost 3 years now. And for that entire length of time I've wanted to work in an Effy match. Never did I ever guess "Kung Fu" Donnie Janela would drop the keys in my lap to rev that engine. But here we are! And a little side of Suge D?? Sign me up! I've never seen anyone on the heel side of this trios throwdown but I was impressed with the chemistry the teams had despite the very oddball nature of this match. Could have asked for a better crowd and hardcam but for southern indie wrestling shot in a bar, beggars can't be choosers. This match would play great on TV and you can tell was building on a lot of what they were doing locally in the promotion between Donnie and the Champ. Derek Neal? I think. I liked this match, the sum of the parts even more than the individual components, but I might be biased because it's the first match I've watched in over a week after getting stranded in Houston flying back from Mexico for a funeral. And if that's the case, then that's exactly what a gaga pro wrestling match is there for!

JJZ: So this was a totally unexpected match you play forward to me. Not in a bad way at all. I assumed I'd be getting back an indie gaga bar room show. But I was pleasantly surprised with this six man tag. I always love when we can showcase a wrestler excelling in different types of matches. This was a story based face VS heel working from under match. With some innovative spots. I've never seen that spot before where Suge blocked the turnbuckle for Donnie. Great little spot there. I was really left guessing the finish til the three count which I love since wrestling can be a little too predictable sometime. This is the first match of many that I'll watch this week while I am on vacation. Nice pick baby.