Of this I would definitely beg to differ. The match has its flaws but to say that it’s horrible is something onto itself. It’s a pretty simple story. The two of them broke in together. Team together and face each other. They’ve been feuding off and on for over two years. The match is simply about one upsmanship. Take a look at their match back in January of the same year and then this one. They play off a lot of the exchanges in that match.
While I agree that the spots in the September match are a bit much (Apron Falcon Arrow to the floor, that insane Quebrada), that is the style that NOAH has turned into. You take a look at matches like Misawa vs Kobashi from a couple years back with ramp Tiger Suplexes to the floor and you realize that big matches set the bar for what the audience expects. If you get an example from what is supposed to be the top of the food chain, for juniors (especially working in a Heavyweight Title Match) not to take it up a level would be disappointing live and questioned by many fans.
The selling of both guys is again a trend not only between them, or in NOAH but in all Japanese companies for years now. The whole concept of Fighting Spirit has been bastardized to the point where it becomes “I kill you, you kill me until we all fall down” for years. Again, it’s not the fault of the worker so much as the trend within the industry. Should the fan fault the worker for the style that is the norm?
The fact the match has been nominated as a MOTYC for 2006 by just about everyone I can think of should say something for the greatness of the match despite the flaws. Take a look at the Dragon Gate in ROH Six Man Tag that won MOTY 2006 and tell me how that match is any better than the GHC Title match. Does it have any better story? Better selling? Rhyme or reason to the biggest spotfest I saw last year? Not in my opinion it doesn’t.
sabin has always done that. its just you dont see much of his indy stuff, his tna act is very different than his indy stuff. but shelley’s tna act is his roh and indy stuff. I guess your right…he’s playing more of a character now than just doing a small job at an indy show. He’s bringing his character along for the ride.
lol…cause its tna…they believe x-division style wrestlers have no real defining elements besides their own style of wrestling. hence they have created these crazy extravagant characters for them…that they would never normally have. Which i think is just some bullshit…cause i mean homicide essentially has his indy gimmick to a t.