BRM Reviews NJPW Dominion 6.9 (Show of the Year Candidate)

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BRM Reviews NJPW Dominion 6.9 (Show of the Year Candidate)

Post by Big Red Machine » Jun 10th, '18, 14:53

NJPW Dominion 6.9 (6/9/2018)- Osaka, Japan


IWGP JR. HEAVYWEIGHT TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Suzuki-Gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado)(c) vs. Roppongi 3K (w/Rocky Romero)- 6.5/10
Suzuki-Gun tried to attack Roppongi 3K before the bell but Sho ducked El Desperado’s title belt shot and Yoh dropkicked Kanemaru off the apron, after which the babyfaces dove onto the heels for a perfect start to the show. This also started off what appeared to be a story about Roppongi 3K being ready for all of Suzuki-Gun’s usual dirty tactics, which they were able to avoid all match… until the finish, when Suzuki-Gun came up with a new dirty trick: Kanemaru just hit Sho with the whiskey bottle and El Desperado pinned him. That was quite disappointing to me, as I am quite ready for this title reign to be over and this story would have been the perfect ending to it.

JUICE ROBINSON & DAVID FINLAY JR. vs. CHAOS (Jay White & YOSHI-HASHI)- 6.25/10
Jay White jumped the bell on the opponents, and while Juice’s back was turned, no less. Kevin Kelly played this up as if this was White being heelish, but this is nothing compared to what, say, Yano does, and Kevin never really even calls it like it’s illegal when Suzuki-Gun jump people or use weapons, so why is he getting on Jay White’s case?
Juice gave us a nice loud shout of “EAT SH*T, MOTHERF*CKER!” so already we have someone trying to steal Jericho’s new gimmick. Juice also got the big pin on Jay White here, setting him up for a title shot at some point, possibly even at the Cow Palace… and I think they should give Juice the belt.

CHAOS (Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii) vs. SUZUKI-GUN (Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr.)- 5.75/10
This match had two modes: it was either Ishii and Suzuki trading strikes, or Yano was getting his arm worked over. I did enjoy Zack stopping all of Yano’s usual bullsh*t as well, but the match just wasn’t very interesting, particularly because we’d seen the Suzuki vs. Ishii brawl during their tag match last weekend, so this felt redundant. It wasn’t helped by a post-match segment where Ishii attacked Suzuki from behind while Suzuki was peacefully making his way up the ramp, making Ishii- supposedly the babyface- into a sore loser and who takes cowardly post-match cheap-shots.

NEVER OPENWEIGHT TITLE MATCH: Hirooki Goto(c) vs. Michael Elgin vs. Taichi (w/Miho Abe)- 8/10
This was one of those three-ways where they put a lot of effort into making feel like an actual three-way pretty much the entire time. That doesn’t mean that everyone was in at every moment, but no one was out for so long that you couldn’t remember what the move that most recently felled him was. They also had a little story in here about Taichi being a scheming heel, whether it was his attempts to get the babyfaces to fight each other so he could sneak in for a roll-up in the beginning, or his big spot with the microphone stand shots towards the end that made for an excellent false finish. That spot alone- including a diabolical laugh!- should get Taichi some looks the next time a Japanese movie studio is looking for a cliché villain for a low-budget action movie. It was wonderful!
Elgin and Goto both delivered as well. Elgin even busted out a Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex! They had some great sequences together that have me salivating at the fact that Elgin winning the belt by pinning Taichi here almost certainly means that we’re going to get a singles match between these two for the title.

IWGP TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & Sanada)(c) vs. The Young Bucks- 9.25/10
One think you have to give the Young Bucks is that they are some pretty creative guys. I often don’t like a good chunk of the stuff they come up with, but this was not one of those occasions. The story of this match was the Bucks having to overcome Nick Jackson injuring his foot when he tried to kick EVIL but EVIL ducked and hit the ringpost instead. It gave the usual Young Bucks match a whole new spin, which meant new things for the Bucks to come up with, and come up with them they did. Nick’s selling also phenomenal. You might not enjoy this one as much if you take Don Callis at this word that Nick broke his foot, but there is no way he could have possibly known that anyway, so I just decided to assume that it hurt a lot but not that it was broken. This match was outstanding, and you should go watch it right now.

HIROSHI TANAHASHI, JUSHIN “THUNDER” LIGER, & REY MYSTERIO JR. vs. BULLET CLUB (Marty Scurll, Adam Page, & Cody)- 5.75/10
Rey has this special mask that is half of his own mask and half the New Japan lion. It looks creepy. Like he’s the Rey Mysterio version of Two-Face. Speaking of things that are over the top to the point of being detrimental, Marty Scurll has just gone the full cartoon character in New Japan at this point, making it very hard for me to get into his matches. Cody pinned Liger for the win. He also attacked him after the match but Rey made the save.

IWGP JR. HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH: Will Ospreay(c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi- 9/10
This match was a combination of crazy feats of athleticism, hard strikes to the head, and some SCARY bumps on the head. Or, in other words, exactly the sort of exciting and yet also terrifying match you’d expect from these two. They also told a great story of Hiromu always having a counter to the Storm Breaker. The only strikes against this match were the fact that they spent way too much time on the outside without being counted out in the beginning, and the fact that there was a good chunk of the middle of the match that didn’t really feel to me like it was building.

IWGP INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE MATCH: Tetsuya Naito(c) vs. Chris Jericho- 8.75/10
Jericho attacked Naito before he ever got into the ring, which let them brawl on the outside for a while and even use weapons without it having to be a DQ. Included in this was Jericho giving Naito a SICK DDT on a table.
Kevin Kelly was even good enough to point out to us that this was all okay because “This match has yet to be officially brought to a beginning.” I think the word you’re looking for there is “start.”
They did eventually make it back into the ring so that this match could officially start, and from there this became one hell of a match. One thing I have absolutely LOVED about Jericho’s matches in NJPW this year is that they are so much different than the norm in New Japan. A lot of New Japan singles matches (and especially in the heavyweight division) revolve 90% around finishers and signature moves, and teases thereof, resulting in an Okada vs. Naito match feeling like someone taking the usual set of Naito spots and the usual set of Okada spots and sticking them together. This isn’t a bad thing (hell, it’s often pretty darn awesome), but it does make someone who comes in and forces people to do something truly different (like Jericho or Zack Sabre Jr.) feel even more different and even more special, and that feeling was definitely here. Also… TOP ROPE GANSO BOMB!
Jericho picked up the win here- and with it the IWGP Intercontinental Title, meaning that he’ll be sticking around for at least one more match. This is quite exciting, as it means we’ll not only get another Jericho match (though I’d guess probably more than one), but also that the IC Title will probably be kept away from the G1, so we won’t have to deal with the usual guys pinning the champ in the G1 and not getting title shots from it. Whatever else Jericho does, I think it’s safe to presume that he’ll be having a rematch with Naito for the belt in some sort of environment without disqualifications, so the next time not only will they have a good chance at topping this, but they also won’t just do crap on the outside during the match that should be a DQ but isn’t.

POST-MATCH SEGMENT- good
Jericho wasn’t content with his victory to he attacked Naito with the title belt, then started to whip him with his pants belt. EVIL came out and made the save, with Jericho narrowly managing to avoid getting whipped.

NO TIME LIMIT 2 OUT OF 3 FALLS MATCH FOR THE IWGP INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE: Kazuchika Okada(c) (w/Gedo) vs. Kenny Omega (w/Kota Ibushi)- 9.75/10
There is honestly almost too much to say about this match. It was exciting and engaging, and they worked in so many little things like callbacks to their previous matches or the repeated motif of the dropkicks (can’t actually call it a storyline as it was just “DROPKICKS!” but was still effective) to your usual Rainmaker vs. One-Winged Angel stuff, so rather than me telling you everything they did right, you’ll just have to take my word for it. Or better yet, go watch it for yourself. If they hadn’t spent forever on the outside without getting counted out and Omega hadn’t hit Okada with that table right in front of the referee, I’d have given this the full ten.

POST-MATCH- wonderful and touching.
Kenny Omega is your new champion. He spoke in both Japanese and English, and shared a big hug with the Young Bucks and with Kota, and everyone managed to get along. I’d put this post-title win celebration up there with Danielson winning the title at WrestleMania XXX, and Davey Richards winning the ROH World Title in terms of pure emotion. Cody came out at one point and teased ruining things, but just went back to the back instead.

A pretty likely Show of the Year from New Japan. Dominion almost always is, of course, but I think I liked this year’s a lot better than most, and one of the major reasons for that was the difference in card construction. Unlike most other New Japan shows, there was absolutely nothing on this show that felt like it was happening for no reason. There were no big undercard tags so that the likes of TAKA Michinoku, Mananbu Nakanishi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Ryusuke Taguchi could show their faces and pick up their paychecks. Even midcard guys like Makabe, BUSHI, and the Tongans were left off of this show. Hell… IBUSHI, ISHIMORI, AND KUSHIDA DIDN’T EVEN WRESTLE. And that was fine. I’m not going to say the show wouldn’t have been better if you had stuck some of those guys in some sort of undercard four-way and given it thirteen minutes, but the show worked just fine without it. That’s a vast change from what New Japan’s usual philosophy has been recently, with the first fifty minutes of some big shows being entirely skippable due to being populated by matches that existed solely so extra people could have a match. This was a big improvement. And, of course, the wrestling was awesome, the booking was good, Kevin Kelly and (especially Don Callis) were excellent. EVERYONE SHOULD SEE THIS SHOW.
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Re: BRM Reviews NJPW Dominion 6.9 (Show of the Year Candidate)

Post by cero2k » Jun 11th, '18, 09:15

Big Red Machine wrote: Jun 10th, '18, 14:53
NO TIME LIMIT 2 OUT OF 3 FALLS MATCH FOR THE IWGP INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE: Kazuchika Okada(c) (w/Gedo) vs. Kenny Omega (w/Kota Ibushi)- 9.75/10

If they hadn’t spent forever on the outside without getting counted out and Omega hadn’t hit Okada with that table right in front of the referee, I’d have given this the full ten.
This thing with 'rules must be enforced' that you have has really gone far
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Re: BRM Reviews NJPW Dominion 6.9 (Show of the Year Candidate)

Post by Big Red Machine » Jun 11th, '18, 12:40

cero2k wrote: Jun 11th, '18, 09:15
Big Red Machine wrote: Jun 10th, '18, 14:53
NO TIME LIMIT 2 OUT OF 3 FALLS MATCH FOR THE IWGP INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE: Kazuchika Okada(c) (w/Gedo) vs. Kenny Omega (w/Kota Ibushi)- 9.75/10

If they hadn’t spent forever on the outside without getting counted out and Omega hadn’t hit Okada with that table right in front of the referee, I’d have given this the full ten.
This thing with 'rules must be enforced' that you have has really gone far
Quite the contrary. It hasn't moved at all. What has moved is what the wrestlers and promotions are willing to overlook for the sake of getting the one relatively cheap pop. And I find it frustrating because
1. 99% of these matches would be no worse if they hadn't done the spot
2. In the few cases where it would have been, they easily could have had the referee distracted, or just had someone break the count right before the big spot (for example, in this match, have Okada do the quick in and out to break the count before going for the big crossbody)
3. These situations are made all the more frustrating by matches whose finishes requires a weapon that was previously perfectly legal to suddenly become illegal once the babyface is about to use it, just so the referee has something to be distracted with so that the heel can cheat some other way for the win (even though the ref had let all previous cheating go), or some variation thereof (something like the Elgin/Yano G1 finish last year, for example).
4. And either way, there are lots of things a promotion could easily do to allow these things without it being a rules problem. For example, if, as we are constantly told by announcers trying to make poor excuses for this crap that the referee is letting things go because "no one wants to see this important match end on a DQ or a count-out" then you could make all title matches Relaxed Rules, or make all title matches double-length count-outs.

And I try to be generous with it when I can. I was able to last year's Dominion match or Omega vs. Jericho or the Cole vs. Lethal ROH World Title match in London, but not for WALTER vs. Thatcher or the Okada/Omega dome match or this one. But I only have so far that I'm willing to go, and I try to stay consistent with it. Pro wrestling has a premise, and there is only so far that I am willing to bend that premise for the sake of added "entertainment" in the match.

So many non-WWE promotions have gotten stuck in this mindset where kayfabe and non-kayfabe collide in a way that makes no sense. They all say "it would be terrible if this important match ended in a DQ or count-out or due to interference," but instead of coming at it from a kayfabe way where it would be disappointing, but we can always book a rematch with a stip to prevent that, they treat it like the referee calling for such a decision is the thing we're trying to avoid because that would make it a WCW-style "no one has to lose" bullsh*t finish that everyone hates. The purpose of a wrestling match is to determine who the better wrestler is within the rules. Like I said in the Hiromu vs. Ishimori review, Sabin was going on about how we want a clean finish and thus the ref shouldn't call for a DQ, but it is really a clean finish if one guy was allowed to hit the other with a chair? The referee's job isn't to ensure that the fans aren't disappointed by the finish; his/her job is to ensure that the match is wrestled within the rules.
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Re: BRM Reviews NJPW Dominion 6.9 (Show of the Year Candidate)

Post by cero2k » Jun 11th, '18, 14:13

I'm not judging your personal rubiks and biases, if you believe that it's the business that changed and not you, fair enough. I get some Principal Skinner vibes, but fair enough. If this wasn't a 10/10 match to you, as long as it's not to antagonize other overall reception of it, fair enough.

I'm not gonna argue whether promotions should enforce laws and whether it hurts the product, that argument is gonna go pages and pages, but if small things are really hurting your overall appreciation of wrestling, idk, that kinda sucks. I know it because WWE commentary and all those LED panels hurt my WWE wrestling experience and thus I stopped watching and I've missed what sounds like some good stuff in the last 3-4 yrs. This Okada vs Omega match was really the best match I've ever seen, hands down, for many reasons beyond technicalities as a 20 count or a botch, and I know i'm not the only one.

When a match is good, I never realize how much time people are outside the ring or whether the ref was seeing something outside the ring or had his back turned, it becomes second plane. It's only i notice that the wrestler is cancelling the count or that the ref decides to stop a count or not start in order to give the wrestlers time, when the match itself sucks or is generic as hell. It's just how rare it is for people to count the time of intervals in a royal rumble, the match has to be incredibly dull for someone to start noticing stuff like that.
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Re: BRM Reviews NJPW Dominion 6.9 (Show of the Year Candidate)

Post by Big Red Machine » Jun 11th, '18, 15:02

cero2k wrote: Jun 11th, '18, 14:13 I'm not judging your personal rubiks and biases, if you believe that it's the business that changed and not you, fair enough. I get some Principal Skinner vibes, but fair enough. If this wasn't a 10/10 match to you, as long as it's not to antagonize other overall reception of it, fair enough.

I'm not gonna argue whether promotions should enforce laws and whether it hurts the product, that argument is gonna go pages and pages, but if small things are really hurting your overall appreciation of wrestling, idk, that kinda sucks. I know it because WWE commentary and all those LED panels hurt my WWE wrestling experience and thus I stopped watching and I've missed what sounds like some good stuff in the last 3-4 yrs. This Okada vs Omega match was really the best match I've ever seen, hands down, for many reasons beyond technicalities as a 20 count or a botch, and I know i'm not the only one.
I can divorce commentary from my enjoyment of a match because I (unfortunately) often expect the commentary to stink, and because it's something that wouldn't be an issue if I was there live. Same with production values, whether it's an issue of them being too poor (pick any pre-2005 indy) or too over the top (WWE).
I'm not going to say that this Omega vs. Okada match wasn't more exciting than some matches I've given 10/10 to (I think I even said I liked their Tokyo Dome match better than their draw), but when I decided that 10/10 would be "perfect" it has to mean absolutely "perfect." Sometimes I think it sucks when I need to mark a match like this, or (even worse) the Steenerico vs. Briscoes Ladder War, or the Nigel vs. Tyler match from ROH Injustice II down for something little, but if "perfect" is going to mean "perfect," then that's what it has to be, IMO. I probably have a much narrower definition of a botch than most people do, as I only count something that looks like a phantom bump because it makes sense to me that not everything will be executed 100% perfectly if the other guy is supposedly trying to squirm out of the move and the wrestlers are tired, etc.
Matches like this are the reason I reserve the rating of 9.75/10 for matches that otherwise would have been a 10 if not for one or two little issues like this. It's meant to be a sort of 10-, not a 9.5+. If it helps you to think of a 9.75 as 10 for translating my rating scale to your own when you are looking for recommendations then you should do that
cero2k wrote: Jun 11th, '18, 14:13 When a match is good, I never realize how much time people are outside the ring or whether the ref was seeing something outside the ring or had his back turned, it becomes second plane. It's only i notice that the wrestler is cancelling the count or that the ref decides to stop a count or not start in order to give the wrestlers time, when the match itself sucks or is generic as hell. It's just how rare it is for people to count the time of intervals in a royal rumble, the match has to be incredibly dull for someone to start noticing stuff like that.
For me, the "something is wrong here" bell goes off when I don't here the referee counting, and the New Japan way of doing it where the referee only seems to start counting where they're ready to tease a count-out just rubs it in for me. I try to be lenient (for example, if the ref doesn't count at all but they're on the outside for less time than a count-out would take, I'll give it to them because if the ref was doing his job right, the match wouldn't have been a count-out anyway so the official result was still the "true" result), but there are some things I just can't overlook, and especially when I'm watching an entire show and see them apply rules selectively.
As for Royal Rumble times, that's the sort of thing that I never notice, and while I agree with you that it would have to be incredibly boring for someone to notice that, it's also the sort of thing where I don't see any reason for WWE to take liberties with it, so if I were in charge, I would absolutely make the times legit (especially if you want fans to care about how long everyone has been in the ring for, because at that point you're just asking for things to not add up).
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Re: BRM Reviews NJPW Dominion 6.9 (Show of the Year Candidate)

Post by cero2k » Jun 12th, '18, 10:20

Big Red Machine wrote: Jun 11th, '18, 15:02 I can divorce commentary from my enjoyment of a match because I (unfortunately) often expect the commentary to stink, and because it's something that wouldn't be an issue if I was there live. Same with production values, whether it's an issue of them being too poor (pick any pre-2005 indy) or too over the top (WWE).
I'm not going to say that this Omega vs. Okada match wasn't more exciting than some matches I've given 10/10 to (I think I even said I liked their Tokyo Dome match better than their draw), but when I decided that 10/10 would be "perfect" it has to mean absolutely "perfect." Sometimes I think it sucks when I need to mark a match like this, or (even worse) the Steenerico vs. Briscoes Ladder War, or the Nigel vs. Tyler match from ROH Injustice II down for something little, but if "perfect" is going to mean "perfect," then that's what it has to be, IMO. I probably have a much narrower definition of a botch than most people do, as I only count something that looks like a phantom bump because it makes sense to me that not everything will be executed 100% perfectly if the other guy is supposedly trying to squirm out of the move and the wrestlers are tired, etc.
Matches like this are the reason I reserve the rating of 9.75/10 for matches that otherwise would have been a 10 if not for one or two little issues like this. It's meant to be a sort of 10-, not a 9.5+. If it helps you to think of a 9.75 as 10 for translating my rating scale to your own when you are looking for recommendations then you should do that
Perfection is definitely going to depend on the eyes of the beholder. I rate on story and wrestling before I rate on technicalities or botches for sure. To me, this Omega vs Okada is like Cena vs Punk at MITB11 or current Gargano vs Ciampa. They're great matches that become even greater given the back story. Omega vs Okada would had been a 9.75 any day, but as the conclusion of this story, it kinda takes the match up to 12 as a whole package, so that even if the match had issues, it'd still come down to 10. Those two other matches wouldn't had been any less good if Punk and Cena hadn't broken up a count.

9.75 or Dave's 4.75*s I always see them as 10s or 5*s that for some reason we didn't award, but not because of a thing they missed, but rather something unwritten that we just didn't feel. When i review, I always watch and start from around 5/10. if the match gets worse, i go down, if the match is just there, it may as go up to 6, but as the match keeps going, I always knows when the match reaches the 9, the 9.5, and the 10. It's all about how the match makes me feel, so if if the match can't hide the ref counts, the carelessness in spots, the commentary annoyance, the SZKG or New Day shtick, then it's not exciting enough to ever reach the 9/10 levels.
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Re: BRM Reviews NJPW Dominion 6.9 (Show of the Year Candidate)

Post by Big Red Machine » Jun 12th, '18, 11:09

cero2k wrote: Jun 12th, '18, 10:20
Big Red Machine wrote: Jun 11th, '18, 15:02 I can divorce commentary from my enjoyment of a match because I (unfortunately) often expect the commentary to stink, and because it's something that wouldn't be an issue if I was there live. Same with production values, whether it's an issue of them being too poor (pick any pre-2005 indy) or too over the top (WWE).
I'm not going to say that this Omega vs. Okada match wasn't more exciting than some matches I've given 10/10 to (I think I even said I liked their Tokyo Dome match better than their draw), but when I decided that 10/10 would be "perfect" it has to mean absolutely "perfect." Sometimes I think it sucks when I need to mark a match like this, or (even worse) the Steenerico vs. Briscoes Ladder War, or the Nigel vs. Tyler match from ROH Injustice II down for something little, but if "perfect" is going to mean "perfect," then that's what it has to be, IMO. I probably have a much narrower definition of a botch than most people do, as I only count something that looks like a phantom bump because it makes sense to me that not everything will be executed 100% perfectly if the other guy is supposedly trying to squirm out of the move and the wrestlers are tired, etc.
Matches like this are the reason I reserve the rating of 9.75/10 for matches that otherwise would have been a 10 if not for one or two little issues like this. It's meant to be a sort of 10-, not a 9.5+. If it helps you to think of a 9.75 as 10 for translating my rating scale to your own when you are looking for recommendations then you should do that
Perfection is definitely going to depend on the eyes of the beholder. I rate on story and wrestling before I rate on technicalities or botches for sure. To me, this Omega vs Okada is like Cena vs Punk at MITB11 or current Gargano vs Ciampa. They're great matches that become even greater given the back story. Omega vs Okada would had been a 9.75 any day, but as the conclusion of this story, it kinda takes the match up to 12 as a whole package, so that even if the match had issues, it'd still come down to 10. Those two other matches wouldn't had been any less good if Punk and Cena hadn't broken up a count.

9.75 or Dave's 4.75*s I always see them as 10s or 5*s that for some reason we didn't award, but not because of a thing they missed, but rather something unwritten that we just didn't feel. When i review, I always watch and start from around 5/10. if the match gets worse, i go down, if the match is just there, it may as go up to 6, but as the match keeps going, I always knows when the match reaches the 9, the 9.5, and the 10. It's all about how the match makes me feel, so if if the match can't hide the ref counts, the carelessness in spots, the commentary annoyance, the SZKG or New Day shtick, then it's not exciting enough to ever reach the 9/10 levels.
I start and zero and then go up or down, and I definitely have certain feeling "markers" for just about every half point or so from 4 or so up, and then after that I'll factor in anything that needs to be taken off. A lot of that stuff is negligible enough to not actually lower the rating for me, but I want the 10/10 to be special- to actually be perfect- and thus I am a lot more stringent with that than with the other ratings.

Dave has said several times that for him the difference between ****3/4 and ***** is all feel (although I am constantly baffled by how certain matches- the HBK vs. Taker Mania matches, HBK vs. HHH vs. Benoit, Dragon vs. Nigel from Unified, Dragon vs. KENTA from GBH V, Night 2- that nearly every other person on Earth has gotten that special feeling from managed to not give it to Dave). Other than that Dave seems to shift what he considers to be important (the "hot crowd" elevates a match in NJPW or PWG but suddenly ceases to become a factor in, say TNA or ECW), which is part of why I find him to be so frustrating.
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Re: BRM Reviews NJPW Dominion 6.9 (Show of the Year Candidate)

Post by cero2k » Jun 13th, '18, 10:29

Big Red Machine wrote: Jun 12th, '18, 11:09
I start and zero and then go up or down, and I definitely have certain feeling "markers" for just about every half point or so from 4 or so up, and then after that I'll factor in anything that needs to be taken off. A lot of that stuff is negligible enough to not actually lower the rating for me, but I want the 10/10 to be special- to actually be perfect- and thus I am a lot more stringent with that than with the other ratings.
like i said, to each their own, but i can go back to your 5star matches this year and I just can't see how Gargano vs Ciampa or Ospreay vs Brookes or Ospreay vs Scurll were better than this match.
Big Red Machine wrote: Jun 12th, '18, 11:09 Dave has said several times that for him the difference between ****3/4 and ***** is all feel (although I am constantly baffled by how certain matches- the HBK vs. Taker Mania matches, HBK vs. HHH vs. Benoit, Dragon vs. Nigel from Unified, Dragon vs. KENTA from GBH V, Night 2- that nearly every other person on Earth has gotten that special feeling from managed to not give it to Dave). Other than that Dave seems to shift what he considers to be important (the "hot crowd" elevates a match in NJPW or PWG but suddenly ceases to become a factor in, say TNA or ECW), which is part of why I find him to be so frustrating.
I'm sure Dave would be more baffled how Omega vs Okada IV didn't get a ten. And for what it's worth, HBK vs Taker he didn't give 5 because he was going to wait to know if Taker wasn't injured and then never went back to change it
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Re: BRM Reviews NJPW Dominion 6.9 (Show of the Year Candidate)

Post by Big Red Machine » Jun 13th, '18, 11:39

cero2k wrote: Jun 13th, '18, 10:29
Big Red Machine wrote: Jun 12th, '18, 11:09
I start and zero and then go up or down, and I definitely have certain feeling "markers" for just about every half point or so from 4 or so up, and then after that I'll factor in anything that needs to be taken off. A lot of that stuff is negligible enough to not actually lower the rating for me, but I want the 10/10 to be special- to actually be perfect- and thus I am a lot more stringent with that than with the other ratings.
like i said, to each their own, but i can go back to your 5star matches this year and I just can't see how Gargano vs Ciampa or Ospreay vs Brookes or Ospreay vs Scurll were better than this match.
Big Red Machine wrote: Jun 12th, '18, 11:09 Dave has said several times that for him the difference between ****3/4 and ***** is all feel (although I am constantly baffled by how certain matches- the HBK vs. Taker Mania matches, HBK vs. HHH vs. Benoit, Dragon vs. Nigel from Unified, Dragon vs. KENTA from GBH V, Night 2- that nearly every other person on Earth has gotten that special feeling from managed to not give it to Dave). Other than that Dave seems to shift what he considers to be important (the "hot crowd" elevates a match in NJPW or PWG but suddenly ceases to become a factor in, say TNA or ECW), which is part of why I find him to be so frustrating.
I'm sure Dave would be more baffled how Omega vs Okada IV didn't get a ten. And for what it's worth, HBK vs Taker he didn't give 5 because he was going to wait to know if Taker wasn't injured and then never went back to change it
That's actually Alvarez that said that.

As I said, if it helps, think of 9.75 as a subcategory of 10. Something that is a "10 minus a technicality" or 10 minus some issue with storytelling or execution or whatever. Just as exciting as a ten (or maybe even more so), but not something I'm willing to call "perfect." I guess "perfect vs. "not perfect" does technically mean "better," but if you want to think about it on a scale of excitement and storytelling without regard for premise, then you can think of 9.75 as the same as 10.
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