CONFLICT - Spokane 5/30 Review
May 31, 2021 17:53:41 GMT -5
Post by Biggs on May 31, 2021 17:53:41 GMT -5
The Graham Legacy vs. Heroes for Hire: Really like the fact that we're starting off with a match right away. Always good to vary it up from in-ring promo parade to the action to a backstage brawl. Don't want to lean into any of those too much, otherwise the shows feel samey. I think this match did an excellent job of introducing Mitsudo Shimada to people who haven't read him before, as he comes off as laid back but intellegent wrestler. His powdering at the beginning of the match wasn't a heel move, it was instead to throw Graham Legacy off their game, get them out of rhythm early, so it worked well. I also liked that this match didn't start with an Elbow-and-Collar Tie Up. I noticed last show on a reread that all but one match started that way. Yes, it's tried and true, and yes, I use it all the time myself, but it was a nice change of pace to see a different start. This was a showcase match, through and through, and while Storm got a few good licks in, this was completely meant to get Shimada over. It really was an extended squash, which is fine, but the more times we see The Graham Legacy in these kinds of matches where they're not getting any offense whatsoever (like they did with Violent Intent a few shows back) the less it will mean when somebody beats them. What's here is well written and easy to follow, but the same exact thing could have been accomplished by putting in two “local talents.”
* Good promo from Mark Storm after the match, and I like how he acknowledges that one win shouldn't be enough for the Heroes for Hire to be in the title conversation just yet. I take it Mitsudo's dialogue in the paranthesis is spoken in Japanese, so it's a nice touch. Look forward to seeing more from this duo.
* Tara's promo was written in such a way that her cadence came through loud and clear, speaking with power and purpose. A good follow up to her loss to Trixie in the ECC, it firmly establishes Tara's mindset heading into what should be a bounce back match. Knowing that Tara has a long history and is a grizzled veteran added a sense of Danny Glover like “I'm getting too old for this shit” vibes, which only enhanced the cadence. In a short time, Tara has established herself as a reliable promo in Mainstream Wrestling.
Tara Fenix vs. Ethan Lucas: Another showcase match, this time for Tara, but Ethan Lucas at least got a few good shots in and acquitted himself about as well as one could for a squash match. This was all about rehabbing Tara after the ECC and showing her take no prisoners, I'll hurt myself to hurt you more style. In that sense, the match was a success. The action was easy to follow throughout.
* The Euphoric promo was short but sweet, though I do like it better when Danya and Caroline get to play off of one another, because that's when they're at their best. Still, good stuff, and the Violent Intent attack was just fantastic! Quick but violent, it very much set them up as logical challengers for the big Tokyo Show! (Speaking of Tokyo, of course Biggs is gonna have to bust out some new Gojira ring gear after Cashe ruined his last set in the Falls Count Anywhere match.)
* How can you not love Chris Madison? The man always delivers. It's amusing how he played up the forced break, and it's never not funny to see Bombay flustered. I'm enjoying the slow build to Madison vs. Prichard, and am glad that we'll get to see Prichard in action before his big money match with Madison, so that way folks who are unfamiliar with the character can see what he's about in the ring, which will only enhance the match when he finally faces off against Madison.
* The Ford/Cashe segment was just pure, unadulterated fun. Sometimes wrestling just needs to be goofy, and this was just that. The comedic tone was set early with the fact that Ford randomly had a recliner at a wrestling show. I don't know of any locker rooms that are furnished with those! Also, the fact that Cashe paid a stunt granny to distract Ford over a Subway sandwich is just ridiculously asinine. Dude, they're like $5 if you order on the app. I also liked the plug for Biggs' book, because of course Cashe and Ford would hate it. Fun all around!
Bryan Ford vs. Bobby Larson: Bryan Ford is very easy to work with. I feel like we have a very strong chemistry writing together, and this match had a very nice flow to it. Anytime I get booked with Ford, I'll celebrate it.
* What I said about Ford being fun and easy to work with can also be applied to Cartier. While a bookstore doesn't offer quite as much as a grocery store or toy store in terms of location based gags, I hope that it was still a fun read for everyone. The Very Hungry Caterpillar bit was written in before Eric Carle's death earlier this week, but I'm glad we had that little tribute to him in our match, even if it was unintentional. Cartier is fantastic with her dialogue, and has great range. She can be deadly serious one moment, than a veritable laugh riot the next. Love working with her.
* Manny's first promo after winning the ECC did not disappoint. He showed Manny's trademark humility well, and once the promo parade got going, it just kept getting better! Skye Healy still continuing to be a capital B-word and demanding she gets a spot in line before Manny, who earned his shot by winning the tourney, is the peak entitled behavior you'd expect from Skye Healy at this point. And my gosh, Julianna DiMaria took this promo that was already great to the absolute next level! I loved the vitrol between her and Healy, and Manny re-establishing at the end that he didn't care if he had to fight both of them, he wasn't giving up his shot, well, we have ourselves a stew of excellence cooking up here. Back to DiMaria, though, she truly has been a workhorse champion so far, and she's been delivering high level promos the whole time, so hats off to her. Skye's no slouch either in the U.S. Title division, though she hasn't had as breakneck a pace as Juliana has, but that's due to booking. My point is, our champions in Mainstream right now are putting out high quality content on a consistent basis, and for my money, Julianna's run with the Heavyweight Title has been the best since I got to Mainstream late last September.
Cartier vs. Amara Jo – Mainstream World Television Championship: Boy do I love me some Cartier, and I loved the story of this match of her being over confident and almost paying for it. The outcome of this match wasn't in doubt since it was booked, but it was still an entertaining read, and both competitors looked better coming out of it, Amara Jo for almost pulling off the upset, and Cartier for having to get serious. Of the “Showcase” matches tonight, this has been the best one so far.
* Luchavillain's promo is a great textbook example of how to introduce a new character to an unfamiliar audience. He established that Luchavillain recognizes he has a dark side, that he's accepted that fact, and that to him, wrestling is business first. He also did a fantastic job of introducing his valet and establishing why he needs her. I liked Vivian's line about how LV has to be pushed into talking about others due to his inherent arrogance. But by establishing LV's motivations, setting the tone of the character, and effectively showing why he needed a valet besides just eye candy, this promo was a rousing success, and makes me want to see more of what he can do.
* Jason Cashe is a goof, and I love it! The interplay between Cashe and the old woman was hilarious, and the fact that the promo acknowledged how silly it was for Cashe to pay her to distract Ford was just icing on the cake. I would not be opposed to the Granny becoming Cashe's valet. That'd be some funny stuff right there. Also, “Southern Sexy” is a ridiculous nickname.
LuchaVillain vs. Jason Cashe vs. James Edwards: Triple Threat matches can be a little tricky, especially with how we do our match writing in Mainstream, as they can sometimes fall into the trap of Wrestler A and Wrestler B fight while Wrestler C just stands around. While this match did lean heavily into that format, it was an entertaining read throughout, as the action was crisp, and the commentary during the match was fantastic. If I have one nitpick on the match, it's that when James Edwards was on offense, the match would switch between present tense and past tense, and it was a bit jarring. Otherwise, this was a fantastic match, and everyone got to shine. Great first showing by LuchaVillain, strong showing by Cashe, and a big win for Edwards, who keeps on winning in big match situations. He hasn't lost since returning to Mainstream, so it'll be interesting to see where he goes next.
* Blake O'Reilly is a douche and a half, and that comes across perfectly in his promo. I liked when he asked how honest everyone was with themselves, and declaring himself a “First Generation Bad Ass” was also effective. Short, to the point, and sold his attitude and motivations going into the big title match. Good job.
* I really like Charlene Tilton-Everton as James Edwards' mouthpiece. Simple but efficient promo, and sometimes that's all you need.
Skye Healy vs. Blake O'Reilly – Mainstream United States Championship: If I'm being honest, this is an underwhelming Main Event. It would have been fine in the midcard, but as the final match on the show, especially following the Triple Threat, it left me wanting more. Granted, Blake O'Reilly shouldn't be taking Skye Healy to the limit, so the way the match played out was the way it should have been expected to. There was one weird part that should have been caught in the proofread, where it said “I icing” which maybe should have been “writhing” or something of that nature, but otherwise, written well. Just not a lot of meat on the bones, and certainly not what you'd want to end the night on. As for the post match announcement, it may have been more impactful for Kevin Bombay to come out and announce it, which could have drawn Julianna out for a stare-down to sell next week's show, but McKayla with the info dump did the job. Still, that'll be a fantastic headliner next week, and I look forward to that match!
Overall Thoughts: This show felt very much like a setting the table kind of show after the run of big shows between Conflict: War Games and the ECC, which isn't a bad thing. It gets Mainstream reset, refocused, and ready to rock on! I definitely feel that the promos were stronger than the matches this week, and while there wasn't any bad matches, it felt like a below average show from an in-ring perspective comparative to our normal standards. Thankfully, the promo work throughout as strong as heck, and carried the show.
Match of the Night: I liked the story told in Cartier vs. Amara Jo the best, so I'll give the nod to that match. Props go to the Triple Threat, and Ford for his half of Ford vs. Larson, as well.
Promo of the Night: I had a blast writing the bookstore brawl with Cartier, but it's well established that anything I take part in is disqualified from these awards, and I do think that the best overall promo tonight was the three-way promo between Manny, Skye, and Julianna. Julianna went off on Skye Healy, and I loved it! Also, Manny is just super consistent. Skye also always does a great job of selling how unlikable her character really is. But as I've said throughout the review, it was an excellent night for promos, not a weak one in the batch.
Overall Grade: B
* Good promo from Mark Storm after the match, and I like how he acknowledges that one win shouldn't be enough for the Heroes for Hire to be in the title conversation just yet. I take it Mitsudo's dialogue in the paranthesis is spoken in Japanese, so it's a nice touch. Look forward to seeing more from this duo.
* Tara's promo was written in such a way that her cadence came through loud and clear, speaking with power and purpose. A good follow up to her loss to Trixie in the ECC, it firmly establishes Tara's mindset heading into what should be a bounce back match. Knowing that Tara has a long history and is a grizzled veteran added a sense of Danny Glover like “I'm getting too old for this shit” vibes, which only enhanced the cadence. In a short time, Tara has established herself as a reliable promo in Mainstream Wrestling.
Tara Fenix vs. Ethan Lucas: Another showcase match, this time for Tara, but Ethan Lucas at least got a few good shots in and acquitted himself about as well as one could for a squash match. This was all about rehabbing Tara after the ECC and showing her take no prisoners, I'll hurt myself to hurt you more style. In that sense, the match was a success. The action was easy to follow throughout.
* The Euphoric promo was short but sweet, though I do like it better when Danya and Caroline get to play off of one another, because that's when they're at their best. Still, good stuff, and the Violent Intent attack was just fantastic! Quick but violent, it very much set them up as logical challengers for the big Tokyo Show! (Speaking of Tokyo, of course Biggs is gonna have to bust out some new Gojira ring gear after Cashe ruined his last set in the Falls Count Anywhere match.)
* How can you not love Chris Madison? The man always delivers. It's amusing how he played up the forced break, and it's never not funny to see Bombay flustered. I'm enjoying the slow build to Madison vs. Prichard, and am glad that we'll get to see Prichard in action before his big money match with Madison, so that way folks who are unfamiliar with the character can see what he's about in the ring, which will only enhance the match when he finally faces off against Madison.
* The Ford/Cashe segment was just pure, unadulterated fun. Sometimes wrestling just needs to be goofy, and this was just that. The comedic tone was set early with the fact that Ford randomly had a recliner at a wrestling show. I don't know of any locker rooms that are furnished with those! Also, the fact that Cashe paid a stunt granny to distract Ford over a Subway sandwich is just ridiculously asinine. Dude, they're like $5 if you order on the app. I also liked the plug for Biggs' book, because of course Cashe and Ford would hate it. Fun all around!
Bryan Ford vs. Bobby Larson: Bryan Ford is very easy to work with. I feel like we have a very strong chemistry writing together, and this match had a very nice flow to it. Anytime I get booked with Ford, I'll celebrate it.
* What I said about Ford being fun and easy to work with can also be applied to Cartier. While a bookstore doesn't offer quite as much as a grocery store or toy store in terms of location based gags, I hope that it was still a fun read for everyone. The Very Hungry Caterpillar bit was written in before Eric Carle's death earlier this week, but I'm glad we had that little tribute to him in our match, even if it was unintentional. Cartier is fantastic with her dialogue, and has great range. She can be deadly serious one moment, than a veritable laugh riot the next. Love working with her.
* Manny's first promo after winning the ECC did not disappoint. He showed Manny's trademark humility well, and once the promo parade got going, it just kept getting better! Skye Healy still continuing to be a capital B-word and demanding she gets a spot in line before Manny, who earned his shot by winning the tourney, is the peak entitled behavior you'd expect from Skye Healy at this point. And my gosh, Julianna DiMaria took this promo that was already great to the absolute next level! I loved the vitrol between her and Healy, and Manny re-establishing at the end that he didn't care if he had to fight both of them, he wasn't giving up his shot, well, we have ourselves a stew of excellence cooking up here. Back to DiMaria, though, she truly has been a workhorse champion so far, and she's been delivering high level promos the whole time, so hats off to her. Skye's no slouch either in the U.S. Title division, though she hasn't had as breakneck a pace as Juliana has, but that's due to booking. My point is, our champions in Mainstream right now are putting out high quality content on a consistent basis, and for my money, Julianna's run with the Heavyweight Title has been the best since I got to Mainstream late last September.
Cartier vs. Amara Jo – Mainstream World Television Championship: Boy do I love me some Cartier, and I loved the story of this match of her being over confident and almost paying for it. The outcome of this match wasn't in doubt since it was booked, but it was still an entertaining read, and both competitors looked better coming out of it, Amara Jo for almost pulling off the upset, and Cartier for having to get serious. Of the “Showcase” matches tonight, this has been the best one so far.
* Luchavillain's promo is a great textbook example of how to introduce a new character to an unfamiliar audience. He established that Luchavillain recognizes he has a dark side, that he's accepted that fact, and that to him, wrestling is business first. He also did a fantastic job of introducing his valet and establishing why he needs her. I liked Vivian's line about how LV has to be pushed into talking about others due to his inherent arrogance. But by establishing LV's motivations, setting the tone of the character, and effectively showing why he needed a valet besides just eye candy, this promo was a rousing success, and makes me want to see more of what he can do.
* Jason Cashe is a goof, and I love it! The interplay between Cashe and the old woman was hilarious, and the fact that the promo acknowledged how silly it was for Cashe to pay her to distract Ford was just icing on the cake. I would not be opposed to the Granny becoming Cashe's valet. That'd be some funny stuff right there. Also, “Southern Sexy” is a ridiculous nickname.
LuchaVillain vs. Jason Cashe vs. James Edwards: Triple Threat matches can be a little tricky, especially with how we do our match writing in Mainstream, as they can sometimes fall into the trap of Wrestler A and Wrestler B fight while Wrestler C just stands around. While this match did lean heavily into that format, it was an entertaining read throughout, as the action was crisp, and the commentary during the match was fantastic. If I have one nitpick on the match, it's that when James Edwards was on offense, the match would switch between present tense and past tense, and it was a bit jarring. Otherwise, this was a fantastic match, and everyone got to shine. Great first showing by LuchaVillain, strong showing by Cashe, and a big win for Edwards, who keeps on winning in big match situations. He hasn't lost since returning to Mainstream, so it'll be interesting to see where he goes next.
* Blake O'Reilly is a douche and a half, and that comes across perfectly in his promo. I liked when he asked how honest everyone was with themselves, and declaring himself a “First Generation Bad Ass” was also effective. Short, to the point, and sold his attitude and motivations going into the big title match. Good job.
* I really like Charlene Tilton-Everton as James Edwards' mouthpiece. Simple but efficient promo, and sometimes that's all you need.
Skye Healy vs. Blake O'Reilly – Mainstream United States Championship: If I'm being honest, this is an underwhelming Main Event. It would have been fine in the midcard, but as the final match on the show, especially following the Triple Threat, it left me wanting more. Granted, Blake O'Reilly shouldn't be taking Skye Healy to the limit, so the way the match played out was the way it should have been expected to. There was one weird part that should have been caught in the proofread, where it said “I icing” which maybe should have been “writhing” or something of that nature, but otherwise, written well. Just not a lot of meat on the bones, and certainly not what you'd want to end the night on. As for the post match announcement, it may have been more impactful for Kevin Bombay to come out and announce it, which could have drawn Julianna out for a stare-down to sell next week's show, but McKayla with the info dump did the job. Still, that'll be a fantastic headliner next week, and I look forward to that match!
Overall Thoughts: This show felt very much like a setting the table kind of show after the run of big shows between Conflict: War Games and the ECC, which isn't a bad thing. It gets Mainstream reset, refocused, and ready to rock on! I definitely feel that the promos were stronger than the matches this week, and while there wasn't any bad matches, it felt like a below average show from an in-ring perspective comparative to our normal standards. Thankfully, the promo work throughout as strong as heck, and carried the show.
Match of the Night: I liked the story told in Cartier vs. Amara Jo the best, so I'll give the nod to that match. Props go to the Triple Threat, and Ford for his half of Ford vs. Larson, as well.
Promo of the Night: I had a blast writing the bookstore brawl with Cartier, but it's well established that anything I take part in is disqualified from these awards, and I do think that the best overall promo tonight was the three-way promo between Manny, Skye, and Julianna. Julianna went off on Skye Healy, and I loved it! Also, Manny is just super consistent. Skye also always does a great job of selling how unlikable her character really is. But as I've said throughout the review, it was an excellent night for promos, not a weak one in the batch.
Overall Grade: B
