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Post by unimportantguy on Feb 22, 2023 12:37:26 GMT
The World Open starts next week, running from February 28th through April 8th. In past years, I've provided my own commentary, but I hear the Angry Wrasslin' Nerd is going to be doing weekly breakdown blogs on his Tumblr this year, so I'll probably let him do that and just bring you guys videos of the block finals and the overall tournament finals. Here's the schedule for Week 1: Let the speculation begin on how these end up shaking out! I spy some matchups that should be really good. A lot of people will obviously pick out Armel St Martin vs. El Rey Dorado and Samael Tangaroa vs. Fabio Silva, but I think Carlos Ortega-Reyes vs. Paul Lambert could be a dark horse for best match of the week, assuming Carlos brings his working boots and doesn't just start stabbing Paul with that sharpened railroad spike he likes to keep hidden on him. Kayfabing aside, I used to do a ton of video matches for the World Open and it was exhausting because this is a lengthy and very tightly-booked series of high-stakes singles matches that I really want to be good. This year I'm cutting back on what I'm doing video-wise for my own sanity and to try to stop myself from over-committing. I'll have Nerd blogs along the way to highlight how the tournament is going and then whip up some hopefully cool video matches for the climax. |
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Post by OrochiGeese on Feb 23, 2023 7:21:47 GMT
Kayfabing aside, I used to do a ton of video matches for the World Open and it was exhausting because this is a lengthy and very tightly-booked series of high-stakes singles matches that I really want to be good. This year I'm cutting back on what I'm doing video-wise for my own sanity and to try to stop myself from over-committing. I'll have Nerd blogs along the way to highlight how the tournament is going and then whip up some hopefully cool video matches for the climax. You're 100% doing this the right way. Let Angry Wrestling Nerd handle amusing write-ups for the shows and then just provide videos for the Block and Tournament finals. Relying on FPW to get all these matches is a punishing task. You have to hope the right wrestler wins (and mess around with parameters or special skills if they seem incapable of doing so) and then you have to make sure you really like the matches where the right wrestler wins. RNG just loves messing with us in these situations. It's a recipe for burn-out.
I also think there are so many FPW videos and regular streaming shows out there that sometimes less is more and gets more attention. For the majority of my shows, I'm trying to limit my videos to the better matches and handle write-ups with/without pics for the rest. That being said, sometimes it's easier to allow FPW to play things out so I can just watch rather than having to write things out. But I figure this is exactly the reason I have to change my write-up approach from less "play by play" to more summary.
As for the World Open matches I'm most looking forward to:
Kazuo Saji vs. El Rey Dorado
Armel St. Martin vs El Rey Dorado
Aaron Wolff vs Kyle Sieras
Connor Cipris vs. Fabio Silva (I hope Connor messes that boy up!)
Samael Tangaroa vs. Fabio Silva (Why wish for just one wrestler to spontaneously combust when you can wish for two?)
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Post by unimportantguy on Feb 26, 2023 8:28:36 GMT
From this week's SWA TV:  |
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Post by OrochiGeese on Feb 26, 2023 11:23:28 GMT
Super, super hot promo here!! Calling his shot, putting his mask on the line, and just oozing confidence!!
This is a Champion right here 🏆
"And when you're in the Row, you're the baddest on the block."
I love that quote at the end! 😄
We have a cool "unstoppable force vs immovable object" story here with the tradition of every World Open winner going onto defeat the Champion VS. an absolute dominant Champion who shows no sign of giving into history. He's spitting in its face and he certainly has the credibility to prove his point.
This promo really added to the SWA hotness! 🔥
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Post by unimportantguy on Feb 26, 2023 12:10:48 GMT
You can generally call out any wrestler who says something like "I've beaten everyone that matters" as being full of shit, but in Ultimo Cielo's case, he might've made a bigger mistake than he realizes in saying that. Sure, he's beat Connor Cipris, N-Trio, Armel St. Martin, Paul Lambert, and Carlos Ortega-Reyes in title defenses. Sure, he beat Kazuo Saji in last year's World Open to get here. But he's never had a singles match with Samael Tangaroa. Samael's in the World Open, so we can safely rule him out as Cielo's Mystery Opponent, but I would expect to be hearing from him soon.
Edit: Or maybe he's intentionally provoking the monster? That seems like a mistake to me but it's within the realm of Cielo's tactics to try to make a potential rival angry so they lose their focus.
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Post by OrochiGeese on Feb 26, 2023 22:13:32 GMT
Cielo would definitely have the strategic edge over Samael in the ring but I'd be very wary of further angering someone that powerful, violent, and unstable. It's not like Samael hasn't compensated for other people's strategic superiority over them with brute, unrelenting force. if I was Cielo, I would not poke the rabid bear 🐻
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Post by unimportantguy on Mar 5, 2023 7:02:15 GMT
The first week of the 2023 World Open is in the books, and the Angry Wrasslin' Nerd has the rundown for us.For those who don't want to visit Tumblr: World Open 2023 Week in Review - Week One A Block: Kazuo Saji has been a top contender in the World Open since the tournnament began in earnest in 2018. In 2018, he came up close to winning A Block, but lost out to Kyle Sieras. In 2019, he again was in the money right up until the final night, scoring an impressive victory over Samael Tangaroa before getting spoiled by Fabio Silva on the final night. In 2020, he again wrestled strong all the way through the tournament, barely losing out to Armel St. Martin in the final night of the block. In 2021, he could've taken the whole thing if it weren't for The Fart Heard Round the World that was the debut of Murderer's Row. And in 2022, he won his block and made it to the finals, only to fall to Ultimo Cielo. I'm bringing you this history lesson to emphasize what a surprise it was this week to watch good ol' Captain Dong trip over his own dick right out of the gate, getting rolled up by Jake Adair in under ten minutes on the first night of block action. In fact, Saji lost both of his matches this week, also taking a narrow loss to El Rey Dorado in one of the best matches of the week. In the interviews leading up to this tournament, Saji stated his intention to meet his friend Connor Cipris in the finals, but after a first week like this, his path to the finals is in doubt already Jake Adair, meanwhile, kept the hits coming, rolling up both Kazuo Saji and Armel St. Martin in his first two matches of the tournament and creating a situation where he now has a tie-breaker over two of the top seeded talents in the block. Jake has been on fire lately, finally starting to connect with SWA fans and get some big wins under his belt after coming into SWA carrying a huge chip on his shoulder and an Inside Wrasslin' "Most Hated Man in Wrestling" award back in 2019. While his 2022 Aftermath Championship reign was stopped short after only one defense by Hanami Watanabe (who would very quickly lose the title herself to Clint Oliver only a month and one defense later), Jake's ascendance over the last two years is undeniable, and this could very well be his year. The biggest surprise of the A Block this week, though, goes to Carlos Ortega-Reyes, who somehow managed to keep it (it being that goddamn railroad spike) in his pants through both of his matches this week, fighting straight up and actually going to the mat with both Paul Lambert and Raye Groves. In fact, and I can't fucking believe I'm saying this, I think Carlos Ortega-Reyes vs. Paul Lambert is actually my match of the week for A Block. Ortega-Reyes continues to not officially put pen to paper for an SWA contract, but his inexplicable affection for SWA might actually be having a positive effect on him. A Block Point Totals: Armel St. Martin: 2 El Rey Dorado: 2 Kazuo Saji: 0 Jake Adair: 4 Carlos Ortega-Reyes: 2 Paul Lambert: 2 Adam Nishimura: 2 Raye Groves: 2 The Nerd's Match of the Week: Paul Lambert def. Carlos Ortega-Reyes by PINFALL in 20:50 (2/28) B Block: Things were much more stratified in B Block than A Block this week, with some very clear winners and losers. Probably the biggest surprise among all that was Kyle Sieras being on the losers' pile, dropping decisions to both Aaron Wolff and Tommy Powers. In previous years it would've been practically unthinkable to see Kyle so low in the rankings, but his stock has taken a tumble ever since the breakup of the Redeemed, and especially the departure of his friend unimportantguy to Underground Wrestling Club. Myself, I never could understand why a good dude like Kyle would hang out with a raging fuckhole like unimportantguy, but the friendship seems to have been genuine enough, and Kyle just hasn't been the same ever since that jackass slipped out the back door. (Shout out to CRITICAL! Club poster unimportantguy, who's probably drafting an angry e-mail even as I type this. Get out of your mom's basement and go touch some grass, you fuckin' weirdo. Maybe you'll come out of the experience with better taste in wrestlers.) Without even a match against his friend and rival Raye Groves to look forward to, Kyle Sieras felt aimless and unfocused this week, and it definitely showed in his disappointing performances. Other wrestlers in the Pile of Shame this week included Chad Jackson and Fabio Silva, who both had the misfortune to draw up Samael Tangaroa and Connor Cipris as their first two matches. Chad in particular got dominated by both men (shut the fuck up fangirls you know what I mean), dropping decisions to both in under ten minutes. Fabio, meanwhile, acquitted himself well in loss, standing and brawling with a kind of determination that we haven't seen from the big lug in a while. And look, when I'm saying something good about Fabio motherFUCKING Silva, you know he's done good. As you may have guessed if you've been paying any goddamn attention to what I'm writing, the winners' pile for the week consisted of Samael Tangaroa and Connor Cipris. Connor in particular looked fired up as hell. In pre-tournament interviews, he mentioned how he meant to make up for missing the last three years' World Opens due to a combination of injury and family issues (for those who didn't know, Connor's father passed away from complications caused by severe COVID-19 in 2021). With the injury bug hopefully now behind him, Connor fought like hell this week, and is an early favorite to make the finals. In fact, Connor vs. Fabio in particular probably would've been my match of the week for B Block, were it not for one other match in the block that delivered exactly what we were all hoping it would. My match of the week for B Block, though, has to go to Samael Tangaroa vs. Fabio Silva. Some were concerned that Fabio would be too softened up by Connor earlier in the week to give his all, but those concerns were, I am happy to report, misplaced. I know, right? Me? Praising Fabio motherFUCKING Silva twice in one post? But it was one of the bloodiest, most violent matches I can remember seeing in SWA, with both men looking like hamburger by the time Samael's hand was raised in victory. You all know how I love a good brawl, especially one as hate-filled as this, and any match where I can watch either of these two men get his ass beat is a win in my book. One where they both beat the shit out of each other? That's truly priceless. B Block Point Totals: Samael Tangaroa: 4 Chad Jackson: 0 Connor Cipris: 4 Fabio Silva: 0 Aaron Wolff: 2 Kyle Sieras: 0 Tommy Powers: 2 Javier Valiente: 2 The Nerd's Match of the Week: Samael Tangaroa def Fabio Silva by KNOCKOUT in 18:32 (3/3) If I may provide a personal editorial, I'd like to take a moment to respond to this bit: Dude, Nerd, maybe take Kazuo Saji's advice and go relieve some stress. I've never been anything but friendly to you and you're consistently rude and confrontational and it's really not necessary. Also, the winner of the 3/3 Main Event had some words for the champion: |
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Post by OrochiGeese on Mar 5, 2023 8:09:48 GMT
This was a really great report. Once again, you manage to add a ton of storyline, character development, match flow, and nuance with an economy of words using this format. It's really effective in managing to summarize an entire week and multiple matches while informing us about the most important and re-occurring (past and present) storylines. Highlight was the back and forth dialogue with you and AWN 😁  Oh man, he must have had jitters or something. People keep telling him to go into matches "fully focused" and not get massage stress relief from Hae-Won first but that keeps working against him. He needs his cool 😎 At least he made El Dorado work for it. Huge week for Jake Adair and Connor Cipris! I knew Samael vs. Fabio would be a great match and people would love watching them maim each other! Super hot promo for Samael too! Hit every note against Fabio and Cielo! |
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Post by unimportantguy on Mar 6, 2023 4:32:39 GMT
I think Saji just underestimated Jake. He's a wiley and crafty dude with deceptive agility and I think Saji may have taken him for granted. A lot of people have fallen to Jake Adair over the past four years just because they didn't expect him to be as clever and resourceful as he is.
It does put Saji in a tricky spot, though. Never good to be at the bottom of the block.
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Post by OrochiGeese on Mar 6, 2023 5:35:19 GMT
I think Saji just underestimated Jake. He's a wiley and crafty dude with deceptive agility and I think Saji may have taken him for granted. A lot of people have fallen to Jake Adair over the past four years just because they didn't expect him to be as clever and resourceful as he is. This is the kind of league that really helps elevate hard-working, crafty wrestlers like Jake. That "dark horse" participant is the most dangerous with multiple matches like this. Everyone has their eye on who they think is the most dangerous or who their specific rival is, then falls prey to Jake who is ready for everybody.It does put Saji in a tricky spot, though. Never good to be at the bottom of the block. Saji: "I've been in tighter spots before, and from all positions, so I know how to finish strong." Hae-Won: "And early." Saji: 😭 |
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Post by unimportantguy on Mar 10, 2023 6:35:45 GMT
I... forgot to post the schedule for this week's World Open matches. I have failed. Most of the shows have already taken place, but here's what was on the docket this week:
We should be hearing from the Angry Wrasslin' Nerd on Saturday about this week's shows.
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Post by unimportantguy on Mar 12, 2023 7:56:34 GMT
Another week down! angrywrasslenerd.tumblr.com/post/711557031132299264/world-open-2023-week-in-review-week-twoWorld Open 2023 Week in Review - Week Two A Block What a reversal of fortune this block experienced this week. Last week, we discussed how Kazuo Saji tripped on the starting line, while Jake Adair sailed to the front of the block with an early 4 points. This week, Kazuo picked up impressive wins over Adam Nishimura and Paul Lambert, while Jake got embarassed on the mat by Raye Groves, and then beaten within an inch of his life by Carlos Ortega-Reyes. This put both men at equal standings in the block, with four points each. Speaking of Carlos Ortega-Reyes, he pulled ahead of the pack this week in dominant fashion, finishing the week with 6 points. While his match against Jake Adair was basically a one-sided affair, with Carlos attacking Jake before the bell and pummeling him pillar to post until the finish, the match with Armel St. Martin was a highly competitive affair, with Armel’s signature mix of high flying and technical matwork on full display. Carlos managed to bait Armel into a battle of strikes later into the match, and that’s when things came up his way, with the larger man able to dominate the striking game prior to using a double stomp from the top rope to take the pinfall. Between his performance at Crescendo against Ultimo Cielo in January and his performance in this tournament so far, damn me if I’m not becoming a little bit of a fan. The biggest upset of the week was easily Adam Nishimura managing to steal one from El Rey Dorado. As much deserved hate as Nishimura gets for being a lecherous fucking creep who shouldn’t be allowed within 100 yards of a school or playground, his sheer physical strength cannot be denied, and the entire arena was left speechless when the 205lb. Nishimura managed to get the 284lb. El Rey Dorado up for the Deadlift German to take the most shocking pinfall of the week. This lost must’ve been extra humiliating for El Rey Dorado, as it left him with the lowest point total in the block for the week, at only 2 points total. My MVP of the week though has to be Paul Lambert. Both in his victorious contest over El Rey Dorado, and in his loss later in the week to Kazuo Saji, Paul Lambert displayed tremendous heart on top of his technical acumen, managing to fight his way out of what seemed like unwinnable predicamaents again and again. Lambert also put in the longest match times in this week’s A Block matches, with both of his matches going over 25 minutes, and Saji vs. Lambert flirting with the 30 minute time limit, getting up to 29:23. Ultimately, Saji had to resort to the Chrome Splitter to finish the job. The sheer heart and fighting spirit displayed by both men make that my A Block match of the week. A Block Point Totals: Armel St. Martin: 4 El Rey Dorado: 2 Kazuo Saji: 4 Jake Adair: 4 Carlos Ortega-Reyes: 6 Paul Lambert: 4 Adam Nishimura: 4 Raye Groves: 4 The Nerd’s Match of the Week: Kazuo Saji def. Paul Lambert by PINFALL in 29:23 (3/9) B Block: The story of B Block this week was the continued dominance of Connor Cipris and Samael Tangaroa, who both continued to remain undefeated in block action. Elswhere in the block, Kyle Sieras and Chad Jackson both managed to get on the scoreboard, but it’s all starting to look a bit academic at this point, with Samael and Connor both holding 8 points, and the next highest score in the block being Fabio motherFUCKING Silva at 4. With the point gap steadily widening for most of the block, it would be a big challenge for anyone else to catch up at this point, and with the dude who looks in the best situation to do so being the Donkey Fucker himself, I don’t particularly like the idea of him getting more big wins. At least match quality remained strong. Though Tommy Powers is in a horrible position points-wise at 2, he put on some impressive performances this week, nearly upsetting Connor Cipris and actually looking fairly dominant for a decent stretch of his match with Chad Jackson. I’ve said before that if Tommy Powers was even half as good as he thought he was, he’d be one of the best wrestlers in SWA, and this week I have to admit that the little shit-goblin did show off at least some of that potential. No matter how well Tommy Powers did, there was one induspitable crown jewel among this week’s B Block matches. The lucky fuckers who managed to get tickets for the March 10th show were in for a treat, because the main event of Connor Cipris vs. Kyle Sieras delivered on every level. Connor Cipris is the best he’s ever been, and if we’d gotten the Kyle Sieras that showed up last week, this would’ve been academic. Thankfully, all the beatings he got in the first week must’ve flipped a switch in Kyle, because he brought the fight to Connor with a kind of fire we haven’t seen from him since the breakup of The Redeemed last year. It’s hard to believe this is the same Kyle Sieras we saw last week, let alone the same Kyle Sieras who wandered into SWA 15 years ago and rapidly became the most hated man on the roster. The crowd was so far behind Kyle that I think Connor actually picked up some boos for beating him. B Block Point Totals: Samael Tangaroa: 8 Chad Jackson: 2 Connor Cipris: 8 Fabio Silva: 4 Aaron Wolff: 2 Kyle Sieras: 2 Tommy Powers: 2 Javier Valiente: 2 The Nerd’s Match of the Week: Connor Cipris def. Kyle Sieras by SUBMISSION in 19:47 (3/10) |
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Post by unimportantguy on Mar 12, 2023 7:58:13 GMT
No World Open matches next week, instead we have the International Joshi Summit show and Ultimo Cielo's mystery challenger for the SWA Openweight Championship. I'm excited about the Summit and will be providing a writeup on the whole show.
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Post by OrochiGeese on Mar 12, 2023 22:34:46 GMT
Great summary of week two!
Glad to see Saji picking himself back up and earning some W's - especially in the absolute epic banger against Lambert. Hopefully he can build on this momentum. Every win really counts, especially since Block A is super close right now. Big week for Carlos and great match with Armel!
Connor and Samael really building to be a huge and decisive match. Connor vs. Kyle sounded great too!
I just started sketching out a Saji promo so he'll have a lot to say very soon 😎 Really looking forward to the Joshi summit and Cielo's mystery opponent! |
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Post by unimportantguy on Mar 16, 2023 0:47:35 GMT
Okay guys. Okay. The International Joshi Summit? Real cool show. I should have my writeup of what the show was like in 24 hours or so. non-kayfabed version: I'm mostly done with the show and will most likely be putting the finishing touches on it either when I get home from work tonight or when I get up tomorrow. I'm excited to share all these cool edits I came up with with everyone. |
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