LogFAQs > #944580482

Dragon Gate Tag
I've always loved tag wrestling, and Dragon Gate's always managed to do it better than most. I agree with Bidoof that this match does seem to have been unfortunately forgotten, and a lot of that probably has to do with the talent on the challenger side. The thing about this match is that it was really a big step in the coming out parties of T-Hawk and Eita, but, well... T-Hawk just never really caught on despite the considerable effort put into him - he had to leave DG to become awesome - and Eita, depending on who you ask, has only recently found his legs with RED or still hasn't at all.

They were damn good here, though. The Millenials era, for my money, has been the best run for either guy in the company. They were still new, felt exciting, and always put in a hell of a lot of effort. Shingo and Tozawa still feel like the stars, because of course they do, but part of that is because the youngsters do such a great job of helping them come off that way. Steiner mentioned the 1-count kickout, and yeah, a well-placed one of those will always pop me just like it did the live crowd. Heh. Remember those?

I will say that I never really felt like this match did enough to differentiate itself from the laundry list of great DG tags to be truly memorable, but that's less an indictment here and more of a testament to the consistent quality of the Twin Gate division. And it's not like it feels out of place among all those examples, either, which is a hell of a compliment in itself.

I wasn't tracking my star ratings when this match happened so I don't remember what I'd have given it, and rarely do I give retroactive ratings, but I can guarantee it would've gone in the spreadsheet for me at 4+ and it definitely still holds up today.

WALTER/Thatcher
I'd have to think a bit to determine whether I agree with Steiner about this being PROGRESS's best match ever, but it's a strong contender. It was a top 15 match of 2018 for me at 4.75 stars, which is saying something considering I had an Iceman all-time high seven matches at the full five that year.

The word "brutal" gets thrown around a lot in wrestling, and while I wouldn't go so far as to say it's often undeserved, I do think that when you put some of those thusly-described matches against this one, you'll see a clear difference. In concert with my previously mentioned love for tag wrestling, I've always loved partners facing each other, especially when it's presented like this. No animosity - just so much respect that they know they can't give anything less than their best shot.

I've never been as down on Thatcher's stateside work as many (that doesn't mean I wanted to see his long EVOLVE reign any more than anyone else, mind), but there's an obvious difference when you see him in Europe, and it's on full display here. He always gives the impression of a guy who'd be called a film junkie in other sports, coming into his matches with a dedicated game plan and executing it to perfection. WALTER does a great job playing off that, selling limb work the way it always should be done - his hand isn't completely useless and he doesn't ignore it, either; it's just less effective.

Both guys really bring it here, and there's some awesome spots that I still remembered perfectly prior to my rewatch that will continue to stick with me after now. The backdrop countered into a lariat, the stomps to the head, the chop to the face... They're all expertly placed and do a great job tying this match into its violent little bow. Fantastic stuff and it deserves all the praise it's ever gotten.

Oh yeah, by the way, I'd forgotten how terrible PROGRESS commentary was, so that was a fun reminder as well.

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https://imgur.com/UYamul2
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