Day Cinco – Rey Fenix is quite good.
- No Days Off
Jon Moxley vs Rey Fenix, Dynamite, 08/23/23
Meltzer: Couldn’t find a rating
Less than a week before the planned mass brawl at All In, Jon Moxley might have been forgiven for taking it a little easy.
But 1., That’s not how dude works. And 2., Rey Fenix had a point to prove after being unable to travel to London (*cough* and generally being an afterthought along with his brother despite being phenomenal performers who’re very over and reach a demographic wrestling companies are always trying to seek *cough*. Sorry, that was a long one).
Anyway, fast and violent is the best way to describe this. Sure you can tell who brought which. Rey all rope-walks and spin kicks; Mox all face-kicks and curb stomps on the ramp. Building to several sequences with both guys down as they couldn’t be separated, duelling chants from a lively crowd into everything they did, until finally they fought up from their knees and Mox hit a Death Rider from atop the buckle.
And Rey kicked out!
Even on second viewing that was a shocker.
A pissed Moxley then grabbed a choke and after fighting valiantly, Rey went sleepies. The crowd absolutely loved this one. With good reason.
Oh yeah and remember Proud & Powerful came back afterward. Anyone remember they’re back? Anyone?
- Claudio + Flyer = Fun
Claudio Castagnoli vs Rey Fenix, Dynamite, 05/10/23
Meltzer: 4.5*
If there’s one lesson learnt from 2023 it’s that Claudio Castagnoli’s a hell of a base. See matches with Buddy Matthews, Orange Cassidy & Nick Jackson par example.
And not just because he’s awesome at making smaller guys look good. There’s the added benefit of the age-old story of small vs big; fast vs strong. Which is how this one got going – Rey ducking and dodging until being snatched into a backbreaker attempting a dive.
Trying again with a pair of topes, Claudio caught a third into a press slam and dumped him across the barricade. Which Fenix used as a weapon to launch a hurracanrana, then turned an avalanche DVD into another. Before things swung back as the bigger man smashed him with a lariat mid-quebrada.
Like an arms race in the form of a match. Heavy artillery finally winning out over light aircraft, via Ricola Bomb, fittingly.
All helped by a raucous crowd who’d come to watch them some wrestling, chanting ‘A-E-dub’ before the match even got started.
Thanks for reading, have us some tag action tomorrow for Day Six.
