In a brand new joint partnership between Count Out and LWOPW’s Wrestling With Edwards, Scotty Edwards and Ryan Neitzey come together for the good of charity to see which wrestling fan can watch the most wrestling matches by the end of the year.
This is their story.
*an ice pick breaks into the side of a mountain. Zooming out, we see two individuals climbing Mt. Everest.*
Ryan: Jesus, this is so freaking hard.
Scotty: Why was this our decision for this month?
Ryan: Look Scotty, you always wanted to do the impossible so I thought this was the most impossible.
Scotty: You should have picked “making Raw good.” Seeing, you know, it often seems impossible for WWE. We would have been fired easily!
Ryan: Yeah, that’s really impossible...for some! (listen to Hit The Books, a weekly WWE booking podcast every Friday). But this past month was difficult for me. Incredibly busy at work means less wrestling. I know you now have a lot more free time so congratulations!
Scotty: Man, I wish I could say at times I didn’t have as much free time. But don’t you worry, times change and free time will go out the window soon enough. But thank you!
Ryan: Well we got to keep busy with all this mountain climbing!
Scotty: Sure do. Wrestling and mountain climbing. Not what I expected from my 2021.
Ryan: Hey, it’s better than last year.
Scotty: Raw is better than 2020... what's your point?
Ryan: I mean, yeah probably.
*the two reach a flat area*
Ryan: I think here’s a good point to stop and talk about May. Which for me will probably just be Double or Nothing but I guess we’ll see
Scotty: One wrestling event in all of May? That’s impressive friend. If that’s true, maybe we really aren’t “racing.” Of course, I’m kidding! I’m the babyface after all.
Ryan's Match 3 ~ The Inner Circle vs. The Pinnacle: AEW Dynamite: Blood & Guts, 5/5/21 - 4.50 Stars
Despite some bad television timing and Jericho-ness, this match was amazing. For the most part, it was exactly what it needed to be, exactly what it told us it would be; an out-out brutal affair. There was blood, there were guts. IT was great. Starting with Spears vs Guevara, showcasing both talents skill, and character as well. Then into the addition of the tag teams with both members of Proud & Powerful getting thrown down the steel cage. Then of course you have Wardlow and Hager which added new elements that added to the match in big hosses just destroying people and each other. Then MJF and Jericho, where yes, things started to get a little dicey, but the match was great enough before to sustain its greatness. Eventually, we get to the roof of the cage, and the MJF/Jericho push. Yeah yeah yeah, he landed on padding and it was a bad camera angle. But the story and then the bloody face moment of MJF all helped make The Pinnacle and especially MJF all the more deadly and all the more a star.
Scotty's Match 3 ~ Giulia & Syuri vs. Momo Watanabe & AZM: Stardom in Hiroshima, 5/2/21 - 4.50 Stars
Giulia and Syuri have displayed in very little time that they are not only the tag team Stardom was in desperate need of, but they are simply among the best in the world. Their first title defense against what many believe to be Stardom’s best team in MOMOAZ was a massive test for the duo. Could they show that they were worthy of having these titles in their first defense? The answer is absolutely. These four women went on to tell a brilliant story in a physical matchup. The cherry on top of it all was the disdain that Giulia and Watanabe have for each other, as these two hit one another with everything but the kitchen sink, but in the end, it was down to Giulia and AZM instead. If you follow me on Twitter, you understand my appreciation for AZM and MOMOAZ as a whole. She showed that not only was she ready to be on top of Stardom but put on one of the best performances in her young career. This match was physicality at its finest and tag team bliss that I thought couldn’t be topped tag team wise this year. I was wrong. But this is a great watch.
Ryan's Match 2 ~ Will Ospreay vs. Shingo Takagi: NJPW Wrestling Dontaku, 5/4/21 - 4.50 Stars
What can I add that hasn’t been said already. This match was the best New Japan match in months, which is already a huge travesty. But very much needed. Ospreay came fully into his own as the World Champion main eventer and Shingo has always been the best dance partner with the entire locker room, especially with Will Ospreay. Obviously, A LOT changed in New Japan after this match, but this match definitely showcased the level of wrestler both men are and what both men can do. All personal nonsense aside, these two guys are the best wrestlers in the world.
Scotty's Match 2 ~ Giulia & Syuri vs. Mayu Iwatani & Starlight Kid: Stardom in Nagoya, 5/15/21 - 4.50 Stars
As I was saying, I did not think it could be topped and then Giulia and Syuri decided to have another fantastic outing, this time against the MK Sisters. It was a match that displayed tag team genius in an effort to continue raising the Goddesses of Stardom Championships to another level. Earlier this year, I raved about the match between Giulia and Starlight Kid inside Korakuen Hall for the Wonder of Stardom Championship. That chemistry that they showed there happened to leak over into this tag team match as they controlled the majority. But the brilliance of this match wasn’t just between these two, but the effort by Giulia and Syuri to subtract Mayu Iwatani from the match with any and all efforts. Reasonable, seeing that Iwatani is pound-for-pound the best in the world and the veteran of the MK Sisters. They managed to keep her away from the action long enough for them to finally put Starlight Kid down for the three count. Professional wrestling allows stories to be told and this was the best of the month for me, but my number one match had a different sort of special that made it the best of May.
Ryan's Match 1 ~ The Young Bucks vs. SCU: AEW Dynamite, 5/12/21 - 4.50 Stars
My favorite match of the entire month of May and honestly, this is mostly because of how surprised I was that this match was so good. Young Bucks and SCU obviously have a history of great matches, but this match blew me out of the water. The Young Bucks heel show came into full effect here, really showing their character off. Kazarian was of course solid throughout but Christopher Daniels put on a masterful performance. Just a bloody mess. You felt the desperation, felt the team slipping away, the desire for SCU to stay together. You felt like Daniels was literally putting his life on the line. And then the total betrayal of former friends, the total loss of respect, when Daniels bled on Matt Jackson’s shoes. Yes, it was super campy, but it exemplified the new Bucks, and that they cared about their shoes more than they cared about decade-long friends. Matches that bring emotion to the viewer are deserving of best match awards and this match certainly did it for me.
Scotty's Match 1 ~ Kagetsu vs. ASUKA: Hana Kimura Memorial "Matane", 5/23/21 - 4.50 Stars
Magic. That’s the easiest way to describe this match. At Hana Kimura’s Memorial show “Matane,” which was created by her mother Kyoko Kimura, magic happened. Joshi legend Kagetsu would come out of retirement to compete one last time to honor her friend. Hazuki also did the same, as they competed in a tag match featuring both Stardom, Marvelous, and Ice Ribbon talent. Not only was that match awesome, but it showed that Kagetsu and Hazuki still had it. But then following the match, ASUKA decided to challenge Kagetsu to an impromptu second match. Kagetsu not only accepted but went on to continue an incredibly magical night of performances by her. Kagetsu and ASUKA dazzled in their outing as it seemed as though they didn’t compete for a second before. Kagetsu hit all of her greatest hits while spreading her iconic charisma, but it was not enough to put ASUKA away. Eventually, it would be ASUKA who would get the pinfall win over Kagetsu to complete a truly special night. Not only did this match remind everyone how great Kagetsu was and still can be if she feels like it, but it reminded of me of what makes professional wrestling so special to me. And because of that, it’s my match of the month.
The Race Stats:
The Race Stats:
Matches Seen in May:
Scotty: 269
Ryan: 182
Promotions Seen in May:
Scotty: 21
Ryan: 12
Total 2021 Matches Seen:
Scotty: 887
Ryan: 764
Ryan: Very happy that not only Kagetsu remains one of the greatest wrestlers despite retirement, but that the memorial show happened. Very beautiful tribute and you also put together a great Hana tribute Scotty. Lots of tears.
Scotty: I appreciate that Ryan. It was a month full of some grief but that show managed to also fill my heart with happiness. Guess that can be the beauty of pro wrestling a lot of the time!
Ryan: Well now I have icicle tears Scotty and this is all your fault. Why are we even crying o Everest anyway?
Scotty: Because as soon as we started we knew this would be the worst decision possible.
Ryan: Climbing Mt. Everest or watching wrestling in general?
Scotty: Depends on the day…
Ryan: Well today, I’m going to be your worst nightmare. See you at the top!
Scott: Another month here and gone. Time flies, huh.
You can follow along with Ryan's List of 2021 Matches HERE and donate to the Atlanta Children's Shelter Foundation HERE
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