RIOT 531: Never Tell Me The Odds!

[Michael Morrison]

SATURN(155) vs AISU(345)

This was a long one (roughly 15 minutes) but it was a nice showcase for Aisu, who threw just about everything at Billy Saturn: rope grapples, 2 turnbuckle dives, 2 Sigs, 1 Fin and also managed to reverse Billy’s Fin, four times ... I said: four times, ladies and gentleman. One might say that the only reason Billy connected, was due to Aisu’s lack of Revs on the 5th attempt, but we may never know.

 

Billy Saturn needs to work on his timing a bit --lots of DM’s against vets can help with this, and may also help with FPR, as he was deducted points for Failure-To-Reset and a form of Crappling after Aisu reversed a move. Still, Billy has a decent look (reminds me of a Billy Kidman) and everyone’s first match tends to be a bit rough --just comes with the territory-- so I’m still hopeful and anticipate his next match.

 

This also makes me wish Ambition was still around because I think Billy would have benefitted from it. Not so much, Aisu, as he’s done well on both his matches so far ... then again, maybe he needs to work on ending matches when he can. To reverse someone’s Fin that many times and still get pinned? Crazy.

 

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PARCA(290) vs JOOPITER(245)

Not a professional Spanish speaker, but I dab in Espanol --shouldn’t it be “La” Parca?

 

Anyways; this was a fun one ... like a poor man's Mortal Kombat match, where Parca played the role of Scorpion and Joopiter played the role of ... I’m gonna go with, Reptile? Sure, Reptile it is.

 

It looked like Joopiter had this one in the bag at one point, but then El P had a nice set near the very end. Ending the match via Sub cost Joop a few points, but a strong showing for both.

 

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TELOS(125) vs PARKER(100)

It’s like the matches get shorter as the show progresses. A very bing-bam-boom kinda match; Telos just puts out so much damage in such a short amount of time --especially when Elliot ran out of Revs-- that it was difficult to see any other outcome.

 

Telos, having done, practically the same thing to Tyson Wanger on RIOT 529, is gaining momentum as somewhat of a juggernaut at this point. He doesn't get paid by the hour, folks.

 

This is not to say that Elliot didn’t put up one hell of a fight. He did quite well, in fact, he just couldn’t get that kick-out when he needed it. Perhaps it was a smart strategic decision on his part ... especially since Telos was going for a chair at some point during the match --the man doesn’t need a weapon. I mean, damn.

 

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DRAGANA(130) vs MAB(210)

This was a fun match. I really enjoyed it. Both players are good at the game, but implement different strategies, so it was interesting to watch.

 

Mab attempted to wear Dragana down, while Dragana was all about that pressure. Dragana pressed the action, causing both to run out of Revs twice in this match, but both times were in Dragana’s favor.

 

Dragana was also quick to gain Fins, while Mab --even when in control of the match-- seemed to have trouble building up Fins as quickly as her opponent. Once again, I feel that both competitors know the game very well, so it was like watching the ground-game in UFC ... but more entertaining.

 

My favorite match of the show so far.

 

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SPIDER(130) vs KD(145)

Another no-nonsense match, which usually accompanies the powerhouse types. A classic matchup of Agility versus Strength; like the ultimate game of keep-away, where you know your opponent can probably rip your arms off their sockets.

 

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SHEPARD(245) vs EVERRETT(105)

Shepard trying to get back into the championship game and after this match, it’s difficult not to see him as a contender. Even on the old ELO ratings, he showed to be a top tier player, so it’s good to see that not much has changed as I transition to In-Ring-Rankings.

 

Everrett had some moments, but he didn’t seem himself ... at least not like the Everrett that defeated Dupree at R2G. Not sure if he was overthinking, or underestimated, but sometimes you just have off days, or you run into a guy who takes you off your game. The trick is to not let it mess with your head and go into the next match with confidence. Once you start to doubt yourself, your opponent has already won, Grasshoppah.

 

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RIOT 531 In-Ring Rankings and Overall Top 20