patches loves wrestling | #1 | kyle o'reilly and roderick strong are my pookies

Show: AEW Dynasty 2024

Place watched: HBO Max

Rating: 5.00+/5.00

Beautiful. Simply beautiful. Going into this match, Kyle O'Reilly had hardly wrestled since coming back from near career-ending neck injury and his good... pal? Roderick Strong, had ofc been one of the best wrestlers alive before, during, and after that time. A champion, even. Roderick wanted Kyle 2 join his group of evil boyz that occupy the midcard,, but Kyle? Hez kyle o'reilly. A nice man. He wont be partaking.. thus, a match !

The start of the match has some rlly fun chain wrestling n grappling. As much as its mostly even, Rodrericks on the defensive, getting himself out of all the holds that KOR uses,, doesn't rlly work in the end though. KOR is a master of technical counter wrestling. I like it when Roderick Strong ends up flummoxed on the mat because Kyle is just having his way with him and the various body parts he wants to attack, mainly his arm at the start tbf.There's a specific part at the beginning stages I wanna point out bc itz so funny,, Roderick has kyle in a headlock after another brilliant chain sequence n he yells at a fan to shut up. Thatz it. It waz just really funny [n a good way to get heat!] 

As the match progresses, Roddy gets his heat as he does, and mannnnn can Kyle sell like nobody else. The way he really just slumps, absolutely dead-weight against the canvas. Not to undersell Roderick Strong of course, his offense may be the best I've ever seen a wrestler use. Messiah of the backbreaker indeed, the amount of ways he puts Kyle on his back is staggering. Most of them are very classic Roderick spots. Sidewalk slam on the top turnbuckle, half-nelson backbreaker,,, I did really like his cradle backbreaker that he caught kyle o'reilly with when kyle went for his jumping knee on the ropes that started his heat sequence. Its Roderick Strong man. Theres rlly no other way to describe it other than, its the best. Kyle keeps trying to come back, but every its snuffed out. He can't get anything to go. But this is what I love about Kyle O'Reilly. He keeps trying, and trying, and trying, until he manages to get back into the contest. Alot of babyfaces in wrestling make their comeback in 1-3 tries, but for Kyle it always takes at least like 6 or,,, 7,,,,, 

Sorry. 

But honestly, one of the things I adore about kyle the way he takes beating after beating after beating, yet keeps. going. he persists because hes kyle o'reilly n hes pookie bear. So then he does persist, and he gets back in the match, and then the match kicks up a gear. Kyle O'Reilly starts getting in his hits, particularly after a stunning "nigel" lariat & running lariat connect in stereo. Kyle hits his combo [strike, strike, knee, kick, sweep]. He hits the axe n sma- NO RODDY KNEES HIM UP THE HEAD. Thats the thing about this match too,, Kyle doesn't really get back into it. Roderick is p much on the offensive, or its at least even, for every moment after Roderick nails the initial backbreaker. He knows Kyle so well that even if he locks in his ARMegeddon armbar, even if the brainbuster connects, there's no way in hell he's losing. Kyle tries his best, but eventually Roderick readies for the end. 

Heres the thing again tho,, even when Kyle knows hes beaten, even when he knows Roderick is better on this night and he has no shot in winning, he still tries. He keeps trying to slip out. To fight. To escape, to no avail. His second match against Kyle Fletcher is a really good example of this too, it's beautiful when you watch it happen fully, to see the perseverance. Anyhow, Roderick Strong breaks his back over his knees with the end of heartache and wins the match

No notes, 10/10.