Day Cinco – Rey Fenix is quite good.

17. 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?

16. 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.