DDT, 05.05.2010 (Samurai! TV)
Zepp Nagoya - 429 Fans - No Vacancy
2. Yago Aznable & DJ Nira vs. Masa Takanashi & Keisuke Ishii - 2
Keisuke's stomps are like my uncle trying to squash a waterbug. Nira throws an enzuguri that only gets as high as Ishii's kneecap. Underneath his goofy superhero costume Aznable actually shows some promise. Yago busts out "A Nightmare on Helms St." for a nearfall -- I've missed that move. Aznable gets the win for his team with an abdominal stretch in a clipped comedy romp flatter than Tilda Swinton.
3. American Balloon Retirement Match: American Balloon vs. KUDO - 1
Oh, for fuck's sake! Balloon is a morbidly obese, pasty slob with the absolute nastiest man boobs I've ever seen. They look like two water balloons. Balloon does a moonsault further killing that move's credibility. Why's every fat guy got to have a 'sault now? Bam Bam and Vader were enough. KUDO brings the wicked kicks lighting his opponent up like the Las Vegas skyline. KUDO's flying kneedrop from the top not only scored him the victory but looked like something out of a seedy snuff film.
4. Kenny Omega vs. YOSHIHIKO - 4
Omega versus wrestling's favorite blow-up doll! I loved the way YOSHIHIKO ate a snap suplex early -- made it look like absolute death. Soon after, YOSHIHIKO reverses a suplex attempt and sends Kenny sailing which he sold with gusto. Not since vintage Foley have I seen someone absorb as much punishment as YOSHIHIKO. There's a real pathos to YOSHIHIKO's performance here. I wonder if Omega can get the doll any US dates; I'd make the nine-hour trip to Philadelphia for that! YOSHIHIKO hits an amazing tilt-a-whirl hurricanrana that looked like Walt Disney World's Mad Tea Party on cocaine. YOSHIHIKO took a crazy bump off of an airplane spin that saw him land in the third row. YOSHIHIKO 's rolling "Canadian Destoryers" is one of the sickest spots in the industry and Kenny eats all of them right on top of his dome. Not top-shelf YOSHIHIKO but better than anything I've seen out of, say, XCW Mid-West this year.
5. Sanshiro Takagi & Dick Togo vs. Kota Ibushi & HARASHIMA - 4
Togo's spinebuster on Ibushi would make Ron Simmons say, "Damn!" and then change his own diaper. Takagi is one of my favorite DDT guys and looked like a beast here swatting away Kota's kicks and pummeling him with a lariat. This was all all about fast-paced, all-out action. It was clipped but what we got was compelling and I got into some of the nearfalls. I liked how the veteran Togo was able to outsmart Ibushi with a clever roll-up to eek out a victory.
6. DDT Extreme Title, Gay Or Straight Match: GENTARO (c) vs. Danshoku Dino - 5
Within seconds Dino is sans trunks and seeing his anus the aim of much of GENTARO's offense. And to think, most American teens are embarrassed to watch mainstream wrestling, imagine them trying to explain this if their parents happened to enter the room:
Mom: "Honey, why are you watching a chubby Chinaman roll around clutching at his bare bottom?"
RVDfan77: "Mom! Gosh. He's not even Chinese!"
Dad: "Oh, Chinese, that sounds lovely darling. How about ordering us some take-out and we'll watch a Jackie Chan movie together in the den? Just one big, happy family."
RVDfan77: "You guys just don't understand me!"
This match has more theatrics (and surprisingly, roast beef) than an evening at Medieval Times. GENTARO sells Dino's butt thrust to his backside with the grace and gravitas of Humphrey Bogart. The ref holds a microphone to Dino occasionally, a la an "I Quit" match, but I'm assuming he's asking him if he's gay or straight, the latter leading to a victory for GENTARO but I could be way off. Someone needs to get Danshoku on Tosh.0 as that'd be gold. Dino does a "Shining Wizard" but utilizing his phallus instead of a knee. Jerry Lynn's act is stale, maybe he should steal Dino's variation of the cradle piledriver and start stuffing his opponent's heads down his sweaty shorts mid-move. Dino gets the victory getting GENTARO to say he's gay while Danshoku teabags his face resting his taint, nut stack, and opened buttocks directly on GENTARO's face -- a million, billon stars.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
PWG As The Worm Turns 2/27/10
Johnny Goodtime & LTP vs. Malachi Jackson & Ryan Taylor - 5
Hell of a fun opener. Smooth as silk, too. All four of these guys are quickly becoming some of my favorites on the West Coast indy scene. Great feel to the match -- four young guys looking to make an impact in the company. Taylor looked especially good here -- his kicks aren't too over the top in frequency and he makes good contact every time he throws one. LTP is super fun to watch -- great aerialist. Goodtime is getting over more and more every time he steps in the ring -- he connects with almost all his moves and is snug. Malachi Jackson > Young Bucks. There, I said it. He's better at bumping and isn't as flashy as Matt and Nick (Jeremy and Max). This was a hell of a fun match.
Scott Lost vs. Brandon Gatson - 5
Ok. Gatson is great. This kid comes out of nowhere and is taking this company by storm. He's so smooth and slick and athletic -- a great addition to the company. Lost is still one of my favorite bumpers in PWG (just watch him sell a DDT). Gatson has a kind of "good guy" persona that makes him easy for the fans to get behind -- and the fact that he is a good worker only helps. Selling by both guys was great, too.
Roderick Strong vs. Chris Sabin 6
Fuck yes I love these two guys. I'm really happy that TNA is cool with MCMG working PWG. Sabin sells Strong's chops awesomely by grasping his chest. His facials are awesome too while doing this. When it connects, Roderick's "sick kick" is great. With Sabin on the receiving end, it looked even better. Roderick's offense was great, but I really think that Sabin shined here -- I forgot how awesome of a singles wrestler is.
The Cutlers & Christina Von Eerie vs. Brandon Bonham & Joey Ryan & Candice LaRae - 3
In a match filled with antics, Bonham and the Cutlers were the real standouts. Bonham brought some great intensity to this match and the Cutlers brought some great selling and bumping. I want to see more of these three guys. Nothing really spectacular other than the previously mentioned.
Chris Hero vs. Alex Shelly - 6
Okay this is fucking beautiful. Two of the best indy workers squaring off in a PWG ring. Fantastic. This match started with technical wizardry and wonder. Great catch wrestling here. My boy, Hero, threw some great mafia kicks in the match that were just perfectly placed and awesome. Shelly is just such a pure wrestler who rarely fucks up anything. Just a beautiful, fun match up between two spectacular indy workers.
The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. 2 Skinny Black Guys of Low Moral Fiber (El Generico & Chuck Taylor) - 5
Bucks work the TNA heel gimmick once again to the dismay and hate of the fans. Where's Malachi? Bring that guy back out. Taylor and Generico (two more faves -- this show is just stacked~!) worked really well together. The Bucks hit their usual stuff, but it was refreshing to see some new offense (or at least no-so-much-used offense) -- especially the neckbreaker on the knee combination. Crowd got really into because there seemed to be a legit hope that Generico & Taylor may win the titles. Fun match.
Kenny Omega vs. Davy Richards - 8
Most of the Kenny Omega footage I've seen has been his stuff from DDT, which I dig. I went into this match really expecting a great match. Surprising stiffness from Omega -- hanging in there with Davy. Some good selling on Omega's part, as well -- especially his rubber leg sell after Davy's dive. Davy was great as well, taking high-angle back bumps. Late in the match, Omega's arm got worked over a lot followed by a picture perfect shooting star. Add a great finish and you've got on hell of a great match.
What a spectacular event~!~! PWG has been on fire in 2010. Great event. Highly recommended!!
Hell of a fun opener. Smooth as silk, too. All four of these guys are quickly becoming some of my favorites on the West Coast indy scene. Great feel to the match -- four young guys looking to make an impact in the company. Taylor looked especially good here -- his kicks aren't too over the top in frequency and he makes good contact every time he throws one. LTP is super fun to watch -- great aerialist. Goodtime is getting over more and more every time he steps in the ring -- he connects with almost all his moves and is snug. Malachi Jackson > Young Bucks. There, I said it. He's better at bumping and isn't as flashy as Matt and Nick (Jeremy and Max). This was a hell of a fun match.
Scott Lost vs. Brandon Gatson - 5
Ok. Gatson is great. This kid comes out of nowhere and is taking this company by storm. He's so smooth and slick and athletic -- a great addition to the company. Lost is still one of my favorite bumpers in PWG (just watch him sell a DDT). Gatson has a kind of "good guy" persona that makes him easy for the fans to get behind -- and the fact that he is a good worker only helps. Selling by both guys was great, too.
Roderick Strong vs. Chris Sabin 6
Fuck yes I love these two guys. I'm really happy that TNA is cool with MCMG working PWG. Sabin sells Strong's chops awesomely by grasping his chest. His facials are awesome too while doing this. When it connects, Roderick's "sick kick" is great. With Sabin on the receiving end, it looked even better. Roderick's offense was great, but I really think that Sabin shined here -- I forgot how awesome of a singles wrestler is.
The Cutlers & Christina Von Eerie vs. Brandon Bonham & Joey Ryan & Candice LaRae - 3
In a match filled with antics, Bonham and the Cutlers were the real standouts. Bonham brought some great intensity to this match and the Cutlers brought some great selling and bumping. I want to see more of these three guys. Nothing really spectacular other than the previously mentioned.
Chris Hero vs. Alex Shelly - 6
Okay this is fucking beautiful. Two of the best indy workers squaring off in a PWG ring. Fantastic. This match started with technical wizardry and wonder. Great catch wrestling here. My boy, Hero, threw some great mafia kicks in the match that were just perfectly placed and awesome. Shelly is just such a pure wrestler who rarely fucks up anything. Just a beautiful, fun match up between two spectacular indy workers.
The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. 2 Skinny Black Guys of Low Moral Fiber (El Generico & Chuck Taylor) - 5
Bucks work the TNA heel gimmick once again to the dismay and hate of the fans. Where's Malachi? Bring that guy back out. Taylor and Generico (two more faves -- this show is just stacked~!) worked really well together. The Bucks hit their usual stuff, but it was refreshing to see some new offense (or at least no-so-much-used offense) -- especially the neckbreaker on the knee combination. Crowd got really into because there seemed to be a legit hope that Generico & Taylor may win the titles. Fun match.
Kenny Omega vs. Davy Richards - 8
Most of the Kenny Omega footage I've seen has been his stuff from DDT, which I dig. I went into this match really expecting a great match. Surprising stiffness from Omega -- hanging in there with Davy. Some good selling on Omega's part, as well -- especially his rubber leg sell after Davy's dive. Davy was great as well, taking high-angle back bumps. Late in the match, Omega's arm got worked over a lot followed by a picture perfect shooting star. Add a great finish and you've got on hell of a great match.
What a spectacular event~!~! PWG has been on fire in 2010. Great event. Highly recommended!!
Monday, July 5, 2010
Next Project: WWF Superstars '96
We had a lot of fun doing our first project (WCW Power Hour '90) so Jessie and I will be returning, as well as newcomer Geo, to do our second project finding the 25 best matches from WWF Superstars '96. For those interested on what we'll be studying, here's a link with results, etc. We're kicking the project off soon and will post a deadline when one's agreed upon -- which will probably be sometime in Sept. I'm guessing.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Allied Powers: World's Greatest Tag Teams Part II
1) Demolition v. Strike Force (WM 4)- 5
2) Barry Windham/ Mike Rotundo v. Iron Sheik/ Nikolai Volkoff (WM 1)- 4
3) Dudley Boys v. The Hardys (Survivor Series 2001- WWF v. WCW Tag Title Match)- 6
4) The Outsiders v. Harlem Heat (WCW Halloween Havoc 1996)- 4
5) Arn Anderson/ Tully Blanchard v. Sting & Nikita Koloff (NWA Great American Bash 1988)- 6
6) Nick Bockwinkel/ Ray Stevens v. Red Bastien/ Billy Robinson 2/3 Falls (AWA All Star Wrestling- Dec 1972)- 7
7) The Miz & John Morrison v. Rey Mysterio & Shawn Michaels (Raw, 11/17/08)- 6
8) Hart Foundation v. Rougeau Brothers (Boston Garden, 03/07/1987)- 5
The first 2 matches I have already reviewed, in the case of the Mania 1 bout, twice so I won't go into much detail here. The Mania 4 match was quietly very good, some good selling by Smash of his arm even during his offense parts stuck out, as well as Tito's awesome visual acknowledgement of his ass being kicked. Crowd was into it at spots but not over the top. Mania 1 was shorter in length and didn't have as much back and forth nor solid tag work as the previous bout. And the ending was identical to the first match, an old man's cane used to win the titles, so that lowered my score a bit.
Oh, hello Stacy Keibler, how could I forget you existed? These two teams were perpetually stuck in crash match mode so this cage bout is just big spot after big spot with the Hardys just being abused as their hometown NC crowd ooh's and aah's along with them, which makes for a cool atmosphere. Actually they pull off some huge moves that I know had all 4 guys taking more little white pills they don't know the chemical makeup of more than usual that night. I enjoyed the physicality of this too, really reminded me of some of the better ROH crazy tag matches where everything is done with strong style finesse. Loved Jeff's sell of the "Wassup!", like he was in a fancy restaurant and just poured the soup du jour on his crotch. The ending spot was all kinds of sick but I hated how Dvon put himself on the table for no explicable reason.
This match was more physical than I expected but didn't break down any new ground at all. Booker was about the best choice you could have had to sell the Outsiders' offense, he was very vocal, and took hard bumps when they didn't fully execute their power stuff. Nash taking an offensive beating for more than 5 minutes felt like an Easter miracle. Besides that, he didn't offer a damn thing else to this. Another cane shot to end the match? Thought Hall's late match headlock to sleeper sequences felt like a stalling move as if he could think of nothing else (besides the Jack & Cokes he would summarily ingest after the show)
Crowd heat was like Washington DC's yearly 4th of July fireworks display (sans putrid American Idol winner performance) Match mostly consisted of the uber faces attacking Tully's arm, although neither man gave much indication they were really hurting his arm with no real "work" being done, just idly sitting by in the hold, staring out at the dumb crowd that paid to watch subpar work. Lucky for them, the Horsemen were on (surprised?) Arn & Tully were such masters of their game I damn near beleived Nikita pulled that switch and reversal off all by himself! One of the long lost amazing teams of all time, their selling and how they take punishment physically is a lost art.
Wow this was a really cool studio match. Both teams were so good in their roles, Bastien was an acrobatic chain smoker, leaping and bounding all over the ring with some really innovative movements. Robinson is one of the great pro wrestlers from anywhere in the world, awesome suplexes, sick reversals and mat wrestling. Bock & Stevens just sell and bump like fucking men always have when you're head and shoulders above the rest. Match was at a breakneck pace and never slowed down right up until the finish, brilliant wrestling here, 2nd fall picked up the pace even more so and loved seeing mvoes you wouldn't expect in 1972 better than they are on our weekly wrestling TV.
So everyone took a shot of Red Bull and a hit of Speed before they came out because opening minutes was an X Division special. Wasn't as exciting as you may think. If nothing else, Rey has some of the best timing in wrestling; he plays the beatdown guy here and does a tremendous job, loved his whip in to the post bump. Miz & Morrison actually working over his midsection for a while was neat, but not sure what they were going for, case of indigestion? Ending with the double superkick was cool and Michaels going down cleanly was a nice change, but Morrison ruined it by basically jumping out of the ring while holding Rey's arm in a goofy spot.
Let's start with a Heenan quote: "You know Monsoon, Rougeau in French means coward." Lots of stalling here, Harts play extremely weak heels, kind of hard to buy especially when in juxtaposition the Rougeaus look like badasses which is like calling Dick Cheney "honest" and Kristen Stewart "desirable." There were a couple ncie exchanges, one with a backslide and Neidhart showing how much of live action Ram Man he is. Rougeaus didn't do much for me with their selling, just being kind of bland and unsatsifying, like most Summer Salads I've had. I mean, if I wanted to eat some strawberries, I wouldn't throw pieces of chicken and pine nuts in with them, I'd just eat the fucking strawberries! Jacques with a neat rolling arm lock and if Bret could have sold one move like he did in this match through the entire Vince feud, that would have been big money. Finish was pretty indicitive of the 80's.
2) Barry Windham/ Mike Rotundo v. Iron Sheik/ Nikolai Volkoff (WM 1)- 4
3) Dudley Boys v. The Hardys (Survivor Series 2001- WWF v. WCW Tag Title Match)- 6
4) The Outsiders v. Harlem Heat (WCW Halloween Havoc 1996)- 4
5) Arn Anderson/ Tully Blanchard v. Sting & Nikita Koloff (NWA Great American Bash 1988)- 6
6) Nick Bockwinkel/ Ray Stevens v. Red Bastien/ Billy Robinson 2/3 Falls (AWA All Star Wrestling- Dec 1972)- 7
7) The Miz & John Morrison v. Rey Mysterio & Shawn Michaels (Raw, 11/17/08)- 6
8) Hart Foundation v. Rougeau Brothers (Boston Garden, 03/07/1987)- 5
The first 2 matches I have already reviewed, in the case of the Mania 1 bout, twice so I won't go into much detail here. The Mania 4 match was quietly very good, some good selling by Smash of his arm even during his offense parts stuck out, as well as Tito's awesome visual acknowledgement of his ass being kicked. Crowd was into it at spots but not over the top. Mania 1 was shorter in length and didn't have as much back and forth nor solid tag work as the previous bout. And the ending was identical to the first match, an old man's cane used to win the titles, so that lowered my score a bit.
Oh, hello Stacy Keibler, how could I forget you existed? These two teams were perpetually stuck in crash match mode so this cage bout is just big spot after big spot with the Hardys just being abused as their hometown NC crowd ooh's and aah's along with them, which makes for a cool atmosphere. Actually they pull off some huge moves that I know had all 4 guys taking more little white pills they don't know the chemical makeup of more than usual that night. I enjoyed the physicality of this too, really reminded me of some of the better ROH crazy tag matches where everything is done with strong style finesse. Loved Jeff's sell of the "Wassup!", like he was in a fancy restaurant and just poured the soup du jour on his crotch. The ending spot was all kinds of sick but I hated how Dvon put himself on the table for no explicable reason.
This match was more physical than I expected but didn't break down any new ground at all. Booker was about the best choice you could have had to sell the Outsiders' offense, he was very vocal, and took hard bumps when they didn't fully execute their power stuff. Nash taking an offensive beating for more than 5 minutes felt like an Easter miracle. Besides that, he didn't offer a damn thing else to this. Another cane shot to end the match? Thought Hall's late match headlock to sleeper sequences felt like a stalling move as if he could think of nothing else (besides the Jack & Cokes he would summarily ingest after the show)
Crowd heat was like Washington DC's yearly 4th of July fireworks display (sans putrid American Idol winner performance) Match mostly consisted of the uber faces attacking Tully's arm, although neither man gave much indication they were really hurting his arm with no real "work" being done, just idly sitting by in the hold, staring out at the dumb crowd that paid to watch subpar work. Lucky for them, the Horsemen were on (surprised?) Arn & Tully were such masters of their game I damn near beleived Nikita pulled that switch and reversal off all by himself! One of the long lost amazing teams of all time, their selling and how they take punishment physically is a lost art.
Wow this was a really cool studio match. Both teams were so good in their roles, Bastien was an acrobatic chain smoker, leaping and bounding all over the ring with some really innovative movements. Robinson is one of the great pro wrestlers from anywhere in the world, awesome suplexes, sick reversals and mat wrestling. Bock & Stevens just sell and bump like fucking men always have when you're head and shoulders above the rest. Match was at a breakneck pace and never slowed down right up until the finish, brilliant wrestling here, 2nd fall picked up the pace even more so and loved seeing mvoes you wouldn't expect in 1972 better than they are on our weekly wrestling TV.
So everyone took a shot of Red Bull and a hit of Speed before they came out because opening minutes was an X Division special. Wasn't as exciting as you may think. If nothing else, Rey has some of the best timing in wrestling; he plays the beatdown guy here and does a tremendous job, loved his whip in to the post bump. Miz & Morrison actually working over his midsection for a while was neat, but not sure what they were going for, case of indigestion? Ending with the double superkick was cool and Michaels going down cleanly was a nice change, but Morrison ruined it by basically jumping out of the ring while holding Rey's arm in a goofy spot.
Let's start with a Heenan quote: "You know Monsoon, Rougeau in French means coward." Lots of stalling here, Harts play extremely weak heels, kind of hard to buy especially when in juxtaposition the Rougeaus look like badasses which is like calling Dick Cheney "honest" and Kristen Stewart "desirable." There were a couple ncie exchanges, one with a backslide and Neidhart showing how much of live action Ram Man he is. Rougeaus didn't do much for me with their selling, just being kind of bland and unsatsifying, like most Summer Salads I've had. I mean, if I wanted to eat some strawberries, I wouldn't throw pieces of chicken and pine nuts in with them, I'd just eat the fucking strawberries! Jacques with a neat rolling arm lock and if Bret could have sold one move like he did in this match through the entire Vince feud, that would have been big money. Finish was pretty indicitive of the 80's.
Friday, July 2, 2010
CHIKARA's Anniversario Zehn 5/22/10
Green Ant vs. Amasis - 2
Kind of a go-nowhere opener. This may seem like a ridiculous statement when talking about pro-wrestling, but this match seemed so choreographed. Ant would throw really weak punches -- It would've been interesting to see how fast his hands were moving. I know he can do better than this. Amasis almost seemed tired in this match, although he did bust out some wicked dance moves. I like both of these guys, but this match didn't mesh.
The Throwbacks vs. Tursas & Daizee Haze - 3
Sugar Dunkerton has a chubby for Haze, apparently, which played into the finish of this match. Kind of a weird chemistry with a comedy team facing a serious, take no prisoners BDK team. Daizee showed her bumping ability in this match -- I pretty sure she literally has no spine to be able to get folded like she does -- She showed her intensity in this match as always. Match was still just there.
Orphidian vs. Stigma - 4
Orphidian carried this match, in my opinion. I feel that when he goes slow and takes his time (homage to Harley Race's famous quote?) he has a better match. Stigma was a good big man for him to hit his offense on. Orphidian hit his usual spots, and Stigma looked better than usual throwing some nice German Suplexes. Decent little match.
Lince Dorado & Tim Donst vs. Equinox & Helios - 6
Good shit. This match-up was great because the pairings were even - Helios and Lince as the flyers and Donst and Equinox as the power. Great spots in this match. I was happy with Donst's selling in the match, especially after Equinox hit the short-rana, which Donst sold like he was knocked out cold. Great energy in this one.
Pinky Sanchez vs. Fire Ant - 5
Pinky is in my top 5 favorite guys in the company and Fire Ant is my favorite in The Colony. Excellent. Pretty good match was had here. Pinky's selling is undeniably awesome when he's in peril and faced with some rather stiff strikes by Fire Ant. Good nearfalls in this match, too -- I thought for sure I'd see a burning hammer.
Ares vs. UltraMantis Black - 2
This was an angle-heavy match. The recently departed Delirious made his comeback only to be sided with Ares and the BDK. A distracted UltraMantis faced Ares in this match that wasn't so much about wrestling as it was about angle development. As a fan of Mantis it pains me to say this was a throw-away.
Vin Gerard, Colin Delaney, Chuck Taylor, and Gran Akuma vs. Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Hallowicked, and Frightmare - 5
Match was fun, but a little sloppy. Hallowicked was impressive in this matchup. He got his leg worked over pretty good by FIST and remembered to sell the leg (vocally, too) for quite some time. Everyone hit some pretty cool spots, but I think that the rules flew out the window because it got more chaotic than usual. In the end, the match was still fun, which is the most important thing of all.
Kind of a go-nowhere opener. This may seem like a ridiculous statement when talking about pro-wrestling, but this match seemed so choreographed. Ant would throw really weak punches -- It would've been interesting to see how fast his hands were moving. I know he can do better than this. Amasis almost seemed tired in this match, although he did bust out some wicked dance moves. I like both of these guys, but this match didn't mesh.
The Throwbacks vs. Tursas & Daizee Haze - 3
Sugar Dunkerton has a chubby for Haze, apparently, which played into the finish of this match. Kind of a weird chemistry with a comedy team facing a serious, take no prisoners BDK team. Daizee showed her bumping ability in this match -- I pretty sure she literally has no spine to be able to get folded like she does -- She showed her intensity in this match as always. Match was still just there.
Orphidian vs. Stigma - 4
Orphidian carried this match, in my opinion. I feel that when he goes slow and takes his time (homage to Harley Race's famous quote?) he has a better match. Stigma was a good big man for him to hit his offense on. Orphidian hit his usual spots, and Stigma looked better than usual throwing some nice German Suplexes. Decent little match.
Lince Dorado & Tim Donst vs. Equinox & Helios - 6
Good shit. This match-up was great because the pairings were even - Helios and Lince as the flyers and Donst and Equinox as the power. Great spots in this match. I was happy with Donst's selling in the match, especially after Equinox hit the short-rana, which Donst sold like he was knocked out cold. Great energy in this one.
Pinky Sanchez vs. Fire Ant - 5
Pinky is in my top 5 favorite guys in the company and Fire Ant is my favorite in The Colony. Excellent. Pretty good match was had here. Pinky's selling is undeniably awesome when he's in peril and faced with some rather stiff strikes by Fire Ant. Good nearfalls in this match, too -- I thought for sure I'd see a burning hammer.
Ares vs. UltraMantis Black - 2
This was an angle-heavy match. The recently departed Delirious made his comeback only to be sided with Ares and the BDK. A distracted UltraMantis faced Ares in this match that wasn't so much about wrestling as it was about angle development. As a fan of Mantis it pains me to say this was a throw-away.
Vin Gerard, Colin Delaney, Chuck Taylor, and Gran Akuma vs. Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Hallowicked, and Frightmare - 5
Match was fun, but a little sloppy. Hallowicked was impressive in this matchup. He got his leg worked over pretty good by FIST and remembered to sell the leg (vocally, too) for quite some time. Everyone hit some pretty cool spots, but I think that the rules flew out the window because it got more chaotic than usual. In the end, the match was still fun, which is the most important thing of all.
Allied Powers: The World's Greatest Tag Teams- Disc 1
So, it's been said many times by me on the blog how big a fan I am of tag team wrestling (actually saw earlier today a near 40 minute 2/3 falls match from Chikara's Behind the 8 Ball that I was really digging) so when WWE dropped this Best Tag Teams ever set in our laps, I had to buy it, when I heard it was being released I literally said, "WHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (sorry some Aziz Ansari humor) so let's begin:
1) The British Bulldogs v. The Hart Foundation (MSG, 09/23/85)- 6
You could literally pull out a diagram from the beginning of tag team wrestling and show how this match was mapped out, perfect tug and pull on both sides as far as pace. The real show stealer in this one was Dynamite Kid, who was like a shock asorbing superman and selling every single thing as realistically as you could imagine. Nasty ugly faces and squirming, writhing body movements throughout his whole section. One or two miscues lead both teams to wing it, which they did quite well; even enjoyed Anvil's defensive run here, just a well worked tag team match, perfect start to this collection.
2) The Steiner Brothers v. Hiroshi Hase/ Kensuke Sasaki (WCW/NJ Supershow, 03/21/91)- 6
well the US is out of the World Cup (thanks Ghana) but this match certainly reminded me of that atmospehre, as if both these teams were the best from their country pitted in battle. Steiners were monsters, matwork spliced in here and there but they were actually using shit like T-bones as transitions. Hase looked so sharp and cool, suplexes were on target and Sasaki was like King Kong out there, just wrecking Rick with his awesome moves. Give the Steiners credit too, for they took every move just like they are watching Sunny in Philly: hard and strangely with popcorn butter on their fingers. Steiners pulled ahead near the end too much for my taste with such a close bout.
3) Killer Bees v. Demolition 2/3 Falls Match(Houston TX, 10/09/87)- 5
The wrestling here was really perfectly fine, Blair I enjoyed particularly, mainly for his selling in the 3rd fall,for his take on face in peril, which wasn't overly dramatic, more dead body like and made sense, especially when his comeback spot was out of nowhere. I liked the Bees in control a lot more as well, they just seemed to have everything more in sync and together, but only thing that bothered me, they spent the first 2 falls on really extended leg work that went absolutely nowhere. The first two fall also had mind boggling finishes given the story they were telling.
4) Edge & Christian v. The Hardys (King of the Ring, 06/27/99) - 5
I liked this early match from these guys, the Hardys really didn't bring it as far as stiffness on offense, still in Indy mode from the early 90's but they bumped as if they the more bones they broke, the more winning lotto numbers would be revealed in that week's Powerball. Nowhere near the charisma their latter matches would have, but still some great spots, especially Edge's surprise spear.
5) The Fabulous Freebirds v. Kerry & Kevin Von Erich Country Whipping Match (Oct 1983)- 7
This was one of the damndest strap matches I've seen, just an insane atmosphere throughout this whole thing, I mean when you talk wrestling heat, this is the match to watch. Everyone had a leather strap in their hands the whole match and weren't relenting on it, every shot, ever slap had to sting like a SOB. This ended up being the next stage in an ongoing angle where the Von Erichs were trying to run the Freebirds out of town but it was a dogfight like i've never seen, just insanely violent and brutal. Loved every second of it, I couldn't imagine all the pain pills passed around in the back after this one.
6) Dory & Terry Funk v. Jack & Gerry Brisco (Florida)- 3
A highlight reel of some old stock single camera footage of what seemed like a true classic from Florida. Jack's timing and poise in the ring is quite awesome, the way he does the face domination section is one of the better I've seen. Dory's uppercuts were rocking as usual unfortunately we only got to see a snippet of both team's awesome capabilities.
7) Harlem Heat v. The Steiner Brothers (WCW Hogwild, 08/10/96)- 5
Steiners were as explosive as C-4, as usual. Hey, two giant African Americans rasied on the street were booed in excess in the middle of a giant field full of motorcycle freaks, all wearing Rebel flags and complete with 312 lb. leather wearing behemoths? Rick was on fire with his high impact stuff, but his ground work is snooze worthy. Loved Stevie Ray talking crap to Scott during sequence. Some good selling off and on by the Heat too, wrapped up kind of averagely is reason score isn't higher.
8) The Midnight Express v. The Fantastics (GAB, 07/10/88)- 8
This is one of my favorite tag feuds of all time, love the way these two teams match up. Quite sure I reviewed this whole show a couple years back and it was freakin great. Counter after counter is the style they work, all four guys super athletic and all the basics look great too, punches, tag work, selling, it's all there. Eaton seething after not being able to figure out Tommy Rogers, Rogers dumb look on his face while getting bulldogged, even the crazy baseball slide that stops a ME double team, it's just all money and these are 20 + minutes wars every time out. Rogers is a stud in this, Eaton drops a legdrop that makes me instaneously speak in tongues and pull my ear like Vince McMahon. If you love tag wrestling, hell if you like any wrestling, do yourself a favor and watch this, pants optional.
9) Public Enemy v. The Nasty Boys Anything Goes (02/11/96) - 4
This was kind of a fun romp, no regard for anyone else's future doctor visits, it became almost like 2 singles matches brawling throughout the arena. Kind of cool piledriver on a garbage can, Rocco Rock kills himself for the first time in his life with a dive off the T-shirt stand, your usual brutal concussion fest.
10) The Rockers v. The Brain Busters (MSG, 03/18/89)- 7
You can almost see Michaels and Jannetty absorbing knowledge while this match goes on. The Busters are so giving as heels, one thing that makes them both so great, because as soon as they take over on offense, you can see the technical expertise they have. I love watching these old WWE House show videos, Lord Alfred observes Arn wastes no movement and I have to agree. Double Frankensteiner was cool visual, at this point as refreshing and innovative as a Daniel Johnston drawing of Captain America. Turning point here was a sick stun gun that Shawn sold better than Mel as William Wallace. Tully Blanchard has the sliminess appeal of Snooki and for some reason it makes both people sexy. You ever find that lint in Tully's pocket Boss? haha, i'm having fun watching this superbly well done tag bout and writing about it, excellent first disc, roughouse brawl near the end where both teams play their roles dead eye. Arn's so fucking smooth, great MSG crowd too adds to the greatness of this bout.
1) The British Bulldogs v. The Hart Foundation (MSG, 09/23/85)- 6
You could literally pull out a diagram from the beginning of tag team wrestling and show how this match was mapped out, perfect tug and pull on both sides as far as pace. The real show stealer in this one was Dynamite Kid, who was like a shock asorbing superman and selling every single thing as realistically as you could imagine. Nasty ugly faces and squirming, writhing body movements throughout his whole section. One or two miscues lead both teams to wing it, which they did quite well; even enjoyed Anvil's defensive run here, just a well worked tag team match, perfect start to this collection.
2) The Steiner Brothers v. Hiroshi Hase/ Kensuke Sasaki (WCW/NJ Supershow, 03/21/91)- 6
well the US is out of the World Cup (thanks Ghana) but this match certainly reminded me of that atmospehre, as if both these teams were the best from their country pitted in battle. Steiners were monsters, matwork spliced in here and there but they were actually using shit like T-bones as transitions. Hase looked so sharp and cool, suplexes were on target and Sasaki was like King Kong out there, just wrecking Rick with his awesome moves. Give the Steiners credit too, for they took every move just like they are watching Sunny in Philly: hard and strangely with popcorn butter on their fingers. Steiners pulled ahead near the end too much for my taste with such a close bout.
3) Killer Bees v. Demolition 2/3 Falls Match(Houston TX, 10/09/87)- 5
The wrestling here was really perfectly fine, Blair I enjoyed particularly, mainly for his selling in the 3rd fall,for his take on face in peril, which wasn't overly dramatic, more dead body like and made sense, especially when his comeback spot was out of nowhere. I liked the Bees in control a lot more as well, they just seemed to have everything more in sync and together, but only thing that bothered me, they spent the first 2 falls on really extended leg work that went absolutely nowhere. The first two fall also had mind boggling finishes given the story they were telling.
4) Edge & Christian v. The Hardys (King of the Ring, 06/27/99) - 5
I liked this early match from these guys, the Hardys really didn't bring it as far as stiffness on offense, still in Indy mode from the early 90's but they bumped as if they the more bones they broke, the more winning lotto numbers would be revealed in that week's Powerball. Nowhere near the charisma their latter matches would have, but still some great spots, especially Edge's surprise spear.
5) The Fabulous Freebirds v. Kerry & Kevin Von Erich Country Whipping Match (Oct 1983)- 7
This was one of the damndest strap matches I've seen, just an insane atmosphere throughout this whole thing, I mean when you talk wrestling heat, this is the match to watch. Everyone had a leather strap in their hands the whole match and weren't relenting on it, every shot, ever slap had to sting like a SOB. This ended up being the next stage in an ongoing angle where the Von Erichs were trying to run the Freebirds out of town but it was a dogfight like i've never seen, just insanely violent and brutal. Loved every second of it, I couldn't imagine all the pain pills passed around in the back after this one.
6) Dory & Terry Funk v. Jack & Gerry Brisco (Florida)- 3
A highlight reel of some old stock single camera footage of what seemed like a true classic from Florida. Jack's timing and poise in the ring is quite awesome, the way he does the face domination section is one of the better I've seen. Dory's uppercuts were rocking as usual unfortunately we only got to see a snippet of both team's awesome capabilities.
7) Harlem Heat v. The Steiner Brothers (WCW Hogwild, 08/10/96)- 5
Steiners were as explosive as C-4, as usual. Hey, two giant African Americans rasied on the street were booed in excess in the middle of a giant field full of motorcycle freaks, all wearing Rebel flags and complete with 312 lb. leather wearing behemoths? Rick was on fire with his high impact stuff, but his ground work is snooze worthy. Loved Stevie Ray talking crap to Scott during sequence. Some good selling off and on by the Heat too, wrapped up kind of averagely is reason score isn't higher.
8) The Midnight Express v. The Fantastics (GAB, 07/10/88)- 8
This is one of my favorite tag feuds of all time, love the way these two teams match up. Quite sure I reviewed this whole show a couple years back and it was freakin great. Counter after counter is the style they work, all four guys super athletic and all the basics look great too, punches, tag work, selling, it's all there. Eaton seething after not being able to figure out Tommy Rogers, Rogers dumb look on his face while getting bulldogged, even the crazy baseball slide that stops a ME double team, it's just all money and these are 20 + minutes wars every time out. Rogers is a stud in this, Eaton drops a legdrop that makes me instaneously speak in tongues and pull my ear like Vince McMahon. If you love tag wrestling, hell if you like any wrestling, do yourself a favor and watch this, pants optional.
9) Public Enemy v. The Nasty Boys Anything Goes (02/11/96) - 4
This was kind of a fun romp, no regard for anyone else's future doctor visits, it became almost like 2 singles matches brawling throughout the arena. Kind of cool piledriver on a garbage can, Rocco Rock kills himself for the first time in his life with a dive off the T-shirt stand, your usual brutal concussion fest.
10) The Rockers v. The Brain Busters (MSG, 03/18/89)- 7
You can almost see Michaels and Jannetty absorbing knowledge while this match goes on. The Busters are so giving as heels, one thing that makes them both so great, because as soon as they take over on offense, you can see the technical expertise they have. I love watching these old WWE House show videos, Lord Alfred observes Arn wastes no movement and I have to agree. Double Frankensteiner was cool visual, at this point as refreshing and innovative as a Daniel Johnston drawing of Captain America. Turning point here was a sick stun gun that Shawn sold better than Mel as William Wallace. Tully Blanchard has the sliminess appeal of Snooki and for some reason it makes both people sexy. You ever find that lint in Tully's pocket Boss? haha, i'm having fun watching this superbly well done tag bout and writing about it, excellent first disc, roughouse brawl near the end where both teams play their roles dead eye. Arn's so fucking smooth, great MSG crowd too adds to the greatness of this bout.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
NHO Hall of Fame Class '10: Inductee #7
This pick came after great deliberation. I struggled as there were several candidates in the running to receive this most prestigious honor. My heart weighed heavy, I've been into Japanese MMA for the last year quite heavily, and I thought it'd be nice to add someone who bridges the gap between Japanese MMA and wrestling, such as Sakuraba, Takada, or Takayama. I also had some others in mind, Jake "the Snake" Roberts has been in the running for over a year now, and after watching some pimped '90's lucha guys like El Dandy were legitimate contenders as well.
But, in the end, I went with one of the gutsiest performers I've ever seen in Meiko Satomura. I'd always been a fan, but after seeing her in the brilliant documentary GAEA Girls, my love fully blossomed. Satomura, plain and simple, is the ideal worker. She hits hard, will take a hell of a beating, agile and athletic, and best of all, displays such captivating levels of emotion in her performances that it transcends people pantomiming physical punishment (wrestling at its campiest worst) to a level of theatric showmanship and grace that'd make Hollywood icons like Stanwyck, Renoir, and Cagney blush.
I get behind her 100% when I watch her, I cringe when she takes big shots, as though I'm watching the family dog get tortured in some grotesque nightmare, I sit on the edge of the couch as she rallies back on offense, and in the end, that's what wrestling does for us when done best.
Meiko, you deserve this honor today, thank you for your contributions, hard work, and ability to undermine years of people saying women in short hair aren't sexy as you've proved them wrong and put your detractors in a Fujiwara armbar.
But, in the end, I went with one of the gutsiest performers I've ever seen in Meiko Satomura. I'd always been a fan, but after seeing her in the brilliant documentary GAEA Girls, my love fully blossomed. Satomura, plain and simple, is the ideal worker. She hits hard, will take a hell of a beating, agile and athletic, and best of all, displays such captivating levels of emotion in her performances that it transcends people pantomiming physical punishment (wrestling at its campiest worst) to a level of theatric showmanship and grace that'd make Hollywood icons like Stanwyck, Renoir, and Cagney blush.
I get behind her 100% when I watch her, I cringe when she takes big shots, as though I'm watching the family dog get tortured in some grotesque nightmare, I sit on the edge of the couch as she rallies back on offense, and in the end, that's what wrestling does for us when done best.
Meiko, you deserve this honor today, thank you for your contributions, hard work, and ability to undermine years of people saying women in short hair aren't sexy as you've proved them wrong and put your detractors in a Fujiwara armbar.
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