The Miz vs. Zack Ryder

The Miz vs. Zack Ryder - WWE Superstars 3/11/16 - 4

Ryder growing out the beard. His recent series with Stardust over on the “C” shows has been applaudable. He still didn’t sniff my ballot over on the PWO Greatest Wrestler Ever poll. On second thought guessing he didn’t even earn a nomination. Miz has been more handy lately helping get guys like Styles and Zayn introduced en masse to the bigger mainstream audiences. Still I think I’d rather be stuck in a cellar with a psychotic John Goodman than the Miz. I like that Miz takes time to rile the crowd although his stomps shortly after were Eli Drake bad. I shouldn’t be placing anything in my queue ahead of the near two-hour Trevor Lee match out of CWF Mid-Atlantic that everyone is going bonkers over but I like to stay current. Zack hits the “ElBro” drop which I sort of dug it’s like a tucked-in elbow off the top a la Eric Young but in mid-air before the tuck he taps his kneepads. It’s superfluous like some NBA Slam Dunk completion bullshit but I’m game for adding new twists on old staples. Miz gets the clean victory with the Skull-Crushing Finale in a short but spirited affair. Now I’m just waiting for Miz to rip his wife’s French TKO reverse roundhouse kick.

RIP Hayabusa

Woke up to news of Hayabusa’s passing. Since his career-ending injury he’d been largely wheelchair-bound until last year surfacing at a show and being able to rise to his feet amongst his peers. Growing up my brother was never more than a fringe fan but Hayabusa captured his imagination with his colorful characterization and fluid athleticism. He ordered both the black and red versions of Hayabusa’s mask and we’d take to doing springboard moonsaults in our backyard off a rickety chain-link fence onto a mattress we used for drafting our own $15,000 Body Slam Challenges. We trekked to ECW Heat Wave ’98 to see his own major US appearance live.

Hayabusa vs. Sabu - FMW 8/28/94 - N/A

Unfortunately this is clipped so I can’t fairly rate it. I believe the date is accurate. The thrust and precision of Hayabusa’s spinning kicks would leave even high-level MMA fighters in awe. Maybe it would end Anthony Pettis’ losing streak if he started wearing Hayabusa’s mask. These guys were compared to each other constantly and yes they’ve both got lots of bodily scars and baggy parachute pants but Hayabusa is such a smoother more seamless practitioner of the pro wres arts. Kudos to Sabu for innovative spots seen here somersaulting over a hunched referee out to the floor and later doing a crossbody out onto Hayabusa who was sitting in a chair. A 450° to the floor through a table is dodged by Hayabusa leaving Sabu to crash into the splintered furniture. It’s a move you rarely see Sabu do, here paying homage to the combatant he was at war with, and it’s the very same move (dubbed the Firebird Splash) Hayabusa later uses to secure that night’s victory. RIP Hayabusa. I’m sure he’s in the heavens now performing Falcon Arrows on the other legends.