So, a new article came out and ROH mainstay Davey Richards has announced he'll be retiring at the end of the calendar year. His intensity will be missed by some, his moronic fetishizing of Benoit and Dynaimte will be pleasantly forgotten by others. He's leaving the business in attempt to become a fireman. I was discussing this via a series of e-mails with some constituents and I wrote a couple jokey dialogues that they thought I should share with our readers. Enjoy:
I wonder if he'll be as over the top as a fireman as he was a worker...
Firemen #1: "Uh, Davey? There was no need to do a somersault out of that 2nd floor window? This was just a basic procedure."
Davey: spits on him
Firemen #2: "What an asshole!"
Fireman #1: "Wait, hold up--who's that guy over there watching us on the other side of that chain-link fence?"
Fireman #2: "Oh, oh fuck... is he touching himself? The one with the disheveled hair, pasty skin, and potbelly?"
Davey: "God damnit. Is that? Gabe. Gabe Spalosky, what the fuck are you doing here!? I told you to leave me alone!"
Friday, June 18, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
DVDVR New Japan 80s Disc 12 - part one of three
Hiroshi Hase vs. Kuniaki Kobayashi (12/27/87) - 5
I love both of these guys. Hase has this frenetic energy about him that puts all eyes on him throughout the match. Kobayashi's facials when he's selling are particularly awesome. The entire match was paced well and there were great ups and downs throughout the match. Both of these guys make my top 10 list of workers on this set.
Keiichi Yamada vs. Shiro Koshinaka (1/25/88) - 6
Another great pre-Liger match from Yamada. I've noticed now more than ever in watching this set how Yamada is methodical in picking apart his opponents body through submissions, especially ones that focus on the midsection of his opponent. One point in the match, Yamada removes Kosh's boot and begins pummeling his ankle with the ring bell, which feeds into some great selling by Kosh as Yamada puts him in an ankle lock. Please do yourself a favor and watch this match. It was a unique match that I don't think should be overlooked.
Keiichi Yamada vs. Hiroshi Hase (2/4/88) - 6
These two facing off?! Sounds fucking amazing to me. Pre-bell, Hase is hopping around like he can't wait to dig into Yamada. Again, all eyes on him. Yamada continues his typical picking apart of a body part by stomping in Hase's shoulder with something I love to see -- intensity~! This match also featured some great matwork that really highlights both of these workers' ability. Yamada's selling was really good in this bout as well. There's a point in the match when Hase hits a double stomp on Yamada, who sells it awesomely by gasping for air. Really good match.
Antonio Inoki vs. Riki Chosu (2/4/88) - 5
This match came about at a perfect time... I needed my Chosu fix. In typical Chosu fashion, he exploded on Inoki at the bell with lariats. You can never have too much intensity. Chosu plays well to the crowd. It seems like he's an easy guy to get behind... even when he's facing the owner of the company. After putting up with these UWF invaders for the past years, he seems like a pretty pissed off dude -- and I love it! Inoki went over, the fans cheered, but I really think that they wanted to see Chosu give the boss the old what-for. Ending was weird -- Chosu was in an abdominal stretch, but had his fingers on the ropes, yet he lost the match. No comprendo.
Nobuhiko Takada vs. Hiroshi Hase (3/11/88) - 8
Out of all the UFW guys, Takada is my favorite. I can't put my finger on why exactly, but I just think he stands out. There was an awesome point when Takada slaps Hase so hard he hurts his own hand! I think Takada's selling and facials whilst selling really define why I like him so much. Hase stuck in there with Takada, too, which was really cool and really put him over as guy not to be fucked with. Super hot crowd, great near-falls, great match.
I love both of these guys. Hase has this frenetic energy about him that puts all eyes on him throughout the match. Kobayashi's facials when he's selling are particularly awesome. The entire match was paced well and there were great ups and downs throughout the match. Both of these guys make my top 10 list of workers on this set.
Keiichi Yamada vs. Shiro Koshinaka (1/25/88) - 6
Another great pre-Liger match from Yamada. I've noticed now more than ever in watching this set how Yamada is methodical in picking apart his opponents body through submissions, especially ones that focus on the midsection of his opponent. One point in the match, Yamada removes Kosh's boot and begins pummeling his ankle with the ring bell, which feeds into some great selling by Kosh as Yamada puts him in an ankle lock. Please do yourself a favor and watch this match. It was a unique match that I don't think should be overlooked.
Keiichi Yamada vs. Hiroshi Hase (2/4/88) - 6
These two facing off?! Sounds fucking amazing to me. Pre-bell, Hase is hopping around like he can't wait to dig into Yamada. Again, all eyes on him. Yamada continues his typical picking apart of a body part by stomping in Hase's shoulder with something I love to see -- intensity~! This match also featured some great matwork that really highlights both of these workers' ability. Yamada's selling was really good in this bout as well. There's a point in the match when Hase hits a double stomp on Yamada, who sells it awesomely by gasping for air. Really good match.
Antonio Inoki vs. Riki Chosu (2/4/88) - 5
This match came about at a perfect time... I needed my Chosu fix. In typical Chosu fashion, he exploded on Inoki at the bell with lariats. You can never have too much intensity. Chosu plays well to the crowd. It seems like he's an easy guy to get behind... even when he's facing the owner of the company. After putting up with these UWF invaders for the past years, he seems like a pretty pissed off dude -- and I love it! Inoki went over, the fans cheered, but I really think that they wanted to see Chosu give the boss the old what-for. Ending was weird -- Chosu was in an abdominal stretch, but had his fingers on the ropes, yet he lost the match. No comprendo.
Nobuhiko Takada vs. Hiroshi Hase (3/11/88) - 8
Out of all the UFW guys, Takada is my favorite. I can't put my finger on why exactly, but I just think he stands out. There was an awesome point when Takada slaps Hase so hard he hurts his own hand! I think Takada's selling and facials whilst selling really define why I like him so much. Hase stuck in there with Takada, too, which was really cool and really put him over as guy not to be fucked with. Super hot crowd, great near-falls, great match.
Friday, June 11, 2010
DVDVR Top 20 Lucha Matches of the 90's - #10-8
10) Silver King vs. Apolo Dantes (EMLL 6/23/95 - Heavyweight Title) - 6
9) Psicosis/Juventud Guerrera vs. El Volador/El Mexicano (AAA 1/12/96 - Parejas Title) - 4
8) Octagon/Santo/Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Fuerza Guerrera/Psicosis/ Blue Panther (AAA 3/16/95) - 7
Dantes' was great, doing these fantastic, real twisted maniacal facials, looking as diabolical as Jeremey Irons did as Profion in Dungeons & Dragons (2000). I didn't like the finish, though, a clothesline countered into a Northern Lights suplex felt flatter than Eliza Dushku's acting in Dollhouse (Two pop culture references in one match review? You know it!). Next match failed at flattering me, it ranged from stagey and somewhat sloppy, to lighthearted laissez-faire. I think the committee that compiled this list of top matches would likely plead the "Twinkee defense" like Dan White did after murdering Harvey Milk, i.e. that over-consumption of junk food forced them to make a poor decision. While the match wasn't entirely without merit, it'd maybe belong in a top 250 list but it's decidedly not the 9th best match of all of lucha for an entire decade.
I loved the six-man tag, so many great performers, Santo looking the weakest of the pack with his odd way of doing back bumps where he leans backwards like a kid testing the limits of a chair in study hall, probably in effort of softening the bumps to his aging, ailing body. It had the best third caida of anything on the set thus far, great flying action, and some real awesome heeling and double-teams on Mysterio by the rudos.
9) Psicosis/Juventud Guerrera vs. El Volador/El Mexicano (AAA 1/12/96 - Parejas Title) - 4
8) Octagon/Santo/Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Fuerza Guerrera/Psicosis/ Blue Panther (AAA 3/16/95) - 7
Dantes' was great, doing these fantastic, real twisted maniacal facials, looking as diabolical as Jeremey Irons did as Profion in Dungeons & Dragons (2000). I didn't like the finish, though, a clothesline countered into a Northern Lights suplex felt flatter than Eliza Dushku's acting in Dollhouse (Two pop culture references in one match review? You know it!). Next match failed at flattering me, it ranged from stagey and somewhat sloppy, to lighthearted laissez-faire. I think the committee that compiled this list of top matches would likely plead the "Twinkee defense" like Dan White did after murdering Harvey Milk, i.e. that over-consumption of junk food forced them to make a poor decision. While the match wasn't entirely without merit, it'd maybe belong in a top 250 list but it's decidedly not the 9th best match of all of lucha for an entire decade.
I loved the six-man tag, so many great performers, Santo looking the weakest of the pack with his odd way of doing back bumps where he leans backwards like a kid testing the limits of a chair in study hall, probably in effort of softening the bumps to his aging, ailing body. It had the best third caida of anything on the set thus far, great flying action, and some real awesome heeling and double-teams on Mysterio by the rudos.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Geo's Random Wrestling Review #2
Naomichi Marafuji vs. Prince Devitt - NJPW - 1/30/10 - 6
Really great match up pitting the returning Marafuji putting his Jr. Heavyweight title on the line against the massively over gaijin, Devitt. I honestly feel like the hiatus that Marafuji took didn't impact him at all, as there was no evidence of any ring rust. Great back-and-forth action. Devitt deserves all the hype in my opinion because of how he paces the match. Not only can he fly, but can work on the mat as well. Really good match with a great sprint.
Markus Crane vs. Neil Diamond Cutter - IWA-MS Prince of the Deathmatch - 4/23/10 - 4
The final match in what turned out to be a pretty damn good tournament. I didn't have to high of hopes for the entire event, but there wasn't really an actively bad match on the show. I really liked the story here: Diamond Cutter is probably the smallest guy on the roster, yet he went through three rounds of deathmatches to earn a place in this year's KOTDM. Pretty cool spots in this match featuring a sick suplex off of a ladder that ended up ripping the barbwire that held the contract, which I thought was a unique finish. Crane looked pretty good throughout the tournament. I was especially excited to hear that he was trained by my boy, Chris Hero. Pretty good match. I enjoy Crane's vocal selling, especially in a barbwire match.
Nobuhiko Takada & Akira Maeda vs. Super Strong Machine & Kuniaki Kobayashi - NJPW - 8/2/87 - 7
The energy in this match was off the chain. Kobayashi was the smallest man in the match but he brought the most energy. His facials and the straining on his face was immense as he stood toe-to-toe with the two crazy shooters. I dug what I saw from SSM. His ability to get out of holds on the mat were very impressive as was his ability to work a mat style. Maeda and Takada kicked ass like always in a great match that I recommend you seek out.
Drew McIntyre vs. Kofi Kingston - WWE - 6/4/10 - 6
My dudes facing off again? Yes, please. McIntyre's intensity is so awesome. This guy is the future of WWE. Drew hit this really sick spinning rib-breaker that was sickeningly awesome. Kofi brought the intensity, too. The recently suspended Matt Hardy got a ringside ticket, so Drew was distracted to the match. Drew's facials were great in this match and shouldn't be ignored. Paced well and had good ups and downs.
Larry Zbyszko & Doug Summers & Buddy Rose vs. Jimmy Snuka & Mike Rotundo & Steve Pardee - AWA - 1986 - 4
Pretty good tag. Really good sense of balance in the match with both the heels and the faces getting the upper-hand. After watching this I now want an 8 hour tape with only Larry Z matches. Snuka was really over here, being called "The young man from Fiji." I was annoyed that fan reactions were being spliced into the match -- so much so that the camera missed some moves. Not a fan of that. Again, a good match, but one that didn't really set itself apart from any other AWA six-man.
Really great match up pitting the returning Marafuji putting his Jr. Heavyweight title on the line against the massively over gaijin, Devitt. I honestly feel like the hiatus that Marafuji took didn't impact him at all, as there was no evidence of any ring rust. Great back-and-forth action. Devitt deserves all the hype in my opinion because of how he paces the match. Not only can he fly, but can work on the mat as well. Really good match with a great sprint.
Markus Crane vs. Neil Diamond Cutter - IWA-MS Prince of the Deathmatch - 4/23/10 - 4
The final match in what turned out to be a pretty damn good tournament. I didn't have to high of hopes for the entire event, but there wasn't really an actively bad match on the show. I really liked the story here: Diamond Cutter is probably the smallest guy on the roster, yet he went through three rounds of deathmatches to earn a place in this year's KOTDM. Pretty cool spots in this match featuring a sick suplex off of a ladder that ended up ripping the barbwire that held the contract, which I thought was a unique finish. Crane looked pretty good throughout the tournament. I was especially excited to hear that he was trained by my boy, Chris Hero. Pretty good match. I enjoy Crane's vocal selling, especially in a barbwire match.
Nobuhiko Takada & Akira Maeda vs. Super Strong Machine & Kuniaki Kobayashi - NJPW - 8/2/87 - 7
The energy in this match was off the chain. Kobayashi was the smallest man in the match but he brought the most energy. His facials and the straining on his face was immense as he stood toe-to-toe with the two crazy shooters. I dug what I saw from SSM. His ability to get out of holds on the mat were very impressive as was his ability to work a mat style. Maeda and Takada kicked ass like always in a great match that I recommend you seek out.
Drew McIntyre vs. Kofi Kingston - WWE - 6/4/10 - 6
My dudes facing off again? Yes, please. McIntyre's intensity is so awesome. This guy is the future of WWE. Drew hit this really sick spinning rib-breaker that was sickeningly awesome. Kofi brought the intensity, too. The recently suspended Matt Hardy got a ringside ticket, so Drew was distracted to the match. Drew's facials were great in this match and shouldn't be ignored. Paced well and had good ups and downs.
Larry Zbyszko & Doug Summers & Buddy Rose vs. Jimmy Snuka & Mike Rotundo & Steve Pardee - AWA - 1986 - 4
Pretty good tag. Really good sense of balance in the match with both the heels and the faces getting the upper-hand. After watching this I now want an 8 hour tape with only Larry Z matches. Snuka was really over here, being called "The young man from Fiji." I was annoyed that fan reactions were being spliced into the match -- so much so that the camera missed some moves. Not a fan of that. Again, a good match, but one that didn't really set itself apart from any other AWA six-man.
NEO Summer Stampde 2009
Most of this show is a tag team tournament, and it's brought to you by BMD and Ajax Sink Cleaner.
1st Round
1) Kana/ Ayumi Kurihara v. Kyoko Inoue/ Hiroyo Matsumoto- 4
2) Yoshiko Tamura/ Fuka v. Minori Makiba/ Aya Yuki- 2
3) RA v. Neo Machine Guns- 5
4) Emi Sakura/ Nanae Takahashi v. Ray & Taiyo - 5
Semi Finals
5) Kana/ Ayumi Kurihara v. Minori Makiba/ Aya Yuki- 5
6) Neo Machine Guns v. Emi Sakura/ Nanae Takahashi- 1
7) Etsuko Mita v. Makoto- 3
Finals
8) Minori Makiba/ Aya Yuki v. Emi Sakura/ Nanae Takahashi- 5
Our opener was performed well it just didn't know what kind of match it wanted to be. It went from fun heel showcase, to easy squash, to Japanese kick fest to completely muddled near the end. Inoue was the vet and easily put on 4 kids worth of baby weight. But she knew how to use her size and make her performance feel real not letting anything weak take her down. 2nd bout was quick and not much of note besides Yuki's really cool jumping front kick and one of the faces hideous yellow plastine overalls. Ending with all the weak kicks was even sad for girls (as sexist as that statement is.) 3rd bout had the most heat and felt like two solid teams that knew each other and didn't like each other. Started with a crowd brawl and the match utilized chains, chairs, tables and garbage cans but wasn't the junkfest you would think. Both teams had some fun double teams they used on each other and all the high spots leading to the end completely satisfied. Our final 1st round match was the most astetheically pleasing, not that these were the babes of the show, just all the crazy spots they were trying, such as Ray (a masked woman) doing a 360 degree flip to hit a powerbomb standing and taking the Mistico spot of getting booted in the face on a Asai (which busted her open.) Some cool rollups accentuated what was a fun and fast paced closer to the opening round.
2nd round started out stiffer than anything Tamon Honda's produced, with a slap exchange that would likely make Kobashi wince. Loved the kick battle between Yuki and hot number Kurihara. Someone breaks out a Matt Hardy spot after a nasty elbow exchange. This match didn't go near as long as I thought, but was as enjoyable as anything else on this show. 2nd Semi was a flash pin match where the Neos came out of the gate running, Churchill Downs style, but I think they got confused with the other team's washing machine/Red Rover maneuver. Disappointing as given time, I think that would have been a great match.
We get a singles grudge match to break up the tourney featuring Mita, whom I've seen her really great work back in AJW (of course, who didn't have great work there). Makoto gets a really hot spree including a German suplex near fall from the word "start" but Mita seems to lose faith in her as the match progresses and there's just not that much animosity after 3 minutes so this ends early and uncreatively.
Our finals pits my favorite team in this tourney, Xena ripoff Makiba & Berry Gordy's last student Yuki. Sakura has changed her outfit during every match, for the finals choosing something akin to the High Energy tights and some Steven Tyler frill. Makiba has a tendency to be lazy, with her strikes or with transitions, and I don't like it. Nothing's hotter than a girl kicking your ass in a mini skirt as Yuki pulls off so well here. I really have to take back what i just said, Makiba was lethal on her elbows and pushing the pace to win, Faces had some silly double teams, at times they looked like Care Bears dancing around in syncronization. Match didn't really exceed the other 3 "5's" which was surprising considering this had more time than any match besides the opener. Would def. like to see more NEO (please, just no Matrix films)
1st Round
1) Kana/ Ayumi Kurihara v. Kyoko Inoue/ Hiroyo Matsumoto- 4
2) Yoshiko Tamura/ Fuka v. Minori Makiba/ Aya Yuki- 2
3) RA v. Neo Machine Guns- 5
4) Emi Sakura/ Nanae Takahashi v. Ray & Taiyo - 5
Semi Finals
5) Kana/ Ayumi Kurihara v. Minori Makiba/ Aya Yuki- 5
6) Neo Machine Guns v. Emi Sakura/ Nanae Takahashi- 1
7) Etsuko Mita v. Makoto- 3
Finals
8) Minori Makiba/ Aya Yuki v. Emi Sakura/ Nanae Takahashi- 5
Our opener was performed well it just didn't know what kind of match it wanted to be. It went from fun heel showcase, to easy squash, to Japanese kick fest to completely muddled near the end. Inoue was the vet and easily put on 4 kids worth of baby weight. But she knew how to use her size and make her performance feel real not letting anything weak take her down. 2nd bout was quick and not much of note besides Yuki's really cool jumping front kick and one of the faces hideous yellow plastine overalls. Ending with all the weak kicks was even sad for girls (as sexist as that statement is.) 3rd bout had the most heat and felt like two solid teams that knew each other and didn't like each other. Started with a crowd brawl and the match utilized chains, chairs, tables and garbage cans but wasn't the junkfest you would think. Both teams had some fun double teams they used on each other and all the high spots leading to the end completely satisfied. Our final 1st round match was the most astetheically pleasing, not that these were the babes of the show, just all the crazy spots they were trying, such as Ray (a masked woman) doing a 360 degree flip to hit a powerbomb standing and taking the Mistico spot of getting booted in the face on a Asai (which busted her open.) Some cool rollups accentuated what was a fun and fast paced closer to the opening round.
2nd round started out stiffer than anything Tamon Honda's produced, with a slap exchange that would likely make Kobashi wince. Loved the kick battle between Yuki and hot number Kurihara. Someone breaks out a Matt Hardy spot after a nasty elbow exchange. This match didn't go near as long as I thought, but was as enjoyable as anything else on this show. 2nd Semi was a flash pin match where the Neos came out of the gate running, Churchill Downs style, but I think they got confused with the other team's washing machine/Red Rover maneuver. Disappointing as given time, I think that would have been a great match.
We get a singles grudge match to break up the tourney featuring Mita, whom I've seen her really great work back in AJW (of course, who didn't have great work there). Makoto gets a really hot spree including a German suplex near fall from the word "start" but Mita seems to lose faith in her as the match progresses and there's just not that much animosity after 3 minutes so this ends early and uncreatively.
Our finals pits my favorite team in this tourney, Xena ripoff Makiba & Berry Gordy's last student Yuki. Sakura has changed her outfit during every match, for the finals choosing something akin to the High Energy tights and some Steven Tyler frill. Makiba has a tendency to be lazy, with her strikes or with transitions, and I don't like it. Nothing's hotter than a girl kicking your ass in a mini skirt as Yuki pulls off so well here. I really have to take back what i just said, Makiba was lethal on her elbows and pushing the pace to win, Faces had some silly double teams, at times they looked like Care Bears dancing around in syncronization. Match didn't really exceed the other 3 "5's" which was surprising considering this had more time than any match besides the opener. Would def. like to see more NEO (please, just no Matrix films)
Friday, June 4, 2010
Select Fights from DREAM 14
1. Nick Diaz vs. Hayato Mach Sakurai - 3
2. Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto vs. Kiko Lopez - 4
3. Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Joachim Hansen - 5
Diaz secured a fairly easy armbar to get a first round tap; not a lot on display here, Diaz just made it look too easy, not rushed or too aggressive, baited his time and made Sakurai look like an amateur. After a few career missteps Kid Yamamoto looked like a badass again here knocking out Lopez in around two minutes -- it'll be interesting to see if they give him a challenging fight next or feed him some more Quiznos employees like Lopez. Hansen looks like he'd fit right in with Remy's gang in Higher Learning (1995). His claim to fame is besting DREAM favorite Shinya Aoki but here he got surprised and knocked out in the first round by Takaya. I gave this an extra point for the surprise finish late in the round. Still, nothing on the show dips into the recommendable category, so if you're interested (and I urge you to do so) in finding out more about one of the best MMA companies today I'd suggest digging a little deeper into their archives.
2. Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto vs. Kiko Lopez - 4
3. Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Joachim Hansen - 5
Diaz secured a fairly easy armbar to get a first round tap; not a lot on display here, Diaz just made it look too easy, not rushed or too aggressive, baited his time and made Sakurai look like an amateur. After a few career missteps Kid Yamamoto looked like a badass again here knocking out Lopez in around two minutes -- it'll be interesting to see if they give him a challenging fight next or feed him some more Quiznos employees like Lopez. Hansen looks like he'd fit right in with Remy's gang in Higher Learning (1995). His claim to fame is besting DREAM favorite Shinya Aoki but here he got surprised and knocked out in the first round by Takaya. I gave this an extra point for the surprise finish late in the round. Still, nothing on the show dips into the recommendable category, so if you're interested (and I urge you to do so) in finding out more about one of the best MMA companies today I'd suggest digging a little deeper into their archives.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Hall of Fame Pick: June
Sorry this is a few days late, lots going on, but we've set in motion the HOF schedule for the rest of the year and with Adam out of the blog now, i fill in for June! Now onto my pick, he joins an elite class of 3 other Luchadores already enshrined here, so without further ado:
Atlantis from CMLL
Here's a link that gives a brief description of his career:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantis_(wrestler)
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