Kamui, Ricky Fuji, Keita Yano, Madoka, and Shinobu VS. Abdullah Kobayashi, Kazuhiko Ogasawara, Brahman Shu, Brahman Kei, and Ken45 - Elim. match - 2
Odd. The match was very fast paced and nothing of real substance came of it. I'm pretty sure this entire match lasted less than eight minutes, and with that many guys, eliminations were happening quicker than Michael Cole calling everything 'vintage.' A hard-to-follow match with antics -- not my cup of tee. It was humorous seeing Abby in there with all the skinny fast guys, though.
Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Masashi Takeda vs. Minoru Fujita and Takuya Sugawara - 2
Match was clipped to hell and only about two minutes were shown, but I thought what was shown was pretty good. Takeda hit a really nice German suplex, but nothing of substance came out of this bout.
Mammoth Sasaki vs. Daisuke Sekimoto - 5
Ok, this is what I'm talking about -- from my favorite fed in Japan, BJW, comes two monsters who are sure to beat the shit out of each other for our enjoyment. Mammoth took a really sick Irish whip outside the ring to the post which I marked for -- these two are definitely not going to take it easy on each other. Sek looked pretty solid in his matwork -- it's def. not his forte, but he looks like he can hold his own. I liked the back-and-forth element to this match -- in a battle of two monsters, who'd come out on top? The ease of which these guys lift each other is also quick amazing. Pretty fun match. I liked how the two slowed down and took their time as opposed to a spot-fest.
Jun Kasai vs Necro Butcher - 5
Oh hell yes. Two sick, incredible death match wrestlers going at it~! I have high hopes for this match. I love Kasai's selling -- his face with that contact lens covered in blood looks like something out of a Tarentino film. Necro took a sick shot to the face with a ladder, furthering my questioning of what he won't do. Necro took one of his patented open chair bumps which he sold brilliantly writhing around in pain only to be barraged with two chairs and suplexed while they were hanging on his head leading to another great sell. Then, my friends, out came the razor board. Oh yes. Kasai took the bump for some reason it didn't feel as big as it should have. It's hard to explain. I actually thought Necro's two bumps on the ladder were sicker. Still, it was cool seeing an American DM legend and a Japanese DM legend hook it up.
5 vs. 5 Army Match - Freedoms Army vs. Kojika Army - Total Score - 3
HIROKI vs. Magnitude Kishiwada - 3
SICK dive by Hiroki to start the match plus seeing a small guy getting thrown into chairs. Always a good time. Loved Hiroki sell after the missile dropkick - this kid is good. Hiroki had some cool evasions to the powerbomb -- match was ok. Kojika Army 1-0
Antonio Honda vs. The Winger - 2
WINGER is still kicking ass, but the real story is Honda's selling -- reminds me of US territorial 80s selling. Other than that, match pretty was pretty bland. Honda won for Kojika Army going up 2-0 which got a huge pop.
Tajiri vs. Onryo - 3
Love love love Tajiri. Onryo's character is so unique that this made for an interesting matchup. My favorite thing about Onryo is that everytime you touch him, you'll have an asthma attack because of all the dust - provides for a really unique character. My favorite part of this match was Tajiri's sell when Onryo hit him with a piece of wood -- coincidentally he fell over much like a piece of wood. Decent little match. I liked the ending sequence with the powder and the mist. Tajiri would win with the mist to give the Freedoms Army a win. Kojika Army 2-1.
The Great Sasuke vs. Takeshi Sasaki - 2
Umm, yes, please! Sasaki is a great 'hybrid' wrestler and Sasuke, well, I recall being 12 years old watching old M-Pro tapes, so yes, this should be interesting. Sasuke hit a decent dive but hit the floor like a ton of bricks and really looked like he hurt himself. Nothing of real substance in this match, sadly. Sasaki went over with a kick to the head for a Freedom's win. Score tied 2-2.
GENTARO vs. The Great Kojika - 1
Wow. This should be interesting as well. This match went damn near 20 minutes with nothing of real substance. Not even anything to really touch upon in this review. Shame. End of the match saw Gentaro win with a sharpshooter to put Freedoms over for the win.
Overall, a decent event with the Sekimoto/Mammoth and Necro/Kasai matches being the highlight.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
DVDVR's Best of Texas 80's set- Disc 1
This is the greatest gift this lifelong wrestling fan could think of, hours and hours of footage at his disposal that transports him back to being 6 years old, waiting for 4pm every weekday afternoon on ESPN to watch World Class Championship Wrestling, lip synching "Stranglehold" and air-superkicking imaginary opponents. Without futher ado, I will begin to chronicle my own opinions of this set with our customary NHO reviews.
1) King Kong Bundy v. Kevin Von Erich (May 30th, 1982)- 5
Cool match to start us out, Bundy, i've recently discovered is the previous era's Vader, a big man who can do look good on both offense and defense despite his size. While not having the killer instinct of Vader, but being superior to him in terms of emotional selling, Bundy's a very competent worker. Here he controls Kevin well, with your basic power stuff and Kevin plays a good ragdoll, when he allows it. His reckless attacks and haphazard flying at Bundy with nothing at all in mind throw off the whole dynamic of both guys against each other, the finish being another example of that.
2) Ric Flair v. Kerry Von Erich (2/3 Falls, August 15th, 1982)- 5
A different way of looking at a 5 score; the 1st fall here was nearly 25 minutes long, much of it inconsequential except for some firey Puerto Rican exchanges and Flair's over the top selling. Kerry's pointless arm work and loose headlock stuff was poor. 2nd round was a lot meatier, with Flair and Kerry both going to their aces, Figure Four and the Iron Claw, Kerry looked good targeting a weakened champion, but Flair had an answer for almost everything Kerry did, really good psych and liked the visual of the blood flowing during the claw. Unfortunately the 3rd fall was a cheap DQ finish typical of this time.
3) Ric Flair v. David Von Erich (October 11th, 1982)- 6
David, technically, matches up with Flair much better than the other brothers, where they can do reversals that look fairly competent. Flair even looks more pacified selling them in earnest. David's a strange creature though; he takes bumps like Kerry did unfortunately, like a kangaroo on ice skates, but he sells everything like Kevin, whole body into it, 100% pain on every shot. He has, arguably, the worst punches of all the Von Erichs, save Lance & Fritz, just really shoddy ones that stop before they get to you. They cut a great pace and build the match as they go on spots that worked earlier, like the flying knee Flair later counters and uses to a figure Four spot. I also liked that David didn't use the claw spot as a crutch like the other guys did. David gets blood like a real Texas man would, at 25 minutes in when the crowd is worked to a fever pitch in a brilliant move. The ref, Bronco Lubich, is sinfully slow and old; I think a ref like Hebner or Pee Wee Anderson would have added even more to this. I really liked this match until Kerry hobbled down to ringside.
4) Magic Dragon/ Checkmate v. Al Madril/ Jose Lothario (October 12th, 1982) - 6
I just rewatched this match from the Texas set, and really felt like my original review and score were dead on the money, so i'm reposting it here again. There's a lot to love in this one, and no one was more surprised than me. Checkmate has the ultimate gimmick: it's that he's basically the living embodiment of a chess game, where any hold or move someone tries on him he has a counter for it and everyone in the match plays it up really well, especially Check himself. He and Jose work most of the technical stuff together and it has this strange 60's style flow to it, where neither guy is particularly smooth, but the holds just flow as they go from spot to spot. Madril is this crazy haired nut who is usuall pretty forgettable but he has the crowd going nuts here, does a nice hot tag, hits these really crazy flying forearms and just generally makes the match better. Dragon works mostly with him, and matches his shoulder attacks later on in a duel of manhood. Time limit draw ends it and I totally felt that was the most honest answer to this really fun TV match.
5) Checkmate/ Magic Dragon v. Al Madril/ Bugsy McGraw (October 26th, 1982)- 5
Let me just say, Checkmate is awesome! I discovered him a few months back in the previous match and am even more into him here. My God, there's a whole litany of performers i would deem dream matches were he have faced them, Eddie, Flair, Casas, Liger, Gunn (Billy or Bart.) I'm not as into Bugsy as most probably are, slightly humorous comedy routine, but really, how far did it carry him? A few noticeably blown spots, including by the referee, but I'm sort of digging Madril's Caveman punches. Dragon doesn't have Checkmate's finesse, but he plays his role as devious low level heel well. Square dance part was fun, but finish a little messy. Not as good as the previous match here but still good.
6) David Von Erich/ Michael Hayes/ Terry Gordy v. The Sharpe Brothers/ Tom Steele (December 25th, 1982)- 4
Mike did a lot of stooging for most of his time in the ring, Ben Sharpe went from no selling to acting like he just walked out of Xmen villain Arcade's funhouse, and Steele looked like Homeless Jimmy who sold facially like HBK. The uber face team didn't give a whole lot here, sure they kept the crowd into it, but mostly it was Hayes & David sloppily pulling off moves, such as Hayes pitiful elbow drops and David falling backwards on his piledriver as I might have when I was 5 years old imitating the same move on my Macho King Wrestling Buddy. Hayes doesn't play a very good Ricky Morton either. Unfortunately, Gordy's involvement was kept to a minimum and I wasn't a fan of how this broke down into a weak finish.
7) Ric Flair v. Kerry Von Erich (Steel Cage Match, December 25th, 1982)- 6
Natch was the man during this, loved seeing his aggressive side. This is what a return match should consist of, just a gnarly beating. Flair does one of his classic bladejobs and is selling off the charts for most of this. Kerry doesn't have to do much to keep the crowd tuned into this match and for his part, he barely succeeds there. After everything this match lead to, his injured knee, Flair working over it with his signature move for many minutes, Kerry simply sits up and attacks Flair's leg with gusto, showing no signs of a limp or even slight discomfort. There's a lot of other stuff going on here too, such as the beginning of possibly Texas's biggest angle, which to it's credit and players was done so well and is a timeless finish. Was great, but could have been even better.
8) Terry Gordy v. Kevin Von Erich (January 10th, 1983)- 4
Conceptually, this match made perfect sense, you had a fight basically between a big bully and the older brother of the guy the bully beat up. So it was fun from that angle, but the brawling wasn't anything better than Luther Reigns was pulling off on SD in 03. Also saw a lot of talking between the two during many spots, liked Kevin's constant claw attack and Gordy's Adonis bump in the buckle. terrible ending, again.
9) Ric Flair v. Terry Gordy (February 4th, 1983)- 4
Very methodical pace to this one, with Gordy in control of the pace. Not a lot of heat for it either, although Flair was the babyface. Very subdued Flair on defense too that didn't do wonders for Gordy's punching and laize-faire elbow drops. What is it about guys in World class not learning how to sell a bodypart? Flair reverses his own figure four as Gordy doesn't turn with him until Flair's already screaming. Wasn't feeling this match very much.
10) Michael Hayes v. Kerry Von Erich (February 7th, 1983)- 4
Started out pretty good, Hayes playing chickenshit heel perfectly, ducking out after every move, Kerry basically frothing at the mouth to get his hands on him, even selling his long standing knee injury correctly, making my proclamation in the last match a crock. But i thought the action stalled a bit with Hayes in control, really terrible chinlock variation he used, could have dropped a piano through the space between his arms and Kerry's chin. Kerry's comeback was stalwart too, so I think they have better matches later on.
11) The Fabulous Freebirds v. Kevin, David & Kerry Von Erich (Lumberjack Match, February 18th, 1983)- 7
You just won't see anything like this anymore, certainly not in this recreation of ECW through the mind of Dixie Carter. Just pandemonium, from bell to bell, the crowd excitement here had me way more pumped than hearing TO is in town now. Among the highlights for me were Gordy's Vaderbomb bump off the ropes, Kevin diving across at all 3 'Birds every chance he got, Kerry & Buddy flipping over the ropes at the same time and the really exciting finish that even had me surprised. Don't want to forget how kickass all the Freebirds kneedrops are. This was the 1st multi-man match of this feud and it was a hell of an opening salvo.
12)David Von Erich v. Buddy Roberts (Match 18th, 1983)-
Roberts was an awesome 3rd wheel to the Freebirds group, here he holds his own against David. David outwrestles him with zeal, making for some good stuff and Roberts sells everything really well, and does all his offense like a hyena picking the scraps from a lion's fresh kill. Loved Dave's war cry before his comeback started, Roberts starts hitting cues like Daniel Stern from Home Alone and sells everything like a champ.
Jess's Texas list:
1- Freebirds v. Von Erichs (LJ- 02/18/83)
2- Checkmate/Dragon v. Madril/ Lothario (10/12/82)
3- David v. Roberts (03/18/83)
4- Flair v. David (10/11/82)
5- Flair v. Kerry (Cage)
6- Kevin v.King Kong (5/30/82)
7- Checkmate/Dragon v. Madril/McGraw (10/2/82)
8- Flair v. Kerry (2/3 Falls, 08/15/82)
9- Kevin v. Gordy (01/10/83)
10- Hayesv. Kerry (2/7/83)
11- Flair v. Gordy (2/4/83)
12- David/Hayes/Gordy v. Sharpes/Steele)
1) King Kong Bundy v. Kevin Von Erich (May 30th, 1982)- 5
Cool match to start us out, Bundy, i've recently discovered is the previous era's Vader, a big man who can do look good on both offense and defense despite his size. While not having the killer instinct of Vader, but being superior to him in terms of emotional selling, Bundy's a very competent worker. Here he controls Kevin well, with your basic power stuff and Kevin plays a good ragdoll, when he allows it. His reckless attacks and haphazard flying at Bundy with nothing at all in mind throw off the whole dynamic of both guys against each other, the finish being another example of that.
2) Ric Flair v. Kerry Von Erich (2/3 Falls, August 15th, 1982)- 5
A different way of looking at a 5 score; the 1st fall here was nearly 25 minutes long, much of it inconsequential except for some firey Puerto Rican exchanges and Flair's over the top selling. Kerry's pointless arm work and loose headlock stuff was poor. 2nd round was a lot meatier, with Flair and Kerry both going to their aces, Figure Four and the Iron Claw, Kerry looked good targeting a weakened champion, but Flair had an answer for almost everything Kerry did, really good psych and liked the visual of the blood flowing during the claw. Unfortunately the 3rd fall was a cheap DQ finish typical of this time.
3) Ric Flair v. David Von Erich (October 11th, 1982)- 6
David, technically, matches up with Flair much better than the other brothers, where they can do reversals that look fairly competent. Flair even looks more pacified selling them in earnest. David's a strange creature though; he takes bumps like Kerry did unfortunately, like a kangaroo on ice skates, but he sells everything like Kevin, whole body into it, 100% pain on every shot. He has, arguably, the worst punches of all the Von Erichs, save Lance & Fritz, just really shoddy ones that stop before they get to you. They cut a great pace and build the match as they go on spots that worked earlier, like the flying knee Flair later counters and uses to a figure Four spot. I also liked that David didn't use the claw spot as a crutch like the other guys did. David gets blood like a real Texas man would, at 25 minutes in when the crowd is worked to a fever pitch in a brilliant move. The ref, Bronco Lubich, is sinfully slow and old; I think a ref like Hebner or Pee Wee Anderson would have added even more to this. I really liked this match until Kerry hobbled down to ringside.
4) Magic Dragon/ Checkmate v. Al Madril/ Jose Lothario (October 12th, 1982) - 6
I just rewatched this match from the Texas set, and really felt like my original review and score were dead on the money, so i'm reposting it here again. There's a lot to love in this one, and no one was more surprised than me. Checkmate has the ultimate gimmick: it's that he's basically the living embodiment of a chess game, where any hold or move someone tries on him he has a counter for it and everyone in the match plays it up really well, especially Check himself. He and Jose work most of the technical stuff together and it has this strange 60's style flow to it, where neither guy is particularly smooth, but the holds just flow as they go from spot to spot. Madril is this crazy haired nut who is usuall pretty forgettable but he has the crowd going nuts here, does a nice hot tag, hits these really crazy flying forearms and just generally makes the match better. Dragon works mostly with him, and matches his shoulder attacks later on in a duel of manhood. Time limit draw ends it and I totally felt that was the most honest answer to this really fun TV match.
5) Checkmate/ Magic Dragon v. Al Madril/ Bugsy McGraw (October 26th, 1982)- 5
Let me just say, Checkmate is awesome! I discovered him a few months back in the previous match and am even more into him here. My God, there's a whole litany of performers i would deem dream matches were he have faced them, Eddie, Flair, Casas, Liger, Gunn (Billy or Bart.) I'm not as into Bugsy as most probably are, slightly humorous comedy routine, but really, how far did it carry him? A few noticeably blown spots, including by the referee, but I'm sort of digging Madril's Caveman punches. Dragon doesn't have Checkmate's finesse, but he plays his role as devious low level heel well. Square dance part was fun, but finish a little messy. Not as good as the previous match here but still good.
6) David Von Erich/ Michael Hayes/ Terry Gordy v. The Sharpe Brothers/ Tom Steele (December 25th, 1982)- 4
Mike did a lot of stooging for most of his time in the ring, Ben Sharpe went from no selling to acting like he just walked out of Xmen villain Arcade's funhouse, and Steele looked like Homeless Jimmy who sold facially like HBK. The uber face team didn't give a whole lot here, sure they kept the crowd into it, but mostly it was Hayes & David sloppily pulling off moves, such as Hayes pitiful elbow drops and David falling backwards on his piledriver as I might have when I was 5 years old imitating the same move on my Macho King Wrestling Buddy. Hayes doesn't play a very good Ricky Morton either. Unfortunately, Gordy's involvement was kept to a minimum and I wasn't a fan of how this broke down into a weak finish.
7) Ric Flair v. Kerry Von Erich (Steel Cage Match, December 25th, 1982)- 6
Natch was the man during this, loved seeing his aggressive side. This is what a return match should consist of, just a gnarly beating. Flair does one of his classic bladejobs and is selling off the charts for most of this. Kerry doesn't have to do much to keep the crowd tuned into this match and for his part, he barely succeeds there. After everything this match lead to, his injured knee, Flair working over it with his signature move for many minutes, Kerry simply sits up and attacks Flair's leg with gusto, showing no signs of a limp or even slight discomfort. There's a lot of other stuff going on here too, such as the beginning of possibly Texas's biggest angle, which to it's credit and players was done so well and is a timeless finish. Was great, but could have been even better.
8) Terry Gordy v. Kevin Von Erich (January 10th, 1983)- 4
Conceptually, this match made perfect sense, you had a fight basically between a big bully and the older brother of the guy the bully beat up. So it was fun from that angle, but the brawling wasn't anything better than Luther Reigns was pulling off on SD in 03. Also saw a lot of talking between the two during many spots, liked Kevin's constant claw attack and Gordy's Adonis bump in the buckle. terrible ending, again.
9) Ric Flair v. Terry Gordy (February 4th, 1983)- 4
Very methodical pace to this one, with Gordy in control of the pace. Not a lot of heat for it either, although Flair was the babyface. Very subdued Flair on defense too that didn't do wonders for Gordy's punching and laize-faire elbow drops. What is it about guys in World class not learning how to sell a bodypart? Flair reverses his own figure four as Gordy doesn't turn with him until Flair's already screaming. Wasn't feeling this match very much.
10) Michael Hayes v. Kerry Von Erich (February 7th, 1983)- 4
Started out pretty good, Hayes playing chickenshit heel perfectly, ducking out after every move, Kerry basically frothing at the mouth to get his hands on him, even selling his long standing knee injury correctly, making my proclamation in the last match a crock. But i thought the action stalled a bit with Hayes in control, really terrible chinlock variation he used, could have dropped a piano through the space between his arms and Kerry's chin. Kerry's comeback was stalwart too, so I think they have better matches later on.
11) The Fabulous Freebirds v. Kevin, David & Kerry Von Erich (Lumberjack Match, February 18th, 1983)- 7
You just won't see anything like this anymore, certainly not in this recreation of ECW through the mind of Dixie Carter. Just pandemonium, from bell to bell, the crowd excitement here had me way more pumped than hearing TO is in town now. Among the highlights for me were Gordy's Vaderbomb bump off the ropes, Kevin diving across at all 3 'Birds every chance he got, Kerry & Buddy flipping over the ropes at the same time and the really exciting finish that even had me surprised. Don't want to forget how kickass all the Freebirds kneedrops are. This was the 1st multi-man match of this feud and it was a hell of an opening salvo.
12)David Von Erich v. Buddy Roberts (Match 18th, 1983)-
Roberts was an awesome 3rd wheel to the Freebirds group, here he holds his own against David. David outwrestles him with zeal, making for some good stuff and Roberts sells everything really well, and does all his offense like a hyena picking the scraps from a lion's fresh kill. Loved Dave's war cry before his comeback started, Roberts starts hitting cues like Daniel Stern from Home Alone and sells everything like a champ.
Jess's Texas list:
1- Freebirds v. Von Erichs (LJ- 02/18/83)
2- Checkmate/Dragon v. Madril/ Lothario (10/12/82)
3- David v. Roberts (03/18/83)
4- Flair v. David (10/11/82)
5- Flair v. Kerry (Cage)
6- Kevin v.King Kong (5/30/82)
7- Checkmate/Dragon v. Madril/McGraw (10/2/82)
8- Flair v. Kerry (2/3 Falls, 08/15/82)
9- Kevin v. Gordy (01/10/83)
10- Hayesv. Kerry (2/7/83)
11- Flair v. Gordy (2/4/83)
12- David/Hayes/Gordy v. Sharpes/Steele)
Saturday, July 24, 2010
ROH Final Battle 2003 - 12/27/03
Bryan Danielson vs. Jay Briscoe - 6
It's funny looking back at these two guys when they were just midcarders, considering how big both of these guys are now. Match started with some really solid chain wrestling. Both guys worked really snug in their holds - this shouldn't come as a surprise with Danielson. Danielson's European uppercuts were just beautiful, but Jay hung in with them and fed Danielson some stiff shots of his own. Match got a standing ovation after the bell, which was well deserved -- just a really pure and great exhibition.
John Walters vs. Xavier (Fight without Honor) - 5
Match got started quickly outside of the ring. Xavier was bumping around like a monkey after downing a dozen energy drinks. The stiff knees by Xavier were really nice and snug. Something I was happy to see was after Xavier kneed Walters with the chair, he sold his own knees -- a nice touch... but then dropped the knee again and didn't sell it, but then hit Walters with a dropkick and sold the knee -- my head hurts. They introduced a ladder and draped it over the top rope. Walters hit a wheelbarrow slam which got a huge pop and a great sell by Xavier. Xavier's Arabian moonsault onto Walters lying on the ladder got the biggest pop of the night -- this has been a pretty spotty match. I would've liked to have seen more facial selling on the part of Walters, but he did take some sick bumps. There were just so many spots in this match. I understand it was a street fight, but it would've been nice to get a little downtime to build up to the spots instead of just spot after spot after spot (give me a break, I'm a psychology mark).
Matt Stryker vs. BJ Whitmer - 4
Gabe stated that BJ was wrestling with a 100 degree fever and bone chips in his elbow and Stryker was wrestling after dislocating his shoulder the night prior. That’s pretty awesome if that’s true. I like Stryker and would like to see more of him -- his selling and technical ability are really solid. BJ pretty sound in the ring, too, although I think that Stryker is the better of the two. Good knee psych by Stryker, noting that BJ had a knee brace on. Match had a real exhibition feel to it and was pretty good, although I think it went about five minutes too long.
Mark Briscoe vs.Samoa Joe - 7
Joe started beating the ever living shit out of Mark to start the match. Mark was a good punching bag for Joe in the beginning. He was super skinny back then. Mark was stiff with Joe, too, especially with his kicks and lariats. Great intensity show by Joe as always. It’s like once the fans start getting behind him, he gets more and more intense as the match elevates. It’s really cool to watch. One of the best sells I’ve seen by Mark came when Joe hit him with a headbutt -- Mark just collapsed and his whole body was shaking. It was quite the spectacle. Very good use of bringing the audience up and down between stiff shots and spots and submissions. During a choke hold by Joe, Mark seriously looked like he was losing consciousness -- great fucking selling. Great match.
CM Punk & Colt Cabana vs. Tomiaoki Honma & Kazushi Miyamoto - 6
Wasn’t sure what to expect going into this match. One comedy wrestler, one straight edge superstar, one deathmatch legend, and one current AJPW star. Interesting. Liked seeing Honma and Punk tie up -- two of my favorites. Match had a weird, frenetic energy to it. A very unique feel that left me wondering what was going to happen next and where exactly this match was going. I really liked the chop exchange between Punk and Honma, too. Really loved Punk’s staggery leg selling. One of the sickest Pepsi-plunges I’ve ever seen when Honma landed right on his head~! DANGEROUUUUUS~!
AJ Styles vs. Kaz Hayashi - 6
Can you say ‘Dream Match’?! Great fucking chop/forearm sequence between these two. You have got to see the intensity in their faces during this. Loved how back and forth this was. Both guys got an equal amount of offense in. Hayashi’s transition between the crucifix pin and cross face was beautiful. Really nice suplexes on the part of Hayashi, too. AJ’s selling here was really good here as well. I really wished that the Whitmer/Stryker match would’ve been five minutes less and this would’ve been five more. It would’ve been great to have a nice sprint at the end.
Homicide vs. Satoshi Kojima - 5
Homicide looked really fired up for this match... as was I. I love these two. Koj is super-over with the Philly crowd. Koj’s facials in the chop sequence were really great -- brought a new definition to the term ‘grimace.’ Funny moment when Kojima was being warned by the ref for not breaking an illegal hold, saying, “I’m Japanese, Goddammit.” Moving on, Homicide is great because of his reckless abandon - his dives to the outside are so insane. A pretty fun match that saw Koj going over with a lariat.
Christopher Daniels & Dan Maff vs. The Great Muta & Arashi - 7
Final match of the night. Crowd is super hot for Muta. It was really cool to see Daniels and Muta tie it up -- not really a match I’ve ever thought about, but it would be awesome to see the two of them in a singles. Arashi just manhandled Maff and Daniels with his sumo style pummelings. Muta is just great because of the methodical way he picks apart his opponents -- this match was no different. I was laughing my ass off when Maff was freaking out on the apron as Muta went for the moonsault -- he was literally tying himself up in the ropes. Daniels tied up Muta in a really awesome Koji clutch - it just looked really beautiful. Great finishing sequence seeing Daniels miss the BME and Muta hitting a great Shining Wizard. Fun!
A really good event. I felt that the second half of the show was a bit more rushed than it should’ve been. I would’ve liked to have seen the Japanese matches go longer. Overall, a recommended ROH show.
It's funny looking back at these two guys when they were just midcarders, considering how big both of these guys are now. Match started with some really solid chain wrestling. Both guys worked really snug in their holds - this shouldn't come as a surprise with Danielson. Danielson's European uppercuts were just beautiful, but Jay hung in with them and fed Danielson some stiff shots of his own. Match got a standing ovation after the bell, which was well deserved -- just a really pure and great exhibition.
John Walters vs. Xavier (Fight without Honor) - 5
Match got started quickly outside of the ring. Xavier was bumping around like a monkey after downing a dozen energy drinks. The stiff knees by Xavier were really nice and snug. Something I was happy to see was after Xavier kneed Walters with the chair, he sold his own knees -- a nice touch... but then dropped the knee again and didn't sell it, but then hit Walters with a dropkick and sold the knee -- my head hurts. They introduced a ladder and draped it over the top rope. Walters hit a wheelbarrow slam which got a huge pop and a great sell by Xavier. Xavier's Arabian moonsault onto Walters lying on the ladder got the biggest pop of the night -- this has been a pretty spotty match. I would've liked to have seen more facial selling on the part of Walters, but he did take some sick bumps. There were just so many spots in this match. I understand it was a street fight, but it would've been nice to get a little downtime to build up to the spots instead of just spot after spot after spot (give me a break, I'm a psychology mark).
Matt Stryker vs. BJ Whitmer - 4
Gabe stated that BJ was wrestling with a 100 degree fever and bone chips in his elbow and Stryker was wrestling after dislocating his shoulder the night prior. That’s pretty awesome if that’s true. I like Stryker and would like to see more of him -- his selling and technical ability are really solid. BJ pretty sound in the ring, too, although I think that Stryker is the better of the two. Good knee psych by Stryker, noting that BJ had a knee brace on. Match had a real exhibition feel to it and was pretty good, although I think it went about five minutes too long.
Mark Briscoe vs.Samoa Joe - 7
Joe started beating the ever living shit out of Mark to start the match. Mark was a good punching bag for Joe in the beginning. He was super skinny back then. Mark was stiff with Joe, too, especially with his kicks and lariats. Great intensity show by Joe as always. It’s like once the fans start getting behind him, he gets more and more intense as the match elevates. It’s really cool to watch. One of the best sells I’ve seen by Mark came when Joe hit him with a headbutt -- Mark just collapsed and his whole body was shaking. It was quite the spectacle. Very good use of bringing the audience up and down between stiff shots and spots and submissions. During a choke hold by Joe, Mark seriously looked like he was losing consciousness -- great fucking selling. Great match.
CM Punk & Colt Cabana vs. Tomiaoki Honma & Kazushi Miyamoto - 6
Wasn’t sure what to expect going into this match. One comedy wrestler, one straight edge superstar, one deathmatch legend, and one current AJPW star. Interesting. Liked seeing Honma and Punk tie up -- two of my favorites. Match had a weird, frenetic energy to it. A very unique feel that left me wondering what was going to happen next and where exactly this match was going. I really liked the chop exchange between Punk and Honma, too. Really loved Punk’s staggery leg selling. One of the sickest Pepsi-plunges I’ve ever seen when Honma landed right on his head~! DANGEROUUUUUS~!
AJ Styles vs. Kaz Hayashi - 6
Can you say ‘Dream Match’?! Great fucking chop/forearm sequence between these two. You have got to see the intensity in their faces during this. Loved how back and forth this was. Both guys got an equal amount of offense in. Hayashi’s transition between the crucifix pin and cross face was beautiful. Really nice suplexes on the part of Hayashi, too. AJ’s selling here was really good here as well. I really wished that the Whitmer/Stryker match would’ve been five minutes less and this would’ve been five more. It would’ve been great to have a nice sprint at the end.
Homicide vs. Satoshi Kojima - 5
Homicide looked really fired up for this match... as was I. I love these two. Koj is super-over with the Philly crowd. Koj’s facials in the chop sequence were really great -- brought a new definition to the term ‘grimace.’ Funny moment when Kojima was being warned by the ref for not breaking an illegal hold, saying, “I’m Japanese, Goddammit.” Moving on, Homicide is great because of his reckless abandon - his dives to the outside are so insane. A pretty fun match that saw Koj going over with a lariat.
Christopher Daniels & Dan Maff vs. The Great Muta & Arashi - 7
Final match of the night. Crowd is super hot for Muta. It was really cool to see Daniels and Muta tie it up -- not really a match I’ve ever thought about, but it would be awesome to see the two of them in a singles. Arashi just manhandled Maff and Daniels with his sumo style pummelings. Muta is just great because of the methodical way he picks apart his opponents -- this match was no different. I was laughing my ass off when Maff was freaking out on the apron as Muta went for the moonsault -- he was literally tying himself up in the ropes. Daniels tied up Muta in a really awesome Koji clutch - it just looked really beautiful. Great finishing sequence seeing Daniels miss the BME and Muta hitting a great Shining Wizard. Fun!
A really good event. I felt that the second half of the show was a bit more rushed than it should’ve been. I would’ve liked to have seen the Japanese matches go longer. Overall, a recommended ROH show.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Taue & Sano vs. Ikeda & Yone - NOAH 7/10/04 - 5
Yone came at Sano with a fearless ferociousness that made me think he must have been the F-14 Tomcat jet pilot I bravely controlled in '87 video game classic After Burner. There's a great moment where Taue tags in and enters like he's the man but is blindsided as Ikeda runs in and springboards off of Yone's back kicking the giant in the face. Taue's powerbomb on Yone made any Kevin Nash have done look positively playground at best -- no, scratch that, they made Nash's look like fucking inside recess (Remember that shit? When it'd rain?). Sano eats slaps like I do sashimi. Yone sells a brainbuster like he just awoke from a drunken stupor to find his friends tattooed a surfboarding dog smoking a joint on his shoulder. Sano makes him pay for this transgression by then hoisting him to the top turnbuckle and doing a brainbuster from up high to truly destroy Yone's chances of ever beating complicated Sudoku puzzles in a skull-crushing finale.
Enough prattling on about the moves, what's the story here? Yone is championed as the plucky younger upstart, battling two icons, Taue of All Japan legacy, and Sano, shoot-fighter extraordinaire. Ikeda is the spunky fighter that's not afraid to scrap but could be in over his head. It's a showdown in a green battleground, and to raise the stakes, iconic champions like Misawa and Harley Race are seen watching from the sidelines. You never get much sense of the the underdogs winning, save for an energetic flurry by tough bastard Ikeda, but the crowd's hot throughout and this is an 11-minutes you'll not wish you spent on YouTube looking at girls in their underwear playing Wii Fit or re-organzing your Netflix queue for the thirtieth time this week.
Enough prattling on about the moves, what's the story here? Yone is championed as the plucky younger upstart, battling two icons, Taue of All Japan legacy, and Sano, shoot-fighter extraordinaire. Ikeda is the spunky fighter that's not afraid to scrap but could be in over his head. It's a showdown in a green battleground, and to raise the stakes, iconic champions like Misawa and Harley Race are seen watching from the sidelines. You never get much sense of the the underdogs winning, save for an energetic flurry by tough bastard Ikeda, but the crowd's hot throughout and this is an 11-minutes you'll not wish you spent on YouTube looking at girls in their underwear playing Wii Fit or re-organzing your Netflix queue for the thirtieth time this week.
Monday, July 19, 2010
No Prom Date #15- Mel Gibson Rose Garden Seminar Edition
1) Stan Hansen v. Terry Funk ( Rumble on the River, 1990) - 2
This was from a home released video, evidenced by graphics that even Mario Paint could surpass. The quality of this whole tape was terrible, and the only person I could clearly make out was SD Jones and that's from watching his entertaining, yet near indechipherable HOF induction for Tony Atlas in 2006. This match is plagued by awful camera work that often makes you feel more like you were on the set of JJ's Cloverfield than watching a wrestling match. You're constantly battling the screen trying to find the wrestlers and avoid looking at the grotesque fans attending. To give the people their money's worth, Funk does brawl with Hansen down to a mucky creek and get bodyslammed in. This was reminsicent of his brawl with Candido sans horse.
2) Aaron Arbo v. A.R. Fox v. Unbreakable Andy (CZW Swinging for the Fences, 04/10/10)- 3
So this is the opener for this big show from the Hardcore fed, let's see how the curtain jerkers perform. Well, sort of how I thought it would. Fox is uber athletic, problem is all his moves require setups from his opponents that look so unnatural this feels like physical performance theater, and if so where's my complimentary dinner? Aarbo is years away from being a competent performer, he blows a backwards hurricanrana spot that Brian and I pulled off first time back in 2001. Unbreakable feels totally like a former gymnast who was talked into some of his Call of Duty buddies into trying out pro wrestling, that being said he has a sick bumping style of a very young RVD. Fox couldn't stay off the top rope for nothing and it was pissing me off. The announcers blew him up like he had just become a giant star by winning an opening 5 minute 3 way.
3) Rock n' Roll Express v. Ole & Arn Anderson (Steel Cage Match, Starrcade 86)- 6
Arn Anderson is just the Man, period. I loved the spot he and Gibson set up early on where Gibson steps a bit too high up on the corner and Arn just bashes his leg into the cage. A few hiccups later on and Morton comes in for THE QUINTESSENTIAL MORTON COMEBACK. It was actually quite beautiful. The punch your heart out sequences he does with both Arn & Ole were dramatic stuff and they sold like outclassed prizefighters. The Spinebuster Arn pulls off here should be placed in a dictionary as the definition of the hold. Fun ending too.
4) Makoto Hashi/ Naoki Tanizaki/ PAC v. KAGETORA/ Akira Tozawa/ Mark Haskins (Dragon Gate- Open the Compilation Gate 03/22/10)- 5
Hashi, I believe, is a NOAH castoff but he looks good here. His tornado clothesline looks like it hurts, unlike the sloppy DDP version. Also dug his balls out swan dive to the outside. PAC still needs to learn the art of selling. Not sure who Haskins is, but he's got fire and he and Hashi work well together, as does a pinch of parsely on your turkey sandwhich. There is only one Dragon Gate, for better or worse, but this match is better put together and less on excess than a lot of other fare. Hashi was my MVP though, really enjoyed his work here.
5) Shawn Michaels v. Marty Jannetty (Steel Cage Match, 1993)- 4
First off, some funny banter between Gorilla and Johnny Polo including topics such as both men losing many cage matches,Stallone's Over the Top and The Doors. Jannetty's dropkick is as unfinished as most Kevin Smith comic book runs. That being said, I like his selling when hitting the cage, makes Shawn's look sissy, he blocks every single time, then always looks behind him before he bumps. They don't seem to have much chemistry, but both do take a giant bump off the top rope.
6) AJ Styles/ Tomko/ Team 3-D v. Christian Cage/ Kevin Nash/ Rhino/ Sting (TNA Impact 03/28/08)- 4
Christian and AJ start out hot, great chemistry between them. Nash comes in al fired up but loses his steam after one lockup, haha. Bubba Dudley trapping Rhino in a body scissors makes me feel as uncomfortable while at the zoo and the two male lions start ass screwing. Styles old heel persona made him look foolish but what a professional to still keep excelling, his dropkick as crisp as ever. The gore is the most flaccid move in wrestling. How funny Sting is still doing the same hot spots of splashing multiple guys in the ring after 20 years? Tomko is terrible, he immediately gets up after the Death drop, then Sting has to push him back down. The ending sprint of everyone hitting their big moves was a fun way to end this though.
7) Marco Corleone v. Tinieblas, jr (Lucha Libre USA debut show)- 3
I wasn't real impressed with Marco's selling and movement while doing so until he took that nasty bicycle kick. Love his left hands though, they're like a Hersheiser fast pitch coming at you. Nice air on the dive outside. The seconds were a waste of time. Really uncreative finish too.
This was from a home released video, evidenced by graphics that even Mario Paint could surpass. The quality of this whole tape was terrible, and the only person I could clearly make out was SD Jones and that's from watching his entertaining, yet near indechipherable HOF induction for Tony Atlas in 2006. This match is plagued by awful camera work that often makes you feel more like you were on the set of JJ's Cloverfield than watching a wrestling match. You're constantly battling the screen trying to find the wrestlers and avoid looking at the grotesque fans attending. To give the people their money's worth, Funk does brawl with Hansen down to a mucky creek and get bodyslammed in. This was reminsicent of his brawl with Candido sans horse.
2) Aaron Arbo v. A.R. Fox v. Unbreakable Andy (CZW Swinging for the Fences, 04/10/10)- 3
So this is the opener for this big show from the Hardcore fed, let's see how the curtain jerkers perform. Well, sort of how I thought it would. Fox is uber athletic, problem is all his moves require setups from his opponents that look so unnatural this feels like physical performance theater, and if so where's my complimentary dinner? Aarbo is years away from being a competent performer, he blows a backwards hurricanrana spot that Brian and I pulled off first time back in 2001. Unbreakable feels totally like a former gymnast who was talked into some of his Call of Duty buddies into trying out pro wrestling, that being said he has a sick bumping style of a very young RVD. Fox couldn't stay off the top rope for nothing and it was pissing me off. The announcers blew him up like he had just become a giant star by winning an opening 5 minute 3 way.
3) Rock n' Roll Express v. Ole & Arn Anderson (Steel Cage Match, Starrcade 86)- 6
Arn Anderson is just the Man, period. I loved the spot he and Gibson set up early on where Gibson steps a bit too high up on the corner and Arn just bashes his leg into the cage. A few hiccups later on and Morton comes in for THE QUINTESSENTIAL MORTON COMEBACK. It was actually quite beautiful. The punch your heart out sequences he does with both Arn & Ole were dramatic stuff and they sold like outclassed prizefighters. The Spinebuster Arn pulls off here should be placed in a dictionary as the definition of the hold. Fun ending too.
4) Makoto Hashi/ Naoki Tanizaki/ PAC v. KAGETORA/ Akira Tozawa/ Mark Haskins (Dragon Gate- Open the Compilation Gate 03/22/10)- 5
Hashi, I believe, is a NOAH castoff but he looks good here. His tornado clothesline looks like it hurts, unlike the sloppy DDP version. Also dug his balls out swan dive to the outside. PAC still needs to learn the art of selling. Not sure who Haskins is, but he's got fire and he and Hashi work well together, as does a pinch of parsely on your turkey sandwhich. There is only one Dragon Gate, for better or worse, but this match is better put together and less on excess than a lot of other fare. Hashi was my MVP though, really enjoyed his work here.
5) Shawn Michaels v. Marty Jannetty (Steel Cage Match, 1993)- 4
First off, some funny banter between Gorilla and Johnny Polo including topics such as both men losing many cage matches,Stallone's Over the Top and The Doors. Jannetty's dropkick is as unfinished as most Kevin Smith comic book runs. That being said, I like his selling when hitting the cage, makes Shawn's look sissy, he blocks every single time, then always looks behind him before he bumps. They don't seem to have much chemistry, but both do take a giant bump off the top rope.
6) AJ Styles/ Tomko/ Team 3-D v. Christian Cage/ Kevin Nash/ Rhino/ Sting (TNA Impact 03/28/08)- 4
Christian and AJ start out hot, great chemistry between them. Nash comes in al fired up but loses his steam after one lockup, haha. Bubba Dudley trapping Rhino in a body scissors makes me feel as uncomfortable while at the zoo and the two male lions start ass screwing. Styles old heel persona made him look foolish but what a professional to still keep excelling, his dropkick as crisp as ever. The gore is the most flaccid move in wrestling. How funny Sting is still doing the same hot spots of splashing multiple guys in the ring after 20 years? Tomko is terrible, he immediately gets up after the Death drop, then Sting has to push him back down. The ending sprint of everyone hitting their big moves was a fun way to end this though.
7) Marco Corleone v. Tinieblas, jr (Lucha Libre USA debut show)- 3
I wasn't real impressed with Marco's selling and movement while doing so until he took that nasty bicycle kick. Love his left hands though, they're like a Hersheiser fast pitch coming at you. Nice air on the dive outside. The seconds were a waste of time. Really uncreative finish too.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Geo's Random Wrestling Review #3
Hayato Jr. Fujita vs. Koichiro Kimura - FUTEN - 4/26/09 - 4
Match had a really greater veteran vs newcomer feel. Kimura stretches the hell out of Fujita, which he sells with some great grimacing. I particularly enjoyed the half-liontamer that Fujita was in. Looked sick. He keeps taking the beating from the old man but soon gets the one up on him with some STIFF (~!) kicks to the side and legs. Fujita finishes Kimura off with a nice submission. Match only lasted 8 minutes but it was a pretty fun 8 minutes.
Chris Jericho vs. Yoshie Tatsu - WWE Superstars - 7-15-10 - 5
Fun, fun match. Great to see one of my faves, Jericho, on Superstars. Match had a really great feel to it -- Can Tatsu beat the wise and arrogant ring veteran, Jericho, or will Jericho make Tatsu show him so respect (something to the effect of what Cole stated). Tatsu has such great pacing in the ring. He knows how to bring the crowd up and down with his Japanese strong style (again, something Cole seems to say in every Tatsu match) and knows when to bring them down by getting his ass kicked. Jericho carried this match and it ended up being one of my favorite Superstars matches of 2010. Tatsu got some blood on his eye, and like a shark smelling blood, Jericho took advantage and gave the kid from the rising sun a hell of a rub.
Motor City Machine Guns vs. Beer Money - TNA Impact - 7-15-10 - 6
These four had a MOTYC at Victory Road last Sunday, so let's see how the do for free. Really happy with what I saw throughout the match. I'm not a big Robert Roode fan, but his selling in this match was really, really good. Especially when MCMG hit the double kick to the chest, Roode was flipping around like a fish. Match felt rushes (surprised?) but for what it was it was really fun. MCMG are made for this type of match. Awesome point in the match where Sabin gets crotched in the ladder for an awesome sell. Awesome double stomp by Shelly onto the ladder which laid upon BM. Fun match with unique spots -- especially for an impact taping.
Drake Younger vs. Jimmy Jacobs vs. Jonathan Gresham - IWA-MS KOTDM - 4
Fun match right here. Went into this tournament not even looking at the card to keep some element of surprise. Much to my surprise we get two established awesome indy workers in Drake and Jimmy and an up-and-comer Gresham in non-tournament action. This match was a really good watch. Jimmy and Drake have solidified themselves as mainstays on the indy scene over the past few years, but tonight would be Jonathan Gresham's night. This kid is the next big thing on the indy scene. Smooth, well-paced, not rushed, and technically sound all in one. He hit some great aerial maneuvers, but wasn't spotty. Drake and Jimmy both brought an element of intensity to the match and, as always, Jimmy's selling was nice. Again, just a really fun little match to start off a night of carnage.
Mistico vs. Liger (dos de tres caidas~!) - CMLL - 1/10/10 - 5
Oh yes. Fan-fucking-tastic. Liger is one of my all-time favorite puro stars and Mistico is pretty high on my lucha list. Really fun environment with Liger as the rudo extraordinaire and Mistico as the technico~ Mistico moves through the air so effortlessly -- it's amazing to watch. First two falls came very quickly after some fun sprints, but the real greatness began in la tercera caída when Liger started working over Mistico's leg. The legwork didn't really go anywhere, unfortunately. Other than that, the match was fun, there was a hot crowd, and Liger got over as a dick~!
Match had a really greater veteran vs newcomer feel. Kimura stretches the hell out of Fujita, which he sells with some great grimacing. I particularly enjoyed the half-liontamer that Fujita was in. Looked sick. He keeps taking the beating from the old man but soon gets the one up on him with some STIFF (~!) kicks to the side and legs. Fujita finishes Kimura off with a nice submission. Match only lasted 8 minutes but it was a pretty fun 8 minutes.
Chris Jericho vs. Yoshie Tatsu - WWE Superstars - 7-15-10 - 5
Fun, fun match. Great to see one of my faves, Jericho, on Superstars. Match had a really great feel to it -- Can Tatsu beat the wise and arrogant ring veteran, Jericho, or will Jericho make Tatsu show him so respect (something to the effect of what Cole stated). Tatsu has such great pacing in the ring. He knows how to bring the crowd up and down with his Japanese strong style (again, something Cole seems to say in every Tatsu match) and knows when to bring them down by getting his ass kicked. Jericho carried this match and it ended up being one of my favorite Superstars matches of 2010. Tatsu got some blood on his eye, and like a shark smelling blood, Jericho took advantage and gave the kid from the rising sun a hell of a rub.
Motor City Machine Guns vs. Beer Money - TNA Impact - 7-15-10 - 6
These four had a MOTYC at Victory Road last Sunday, so let's see how the do for free. Really happy with what I saw throughout the match. I'm not a big Robert Roode fan, but his selling in this match was really, really good. Especially when MCMG hit the double kick to the chest, Roode was flipping around like a fish. Match felt rushes (surprised?) but for what it was it was really fun. MCMG are made for this type of match. Awesome point in the match where Sabin gets crotched in the ladder for an awesome sell. Awesome double stomp by Shelly onto the ladder which laid upon BM. Fun match with unique spots -- especially for an impact taping.
Drake Younger vs. Jimmy Jacobs vs. Jonathan Gresham - IWA-MS KOTDM - 4
Fun match right here. Went into this tournament not even looking at the card to keep some element of surprise. Much to my surprise we get two established awesome indy workers in Drake and Jimmy and an up-and-comer Gresham in non-tournament action. This match was a really good watch. Jimmy and Drake have solidified themselves as mainstays on the indy scene over the past few years, but tonight would be Jonathan Gresham's night. This kid is the next big thing on the indy scene. Smooth, well-paced, not rushed, and technically sound all in one. He hit some great aerial maneuvers, but wasn't spotty. Drake and Jimmy both brought an element of intensity to the match and, as always, Jimmy's selling was nice. Again, just a really fun little match to start off a night of carnage.
Mistico vs. Liger (dos de tres caidas~!) - CMLL - 1/10/10 - 5
Oh yes. Fan-fucking-tastic. Liger is one of my all-time favorite puro stars and Mistico is pretty high on my lucha list. Really fun environment with Liger as the rudo extraordinaire and Mistico as the technico~ Mistico moves through the air so effortlessly -- it's amazing to watch. First two falls came very quickly after some fun sprints, but the real greatness began in la tercera caída when Liger started working over Mistico's leg. The legwork didn't really go anywhere, unfortunately. Other than that, the match was fun, there was a hot crowd, and Liger got over as a dick~!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Allied Powers: The World's Greatest Tag Teams Part III
1)Edge & Christian v. Dudley Boyz v. The Hardys (TLC Match, Summerslam 2000)- 7
Well the first few bumps were just plain sick; Christian falling ass & spine first from 10 feet up is a surgery waiting to happen and the Hardys hitting that see-saw move, just plain wrong. How come all the Dudleys offense looks pussy? Someone flying from high above me crashing into my groin is an altogether frightening concept (unless it's Eva Mendes) but D-von assuages my fears and makes it look as painful as a slab of cream cheese errantly falling from a bagel. You also have to love Jeff Hardy here; fighting both Dudleys outside just to get a huge ladder spot setup which was just plain carnage. For a car crash match, you couldn't really ask much more of these guys than this insane display, makes the Money in the Bank shit we see every year a bad punchline. There were a couple concepts that didn't work but the crowd didn't notice and their energy was pushing me ahead while watching. It wasn't super long or drawn out and didn't need to be for it's effect.
2) The Rock n' Roll Express v. Ivan Koloff & Krusher Krushev (NWA World Wide, 07/09/85)- 5
I've always been a hit or miss R&R fan but this match worked really well because of the old school formula it relied on. R & R looked good in all their armwork, Morton with some fantastic selling during his Gestapo beating and they had really cool teamwork that was in sync. Ivan actually impressed me with his really expressive selling and the smoothness with which he went with some of the more bumpy type moves. I think he was the most intricate part of this match and why it worked. Gibson is much more lethargic as the beat down babyface so another 15 minutes of his slow agony was a little painful. Match had some good ebbs and flows but I think they lost a lot of heat with the really long ring time, some cool armlocks from Ivan but Krusher wasn't doing much for me at all during this. The announcers were actually adding a lot of drama and insight to this match as well. Victory roll finish sort of redeemed this match's shortcomings but all worked hard.
3) The New Age Outlaws v. Rock n' Sock Connection (WWF Armageddeon 99)- 4
Foley has a nice bright blue dress shirt on, but he still cut it to fringes at the bottom? Loved Billy's very stuntman esque hiptoss bump over the stands onto the floor. If I could sum up the crux of this match, I've got two words for ya: Many Punches! Crotch chop that one. Road Dogg's skin is as blotchy as someone with eczema that has sunburn. Match is kind of all over the page as far as selling, surprisingly with these names in it, there's not a very good flow to this at all. Al Snow's interference was laughable and Foley's offensive run was as badly coordinated as Inspector Gadget trying to work 2 mechanisms at once. Thought it was funny Gunn's piledriver smoked the one Foley did minutes earlier. Really crummy ending to a match that wasn't that good to begin with.
4) D-Generation X v. Rated RKO (Cyber Sunday 2006)- 5
I've really grown to loathe the new version of Edge we have where most stuff is highly theatricized and looks like pure entertainment as opposed to actual wrestling. Thought his work on the mat was poor at best, and don't like how he jumps into every single move. Orton on the other hand is so much fun to watch, how fucking sweet was it when Orton hits the RKO on HHH on a chair and sells it like a champ. I liked the nasty boot Shawn ate about midway, and he sells death like no other, thought HHH looked better here mostly though, his offense was strong (particularly DDT) where as Shawn played his role but looked more like a balding guy with a back problem who shouldn't be doing anything physical. Wait a tick.....
Also, Eric Bischoff, a dynamic performer, was pretty much a waste in this.
5) Los Guerreros v. World's Greatest Tag Team (Smackdown, 12/11/03)- 5
After just watching Pinocchio with my daughter the other night, I couldn't help but draw parallels between the puppet scene in that film and the seeminlgy choreographed outrageous number of sequences in this match. Eddie provided some very good screaming after being posted early in the bout and sold it like a million dollars, but the rest of the match was a well pulled off marionette production. Some arm work that went nowhere, Haas selling a Chavo flip like a rhino fell off a stage trying to do a pole dance, the ending spot where an air filter from a car KO'd a human, just a lot to swallow.
6) Tully Blanchard & Lex Luger v. Nikita Koloff & Dusty Rhodes (Crockett Cup Finals 1987)- 4
2 Nikita matches on this set.....is this a rib? Dusty's "Elbow or Ass" game was amusing for a brief second. Not sure how Tully & Lex were paired together, or more importantly how they made it to the end of this thing but Lex was still green here. Tully looks even smaller compared to the tiny ring they're in. He's on, selling everything for Dusty spot on, but the chemistry's not there on the heel side. Nikita takes a Sasuke like bump off a clothesline and I sat up to take notice. Luger and Dust exchanging mixed drink recipes during a terrible brawl seconds before the finish left a very tart taste in my mouth,
7) Legion of Doom v. Money Inc (Summerslam 1992)- 5
Don't know whose bright idea it was to have a puppet be with them at ringside. Tons more selling from LOD on defense than you would ever think. Awesome missed flying clothesline spot where Hawk really went for it all. Switching on the chinlock was totally 80's tag wrestling but take points away from the ref for not even noicing. Match pattern was simple enough but I enjoyed the players involved, especially the heels and for a unique finish.
Well the first few bumps were just plain sick; Christian falling ass & spine first from 10 feet up is a surgery waiting to happen and the Hardys hitting that see-saw move, just plain wrong. How come all the Dudleys offense looks pussy? Someone flying from high above me crashing into my groin is an altogether frightening concept (unless it's Eva Mendes) but D-von assuages my fears and makes it look as painful as a slab of cream cheese errantly falling from a bagel. You also have to love Jeff Hardy here; fighting both Dudleys outside just to get a huge ladder spot setup which was just plain carnage. For a car crash match, you couldn't really ask much more of these guys than this insane display, makes the Money in the Bank shit we see every year a bad punchline. There were a couple concepts that didn't work but the crowd didn't notice and their energy was pushing me ahead while watching. It wasn't super long or drawn out and didn't need to be for it's effect.
2) The Rock n' Roll Express v. Ivan Koloff & Krusher Krushev (NWA World Wide, 07/09/85)- 5
I've always been a hit or miss R&R fan but this match worked really well because of the old school formula it relied on. R & R looked good in all their armwork, Morton with some fantastic selling during his Gestapo beating and they had really cool teamwork that was in sync. Ivan actually impressed me with his really expressive selling and the smoothness with which he went with some of the more bumpy type moves. I think he was the most intricate part of this match and why it worked. Gibson is much more lethargic as the beat down babyface so another 15 minutes of his slow agony was a little painful. Match had some good ebbs and flows but I think they lost a lot of heat with the really long ring time, some cool armlocks from Ivan but Krusher wasn't doing much for me at all during this. The announcers were actually adding a lot of drama and insight to this match as well. Victory roll finish sort of redeemed this match's shortcomings but all worked hard.
3) The New Age Outlaws v. Rock n' Sock Connection (WWF Armageddeon 99)- 4
Foley has a nice bright blue dress shirt on, but he still cut it to fringes at the bottom? Loved Billy's very stuntman esque hiptoss bump over the stands onto the floor. If I could sum up the crux of this match, I've got two words for ya: Many Punches! Crotch chop that one. Road Dogg's skin is as blotchy as someone with eczema that has sunburn. Match is kind of all over the page as far as selling, surprisingly with these names in it, there's not a very good flow to this at all. Al Snow's interference was laughable and Foley's offensive run was as badly coordinated as Inspector Gadget trying to work 2 mechanisms at once. Thought it was funny Gunn's piledriver smoked the one Foley did minutes earlier. Really crummy ending to a match that wasn't that good to begin with.
4) D-Generation X v. Rated RKO (Cyber Sunday 2006)- 5
I've really grown to loathe the new version of Edge we have where most stuff is highly theatricized and looks like pure entertainment as opposed to actual wrestling. Thought his work on the mat was poor at best, and don't like how he jumps into every single move. Orton on the other hand is so much fun to watch, how fucking sweet was it when Orton hits the RKO on HHH on a chair and sells it like a champ. I liked the nasty boot Shawn ate about midway, and he sells death like no other, thought HHH looked better here mostly though, his offense was strong (particularly DDT) where as Shawn played his role but looked more like a balding guy with a back problem who shouldn't be doing anything physical. Wait a tick.....
Also, Eric Bischoff, a dynamic performer, was pretty much a waste in this.
5) Los Guerreros v. World's Greatest Tag Team (Smackdown, 12/11/03)- 5
After just watching Pinocchio with my daughter the other night, I couldn't help but draw parallels between the puppet scene in that film and the seeminlgy choreographed outrageous number of sequences in this match. Eddie provided some very good screaming after being posted early in the bout and sold it like a million dollars, but the rest of the match was a well pulled off marionette production. Some arm work that went nowhere, Haas selling a Chavo flip like a rhino fell off a stage trying to do a pole dance, the ending spot where an air filter from a car KO'd a human, just a lot to swallow.
6) Tully Blanchard & Lex Luger v. Nikita Koloff & Dusty Rhodes (Crockett Cup Finals 1987)- 4
2 Nikita matches on this set.....is this a rib? Dusty's "Elbow or Ass" game was amusing for a brief second. Not sure how Tully & Lex were paired together, or more importantly how they made it to the end of this thing but Lex was still green here. Tully looks even smaller compared to the tiny ring they're in. He's on, selling everything for Dusty spot on, but the chemistry's not there on the heel side. Nikita takes a Sasuke like bump off a clothesline and I sat up to take notice. Luger and Dust exchanging mixed drink recipes during a terrible brawl seconds before the finish left a very tart taste in my mouth,
7) Legion of Doom v. Money Inc (Summerslam 1992)- 5
Don't know whose bright idea it was to have a puppet be with them at ringside. Tons more selling from LOD on defense than you would ever think. Awesome missed flying clothesline spot where Hawk really went for it all. Switching on the chinlock was totally 80's tag wrestling but take points away from the ref for not even noicing. Match pattern was simple enough but I enjoyed the players involved, especially the heels and for a unique finish.
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