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Graham Crackers

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Everything posted by Graham Crackers

  1. Graham Crackers
    I'm not a Nagata fan but I like Yoshie and these two typically have a pretty good match against each other. I think they had better matches in other G-1's, especially as Yoshie improved but this one is still solid.
  2. Graham Crackers
    Thank god Kikuchi was given the task of holding the NOAH end of the NJPW vs NOAH junior feud last year. This match stands to prove how much Marufuji could have stunk up that feud had he been given the chance. It's not awful but it feel like a major step down.
  3. Graham Crackers
    Arai is probably my favorite of these Toryumon guys and he's the focus of this match so it's no surprise that I like this better than most of the Toryumon and DGate trios I've seen. I'm still not sure if that's enough to make my top 100.
  4. Graham Crackers
    I'm far from a Kojima fan but this is the best Kojima's ever looked. I thought Hashimoto did a great job of making him look tough. I love Hashimoto's offense in this era because it's mostly basic stuff but everything looks so brutal. This is a step below other AJPW stuff from this decade but I'm still happy I watched it.
  5. Graham Crackers
    The finish of this is awesome but yeah, some of the stuff before that is a bit dull. I'll probably have this in my top 50 but if I just saw the finish I'd have assumed it would rank even higher.
  6. Graham Crackers
    This is Nagata's best match and it's because Taue showed up ready to dance. It's funny that Taue isn't known for his striking but his strikes completely outclass Nagata in this one. dawho5's right about Nagata's selling leaving something to be desired but when Taue wrestles a match like this he could be in the ring with a broomstick, or even Chono, and I'd probably still like it.
  7. Graham Crackers
    It's Takuma Sano, not Tahuma. Any and every Sano singles match is something to be cherished. Most of the wrestlers who had good chemistry with Misawa in NOAH were guys that already wrestled him in AJPW. Despite that, Sano meshed with Misawa really well and Misawa always put him over nicely with some of his better selling in that last decade. This is another match that I hope people aren't going to keep sleeping on.
  8. Graham Crackers
    This is my favorite NOAH match. I wrote a little bit about this match on WKO while also discussing Kobashi's ghc title reign.
  9. Graham Crackers
    You're crazy. This is one of my ten favorite NOAH singles matches. Saito's strikes are nasty and Honda eats a huge beating before using his strength and technique to overcome. I never understand the hate that Saito gets because he always looks like he's kicking people's asses to me. Honda is obviously better and he makes this match but Saito is far from useless.
  10. Graham Crackers
    This is probably one of the two or three best New Japan junior matches and probably the best IWGP junior title match of this decade. I never had a problem with the scale of this match because I was pretty into every little thing they do in this match. The selling and legwork are all really clever and AKIRA biting Kanemoto's leg is the best highspot of the match. It's still probably not a high ranking match but I could see it sneaking it's way onto the top half of my ballot.
  11. Graham Crackers
    This is a totally wild brawl. Probably the best 6 man tag NOAH ever had. The brawling around the arena is well done and everything looks pretty sick. This is one of those rare Izumida matches where he actually looks really good. This more chaotic environment makes the two Takeshis look better. If you were put off by the Akiyama/Saito vs Takeshis GHC tag team match you should still give this a try as it's much much better.
  12. Graham Crackers
    This match is really good but it's just so BIG that it's not the kind of match I can watch over and over again and that hurts it. I think they pulled off the escalating action very well and I don't really have a problem with any of the selling but it's scale just makes it feel like work to watch it. This is a lock for a top 100 but I'm more likely to put a fun match that I know I'll watch again and again in front of this.
  13. Graham Crackers
    I like every single one of these Burning vs Sterness matches but that shouldn't be surprising if you've seen me professing my love of NOAH's 6 and 8 man tags before. Both stables match up pretty nicely. Kobashi and Akiyama bring the star power but it's more exciting for me to see them in the ring with the lower ranked guys. For me it's Honda, Kikuchi, Saito, Hashi, and KENTA that make these matches. Honda is incredibly versatile in these matches as he is great when called upon to toss somebody around as well as when he's expected to be vulnerable and sell. Hashi has great selling and high spots. Saito is a terrific asskicker. Kikuchi is surly. KENTA provides plenty of action and the tag format/presence of heavyweights reins in some of his excess. I do have this one in my notes as the best Burning vs Sterness match but the main thing I remember is that this is the one with Honda's mom in the audience. Not a high ranking match but it does have a shot at a top 100.
  14. Graham Crackers
    I know that calling this the fourth best NJPW vs NOAH junior tag doesn't sound like a compliment but this is still pretty damn good. It's just not great like the other Liger vs Kikuchi tags. Kanemoto is a great addition to this even if he doesn't come across like a contemptible prick like Minoru did. It's a shame Kanemoto didn't play a bigger role in this feud because he is definitely capable of being a merciless asshole when called upon to do so. I would have preferred him to guys like Gedo and Jado.
  15. Graham Crackers
    Very disappointing match. I mean, I know that Chono is in this but when I hear "big match Taue" I get pretty excited and this just didn't live up to those expectations.
  16. Graham Crackers
    Does anyone remember which DVDVR issue has the Magnum vs Tully review where Dean explains how they are Southern archetypes?
  17. Graham Crackers
    Here's an awesome painting from Gary Panter's upcoming show: http://fredericksfreisergallery.com/exhibitions/current/image_16.html
  18. Graham Crackers
    Virus vs Guerrero Maya from 6/7/2011 is probably my favorite match from this decade so far. Wrote this on WKO when I first watched it: I'll add: Makoto Hashi & Kengo Mashimo vs. Daisuke Ikeda & Takahiro Oba, (FUTEN, 10/24/2010) which is one of the best Battlarts style tags ever. Great writeup by Phil here: http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2011/04/come-quietly-futen-rules-society.html Takahiro Oba/Takeshi Ono vs Kengo Mashimo/Manabu Suruga (FUTEN, 5/30/2010) isn't too far off. I wrote this way back when: Pierrothcito vs. Demus 3:16 (CMLL, 8/24/2010) 2010 IWRG was pretty sweet. Essential IWRG here: All three of these are amazing brawls: Black Terry/Cerebro Negro vs. Trauma I/Trauma II (IWRG, 4/29/2010) Black Terry/Dr Cerebro/Chico Che vs. Gringo Loco/El Hijo del Diablo/Avisman (IWRG, 3/7/2010) Black Terry/Dr Cerebro/Chico Che vs. Gringo Loco/El Hijo del Diablo/Avisman (IWRG, 3/14/2010) Comando Negro vs Pollo, mask vs mask (IWRG, 12/26/2010) - sick mask vs mask match with a guy in a chicken costume Los Traumas I/II vs. Suicida/Zatura (IWRG, 1/14/2010) - Trauma I coming out party. Black Terry/Doctor Cerebro vs Hijo del Diablo/Gringo Loco (IWRG, 2/7/2010) - gets points for being the first good cage match I've ever seen in lucha. And possibly the only good one I've ever seen.
  19. Graham Crackers
    Going back and forth between modern wrestling and the DVDVR lucha set provided a similar insight for me. The difference between the loose pins you see in modern wrestling and the realistic pinning predicaments (realistic as in a lot of pressure was being applied and wrestlers had to use a lot of strength to kick out) in those 80s lucha matches was like night and day.
  20. Graham Crackers
    I wasn't too excited about this going in but I was pleasantly surprised. This has the charm that many of my favorite US indy wrestling matches have even if it isn't in the top tier of that style. This is two athletic young guys trying to create their own idealized version of what a pro wrestling match should look like. Yeah, you can say that about most indy wrestling matches from this era but somehow they avoid coming across as pretentious here. It helps that there is a good ratio of stuff that works to stuff that doesn't work. They go for a slow build and it actually stays focused for a while with plenty of struggle to stop the matwork from looking like a dance routine. Not all of the late match nearfalls work but the finishing stretch isn't quite as bloated as I expected either. I liked this. I don't think it'll make my top 100 for the decade or anything but I'm really glad I watched it.
  21. Graham Crackers
    This is a fun match that does a decent job of combining Inoki-ism and sports entertainment schtick. Murakami mugging, blood, and a big atmosphere help this.
  22. Graham Crackers
    Gedo and Jado taking on Sasuke and Tiger Mask ay have been a mess but it was far more exciting than this. Probably the worst NOAH vs NJPW junior tag nominated for this project but bad ice cream is still ice cream and I love ice cream. I don't really buy Gedo and Jado's gimmick but Kikuchi is a good enough babyface to make me care about this match.
  23. Graham Crackers
    Yeah, I really liked Shiga as well during the Burning vs Sternness feud and this is one of his best showcases. It's a shame he never had a performance like this after his injury. This does go a bit too long for what it is and that's a flaw you can apply to a lot of 2 on 2 NOAH tags. Has a good shot at making the bottom half of my ballot.
  24. Graham Crackers
    Take a wrestler I don't usually like and I will like them a lot more when Tenryu is beating the crap out of them. This is fun but there are better displays of Tenryu's malice out there so I'm not too confident that this will make my ballot.
  25. Graham Crackers
    I really like three of these workers and the one I don't like (Toyota) doesn't really do anything too offensive in here. Some of her sloppier moments actually worked in the match's favor like when her top rope dropkick missed and instead she hit Satomura in the head with her ass. That looked pretty painful. This match could have benefited from some negative space to allow you to soak in the action but it's still a fun sprinty tag.
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