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Graham Crackers

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Everything posted by Graham Crackers

  1. Graham Crackers
    One corner is inhabited by guys who are overrated or underachievers (Mutoh, Kojima, Kea) and the other corner has the kind of lovable/lumpy underdogs I love (Araya and Arashi). This isn't as good as the Zero-One vs AJPW 8 man from 2003 but it isn't too far off. With 8 wrestlers in there this is paced very nicely and most of the flaws that bother me about these workers are hidden from view. This is an easy match to overlook but it's very satisfying even if it's not going to blow anybody's mind.
  2. Graham Crackers
    Kikuchi during this era is compelling against anybody, especially anybody from NJPW. Samurai is definitely capable of embracing his role as a heel in this feud and Naruse is solid enough to make up for the fact that he's a little dry. This never reaches the heights that other matches in this feud do but it's a solid NJPW vs NOAH junior tag.
  3. Graham Crackers
    Not a bad match but not one that really stayed with me either. Tanaka is the indy underdog against the former NJPW star and that's a compelling story. Both guys are charismatic enough to carry the story but they still carry it with kickouts. That said, the reactions to those kickouts are well done and at less than 15 minutes it never wears out it's welcome. Worth watching.
  4. Graham Crackers
    I really like both of these Misawa vs Takayama matches. The 2002 match is a rather grotesque spectacle. In some ways it feels like a hybrid of a King's Road match with a wrestler vs shooter match like Hashimoto vs Ogawa or Cena vs Brock. Misawa has his hands up to block strikes and even busts out some leg kicks and there are a few rough uncooperative moments as well as really violent strikes. Great match.
  5. Graham Crackers
    Before now I have mostly seen praise for this match so I was surprised to see how much you two hate this one. I wasn't as crazy about it as some other people were but I still enjoyed it. This is four tough guys beating the crap out of each other so I was definitely able to enjoy parts of this. Not sure if it will rank for me as I thought it was a tad listless. This kind of clubbering would have made a much better sprint whereas this match is just too long.
  6. Graham Crackers
    A big fun slugfest that I've seen get overrated in other places but I'm happy to see rated so fairly here. I'll be honest, these guys just have cool offense and that can be enough in a match like this that holds no pretensions of being an epic.
  7. Graham Crackers
    This is probably my favorite Takayama in NJPW match, partially because I love Nishimura's schtick. Nishimura drags things out and takes his time but the crowd still responds. Takayama being so good at working a methodical match like this but still summoning the necessary physicality when it was time to take over shows just what a strong worker he was back then.
  8. Graham Crackers
    I can't believe nobody has commented on this. This is Takayama's miracle match. Chono is VERY physically limited but Takayama works his ass off and makes Chono look like a real threat. The beginning and body of the match have dull moments but then the finishing stretch comes and they hit it right out the park. Nothing in the first two thirds of the match is bad but it isn't going to blow your mind. It's the last chunk that feels like one of the best Japanese matches of the decade. The emotional atmosphere helps but Takayama is such a force he didn't really need it. A shorter match would have been a top 20 contender but as it stands this is a great match that is a lock for my ballot.
  9. Graham Crackers
    It's true, some of Hashi's spots are crazy when you think about how his career ended. He really threw his body around with reckless abandon. Kanemoto at this point was a smart enough worker to make the most out of those spots. He makes Hashi bring it to him and cuts him off whenever he has to. Another strong NJPW vs NOAH match.
  10. Graham Crackers
    Awesome! Thanks for the heads up. Always happy to help out a dude with Super Raton in his signature. I wrote about the match on twitter starting here: https://twitter.com/TheAnthonyStock/status/493397158461075456 The footage is cool. The Solitario vs Perro Aguayo stuff is awesome. Unfortunately the match is two straight falls that end in DQs. It's crazy to me that even on a big occasion like this, everybody was so protected that nobody ate a single pin or submission. Also, do we know when exactly the DDT was invented? Solitario using a series of DDTs in this match had me wondering. A quick google search just said Roberts started using it in the 80s with no specific year mentioned.
  11. Graham Crackers
    Awesome! Thanks for the heads up.
  12. Graham Crackers
    This is like a parody of the SUWA vs Dragon Kid match and I thought that was overrated. There is so much interference in this match that I could barely get all the way through it.
  13. Graham Crackers
    This is my favorite of the 2002 Takayama singles matches. I love how Ogawa uses his speed and smarts to avoid Takayama's signature offense. Takayama gets all of his shots in at just the right times to elicit the biggest crowd reaction and the finish is perfect. I wouldn't hesitate to put this in my top 20 NOAH matches and this is an absolute lock for my final ballot.
  14. Graham Crackers
    It's hard to rank this compared to their match from February. The February match has great selling and a good structure but feels kind of bland, almost small. This one has some awesome sequences and is way more intense but is too boated and suffers for it. I'd probbaly have both around the same level and I doubt that either will really make my final top 100 anyway.
  15. Graham Crackers
    Fun match, just like the one that came a week later. The gimmick hides some of the flaws of the style/wrestlers but it still isn't my cup of tea. When it comes to lucharesu, make mine Michinoku.
  16. Graham Crackers
    Watched these back to back late last year. My notes say I liked this one more though both matches have lost of similar spots. I felt like this one flowed nicer. Fun match with some neat sequences and funny personalities. The gimmick hides some of the flaws of the style. I don't think this'll make my ballot though.
  17. Graham Crackers
    2002 Zero-One was definitely a step down from 2001. I did like the Hoshikawa vs Hidaka matches which were probably better than a number of other junior matches nominated for this project. Sadly, this is what got nominated. On paper this looks interesting as at some point I have been a fan of every guy in this match other than Kuroda but this is very flat. dawho5 is right, this match has a bunch of "stuff," but no substance.
  18. Graham Crackers
    I've said it before and I'll say it again, if Nakanishi is Octagon then Takayama is Fuerza Guerrera. For whatever reason Takayama is great at wrestling Nakanishi. This winds up being an awesome heavyweight slugfest.
  19. Graham Crackers
    This isn't nearly as terrible as I thought it would be. That said, it's not even a top ten Nagata singles match so it's not going very high either. This is an archetypal late 2000s Japanese main event but slightly less bloated.
  20. Graham Crackers
    I like this match a lot. I'm surprised that in the post MMA world we don't have more wrestlers using mounts and the guard position in the places that there used to be headlocks. That's pretty much how the shooty stuff is used here. Nagata isn't really capable of a shoot style match but he is charismatic and in 2002 was game enough to fit in a simple heavyweight match with Takayama. The striking does leave something to be desired though. This isn't MOTY or anything like that. Still, this is a fun match that is pretty easy to enjoy.
  21. Graham Crackers
    The momentum of this one still swings back and forth a bit too often but there is too much awesomely brutal offense for me to not enjoy this. It builds upon the 2000 match and adds in some bigger spots and garbage brawling. I thought this was really fun.
  22. Graham Crackers
    I thought this was a surprisingly entertaining sprint but really nothing special. Definitely not a MOTDC.
  23. Graham Crackers
    It's a shame Miyamoto didn't live up to his potential because as far as rookies standing up to big bully Tenryu, he was one of the best. If you've never seen it, the Tenryu vs Miyamoto singles match from 2003 may be even better. As for the other two guys in this match, Kea is well protected in tags so this ends up being one of his best showings and I welcome any opportunity to watch more Araya.
  24. Graham Crackers
    It's so awesome to see that these matches still hold up. I still have fond memories of watching these while reading the DVDVR these were reviewed in. I've seen more clever nutshot shenanigans in lucha but this is still high end groin centric comedy. The hatred and the more focused than usual face/heel dynamic make this stand out.
  25. Graham Crackers
    These matches are awesome. Hashimoto has brutal offense and Tanaka is good at taking brutal offense while looking stupid/tough. No one is more compelling picking apart their severely outmatched prey than Hashimoto.
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