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Loss

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Everything posted by Loss

  1. Loss
    LOOOONG video set to the entire song "The Boys Are Back In Town".
  2. Loss
    You can barely see Sullivan in this, but this is awesome. Cornette knew exactly how to use the guy.
  3. Loss
    Flair and Razor leave the arena in Richfield pissed off. Then, we get a mildly offensive Slick vignette making fun of black televangelists.
  4. Loss
    This was going well at first. Jannetty came in cleaning house and fired up, but then they started working too many holds sitting still on the mat. Considering the storyline, a brawl would have worked so much better I think. I do like Shawn attempting to be the aggressor, but he sits in the front facelock way too long. It seems like they'd do a non-finish here since Jannetty just returned, so I was surprised to see the pinfall.
  5. Loss
    Can you name matches where you've seen him get blown up? Windham has quite a few matches that go 20+ and 30+, and he is still contributing positively throughout most of them. I am not saying it hasn't happened, but I don't recall it being a regular or even occasional thing. What were your thoughts on: * Taped fist match against Pillman at SuperBrawl I? * SuperBrawl II tag with Dustin against Austin and Zbyszko? * His performance in both the War Games '91 and '92 matches? * Tag with Dustin against Rude and Austin at the GAB in '92? Also, I don't think you can totally rank anyone from that time period on their PPV performances. Not that he doesn't have plenty of great ones. I listed the ones I really particularly like, but that doesn't take into account what Windham was doing week to week. He's not a guy who you can list his PPV matches for and make the case. A lot of Windham's best stuff was on TV. As for the Muta and Flair matches: * Muta never had any good matches in the U.S. after his initial run in 1989. He coasted. Blame that on being told to tone down his performance so he didn't upstage everyone, or blame it on Muta being lazy, but Windham having a bad match with him doesn't make him unique at all. * The Flair match is disappointing, but it's not anything anyone ever points to as being good either. Also, keep in mind that Windham messed up his knee in this match and was never the same again. I won't argue that bad Windham matches don't exist. The Doc match at Starrcade '87 is pretty infamous. The '88 run, as well as it's regarded, really only had one standout match (Dusty at Bash '88), and even that isn't really a consensus good match. So there have been some matches that have disappointed. But there aren't many guys who have worked primarily in the U.S. whose best stuff is far and away better than his.
  6. Loss
    Barry Windham was an outstanding pro wrestler on natural gifts alone. It came really easy for him to be great, and I think if he had huge dedication to wrestling, he would probably be remembered as the best wrestler that ever lived. Everything he did looked so effortless, and he had amazing agility for a guy his size. The glassy eyed selling, the suplexes and DDTs, the lariat ... I really don't see what's not to like. In some cases, I can see the point being made even if I don't agree with it. Barry Windham criticism has always been something that completely baffled me. I do agree that he was better as a heel. The '88 run is what gets the most attention typically, but post-heel turn at the November '92 Clash, Windham went on a really hot run and looked like a guy who was finally going to meet his potential.
  7. Loss
    The yearbooks would take three years to release if we did that. And besides, these sets are not intended to serve the same purpose as the DVDVR set where people rank all the matches on them. Yearbooks are not "best of" comps or MOTY sets. They are history comps. The point is to say "This is what was happening at the time", for better or worse. We lean toward good when determining what gets chopped, but sometimes, there is bad or underwhelming stuff that is too memorable to ignore. Or, it was regarded well at the time. If Dave gave a match **** in the WON, it goes on even if it doesn't hold up. The time it takes to put together lists for what goes on these isn't spent watching everything. I purposely go out of my way to try not to watch anything. It's spent exhausting every resource to make sure we've captured everything that got some play at the time, or has gotten some play in the years since.
  8. Loss
    I definitely have no desire to get into a back and forth defending Benoit, so I'll try to make this a more global point -- charisma can manifest itself in many ways. It doesn't require great promo ability. Someone doesn't have to be The Rock to be charismatic. They have to possess a certain star quality and get the audience involved in their matches.
  9. Loss
    This is becoming a thread to just list wrestlers. I am going to close the thread if you guys don't start explaining what it is that turns you off of a particular wrestler. (Doesn't apply to everyone, of course, as some of you are explaining.)
  10. Loss
    Not really "Guys", more "Style" ... I have to really work at staying interested in RINGS and PWFG. Of course there are matches I love, but even they feel like a bit of a chore. I end up liking a showman like Dick Vrij more than I should just because he brings a certain charisma to his matches. I acknowledge Han, Tamura and their peers as being outstanding at what they do, but matches that go over 10 minutes in that style test my attention span. I think all the restarts from a standing position are just something I hate in any style, because it renders everything that happened before that point meaningless. RINGS and PWFG are filled with tons of restarts. For some reason, I don't have this issue with UWFI at all. UWFI is dynamic enough and seems to more greatly resemble traditional pro wrestling.
  11. Loss
    I think that match was something like 8 minutes of a 30 minute draw, and yes, it's outstanding.
  12. Loss
    Disappointing match. Seemed like it went on forever before Dandy showed any signs of a comeback. I have no problem with extended dominance from one side, but it works best when occasional comebacks are teased and cut off, so that it's still more interesting. This was just a slaughter forever and ever, which is a weird thing to say, because this is maybe the shortest match from Mexico on the set. I had trouble buying Dandy's win at the end because he didn't really get in enough good shots on his own. These guys are talented and of course there are good moments, but overall, I think it missed the mark. Also, yes the match is sourced from Lynch. Thanks for the YouTube link.
  13. Loss
    This is a great, unique match. What makes it work is that because Baba is limited, everyone works around what he can do. I think I like this better than the more talked about match in '93. Fun to see Kawada work some sequences with Baba, and I really like the side headlock stuff with Misawa. I think I like Kobashi and Baba as a team better than Hansen and Baba too, if only for the dynamic of the vet teaming with the overly eager young guy. Baba has a more global effect on the whole match, which is both good and bad. It's good because it gets the match over without burying Baba's contributions, but it's bad because they aren't going all out in the way they normally would with each other. Not the balls out 90s AJ match we've all come to love, but it's not something that should be overlooked either. There's something thoughtful about the way they put this together, because Kobashi going all out with Misawa and Kawada, then the match slowing way down every time Baba tagged in, would have given this a weirder, more inconsistent vibe than everyone slowing down and returning to basics. These guys keeping a lot of their big stuff in reserve are still doing more than most wrestlers worldwide in big matches. Kawada and Kobashi's extended time in together down the final stretch is awesome and takes the match to a different level, also allowing the leaders of each team to take a back seat and let the #2 guys have some spotlight. I love that there are no tags during this whole time. It's also an interesting foreshadowing of the more intense exchanges these two would have in singles, tags and six-mans the following year. Awesome match in a totally different way than you might expect, and one of my favorites of the year.
  14. Loss
    Found it on YouTube! Has commercials edited out, which makes it about 20 minutes and change.
  15. Loss
    Has anyone else seen the Lawler vs Jarrett match from USWA TV in '96 that went 30+ minutes. I thought it was very good, but I suspect Dylan in particular would go crazy over it.
  16. Loss
    Lawler has been more consistent while Flair's best has likely been better than Lawler's best, although 1994-present is stretching it. I really have a tough time watching any Flair after 1999. Tenryu is the answer, but it's also worth noting that Gran Hamada was 45 in 1995.
  17. Loss
    Oh, and the end should have been Razor attacking Bret in a Santa suit to set up the Rumble.
  18. Loss
    Solid match, but not one I ever have the desire to watch again. I appreciate that they were trying to do something different than the typical WWF main event to show that times had changed, but I wish they had done something a little more fast-paced and high-energy. Kind of a plodding match. Things pick up in the final 7 minutes or so, but before that, there's just not anything worthwhile going on.
  19. Loss
    I really always kinda hated this match, not because it's terrible (even though it's not really very good), but more because it was the end of Savage having a meaningful spot on top, and the layout really made him seem like a bit player. It was also a bit of a copout to not give a pinfall victory to Perfect over either Flair or Razor. If they went out of their way to do visual falls on both, why not just let him get the win?
  20. Loss
    Flair seems excited to have something different with someone who he likes that he can focus on. This is the best he's been all year.
  21. Loss
    And there it is, the best match of all time from where I sit. Kansai and Ozaki give an outstanding heel performance. Ozaki's facial expressions of getting joy out of the suffering of Toyota and Yamada are awesome, and the moment where she steps on Toyota's hand to prevent her from reaching the ropes when Kansai has her in a figure four is classic. The positioning here is also interesting, in that Yamada was pushed as the stronger member of her team, getting the fall over Kansai. Toyota gets the pinfall over Oz at the end, but goes through a lot to get that point, and is put in a position to sell far more than Yamada. I've seen this match quite a few times, and it's possible that Kansai's performance could grow on me over time, but Ozaki stands out more than anyone for me. I love how in tune she is with what the crowd wants to see. When they start chanting for Toyota, she takes the aggression and asshole behavior to a new level every time. The smug demeanor and general disgust with her opponents is awesome. Yamada and Dynamite are always great together, and they're my favorite pairing in this match. Just pitch-perfect all around.
  22. Loss
    Someone else being worse doesn't make Hogan good.
  23. Loss
    One of the best parts of all this is all the dead lifting and difficulty applying basic moves. Bull realizes applying a camel clutch on Kong isn't easy. Kong realizes bridging up with Bull isn't easy. So the early, really basic stuff has this real struggle to it, and they're Fuchi-like in how they milk the drama of the holds for everything they're worth. Even simple things like Aja's reverse chinlock seem life or death because Bull screams out in pain as she has it applied. Bull finds an opening to go after Aja's knee, and she is smart enough to create space and walk it off. The thing about this match that I love is the depth in the selling -- even when Aja applies a move or hold, it hurts her because Bull is so big compared to her normal opponents. So advantages are also disadvantages. Nothing is as simple as it seems. When trying to outwrestle Bull produces limited results, Aja decides to brawl her way through this and takes the match through the crowd, throwing rows of chairs at Bull. Bull, realizing what's happening, gets back to the ring as soon as she can and starts dropping bombs. But by this time, even that has limited results, as Aja has built up her confidence and has Big Mo on her side. From here on, it's anyone's game, as they shift momentum back and forth to the end, both getting really desperate and throwing everything they have out in an attempt to win the match. Great finish, as Aja secures the win with the top rope guillotine legdrop, the same signature move Bull tried on her moments before where Aja just barely managed to kick out. And so begins a new era. Only one match can steal this show, but I think I'm ready to argue this as the best wrestling card in history.
  24. Loss
    I expected to like this, but I didn't think I'd look at this as one of the best matches of the year. I thought it was phenomenal. It started as a somewhat polite match. Eventually, tempers flared and the aggression kicked way up. The giant swing is insane, but it's made by them selling it like they did afterwards so long (which may have been legit, I can only imagine how it feels to both give and take that move). The final stretch of false finishes is among the best I have ever seen in any wrestling match. I purposely tried to stay in the dark on the specifics of this because I wanted to be surprised, so while I assumed Hokuto would be going over to launch her '93, I wasn't 100% certain of it. I'm glad I did, because I bought almost every close call as the finish in the closing moments. The selling between spots made the impressive highspots doubly impressive. It's what puts Hokuto in a different class than, say, Manami Toyota. Toyota may be a slightly better athlete (although I'd say that's debatable more than definite), but Hokuto is so much better at pacing her matches, selling, and portraying emotions through body language and facial expressions. Everything she does seems positively earth-shattering when she's at her best, and she was at her best here.
  25. Loss
    HAHAHAHAHA. Bret and Vince are sitting on the grass in a park, Vince wearing a teal windsuit with a giant purple collar and red shoulderpads, talking to Bret Hart, who is wearing blue and red cowboy boots, a leather jacket, stonewash jeans and a Babe Ruth t-shirt. That aside, they reminisce on some of the bigger moment in Bret's recent career. This was all about defining Bret as a champ. Vince gets in what may have been a subtle knock at Hogan and possibly Flair, saying Bret brings a new humility to the title.
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