Phil Schneider

Really fun mat based match which very much delivered on the promise of Hechicero mixing it up with the Traumas. We open with a spectacular Trauma 1 v. Hechicero section which has some cool athletic counters, and a series of nasty rolling cradles into submissions. We also get a cool second fall exchange between T2 and Hechicero. Maya looked good when the match sped up a bit, but he looked a little lost during the mat stuff, Trauma's will eat you up if you can't hang. The other thing that kept this from being really high end was the wonky finish which felt like some sort of double pin cop out so on one had to job. More of a match with great exchanges then a great match, but man alive were those exchanges amazing.

Such a pleasure to watch masters ply their craft. Very old school lucha match, had some very pretty mat wrestling, but a little more spice then a straight maestro match. I had no idea Ultimo Guerrero had this in him, add this to his mask loss and we are looking at an out of nowhere classic year from I guy I have been totally indifferent for his whole career. He looked like he belong right there with all of these mat wizards, his stuff with Solar was just great. as was the section where he matched up with Black Terry. Panther is clearly inspired when he gets a chance to do this kind of thing, and he looked great. Loved the third fall, with the very cool Star variations and roll ups. Maestro match of the year for sure.

Yoshiaki Fujiwara v. Super Tiger UWF 9/7/84-EPIC This was the opening match of their series, and it was really interesting to watch the different way they approached each other and the style they were working. This was much more of a New Japan style match, then a shootstyle match, although you could see the style starting to evolve. For example while Tiger is still going for top rope moves, he isn't hitting them. Both times he tries, Fujiwara moves. They still are doing piledrivers, but at least Fujiwara's actually is a counter out of a triangle choke, kind of a incubatory Hughes v. Newton spot. It wasn't just the style that is different, Fujiwara really controls this match way more then their others. Fujiwara really is a heavyweight against a junior, Tiger's stuff really comes in flurries, while Fujiwara is on top for most of this. They are really great flurries, and Fujiwara is a master at selling a surprise knockdown. Just the way he approaches him, there is none of the tentativeness of later matches, he just walks Tiger down, and counters a lot of his offense. Tiger is the scrappy underdog junior heavyweight which is completely counter to the way he is perceived later, I think this match went a long way in establishing him as a peer to Fujiwara and Maeda, and the finish run of big kicks and the chickenwing you can tell sort of shocks the crowd.

Also this whole conversation feels like it was written by the same WWE writers who gave Colt his gimmick

I loved the Boyle Heights Street fight, Big Ryck looked like a beast and all of the interference spots were cool.

Segunda Caida live blog over at SC http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2014/11/survivor-series-live-blog_23.html

2010 MOTY Mesias v. LA Park https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CIq0jnzLNY

I also think Chavo v. Muertes could be really good. Muertes hasn't shown me anything in this role, but Mesias has been in some awesome matches

It's seems pretty clear they are building to a Drago v. Cuervo feud, also seems like they are planting seeds of an eventual Puma v. Mundo and Puma v. Fenix as well.

Elaborate on this. I think it is a show which is clearly finding themselves, and I see no reason that the second set of taping won't be better then the first. Reading Cubsfans coverage of the show, it seems they have already made some improvements and adjustments from taping to air (adding the Chavo sit down interview, mentioning the visa problems with Konan and Dario). Curious why you think the show has already hit its ceiling.

I dunno, they seem to be pushing Fenix and Prince Puma pretty hard. The fed can't be all 24 year olds doing fifteen flips a match it's not Matrats, you want to mix it up a bit with some veterans and Chavo fits that pretty weel

I think Chavo is great so far, I don't love them moving him into a feud with Sexy Star, but I think he has played the role of paranoid veteran past his prime great. Almost feels like Mr. Wrestling II in Mid South

Anyone watching this show? I have been really digging it, we did Segunda Caida reviews here http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/search/label/Lucha%20Underground

Johnny Valentine was still active in the 70s

Here are some PWFG recs Minoru Suzuki vs. Naoki Sano (7/26/91) (33:35) PAS: Man am I steamed Sano only worked three matches for PWFG as he is fucking gold again. This goes to a draw which keeps it a little below the sublime Sano v. Shamrock match on the second show, but it was incredible. The counters in this were faster then in the Shamrock match, but it was paced similar. __Suzuki was the one brining the pro wrestling here, as he breaks out a nasty piledriver and even tries a dropkick. The dropkick spot was great as he threw it and Sano steps away contemptuously, Suzuki lands bounces up and hit a brutal jumping spin kick into Sano's grill. Suzuki was great here, as he is awesome as a fired up babyface, there is a point where is trying to get a cross armbreaker and he is just chopping at Sano's arm and kicking him in the head in a frenzy to try to get Sano to break his grip. There is a great spot where Sano has on a choke, and Suzuki is slapping his own face to keep himself awake. I loved the draw finish too, as both guys have kneebars on each other and are just twisting the ankles in desperation to try to get the submission before the bell. I clearly need to get more UWFI Sano, as he is truly brilliant in all of his PWFG matches, and I want more shootstyle Sano. Wayne Shamrock vs. Minoru Suzuki (9/28/91) (20:42) PAS: I liked this alot more then their debut show match. Much like the first match, the opening was both guys working for ankle and leg locks and both guys rolling with some nice counters. The stand up and suplexes in this match looked alot better then they did in their first match, and it actually built to the finish well. Suzuki has really fast hands, and landed some really nasty combos. Shamrock official ruled in 1991, and he was throwing hands too. I love how they established Shamrocks dragon suplex as a deadly finisher. Once he hits the dragon, it is lights out, and the dragon he landed here looked like it should end a night. Yoshiaki Fujiwara v. Minoru Suzuki PWFG 11/3/91-EPIC PAS: Fujiwara had been mostly working undercards up to this point, but man does he deliver in a main event spot. Suzuki is your young guy desperate to overtake the veteran ace of the company, and he dominates here, although he is never able to put Fujiwara away. This is really all about Fujiwara as a defensive wrestler, he blocks and eludes and counters and while Suzuki would easily win a decision, there are no judges in PWFG. There are a ton of nifty little things in this match, but I especially loved the way Fujiwara used hand and wrist control. Suzuki is rarely ever able to lock anything in solid, as he is always getting his wrists and hands grabbed and twisted. I am not a big fan of the draw booking, but the finish here was great, Suzuki is getting more and more frustrated, and he and Fujiwara start shit talking at each other, and then at the end they both are working on ankle locks as the bell rings, and Suzuki refuse to let go. Then when he does he is punching the mat in anguish and frustration. Just great stuff. TKG: Both guys were working defensively as you had sense that Suzuki was fighting to block headbutts before they were unleashed. Fujiwara tries to establish distance to headbutt and Suzuki pulls him in. Really Phil’s covered the whole story here so pretty much all left to talk about are the cool little pieces like that, the multiple ways Fujiwara fights out of a choke (my favorite being this thing where he uses his feet to push his way out). Cameraman did a pretty great job here getting really expressive shots during long sleeper segment where Fujiwara spouts different types of bubbles till getting to the ropes. For a show that really had only two matches,,,this was a fucking great match.

If you define rookie as a newcomer in a regular promotion, than he is a rookie. I am all for voting the way it's listed, as opposed to intended. Maybe it will make him change the rules in the future. He worked Monterey which runs weekly in a big arena and has TV, how is that not a regular promotion?

I reviewed them all on Segunda Caida. Listed the ones I considered must see http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/search/label/En%20Busca%20de%20un%20Idolo

Hechicero for rookie of the year is so crazy, that dude has been wrestling a decade. I know that is Meltzer's fault for making him a candidate, but damn vote Cacharro or Dragon Lee because they are actually rookies

Hiroyuki Ito is the best wrestler ever with under 20 matches.

My favorite was going through Memphis in the 80's and seeing the Harris brothers as bj's with long blond hair. They have to be contenders