Phil Schneider

Your Callihan Top 10 matches will be better then the top 10 matches of a lot of guys who make this list. He was really hurt by being put on the shelf for so long. I think he is at his best as an intense brawler. Here is my review of his 2008 Necro match which is one of my favs Necro Butcher v. Sami Callihan IWA-MS 10/4 In most of your famous Necro matches he is a guy working from below, the crazy lunatic who takes a huge beating but is impossible to kill, and always has a punchers chance. Kind of dirty barefoot hillbilly Arturo Gatti. So it’s a cool reversal to see Necro as the unstoppable force and Callahan in the Necro Butcher role as the crazy brawler coming out like a buzzsaw and taking a huge beating. This is the equivalent of a short toe to toe boxing brawl, as both guys just go at each other with nasty shots, neither taking a backwards step. Callihan also did some cool counter wrestling, as he was working as almost a protégé v. mentor thing, guy who studied the master and knew his every move. Finish was perfect, as Callihan survived a lot, avoided a lot, but fell to the KO punch. Shockingly awesome match, and IWA-MS has delivered some great great stuff this year. Here are my reviews of the Havoc v. Callihan Death match series Danny Havok v. Sami Callihan - Devil Wears Prada Death Match 9/12/09 This was the start of their feud and a great way to start what I thought was the US Indy feud of the year. The gimmick was pretty amusing with purses hung on polls from the corners, and a board with high heeled shoes glued to it. The thing that really separates these guys from most death match dudes is that their brawling actually looks good. The best part of the match was when both guys were in the middle of the ring punching and headbutting each other. The high heel shoe board is a really cool idea, but I thought they used it too early in the match, it really should have been used closer to the finish and been a bigger deal. Havok does a sick blade job, which was old school bloody forehead style, rather then some weird gash in the side or arm like you often get in death matches. I dug the finish, both guys crawl for purses, Callihan gets a power drill out of onw, but gets cut off with hair spray to the eyes, and gets hit by Havok's finisher. Unfortunately that was preceded by a ladder and table bump which took way too long to set up and then got shrugged off. Post match really makes this match, Callihan pulls out his switchblade, unwraps Havok's tape and slits his wrist which causes the locker room to empty. It actually came off like a total crossing of the line, like Funk with the plastic bag or Shane Douglas shaking Pitbulls Halo, pretty impressive to get that kind of reaction in CZW of all places. Sami Callihan v. Danny Havok- Caribbean Spider Net 10/25/09 This is the kind of death match I like, no good natured sportsmanship, no respect knucks. Just two guys who hate each other trying to kill each other. Callihan jumps him before the bell, and this is a heated nasty little fight. Callihan was my discovery of 08, and while he hasn’t had the opportunities he had in IWA, his death match run in CZW has been pretty great. Both guys take some grizzly bumps into the Spider Nets, although Havok totally wins the bump contest, by flying off the tope rope into some metal contraption with barbed wire and glass. Callihan was a real prick in this, throwing broken glass in Havok’s face and jamming it into his mouth. Finish was nasty as fuck with Sami hitting his headlock driver on a giant bundle of tubes. Bump of the show, and absolutely the right thing to end the match on. Danny Havok v. Sami Callihan- Cage of Death 12/12/09 This was the crazy blowoff to the feud, and CZW has done a nice job of making this gimmick a big deal. Setup was nuts, with two sides yellow steel, two sides barbed wire at a 45 degree angle with plates of glass, and to top it off you have a scaffold with panes of glass and electrified barbed wire, with two panes of glasses hanged between the scaffold and the ring. A truly insane looking deal and by the end of the match the ring had more glass then mat, it looked like Hans Gruber ordered his men to shoot the windows. The match lived up to the craziness for sure. This was absent most of the flaws of US indy death match wrestling, it looked and felt like a fight rather then an exhibition of stunts. It had big bumps rather then shit like needles and syringes, and the biggest bump ended the match. Too many nutty bumps to list, Callihan going off a scaffold, face first through a pain of glass looked like something out of a Jackie Chan post movie stunt montage. I did think it got formless near the end, as the five minutes or so before the finish you had both guys kind of diffidently exchanging headrops. It felt unnecessary and took me out of the match. Ending was pretty great, they go back on the scaffold with Callihan pulling his switchblade, Havok blocks the first stab but gets slashed and falcon arrowed off the scaffold through the hanging glass pains and a table to the ring. Completely nuts, and it didn't feel super set up like those kind of stunts often do. I am not sure where I place this on a list of their 2009 matches, as the stuff pre finish was the worst stuff they did against each other, but damn did this feel like the way you end a feud, give me a good COD match up next year and CZW has sold me a ticket.

I agree, he had some good performances in his best matches, there just aren't nearly enough of those matches to place him near a list, and they are outweighed by a lot of bad performances. I do like him more then some of the other guys nominated so far though

I am with Childs, he had so many long matches with great opponents that he was going to have some good stuff by default, but I also don't like watching him. He either would no sell or do this almost three stooges comedy selling, he seems to have least one awkaward botchish thing a match, and I really don't like the way his matches are structured. No way he makes my 100

Me and Will watched an awesome Tommy Rich v. Brad Armstrong brawl from late 80's Georgia. It only goes about five minutes but is awesome. Rich looks like Kawada or Finlay as he just beats the shit out of Armstrong, we have some sightings of Mr. Donnie the greatest scumbag manager of all time and then a post match where Brad smears Rich's blood all over the hood of a white car. Man Tommy is great, I don't know how high I am going to put him, but my guess is too high

Will, Kris and I just watched an awesome five minute Armstrong v. Tommy Rich brawl, although that was 90% Tommy Rich. I am not a Road Dogg fan, but I like Scott and Steve more then Brad.

Yeah it is awesome

I have liked most of the finishing runs of the matches, the most recent CZW match I thought was a little flat, but they have had some good stuff for sure

You shouldn't blame anyone for a PWG Davey Richards match, that guy in that place does his thing, and everyone has to adjust

He is going to need to either get fired and get back to the indies, or show up on NXT or WWE TV to make it, but he was awesome in the indies and on his way to a case

I love ikeda too, but I am with Childs. Ishikawa has more range, and doesn't have the stinkers on his resume that Ikeda has

I don't see it, I don't even have him as a top 5 light skinned indy flyer

Brazos Villanos Shield Los Infernaros

I'm pretty sure I copied that show from your collection. You should have it, unless you threw it out in a post-nuptial purge. Not thrown out, but my DVD collection is boxed up somewhere

I was watching all of the UWF with Tomk years ago, but we never got to that show. Is that match online?

Here is the Rui Huyagi match https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX8BrNy6Tlg And what I wrote about it Dick Togo v. Rui Hiugaji MPRO 12/16/10-EPIC Another excellent 2010 Togo singles match, and one worked dramatically different from either the Billy Ken Kid or Hikaru Sato matches. This really reminded me of a 80's Lawler v. Austin Idol match. The first part of the match is all about Hugaji trying to stall and avoid a punch and Togo finally landing it. Then Hiugaji takes him to the floor and busts him up with a chair shot, and then works a really simple effective beatdown based around opening up a cut. Hiugaji doesn't do anything flashy, but he is a nasty fucker, and his bumping when Togo punches his way to a comeback is great. They also exchange some really solid haymakers. Togo has been unleashing a great superkick lately and he obliterates Hiugaji with one here, and I loved the rolling around for the crossface finish. No Togo dive (outside of a flip off the apron) and no big senton, this was a match built on selling and timing not athleticism. It's a match Togo could work into his 60's, so Dick, if you are reading this, no need to retire.

If he has even one other match at the same level as the Honda match, he's a guy people need to seriously consider for Top 50. Watch the other matches I mentioned, they are right at that level. I didn't like the matches Alan mentioned as much, but Togo was very good in them

Togo's amazing 2010-11 run pushes him really high on my list. Epic matches with guys like billy ken kid, Antonio Honda, Hikari Sato, Rui Huyagi and 7 random Chilaens. Not exactly a murderers row of opponents and the matches were straight up classics. He might have been the best wrestler in the world on the day he retired

There shouldn't be a seprate section. Trios teams should just be mixed in with duos

I really disagree with Will, I think trios teams should count, especially because tag team wrestling isn't really a thing in Mexico, so if you are excluding trios you aren't going to have Missionaires De La Muerte or the Brazos or Los Buccanaros

We are live blogging this over at Segunda Caida http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2014/09/wwe-night-of-champions-live-blog.html

I found the Rocca v Cota match. I DEMAND MY PROPS

Didn't see this until now, but the New Yorker did a mini documentary to go with the article

Atlantis v. Ultimo Guerrerro was a classic on initial viewing. Got to help his case

Here are some Segunda Caida reviews from 2007 Jimmy Jacobs which was his year. Not sure how much of this is online BJ Whitmer v. Jimmy Jacobs ROH 1/27 I think there is an argument to be made, that, for basically the same guy, current Jimmy Jacobs is better then Eddie Gilbert ever was. Tiny guy with great wrestling mind who was best in crazy brawls. The entire Jimmy loves Lacey angle was truly brilliant, I can't think of a better angle in the last ten years, and it was pretty much all Jacobs. This was part of that saga, as Jacobs tries to get revenge on Whitmer who he blames for disfiguring his love, turning him from Emo to Screamo. Even without the backstory this was a great brawl. Building from chairshots and spikings to insane spears into guardrails and Jacobs flying headfirst into chairs. Both guys spray blood out of their heads, and land wrong on their necks. Weirdest thing about the match is BJ Whitmer doesn't actually do anything that bothers me. Even the BJ Whitmer matches I have liked, there are moments where I go "Fuck this guy." Here he was completely inoffensive and bled and bumped enough not to drag down the Jacobs show. The ending was pretty ass, as that fake Benoit guy from Smackdown with a muscle queen back tattoo comes in and Exploders Whitmer through a table. I forgive it, because this wasn't the end of a feud so you need a reason for these two to keep killing each other, but it dropped the match below your other high end 2007 garbage. Colt Cabana v. Jimmy Jacobs ROH 2/24 This is one of the two blowoffs for the best angle in wrestling in the last decade, one could make an argument for Rey v. Eddie feud, but this was an amazing story executed amazing, while that was kind of stupid story executed amazingly. Cabana does an amazing opening promo which was like a serious Ric Flair promo mixed with a Hyman Roth speech. Jacobs and Lacey are then interviewed by ex Jacobs girlfriend Becky Bayless which added a little creepiness to it. As an aside, what happened to Becky Bayless? She was able to survive being an ECW rat and still have some youthfulness and prettiness in her, but apparently a semester abroad took it all out her, what happened to her in Paris? Did Chiwetel Ejifor cut out a kidney or something? Match just starts amazing with both guys going after each other. Cabana busts open Jacobs with a dusty elbow and he reveals scissors in the elbow pad. They then really have the worlds greatest Tiger Jeet Singh match as they stab the shit out of each other with bunches of cool shit in cool ways. Jacobs breaks Cabana's Chicago flag over his back and stabs him in the face with the jagged wood and then wipes the blood off his face with the flag, which is a great "disrespect your local scene" spot. Also earlier in the match Cabana misses Jacobs and stabs the scissors into the turnbuckle getting them stuck, then about ten minutes later he gets whipped into the corner and is able to pull the scissors out and uses them again, to counter a Jacobs attack it was a really nice piece of match layout. While we were watching this, I said "This is going to be my number one, unless they have Brent Albright run in or something." Moments later in comes shitty HGH belly, tribal tattoo Albright to stink up the match. Whitmer runs in too, and we have shit city briefly, as Whitmer throws Lisa Simpson windmill punches on Albright. The match never really regained its momentum after that, as they moved from a Sheik match to a Sabu match, while the big table senton off a ladder was crazy, it took too long to set up, and didn't have the intensity of the parts that involved stabbing. Jimmy Jacobs v. B.J. Whitmer ROH 3/4 The first third of the year was Jimmy Jacobs time. They had been building his feuds with Whitmer and Cabana for months, and he had been the best character in wrestling for most of 2006. Then they wrap it all up in the first part of 2007 and he gets to absolutely rule it in the ring. I haven't watched the cage match yet, but this was the best of the Jacobs brawls so far. This was a falls count anywhere match, and Jacobs gets thrown through everything in the arena. He goes through chairs, down the bar knocking over drinks, head over heels down stairs. He pretty much touches every part of the arena with his head. Jimmy also does a crazy looking plancha off the balcony. When they get into the ring, they have the great Shiek sections of ever Jacobs brawl, where he stabs Whitmer in the head, and then wipes his face in Whitmers blood, and lays underneath Whitmers bleeding head and yells "BLEED ON ME BJ". It feels less like a move to gross out the fans, then something a legit depressed cutter emo kid would do in a fight. Whitmer was along for the ride, but much like their January match did nothing to irritate me. I would love to see Jacobs in a feud with a top notch brawler like Necro or Homicide, but BJ at least didn't fuck it up. Your finish run was nasty enough to buy it ending the match, but not so nasty that it felt like a feud ender. Man I can't wait to watch that cage match. Jimmy Jacobs v. B.J. Whitmer ROH 3/31 I was anticipating this match as much as any match I can remember, so I was bound to be a little disappointed. Jacobs was spectacular as usual, as he is really the only guy fucking with Cena for the first part of 2007. Much like the Cabana match this started out amazing, but seemed to fall a little flat. The Frye/Takayama spot with the spikes was one of my favorite spots in the history the promotion, just so awesome and violent. Jacobs creepy blood fetish stuff was super too, licking Whitmer's face, combing his hair with the barbed wire bat, stabbing himself with the spike, just gruesome. Plus those fucking tights with one crying eye and one bleeding eye were just off the chain, if it wouldn't effect my burial, I would get that as a tattoo. The senton from the top of the cage is a hell of a way to finish the feud and both guys looked completely destroyed. Still this match had some problems. Having Nick Diaz come from the back with weapons to slide into the cage was terrible, both guys have seconds, they could certainly grab things from the bottom of the ring. You would think if Diaz was going to bring them anything it would be a one hitter so they wouldn't feel pain. This was also the first match of the series where Whitmer was all Whitmerish. He busted out his shitty suplex combinations, and there were parts of the match where it felt like they were doing a "hot indy wrestling 2.9 section." Which is exactly the wrong thing for a match like this. Still in a year with a bunch of spectacular brawls this was right up there with them. And one from 2008 Jimmy Jacobs v. B.J. Whitmer IWA-MS 3/1 This was probably the feud of the year in 2007, and after they wrapped it up in ROH, they moved it over to IWA. I think this was the best of their matches, as this was Whitmer being the least Whitmerish. No real goofball fake Akiyama shit, no 2.9ish wrestling, just taking a beating and giving one. Jacobs was the face here, which differentiates it from the ROH feud, I don't really understand the booking, as Jacobs threw the title in the trash, but Fanin was the heel who couldn't let go of the faces betrayal. It works better as a match, Jacobs is a great heel, but he is also a great sympathetic babyface, while Whitmer is a wholly unappealing guy, which makes it difficult to buy him as a babyface. As a greasy faced scumbag gun for hire, he works fine. The short hair is a good look for Whitmer, he kind of looks like a small time Irish mob legbreaker, instead of a long haired Dark Star Orchestra roadie. I loved the restart, with Fanin refusing to let the ref stop it, when Jacobs was destroyed in the corner. You also have to love the Sullivan spike as a babyface move, and the Frye/Takayama double spike spot is spectacular. Plus fuck what an ending, if a homemade vasectomy can't cause a guy to quit, then nothing will.