Childs
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Another great six-man as the Misawa-Jumbo feud revved up. I like Kikuchi as much as or more than Kobashi in these. He could make anybody look like a killer with the way he ate offense, and he and Jumbo made one of the great big man vs. little man match-ups in wrestling. The Misawa- Jumbo interactions were pretty fierce too as they tuned up for their singles rematch. Misawa hit Jumbo with a slap from hell at one point to get him off Kikuchi. And they had a great ground-and-pound exchange. This one truly doesn't get a huge amount of hype among amid all the great Misawa-Jumbo six-mans, though it did get 4-1/2 stars from Meltzer. It's a testament to the depth of the series that something this good was "just another match." -
Things have gotten really sad on that WC thread, with one guy arguing that Sting should get major credit for the "buzz" generated by a theoretical match with the Undertaker at Wrestlemania.
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I actually liked their Superstars match better. It felt a little grittier, with nastier offense from Henning. This was more what I expect from WWF Mr. Perfect, a lot of movement and flashy bumps. Still an enjoyable, fast-paced match with a few very cool spots at the end. Based on what we've seen, I'm convinced these guys had a truly great match in them. I would love to have watched Tito challenge the AWA version of heel Henning.
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No, Liger/Sano from the UWFI feud wasn't like this. I haven't watched it in a few years but recall it being fairly subdued, actually.
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I really disagree about the '92 matches. I thought the 3/4/92 TC match was excellent when I watched it on the yearbook and found the carny final solid as well. I wasn't the only one to praise the 3/4 match in that context. As for this match, it was hard to tell how good it was based on the clip. But I will say that Hansen didn't seem ready to treat Misawa as a serious threat. It's weird to watch Misawa work without the elbows as his touchstone weapon.
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I loved the way Toyota opened this match -- maybe the best three minutes I've ever seen her produce. That dive into the stands was such a badass way to put over the recklessness of her attack. I had some quibbles with what followed structurally. Hotta's long run of offense felt really long, without a lot of teased comebacks from Toyota. And when Toyota finally did turn the tide, she instantly seemed as fresh as she had to start the match. There were also some moments of really dodgy execution to go along with the cool stuff Loss mentioned, like that Hotta Boston Crab. I don't want to criticize too much, though, because they did achieve the war-of-attrition feel by the late stages. As usual, I can't see a MOTYC in Joshi, but it was good.
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This felt like a really good match filled with great wrestling, if that makes any sense. They didn't seem to be striving for an epic battle. In fact, the last two falls passed briskly without much sense of struggle over the finishes. But there was so much talent in the ring that everything looked fantastic. And Dandy and Satanico were such compelling, expressive performers. They didn't have to shoot for the stars to come close to reaching them.
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Kikuchi was also a guy who was going to get himself over if put in any kind of featured spot. He was such an expressive worker.
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Yeah, that was his peak year, and you could argue that between his offensive efficiency and his strong defense, he was a top-5 player in the league. But in addition to Bird and Magic on the rise, you had Moses Malone at the height of his powers, Kareem and Dr. J stil playing at an elite level, and a bunch of great scorers like Gervin, Dantley, Alex English and Bernard King. Then Isiah jumped up, and by 1984-85, you had Jordan. So if Moncrief had a window as a cream-of-the-crop star, it closed quickly.
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In the realm of sports-related statements inspired by the HOF defense of Sting, I was actually more bothered by the dude who claimed Sidney Moncrief was once the third-best player in the NBA.
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Really good match that had a chance to be great if they didn't go for the quick DQ finish. They established a nice little story, with a fired-up Rich trying to brawl with Hansen early but struggling to find success until he adopted a more stick-and-move approach. Hansen didn't unveil his full All-Japan arsenal, but the basic stuff he did looked nasty. And he really sold for Rich. I understand why they had Hansen toss Rich over the top and then lariat the ref; they wanted to establish him as an out-of-control force. I just wish they had given them five more minutes to cement it as a top-notch TV match.
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I expected this to be good but was shocked to find that it was my second or third favorite All-Japan match for the year to date. I just loved the tone they set from the drop, when Fuchi locked up in super-aggressive fashion and bulled Kikuchi into the ropes. Kikuchi's rallies made the match, however. He showed incredible fire with his first flurry of forearms, and his mid-match run of missile dropkicks looked fantastic. Then he had the crowd going crazy with his last, desperate attempts to fight out of trouble down the stretch. It was really signature stuff from him, even though he was just beginning his run as a featured worker. Fuchi wasn't quite as dickish as he would become in the later Jumbo-Misawa six-mans. But he was rock-solid as the tough veteran working on top for most of the way. I imagine this will hold up as the year's second best Japanese juniors match behind Liger-Sano.
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I have watched this match probably a dozen times over the years, and it has never disappointed me even a little bit. I love the way they tweaked the normal rhythms associated with Southern tag formula to make the match feel special. For example, the Southern Boys came out hot, as expected, but they didn't simply go into peril mode when the MX asserted themselves. They kept finding ways to counter and retain the advantage. This really helped establish them as a team that could play at the top level. Then they closed out with those tremendous nearfalls, which felt all the more dramatic because these types of matches usually ended quickly after the hot tag. The Lane-Smothers carny karate showdown was also a terrific standalone set piece. The combination of riffing on the Southern formula and high-end action made this pretty unique in the NWA/WCW tag canon. I think I like it a touch better than the R'n'R-MX classic from 2/25. My only regret is that I didn't attend the show (think I was at camp instead.)
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I think a lot of us who have gone back and watched significant amounts of Portland footage consider him an elite, elite worker. I wouldn't speak for Dylan or Will, but I think both might have him in or near their all-time top five.
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I think of Sting as more like a Steve Garvey (albeit less of a creep.) Long career as a star on on a high-profile team. Very good player in his best years. Remembered as a HOF type for fans in a fairly narrow age range. Performance doesn't stand up that well to detailed analysis. Garvey even had his TNA run with the Padres!
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They did a nice job with the Tessa angle here, making it seem like she just might go back to Tatum until he superkicked her in the back of the head after the match. That was a nasty-looking spot, borderline inappropriate for television. The match itself was pretty good as well, with Dundee landing some awesome punches from unusual angles before Tatum cheated to win the title. I agree with Loss that this gallant babyface run suited Dundee well.
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Terrific brawl. Jarrett was all fired up after Falcone and Torres threw hot sauce in his eyes during a previous episode. And boy did he show his Memphis heart here, building an excellent match almost entirely on emotion and punches. Not a lot else to say, except this kind of match never gets old.
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I don't think this match was from June, because they made reference to snow outside (seems unlikely, even in Minnesota.) Regardless, it was another great showdown between these two, a touch less spectacular than the previous match but more hate-filled. Waltman had such presence for a young guy -- just little stuff he did like stopping to lick Lynn's blood off his hands while he stared into the camera. This did not feel at all like the indy showcases we would see a decade later. It felt like a territorial brawl with some flashier moves tucked in. Very little fat.
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I have always enjoyed this match. Give me two fat behemoths trading bombs and I'm likely to be pretty happy. I remembered this as a toe-to-toe war, which it was at times. But it was structured more as Vader beating the piss out of Wanz for a few rounds and Wanz staging a gutsy rally in front of the home folks. The twist came near the end, when Vader hurt his knee attempting to avalanche Wanz in the corner. I don't know if he legit hurt it and they decided to improvise off of that or if it was a planned spot and he sold the hell out of it. The fact that I wasn't sure was a testament to the performance. Anyway, the drama of a hobbled Vader still throwing knockout shots while Wanz went after his leg was pretty cool. If you like Vader and haven't seen this match, track it down, because it's not quite like anything else he ever did.
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Totally out of curiosity and not meant as "LOL PROVE IT!" type of troll, but who are some other names you think are HoFer's that would generally be dismissed? The problem with your argument is that Sting isn't really regarded as a master of the "hillbilly performance art." His case for the Hall of Fame is built on the idea that he was a big star. And if basic data shows substantial holes in that case, shouldn't it be part of any robust discussion?
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Oh, that makes a lot more sense. They made some reference to jumping ahead in the action, but I had no idea it was that much. I wish the whole match existed on tape. I bet it was really good.
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This NOAH story strikes me as a sad one. Kobashi became a great performer in a still-thriving industry, no doubt assuming that if he traded his health for glory, the company would always take care of him. And now the world that he knew 20 years ago is just gone. I know it's an economic story that gets repeated over and over throughout history. You could probably write the same thing about an auto worker who started a job in Michigan in 1985. And I'm sure Kobashi has done better financially than most, so I don't weep for him. But there's something poignant about a guy who threw so much of himself into his craft watching his entire context slip away.
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Maybe he doesn't give a shit about social issues and just doesn't like paying taxes. Speaking of Helms supporters, it always cracks me up when Bob Caudle gets Steamboat and Youngblood confused during the Final Conflict cage match. I guess they all look the same to him. I wonder if the WWE locker room would poll much differently than the general populace on gay marriage at this point? I know, having covered the NFL and MLB, that the athletes in those sports tend to be not so progressive (though we did have a Ravens player emerge as a leading spokesman for the Maryland ballot initiative this year.)
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Steven Wright continues to be near the top of my list of guys from whom I wish there was more footage. I don't always love Finlay from this period, but his rugged, brawling performance offered a perfect contrast to Wright's mat-based athleticism. Good stuff.
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So what was the deal here? Was Steamboat semi-retired and simply taking a quick payday? In any event, these were a well-executed but very compact pair of matches. Steamboat and Borne filled their time with some intense strike exchanges, and then Ricky hurt his knee while delivering a move. Borne looked set to capitalize only for Steamboat to catch him in a quick roll-up. Steamboat, of course, sold the hell out of the knee, which carried into the tournament final against Fuller. They worked it as a doomed effort, with Steamboat showing his fighting spirit for about a minute before succumbing to Fuller's assault on his leg. Again, this was a solid, professional effort from everyone involved, but I was surprised they didn't go for something more drawn out given that it was a championship tourney and that they paid to bring in Steamboat.