Zenjo
-
Posts
2204 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Blogs
Everything posted by Zenjo
-
I hope you didn't forget to :lol: :lol: :lol:
-
No hardcore shortcuts here as they wrestled all the way. It wasn't 1985 anymore, but both could still go and they had excellent chemistry. Lioness had more power and harder strikes. Jaguar relied on her speed and counters. Generally solid to good action. What made it stand out were the smart construction and a couple of brutal neck compression piledriver variants. Ouch!
-
Scott was afflicted by Roid Rage, Mutoh liked his magic mushrooms, Rick was barking mad and Hase actually stood out as the more disturbing individual in a singles against Yoshiaki Fujiwara one time. Wrestlers are weird people. Steiner Brothers matches always had an air of unpredictability. Nobody watching or participating knew quite what was coming next. In Mutoh and Hase they had opponents who were both willing and able to take all their high risk suplay. As well as all the funky moves there was some nice rivalry psychology and crowd involvement. An enjoyable watch, although the structure was too loose and chaotic. These Yearbooks are ideal for showcasing the Steiners, as their matches are fun and different viewed in moderation.
-
The matwork section had Sasuke working over the arm. It consisted mainly of cross armbreaker attempts. Over and over again. He was probably wondering why the fans weren't going crazy over them because it was a powerful move, right? Don't let this guy construct the match Jushin. The rest of the time was spots all the way with some pretty crazy moves. The execution was sound. I felt no emotional connection to it, but can appreciate where other fans would find entertainment value.
-
Dreadful. Like Pete said there really wasn't any matwork, just a series of horrible parity spots. As uninspiring as the build of NJ Junior matches usually were at least it provided some grounding and structure. This was an out and out pure spotfest. Whilst watching I was thinking back to Special K in ROH. Not something I've seen in the last decade, but it still haunts me so.
-
I was disappointed by this. There wasn't a distinctive beginning as they dropped straight to the mat. There they remained for a dreary first half. A lazy performance from Takada, very Mutoh-esque. Laying around during the build and then springing to life when its time to get your shit in. You can't expect Allbright to dictate the matwork, that isn't his strength. Even when the trademark suplay did arrive they didn't milk them to anything like full effect. Takada got the predictable win to set up a final with Vader. There was some entertainment value due to the crowd heat. It's solid overall, but their 1992 bout was far superior.
-
A big arena spectacle match. The type of contest that New Japan would aim to produce on its Dome shows. A straightforward storyline and structure that worked a treat. Tamura used his speed advantage to continuously kick away at the quad. Before long the cumulated damage had Vader in pain. Excellent selling as he did his utmost to put over the underdog. Once the big man came back however, his massive weight advantage was overwhelming. Not one for the purists, but rather fun.
-
Monarca launched the jump start and made sure he got a quick bite of forehead, a local delicacy. He dominated the first fall before falling victim to a ridiculously awesome dive. They crashed into several rows of ringside fans. A big mark out moment. Micro segunda. Cruz was himself bloodied in the third. This possessed all the grittiness and rivalry that fans like to see in a wager match. Near falls and close calls with submissions adding to the dramatic nature. There was also a spectacular selection of topes. The fans had learnt their lesson and were scramming for cover at the first sign of trouble. I liked the respect shown in the postmatch, making clear that the issue had been resolved. Both fighters had done themselves proud. A big highlight for CMLL in a tough year for the promotion.
-
A match that (nearly) all viewers enter with the highest of expectations, and it's still as great as it ever was. Supreme pacing throughout. They have plenty of interesting things happening in the first half without going overboard as they might in future years. Dangerous K just so happened to target the head. You only normally see ears like that on the Rugby field. The leg selling from Tosh was the first awesome moment. There were many more. The final 15m or so was completely insane. No wonder the commentator was delirious! The challenger gave all that he had, but Misawa was just too resilient. The champion fought back and they were both layed out flat, completely spent. From somewhere they summoned the energy for one final push. Wrestling doesn't get any better than this. The picture perfect Tiger Driver '91 was the ideal finisher. Should Kawada have won? I wouldn't want to risk changing anything about this. It's not perfection, but I'd rate it 99/100. MOTY and top 5 for the decade.
-
Dolphin had cheekily nabbed Liger's colours for his ring attire. I liked how they didn't spend much time on the deck. It would've just been killing time. Impressive Junior action with plenty of high flying. Liger was still in his athletic prime pre-injury. The MPro man wasn't a top tier guy and was realistically never going to win. For me that gave it a ceiling. The Super J cup result had made an upset possible in the fans eyes however. There were a couple of instances later on when forays to the floor stifled momentum temporarily. All good fun overall and a satisfying tournament final.
-
WCW @ Atlanta, GA - Center Stage Theatre - May 2, 1994 Larry Zbyszko pinned WCW TV Champion Lord Steven Regal to win the title WCW @ Ft. Lauderdale, FL - War Memorial Auditorium - May 9, 1994 WCW TV Champion Lord Steven Regal defeated Johnny B. Badd WCW @ Orlando, FL - Disney / MGM Studios - May 13, 1994 WCW TV Champion Larry Zbyszko vs. Terra Ryzing WCW @ Orlando, FL - Disney / MGM Studios - May 15, 1994 WCW TV Champion Lord Steven Regal pinned Jim Steele Yep. I was taken aback by how good this was. Zybysko in the 90's had more of a reputation for stalling than snowflakes. I'm not overly familiar with his work from previous decades, but I'm guessing that the Living Legend turned back the clock. A nice face shine to begin as the veteran utilized sharp scientific offense. When Regal came back it was with a more roughhouse style, rather than his usual technical approach. It really was a stiff beatdown. The structure in the latter stages was free form and unpredictable. It culminated in a well worked pinfall for the surprise title change. What was going on with these WCWSN shows? Flair vs Steamboat and now this!
-
This was everything I hoped it would be going in. A wild, chaotic, tornado street fight with brawling all over the arena floor. Plenty of plunder was utilized, blood was shed, and Foley tried to injure himself with nutty bumps. Great fun and it stood out as something different in 1994 WCW. It's surprising that some people think it went too long as the duration was under 10m. I thought it was spot on. I even didn't mind the screwy finish as the ex-NHL guest ref took the law into his own hands. Had he not made it on the ice, Schultz could've had a successful career in the ring.
-
The opening quarter hour flew by with high grade Kings Road action. It was soon apparent that something special was taking place. The Misawa vs Kawada interactions were electric as their feud approached its zenith. In terms of build up to the TC match this did its job perfectly. There was also a dual storyline with the continued growth of Kobashi and his breakthrough results in '94. A FIP segment emphasised his (diminishing) underdog status, with his dodgy knees being damaged. In an elongated stretch he mainly fought with Taue. After an epic 40m finally bringing it home for his team. It was a real war as they left it all out there. Some killer near falls. They could've done about 5m of trimming. It would've cut down on move repetition without taking anything away. That's a minor quibble because from 25m onwards they hit classic level and maintained it through to the end. They'd set the template and would next year turn MOTYC into GOATC.
-
That was exciting! Quintessential AJW style action with both bringing their A game. High workrate with a spritely feel. I liked the occasional nods to familiarity in this growing rivalry. Hasegawa went after the back early on, but didn't cause much damage as Toyota was so flexible. There was a really nice little moment when Sakie found herself on the receiving end a few minutes later. Now from time to time the AJW TV show would show features where the wrestlers were engaged in training. One particular occasion in the early 90's there was a clip of Hasegawa sitting down on the ground in the split legged position. One of the trainers then leaned on her back and pushed her upper body all the way to the ground. She was in agony and crying out in pain! Fast forward a few years and she's in that exact same position when Toyota goes and stomps her face right into the mat. She sold it, but it didn't hurt much anymore. Seeing short term pain and hard work being rewarded in the long run is always immensely satisfying. It was a totally unimportant event in the context of the match, but was one of those little moments that make being a long time fan so rewarding. As the match progressed the underdog psychology came more into play. They got the fans believing in the upset, and it really did happen. Great finish as Toyota had her up for the JOCS before BANG the kick and 1,2,3. Sakie continues to level up with her biggest win to date.
-
It would've been easy for AJW to overdo a feud like this as there was such a strong dynamic between the two. Two kickers colliding in this time period was usually a success. It had been 3 years since these two had faced off in a televised singles. The two bouts were of a similar overall standard. Hotta taking unprotected kicks to the face and asking for more was a funny moment. She loved to dish out the punishment but had no problems taking a beating in return. As well as the brutal strikes there was a strong stretch with a nicely executed finish. Could've gone a little higher with crisper execution and quicker pacing at certain times.
-
Another vote for Vicious and Delicious Dream Orca Murder Inc. Tekno Team 2000
-
Critiquing repetitiveness in TV matches is one thing, but you're 'not supposed' to be watching house show matches. They were never intended for your viewing pleasure.
-
As Human beings we love formula, structure, repetition and predictability in our lives. With enough deviations to keep things interesting. Most people have a very low tolerance for chaos and disorder. In terms of wrestling I've found the best solution is to watch a variety of different promotions and jump between them all the time.
-
It's always a bonus when someone could hang with Volk Han on the mat. Not strictly necessary mind you, as the great man could basically wrestle himself. Kopylov was a skilled technician and the two of them tied each other in knots. Highly innovative as you never knew which hold was coming next, or even what that hold was called when it arrived. They went at it hard and fast in the early going before slowing the pace as they tired. Certainly didn't outstay its welcome as Kopylov secures the upset victory.
-
[1994-03-24-AJPW-Championship Carnival] Toshiaki Kawada vs Stan Hansen
Zenjo replied to PeteF3's topic in March 1994
Much as I love this rivalry I just wish they'd stop working so damn light with each other. The strike exchanges were like watching The Rock vs Marty Jannetty. Back to reality, and there was no messing around as the blows came hard and often. The early momentum switched back and forth. The longer it went the more Stan looked the likely victor. It could've done with a livelier crowd to give it that spark and make it more than a good match. Occasionally I do ponder how Hansen got away with using such a common move as his finisher? Then time after time it looks brutiful. There was a ton of Carnival matches on the Yearbook, but even that couldn't contain all the goodness. -
[1994-04-10-AJPW-Championship Carnival] Jun Akiyama vs Steve Williams
Zenjo replied to PeteF3's topic in April 1994
On paper this looks decent but skippable, so I'm glad I came to this thread. Doc was at the peak of his powers in 1994, having greatly matured over his years in Zen Nihon. Some enjoyable matwork to start, inspired by their amateur backgrounds. They employed several throws and counters that you'd rarely see in the promotion. As well as being stylistically interesting, Jun showed good toukon and provided a stiff test in more ways than one. Compact pacing too. -
I'd forgotten that they had back to back matches in 1994. This was taped on 4/21, just 4 days after Spring Stampede. The first one ruled. The second one ruled. What a great rivalry this was. I'd say this one shaded it though you could lean either way. A TV match with 37m shown. Yeah you read that right. I guess they just clipped out a handful of moves in the breaks. Isn't it amazing what you can achieve with a commitment to match quality? Having Flair and Steamboat doesn't hurt either. Neither of these veterans had lost their athleticism or stamina. Great workrate and there was never a dull moment. High quality technical wrestling, showcasing some of the best that the American style had to offer. They worked even more smoothly having had recent ring time together. A wide variety of moves were utilised as they kept changing things up. Plenty of stiff chops were dished out. They smartly held back the leg work for quite a while. Then some excellent damage and exhaustion selling down the stretch. As people have mentioned the big downside was the closing minutes. You could see that they'd run out of ideas at the death. The finish itself was strange and anticlimactic for such an epic contest. Had they brought it home 5m earlier it would've been a level higher. Still a US MOTYC. It was unfortunate that Steamboat didn't go out on his own terms. Yet lots of guys go on too long and the Dragon never had the chance to suck.
-
[Condescending Mode] I can fully understand why this would've been overrated back in the day. With familiar faces in Eddy and Liger it was pimped as one of the introduction to Lucha matches. After watching When World's Collide of course. Liger adapted to the change in style like a duck to water. Kanemoto on the other hand was like a fish out of water. [/Condescending Mode] Tiger Mask was terrible. Usually 1 poor performance out of 8 wouldn't be a big problem, yet for some reason he spent way more time in the ring than anyone else. Apart from him it was good action and a decent bout overall. Just nothing special.
-
Black Cat was a well travelled competitor to say the least. The style here was a bit of a mish-mash. Certainly not your traditional Lucha Libre with lots of body part work. It wasn't the moves that I had a problem with so much as the structure. The opening fall lasted over 15m and felt like a complete match in itself. If you don't leave anything behind then there's nowhere you can really go in subsequent falls. Cat reset to more matwork and then hit the tombstone after getting frustrated with all the kickouts. Sagrada was working from underneath the vast majority of the time. He wasn't half the worker that his midget was.
-
[1994-04-16-AJPW-Championship Carnival] Steve Williams vs Toshiaki Kawada
Zenjo replied to Loss's topic in April 1994
This was a breakthrough victory for Kawada as he wins his first (of 2) Champion Carnival's. They battled back and forth in the early stages as neither man could gain offensive domination for a long period. A bit of repetition from Williams with the lariats and I wasn't crazy about the no selling. Business picked up big time once the Dangerous Backdrop was unleashed. Plenty of excitement down the stretch in a rousing finale. Kawada hit 2 Powerbombs which didn't 100% connect, allowing Doc to survive. The 3rd time was a charm, and it's fair to say the fans wholeheartedly approved of his victory. I've watched this a few times now and am still seeing it as VG+ rather than a classic. The tournament as a whole was outstanding. I'll have to rewatch '95 before declaring it the greatest Carnival.