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Zenjo

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Everything posted by Zenjo

  1. Zenjo
    This feud, and as a result the promotion as a whole were really hot at this time. The main focus was building up to the Jumbo vs Kawada title bout next month, although all the individual matchups were fun. Four great wrestlers brought it and there was a lively crowd at the Korakuen. Had everything gone to plan this could've been top 20 for the year as there was a real buzz and energy to it. There were a few minor issues with move selection and repetition that made it low end top 50 on my list instead. A hearty recommendation.
  2. Zenjo
    Doc decided to go for the jump start, a strategy that totally backfired. Hansen would dominate the early stages as a result. Williams slowly worked his way back into the bout by going after the injured ribs. Continuity baby. One of the great things about tournament play is that it naturally lends itself to being able to play off prior events. It was cool seeing someone hoss enough to manhandle Stan. Some stiff shots and impactful power moves from both. In the end Lariato prevailed in this battle between the top two gaijins of the time. Enjoyable.
  3. Zenjo
    If you want flashy and flamboyant then you won't find it here. A Stan Hansen slobberknocker with rugged brawling and great psychology? Step right in. I absolutely loved how this played off the previous nights loss to Kobashi. Immediately it was clear that Hansen was hurting and on the defensive. The ever smart Taue wasn't one to pass up an opportunity as he targeted the ribs and dominated the opening 10m. A burly gaijin asskicker like Stan should never be able to get sympathy heat, but he's such a phenomenal seller. The Texan fought back with high impact and several shortcuts. It looked like he was going to take it home, yet Taue dodged the lariato and got a shock win with a chokeslam. I'd forgotten the result so it came as a big surprise. This might have been the first time Akira had beaten him? Whilst a big result for the man in red it wasn't a breakthrough triumph like with KK. The way it was presented was that Hansen was reeling from the previous loss and Taue was good enough to take advantage of his vulnerability. Outstanding booking and another incredible showing from Hansen.
  4. Zenjo
    I remember liking this a lot but dayum I didn't remember it as being quite this hot. There was no messing around as hard strikes were being layed in early doors. Kobashi did find some initial success, yet a slugfest favoured Stan and he began to completely dominate proceedings. This got the crowd right behind the underdog. A pivotal turning point occurred when Hansen crashed into the barricade and injured his ribs. As great as the big man is at dishing it out, he's every bit as strong when selling. Kobash was right back in the match and had the fans dreaming of an upset. A thrilling climax ensued, but once the Lariato connected it was surely a case of so near, so far once more for Orange Crush. Only this time Stanley couldn't make the cover. It's quite something when you can go north of 25m without it ever feeling like a draw. When Kenta hit his 2nd moonsault and got the duke the fans went bananas. It was a huge breakthrough result for the rising star. Great scenes afterwards as he took the plaudits. 7/29/93 is their classic and this was a great match as well.
  5. Zenjo
    In All Japan this was how you treated your friends: Kick their ass and hope they don't take it personally. Initially the focus was limb work, mainly Taue working over the dodgy knee. The intensity and move damage levels were then kicked up several notches as they produced an exciting stretch. These two had a great singles rivalry before they were partners, so were well matched as opponents. Very good, and they didn't even have to go full out.
  6. Zenjo
    You can never get enough overdubbed home video synth music if you ask me. Bad 90's production FTW. The best way I can describe this is Misawa vs Kawada: House Show Edition. Not necessarily the worst match in their rivalry, but certainly the least exciting. Throughout the half hour there was never any real prospect of a finish. It felt like they were just doing stuff while wishing the time away. Nothing they did was bad as such, just through the motions and lacking passion. Less than 2 months away from their supermegagoatclassic I found it mildly depressing.
  7. Zenjo
    I loved Owen's heelish spirit and mannerisms. He'd become so much more interesting as a character now. The older vs younger brother dynamic was fantastic. A high workrate encounter as they fitted a lot into it's 20m run time. Mainly fought in a scientific manner with the occasional shortcut. It had a keen edge and focus to the work. Very well layed out and expertly executed. By all rights it should've been one of the top US matches of the decade. I'd disagree with Loss earlier. The biggest downside to US wrestling from the era wasn't a lack of stiffness or indeed any of the things mentioned. It was Earl Fucking Hebner! Fuck me the guy was a human millstone. There were an absolute ton of intended near falls here. Needless to say, the front crawl became the butterfly on every Goddamn last one of them. It was a relief when they moved onto a period of legwork before the stretch. Overall I'd say it was an ideal first match in a feud with just the right booking.
  8. Zenjo
    JIP 8m. Outside brawling to start leading to a period of Doc working over the knee. No wonder Kawada was always hobbling around in 1994. Around 20m in it looked like a finish might be in order. A brief reset to the floor was a clear signal to the seasoned observer that the draw was a coming. I liked the work that they did around the Backdrop Driving in the closing minutes. Afterwards the fight continued as the feud had still to be resolved. A good match in itself and some nice build up for the final.
  9. Zenjo
    Did Johnny Ace go to the same barber as Beautiful Bobby? One of the more underrated aspects of these Yearbooks is being able to behold the wonderful array of mullets from the era. Although I have to admit that whilst watching a Karloff Lagarde Jr match last night it was a bit overpowering even for me. Ace fitted nicely into the Japanese image of an All American jock. He'd go on to be a strong tag competitor but was never up to much in singles. His rarely understated selling being a stumbling block. The build here was solid fare, particularly when Tosh was on the receiving end. The stretch was weak, being kicked off by a 2nd rope Ace Crusher that was far too powerful for that juncture of the match. In the final minutes Kawada was bleeding after a careless elbow to the face. Watch out Johnny, you might dislodge his dentures! Ace ended up tapping out, which in AJ screams midcarder.
  10. Zenjo
    Interesting to see Kobashi as the senior wrestler in a match at this point in time. It wasn't a role he was comfortable with yet as Akiyama was kind of stealing his act here. Some decent action, but with zero chance of an upset there was a low ceiling.
  11. Zenjo
    This was the first great Lucha match that I ever saw. It was fun looking back at my review from the time when I said: "It's an amazing feeling to know I've opened up a whole new world of greatness." Unfortunately I drifted away from it for a few years by going about my viewing in the wrong way. All the advice I saw back then was to watch mid 90's AAA, it's the best thing ever. Had I watched more CMLL instead I'd have been properly hooked. Still no matter. Over the last 4 years of watching the Yearbooks and a whole lot more supplemental footage my heart has become pure of Lucha. I'm more than a little jealous of JDW having seen this live. This incredible night in LA has to be the career highlight for Sagrada. He was an absolute superstar out there. A wonderful performance as well from the ever impressive Espectrito. Everything is relative, and this was a classic battle of power vs speed. The green alien controlled the action when the pace was moderate whilst Sagrada attacked with quick offensive flurries. Nice structure and classical storytelling. The involvements of the namesakes as seconds and the heel ref supplemented the drama. The biggest highlight was the four man tope sequence near the end that everyone here is waxing lyrical about. The crowd was molten BTW. This is the best Minis contest I've seen to date. Not an all time great match for me however. The execution was incredible for their stature, but on an absolute basis there were a few errors. I have to judge on a level playing field when going up against the best.
  12. Zenjo
    The first time I ever saw this I think that the undercard had drained all my enthusiasm going in. Second time I thought it was an excellent match with flaws. This time around I absolutely loved it and will be putting it in my top 10 for the year. From purely a workrate perspective going 35m was too long. The pacing and structure were quite loose for the most part. Whilst it always felt VG+ it didn't seem likely during the build that it would end up being a great one. Right from the start Hokuto and Kandori were wacky mismatched partners. Their opening tag was a slap to the face! The giants held the upper hand as they were working as a team. It was a thrill to see them facing two such high powered opponents that they could not only withstand this but also fight back. Akira and Shinobu moved from attacking one another to working as individuals before finally becoming teammates. This is why going 35m was actually the perfect decision. They needed that time to make the transformation feel gradual and authentic. In terms of in-match storytelling this was just about as good as it gets. The closing stages were absolutely beautiful with Hokuto finally pinning Kong to win this epic. Great performances all around. The postmatch put across that these two great rivals would never like each other, but respect had been earned. The obvious thing to do would've been Hokuto vs Kandori Part III. Doing this instead was such a clever and thoughtful way to resolve the saga.
  13. Zenjo
    Kobashi and Taue had really good singles matches on 7/24/96 and 9/11/98, although you wouldn't regard them as classics. They may have had a better encounter that I've forgotten about. 21:30 of the draw was shown here. I'd be surprised if the JIPpage was beneficial. The execution was sound. The move selection was generally good apart from a few weird choices that people have pointed out. The structure was the biggest problem with the draw being heavily telegraphed. They never fully grabbed my attention. Taue worked over his opponent for a while before Kobashi came back. There was only one convincing near fall down the stretch. Pretty good, but I wouldn't be surprised if it misses out on my top 100 for the year.
  14. Zenjo
    On paper all six were tecnicos, although Misterioso was in the midst of a heel turn. The main storyline was him and Volador building up to their mask match. Like Pete was saying Misterioso was a crappy worker. Some nice exchanges as well with Azteca and Solar I. Solar is always someone I want to see more of. The brothers were solid enough. Winners has improved a lot this year as I hated him in 93. Nothing exceptional, just a nice trios.
  15. Zenjo
    A washed up, out of his element Jake Roberts against one of the worst main event wrestler's of all time. Not an obvious formula for success is it? Fortunately Antonio Pena realised that and had prepared an absolute masterpiece of match booking. The action inside the ring was deliberately paced and totally one sided. That was the background. The real action was outside the cage. First it was Perro vs Blue Panther, with Sherri being used as a human shield by the treacherous rudo. He accidently KO'd her though, leading to a stretcher job. Aguayo then got taken out and it looked grim before Mascara Sagrada and his pint sized partner saved the day. Mascarita flying off the top of the cage was awesome beyond description. The lil' dude then found himself in dire straights with the evil Snake about to have his way. For the only time in his entire career I'm cheering on Konnan and am glad when he wins. So let's give props to K-Dawg. Having the best singles bout of your career whilst being the 7th best performer in it is an almost impossible achievement. When it comes to wrestling cards you definitely should read a book by its cover. Just not this time. This provided such great entertainment when it had disaster written all over it.
  16. Zenjo
    I rewatched the whole match and would definitely recommend doing so. If you want a quick guide then both the 90 and 91 Rumbles are really good. 92 is obviously a classic. 93 to 99 inclusive all suck to varying degrees with a weaker roster and mind bogglingly atrocious booking. Dual winners, the human pinball, the winner being eliminated, the winner doing commentary instead of wrestling. The early 90's Rumbles compared to the rest of the decade are like night and day. The opening phase of the '90 Rumble was terrific, and propelled the match until well into the middle stages. Dibiase was first man entered and put in an epic 45m, twice as long as anybody else. Definitely the best performer. After tossing a couple of bodies it soon had Ted, Jake, Randy and Roddy mixing it up. I don't even need to write surnames do I? It was an electric atmosphere having 4 big names fighting it out so early. The crowd was great throughout. They were even excited about the Red Rooster! Realistically it could never maintain the early level throughout. The important thing was that it didn't drag. Plenty of bodies in the ring, which I like to see. Interestingly in the first half it was all faces vs heels. The second half became every man for himself. Hogan entered at 25 and along with the Warrior cleared the ring for their Clash of the Titans. Unforgettable. The Warrior fights with heart and instinct. Hogan is smart. They should've saved the elimination until the final 4 as it was just a matter of time after that. Hogan wins! Yeah! The finish was certainly weak, but overall it was one of the better Rumbles.
  17. Zenjo
    This was the biggest card in the history of JWP as they enter the hallowed grounds of Sumo Hall for the first time. The previous bout with Chigusa vs Ozaki had just stolen the show, so there wasn't pressure on the main event to deliver a great match. Which is just as well. It was solid enough if unspectacular. The pacing was quite pedestrian through the build, with unexciting matwork. I want to see these two kicking ass with hard strikes and high impact moves. Things were picking up later on with some 9 counts. Underwhelming finish however with no storyline progression. It had it's moments, but other matches in the series kill this so badly it has to go down as a disappointment.
  18. Zenjo
    To describe AJW officials as being lax with their enforcement of the rules would be a bit of an understatement. It was even more the case in the 80's with Dump's Army. My theory behind it is that they're presenting a mini world where women are in control. So male authority figures had to look foolish and ineffectual. It is weird and seemingly illogical, but it's a standard spot in Joshi through the years. You'll see it fairly often. After taking a piledriver the wrestler would do a neck bridge out of the pin. I guess it's intended to show resilience and fighting spirit. And Toyota is Supergirl! http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/zenjo/uwa-wt.html It seems like the UWA belts actually started in Japan and never left there. AJW had a loose working relationship with them at the time, as well as with CMLL over the period. There'd be regular tours from Mexican wrestlers to Japan and vice versa.
  19. Zenjo
    You watched 706 movies in a year?
  20. Zenjo
    Using the same finisher twice in a 2/3 falls match seems like a total lack of imagination. But then again out of the countless times I've seen this format it's very rare to see the same move used twice. The first fall finisher being kicked out of in the 3rd is a favourite. So maybe it was a deep and meaningful reference about pro wrestling tropes and expectations? Or finisher spamming had happened 20 years early?
  21. Zenjo
    Lemmy Donald Trump's Hair Mr McMahon Random Dead Kid Zeus Stephanie McMahon Brutus Beefcake Shane McMahon Muffy Mower
  22. Zenjo
    My main focus once again will be my 5 year journey through the 90's. It's scheduled to finish in Feb 2017. So the way it's looking at the moment keeping it under 6 years is a more realistic goal. - Finish watching the 1994 Yearbook and the large amount of supplemental footage I've got lined up from that year. Come up with a top 100 matches list. - Do the same with either 1995 or 1997. 95 might seem more logical but 97 is more likely. Hour long draws are really imposing. - Continue watching any interesting looking unseen footage from the rest of the 90's. - Watch Shimmer Vols 54-62, or more if possible. - FF through a 32nd year of WWE PPV's because I've seen them all to date. - Continue to post reviews and comments here. Venture into the Supplemental Viewing categories that I've been deliberately avoiding. - If the NWA 80's set gets released this year I'm all in for that.
  23. Zenjo
    I managed to achieve all my viewing goals for 2015. Not a whole lot beyond them, but like I said watching wrestling should never feel like a chore. It was a weird year in that I probably watched as much from August to October as the other 9 months combined. This month in particular I've been totally burnt out, but I should be refreshed in January. So I'll have some resolutions for next years topic.
  24. Zenjo
    She'll always be April to me.
  25. Zenjo
    Yes it was a horrible idea that I hated at the time and now. But if it were just a one off then it wouldn't be so bad. Far worse is that it probably inspired one of my least favourite concepts in modern wrestling history, the MITB briefcase. There was one thing I liked about WM IX. It was all downhill once Heenan had dismounted from the camel.
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