Jump to content
Pro Wrestling Only

Zenjo

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    2204

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Zenjo

  1. Zenjo
    Hard fought over 20m with consistent quality action. I never felt like this was at the level of 6/27 as Yamamoto is a lower tier worker than Kohsaka. Had some nice (or not) slap exchanges in addition to plenty of ground combat. Not one of the more innovative or spectacular matches I've seen featuring Tamura, but it was quality wrestling. He fell behind on points early and was on his final down before grabbing the duke. That generally feels like an artificial way to create drama. Then again, it is pro wrestling we're talking about here.
  2. Zenjo
    The first two thirds of this were solid work yet uninspiring as nothing gripped me. The fans seemed to feel the same way as they saved their voices for the stretch. And what a stretch it was! It was mainly down to Taue as he sharply raised the quality level by about five notches in double quick time. This lit the spark and the Triple Crown magic was rekindled once more. The challenger busted out some cool moves and seriously threatened. In the end Kobashi's superior conditioning let him hold on and scrape through. The Champion didn't perform at his best, but his B game was plenty good enough with Akira delivering a fine showing. Such efforts would be more occasional from this time onwards, rather than the sustained excellence he'd shown through previous years.
  3. Zenjo
    It's interesting to see some Ogawa love here. This was kind of surreal to me as the crowd were going crazy over him and I was mystified as to why? He looked like a Junior and had a shitty moveset. My best guess is that the fans were crying out for something different and he brought that to the table. He pushed Jun hard and the heat brought some entertainment. Concise too at 11m. I should say that I don't have a problem with Ratboy in tag action, just as a singles competitor.
  4. Zenjo
    As the main event of a big show this delivered a match worthy of the occasion. It was face vs face although Austin was much more popular. You had two superpowers colliding. It had a nice full length and they kept the action going at a good pace, battling to and fro. I'd have preferred longer Taker control segments, Austin sometimes cut him off too soon. There was sufficient variety in the work including an awesome top rope legdrop onto the SAT. No interference or screwitude was a rare treat, although Austin did a cheap low blow to set up the Stunner. By no means perfect but I was left satisfied.
  5. Zenjo
    There was some decent stuff here and signs of what was to come later in the year from this rivalry. However they started off too quickly and slowed down near the end when they should have been speeding up. The structure and pacing in a lot of WCW Cruiserweight matches was all over the place.
  6. Zenjo
    I had little recollection of this and found it to be a most pleasant surprise. It was held in the Octagon (small version) but thankfully there was no pretence of faux-MMA. They did pro moves and ramped up the stiffness a few notches. Good usage was made of the surroundings and the sense of claustrophobia added to the intensity. The duration was just right and the finish was decent. Nice match.
  7. Zenjo
    This was a rematch and less famous version of the G1 battle as Tenryu gets his win back. I'd describe the style as a strike and sell fest. Hard hitting no doubt. Tenryu was starting to show his age, being sloppy and repetitive at times. Hash more than made up for any of his opponents shortcomings with a powerful performance. It was arguably pretentious, but they made a sub 15m bout feel like an epic clash of the titans.
  8. Zenjo
    In 98 and 99 there were 7 Joshi promotions. Having a quick count both Yearbooks have 9 complete matches from them in total. So obviously it's not going to chronicle the scene, instead offering a little taster with some of the better matches. This isn't a specific complaint because I've already got an extensive collection, and plenty of footage is out there for any fan who wants to go deeper. Throughout the Yearbooks project they've extensively covered WWF, WCW, ECW, the various Southern US feds, AJ and NJ. There's plenty of matches from other promotions, but to follow all the main developments through the decade then supplemental viewing is required.
  9. Zenjo
    Early on there were some fun moments with Ohtani and the bad Doctor. I had the feeling it might develop into something special. It never quite happened though. Good effort but didn't catch fire. With a different move selection here or better execution there it could well have been a different story. Oh well. Anytime Mr Ohtani gets to mark out in the crowd is a highlight for me.
  10. Zenjo
    I might have liked this as much as you guys had there been a bit of clipping in the right place. The opening stages were effective here as they only teased the big moves and showed some restraint. Kobashi had come in with a heavily taped knee, and they were just about to move onto the segment where Aki worked it over as the main body of the match. That they did, but not before 5m of head bumping bullshit. It didn't integrate into the match at all and served no useful purpose except to pop the crowd. Late 90's excess at it's worst. I thought that was going to kill it off for me right there. Thankfully, because of the length they had time to work their way back into my good books. It was well structured apart from the Halloween segment and had a big finishing run. KK's selling was a bit theatrical. Jun was knocking at the door, but couldn't quite break through the glass ceiling if you want to mix metaphors.
  11. Zenjo
    Maeda's retirement bout, and he went out with a DDP. Obviously it wasn't his final bout, that would be silly. I absolutely loved the dynamic here with the ageing legend against the youngster in his prime. Lots of enjoyable matwork early doors. Nothing groundbreaking but it was good quality and easy viewing. That developed into a huge strikefest in the second half. The vet got pounded over and over again, but the tough old bastard would not go down. He was exhausted and hanging on for dear life. They fought to a standstill as the 20m time limit expired. Thanks to some overly generous officiating Akira was declared the victor. Yamamoto should've won, yet being part of a fine match like this was a worthy second prize.
  12. Zenjo
    A rather fun way to pass 5m. I'd be hesitant to rank this in a best match list as I think it was shot in multiple stages. They fought on a hard mat and there was plenty of ramming into the wall. It was very stiff, highly original and quite the spectacle. Incorporating a ref bump and screwjob finish was a bit much.
  13. Zenjo
    I went in expecting this to suck, as on the surface I look upon this style like greasy food from a burger van. I was taken aback by a strong performance and an unusual dynamic. From his image to his abilities Shadow WX was a quintessential garbage wrestler all the way. Honma was a proper pro wrestler who had taken a couple of wrong turns along the road to end up in this predicament. So you had hardcore vs Pro-Wres in a hardcore match. WX had a big advantage which led to a face/heel dynamic. Honma bled and played the underdog role capably. A most impressive showing, it was nearly all his doing that this was a good 'un.
  14. Zenjo
    On 9/22/97 Goldberg made his debut. On 7/6/98 'He's got him up! Oh hell yeah!' My favourite line from Schiavone. The match wasn't up to much, but like Starrcade 97 getting the ending right was all that mattered. He was the biggest star WCW ever created. This unforgettable night in the Georgia Dome was one of the great moments in the promotions history.
  15. Zenjo
    I watched this just before Maeda vs Yamamoto and the comparative quality of the matwork was like night and day. The build here was so tedious with KK just kicking away and the feeling that none of it is going to matter anyway. The selling was pretty bad as they have to get all their stuff in. I actually quite like Kanemoto from say the 02-05 type of period. There's something about him in the late 90's that bugs the hell out of me though. The cocky persona that he is putting across makes it look like he's being lazy and isn't trying that hard, which doesn't work at all in a big match environment.
  16. Zenjo
    I doubt that I'll forget those two bumps as long as I live. The Spanish announce table always bit the dust, but never quite that spectacularly again. He's damned lucky he landed that one right. 5m of being laid out for the stretcher job was a bit excessive. Back up they went and the unplanned 2nd bump with a chair sending a tooth through his nose. Insanity! After that an actual match with Taker bleeding and then thumb tacks. Foley took the beating of a lifetime and that made the match what it was. Just witnessing the obscene amount of punishment that one man endured. JR on commentary was incredible at putting this over. Such a great spectacle. No subsequent HIAC matches are nearly as memorable as the first two.
  17. Zenjo
    This was quite the weekend for famous matches of a very different ilk. Tamura vs Kohsaka was absolutely a top MOTYC for 1998. I wonder if it would get so much praise if it happened in a stronger year? You could well argue that this is the pinnacle of its style or near to it. So how you'd compare that to the pinnacle of alternate forms of wrestling is a matter of taste. Have no doubts this was technically superb and scientifically as good as the Rings style gets. There were some nice strikes yet the emphasis was matwork, glorious matwork. They'd work the ground for a view minutes searching for openings and then suddenly there'd be a dangerous submission moment. It felt like it could end at any time. The final minute was where the excitement level peaked. I just wished they'd reached that peak a little earlier. The greatest matches reach that amazing climax and then go on and do it again. By having a draw as well I don't feel they got 100% value from it here. Nevertheless it was a classic bout with two superb performances. Both are so fundamentally sound and knowledgeable, Tamura had that extra flash and charisma to go with it.
  18. Zenjo
    This is the first match on the set that I'd consider a serious MOTYC. And finally after several viewings over the years I feel like this is a match I've come to peace with. Watching it in the context of it's time rather than comparing it to other Kings Road classics because it's so widely praised. It's not a match I'd rank in an AJ top 10 of the decade but it would now make my top 15. It may end up being my #1 overall pick for 1998. The first half was quite restrained and fundamentally sound, providing a very solid base. They slowly built it up. The second half featured no end of big and brutal moves without feeling like overkill. The exhaustion and selling were so strong and at 34m it felt quite epic. Kobashi hit several lariats during the contest, but you just knew that the final one was going to end it.
  19. Zenjo
    At the time of the big interpromotional shows during 93-94 AJW very much held the booking power over the other groups, and their stars would win the majority of the important matches. Fast forward to 1998 and the scene was very different. With only a small roster remaining they now needed outsiders on their shows to survive. This led to Kandori having a one year WWWA title reign, which would've been unthinkable in previous times. This was a dream match that had never previously taken place, bringing great heat and excitement. The two combatants worked very different styles which they did a great job of combining. The result was a long way from your typical Toyota style bout. Several of her best singles matches have come from situations where she's had to think in there and adapt her approach against tougher opponents. Shinobu always brought a credibility and sense of danger with her submissions. This was such a blast to watch because of the freshness and unpredictability. I had no idea what was happening next, yet it all fitted together just right. They maintained the excitement throughout with some great near falls. Definitely a MOTYC for '98 and my favourite Kandori singles bout not against Hokuto.
  20. Zenjo
    Wrestlers are not a nice group of people in general, and never have been. But they're not coming around to your house for dinner, so who gives a shit? Whatever they do outside of the wrestling world is none of my business and I don't care about their personal lives. They are performers and I'll judge them as such. If someone can't enjoy a Benoit match because they can't separate the character from the person then I respect that viewpoint. To imagine they are taking the moral high ground by not watching certain performers is the biggest load of sanctimonious BS however.
  21. Zenjo
    'Ladies and Gentleman, the opening contest is scheduled for one fall. Introducing first... From the Internet Wrestling Community, They are the workrate champions of the woorrrrllddd, The Smart Marks!!!' 'Fans of the year' 'Five star fans' 'We are awesome' [Repeat for 4 hours]
  22. Zenjo
    The 8th(!) and final match of a repetitive and disappointing best of 7 series. The PPV delivered what the TV bouts did not however. Having full length is never an insignificant factor. Benoit was in control of proceedings. It would've been preferable for him to work on the leg, but they were saving that for T's second contest of the evening. There was a nicely constructed stretch with reference to previous battles in the series. A satisfying way to round off the feud.
  23. Zenjo
    It's amusing that I was marking out the most for Johnny Ace here. The man is an absolute God of Puroresu. I liked that they cut down on the Kobashi vs Kawada action as they had an upcoming singles bout you may have heard of. Firstly Ace and then Taue worked longish FIP segments. One would have sufficed. There was no need for this to go half an hour, less would've been more. I entertained myself by looking at a cute girl in the front row whilst they were treading water. The final third picked up the ante with plenty of twists and turns. There were numerous counter moves to play off their familiarity. Several double team manouvers and all the thrills and spills I've come to expect over the decade. Taue getting the win over Kobashi was mildly surprising. Very good match, but at this point of the year it's bugging me that the best stuff is stopping at third base.
  24. Zenjo
    At nearly half an hour they had an appropriate duration to work within. Would've benefitted from more crowd heat. Nanjyo was a raw young boy who didn't last very long. It was closely contested throughout and came down to Ka Shin defeating Takaiwa. Not the survivor I'd have chosen but he was better than usual here. It seems like everyone else has similar feelings about him as a worker. Doc was such a boss the way he adapted to Puroresu around this time. Consistent quality level throughout with some nice action. It never threatened to go higher. Well structured too with the timings of eliminations, if not the ordering. Good effort lads.
  25. Zenjo
    The action here was certainly impressive with plenty of high flying and spectacular moves. Well executed too. The seconds were heavily involved. In fact they provided most of the Tecnico vs Rudo activity. It was good quality but shallow. Scoring well for technical merit rather than story.
×
×
  • Create New...