Superstar Sleeze

I would imagine most people would disagree with me, but I actually enjoyed this more than Hashimoto/Ogawa tag. Hashimoto/Ogawa is an amazing spectacle with a lot of twists and turns, but I think Ogawa and Murakami have produced better matches this decade (Kawada and Nagata). That tag ultimately feels incomplete, but will still make my top 30, this match will be in a similar ballpark, but slightly higher. I just loved the Clash of the Titans, tit for tat one upmanship of the match. Sasaki just looked like he was not going to be denied. You got the feeling from Tenryu from the get go when he pushed the ref down that he was going to go for broke because he knew Sasaki was here to play. Sasaki did not let the veteran champion or the opponent get to him. You want to punch me in the face, well muthaufcka, I have got no problem with that.This is the match Kobashi/Akiyama wished they had. Every spot felt huge and critical to the course of the match and building the star of Sasaki. Probably the second best Sasaki match of the decade behind the Kawada Dome match. He should have NEVER cut the Mullet. ****1/2

Heat, struggle, urgency, chaos put that altogether and you got a badass match. Murakami is the best heel that never made it. He is only 41 today! There is still hope someone push this man. Murakami & The Two Ogawas would be the greatest puroresu stable ever. There is an out of control feel that is hard to replicate or ever capture and this match has it in spades. The only complaint is that the climax is a little lackluster, but it is still befitting of the match as Murakami gets his comeuppance. It feels like a consolation prize because Ogawa still stands tall against Hashimoto. I really want to watch the rest of the Hashimoto/Ogawa matches.****1/2

I love Kobashi. I love Akiyama. I just don't like them together. They both seem to lose all emotion when facing each other. The match is dramatic, but it lack of urgency really kills it for me. Akiyama reached an out of this world level in February of 2000 and he never really got there again it feels. The beginning Clash of the Titans work is really great from the test of the strength to Kobashi demanding they do it in the ring and Kobashi chopping Akiyama down when he is going for an early choke. I thought Akiyama's transitions were too lackluster throughout the match. Akiyama's heat segment felt too by the numbers and Kobashi was unusually reserved. Kobashi did an amazing job on a long transition to his offense. From the sustained headlock to the sleeper suplex to the gnarly vertical suplex off the apron where Akiyama bounced off the floor. It was a great crescendo and Kobashi is looking to build to the Burning Hammer. Again, instead of using the Exploder to the floor as his transition, he hits some moves before the Exploder to the floor that do not make that spot pop out. Akiyama's finish stretch is loooooooooooong and I just don't buy it. The exploder/half-nelson suplex was a bit much. Kobashi works through his big finishers to win. Kobashi was doing more of the deadfish sell with less struggle, which sucks because he is so much more dynamic than that. Akiyama had no urgency. Weirdly lethargic match, but it had its big moments and was definitely dramatic. It is one of the big losers of the rewatch falling into the 40s. ****1/4

The match is better than I initially gave it credit for, which I think was hurt by the fact I was not totally bought into Honda. I still found some things about Honda awkward: his strikes and some of his submissions especially that top wristlock in the middle, it really never looked properly applied to cause damage. It is nice to see Kobashi work in this most minimalist setting. Personally, I am going to be partial the spectacle matches against Misawa, Ogawa and Takayama. He is such a great larger than life character, but damn if he does not have one helluva headlock. I love how he dominates with holds but is looking to use these holds to setup his offense. Very smartly, Honda is not one to lay down and take it he tries to use these opening, but damn how about those quick quashes by Kobashi like the ab stretch and Russian Legsweep. I know Honda gets a lot of due in this match, which he deserves for the great armwork and suplexes. Maybe I am just swinging the counterweight back in my boy, Kobashi's direction, but after watching this twice there is no way Honda outworked Kobashi. The cross armbreaker sell, the arm selling, fighting through the pain to retain his title injured, Kobashi was on fire making people believe that Honda had a shot. Honda had some neat characteristics that forced Kobashi out of his comfort zone, but so did Minoru Suzuki. I think match is better than the Suzuki match, but this not just solely great because of Honda or Kobashi's presence. It is Kobashi putting Honda's ability early with quick transitions, working holds, and then selling his ass off, before hitting the finish. It is a cool title defense, but does not do it for me in the way of the upper tier of Kobashi title defenses. Still rewatching this did raise it 30 spots and put it in my 30s. Very good Kobashi title defense.

I agree the selling sucked in this match, but I didn't think the story was too badly affected by it. Ohtani and Takaiwa were vicious badasses out for blood and they were always moving forward. It created a tension and anxiety for Kanemoto and Minoru that would be overwhelmed, but then you get moments like Kanemoto's axe kick and Minoru's cross arm breaker. These hope spots seem larger than life because how unstoppable Ohtani and Takaiwa seem. Then there is great payback spot with Ohtani and telling him to eat shit basically. The finish run is a departure because they go into juniors flying around mode, but it is still some violent shit like the Ohtani powerbomb. I liked that dynamic even if the match was low on selling they told a compelling story with a great conclusion of Minoru using Ohtani's moves against him to win the match.

It was the feel good match of the 2000s in Japan and I know it is a time-honored tradition that he who returns jobs, but fuck Kobashi should have won. They chanted Kobashi during Misawa's theme during the exit. If there was ever time to break with tradition, it was now. The crowd was just on fire for Kobashi. I was going crazy for a second time for the moonsault. What a reaction! Takayama was destroying everything, Akiyama was kneeing everything and Misawa elbowing everything. I never thought I hear Misawa get booed AND Takayama cheered for suplexing Misawa. Crazy! I loved Kobashi showing vulnerability and being that never say die Kobashi of the 90s. It is 2007 so everybody is a half step slower that keeps it in the #15-25 range, but for pure emotion this match needs to be watched.

I am not even sure why they went all 'Extreme Rules' with it this year. I don't seem to remember them making EVERY match a gimmick match on the TLC PPVs in the past. They had the tag match, women and a Rusev match to break up the five gimmick matches, but none of which were really able to cleanse my palate. My point was they were all weapons-based gimmick matches. At Extreme Rules, you usually get a stipulation or two that will be different enough to separate (Cage, Ladder, Street Fight, are different enough). I feel like this past Extreme Rules only half the card was gimmick matches, but I could be remembering wrong. It is more of the lack of variety in how all were weapons matches that killed the PPV by the end for me.

I think I did the impossible and I underrated a 5 star match. I rewatched this and a completely new appreciation for how badass this match is. Everybody knows about the arm work through the finish as why this match is considered a Match of the Decade Contender, but the beginning is why it is the complete package. Now that Kobashi has defeated Misawa decisively about a year ago, Kobashi is The Man. He wrestles like The Man. However, Takayama is the first opponent where Kobashi seems to question himself. Takayama is bigger, he has shoot credentials and is a former GHC & IWGP Champion. Kobashi cannot just go out assert his dominance. So for the first time in his reign, you have a sense of desperation in the early going. Almost like Kobashi is playing not to lose. It is very reminiscent of his matches against Hansen. He tries for bombs early, but Takayama catches an overzealous Kobashi with a knee lift. Then Kobashi goes for holds. He is trying to contain Takayama and sap him from his energy. This opens up the chop game and an DDT to the outside. Kobashi gets cocky and goes for a delayed vertical and Takayama applies a choke. Now Takayama is a big, bad bleach blond giant, but like Kobashi he recognizes his opponent has got game. So he is pressing the advantage quickly with covers and then applying holds again to sap energy and open up the kick game. I am just thoroughly impressed at how well this is being worked. Then they launch this match to the Stratusphere once Takayama wrenches Kobashi's knee and then when Kobashi tries to chop his way out of trouble, it is bye bye arm. The finishing stretch is legendary and the hope spots and cutoffs are immaculately timed. Takayama going shoot-style crazy only for Kobashi to comeback with Burning Lariats is why we watch wrestling. On top of all that the response Kobashi gets for signaling an delivering the moonsault means that this match has leaped over 03/01/03 and Misawa/Akiyama into the top spot. I have rewatched 03/01/03 and I am going back and forth with it. That match is the Moment of the Decade, but this is such a flawless match. Misawa/Akiyama needs to be rewatched. It is anybody's ballgame among those three. *****

I pegged this as something I criminally underrated initially. I definitely underrated it, but not to the extent that I thought I had. The Taue finish run is up there as one of the best false finish run of all time that is the driving force behind my rewatching. You could tell how bad people wanted Taue to win that were even chanting his name while he was winning. Kobashi sold his ass off for Taue and really got him over as a threat. The last 15 minutes from the first NODOWA~! on the ramp is really classic wrestling. What keeps this from the Top 20 is that there were too many lulls in the opening 15 minutes. I liked Taue's big dive, but everything seemed too easy for either one of them. For really great Taue matches from the decade, I definitely recommend the 2005 tag against Tenryu & Akiyama and the 2006 title defense against Akiyama over this match, but still a very excellent match. Oh yeah and TAUE-RANA!!!! ****1/2

I asked the question, which Uso was better in my TLC recap post, but since it was buried in the middle of the long post, I figure I won't get many responses. However, my brother demanded to know which Uso was better and I can't think of a better place to ask than PWO! I can't tell them a part so I can't help. I am pretty sure they are equal, but I don't know. Is there a designated FIP specialist and the other is the hot tag? Do they switch off? Does one have a better Rikisihi butt bump? Does one get more Uso Crazy than the other? Let me know!

Did anybody else find this PPV uncomfortable to watch? Normally, I love stiffness, but I guess I have not watched garbage matches in forever. It seemed like concussion city all last night. How Harper did not break his arm on the dive or Ziggler being able to continue after the catapult in the ladder? Damn! They just went all out with absolute, brutal and unmitigated violence. I guess that is what you have to do when booking does not give you a hook for actually having a ladder match. I don't particularly like Ziggler working the mid-90s Savage formula especially his 0 to 60 comebacks, but it is definitely over. It is refreshing to have a very sympathetic, non-Superman babyface. I prefer him over Ambrose and I know I am in the minority, but if somebody is going to Bryan this year's WM build I rather him than Ambrose and his Dick Murdoch-wannabe facial expressions. Miz/Mizdow vs Usos was just there. Credit to Mizdow he is still coming up with funny spots. I really liked the Naomi angle especially the Uso slapping the Miz's headset off. They could have a real heated match with the Miz and while working in Mizdow's comedy and it could have been off the charts great. It would have required a deft hand, but they really could have done something special. My brother had a question: Is one Uso better than the other? We can't tell them apart and if there is any board that would have an opinion on this it is Pro Wrestling Only, BABY! Show vs Rowan -again just a really violent and painful looking match. Show did not get out of the way in time for the stairs and FUCK did that look like it hurt. You could tell how pissed he was. Rowan is so fucking awkward in the ring. Definitely could be useful in a tag setting, but singles, I am not seeing it. Cena vs Rollins was a lots of fun. I am a sucker for these overbooked clusterfucks. This was the perfect amount that kept you revved up the whole time. I wish we got to see a little bit more Rollins bumping around. Cena is the greatest possum of all time. Dude hits the deadfish pose and then BOOM FU! Cena is not always like that, but he can be lazy sometimes. J&J Security, Big Show and Reigns all used excellently. Reigns is awesome at run-ins and hitting the Superman Punch. It is really the source of his heat. Forget Goldberg, he is 911. Ziggler & Reigns is the best babyface tag team on the roster if they just put them together. Nikki is awesome; I am dedicated to watching her matches. AJ is scary skinny. Ryback and Kane again walloping each other with the chair trying to get people to care. Feed Me More is reassuring and I hope The Big Guy continues to succeed. The upper midcard babyface roster is getting crowded with Ambrose, Ziggler, Ryback, Reigns and a returning Orton. They need heels stat. Rusev vs Swagger, I ate dinner. I love Rusev, but this really felt like been there done that. Wyatt vs Ambrose, Ambrose made a bunch of funny faces because HE IS UNPREDICTABLE~! How will he contort his face next??? Only Dean Knows! He is not a Dick Murdoch-wananbe, he is the Modern Day Dick Slater! Nobody could match Ziggler/Harper's violence. Cena/Rollins did not try and that's why that match stands out. Ambrose and Wyatt needed to make their match feel more realistic and gritty. It was a way that they could have stood out from the pack, but they just did Ziggler/Harper lite. The hologram finish was worse from a booking perspective because why the fuck Wyatt attacked Ambrose, but I accept it as a part of wrestling logic. If properly explained, I would have not explain. The fact a TV exploded because he yanked the wires too hard. You have got to be shitting me. TLC ultimately does suffer from the fact that all the big gimmick matches come off as the same, but look at Spring Stampede 1994. There are three brawls on the show: Rhodes/Buck, Cactus&Payne/Nasties and Vader/Boss. All three are varying degrees of great and feel different. Pretty much everybody tonight besides Cena/Rollins went for Cactus&Payne/Nasties and that is what brawls and gimmick matches have turned into. Show/Rowan was kinda Vader/Boss, but the stairs kinda fucked them up. However, the show could have benefited greatly from the Rhodes/Buck dynamic of a personal feud settled by violent means and that does not mean holy shit bumps, but something that hits you in the gut and says fuck that Ambrose hates that Bray Wyatt and is going to try to maim him. Show peaked with the opener and Cena/Rollins was fun. It could have benefited from a more straight wrestling match to break up the pacing better.

I am so on board with this. I also think they should bring back time limits in general.

In general contention for the Top 8 is Misawa vs Akiyama from 2000, 3/1/03, Tenryu vs Mutoh 2001, Kobashi vs Takayama 2000, Kobash/Takayama 2004, Nagata & Izuka vs Kawada & Fuchi, BatBat Tag from 2008 and Kobashi/Ogawa. I think Misawa vs Akiyama will be my number one. Childs, I did not see a comment for Kobashi vs Takayama from 2000. I really liked that one a lot and will probably make my top 5. Did you watch it?

Except Russia's relationship with Europe has been strange throughout it's his history whether European facing with Peter The Great or separate under the USSR and to this day not in the EU. Russia is nominally in Europe, but seems too separate. I rather go with the Russian Heavyweight Champion.

I think that is the way to go or Reigns/Rock vs HHH/Batista or HHH/Rollins for Reigns at Wrestlemania.

This match epitomizes pro wrestling and is by far my favorite Japanese match of the 2000s. To me this illustrates how pro wrestling can transcend time and cultures and it can be when done correctly the greatest form of entertainment in existence. It probably won't be my top match for the decade, but top 6 no doubt. *****

GHC Heavyweight Champion Jun Akiyama vs GHC Jr. Heavyweight Champion KENTA - NOAH 5/17/09 This is not Hashimoto vs Liger, but it is still a pretty good match with Akiyama looking his sharpest since the 2006 Taue match. Funny how he started the decade with an excellent match working on Misawa's neck and he will end the decade with another solid effort working over the neck of KENTA. KENTA's logical progression to the top of the NOAH mountain as he gets a big Heavyweight title match against one of the Five Pillars. Challenging Marufuji at the Budokan was a big deal and could have been a watershed moment for Pro Wrestling NOAH, but Misawa decided to reset with himself on top for a year. Here in 2009, KENTA gets another crack and will eventually become the champion in 2013 for approximately a year. For as much grief as I do give KENTA, credit where credit is due when he is game for a great match, the dude can flat out deliver. I am not blaming him for the match losing fizz at the end, but that's more of a layout problem than an individual performance issue. The beginning was really well done with KENTA only be able to gain the advantage through big head shots. The strike exchanges early on make more sense to me than strike exchanges in the middle because you are still jockeying for position, It makes more sense to me, KENTA is undersized and needs to go for these home runs to just maintain control. My big problem becomes very apparent early and often. KENTA never presses his advantage. KENTA, this is the time to go a million miles per hour and you don't, for shame. There was just no urgency in the match. They were building drama by taking their sweet time and just was not doing much for me. KENTA gets nailed with a brainbuster and that's the end of his dominance. Akiyama tortures KENTA's neck and this maybe KENTA's all-time greatest selling performance. The way he screamed and contorted his face during every Akiyama head yank was amazing. Akiyama is the God King of neck work and this was by far the best of the match and if they went home earlier this would be MOTYC for 2009. You know what bothers me and it is not just KENTA so I don't mean to single him out, but it is when you are perched on top and you just wait for the guy to get up to hit your flying clothesline. It is just makes Akiyama look stupid and it is pretty business-exposing. Why would you want your opponent to get in a more advantageous position than prone lying on the mat. Also KENTA should have been making covers on the those early head kicks. Wrestlers trying to win matches is what will get over. I loved Akiyama's back elbow to cutoff KENTA and then nearly takes his head off with a lariat. The sequence after this has to be seen as Akiyama absolutely murders KENTA with just about every way you could think to drop him on his neck and then applies his Guillotine Choke. That should have been the finish. Then upcoming KENTA finish run should have been slotted before that amazing stretch of offense by Akiyama. KENTA's first big comeback was fine, but really felt superfluous again I loved the Akiyama cutoff of a quick knee during the G2S hoist. Akiyama looked awesome here. Akiyama still has more cool neck related offense, super Back Drop Driver and a lifted Double Arm DDT. He is just the gift that keeps on giving. The moment of the match is that KENTA is trying to pick himself up using the ropes after being destroyed and he is almost standing and Akiyama comes over and nails him with a knee to the chin. Awesome! KENTA hits Go 2 Sleep out of a Akiyama choke attempt, which is his big false finish. KENTA's kicks to the head were awful and he whiffed on two. Akiyama hits the jumping knee as KENTA went for his knee and Akiyama polishes him off with his Exploders. They just ran out of steam. I love Akiyama destroying someone's neck as much as the next person, but this just went on too long. There was not that urgency that would have created more drama. Trimming back 10 minutes and moving shit around could have been this an all-time great match, but I still think is an amazing KENTA selling performance and Akiyama showcases how vast his offensive arsenal is. ****

It would have been the perfect Misawa retirement match. It is too bad he kept going.

I am surprised you have the Taue match so low other than that it seems pretty close to mine (well I need to rewatch the Honda match because I don't think I got Honda at the time). I am about to rewatch a good chunk of his reign so I will have my finalized list soon.

How is this a feather in Kanemoto's cap? It is the Wataru show through and through. Kanemoto is a weird wrestler for me. He just does nothing for me. I can think of some great matches like Fujita 09, NOAH vs NJ match and the 2000 junior tags, but too often he leaves me cold. He is not very good at sustaining his selling. He will blow it off rather readily. Even someone like KENTA who blows off selling constantly is better at the actual selling portion of the match. I would actually prefer to watch KENTA to Kanemoto more often than not. Minoru Tanaka should have been the junior of the year, but it is all moot because he never built on his greatness at the early part of the decade. I would probably argue for Nakajima or Fujita Hayato even if they came on at the latter part of the decade.

Hogan & Hart definitely should have happened. Hogan vs Nash in 1998 would have been huge (watch the April 20th Nitro when Nash powerbombs Hogan people lose their shit) and would have been a direction for the very aimless WCW. A well-executed NWO Civil War would have allowed WCW to compete with WWF through 1998.

Craziest thing was I could not remember a single thing from this match. I knew I loved it, but couldn't remember anything. I don't know why because this was awesome. It was different than your Kikuchi vs Liger tags, but I would not say a step down. It was about Liger trying to beat some respect into the new kids and I thought this was very heated in the beginning and settled into a more typical tag formula. I loved Liger throwing KENTA to Fuji and saying come get me big boy. Very rarely do we get CLash of the Titans in the Juniors, but that's how it felt. You could tell how amped Liger was to be in there. Dives were great. KENTA FIP rocked it, Camel Clutch with those Murahama kicks, HOT DAMN! Liger saves us from a shitty Marufuji hot tag by palm striking him to Hell and then actually catching him with a cool powerbomb. Usually that spot looks like shit, but looked like a million bucks there. KENTA/Murahama/Minoru Tanaka Round Robin should have been booked circa 2003 to blow everyone's minds. KENTA exploding knee Doomsday Device should have been the finish because there is no way that finish ever looks that good, but Marufuji's Shooting Star Press looked pretty. Don't let KENTAFuji scare you, this is a damn fine match. There could ahve been better transitions and some more sustained selling. ****1/4

Still love this match. Holy fuck, were they hitting each other hard for the first 15 minutes, damn. This match is not much in the way of selling, but I loved the ferocity and intensity of the fighting. I thought the finish stretch was tons of fun and made Minoru Tanaka into a big star in his new promotion. I loved him using Ohtani's moves against. Holy hell, those Ohtani powerbombs. I love Kanemoto saving Tanaka and hitting an overhead belly to belly on Ohtani. One of the best high-octane thrill rides of the decade, I liked this better than all of the NOAH vs New Japan tags. I know I am in the minority, but I found this more entertaining. They are definitely close, but I thought this was more fun. ****1/2

Thank you for saving me trouble of whether or not I should rewatch this.

I am just not seeing it guys. Gave it a second go around and I definitely underrated it, but I do not think this matches the level of heat of the first two matches, which I think are the classics of the series. The NJPW crowd was not as hot throughout and I think that has to do with the fact they basically switched babyfaces and heels mid-way through the match. I would have liked to see Tanaka and Liger get a chance to play the babyfaces in the match and from the beginning portion you think that will get to happen. Liger was by far the best wrestler in this match and he is a great heel, but it would be nice to see him play face one more time. Liger has been the best wrestler in each of these matches, but this was probably his best performance as he knew he could not rely on an inherently hostile crowd so he really ratcheted it up. I liked how the Tanaka heat segment played into that. Kikuchi and Kanemaru were dicks to him and Tanaka. So he gets outright violent to Kikuchi and actually heels himself. That's dedication! I loved the crazy stomps while he was down. The problem I had was that the rest of them were just wrestling this as a really good match not as a violent brawl. Tanaka is a great championship wrestler, but would have liked so more violence out of him. Kikuchi is a great hard working rough around the edges babyfaces. I loved his palm strike catch. The finish run was the longest of the series and finally gives us Liger/Kikuchi, but I just did not think it had the same energy as the other finish runs. It is a great match, no doubt, but not on the level of the first two matches even though this is the best individual Liger performance. ****