Superstar Sleeze

Thank you to everybody to the administrators. Really appreciate everyone who took time to put this together. Really enjoyed the time!

My list is very incomplete. I included matches I have watched since 2013. Even though I have watched most All Japan 90s matches I have not rewatched them since so the list is devoid of those. I am going to re-post my list once I finish Japan & US from 1970-2009. As for this list, I will say the major gaps are between #14 and #15. Top 14 are No. 1 contenders. The next gap is #47 and #48 this represents my *****/****3/4 diving line. The next gap is #75 and #76, the matches after #75 I expect to be in jeopardy of falling off my list as I re-watch more wrestling.

Updated Compendium of all 49 volumes of Pro Wrestling Love! https://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2018/10/pro-wrestling-love-compendium.html

Best of Other Heavyweight Puroresu 1996-1999 Part II THE MANIA CONTINUES! The Pro Wrestling Love Will Always Continue! However, I will be taking a sabbatical to recharge my batteries so I want to thank everyone who took time to read these (FORTY-NINE Holy Shit, my original intention was 64, but I am proud to complete 75% of the goal). If you got any sort of pleasure out of them or found a new match you liked than I did my job and I spread the Pro Wrestling Love! I watched & reviewed 1,934 matches so far and here's to another 1,934 matches! The last blog completes the countdown started yesterday as the best of Japanese Heavyweight wrestling not to take place in All Japan or New Japan. But it might as well be called the Best of RINGS, only a crazy Genichiro Tenryu brawl stops them from sweeping the Top 6, click to find out which one! Pro Wrestling loves its Trilogies and there may be no better than the Volk Han vs Kiyoshi Tamura trilogy so click the link and savor all the Pro Wrestling Love! https://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2019/04/pro-wrestling-love-vol-49-best-of-other.html

Best of Other Heavyweight Japan 1996-1999 Part 1 Got to see Masato Tanaka last night live in Worcester BABY! Guess what! He is featured prominently in the latest edition of Pro Wrestling Love! This article looks at the best heavyweight matches to take place in the non-major companies of Japan (so no New Japan or All Japan) between 1996-1999 and thus features a lot of shoot-style from RINGS, which was clicking on all cylinders with the magnificent foursome of Volk Han, Koyoshi Tamura, Tsuyoshi Kohsaka and Yoshihisa Yamamoto. Dying Days WAR also produced some greatness as the dream match of Takada vs Tenryu right before UWFi shut down and Takada would go to start PRIDE. FMW made the transition from a Deathmatch company to Attitude Era, America style company featuring Hayabusa, Masato Tanaka and the amazing Mr. Gannosuke! Mr. Gannosuke does not get enough press in America for how awesome he is a perfect combination of heel sleaze, garbage brawling and strong mat fundamentals. This is the potpourri of Pro Wrestling Love with a little for everyone to love so check it out! https://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2019/04/pro-wrestling-love-vol-48-best-of-other.html

The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels -WrestleMania XXV I have always considered this Shawn Michaels' take on All Japan. Now when I made the same claim about Jushin Liger in 1997. It holds water. It is highly unlikely that 2009 Shawn Michaels cares about the Four Corners. I don't even know if he knows who the fuck Misawa is. So it is more happenstance that they do a King's Road match in 2009 but it is glorious all the same. To me this is the logical conclusion of Shawn's preferred style. King's Road is workrate meets epic storytelling which is what Shawn was always trying to achieve since 1994. I think the first half of this match including the two huge missed dives is just fucking aces. I love when tempo matters in wrestling. So many times it is body part psychology but tempo can be just as a powerful psychological tool. I love how it shifts and is unexpected. Who would have predicted in a million years that an uptempo style would favor the Undertaker? But they make it work. Also notice without much movement how much energy Taker expresses at the beginning of the match. So much pep in the step. It is infectious. He is so invested. It makes you invested. Energy is not just running around, it is good body language. Loved the Shawn cat and mouse game: the feigned superkick was so good. Once Taker got rolling, he was so explosive. Everything looked fucking great. Great missed Taker move to give Shawn the opening to attack the leg. It is funny but who would have predicted Undertaker to be the one to blow off leg selling to explosive rope running like he is Ultimo Dragon. Who would have predicted that Shawn would be trying to grind a win out using holds to contain Taker. This match reminds me of the 94 Misawa vs Doc with Misawa trying to contain the more explosive Doc and then land the Elbow. Same with Michaels but replace Elbow with Superkick. The Big spots in the middle come off huge. These are equivalent to huge apron spots in All Japan like a Nodowa off the Apron or a Tiger Driver off the apron. My big issue with the match is that these huge spots don't feel like they have that much bearing on the match. Undertaker basically piledrove himself but doesn't feel like he is in a huge hole. I do think some of the finisher traders feels more like NOAH than All Japan if you catch my drift. That choke slam was massive. I think the Fighting Spirit sequence came off fucking great! Awesome selling and striking! I really dug and the final Tombstone rocked. To me this flirted with ***** but the immediate aftermath of the two missed dives hurts it. If you JIP I Don't feel like they matter much but the Apron Spots were the climaxes of All Japan. I think after some finisher trading they do get back on track with a strong strike exchange and emphatic finish. I said AJ vs Daniels was the 2009 MOTY but that was based on memory, it is indeed this match. ****3/4

Yuki Ishikawa & Carl Greco vs Alexander Otsuka & Mohammed Yone - BattlArts 3/12/99 No Ikeda in this one is weird. Again I have no clue why the pairings are the way they are. I am rooting for a return to BatBat's minimalist portrayal of tight grappling and stiff striking with lots of energy. They are in a much smaller building so hopefully that bodes well. Yone and Otsuka have matching flame tights. We get Yone and Otsuka using good team work to start. Otsuka drives Ishikawa down with a slam and then into a tight chinlock. Yone gets a swift kick to the midsection. Ishikawa sells this like a million bucks. Otsuka applies a headscissors but Ishikawa gets the ropes. Reset standing up. Ishikawa slap and then immediate drop down leg kick is blocked. They wrestle. Ishikawa gets a full mount and grounds and pounds. Ishikawa has a toehold. The grappling is better in this match thus far. More struggle and more positioning battles. Ishikawa tags out. Greco gets a series of kneelifts and kicks, but Otsuka catches it and sweeps the leg nice takedown. Good stepover toehold as he looks to negotiate something more Greco is able to roll through. Crazy deadlift suplex from Otsuka on Greco. Yone's kicks look fantastic. Good standup battle with Greco ends with Greco hurling him with a belly to belly. Greco almost gets the cross armbreaker, but Otsuka saves. I really liked Greco's Chickenwing/Chickenwing looked painful unlike the AsukaLock and strong entry. Yone grabbing a toehold to escape was smart. Grappling has been much better. Loved Greco bullying Yone into the corner and tagging in Ishikawa. He was doing well but was not finishing so lets get the fresh man in there. Yone is able escape the first Fujiwara armbar. Ishikawa tortures Yone with a really nasty version of a cross armbreaker, but Yone is too close to the ropes. Yone gets the crotch hold and then slam to tag out to Otsuka. Otsuka headsbutts Ishikawa. Ugh some Fighting Spirit, but hey Otsuka decides to do some Lucha instead. Yay! Delayed vertical from Otsuka. Otsuka definitely brings something different to BatBat. Ishikawa struggles to apply string leg holds to Otsuka. Good selling by Otsuka and Yone saves. Greco rushes in with a legbar, great scramble by Ostuka. Again Greco manhandling him with a nasty leg submission and great selling by Otsuka until Yone makes the save. This is really great stuff. Otsuka is trapped in the corner and he is coming out, Greco throws some kicks. Otsuka charges for a takedown is able to get to his own corner and tag out. Smart move by Otsuka. They double team Greco to great success! Single leg crab by Yone on Greco, but he wriggles into a headscissors and Ostuka saves. Greco drives Yone into Ishikawa and Greco tags out. Much better tag psychology here. Ishikawa wants to break Yone's arm off and take it home with him until Otsuka saves with a headbutt. They do a double roll into a double kneebar! That is great! Otsuka saves by stomping both. Great shit! Greco tries to submit Yone, but cant because of that pesky Otsuka. Yone slams Greco down. Greco gets a Fujiwara Armbar on a charging Yone great shit. Ishikawa hits a Butterfly Suplex and it is back to the same psychology tear Yone's arm off and Otsuka saves. Ishikawa drops Yone on his head and then Enziguiri and Octopus Stretch. Great stretch of offense. Otsuka has to fight through Greco to save. Greco hurls him outside. Now it is Ishikawa vs Yone! Yone's kicks make in-roads! Rainbow Heel Kick triggers the count. KICK TO THE HEAD! Otsuka dropkicks Greco. Ishikawa Octopus Stretch on Otsuka, but Yone saves. Double suplex almost double choke and now Greco is playing spoiler. Nice double tackle by Otsuka/Yone on Greco. Yone & Otsuka hits a legdrop/Back suplex combo and Yone chokes out Ishikawa for the win. A return to form from the BatBat boys, there was a sense of progress, great selling and cool spots. Plenty of struggle and urgency. Not as great as the tippy top shit from 96-97 but still great. Otsuka and Yone were a great tag team, great chemistry. Lots of strong control segments and good transition. Great BattlArts match for everyone to check out. ****

Yuki Ishikawa & Alexander Otsuka vs Daisuke Ikeda & Mohammed Yone - BattlArts 1/12/99 I tend to love BatBat tags so I am pretty pumped for this match. It starts with Ikeda and Yone double teaming Ostuka in their corner lots of kicks. I am mark for someone clearing out the ringside chairs as Ikeda hurls Otsuka over there. Yone snapmare takeover. I dont know any backstory in BatBat matches I just know it is Ishikawa vs Ikeda and it is the interminable rivalry of wrestling like Tom & Jerry. Ikeda tags in and tries to lock on a chinlock, but Ostuka escapes and hits a nasty headbutt to tag in Ishikawa. Ikeda and Otsuka are both selling as Ishikawa calmly comes in and smacks the loving shit out of Ikeda. Ikeda stands takes nasty elbows and a headbutt from Ishikawa. Ikeda goes nose to nose each time and finally responds with a big slap. This feels more Fighting Spirit than a wild shoot style brawl. Ishikawa traps the legs into an toehold and then into a crossface. Ishikawa hits an enziguiri and it feels like Ishikawa dominated Ikeda in that sequence as he falls out of the ring. Ikeda slingshots himself back into the ring with a lariat but it does not look good and Ishikawa wisely does not sell that weak shit. Ikeda finally gets one up on Ishikawa with a bodyslam and a swift kick to the back. Ikeda can finally tag out. Yone is aggressive early driving Ishikawa back to Ishikawa's corner with kicks, but Ishikawa counters with a Fujiwara armbar takedown, but Ikeda saves. Ishikawa tags out. Otsuka dominates and gets an anklelock, but again Ikeda saves. Another submission attempt another Ikeda save. It sets up the senior/junior partner narrative. Yone is working the arm and this some of the better work of the match. Lots of struggle from Otsuka and different looks from Yone to negotiate a devastating hold. He tags out to Ikeda who looks to pick up where Yone left off, but Ostuka grabs a choke, but Ikeda gets to the ropes. Ikeda still has more gas in the tank and kicks ass. Kneedrop triggers a count from the ref. He tosses Otsuka out and Yone lays the boots to Otsuka. Otsuka shifts weight on the back suplex and squashes Ikeda and wants an arm triangle. He tags out to Ishikawa who headbutts Ikeda, but Ikeda no sells. It feels like they are going through the motions. Everything is stiff and snug, but it is lacking energy and charisma that these guys usually deliver. They are just standing there and taking each other's best shot. There is usually a lot more defense and struggle. Otsuka saves Ishikawa from a Yone choke. Yone is stepping up. More struggle on Ishikawa blocking the Fujiwara armbar attempt from Yone. Ishikawa begins working the arm of Yone, which may be the first thread. Nasty deadlift German from Otsuka that triggers a count. Really tight chinlock from Otsuka, but again it feels like Yone was being ragdolled. Yone escapes and kicks Otsuka a bunch to get the tag out. Tombstone by Ikeda to no heat. The missed moonsault and senton by Otsuka felt more heated and exciting. Giant Swing! Also to no heat but I liked that a but more. Ikeda headbutt and lariat triggers the count. Axe Bomber! Yone tags in series of lariats. Ikeda boots Ishikawa off the apron as the ref counts Otsuka down. Yone hits the MUSCLEBUSTER! I have never seen that before Samoa Joe! Very cool! Yone goes to the abdominal stretch nope pump handle slam, way less cool than musclebuster. Ishikawa backdrops Ikeda on the parquet floor and saves Otsuka from submission. Otsuka catches a spin wheel kick and gets the slam. Otsuka tags out. Fighting Spirit slugfest. Yone wins with a back drop driver and this triggers a count. Ishikawa catches Ikeda into a legbar, which was a cool spot. Ikeda hits a backdrop driver and rolls into a kneebar. Otsuka saves now. Ishikawa applies the Octopus Stretch, shades of Inoki! Ishikawa hits a backdrop driver and tags out to Otsuka. Ishikawa is saying "Take care of my light work." Ikeda hits a Tiger Driver on Otsuka. This does feel like one of those really bloated late NOAH tags from like 2008 where there is a ton of action, but at the same time it feels like nothing is happening. Ikeda whips Ishikawa into the chairs and finally that chaotic feels kinda comes back. Ikeda saves Yone with a headbutt to Otsuka. Enziguiri then Tiger Suplex! This feels really weird from BatBat. Big time Dragon Suplex! Another one as Yone does the glassy eye sell and yet another! It is HEAD DROP PALOOZA! Fourth one should do it... Very disappointing. BatBat's ode to All Japan falls flat as this has more in common with NOAH tags c. 2008. There is a lot of action, but nothing is happening. No real feeling of progress or escalation. Not a lot of struggle. Lots of Fighting Spirit Slugfests. It is not the worst wrestling. I do like stiff shots so it aesthetically pleasing, but feels very shallow. ***1/4

Godamnit! My version does not have the post-match angle! This sounds excellent! FMW Brass Knuckles Champion Hayabusa vs Mr. Gannosuke - FMW 8/25/99 I feel like Hayabusa is the missing link between 90s workrate and 2000s workrate. To me 90s workrate is action-based pro wrestling, but still rooted in the fundamentals of presenting pro wrestling as a shoot contest two men are trying to win. Chris Benoit for better or worse exemplifies 90s workrate in my mind. It is always moving, go forward, offensive style, BUT the move have consequences and selling matters. The objective is to win the match and by-product is the fans are entertained. I think the majority of 2000s workrate is the objective is to entertain the fans and the by-product is the moves lose consequence. The spots pop the fans rather than the fans popping for the workers. "This is awesome" epitomizes the idea that the MOVEZ are over, but the wrestlers are not in my opinion. I am not a huge Hayabusa fan, but I dont hate him either. I think he is legitimately a great flier even if he is bereft of psychology at times. He definitely puts his spots ahead of the match and he also is guilty of overly cooperative sequences. I hate reversals without any struggle that lead to an overly intricate spot. There are times when Gannosuke throws him down with a powerbomb and he is hitting the next move. It just reeks of today's matches. Now unlike today it is NOT 100% of the time and some of his spots are legitimately great so I am saying the match sucked. I am just saying Hayabusa is that missing link. As 90s workrate is transforming into 2000s workrate is all. I thought the beginning was excellent as Hayabusa was keeping Gannosuke off-balance with his speed using armdrags and a great swandive to the floor. I liked the arm control segment for Hayabusa, good selling from Gannosuke. Gannosuke is not exactly Randy Orton, but he hits an Ace Crusher when Hayabusa went for a springboard move. I like how Gannosuke targeted the head once he was on top. There is a great sequence where Hayabusa snaps off a rana to create space. He hits a baseball slide, but doesnt get all of it so Gannosuke is able to trip him and drag him out. He hits A MASSIVE POWERBOMB ON THE CONCRETE! I marked out for that! Much to my chagrin, Hayabusa was the one hitting a rana off the apron and then an Asai Moonsault. It was stuff like that that would really undercut the match. It was not so bad to take me out of the entire match, but it did hurt it in my eyes. It really became about Hayabusa high-risk moves vs Gannosuke's power moves. There is definitely some All Japan King's Road that seeps in too with the no-sell suplex pop ups and lariats. It was so en vogue. Hayabusa was busting out the 450 Splash, Shooting Star Press and Phoenix Splash. Im such a mark for a good 450 Splash. Maybe my favorite move ever. Hayabusa has a great one. I liked how the Shooting Star Press missed great way to put over the high risk nature and give Gannosuke an organic opening. Gannosuke was really able to throw Hayabusa around. Liked the tombstone reversal a lot, always a great spot! A good one for Gannosuke to hit his version of a piledriver! He did the Full Nelson Camel Clutch again that he did to Tanaka. It looks awesome. Someone should steal that for today. Gannosuke's big finish run peaks with his backwards piledriver from the top rope. I didnt feel like the transition back to Hayabusa was well done. Instead of Hayabusa earning it, it just felt "Ok now it is my turn" and he just kicked him in the head. The Phoenix Splash was not his best as he over shot the target and it was knees that hit Gannosuke in the midsection. Falcon's Arrow! It looks like the ref fucks up the finish, but Hayabusa hits another Falcon's Arrow to win it. It was entertaining enough. I think WWE fans today would LOVE this match! It is better than the average WWE match today because it does have a real babyface vs heel feel and you do want Hayabusa to win so you rally around him. The transitions could be a lot better. This was a part of their grand Goodbye Hayabusa storyline. I am missing the post-match angle, but apparently it is an all-timer. I gathered Hayabusa retires along with Brass Knuckles Championship, but evil Kodo Fuyuki attacks him after the match and awards himself the new WEW Heavyweight Championship. This leads to the 10th Anniversary show in November where Masato Tanaka beats Fuyuki for the new championship and Hayabusa returns unmasked, a short blond dye job and Stevie Richards shorts to take Mr. Gannosuke who is posing as Hayabusa with get this Shawn Fucking Michaels as the special guest ref. Jesus that sounds so weird and awesome all that same time. I should really track that show down. Anyways, I enjoyed the match, far from perfect, but I think it is really interesting especially in the context of how pro wrestling changed in the next 20 years. ***3/4

FMW Independent Heavyweight Champion Mr. Gannosuke vs Masato Tanaka - FMW 8/20/99 Mr. Gannosuke is easily my favorite FMW wrestler as he has great heel charisma, is great a garbage brawler but can hang on the mat and throws great strikes. Evil Comissioner Kodo Fuyuki plays the crooked ref in this match. Some fun spots at the beginning like making Tanaka break on the ropes, but Gannosuke got smack Tanaka on the ropes. Tanaka has a clean chinlock, but Gannosuke claims it is a choke to Fuyuki breaks. Tanaka applies a figure-4 but Fuyuki flips Gannosuke over onto the ropes. Good shit like that. At this FMW as switched from deathmatch wrestling to being an Attitude Era-inspired promotion. On the canvas it reads "Entertainment Wrestling" and this is very entertaining wrestling. Gannosuke is able to grab a hold of he arm and wrench it against the ropes. Great heat segment ensues where Gannosuke does a great combination of hard strikes and a variety of holds (double wristlock is sold really well and I love a good short arm scissors). Fuyuki lets Gannosuke attack the arm with a chair. Remember Tanaka relies a lot on that elbow. He removes the pad to reveal a bandaged elbow. The chair gets introduced again. Fuyuki goes to "chastise" the wrestler that threw it in, but Tanak is able to thwart its use by attacking Gannosuke. He gets his first mini-comeback including a tornado DDT and missile dropkick (the count was a little on the slow side and Tanaka gave Fuyuki some side-eye). Tanaka eats knees on the splash. Gannosuke goes right back to the arm. Gannosuke switches from arm work to bombs galore. On the second powerbomb, Tanaka wriggles free and hits a massive lariat. He does clutch his bad arm afterwards. At this point, the match starts to be more reminiscent of the King's Road style with a lot of bomb-throwing and Tanaka selling the arm keeping him from fully capitalizing. As he hitting moves or elbows, he is slow to follow up. Gannosuke hits a CRAZY COUNTER! He is about backdrop out of a powerbomb, but instead basically piledrivers Tanaka into the mat. Fuyuki does some good fast counting...could be a little faster, but the energy is there. Gannosuke starts throwing out suplexes galore (Northern Lights, Dragon, German) and Tanaka has some great loopy sells of these. I really liked the Full Nelson Camel Clutch that should be stolen, looked painful. Gannosuke Driver gets two and thats the climax of this finish run for the bad guy. Tanaka no sells the next German, Lariat and Enziguiri until he finally fells Mr. Gannosuke with an Elbow! I like the finish stretch where first Gannosuke wipes out Fuyuki with a lariat by accident and then Tanaka floors him after Gannosuke moves until he is knocked out. The new ref is in and Tanaka needs to hit an elbow and his Flip Stone Cold Stunner to win the match. There's definitely overkill and Tanaka could have sold the arm a little more to put over he was fighting through the pain (I think it was there, but understated). However, I thought this was fun as hell. The first 15 minutes is just classic, over the top babyface vs heel gold with Gannosuke just being the man. The finish run is big, dumb fun that is All Japan-inspired. Call me crazy, but I loved this and think this is easily the best FMW match I have ever seen. ****1/2

Best of World Championship Wrestling 1988-1990 Part 2 I had a really good shot at a perfect Final Four until Kentucky blew it. Alas! Good news is if Duke wins tonight, my chances of winning good money go up astronomically! Lets Go Blue Devils! Ten year old Martin hates that I wrote that sentence, but ten year old Martin never had $800 either. You know what's worth more to me than $800 Pro Wrestling Love. You can't put a price on Love, baby! Honestly, the top five matches of this Pro Wrestling Love edition are my number one contenders for the top spot in Greatest Match Ever. Think about that. One promotion in a year produced five matches that could be considered the Greatest Match of All Time and who was in all of these matches, The Nature Boy Ric Flair of course! WOOOOOOOOOO! Growing up, I thought the brawls with Terry Funk were the best thing I have ever seen. The matches with Steamboat take my breathe away as they are cardio workouts par excellence and so psychical. To me my magnus opus of wrestling reviews, will be my breakdown of Ric Flair vs Lex Luger at Starrcade 1988. Not to toot my own horn, but toot! toot! I dont think I have ever done such a good job and I am not sure I ever will again. It is the review I am most proud of. So which of these five matches finish #1? What is the only non-Flair match to make my Top 6? Well you just have to click the link to find out! https://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2019/03/pro-wrestling-love-vol-47-best-of-world.html

Best of JCP/WCW 1988-1990 Did you miss me? I know I took off one day, but I am back with four, yes FOUR straight days of Pro Wrestling Love! If that does not make you say CALLOOH CALLAY I dont know what will! We are covering in my opinion the best three year stretch any American promotion has ever had (only All Japan in the mid-90s can compete) as Ric Flair was on another planet during this stretch. At 40 years old, Ric Flair had the best calendar year any pro wrestler has ever heard in 1989. Everyone points to the Steamboat and Funk series, which do dominate my Top 12, but he was getting it done on TV, on house shows and in tag team matches. He was so versatile at this time wrestling heel against Steamboat and babyface against Funk. His spot-calling was pitch perfect and his energy level was through the roof. In addition, the talent depth during this period was insane and it is incredible how they squandered it. There is a six man tag team match in 1988 with the babyface side comprising of Sting, Lex Luger and Barry Windham. Boy did the future look bright and blond on that day! Overshadowed by Flair's historic run was just how damn great the new incarnation of the Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane) who redefine what great tag team wrestling was in America with the Fantastics and the best match of the historic Midnight Express vs Rock N Roll Express happened during this period. All this and much, much more in Pro Wrestling Love vol. 46! https://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2019/03/pro-wrestling-love-vol-46-best-of-world.html

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ricky Steamboat vs Ric Flair - WrestleWar '89 I think the thing that has stuck with me most about this match since first seeing it in 2003 was Jim Ross' call. This is the NWA where we wrestle. He really made this feel like a contest. Even though, try to contend pro wrestling is more of a shoot than amateur wrestling was a little much. It has been so long since I watched the Trilogy together and I expected this to be a distant third, but it is not and it feels really unique. This is the most physical of the three matches. This feels more like a Ronnie Garvin match with lots of chops and firefights. Flair is going for big heavy blows early and often. The Dragon returns with slashes of his own. They play off the Double Chickenwing submission with Steamboat going after the arm. Great arm work by Steamboat it is varied and tight. Flair does a great job selling it in and out of the holds. Flair looks to use the Chop to get out of the hold and back in control, but each time Steamboat fires back and overwhelms the Nature Boy. I loved the bit where Flair hiptossed Steamboat and just his body language made the spot feel huge. The crowd reacted as such. It is amazing that with the right characters, a simple hiptoss can feel like a high spot. Flair misses the elbow drop and Steamboat goes back to the arm. Towards the end of the first half of the match, Flair goes to what I believe is his best strategy and that is throw the man out of the ring. The first time Steamboat lands on his feet and furiously comes back in and fires back. The second time, Flair uses a running Steamboat's own momentum against and hurls him over the top rope and he takes a nasty spill. Flair takes advantage of this bu chopping him over the railing and punishing him on the outside. It should be noted Flair has not begged off yet probably because he is turning babyface at the end of the match and wants to look strong. He is wrestling a very physical style and this has been a great hard-hitting match through the first half. Flair yields his position as King of the Mountain to come back out against Steamboat on the floor, but the Dragon roars back. Blistering the Nature Boy with chops. Flair Flip and Steamboat catches him running down the apron. Flair's saving grace is Steamboat takes another high risk as the Dragon leaps and Flair moves and Steamboat hits the top rope and falls to the floor. Now Flair in his element. He measures Steamboat and really kicks his ass. Great chops and punches. The kneedrop. Butterfly Suplex. Great pins. Steamboat tries to lunge but gets hotshotted that was an awesome hope spot turned into a cutoff. Steamboat is too close to the ropes to cover as as Flair argues with the ref he puts his shin on Steamboat's throat. Great stuff! Steamboat chops hard and as Flair falls he picks the ankle of the weary Steamboat and pulls him outside and does more damage namely a suplex to the floor. This is an amazing heel Flair performance. They pick up the pace in the ring. Whipping everyone into frenzy and they pay it off with the bump I always remember the out of control crossbody where they both tumble to the floor. PRESS SLAM! Steamboat is feeling it! The Dragon is Breathing Fire! SUPERPLEX! DOUBLE CHICKENWING! GREAT SEQUENCE! High Drama! Flair scrambles for the ropes and forces the break. I love the spot where Steamboat is poised for either a top rope chop or top rope crossbody and Flair falls into the ropes jostling them and causing Steamboat to take a nasty spill hurt his leg. This entire match so much of Flair's offense is set up by Steamboat's mistakes or happenstance. Now Steamboat's leg is hurt for the master of the Figure-4 it is almost too easy. Flair zeroes in on the leg and suplexes him back in. FIGURE-4! Rope break. There is a great sequence where Flair has the foot. He is pounding on the knee as Steamboat is chopping him. It feels like this gargantuan struggle. ENZIGUIRI! The Dragon looks poised for a comeback. Lifts Flair up but his knee gives out and Flair cradles him 1-2-3! Amazing match! For some reason, I came in thinking this would be #3 but I think this is my #1. The Chi-Town Rumble is the great pure workrate sprint with crazy ending and Steamboat winning the big one, but it does lack the physical edge. The Clash match is the great, lengthy, classic championship match but there are lulls in it and it is a bit messy down the stretch. This has all the tightness of the Rumble match, the psychology of the Clash, but the added physicality of a Flair/Garvin. Gun to my head: WrestleWar, Chi-Town Rumble, Clash. All are ***** and really no matter how you rank it, it doesnt matter they all rock. *****

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ricky Steamboat vs Ric Flair - Clash of the Champions VI Two Out Of Three Falls It feels weird writing Steamboat as the champion and Flair as the challenger. First Fall: We see Flairism at its peak here with the shifting gears and the perfect blend of movement and story. Flair shows five different strategies in the opening 15 minutes. The first two are readily quashed by Steamboat and end up with Flair embarrassed, slapped and on the outside. As is typical, Flair tries to wrestle at the outset of a match. He bested both in an amateur riding sequence and a top wristlock test of strength by the champion. Thwarted by these two, he tries two of his more successful strategies: crowding in the corner and creating movement via rope running. The heavy chop in the corner definitely stings the Champ. Steamboat sells this so well, great facial expression and his arms lock up as he tries to push Flair away. Ultimately, Steamboat starts rifling Flair with his own chops and overwhelming him. In the movement game, Steamboat proves to his superior, not falling for a drop down he drops into a side headlock or he is able to pull off a headscissors/dropkick combo or he converts two shouldertackles into nearfalls. Flair tries his last go-to strategy: begging off. He successfully breaks Steamboat's rhythm and even gets a boot to the midsection, but Steamboat quickly rallies. Flair does get an inverted atomic drop that looks like it could lead to something, but against Steamboat snuffs out the rally. We see Flair use the powder twice, but both only serve to delay the inevitable Steamboat offense. Steamboat has used the headlock and front chancery as his primary touchstone hold. The kneedrops to the back of the head have been sold exceptionally well, great verbal selling. Steamboat has been able to transition out of the headlock into uptempo offense. A very strong opening 15 minutes that shows Flair at his best trying out different strategies, but getting bested at every turn while Steamboat has done a great job mixing it up between holds, highspots and firefights. Steamboat's first mistake is a splash that eats knees. Flair hits a heavy duty chop and follows that up with a great double stomp. A butterfly suplex gives Flair his first pin attempt. Look how good Flair's pin is. One hand in the lateral press, the right arm hooking the leg and the shin covering the near arm. Any one who says Flair is not detailed oriented is a moron. Great 3/4 nelson follow up. You can see how valuable the first fall is to Flair, he switches a knucklelock, but Steamboat has a great display of strength and powers out. Steamboat misses the follow up dropkick, another mistake. Figure-4...NO...Inside Cradle...1-2...REVERSAL 1-2-3! Nature Boy Goes up 1-0. Strong first fall that lays the foundation without blowing their wad. It is nothing Steamboat cant come back from. He should be pissed. He dominated that first fall, but made two late mistakes and it cost him the fall. Flair tried a lot of things, but until Steamboat made the mistakes it looked like a rout. Second Fall: Steamboat comes out breathing fire! Press slam! Top rope chop! 1-2-NO! Love this attitude from Steamboat. He is challenging his frustration. He gets a bit overzealous and Flair executes a back suplex. Flair up 1-0 slows it back down going to his patented, measured kneedrop. First one hits, second misses, and Steamboat takes him to school. Repeated elbow drops on the leg and you know what that means...FIGURE-4! Flair makes the ropes and kicks Steamboat off a second one, but he goes for the Boston Crab. Great selling here by Flair. Now here's a strategy that does well for Flair and that is take the match to the outside. He powders to break the momentum, but Steamboat gets too close to the apron so he drags him out. He whips him hard into the steel railing twice and then he Steamboat tries to re-enter the ring he stomps him hard because he is now King of the Mountain. Flair looks good up 1-0 and employing his best strategy. He gets his best nearfall off a vertical suplex from the apron back into the ring. He applies an abdominal stretch (Steamboat's midsection has been worked over since the missed splash and railings). Goes into the banana split rollup. Watch the different pinning predicaments he applies. Great struggle here and a great sense of the objective of pro wrestling, hold your opponent's shoulders to the mat for a count of three. Simple but effective. Steamboat rattles off two quick nearfalls: O'Connor Roll and Jacknife. Flair seems to get worried by this and unwisely heads up top. Steamboat meets him there and SUPERPLEX! The momentum has swung to the Dragon! Flair is hollering and selling the back. Steamboat smells blood and attacks the back vigorously. Double Chickenwing! which I dont think I have seen applied before or since even though I think it should be a finish today. Flair does a fantastic job selling this and I love his head shaking and then we get the head nod. It is all tied up! Third Fall: They saved the best for last besides the Double Chickenwing there has not been many bells and whistles. It has been uptempo and lots of great chops, but it has been sound wrestling. Now they go all out. We see the first eye pokes and chop blocks from Flair early in the 3rd fall. It is desperation time. There is no more wrestling with 25 minutes to go and one fall left, it is time to throw everything including the kitchen sink at Steamboat. I love how Steamboat keeps fighting back. There is some amazing chop exchanges. There were some BRUTAL Flair chops. There is one that almost knocked Steamboat clear over the top turnbuckle. Flair ends up getting the kneecrusher and now it is looking bad for the Champ. Still he presses on, gets the ropes quickly on a Figure-4 attempt. I love the Flair Flip into the chop on the apron. It is better than the press slam finish. Steamboat wrenches his knee on a tree of woe spot and now things have gone from bad to worse. Flair gets the lengthy Figure-4 he was looking for but cant force the submission. Great selling and love Flair slapping Steamboat in the hold. Flair Flip against but this time he finishes the frantic run down the apron with a top rope crossbody for TWO! Huge reaction to that. They are peaking at the right time! Desperate Steamboat tries for a bodyslam, but his knee cant hold Flair's weight and Flair falls on top of him for two! Flair tries to go a motion-strategy late in the game. They are at the 45 minute mark and they are doing criss-cross sequences like they are only 5 minutes into the match. Their cardiovascular conditioning is awe-inspiring. Steamboat wins these criss-crosses even getting a top rope crossbody the move that won him the title in Chicago. Flair does end up winning one with a sleeper which stops the Steamboat rally, but Steamboat drives Flair's head into the turnbuckle. Again, Steamboat goes back on offense and Jim Ross notes that Steamboat could try to milk the clock for a draw but he is here to win the match. He misses a flying bodypress from the top and Flair goes back the leg. AMAZING SELLING BY STEAMBOAT! AMAZING CHOP BATTLE! THIS IS SCINTILLATING! There is a great moment where Steamboat goes for a pin and hooks the leg but he is so exhausted that Flair is able to force his leg onto the ropes to break the count, great facial reaction by Steamboat there. Flair gets a back suplex, but instead of going for Figure-4; he goes for a move off the top. Oh no! Press slam and Steamboat goes back to the Double Chickenwing which won him the second fall, his knee buckles and both men's shoulders are down. Thus necessitating the rematch at Wrestlewar. Incredible match on so many levels from a physical standpoint to go 54 minutes and still be wrestling so fast and so quickly speaks to their conditioning. From a booking standpoint, this is a great way to sell the PPV rematch with the draw finish that still ties back to the pure wrestling. From a psychology and pacing, just great with Flair trying so much at the beginning, but Steamboat having an answer for everything. Flair winning the first fall even though Steamboat dominated was smart booking because he made the second fall that much hotter and this was a much longer second fall than in most 2/3 falls matches. Flair got some solid heat and I really liked the run up to the Double Chickenwing. I loved the pacing hey wrestled an excellent 35 minutes, but really kicked into high gear in the last twenty minutes, HUGE chop exchanges, great Steamboat selling and big nearfalls. It is an easy ***** match, but it it not perfect. There are some times when there could have been a bit more struggle and the finish stretch which while exciting could have been more efficient and some of the spots lacked consequence. I think it is non-obvious which is better Flair/Taylor 6/1/85 in regards to the best long NWA championship match. I think it is non-obvious whether this or Chi-Town Rumble is better for best Flair/Steamboat. I am going to wait until I see Wrestlewar again before I do any rankings. Regardless, as someone who likes their wrestling to be between 15-25 minutes for a 54 minute match to hold my attention, feel breezy and exciting means it is an all-time great match and it still holds up today. *****

Best of Japanese Junior Heavyweights 1989-1999 Part 2 EAT EM UP TIGERS! Tigers win on opening day! March Madness continues tonight and I am looking for Oregon to make it to the Elite Eight! GO DUCKS! But honestly, I am less interested in Ducks and more interested in Ligers today. I think of all the different styles of pro wrestling the most influential on today's in-ring product is the Japanese Junior Heavyweight style of the 1990s which blended the workrate of Stampede, the Strong Style of Inokiism and lucha libre. Jushin Liger is one of the most accessible Japanese wrestlers to Western fans because of his Western influences and expressive selling even within a full mask and bodysuit. The opening matwork is typical of the New Japan style, but after that it has all the trademarks of today's style with high-powered offense and plenty of highspots. Crucial differences do remain as the 90s Juniors style still emphasized narrative-based storytelling, body part psychology and selling. Most importantly, it did rely on overly choreographed sequences, but rather organically developed highspots that felt earned. As expected Liger dominates the blog taking four out of the top six spots with the likes of Ohtani, Kanemoto, Great Sasuke and Sano. However, can he hold onto #1 or will Michinoku Pro and Kaientai DX take the top spot? Find out and check out all this and much more in Pro Wrestling Love vol. 45! https://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2019/03/pro-wrestling-love-vol-45-best-japanese.html

Best of Japanese Junior Heavyweights 1989-1999 I have rocked 'n' rolled all night and partied everyday too many days in a row! I am excited to get to bed early. KISS kicked ass definitely a top 5 live act I have ever seen. Much like KISS attracted eyeballs through elaborate costumes, Keiichi Yamada became a shooting star when he became Jushin "Thunder" Liger! Throughout on the 90s, Liger would be on an endless quest to find his equal, his rival. This blog captures the greatest matches of Japanese Junior Heavyweight Wrestling, Jushin Liger was the crown jewel of the division and he helped propelled the division into prominence with his feud against Naoki Sano and putting over Michinoku Pro's Great Sasuke. Michinoku Pro was a promotion completely devoted to junior heavyweight wrestling. Its best year was 1996 as Kaientai DX stable was running roughshod over the promotion and definitely worth watching. All this and much, much more in Pro Wrestling Love vol. 44! https://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2019/03/pro-wrestling-love-vol-44-best-of.html

Best of All Japan 1997-1999 Part 2 Doing back-to-back nights at the Gahden, kid! As I am seeing the final KISS tour. Had two great experiences previously seeing KISS, Paul Stanley is a riot on the microphone, cant wait to hear what zany thing he says. Last night's RAW was pretty decent. A surprisingly funny Triple H, nice sendoff for Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle, a big Yankees Suck chant and got to see Ronda & The Man Becky Lynch, a solid night of pro wrestling. We continue the Pro Wrestling Love with pinnacle of Pro Wrestling, All Japan in the 90s. I have teased that some of these blogs have greatest match ever contenders in them. I have whittled the short list for #1 down to six matches. One of those six matches is included in today's blog. Growing up in the late 90s/early 00s, American fans seemed obsessed with the Misawa/Kawada feud of All Japan. When would Kawada get that big win and stop choking? I think whats interesting is how the viewing prism has shifted over the years from Misawa/Kawada dominating the conversation to Misawa/Kobashi. I think it is part that Misawa/Kobashi had the more triumphant conclusion to their story in the form of 3/1/03 and the other part is people going back realizing that Misawa/Kobashi matches are really incredible and really only 6/3/94 can compare to the multiple high level Misawa/Kobashi matches. What makes the Misawa vs Kobashi matches so good is the attention to detail in the matches and from match to match. Kobashi was my pick for the greatest wrestler ever as he combines amazing offensive firepower and sympathetic selling better than any wrestler ever. You can see his growth and maturity between 1/20/97 and 10/31/98. He wrestles a much-more mistake free style AND he wrestles a more suffocating style, it is a true full court press to stymie any Misawa offense. Within a match, Misawa and Kobashi make do a better job than anyone else making mistakes and tactical error mean something. Everything has consequence in a Misawa/Kobashi match. You put together the characters, the history, the amazing offense and selling, the incredible crescendos to the finish and add that attention to detail you definitely have a contender for the greatest match ever. That's only two of the six matches discussed in this blog so check it out for much, much more in Pro Wrestling Love vol. 43! https://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2019/03/pro-wrestling-vol-43-best-of-all-japan.html

Best of US Wrestling 1977-1982 Duke vs Central Florida had a thrilling finish! One of the best endings to a basketball game, I have seen in forever. I have Duke winning in one of my pools so I was pulling for them and glad that dude didnt pull a JR Smith when he grabbed the bound off the missed free throw. You know what else is thrilling? A King-Sized comeback from Jerry "The King" Lawler! We have that in spades as he takes three out of the top six spots for the Best that United States Pro Wrestling had to offer between 1977-1982. However, can he topple the "Nature Boy" Ric Flair topple the "Modern Day Warrior" Kerry Von Erich in one of their many classics this time from Dallas? Also inside is the best hidden gem uncovered by the Houston footage revolution of 2016 and a hidden gem from Kentucky featuring a very Macho Man OOOOOOOHHHH YEEEAHHHHHH! Check out Pro Wrestling Love vol. 41! https://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2019/03/pro-wrestling-love-vol-41-best-of-us.html Best of All Japan 1997-1999 Part 1 Quick turnaround as I am going to wrestling tonight at the Gahden, kid! I am hoping we get a good crazed Ronda Rousey promo and an appearance by THE MAN BECKY LYNCH! Before Becky Lynch was The Man, there was Mitsuharu Misawa, the Ace, the GOAT. All Japan of the 1990s is the sacred era of pro wrestling, many consider it the pinnacle of the wrestling industry. There has been some backlash over the years, but for the most part it remains well-regarded and it is still the standard for the great pro wrestling. Its peak was roughly 1993-1996, but the entire decade is littered with classics. This blog looks at the end of this glorious run where the excesses of the style take their toll and the boss, Giant Baba passes away in 1999 leaving the promotion in turmoil and ultimately causing the All Japan/NOAH schism in 2000. However, 1997-1999 still has many, many great matches. It offers new tag team pairings such as the Ace Misawa & Rat Boy Ogawa and the ultra-macho team of Burning (Kobashi & Akiyama) to combat the old standard-bearers Holy Demon Army (Kawada & Taue). It also features when Kawada, the Wile E. Coyote to Misawa's Roadrunner finally gets his big win but probably four years too late to mean anything. It is also characterized by one of the most prolific feuds in history: Misawa vs Kobashi. All this and much, much more in Pro Wrestling Love vol. 42: Best of All Japan 1997-1999. https://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2019/03/pro-wrestling-love-vol-42-best-of-all.html

All Japan Triple Crown Champion Kenta Kobashi vs Mitsuharu Misawa - AJPW 10/31/98 I have watched this match twice before. Once, I thought the finish was overkill. The second time, I thought the whole match was insanely great and on par with 1/20/97. Neither time, I wrote a full review, which I am regretting now because it has been years since I have seen the other Kobashi/Misawa matches and I am worried that this will lose some luster going into cold, but I really want to knock this one out before the Greatest Match Ever deadline. Doing this stream of consciousness style because it is a long match. The crowd is molten for this and both men are insanely over. It seems like Misawa is more over. Even though, Misawa is the challenger, he has beaten Kobashi in every championship encounter. So Kobashi still needs to prove himself to Misawa, which creates an interesting dynamic not often the champion comes in the underdog. The opening sequence is very spirited, lots of blocking and ends up with Kobashi hitting the powerslam for the first cover. Kobashi is looking good early he counters again into a hammerlock and then bars the arm. Misawa is the King of the Comeback so while a hot start is important, you need to finish. Misawa clocks him with the first elbow. Kobashi roars back with a chop when Misawa rears back for an elbow, Kobashi wisely takes a step back. They have established Kobashi is not going to back down, but he is the young, dumb kid any more he is not going to take any unnecessary headshots. Kobashi takes him down with a drop toehold and back to the armbar. To me this is a wise strategy. Contain Misawa and then set up your offense from there. He is not working the Emerald Elbow arm by the way. He is working the non-dominant arm. Kobashi is looking for the Crossface Chickenwing, Misawa is forced to block and this leaves him susceptible to a Russian Legsweep. I love that type of wrestling. Kobashi goes the to All Japan standby of the Surfboard spot. I love tests of strength in wrestling. They serve as mini-battles and ways for wrestlers to earn small victories on the way to the bigger victory. They are like milestones. Misawa keeps trying, but Kobashi overwhelms him the first two times. Misawa gets closer on the third time, but Misawa mule kicks. KOBASHI LUNGES AT MISAWA WITH A SHOULDER TACKLE! I love the full court press. He is not going to let Misawa breathe. Chop in the corner. Irish Whip but Kobashi is following close behind and slams him in the corner. He holds onto the Irish Whip into the ropes for a kneelift and then a big suplex. Kobashi is not letting Misawa have any space to create offense. Lots of body contact. Love it. Big strong chops to the back and then a facelock again sapping the energy. This is an A+ strategy from Kobashi. Misawa gets a knee to head to escape but Kobashi immediately starts chopping the neck hard. Misawa starts to GROWL which you dont hear too often and he fires off one of his trademark elbows. Kobashi wins the first Elbow vs. Chop war with a barrage of spectacular spinning back chops to the neck. Nasty. Amazing spot! How many times do we see Misawa use the middle turnbuckle on an Irish Whip to hit a reverse crossbody or reverse elbow. Kobashi is follwing so close behind that Kobashi shoulderblocks his back as he attempts it. Full court press! Kobashi makes what could his first mistake in a mistake-free match as he places Misawa on the top rope. Never give your opponent the high ground. Misawa knocks him off the top rope and Kobashi takes a back bump. Misawa hits his first high spot. Missile dropkick. Kobashi gets up and immediately closes the gap with a shoulderblock but this does NOT bowl Misawa over. Crucial. That missile dropkick took a bit more out of Kobashi. Misawa hits an elbow and a spin kick to send Kobashi to the floor. Misawa dropkicks Kobashi into the railing and a spinning slingshot splash to the floor wipes out Kobashi. You have to wrestle a mistake-free match against Kobashi, but Kobashi made the first mistake. Misawa flicks the sweat from his brow in characteristic Misawa fashion. I missed Misawa. Somersault plancha from the top rope onto Kobashi. I love Misawa. Spinning clothesline. Before R-Truth emulated John Cena, he emulated Misawa, fun fact. Senton gets two. Misawa is in his groove. He is hard to beat when he is in rhythm. Misawa grabs a tight chinlock. The sound of flesh on flesh in a Misawa match is always riveting. He hits so hard. Misawa gets his trademark front facelock and transition into a Rings of Saturn like submission. Misawa is sapping Kobashi's energy and imposing his will on Kobashi. Elbow vs Chop War is just scintillating. Kobashi glazed over, glassy eye look is great. Kobashi ends up on the outside. Misawa flips over the top rope as Kobashi evades the head on dive. Misawa goes for the elbow off the apron, anti-air dropkick to the midsection by Kobashi. HUGE! The rout was on and Kobashi just quelled Misawa's run. Kobashi starts legdropping Misawa's neck repeatedly over the railing and then over the middle rope. Misawa is left clutching it. Kobashi knows after getting his ass kicked this is his chance. He hits two successive Back Drop Drivers for two. The crowd is chanting "Misawa" loudly. Kobashi went for broke there. Targeting the neck instead of the Emerald Arm is a sign he is playing to win instead of defensively. Kobashi grabs a front chancery/front facelock which works the body part and lets Kobashi recalculate. Misawa elbow leads to an immediate head drop German. Misawa comes up swinging and Kobashi FLIES into a sleeper! Wow! That was just insane in how quick and sudden everything was. Kobashi is trying to beat the living incarnation of Die Hard basically. I love Kobashi's response to any sort of Misawa's offense is to move insanely fast into an offensive move. He is trying to snuff out a rally as soon as it starts. He is taking no chances. Kobashi goes for the Powerbomb. I think to myself this is unwise. Trying to powerbomb Misawa is like trying to powerbomb Kidman. Misawa-rana...NO...KOBASHI BLOCKS BOSTON CRAB! HOW DID I FORGET THAT SPOT! MARK OUT CITY! I AM GOING CRAZY! Kobashi looks to make a mistake by charging corners as this gives time for Misawa to counter. Misawa jumps into a Half Nelson Suplex, nope Misawa blocks by lunging into the turnbuckles. Kobashi is trying to recover and quash the rally. Catches the foot, Misawa nails him in the mush with the free foot. ROARING ELBOW~! Misawa nails his trademark diving elbow. Again it is such small mistakes that make the difference when you wrestle Misawa. You have to wrestle a mistake-free match. Misawa nails a diving elbow from the top rope. Now Misawa is thinking finish as he attempts the Tiger Driver for the first time. Kobashi back drops out. Misawa hits a German. Kobashi, out of desperation, lunges with the shoulder tackle MISAWA SWATS HIM OUT OF THE AIR WITH AN ELBOW! MARK OUT CITY! TIGER DRIVER~! 1-2-NO! Big Flying Bodypress gets two for the Ace. They do that awful double clothesline spot. One guy comes from the top rope and the other hits one from the mat. I didnt remember that at all. That was the first bad spot of a match that has just been aces thus far. I think that's the levelling the playing field spot going into the finish run. Kobashi is struggling to his feet. He needs the ropes. Misawa goes for a Monkey Flip? A curious decision. Kobashi hot shots him! HALF NELSON SUPLEX~! Kobashi cant capitalize but things have swung into his favor for sure! We are at the 30 minute mark and this match has just flown by. BUCKLEBOMB~! DDT! Dragon Suplex, but Kobashi does not hold on. He crawls for the cover, but it is only two. What will it take to beat the GOAT? Roaring Elbow, no Kobashi catches him with a lariat and then a suplex-slam for two. Kobashi is beside himself. Only one place left to go: BURNING HAMMER, but MIsawa blocks. Kobashi puts him on he top turnbuckle and he has him in position, but Misawa flips out. LARIAOTOOOOOOO~! 1-2-NO! He covers again incredulously. DDT! Man did he plant him. Legdrops the back of the neck. Top Rope Legdrop On The Back Of The Neck! Still only two. Kobashi goes for another cover. He is in disbelief. He tries to wrestle himself with the Burning Lariat. MISAWA ELBOW TO THE LARIAT ARM! WOW! Spinning Back Chops to the bad neck! This is insane! Kobashi Bucklebomb again no here is the MISAWA-RANA into the buckles. That looked dangerous as fuck. Misawa powders and Kobashi is up first. That has to be depressing for the challenger. Kobashi teases the Half Nelson Suplex on the apron, but the big apron spot is TIGER DRIVER TO THE FLOOR~! THIS IS GLORIOUS DECADENT PRO WRESTLING! They do a great job milking this spot for all its worth. SPINNING ELBOW! Misawa just starts landing somersault legdrops to back of Kobashi's neck as a Fuck You! TIGER DRIVER '91! HE SPIKED HIM ON HIS FUCKING HEAD! 1-2-NO! KO-BASH-I! KO-BASH-I! KO-BASH-I! Misawa charges with his elbow cocked LARIAOTOOOOOOOO! Cmon Kobashi crawl! Crawl! Right hand draped over Misawa 1-2-NO! Crowd didnt bite on that. Kobashi tries to press the advantage but Misawa roars back with a barrage of elbows! 1-2-NO! WHAT THE FUCK!?! Kobashi tries to find sanctuary with the ropes, but Misawa pries him off the ropes to hit a Tiger Suplex for two! MISAWA OBLITERATES KOBASHI WITH AN 1-2 ELBOW COMBINATION! WOW! 46 minutes of pure awesomeness! This match is like Death By Chocolate. So rich, fudgy and decadent. Dont eat it all the time, but when you do it knocks your socks off. The body of the match is so insanely good. Kobashi was just all over Misawa to start. Definition of the Full Court Press. He was sniffing out and stuffing Misawa's offense at every turn. He had so many of Misawa's trademark counters scouted. I like that tiny mistakes he did make matter so much in this match. Against anyone else, you can recover, against Misawa it can spell doom. Kobashi's big finish run was spectacular and it was really well-built to the Burning Hammer which he couldn't hit. The Tiger Driver off the apron FELT HUGE! That was the game-changer. The overkill was just after that. The Tiger Driver '91 should have been the finish and Kobashi didnt need another nearfall, but still three minutes of excess does not ruin the match, it is just a little too fudgy. I am still giving it full marks because you be hard pressed to see such a great detailed-oriented match for 40+ minutes that Kobashi scouting strategy is what I live for in wrestling, just A+ wrestling psychology. I have this #3 behind 1/20/97 and 3/1/03, but unless Flair/Steamboat pull it off during their rewatch this will be the only twosome I have with three ***** bouts.

J-Crown Champion Jushin Thunder Liger vs Shinjiro Otani - NJPW 2/9/97 Jushin Liger's take on King's Road. Otani opens as characteristic with his overly dramatic handshake. Austin says you can predict how good a match will be based on the lock up. Well that's a ***** lock up. Great drive in the legs. I have seen this match twice before loved it both times. To call this Mitsuharu Liger vs Shinjiro Kobashi sounds insulting, but it feels that way. It is a bit inaccurate. Ohtani sort of combines the prickly wrestling style of Kawada with this histrionics of Kobashi. Ohtani challenges Liger to come off the ropes and hits a spin kick. He shows some high Wrestling IQ there, but applauds himself instead of following up. Liger dropkicks the knee and zeros in on the leg with his classic inverted deathlock. Another thing separates this match from King's Road is the commitment to double limb psychology and mat works for the first half of the match. The match is also nasty. Liger is repeatedly kneedropping the bad leg and putting boot on the face of Ohtani in the corner. Ohtani fires up in the corner and he bootscrapes Liger. There is definitely a lot of heat here. Liger tries to go back to the knee to quell this rally, but Ohtani fires back with some head rocking shots. Then much like Misawa's mythical elbow, Liger's Shotei bails him out of trouble as he unloads with palm strikes from both wings as Ohtani is trapped in the corner. With Ohtani reeling, Liger goes back to the knee. Ohtani escapes and rubs his forearm bone in the face and grabs a top wristlock then begins to zero in on the left arm of Liger. Why? That Shotei! A very similar strategy that many of Misawa's opponents would use to neutralize the vaunted Emerald Elbow. This is a good change of pace from the perfunctory matwork that usually fills time at the beginning of New Japan matches each man is working a limb with strong selling from both men. Liger is a really expressive seller both verbally and physically even though he is masked. There is one toehold that Ohtani applies with his knee across the ankle, my God you think Liger was having acid poured on it. Great stuff! This allows Ohtani take Liger back down with an armbar. Ohtani cross-armbreaker! Liger gets the ropes immediately but continues the verbal selling as Ohtani would relinquish the hold. Ohanti is standing on the face and throat of Liger. I like how chippy this is. Ohtani throws him in the corner. He crowds him and bullies him. He is just hitting him with these big open handed blows. He is trying to make a statement. Those nasty bootscrapes in the corner, but no running facewash instead of giving Liger one moment to breathe while running, he brings out and drops him with a Single Arm DDT. Wise move. He wants the Cross Armbreaker, but settles for snapping it over his shoulder and Liger sells this like a million bucks. I think my one criticism of this match as I am watching it for a second time today is the lack of escalation and big time transitions to make this feel really epic. Ohtani's arm work is really tight and fierce and he is adding in good prickly work, but there is not a sense that he is building to a big arm submission. Liger for his part sells wicked well and he goes back to the leg enough for his hope spots to tie back to the beginning. He wrenches in some toeholds as the man fighting underneath I think he does his job expertly. When Ohtani applies the Crossface it does not feel like a nearfall, but just another hold even though it is tight same goes for the noogie to the arm. All great work, but does not feel huge. When I was watching earlier today, I knew around the 15 minute time call, they were going to start busting out the bombs. There were no highspots in the first 15 minutes. Liger starts nailing Shoteis in the corner (great fighting through the pain selling), Kappo Kick (instead of the Shotei he hits the Kappo Kick) and then the trademark Superman Dive from the top rope to the floor and then the powerbomb on the floor. The Powerbombs (Ohtani hits one too) on the floor and the whip to railing feels very All Japan. Liger swatting Ohtani out of the way of a springboard dropkick feels All Japan too, but the immediate La Magistral cradle feels more Juniorish and gives it a hybrid vibe. I like them trading nearfall cradles here. Liger hits a Frankensteiner but Ohtani rolls through. Liger goes for the German, but Ohtani lands on his feet. Still too early and Ohtani immediately pounces with a spinning heel kick. The best sequence of the match so far. It feels sudden and unpredictable. I like how Ohtani hits a snap German suplex right afterwards. He didnt go for the release. He is not taking any chances. Here comes those Ohtani histrionics as he is psyching himself up and makes the cardinal mistake of Irish Whipping your opponent. He gave Liger free space and Liger NAILS a lariat, but with the bad arm. Great selling by Liger as he cant capitalize. Liger hits his first big bomb a Ligerbomb for two and Ohtani is definitely on Weird Street as Kal Rudman would say. Ohtani has a great sell of this on the apron as Liger pulls him in. Liger wants the brainbuster, but Ohtani struggles against. The Suplex Struggle is a trademark All Japan spot. Ohtani floats over and it is another snap German. Loving his take on the German. He is lying in wait. Liger makes it to his feet BANG! Springboard Dropkick to the back. Premature celebration. Ohtani thinks he has it in the bag. Dragon Suplex 1-2-NO! Here come the waterworks! Ohtani is beside himself. Ohtani still calling out to the crowd. He wants another Dragon Suplex, but Liger scrambles for the ropes. Ohtani trying to fight, but Liger breaks free. SHOTEI~! Ohtani takes a wicked bump for this! 1-2-NO! Big time nearfall! Liger hits two Fisherman Busters, would have liked to seen more struggle there as Ohtani is ragdolling. On the third bomb, a Brainbuster, Ohtani reverses his weight. Ohtani puts Liger on the top, which is dumb never give your opponent the high ground. He tries desperately to scale the ropes but three times Liger knocks him down. On the fourth try, he hits a barrage of headbutts and a Frankensteiner. Well fuck me, it worked out for the little bastard, but at what cost. SPRINGBOARD HEEL KICK! 1-2-NO! Ohtani had a weird reaction to this. He acted like he won, but he clearly didnt. He collapses. He just keeps covering Liger. He is in denial. Ohtani hit him with his best shots and he cant beat the Beast God. Liger collapses trying to get up. Ohtani goes for another Dragon Suplex, but Liger breaks free...SHOTEI~! Ohtani sticks his chin out. Now they are channeling Choshu/Hashimoto. Liger hits the MUTHA OF ALL SHOTEI! 1-2-3! Jushin Thunder Liger retains! The finishing stretch is truly great one of the best Liger has ever crafted in his matches. Ohtani gets TWO big time runs late and both times you feel like he has a really strong shot to dethrone the Ace. Liger uses the Shotei twice to break free from the Dragon Suplex and turn it back to his favor. The first Ohtani transition landing on his feet on a release German followed by a spinning heel kick was genius. The second one did not feel earned or big. The beginning of the match I really liked and it made a lot of sense. Ohtani going after the arm to prevent the Shotei was smart and Liger going after the legs of Ohtani who uses two springboard moves also smart. Let's be honest if we JIP to Liger splashing off the top rope to the floor do we need to the know the beginning of the match. I say not really besides some arm wringing by Liger it is not that important. This is a small nitpicky complaint because I thought transitioned well between the two and the work was high end. I thought they do a strong narrative of the extremely talented, but immature upstart challenger against the veteran champion with the great equalizer (the Shotei) incredibly well. After much deliberation, I am going to say it falls just shy of ***** for me, ****3/4, still I think this will make my Top 100 matches of all time.

Shinjiro Ohtani vs El Samurai - NJPW 6/3/99 Not quite as good as their 1996 classic, but still a helluva find by Charles & The Yearbook Staff. Ohtani was in the zone in this match channeling his 1996 self. He was his histrionic best. I dont think this match was quite as nasty and detail-oriented as their '96 contest. I really Ohtani's noogie to the eye to break Samurai first attempt at an armbar, but after that the nastiness wasnt quite there. I can see why a lot of people like this because they do away with the perfunctory NJPW juniors opening matwork and replace with very focused and tight double limb psychology. They allude to their '96 classic with Samurai targeting the arm and Ohtani targeting the leg. The work was great but the drama was not there. I remember marking out in '96 when Samurai hit the double stomp to Ohtani's arm as he stretched it out the ropes. Here, I was like I bet that is what happened, it happened and I was like cool. I thought the transitions were good not great a little too "Now it's my turn". I feel like I sound too down. The work was really tight and I thought Ohtani's selling was really good. Ohtani is also at selling winning. He is such a prick when he is winning a match. They pretty much abandon the double limb psychology to start throwing bombs. Samurai to his credit keeps selling. Ohtani hits a WILD, OUT OF CONTROL FACEWASH! I thought he was going to decapitate himself on the ropes. His springboard offense looked incredible as always. He really wiped Samurai out with his ass on that springboard spinning heel kick. For his part, Samurai hit some great dives. I love Ohtani's selling down the stretch. The comedy gold of hugging the ring post to avoid a super back suplex. The exasperation of not getting a three (look at his sell after not getting the three on that late German suplex or when Samurai gets the ropes during the heel hook, incredible). The selling of Samurai's offense is so good. He was so good at the character work in this. Not to be outdone when Ohtani does go back to the leg, I loved Samurai's verbal selling in the heel hook and how he was thrashing around in pain searching for the rope. I didnt like the Draw finish. I just didnt feel like this match was that much of war. A draw feels like it should be because both men are spent instead this felt like both men still had life. This feels like a great bomb throwing workrate match with a strong mat portion at the beginning and tons of great character work from Ohtani. I think the '96 match has a more unique feel and is grittier. That being said this is still wicked entertaining and it is always a treat to get to see more Ohtani. That hugging the ringpost spot is an all-timer. Honestly, I thought Ohtani's reactions and selling is what makes this match stand out more than anything and they are my biggest takeaway. ****1/2

Best of US Wrestling 1977-1982 Part 1 Is it just me or has March Madness been quite tame this year? I guess it cant be every year that a #16 seed upends an #1 seed. However, Pro Wrestling Love is about to experience it is own form of March Madness as this will be the first of NINE blogs over the course of the next ten days! That's right, nine blogs! The deadline for the Greatest Match Ever Project is fast approach and I am disappointed to say I will not be making my goal of watching every important match to take place in Japan and America between 1980-2009. The good news is better luck next year because it will be an annual tradition. The first of this flurry deals with a period of time in US wrestling that is mostly shrouded in mystery due to a lack of footage. It looks at the best of US Wrestling from 1977 through 1982 and as you would expect the three central figures of American wrestling in the 1980s dominate this era too and that is the Nature Boy Ric Flair, Jerry "The King" Lawler and Nick Bockwinkel. Even though it does not make my top 12 matches, everyone should seek out the Lawler/Flair angle from 1982 that is run on TV and as it is Top 5 TV angle of all time. The Lawler vs Bockwinkel matches from the 1980s are some of the best ever and Flair going down to Texas to face the Von Erich boys always produces great matches! All this and much, much more in Pro Wrestling Love Vol. 40! https://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2019/03/pro-wrestling-love-vol-40-best-of-us.html

Thank you!

Great Sasuke vs Jinsei Shinzaki - M-PRO 4/29/94 Echoing what many others have said about this match, the beginning totally rules. Sasuke looks like he is going to do the standard throw your fist in the air with his robe during the intro but instead lariats Shinzaki! It is on! Then Sasuke does his trademark swandive splash from the top turnbuckle still in his robe. Awesome visual. I thought he brained himself again because that was a bad landing. Not quite as bad as the time he literally cracked his skull during the J-Crown match against Ultimo Dragon. Sasuke grabs a deep armbar similar to Nagata's version or the Disarmor. Shinzaki powders and retaliates with arm work of his own and then a choke. Sasuke tries to speed up the tempo but gets caught in a military press slam and then a Vaderbomb by Shinzaki for two. Shinzaki stupidly Irish Whips Sasuke and this gives Sasuke the space to create offense and a dropkick causes Shinzaki to powder. Shinzaki gets the hell out of Dodge before Sasuke can dive on him. Sasuke is lying in wait, but Shinzaki catches him and walks the ropes in his signature spot. I thought the match dragged here where all of sudden they were trying to KO each other, but the strikes were not that convincing and there was no much escalation or transitions. Sasuke had some crazy whiffs, but some kicks did connect. Shinzaki catches one of the spinning heel kicks with a slam. Sasuke ends up hitting an Asai moonsault as the match gets back on track as a speed vs power match. The springboard dropkick from a spent Sasuke gets two. The match transitions into the finish stretch. The moves were good but it felt very unearned. Sasuke ran through his standard moveset finish offense: German Suplex nice bridge, the Quebrada into a cover and the Crucifix Powerbomb. There was at least some struggle on the Crucifix Powerbomb. It just felt like bomb-bomb-bomb rather than a fight.I did like Shinzaki getting a rana into a pin on the second powerbomb attempt. The transition to Shinzaki is really good. Sasuke hits a FLYING SPACE TIGER DROP~! Which I am a mark for, but then he tries it again, but comes up short and whacks the back of his head on the floor. Shinzaki throws him down on the powerbomb. Then Shinzaki throws it back in his face with an Asai Moonsault and then hits three diving headbutts from three different corners to win the match in very definitive fashion. The beginning is definitely the best part as it feels totally out of control. Then they settle into a good juniors match. Sasuke has to wait a little, but eventually he is able to unleash his spectacular lucharesu offense. I really liked the transition at the end and Shinzaki's finish stretch was short, sweet and impactful. Thought the middle was not that great and it could have felt more urgent/earned down the stretch, but still this is a great match and Sasuke is definitely one of the great junior wrestlers of all time. ****

This is definitely a workrate match, but it is a BANGER of a workrate match! I would say outside Flair/Steamboat Chi-Town Rumble, the best extended sprint of all time. Everything feels huge and important! IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Jushin "Thunder" Liger vs Great Sasuke - NJPW 7/8/94 Absolute BANGER! Sasuke dropkicks Liger in the middle of Liger's introduction and the match never lets up from there. This is the best extended sprint of all time. Sasuke was just hurling his body at Liger with reckless abandon trying to prove that the Super J Cup was not a fluke. The dive over the top looks so out of control. Liger is totally overwhelmed. What makes this match so much better than Super J Cup is that this is not a squash-banana peel match. It is an organic match where both men are fighting back. Even though Sasuke is in control of the majority of the match, he has to earn his offense. Liger is still throwing out Shotei and Kappo Kicks. It is not a ragdoll match where Liger is just letting himself get thrown around. I really liked that they replaced the opening New Japan matwork with Sasuke trying pugnaciously to go for the cross armbreaker. I do wish they stuck with it a little longer because it was a good touchstone, but the match did not suffer. Liger sold the arm for a while and then it gradually got better. The Lucharesu sequences came off incredible in this match. A lot of the time they feel rote or artificial. Like it is stage blocking in a musical. Here things came out of nowhere. Sasuke was going for a fancy move and Liger would just nail him with a Kappo Kick and then follow it up with Somersault Plancha. Sasuke's back handspring elbow comes off as sudden because it was Liger that set it up and the Asai Moonsault looked great. If you define workrate as the spots per minute, then this match has a very high workrate. Normally, I would decrying that, but like I said what makes this match work is that the spots are sudden, set up organically and there a lot of counters and missed moves. Sasuke BIG classic dive to outside looked great and the missile dropkick was a great nearfall and the Crucifix Powerbomb was even better. Strong escalation from the mat to dives to the outside, to bombs in the ring. Sasuke misses the top rope reverse sidesault. It is important to me that there are missed moves. I really liked that Sasuke still initiated the next sequence going for the victory roll, but it was Liger that tossed him off and led to a massive Liger release German to reassert himself. I loved that sequence. Liger really felt like a power wrestler in this match against a flyer with the big strikes and throws. It is the Tiger Mask combo (Tombstone/Diving Headbutt), but thats only two. Top Rope Frankensteiner, but it is a cocky cover and that almost costs Liger again as Sasuke sunset flips him . It was hubris that cost him the Super J match. Will his ego be his downfall again? Liger eats knees on the splash and Sasuke gets an inside cradle. This is a great play off the Super J Cup finish with lots of roll ups that make Sasuke look like he can steal one as Liger as established himself on top. Sasuke wants to go upstairs, but Liger meets him and punches him in the gut. AVALANCHE BRAINBUSTER! Liger keeps both hands on Sasuke's arm during the lateral press and does not count along to get the 1-2-3! Notice in the two pinfall covers before Liger took one hand off to count along with the ref. That's ego. Liger was getting worried and he made sure to keep his hands down to take no chances. Details like that make Liger the Juniors GOAT. I said all I needed to right at the beginning. THIS IS A BANGER! It is full throttle, pedal to the metal pro wrestling. However, it has meaningful momentum shifts, the moves have consequence and there was a narrative. Yeah it was that damn good. *****