Superstar Sleeze

Tomohiro Ishii vs Hirooki Goto - NJPW NJPW G-1 Climax 8/9/15 Sometimes you just want to watch two big dudes hit each other really hard. These two stalwarts of New Japan's Hoss Division deliver in spades. So many meaty chops and monster truck lariats! The Zidane-style headbutts come from out of nowhere and are hit with full force. Like the Ibushi/Ricochet match there is really not much to this besides the fact that it is two dudes just to tear each other's head off or cave in their chests. Ishii's chops coming out of the first strike exchange stand out. Also, Goto's badass lariat after avoiding the Brainbuster. There are two funny, cute moments where each wrestler leaps onto the shoulders into the fireman's carry position. Jeez at least let the other dude stop and pick you up. This is not as great as those organic, violent brawls of the past, but it good stylized violence and they lay their shit in. Where this falters is the finish. Ishii hits his Sliding Lariat, but cant negotiate his Brainbuster. This allows Goto to make his comeback. Goto hits that FU onto Knee, which I think is a lame move from the top. Then in a terrible moment, Goto hits his finish, but I thought Ishii had reversed into DDT, but it was just Goto's shitty finish. Worst type of move. The beginning scratched my itch but it grew tiresome as it wore on. ***

I could have sworn I made a post. I missed the boat with this one. I will re-watch. I am pretty shocked that I rated it so low. So yes will definitely get a re-watch soon. But here is the original review: Katsuyori Shibata & Hirooki Goto vs Yuji Nagata & Tomomaki Honma - 6/21/14 Picked this match to watch for two reasons: I wanted to watch a modern New Japan tag match and I love the "underdog face paired with a vet face against a bruising heel duo" genre. It looks like the only underperforming part of New Japan is the tag division, which produced pretty much no match of the year contenders. This was the only New Japan heavyweight tag match to even make Voices of Wrestling Top 120 of 2014 countdown. Add in the fact this type of tag match is my favorite type of tags this was a slam dunk to watch. Unfortunately, I was bit disappointed. You think beating the piss out of Honma and a hot finish run would be hard to fuck, but I just didn't think the drama was there. I liked Honma jumpstarting the match. You can't help but be infected by his energy. You want that dude to win a match. He takes it to Shibata early and Nagata/Honma overwhelm Shibata. Shibata finally gets his wits about him and levels Honma with a right elbow and wisely tags out. This is what I am waiting for the beatdown on Honma and it did not last long enough. Goto is just as lame as ever. Shibata was a good dick, but he is no Tenryu. I liked him shoving his boot into Honma's face. Only one knock Nagata off the apron spot? Honma is already making his comeback. Nagata, who is GHC Champ at this point, does feel electric as the vet face bursting on the scene. Shibata tags out and he immediately grabs his armbar. Honma wants in and kicks some Goto ass, which gets me and the crowd rocking. Nagata is a great cheerleader for all this. Honma misses diving headbutt and Goto hits his finishes while Shibata detains Nagata to win the match. It felt really abbreviated and WWE-esque. Like this is one of the better WWE tags of 2014, but happened in NJPW. Where was the usual chipiness and constant shots to the apron guy or holding someone back or the constant saves. It was nice little character piece for Honma, Nagata was a good cheerleader, Shibata is a good dick and Goto is whatever. Honma is entertaining, but not at the level of heat I expect from puro tags. ***

IWGP Jr Heavyweight Champion Kota Ibushi vs Ricochet - NJPW Dominion 2014 Ricochet is fresh off winning the Best of the Super Juniors less than a month ago and they waste no time giving him his title shot against the Champ, Ibushi. These two are the kings of the "stylized action violence" style that has permeated the 2010s. The style is polarizing to me. The highspots can be eye-popping or they can be eye-rolling. These are two of the more impressive high-flyers in a generation of wannabes. So the really key highspots WOW: the opening sequence of evasive maneuvers, Ricochet's Swandive over the ringpost, the Top Rope Standing Frankensteiner Somersault Sticks The Landing for the Perfect Ten, and the finish was an incredible. I dont know what to call it. Maybe a small package suplex! I loved it! Once you distill down to those highlights, there is not much meat on the bone. Ricochet picking up his opponent into a Fireman's Carry only to put them back down on their feet is so, so fucking lame. That is a terrible spot. Because they are in New Japan the layout of this match is better than most of this genre. There is sustained momentum for each wrestler. Ricochet gets a couple nearfalls in his loss and Ibushi misses the Phoenix Splash once and gets a couple hope spot. There is more efficiency in this match than in the typical 21st century match so this raises it above your standard 21st century workrate match. Matches like this rely totally on the highspots are exciting for the moment of the highspot but otherwise leave you cold. ***1/2

Shinsuke Nakamura vs Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW 8/1/14 This was a really fun Greatest Hits, bomb-throwing sprint match. Maybe not a sprint, but very efficient clocking in around 15 minutes. I love how they build to both guys bigger spots and really make each other earn it. The spot of the match has to be Nakamura doing his signature taunt before the Bom-Ba-Ye Knee only for Ishii to NAIL him with a dropkick. Each man really had the other scouted. They establish each man is going for the killshot early as the very beginning, Ishii goes for the Sliding Lariat and Nakamura goes for the Bom-Ba-Ye Knee. Both miss but both let the other know they arent here for a long time, they are here for a good time. Everything is centered around building to that. Nakamura is in the lead most of the match with Ishii playing catch up. Nakamura is using his knees and strikes to the head to control. Ishii gets his standard offense like the superplex and powerbomb in but for the most part he is reacting to Nakamura. Such as dropkicking him on the taunt, later he would Lariat to counter Bom-Ba-Ye Knee and then headbutt all to evade. There was a time where all these counters did give Ishii an opening and he hit the Sliding Lariat, which is the prelude to his Killshot, the Brainbuster. Nakamura had this scouted and evaded and hit a backstabber and then a Bom Ba Ye Knee to the back of the head. Smart, Ishii couldnt counter because he couldnt see it coming all the other times were head on. After that the end was nigh, they did some counters here and there, but Nakamura was firmly in control and it was a couple more vicious knees to put Ishii away. I like that about New Japan they dont swerve for swerve's sake. Ishii got his Sliding Lariat that was his nearfall, his oh so close moment. Once Nakamura hit the Knee, Ishii can be game, but it was Nakamura's game. When you respect the moves and the wrestlers, the fans respect the match. I enjoyed this one. ****

NEVER Openweight Champion Tomohiro Ishii vs Tetsuya Naito - NJPW Invasion Attack 2014 God, Naito was so fucking lame before his heel turn. Honestly, I have not seen much of his post-heel turn work so he could still be lame. There is one moment where he does this is an incredible lame push off Ishii with his foot to hurdle over the top rope so Ishii just SMOKES with Lariat. I was like "MY MAN!". I am so glad Ishii didnt sell that dainty kick. Hell, the crowd booed Naito twice when he was on offense at the start. The match did feature the worst of both wrestlers. Way too much unnecessary running and movement because of Naito and way too many strike exchanges because of Ishii. I did like how efficient it was and when a wrestler did get the advantage he pressed it. The best part of the match was Ishii exploding out of the corner with a Zidane headbutt to Naito's head. That was awesome! Even when Naito did get on offense it was good. He hit a dropkick to the back of Ishii's neck who did his customary great sell of it. Naito zeroed in. Nice dropkick that caused Ishii to bump into the turnbuckles with the neck. Then he hit a DDT and spiked him on his head with a nice Top Rope Frankensteiner. The psychology was there and there were good stretches but there too many meander stretches to call this more than good. Ishii hit some great offense down the stretch. I liked Naito building to the Stardust Press, crashing & burning, but he gets a Koji Clutch as a submission nearfall so he still gets his nearfall. The finish was efficient as hell, sliding Lariat -> Brainbuster! The layout of the highspots was great, but Naito is so dainty and lame that he kills the match then on top of that everything in between the highspots was so boring. They had an awesome 5 minute match in their 20 minute match. ***1/4

Im MDK All Fuckin' Day! Realest muthafucka in pro wrestling! Honestly I think its his authenticity. I went to a ton of Beyond's Unchartered Territory. You can see the love and admiration he has for the fans in his eyes. It really means something to him that we turn out and chant "Nick Fuckin Gage". It comes across in his wrestling. He is a gritty, rough n tumble pro wrestler. He is just a really genuine dude and really likeable. I have no idea if it translates across on the videoscope because all the Nick Gage matches I have watched are live, but he is most of the best live wrestlers I have ever seen.

Ric Flair vs Randy Savage - WCW Nitro 6/17/97 This kicks off the second hour of the hottest wrestling show on the planet (sorry about been watching so much Nitro that Tony is stuck in my head). The night before Mongo turned on Kevin Greene & Savage to join the Horsemen in a good angle where he sold out for money. It is too bad Mongo sucked and the NWO came along because the '96 Horsemen felt hot at this point. Well actually I shouldnt say too bad the NWO came along as the NWO was absolutely molten compared to anything the Horsemen could have done in 96, but Flair was still the top main event heel in WCW with the most mic and air time even though Giant was champion. With the NWO, Flair would take a backseat, but this match still feels huge. Flair vs Savage in WCW was each man's best stuff in the mid-90s. This was a great brawl. Typically awesome crazed Savage performance. Crawling under guardrails, chasing Flair down, shoving Flair's face into fruit and pouring champagne on him. He was not GAB '95 levels of possessed but still very energetic. Flair was bumping and selling. Mid-90s heel Flair was a cartoon but he was entertaining as hell cartoon. Liz gets a slap in and Flair uses a foreign object at one point. Savage crashes and burns to start the heat segment. Solid stuff. Savage makes a comeback so that when Flair busts out the foreign object. Flair wastes too much time jawing with the ref. Savage high knees Flair but ref bump. Macho Man Elbow. Here come the girls, but Savage dont give a fuck and he comes flying again onto Flair. Horsemen hit the ring. Benoit eats a piledriver, AA over the top, but the Halliburton from Mongo does the trick. Throws Flair on top and the ref thrown in for the 1-2-3. I like that it was not just a no contest. Flair got the win even though he was destroyed. A lot of people said Flair/Savage was being phased out. Didnt feel that way to me. Flair getting a tainted win over Savage does not feel like the end even though thats what would happen. The Horsemen beatdown and the announcers reaction is eerily reminiscent of the NWO. Fun Nitro match. ***1/2

Steiner Brothers vs Fire & Ice - WCW Great American Bash 1996 I have been rewatching the Nitros from spring of 1996 and I got to see my first Ice Train match a couple weeks prior to this and really enjoyed him. Great power and good charisma. This is the Steiners' specialty: big, dumb meathead jock wrestling. I enjoyed their first Nitro match. I thought their second Nitro match was ok. This match was really fun at the beginning. Lots of throws, power and hard-hitting. The Rick Steiner-Scott Norton interactions were really good. Scotty played FIP because of a shoulder injury. Really good stuff throughout the heat segment. The highlight of the match was Norton hits a big Shoulderbreaker on the bad shoulder and immediately goes for the Fujiwara Amrbar. Rick Steiner comes into save and Norton does NOT let go. Steiner kicks and kicks and then finally STOMPS him and Norton lets go. It was awesome. Norton goes for another Shoulderbreaker but gets too close on Rick, who tags in. STEINERLINE! HOLY SHIT! THAT WAS AWESOME! The finish was a clusterfuck. It was all over the place. The Steiner Bulldog should have been the finish, but instead it was the worst Frankensteiner in history on Norton that was the finish. The body of the match was great power wrestling and makes this worth watching even if the finish was a shitshow. ***

Wow this is kinda sad. I have been going to this site since I was 8 years old in 1997. What I love about it is that it still looks exactly the same. It is such a warm, nostalgic feeling to see a website that looks the same since the late 90s and not only that it is so informative. He really has done a great job on such a wide variety of pro wrestling. Great website. Another favorite website I found as a kid was Hisa's Wrestling-titles.com. I love how that has the same format and layout too. Just for nostalgia went back on both sites. Two of the greatest websites of all time. We are so lucky that pro wrestling adapted to the internet so quickly and really did a great job archiving information. What are some of the other great websites from the 90s that are still around?

WCW World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs The Giant - WCW Nitro 4/29/96 Nitro is so fucking good at this point. It is one hour and mostly focuses on six characters: Flair, Giant, Hogan, Savage, Sting & Luger. They have done such a great job weaving together all their different relationships. Flair & Giant are coming off the Alliance to End Hulkamania at Uncensored which I have not seen but sounds dumb as fuck admittedly. The Hogan stuff is definitely the worst stuff in April. They are leaning hard back into Red & Yellow after they tried Dark Side Hulk in late 95. He is paling around with the Booty Man which is so ridiculous. The name is got to be worst in wrestling history and the fact that Brutus Beefcake is still pushed. Kevin Sullivan as his arch rival is an interesting pick I guess good on him booking himself into that. Hogan beats Sullivan & AA in a tag only to beat them in a handicap squash then intimidate Womam & Liz, humiliate Jimmy Hart, no-sell Giant’s Chokeslam and bodyslam. It was some of them most sickening self-pleasuring pro wrestling booking I have seen in quite some time. But the rest of the show is really good I swear. Macho Man has really good short matches with Finlay and Eaton preferred the Finlay match but Eaton taunting by wrestling like Flair was great. Macho Man’s promo against the WCW Suit was awesome “I think the Suits & Ties are getting a little too comfortable around The Macho Man.” Why is he so pissed? Well you see Ric Flair has The Whole World In His Hands. I love Flair’s gimmick of singing in the middle of his promos. Should I be afraid of The Giant or should I be saying “O Woman, O Woman Won’t You Marry Me Now” popped me huge. His schtick with Woman & Liz is phenomenal. Mid-90s Flair gets a bad rap yeah he’s a total cartoon villain but he is very entertaining and committed to the character. I love the little touch that Flir kept Savage’s nameplate on the belt to remind that he has his Belt, his Woman (Liz) and his Money (divorce money). While Savage is being kept separated from Flair until Slamboree. Flair has main evented Nitro 5 weeks in a row. The first match against The Giant was great and I need to review that. The Luger match transported you back to 1988 so much fun. Then back to back weeks against the tag champs Sting & Luger with The Giant. The Giant has been interesting there’s been a lot of hot coffee involved in the lead up to this. I would have stuck to Women’s high heels personally more plausible and I just think the spike to eye is brutal. Hot coffee is definitely bad but why the fuck is there hot coffee at a nighttime show. Flair ends up throwing the coffee in Giant’s eyes and it is on! They make the match for next week which is this one. Cartoon Flair in full effect and it is super fun. Why do people think Flair has to be booked strong? That doesn’t always make sense. He is a cowardly heel. Giant is playing avenging monster in a de facto babyface role. They came up with a plausible way for Flair to take control, a ball shot, he laid some shit in, knux, hide the knux. Figure-4 NO-SELL CHOKESLAM! 1-2-3 and a huge pop! The reason the No-Sell works is because Giant has been put through so much but he is so much of a monstrous badass that he can’t be kept down. There is a difference between “Not Selling” and “No Selling”. No selling is overcoming significant punishment, showing great fire and inviting the people in. Luger flexing through Flair’s chops is great form of No Selling. Not Selling is ignoring what happened to get to the next move. Luger let’s you know the chops happened but he is Too Much Man for them. I will say I think Giant oversold on the knux, I think a more woozy, cloudy head would have been better. I liked the beginning too. Flair bouncing off him. The chops! God they sound like gunshots. No effect. Lots of press slams and powders. Good shit. They did the Stalking, movie monster which was fine because Giant was so green. Sometimes I think Giant is the least imposing 7 footer in the world. Not a great match, but it is not bad either. It is fun and takes the show in a new direction. ***

Watched this again as part of watching some full Nitros. So cutting edge. Nitro feels so innovative. Co-sign my original review. The seat belt choke out spot was really good. Really cool how they had to work & sell the match pretty much always standing up. Finish is awesome. Would have loved some blood. ****

Stan Hansen vs Kenta Kobashi - AJPW 7/8/92 This is non-title even though Stan Hansen is the Triple Crown Champion. Definitely their least interesting match thus far. It looks like it was very hot on July 8, 1992 in Aomori, Japan as these two are sweating profusely like two minutes in and all the fans have their hand fans going. I dont know if the heat played a role in them taking it easy or if it was because Hansen had Triple Crown defenses coming up. Kobashi controls with the side headlock early. Hansen tries a number of different tactics to re-establish control (bullying in corner, attacking the bandaged knee, sleeper hold, and just straight bludgeoning), but Kobashi is a pugnacious pitbull and will not be denied. It is a back suplex that buys Hansen some time. He starts to hitting Kobashi in the head with knees and elbows. Kobashi starts a comeback on the outside with some kicks to the head. There were a lot kicks/strikes to the head in this match by both men. I really liked Hansen sliding tackle at one point. There were a lot of good Hansen tackles in this match in general really bowling Kobashi over. Business picks up on the outside when Hansen bounces a chair off Kobashi's back not once, but twice. Kobashi retaliates with a tackle of his own off the apron then sends Hansen ass over tea kettle on the guardrail. DDT ON THE FLOOR! Kobashi looks back in control, but in the ring he leaves his feet and Hansen makes him pay takes his head and driving into the mat. I love that spot. Hansen has a great powerbomb. His second powerbomb could be the first ever Turnbuckle Powerbomb and it is fucking gnarly. He signals for the Western Lariat, but Kobashi evades and SLEEPER! I love how they work the sleeper into their matches. You really feel like Kobashi has a chance as Hansen sells the Sleeper like he is KO'd. Fist pump! Moonsault! 1-2-NO! Kobashi makes the cardinal mistake of trying to pick Hansen up into an abdominal stretch. He was doing so well LegDropping Hansen to the death. Hansen starts hitting gnarly elbows and a tackle. Kobashi just keeps coming but on one charge Hansen SMOKES HIM WITH THE WESTERN LARIAOTOOOOOOOOOO! The finishing stretch was awesome as usual but a very pedestrian opening makes this the most skippable of the Hansen vs Kobashi series. ***1/2

Toshiaki Kawada vs Akira Taue - AJPW Champions Carnival 4/12/93 Definitely feels like they are going 30 minutes in the Handheld I have found. Mind you, the work is really solid, but they are clearly presenting a story of eveness and symmetry. They are also not going balls to the wall. Taue is definitely the more dynamic performer (pun fully intended). He baits Kawada to the outside where he whips him into the railing. He dropkicks him off the apron, he does one of his crazy Taue dives. Kawada is more content to do his usual Kawada stuff. Bodyslam->Rifle Kick. Kneedrop, Single Leg Crab attempt, lots of back drops from Kawada as counters. I have seen their glorious 1991 brawl this is not that. This is much more respectful which pushes the angle of the Holy Demon Army forming at the end of this. Taue is still playing the heel in this taking control and getting heat. He is hotshotting Kawada, single leg crab. My favorite moment of the opening section is the NODOWA~! on the floor. Since it is NOT 1995, this is NOT a death sentence. I feel like the transitions are solid, but they do not grab me. Kawada just goes back to trying to kick him in the head. I have enjoyed this, but reading the reviews, it seems like business picks up in the second half. I am pretty sure I have seen the clipped version because I known I have seen The Handshake. Just as I hit play again, boy did business pick up in a big way! Super symmetrical. Very-well scouted. They kicked into 6th gear and really rocked it. I dont know if it was because it was a 30 minute draw or they knew ahead of time this would be JIP on TV they definitely took it easy in the first 15 minutes or so. Taue had the kicks scouted. Kawada had the throwdowns scouted. Taue hits a powerbomb and immediately goes for a rear naked choke when that does not get the job done. Next moves, Kawada gets a powerbomb and immediately goes for a rear naked choke when that does not get the job. It was like this throughout. Taue had a great block of the Fujiwara armbar as Kawada was taking him down Taue hit an Enziguiri why did Takada never do that. Nodowa, no dice, Kawada gets the Fujiwara armbar and then a stiff clothesline for two. After that Taue gets his NODOWA~! for two. They both hit clotheslines simultaneously to level the playing field. Again the symmetry through the end is outstanding. Taue goes for the Octopus Stretch and hits a missile dropkick. Kawada gets the Stretch Plum and hits Tenryu's top rope reverse elbow drop. Great symmetry! Taue Big Boot and one more NODOWA~! 1-2-NO! Lots of Taue fans in the crowd even though he is the heel. Now heres comes their transitions that couldnt hit before. Kawada hits the Spinning heel kick and goes for Stretch Plum. You could say Stretch Plum was equal to NODOWA at this point. Kawada does his jumping high kick. Kawada Kicks and Taue does his eyerake/head throwdown. Kawada hits one last powerbomb, but the bell rings before he can win. Draw! Strong reaction for The Holy Demon Handshake! I like how it was symmetrical right up until then. Kawada got one more big bomb than Taue. He was also in the dominant position compared to Taue at the end. But still it was a draw. The idea was to make Kawada a first among equals. He is slightly better than Taue, is higher on the pecking order, and will be Misawa's archrival, but Taue is right behind it. It makes the Holy Demon Army the super team. They needed to band together in order to have a chance against Misawa. The draw finish also fuels The Handshake of Respect. Great angle and really well done finish stretch. ****

Stan Hansen vs Kenta Kobashi - AJPW 3/27/92 Championship Carnival Hansen vs Kobashi RULES! Hansen is the Champion going into the Carnival and Kobashi came pretty close to beating him six months ago. Lets see how this breaks down. At first glance, I thought this was going to be another spirited, sprint brawl. Hansen bounces a chair off Kobashi back very early on. There are their trademark spots: Hansen powerbombing Kobashi on the floor and Kobashi DDT'ing Hansen on the floor. Overall, this does not reach the level of their '91 classic. Still I would not complain if this was on RAW every week and this was still awesome. Kobashi is going after the Lariat arm and Hansen goes into Grizzly Bear mode and mauls Kobashi. Kobashi gets his hope spots in but this is a drubbing. The crowd comes alive for Kobashi after he kicks out of a second powerbomb. Hansen pours it on with a big suplex and a piledriver. He signals for the Western Lariat, but Kobashi grabs a DDT. Crowd is pumped. Kobashi pugnaciously grabs a Sleeper, shades of their '91 match, he is so overzealous I think he busts his nose on the top of Hansen's head as he is bleeding after that. He weakens him enough to hit a top rope legdrop, fist pump, YES, Moonsault, no one home! Too bad! Hansen goes for his third powerbomb but collapses under the weight! Great selling by Hansen he really put Kobashi over. Kobashi goes head-hunting and pours it on with a ton of leg drop variations he cant get it done. Hansen is fighting back but Kobashi is just chopping through it. Kobashi tries a backslide and inside cradle. On an Irish Whip, Hansen reverses, Kobashi ducks the Lariat, but Hansen SMOKES him on the rebound! Awesome finish! Great TV match! Efficient and compact! These two are just plain awesome together! ****

All Japan Triple Crown Champion Stan Hansen vs Mitsuharu Misawa - 8/22/92 I have seen a couple of their matches and didnt think much of them at time and cant even remember which ones I have seen. At the very least, it is a monumental match as Misawa wins his first Triple Crown and basically replaces Jumbo as the Ace of All Japan. As is customary, it is gaijin doing the honors of transitioning the championship. I am surprised this match has such a bad rep. The first 15 minutes have been great thus far. It is really gritty and tight. Lots of effort. Everything feels like a struggle. Apparently, Misawa had a shoulder injury coming into the match which is why Hansen is targetting the left shoulder. Misawa is right hand dominant. They set the tone early. A very stiff exchange up against the ropes. I liked the holds early, really tight. Hansen really wrestled him down with the top wristlock and when Misawa POPPED him with that Elbow to the head there was no need to sell because that looked like it fucking hurt. We got a close up camera angle, he fucking rocked Hansen with that Elbow. Awesome, awesome side headlock by Misawa, super tight, great struggle. Loved Hansen's counter, moving his body so that he butt Misawa's chin with his head. It looked violent. Hansen knows how to get under a Japanese audience's skin they hate when he does moves when it should be a rope break. Again, we see Misawa use the Elbow to bail him out this time going after Hansen's arm with wicked shot. Hansen is really great at using his size to bully Misawa. He is not doing his Bull In The China Shop routine but he still uses his mass effectively. He really goes to town on the arm now. The shoulderbreaker on the guardrail popped me huge. Hansen is now in full bully mode. He wont let Misawa back in the ring and the crowd is pissed. Misawa is fighting from his back on the apron just throwing stiff knees to the head. This is a fucking fight. Slingshot back in for two. Misawa is trying to tear Hansen's arm off as revenge! Hansen pops Misawa in the head with a wicked elbow. Receipt! Yeah, people who call this a "chore", "Awful", "boring" or "lazy", I have no fucking clue what you are watching. This is a nasty fight where everything is a struggle and it is dripping with effort, but it has been only the first 15 minutes. Finish is very strong making this an easy slam dunk great match. I dont think it ranks high up in the pantheon of great All Japan 90s classic but in any other promotion this would be lauded as something special. The struggle over the arm psychology is really good around the 15 minute mark. Misawa is really trying to work that angle. Hansen and him end up in some really stiff fire fights standing up. I love how Misawa has to switch up so many strategies before he fully gets control which is realized when he smokes Hansenin the back of the head on an Elbow when Hansen was blocking an German. That was wicked! It is 1992 so we get FACELOCK! Misawa missed the frogsplash. Now we get the big Hansen finish stretch. He goes back to the shoulderbreaker and even busts out a Cross Armbreaker and when he does not relinquish upon a rope break, the Japanese crowd really lets him have it. I dont think I have ever heard the Japanese boo so loudly. He goes for another arm attack, but he leaves himself open for a wicked Elbow to the head. Hansen keeps coming and throws a kick, but he is not covering up and BOOM KO ELBOW! Hansen's sell is awesome! He totally puts Misawa and that Elbow over like death. I am shocked that people do not like this. It is not typical All Japan 90s workrate with a lot of strikes and bombs. It is grittier and more minimalistic. It was a strong Misawa formula match. Misawa took a lot of heat and had to dig himself out of a hole. Hansen was great at using his size, staying focused on the arm, creating a mountain for Misawa to climb and getting heel heat. Misawa just kept coming with that Elbow and withstanding all the punishment. I wouldn't say it was fluke per se. I would say this match showed that Misawa had a Puncher's Chance in any match he was in. He would go onto show he was the Ace, but it was firmly established that the Elbow was the key to victory. ****1/4

Stan Hansen vs Toshiaki Kawada - AJPW 2/28/93 Man when Youtube really started to get going in what like 2005/2006, this was one of my favorite matches to watch again and again. I had read so much about All Japan through the late 90s and early 2000s. I was so excited to finally see it and it delivered in spades. Funny though I have not watched this match in a good ten years I would say. It is matches like this that remind me I did have some damn good taste as a teenager. There are two things I remember about his match the beginning and the end. This maybe the greatest bar room brawl in the history of pro wrestling. This is match pretty much universally praised, I have run across some criticisms of it being disjointed and/or aimless. I would replace those words with "chaotic" and "mayhem". This is what a bar room brawl should feel like. If you are caught flat footed, someone is going to bowl you over. Hansen is the king of that. Anytime Kawada thought he was safe, Hansen would just lunge at him and wipe him out. Kawada was fighting for his life in there against Hansen at the outset. There was a great Kawada sell. He was trying to bottle Hansen up with a front facelock, but got clipped by a punch and just went down on his ass. Even though at first, it felt like Kawada was fighting for his life against the human version of the Tasmanian Devil. Soon Kawada turned the tables on him. At first, it was something like ramming his head into the post. You knew Hansen was hurt because he was stomping around outside. Kawada kicks him in the brutally in the ropes. Then it was Kawada going for the leg. This however backfired and inspired Hansen to target Kawada's leg. This was Kawada's second great sell around his knee which is his bread and butter. There was some great verbal selling in this from Kawada. Kawada ends up kicking him off his leg and sending him crashing into the railing. I just need to say this somewhere. This match is crazy fucking stiff. Especially those KICKS! Each men was just rifling the other with these crazy stiff kicks. It sounded like gunshots going off. When Hansen starts going for pinfall attempts after punting Kawada in the mouth a kick I knew Hansen was in trouble. It sounds counter-intuitive. Hansen was not his usual confident self. When Hansen goes for a pin, it is usually over because he has kicked so much ass. Here, Kawada gave him a helluva fight and it feels like Hansen wants to get out of this match with the win rather than mauling his opponent. Hansen's heat segment here feels more like a normal monster heel (big move, cover, big move, cover) less of his style of Bull in the China Shop. Hansen gets more and more desperate. Busting out a dropkick and then A SUICIDE DIVE THROUGH THE BOTTOM ROPE! HOLY SHIT! MARK OUT CITY! You really get the feeling that Kawada has pushed Hansen to the limit forcing him to take these high risks. Hansen wants to slam Kawada on the exposed floor, but Kawada blocks and it is Hansen that is slammed on the floor! Amazing selling from Hansen...clutching the ribs and verbal selling. Kawada hits a stiff clothesline to the back of Hansen's head on the apron. Kawada's clothesline is so wicked. Hansen sells it like he is KO'd. Hansen has really put Kawada over. Kawada knee drop 1-2-No! See these pinfalls feel different. This feels like a man in the dominant position looking to get the win. STRETCH PLUM! A great one at that. Looks really tight! Kawada Kicks! Anyone who says Stan Hansen cant sell, needs to watch this match and tell me that. Kawada SLAPS THE TASTE OUT OF Hansen's mouth. So Hansen punches him right in the face! KAWADA IS OUT COLD! Great Kawada sell #3! Honestly that should have been the finish or shortly thereafter the Western Lariat. My slight criticism of this classic is they go a little overboard in the finish making sure you know that Kawada is just inches away from beating Hansen, but I think it was clear in the body of the match and we didnt 5 minutes to remind us of that. Hansen throws down the defiant Kawada head first multiple times and then delivers a big time Powerbomb! He signals for the Western Lariat, but we get all sort of evasions. This is what I mean it was a little much. Kawada was throwing clotheslines and kicks at Hansen trying to win, but it seemed too much. The one spot I remember from this match that I still think is epic is when Hansen hits that first Lariat and he hits it so hard that he is going flying out of the ring. He was so out of control! You knew the end was nigh. Hansen comes up selling his head so well. Kawada again puts up token offense (his patented Spinning Heel Kick to get two) but Hansen nails him in the back of the head with a right handed lariat. The first twenty minutes of this is just excellent. It is a 5 minute bar room brawl sprint that feels uncooperative, chaotic and like a shoot. Then as each man becomes fatigued it becomes a slugfest first trying to take out each other's legs and then just hitting each other as hard as possible. Hansen sold his ass off for Kawada and really busted out some neat stuff. Kawada felt like a superstar in this match. He was at a disadvantage and turned it around and made you feel like Hansen was the one that was surviving. I think they could have cut out 2-3 minutes of the last 5 minutes of the match and tightened it up. One nearfall for Kawada would have been plenty. Regardless, this match is epic and really shows Hansen's range all in one match and how much of an asskicker Kawada is. ****3/4

Stan Hansen vs Kenta Kobashi - AJPW 9/4/91 To think the only Hansen vs Kobashi match I have ever watched before today was 7/29/93. What have I been doing with my life? This was fantastic and a total contender to make my Top 100 matches of all time list. Hansen OBLITERATES Kobashi with the Western Lariat. Covers him, but wait it happened before the bell! Joe Higuchi refuses to count the pin. We have the ultimate underdog Kobashi in a 6 foot hole against the Grizzly Bear from The Revenant. It is every bit as epic as you would hope it would be. Hansen MAULS Kobashi. He is besides himself that Kobashi is kicking out. Then it becomes Kobashi just getting his foot on the ropes. He powerbombs him on exposed concrete. He hurls a table down on him. He exposes the knee smashes it into his head. He steps on his head for great heel heat. Kobashi just will not die! I loved the touch of Hansen starting to sell exhaustion. Kobashi is weather the storm and Hansen is starting to slow down. We see little openings for Kobashi here and there where he will get a strike in. It is the full nelson by Hansen when we know he is fatigued. He is going for a hold so he himself can recover. Once Kobashi gets out, thats when he starts his onslaught. It is gradual. Kobashi is selling an epic beating. He will hurl himself at Hansen but need to stop to collect himself in between. Eventually Hansen powders, Kobashi gives chase and slams his head into the post. Then it is enziguiri on the apron that sends Hansen head first into the exposed part of the turnbuckle. Finally it is the DDT on the exposed concrete. It took 5 minutes but Kobashi EARNED that comeback. Now it is a level playing field. Sublime pro wrestling. Is there a better moment in pro wrestling than Kenta Kobashi's fist pump before he goes for the Moonsault. It is so electric. It is so passionate. How could you root against Kobashi? Kobashi HITS the Moonsault! 1-2-NO! Awesome! He goes for another top rope move. You need to take risks against a Monster like Hansen, but they need to be calculated. This time Hansen is standing so he evades the dropkick and immediately goes to work on the back with a Boston Crab. Kobashi makes the ropes and powders. Hansen BODYSLAMS Kobashi on top of the railing and then puts him in a Boston Crab on the floor. Thats when the match from ok this is a great novelty match to stone cold classic. Hansen then Oklahoma Stampedes Kobashi's back into the post. WOW! Back in, Hansen starts lighting Kobashi up in the corner, but the ref tells him to break and this is Kobashi's chance. Great stuff to break up the onslaught. Then the match takes yet another interesting twist. Hansen misses wildly on a chop and Kobashi wraps him up with a sleeper. Hansen suplexes Kobashi, BUT Kobashi HOLDS ONTO THE SLEEPER! I am such a mark for that spot. Kobashi puts the Grizzly to sleep! 1-2-NO! Kobashi does his barrage of leg drops, still no dice. Right back to the sleeper. They end up rolling to the floor, but Kobashi will not relinquish the sleeper in the crowd. He does however to beat the count. Kobashi is the personification of determination and perseverance. However, his honor gets the best of him. He goes back out so that he can collect Hansen so he can beat him in the ring. Hansen SMOKES Kobashi with a Lariat on the floor! MARK OUT CITY! They do a second countout tease this time with Kobashi. I think it could have ended there and I would have been happy. They tussle on the apron. Kobashi shifts his weight on the back suplex into the ring. I love that finish and it was a great nearfall here. Kobashi dodges the first Lariat, but Hansen FUCKS HIM UP ON THE REBOUND! 1-2-3! I love Pro Wrestling! ****3/4

Stan Hansen vs Kenta Kobashi - AJPW 7/7/90 I believe the first singles match between these two epic rivals (please correct me if I am wrong). I found the clipped version but I am only missing 3 minutes of 12 minute match from the beginning so I feel I can still say with confidence that these were awesome from the beginning! Absolutely claustrophobic! 95% of the match it spent within punching or kicking distance. No bullshit rope running or Irish Whips. This was a fight. Kobashi as a Young Lion came in with a simple strategy rip off Hansen's Western Lariat arm and take it home with him. Easier said then done, but watch how many times from his back Kobashi grabs that arm. Hansen had just rocked him with a sudden suplex throw and Hansen was crawling over to attack and Kobashi reached back and grabbed wrist control. Hansen is jumping on him at one point and I think goes for a pin and in that one second of lost concentration, Kobashi comes up with a double wristlock. Kobashi was the definition of a scrappy fighter. Either Hansen loved Kobashi or Baba loved Kobashi so much he made Hansen love Kobashi, but either way this is one of those rare Hansen generosity performances. Dont get me wrong he is still Stan Hansen. He is stiff as fuck. He is sudden. He does not let up. However, he took the time to sell the arm, howling for Kobashi and he let Kobashi work the arm psychology. He worked the line perfectly. I liked when Kobashi did have Hansen rocked and in a prone position thats when the doubled up leg drops come. Thats when it makes sense. Hansen is a beast. He definitely has to double up but he is patient and he finds the right time. This eventually costs him in a little bit. He comes charging at Hansen, but this time Hansen is on his feet. Hansen dodges and uses Kobashi's momentum to drive him to the mat. Hansen signals and NAILS THE LARIAOTOOOOOO! 1-2-3! Beautiful pro wrestling. Everything is sound. The characters are well-developed. The strategies make sense. The timing is excellent. This is a portent of things to come. I really liked this. ****

AJPW Double Cup Tag Team Champions Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada vs Miracle Violence Connection - AJPW 1/30/93 The last gasp of early 90s All Japan as this is Misawa & Kawada last title defense and perhaps even their last tag match as partners. Kawada and Taue would have their first tag team match against Misawa & Kobashi on 6/1/93 ushering in the Golden Age of the Four Corners of Heaven. However, before we get to that I wanted to check this out so that I can do a proper match of the year countdown for 1993 in totality. Very solid opening 15 minutes, lots of strong tag psychology. Gordy and Kawada start. Gordy is the bigger of the two and they establish Kawada is at a disadvantage. He hits his sudden spinning heel kick before he gets into any real trouble tagging out to Misawa. Gordy wisley tags in Doc. I love their match from 1994 and they show shades of their great chemistry in their opening contest. Everything is stiff and tight. Great elbows from both men here. Doc tags out and Misawa hits a quick suplex on Gordy before getting the fresh man. I like the psychology of not wanting to be left in there with a fresh man. Kawada takes advantage and hits a senton. Gordy powders. Misawa & Kawada earn the first advantage. Trapping Gordy with frequent tags. They focus on holds but throw in a couple slams and suplexes. Kawada gets a little cute on an Irish Whip. Gordy take advantage of the separation to use size to knock Kawada down and get Doc in there. Williams proceeds to beating the tar out of Kawada. I liked the dropping him throat first on the railing and the top rope. Solid heat segment. Not focused. Just beating him down some good holds. Kawada hits his patented Spinning Heel Kick to escape from Gordy and tag in Misawa as the 15 minutes elapses. Like I said everything has been solid but nothing has been inspiring yet. Business really picked up immediately in the second half. Misawa was a red hot tag. Making his presence felt and totally changing the game. Diving elbows all over the place. TIGER DRIVER! Doc bowls him out of he ring. Picks him up and slams him into the post. That was wicked! Gordy hits an Oklahoma Slam in the ring. Then Doc hits a Top Rope Oklahoma Slam! This is a way better heat segment. They really kick Misawa's ass. Doc is focused on the back and uses a Boston Crab. Gordy switches it up going for the leg and gets an STF. Gordy gets sloppy and goes for an Irish Whip. Misawa takes advantage of this separation puts on the brakes and turns around and SMOKES Gordy with an Elbow! Tag to Kawada! Kawada mows everyone down! Powerbomb! Stretch Plum! Misawa tackles Doc. This shit is hot! Gordy hits a quick DDT and gets Doc in there. Doc is a game changer. This match has definitely been a portent of things to come for him. Great spinebuster from him. Misawa dropkicking Kawada on top of Williams during the Oklahoma Stampede was the spot of the match. MVC goes for the Nodowa/BackDrop Driver combo, but Misawa stops Gordy so it is just a BackDrop Driver. Kawada goes back to his best move the Spinning Heel Kick combined with a Jumping Head Kick to get himself out of trouble and tag in Misawa. I love that as soon as Misawa comes in Misawa picks him up and throws him with a tremendous powerslam. It really makes Doc feel like a force. He snuffed out the Hot Tag that is really special. Misawa does get a German Suplex on Gordy and here is Doc to clean up the mess. Misawa wins the battle with a clothesline/Frogsplash combo. FACELOCK! STRETCH PLUM! IT IS BREAKING DOWN IN CHIBA! Gordy rakes the eyes and breaks up the Facelock. TIGER DRIVER! Gordy saves again. They do a great job protecting the Natives here. As you feel that Misawa and Kawada would have won with either the Facelock or Tiger Driver if it was not for Gordy saving. Gordy powerbombs Misawa! Misawa evades a second, but Doc clobbers him with a lariat from behind. OKLAHOMA STAMPEDE! Kawada saves, but Gordy detains Kawada and a Second Oklahoma Stampede wins the Tag Titles for the Miracle Violence Connection. In a way it may be surprising that Misawa gets the pinfall loss in the last match of the Misawa/Kawada pairing, but I think it is good booking as it sets Doc up as a singles challenger later in the year for Misawa. Again this match is a tale of two matches. The first half there is nothing wrong with it. These are four of the best. It is solid work, but you can really see how good these guys are in the second half. They really build the drama and the action is off the charts. Dr. Death was the MVP in my opinion. He looked so explosive and was a real game changer in there. ****

Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshikai Kawada - AJPW Champion's Carnival 1993 I have seen all their title matches before but I dont think I have seen all their Carnival matches so I think I havent seen this and if I have I had totally forgotten about it. Now this is more like it. I thought this was a substantial improvement over the October match. It being a Carnival match with a 30 minute time limit you know you are going to get a much faster paced match and they dont disappoint. They come out swinging. Kawada is just stiffing Misawa with chops and Misawa is ready to fuck shit up. I like Misawa being overzealous on the dropkick but still persisting and getting the Tiger Driver early for 2. I like when finishers are at least teased or hit in the beginning as it makes me feel like they are trying to win the match from jump. Also it mirrors the Backdrop Driver start from October. I liked Misawa having the sudden Spinning Heel Kick scouted and dumping Kawada on his ass. Now it was Kawada turn to persevere and he nails a jumping kick. Misawa powders to sell it. The opening was about 2 minutes or so and then he just go into delicious, delicious heat. Kawada is so much nastier in this match. He is such a dick to Misawa. I liked how he went progressively higher and higher with his kicks when Misawa was against the ropes until he kicked right across the eyes. Misawa sold this so well. I loved how much Misawa powdered during the heat segment. It really put over the punishment and I liked how Kawada never made it easy for him when he came back in. There was a great bulldog from the apron to the floor. They started to incorporate their surroundings a bit more. Kawada has a great clothesline. Not quite as great as Hansen and Kobashi, but it is STIFF as fuck. Kawada was all about the powerbomb and the Stretch Plum! I think he nailed three powerbombs and went for the Stretch Plum at least three times. Misawa does show he is still alive throughout this with flurry of wicked Elbow Uppercuts, but Kawada just kept head-hunting and he would not relent. After all the powerbombs and stretch plums, Misawa was able to armdrag to avoid a suplex. He grabs a FACELOCK! I love how much the Facelock and Stretch Plum are still over. They execute them really well. Misawa is right up against the nose. Kawada grinds his forearm bone along Misawa's jaw. I liked how Misawa used the Facelock repeatedly to sap Kawada of his energy and then hit his big bombs. This is so much better than sudden counters all the time. It is great escalation. We get the Tiger Driver but it is still only 2. Frogsplash and an AWESOME ELBOW SUICIDE DIVE! Misawa is two for two on these diving elbows outside the ring. Misawa misses a missile dropkick and here comes Kawada. Stiff clothesline. Misawa gets a spinning heel kick. Kawada OBILTERATES HIM WITH ONE OF HIS OWN! WOW! Kawada hits an insane Back Drop Driver on Misawa! How Misawa did not break his neck right there I dont know! Kawada goes for another kick, but Misawa blocks and BLOWS HIM AWAY WITH AN ELBOW FOR THE KO WIN! In the end after all the powerbombs and stretch plums, it felt like Kawada just didnt have that extra gear to beat Misawa, which is the story of their rivalry. He would have to go deeper and deeper inside himself. Whereas, Misawa always had the trusty elbow to bail him out. I liked the efficiency of this match a lot more. Long Kawada heat segment that built to his nearfalls. Logical transition to Misawa running through his offense. Then a HOT 2 minute finish stretch. Misawa did a great job in typical understated way of selling the damage and trouble he was in. Kawada is always great at being scrappy. Im back on the All Japan train and I think I am going to stay on. ****1/4

AJPW Triple Crown Champion Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada - AJPW 10/21/92 It has been a while. When you are having a bad day, theres nothing like Misawa flicking the sweat off his brow to let you know everything is going to be all right. The only thing I remember from this match is "FACELOCCCCKKKKKK!". You know it is 1992 because the Stretch Plum and Misawa's Facelock are still over. This is ostensibly still babyface vs babyface but Kawada does play the subtle heel in this as he is the junior tag partner with a chip on his shoulder. In the front half, there are moments of future greatness: Kawada's at the bell Backdrop Driver, Misawa's response to be kicked in the eye and Kawada's first heel kick counter. These were the moments that made your eyes go wide and remind you why these are a couple GOATs. I didnt think everything was full capitalized on early. It felt like they were going through the motions when Kawada was working the arm. The cheap kick to the face when Misawa was in the ropes was great thought. Misawa's "Now you done did it" was great. He rifled Kawada with those elbows! Great register by Kawada. They went back to the mat and the Misawa started working the back. It was textbook back work but was lacking that same oomph that we the fans are accustomed to. Then Kawada damn near took Misawa's head off with that spinning heel kick and they sucked me back in. They got a great nearfall out of it and Misawa powdered to sell it. Kawada wrestled him down by the arm playing off the original limb psychology. I am interested to see where they go from here. So far the match has been solid, but has not really wowed me. They picked it up in a big way in the second half. This sets the narrative for the rest of their matches. Kawada pours it on but can never put Misawa away. I loved that Misawa's response to Kawada's stiffness is more stiffness in this match. Misawa is the first one to go for the killshot with a Tiger Driver. Kawada evades and then goes headhunting. Everythign after that is a kick to the head. He is looking to win. Powerbomb! Stretch Plum! Stiff Clothesline! Kawada was in the zone! Misawa mounts his comeback with a quick snap German. Misawa hits the Tiger Driver! FACELOCKKKKKK! I like the symmetry. Everyone is in kill mode looking for their finish. Misawa hits an INSANE ELBOW SUICIDE DIVE! Like the Ultimate Warrior he was totally OUT OF CONTROL!!! Kawada hit another flash kick to the head. That was really was his calling card in this match was quick kicks to the head. I love a great Maximalist King's Road finish stretch but this was a little much even for me. I am surprised this was 1992 it felt more like 1997. They go nuts throwing all sorts of suplexes and vicious stiff headshots (Kawada sells two elbows really well at one point) at one another. Kawada kicks out of another Tiger Driver and Elbow to the back of the head. It takes TWO Tiger Suplexes to put him down. It was the tale of two matches. Interesting, I thought the front half lacked the usual passion and spirit of All Japan Pro Wrestling, there were bright moments but it felt more solid than anything else. I thought from the 15 minute to 25 minute mark was gold. It was the type of wrestling that makes All Japan the best. Big moves that have consequence, excellent escalation, wrestling with urgency and great selling. The last 5 minutes honestly felt like 21st century Indy overkill. One big nearfall each plus the finish would have sufficed. I gotta admit the crowd was with them every step of the way. I know from the memory they do manage to top this. For me, there was a stretch when they were wrestling at around ***** clip but the match as a whole is not at that level in my opinion. ****

Horsemen (Ric Flair, Barry Windham & Arn Anderson) vs Lex Luger, Nikita Koloff & Steve Williams - NWA Houston 6/10/88 After a lot of 21st century wrestling, need some 20th century wrestling to change it up. Crockett is on the road to the Great American Bash and more specifically Wargames. Flair is feuding with Luger as the main event program. Luger is red hot chasing Flair before he can even get in the ring. The Horsemen are bumping and feeding big for the the babyfaces. It is a total melee to start with the babyfaces dominating. I really like how the Horsemen throw offense at the babyfaces like kicks and eyepokes only for the babyfaces to absorb, no-sell and overcome. Lots of military presses. Flair eats one from Luger. Dr. Death is only in the match but actually has the most impressive part of the match. He does reps with both Barry and Arn over his head in the Military Press. Those are not small men. Koloff is steamrolling the Horsemen. The Horsemen look totally out of sorts. Luger comes back in. I could watch Flair sell Luger's flexing forever. It is so ridiculous and just so pro wrestling. Flair suckers him and hits him in the balls. Double A comes in and also hits him in the balls. It is a pretty straightforward heat segment. The transition is Press Slamming Flair off the top. The hot tag to Koloff is more of a lukewarm tag as Double A focuses on the injured ribs (bandaged) and that stops Koloff in his tracks. BW tries to apply the dreaded Claw with the Black Glove but Luger saves. Arn gets busted open on the post for really no reason but hits a DDT. Koloof breaks free from Windham and tags in Luger. It is Luger and Flair. They brawl a little and get counted out. This is just really solid feel-good 80s Horsemen action. I have seen better, but it never fails to entertain. ***

WWE Women's Champion Melina vs Mickie James - Backlash 2007 Thanks to Stacey for the recommendation. Very good match. Mickie was a Teen Sleeze favorite, hot and good at wrestling! Melina is 2 for 2 in having good matches so it looks like I overlooked her. They do some really nice NWA championship style chain wrestling (headlocks, wristlocks, headscissors). Mickie gets the better of this for the most part. Melina feigns getting her fake eyelashes in her eye. This draws Mickie into a suckerpunch. What I like about this is that it was NOT the transition. Instead, Mickie overcomes and bullies her into the corner. It shows that Mickie wont succumb easily and that she can overcome the dirty tactics of Melina. The transition is Melina pushing Mickie off the top rope to the floor in a nasty bump. The match is memorable for two spots. One is Melina applying a Full Nelson with her legs, which takes advantage of her flexibility. The other is Mickie and Melina fight while both are doing splits. It was wicked cool which Mickie wins. Mickie runs through a decent comeback. but doesnt hit her finish because protecting your finish was still important back then. Melina rakes the eyes and hits the Slop Drop for the win. This would be an above average women's match today and really goes to show you that good women's wrestling existed before 2014. ***1/2

Matt Hardy vs Edge - Unforgiven 2005 Steel Cage Match At the core of the first known story in Western Civilization is Helen of Troy having been abducted from her family and country taken to Troy launching an international Trojan War and a years long saga. Think of the countless, books, TV shows and movies centered around love and the crazy actions men & women alike do because of it. It is without the single strongest driving force in humanity. Love is at the heart of so much what we do as humans good and bad. So when JR says "this goes beyond boyfriend/girlfriend stuff" he is dead wrong. There is nothing greater than love. Love is glaringly absent in pro wrestling storytelling for the most part (Randy Savage/Elizabeth being the notable exception, but there are a few others). I do think it should be incorporated more as it would increase the emotional connection of the story. That being said I don't think every angle should have a love component. I think one a year makes sense. The current Rusev/Lashley/Lana angle should be the 2020 version of this would be perfect if Lashley was not as wooden as a 2x4 and Lana was not the worst actress in the history of pro wrestling. I never realized anyone could scream so loud with no passion behind it. Anyways, Edge/Lita are such a great sleaze couple. They would get even better in 2006 feuding with John Cena. Matt Hardy still really hadnt found his public voice but he was shoot cheated on so all hed had to do was show up be angry and throw some stiff rights and the crowd would go apeshit that's what happened. Even though neither one of these guys is a favorite of mine (I know a lot of people really like Matt, but he never connected with me), but they hit it out of the park in this match. It was a classic steel cage match asskicking. Both men were in there to fight and it wrestled for maximum violence. They blocked the steel cage shots early which really put over how important the steel cage was and whoever tasted steel first would be at a decided disadvantage. Matt Hardy hit two of the greatest right hands this side of Jerry Lawler you would ever see that really rocked Edge. I liked that once Edge got punched in the mouth, now it was time to run and escape. Up until then, he was full of piss & vinegar. That's difference between a face & heel. Edge was just as geared up as Hardy but once he faced adversity he tucked tail & ran because he is a coward at his heart. I liked how Edge needed three moves to really take control because that how fired up Matt Hardy was: the eyerake, shoving Matt Hardy off the Twist of Fate into the cage and then ramming the back of Matt Hardy's head to block the Side Effect into the cage repeatedly. This was just vicious. Every Edge blow was delivered to the head. It was shot after brutal shot to the head. It was his fist, elbow, boot, the steel cage, powerbombs into the cage. Everything targeted the head. It was Edge's greatest heat segment and one of the best all-time. Matt did a great job having the glazed over look and really milking it, but still showing signs of life. Matt Hardy hits a desperation Side Effect. Again, just like when Hardy cracked him at the beginning with those two big time rights, Edge is headed to the hill. The first sign of trouble and he takes off. He goes for the door and Lita gets him the MITB briefcase. Hardy evades and BEATS THE SHIT OUT OF HIM. This is Lawler teeing off on Bockwinkel level shit. The CROWD COMES ALIVE FOR THIS! THEY GO NUTS! He ties him up in the ropes and unloads. Definitely the best of the match and very cathartic. Hardy rams Edge into the steel cage a bajillion times and draws BLOOD! Lita is worried tries scaling the cage but Hardy scares her off. He tries to crack Edge with the briefcase, but Edge pushes the ref into the ropes and Hardy takes a nasty spill. Best Edge spot is he spears Hardy through the ropes and into the cage. It looked awesome! Edge looks to leave, but Hardy stops him and Side Effect from the top! Lita saves Edge but getting into the cage. TWIST OF FATE ON LITA! I am 100% against man on woman violence and would be 100% against him punching her, BUT pro wrestling is wish fulfillment. It is not much different than wanting to Stone Cold Stunner your boss. It was great pro wrestling theater and catharsis. Hardy takes his eye off the prize and Edge spears him. Hardy kick out! MATT HARDY WILL NOT DIE! Edge goes for the escape. Matt Hardy rams the back of Edge's head into the cage and Edge falls from the top rope. Matt Hardy hits THE MUTHA OF ALL LEGDROPS FROM THE TOP OF THE STEEL CAGE ONTO EDGE! HOLY SHIT! HOW DID HE NOT BREAK EDGE'S FACE! WHAT A FINISH1 Incredibly violent match, it was all fists, all head shots, tons of steel cage, great escalation, great cutoffs, great use of Lita, Matt Hardy exacts his revenge on both of them, Edge is a bloody pulp, that Legdrop could have not looked better, it was safe but looked like a million bucks, he could have easily broken his face or his own ass. Love charges everything up and love supercharged this match to be one of the greatest steel cage brawls of all time. *****

You know I haven’t gotten a chance to respond this line of thinking. I know Jordynne Grace and Jim Cornett got into this among others. Here’s the thing. Pro wrestling exists in our universe. It is presented in front of us. It is the original version of reality TV. Like if Rusev and Lana took pictures on vacation together during their divorce angle it would severely undercut their storyline. Pro wrestling is more like music. I’m inclined to keep kayfabe for best viewer experience. Taylor Swift has to be Taylor Swift at all times that means posting a billion pictures of cats and being lovey-dovey. The rappers have to be drinking their alcohol of choice and be at strip clubs. I mean we know now that Alice Cooper is a super nice guy but it is important back in the day that he was a creep. Music is presented in front of you live and so the gimmick exists beyond the stage in a way that TV/movies isn’t. I’m in favor of keeping kayfabe but we live in a different era but for some crucial storylines it is critical. I think the best way to keep kayfabe is be yourself and in turn the performance would be better.