Superstar Sleeze

That's too bad. Angelo Dawkins seems like the more likeable of the two.

I have kept an open mind but the Street Profits come off like utter dorks. Were they cooler in NXT? they are so lame on RAW. The Usos are way cooler and way better promos.

Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio - Great American Bash 2005 I know the June Smackdown match is fondly remembered but this entire series should be. From what I remember from 2005 is that a lot of people soured on this storyline once Dominic was added. Dominic is at ringside and if Eddie wins he reveals the secret. I have a higher tolerance for soap opera bullshit than the average wrestling fan so I'm down. Eddie has lost five straight singles matches according to Michael Cole. Cole & Tass were so good on commentary being strong babyface voices and really putting Eddie over as a sadistic, psychotic asshole. I thought Judgement Day & Smackdown matches were much better but this is still Eddie vs Rey so it is quite good. The execution is flawless. Eddie forces Rey to shake his hand for Dominic and it is Rey who lets Eddie have it. Rey is so explosive during his shine, I like Rey trying to end it early and sometimes his urgency gets the best of him. Huge nearfall when Rey gets the 619 and Seated Senton but only for two early. Eddie powders and plays some mind games with Dominic. This opens up Rey to an attack from Eddie. Eddie focuses on the back with laser precision. Tilt a whirl backbreaker (does anyone do it better?), Robinson backbreaker, wheelbarrow Suplex (great series of nearfalls as Eddie slowly descends into madness.) and a Gory Special. Eddie does character work so well. He is utterly reprehensible in this match. He uses Dominic when he is in trouble. He is arrogant and cruel. He is a great villain. He goes to the Dominic once too many and Rey unleashes a beatdown. Big time high octane Rey aerial assault. Loved springboard dropkick, 619 and missed drop the dime. When he missed you could feel the air let out of the building and even me. Eddie hits the Three Amigos and then again on the fifth Amigo Rey goes limp. So Eddie buries him with a vicious Brainbuster (does anyone do it better?) and then a Frogsplash. Eddie is very cocky as he covers and Rey reverses into Oklahoma Side Roll for 3. He bolts out of the ring grabs Dominic and runs up the ramp. I'm not a huge fan of playing possum in wrestling that was clearly the finish. It makes the Brainbuster look weak especially one that good. I thought the body of the match was their usual exciting, well executed work. The back psychology was strong and Rey's home Stretch was tremendous. Eddie's character work was so so good. I thought it was a bit short and felt a little incomplete. Still it is Eddie vs Rey it was really fucking good. ****

World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk vs Jeff Hardy - Smackdown 8/28/09 Steel Cage Loser Leaves Town Match I am kinda surprised that this match does not get more play. It is a very high profile Free TV main event with high stakes. I liked doing the title change on PPV and following it up with a Loser Leaves Town Cage Match on Smackdown as it makes Smackdown must-see. They did a great job selling the attrition from the PPV. I am such a mark for pre-match beatdown to get that extra little bit of heat on the heel and sympathy for the babyface. A bandaged Punk hobbling down the ramp blasting Jeff from behind and throwing him into the cage was great. Once they get into the ring, Punk wants the bell rung quickly so he can immediately escape was great heeling. Jeff cut Punk off three and each time Punk cut off Jeff focusing on his back. I loved Hardy's offense in this match as he just hurling his body at Punk and going for broke. Whether it was a missed cross body or a the cross body that landed from the top or the Whisper in the Wind or the mid-match Swanton Bomb. It was all about throwing caution to the wind and just using his body as a weapon. Punk did great on his desperation saves to make it look like he had a chance of losing. Overall, I thought Punk did a much better job with character work in this match. The facial expressions of being so close were really good. He was heeling harder. He was almost out the door and saying he already won because his head was out was good. Punk was going for G2S, which he did not hit at Summerslam or here, which I liked. The first time was countered into a backslide with good heat on the nearfall. The Welcome to Chicago Backbreaker by Punk was a good nearfall. Punk attempted the G2S again, but was met with a Twist of Fate which put Jeff back in the driver's seat and Jeff went for the escape. This time we get the MASSIVE Superplex! Great climatic spot. It is a bit weird for the heel to hit it as that seems like it primed for the babyface to bring the heel back into the ring. Also as a cool spot it is just going to get a pop. You dont want fans to choose between: 1. Oh no my favorite did not win and 2. Oh shit that was so cool because it causes a 50/50 reaction. I do love that the superplex led directly to the finish because the superplex should be treated with respect. Punk very injured struggles to escape. Hardy meets him and looks to pull him back in just as Punk did, but Punk THUMBS Hardy in the eye! Hey! I was just saying that should happened at Summerslam! Well it was perfect here as the dick thing to do. Bounces Hardy's head off the cage and then Hardy takes a nasty spill off the ropes to the ring and Punk drops to win. Punk's heeling was much better here. He attacked pretty much, he sold like a chump heel should and then he cheated to win. Hardy did a great job portraying that cool daredevil throwing his body at Punk. The Superplex was a great climax spot. Hardy gave a very nice, professional promo about leaving and thanking the fans and saying this was not goodbye forever. People were crying. Punk attacks him again right as the shows goes off. Get that extra little bit of heat! Love it! Solid Free TV Main Event with high stakes. We need more Title Matches on TV and more matches with high stakes. ***3/4

World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy vs CM Punk - Summerslam 2009 Ladder Match My brother and I loved this feud so much in the summer of 2009 that I bought this PPV. During this time when I was in college, I'd only buy on PPV a year if that. The 2009-2010 Straight Edge CM Punk is one of the all time great heel runs. This is one of the few times that Smackdown shone brighter than RAW and they rewarded with a PPV main event which is extra special because it is Summerslam. The CM Punk vs Jeff Hardy storyline based on Hardy's demons and Punk's Straight Edge personality made for great TV. I have very fond memories of this match delivering in spades, but ultimately all I could remember was the huge spot at the end. I think the match is still great, but not quite as great as I remembered I thought this would contend for match of the year. I thought the transitions held this back as too many times Jeff Hardy would take serious punishment and be right back up delivering offense such as when he took the superplex on the ladder only to deliver a Twist of Fate and then eat knees on a Swanton Bomb attempt. I thought the match started off strong enough. Each man tried to climb the ladder, but the other man knocked them off. Each man tried to hit their finish, but neither man could deliver. The first big time spot was Punk catching Hardy in Poetry in Motion and dropping him back first across the back of the chair. OW! That looked like it hurt. Punk kicked ass but failed to hit that big chair shot he was looking for. Hardy paid him back by hitting a home run shot with a chair and then Poetry In Motion on the floor. I liked the escalation and Hardy paying off the earlier shot and succeeding where Punk failed with the chair. Right then Hardy missed the splash from the top rope to the table on the floor. Big Time spot! Punk goes for the climb, but I thought Hardy had too much energy on the climb and end up powerbombing Punk off the ladder. This is when they began trading shots and felt like each spot lost consequence. One spot I really liked after that superplex on the ladder (great selling by Punk) and then the missed Swanton Bomb was Punk when for his high knee/Bulldog Combo but Hardy stopped the Bulldog and just dumped him over the top rope through a table, but you dont see the table so you think Punk is just going to go splat. Helluva a way to break your fall! The lead up to the BIG spot is great as Punk goes for the Chair Halo around Hardy's neck and Hardy just goes ballistic at the thought of being maimed. So he kicks Punk's ass from pillar to post probably the most violent Ive seen Jeff. He really let Punk have it. This all sets up the Spot. Where he does the Swanton off that ridiculous Ladder through Punk and the announce table. Insane. They do a great job milking it. Both men get attention, but Punk squirms into the ring. As Jeff is being loaded onto the stretcher, he realizes he needs to get back into the ring. I love Jeff's punch drunk selling spilling all over the ring as he attempts to prevent Punk from winning the match. I thought the finish was lame. One Punk kick to the injured ribs (assuming the ribs are injured from the death-defying Swanton) and then a punch. I would have liked an eye rake or a punch to the throat. Something more underhanded. It seemed too even for a heel to win that way. I did like The Undertaker appearing to set up the next feud immediately. It made Punk/World Championship feel like a huge deal and that momentum would keep rolling into the school year. I thought there were a lot of individually great spots, but not enough connective tissue to tie it together, nor did I think Punk or Hardy delivered a great character performance that really elevates this to a classic level. It was something that entertained me throughout and built to the big spot, but didnt feel like a match of the year contender. ****

I just want to echo what everybody said when Cena works his own cut to fire himself up thats the moment that put this over the top for me. WWE Champion John Cena vs Umaga - Royal Rumble 2007 Last Man Standing John Cena should have been wrestling more matches like this throughout the second half of the 2000s. Classic pro wrestling match. When I think of pro wrestling, the first style I think of is the monster heel beating down the valiant babyface and that babyface making the heroic comeback. To me this is the epitome of the style. Umaga injured Cena's ribs on Monday at RAW delivering a big splash from the top rope through a table. This is Cena 101. Sub-minute shine followed by a looooooooong heat segment (with plenty of hope spots) and then a rousing comeback. What separates this match from the usual Cena fare is how damn good the Monster is that he is fighting and that it deviates from a lot of his usual routine. Umaga was a great wrestler and even better gimmick. He was a throwback to the 80s and did a great job as this invulnerable Creature from The Black Lagoon who would keep rising again. A lot of people talk about Cena's selling, but Umaga's selling was perfect for his character. He would register the pain and just when you think you had him down, he would shake it off. It was not that he not selling. It was that he was just that much of Monster. He was creating an Everest for Cena to climb. Cena begins the match by standing toe to toe with the Samoan Bulldozer. He valiantly tries to slug it out with Umaga, but Umaga bury a punch to the breadbasket and so much for that. The slaughter begins. Umaga is relentless on the abdomen and Cena is so great at selling. Cena is going full Ricky Morton here. It is amazing to watch. I love that Cena never dies on us and is constantly peppering in hope spots. I loved the escalation. First it was stuff like bouncing Umaga's head off the apron or getting his feet up on a corner charge each to no avail. It then became HURLING THE STEEL STEPS FROM THE RING INTO UMAGA'S FACE and Umaga missing a butt splash into the stairs. I love how the action ramped up. Umaga had some great cut offs like a Mack Truck Lariat and a great catch of Cena's crossbody into a Black Hole Slam on Cena's bad ribs. The match really kicks into high gear when Cena starts his standard comeback but he does it so that everything involves Umaga landing on the steel stairs for maximum impact. Cena goes for the FU but his back gives out and he falls forwards. His head smacks the steel steps as the weight of Umaga drives him into the steps. Great spot! Cena comes up bleeding the match goes from great to instant classic. My complaint is out of these two wrestlers' control, but I want to say it because it bums me out. If this took place in the 80s, the place would be rocking for Cena's comeback. It would have been nuclear heat. Taking place in 2007 with half the crowd chanting Cena sucks and booing Cena, it is such a drag. The best moment of the match is when Cena works over his own cut to get himself revved up. He starts punching himself in the forehead and the blood really starts to pump. He just roars to a massive comeback only for Umaga to hit the most SAVAGE SAMOAN DROP I have ever seen! He basically piledrove Cena from his sholders! Talk about electricity! That was so fucking badass. I love how they teased the Samoan Spike at this point as it feels like it could at any time and put Cena down permanently. Another thing I love about Umaga matches is how much missed moves matter. More often than not, the person that causes the most harm to Umaga is Umaga. Umaga is so powerful that when he misses a move like the butt splash in the corner or the flying headbutt, it causes him so much pain. Cena hits his top rope leg drop and this one looks extra vicious as Umaga really takes it on his head. Cena blasts him in the head with the monitor and still Umaga won't go down. Umaga catches Cena again and this time he drives him bad ribs into the steel post. Brutal. Back to my point of how Umaga is his own worst enemy. Umaga tries a running splash across the announce tables to obliterate Cena, but only for Umaga to eat the table. Umaga is only down for 9! Estrada undoes the entire top rope. He wants Umaga to give Cena a giant-sized Samoan Spike by using the turnbuckle as a spike. Now that would have been insane. Cena catches him with an F-U! I love how the nearfalls have been escalated. It was not 8 million F-Us and Samoan Spikes. Each was teased and it was the F-U that hit first. Then Cena choked Umaga out with the top rope in an STFU. Great visual with Cena wearing a Crimson Mask and Umaga's tongue sticking out and his eyes fading. Cena lets go prematurely and Umaga makes one last gasp but Cena pounces and chokes him out for good. Holy shit! What a hero vs monster match! Cena's went down early, took a lickin' keep on tickin' and he looked like the world's biggest badass when he was punching his cut to get the blood to flow. Umaga was such a great monster. Great offense and the perfect amount of selling. I loved that so many hope spots for Cena were generated by missed moves by Umaga. Umaga is the only one powerful enough to hurt Umaga. Cena really drew you with his selling, but he never died, he kept fighting back and never gave up. The finish is just pure testosterone and I fucking loved it. Every bit the classic people say it is! *****

World Tag Team Champions Rated RKO vs D-Generation X - New Year's Revolution 2007 I was not even in college yet when this match took place and I was definitely watching, but man this whole era is a total blur. I have a general recollection of Rated RKO existing, but I couldnt tell you what they did. The video package as always is stellar and explains that this is a legit blood feud not one of those passe feuds that pass for violence nowadays. Rated RKO bloodied Flair and then D-X. Now D-X is out for revenge. Up until the quad injury, I would say this was on pace to being a contender for best WWE tag match of all time. The progression and layout were perfect. I liked the double shine and the double face in peril. The climaxes of each segment were great and the transitions were very well-done. I liked that D-X attacked the Tag Champs on the ramp and really set the tone for the match that this would be a fight. The opening heel in peril is on Edge. Edge was definitely the least of the four though he would improve on offense. I thought HHH and HBK both were good at sticking to fists and really trying to punish the heels as oppose to either popping the crowd or just merely winning the match. I thought Orton was clearly much better than Edge. He was better at stooging and selling for D-X. There was a great moment when Orton took a punch spun around and fed for the punch. Good shit. I liked that it took two underhanded tactics by the heels to overtake the babyfaces. Edge tried the Hart Foundation sliding knee on the apron, but HHH correctly no sold it and brought him in the hard way. That was a cool babyface spot. It said I am here fuck shit up and it is going to take a lot more to derail. So they up the ante with the chopblock. Good selling by HHH but even better offense by Rated RKO. I really liked Orton in this role. He seemed very motivated and laying shit in. I liked Edge going for the Figure-4, but HHH kicks him off. It was a good disrespectful nod to the Nature Boy and a good climax to the first heat segment. Shawn then comes in rattles off his home stretch sequence as his hot tag, which is very smart. It gets the crowd pumped up but he stops short of Sweet Chin Music instead only hitting the Elbow Drop. So you have escalated, but not paid off. You have ramped the tension without blowing your wad. That's an ingenious layout, bruthas. Orton hits a big time clothesline. It is breaking loose in Tulsa! Shawn hits a somersault plancha. Edge spears him off the apron and Shawn takes a nasty bump. Loved that spot. Orton BLASTS him with the Tag Belt busting him wide open! GREAT! GREAT! GREAT! Now we get the ultra-hot face in peril segment. Orton is absolute money in this. His Garvin Stomp has extra oomph. He is really laying his shit in. There's a great firefight that breaks out in the corner between Shawn and Orton that feels like a Flair vs Garvin fire fight and I love it! Even Edge has extra mustard on his shots. Shawn is selling like a million bucks. They work into a groove working on his back. There are great dramatic teases for the hot tag. I love that it takes multiple tries for Shawn to get it. HHH, who is not exactly Mr. Electricity, does do a pretty good job mowing down Rated RKO until in a freak accident he blows out his quad on a Spinebuster. I knew it was going to happen because he missed Mainia in 2007, but I was not expecting it there. It looked innocuous to me. He clearly hurt it bad based on how he took that RKO. They match totally falls apart. Shawn decides to go bezerk. He dives onto Orton with a suicide dive and decks the ref to trigger the DQ, which was a smart finish. Then D-X sends the crowd home happy with chairshot galore. HHH somehow does a Pedigree on the announce table with one leg and then Michael elbow drops from the top rope to Orton through the announce table. Loved the body of the match a lot. I thought HHH and HBK came to kick ass and were laser-focused. Orton and Edge were great heel foils especially Orton. I thought the heat segments were well-constructed and they were on their way to having the best tag team match in WWE history. Some people liked how the injury caused a chaotic, raucous finish to me it made the match feel incomplete. I thought they covered for it the best they could. I am always a fan of gratuitous ref violence because it seems so crazy. Chairshots, Orton bleeding like a stuck pig and the double announce table finish almost make up for the fact that match was derailed by a freak injury. Based on the timeframe and who was involved, I would have never thought this match was so great and so different if it was not for others pimping it (so thank you). All I can say watch it for yourself and decide for yourself, I think there is something for everyone to enjoy! ****

Cesaro vs Aleister Black - Extreme Rules 2019 I wouldnt say this was Match of the Year level, but I thought this was a total banger. What really stood out to me about this was the level of effort and motivation. This felt like 2013 all over again. Everything felt very urgent and explosive. Aleister Black looked really good during Halftime Heat, but felt like just another guy during his run with Ricochet. This was a great coming out party. I love the return of a Dutch Kickboxer. I loved the attrition of working over Cesaro's leg with those inside kicks. Black comes off as a slightly more kickboxer-oriented Kota Ibushi with all the moonsaults. Black looked ferocious. Cesaro looked like 2013 Cesaro. Those European Uppercuts were awesome. That finish was absolutely awesome. Explosive and out of nowhere in a good way. Some selling issues (people over sell initially, if they used a register instead of the annoying "oversell then don't sell" that would be better) and some psychology issues (head rocking spots puts Cesaro in a bad spot where he has to sell, but get back up. Put the head rocking spots in the back end and have Black miss a couple at the beginning to create that tension and blow off the head rocking spots at the back end) hold this back. But I dont want to bitch about this too much. I am nitpicking. We need more matches that bang. More matches that feel urgent. There are too many plodding walkthrough matches where the wrestlers are just sleepwalking through their matches. This reminds me of Rey vs Psychosis at Bash at the Beach 1996 as a way to get people over in the debut match. ****1/4

Cesaro vs Aleister Black - Extreme Rules 2019 I wouldnt say this was Match of the Year level, but I thought this was a total banger. What really stood out to me about this was the level of effort and motivation. This felt like 2013 all over again. Everything felt very urgent and explosive. Aleister Black looked really good during Halftime Heat, but felt like just another guy during his run with Ricochet. This was a great coming out party. I love the return of a Dutch Kickboxer. I loved the attrition of working over Cesaro's leg with those inside kicks. Black comes off as a slightly more kickboxer-oriented Kota Ibushi with all the moonsaults. Black looked ferocious. Cesaro looked like 2013 Cesaro. Those European Uppercuts were awesome. That finish was absolutely awesome. Explosive and out of nowhere in a good way. Some selling issues (people over sell initially, if they used a register instead of the annoying "oversell then don't sell" that would be better) and some psychology issues (head rocking spots puts Cesaro in a bad spot where he has to sell, but get back up. Put the head rocking spots in the back end and have Black miss a couple at the beginning to create that tension and blow off the head rocking spots at the back end) hold this back. But I dont want to bitch about this too much. I am nitpicking. We need more matches that bang. More matches that feel urgent. There are too many plodding walkthrough matches where the wrestlers are just sleepwalking through their matches. This reminds me of Rey vs Psychosis at Bash at the Beach 1996 as a way to get people over in the debut match. ****1/4

Stan Hansen vs Andre The Giant - NJPW 9/23/81 Godzilla vs King Kong! Bill Watts' Wet Dream! I really hope someone showed this to Bill Watts because he would fucking love this hoss battle. Pedal to the metal, couple big ugliest throwing haymakers and each other around. They beat the shit out of each other. The selling is pitch perfect. You don't want Ricky Morton here. You want a strong register and then the FIGHT response to win back out. The opening minutes are so crucial to set the tone. Hansen charging. Andre HITTING A BIG BOOT AS HE IS CLIMBING OVER THE TOP ROPE!!! Insane! Hansen just keeps coming! It is a WAR! Andre wraps him up in a bear hug. Great struggle. Hansen CLUBS him in the head with a wicked Western Lariat. Andre's sell is magnificent and I loved his response of immediately want to break Hansen's left arm because that's what hurt him. I loved Andre's sell of the headbutt to the Left Elbow. It made it feel like Hansen's left elbow has magical powers. Great holds by Andre on the left arm and great struggle by Hansen. Loved the multiple tries for a bodyslam and when he got it, it felt huge. I loved that he immediately went for a chinlock. He was getting ass whipped now with this opening he needed to control and catch his breath. Its been about 5 maybe even 6 or 7 years since I last watched this. I totally forgot about the false double countout and restart. I even thought I was watching the wrong match for a second. Then it restarted and I was like yep we are good. The rope tangle spot was awesome and fiery. THEN GOD ALMIGHTY! That WESTERN LARIAT! Holy shit! Andre sold that like a million bucks and Hansen looked like a bull. Andre grabs his own elbow pad. I forgot this! Mark Out City! CLOBBERS THE REF! I love gratuitous ref violence. I don't know if it is a No Contest or Hansen by DQ but I don't care this was fucking Pro Wrestling at its apex. Best match ever with a non-clean finish though it won't be my number one match. I see this between 25-50 in my next Greatest Match Ever ranking. I loved the selling (register and immediate desire to fight), psychology (keep moving forward, oh you whacked me in the head with your left arm let me snap that off), the brawling and the struggle. *****

WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund vs Antonio Inoki - NJPW 12/14/78 The action-packed Backlund vs Inoki match! A real false finish, big bombs, run-ins, blood and total pandemonium. I loved the beginning so much. Inoki starts off with a fast break of dropkicks that totally catches Backlund off guard. Table tops him. 1-2-3! NEW WWF HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION! Wait! What? The ref says it was 2! I love how they sold this with the bell and everything. Wrestling needs more intentional shit like this. Blown calls and then reversals are apart of pro sports. Sometimes wrestling can be too neat, clean and tidy. This was good shit. Restart and Backlund has escaped by the skin of his teeth. Now here comes the hard-fought tussle we expect, but it does not last long. These two had two one hour draws in Japan over the summer. This is wrestled in such a way you know it is not going to a 60 minute broadway. Inoki slaps Backlund. Backlund does not take too kindly to this and slaps him right back. Inoki chops him and Backlund sells it like he chopped high into the throat. Great selling by Backlund. Between this and the early dropkicks, Inoki came to play. Inoki follows up with a choke/sleeper, but Backlund resists enough to turn it into a reverse chinlock. Backlund tries to make this a game of strength which where he will win, but BANG! ENZIGUIRI! ROCKS BACKLUND! Inoki is on fire in this match. Backlund has his bell rung and powders. He comes back in and when Inoki looks to suplex him. He hoists him up into a Fireman's Carry and SLINGS HIM DOWN! Think Wasteland from Wade Barrett! Backlund using his best asset to physical strength to take control. Inoki responds with sliding leg kicks to soften Backlund up for a Figure-4! It really does feel like Backlund is in deep trouble against Inoki in this match. Backlund fights off another Inoki figure-4 attempt, but Inoki kicks him through the ropes. I love how hard fought this is. Inoki is just pouring it on. Backlund looks like a defeated champion in a heap. Inoki big time suplex back into the ring gets a big pop, but cant pin the champion. Nice floating Butterfly Suplex but Backlund bucks him off. Backlund hits a desperation back suplex but misses the leg drop. INOKI BOMBS AWAY KNEEDROP! MISSES! Backlund attacks the leg. This is Backlund's opening! ATOMIC DROP! HOLY SHIT! 1-2-NO! WOW! Backlund almost escaped with the win there. He goes for it again. Inoki evades and hits a backdrop driver. Backlund does the smart thing and powders. A bleach blond Ueda and a young Saito attack and bloody both wrestlers. For some reason, the ref lets this continue. They trade dropkicks and then Inoki dropkicks low and Backlund sells it like a nut shot and the ref does not do shit! What the fuck! First the chop to the throat and now this! Where the hell is Arnie Skaaland when you him? They end up tumbling to the outside. Backlund rams Inoki's head into the ringpost, but Inoki goes bezerk and just starts bashing Backlund's head into the post and wins the match by countout. This is unlike any of there other matches. It is pedal to the metal from jump with Inoki dropkicking and almost winning the match in the first minute. There are some awkward moments to be expected. Backlund and Inoki are probably the two most on un-rhythmic wrestlers. There is a certain rhythm a match takes shine-heat-comeback-finish, but these guys totally abscond from that tradition, but while maintaining the integrity of the contest. They just make odd duck choices here and there and sometimes arent on the same page, but this is a lot more hits than misses. I really liked the story of Backlund being in deep trouble throughout the match, which is very unusual in a Backlund match. It makes the Atomic Drop feel huge like holy shit he survived and he might win! I think I would have preferred the No Contest/Run-In finish OR the countount win, the combination was definite overbooking. This is my favorite Backlund/Inoki match so far, but I do remember really liking the July 78 Broadway. ****1/4

WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund vs Antonio Inoki - NJPW 12/14/78 The action-packed Backlund vs Inoki match! A real false finish, big bombs, run-ins, blood and total pandemonium. I loved the beginning so much. Inoki starts off with a fast break of dropkicks that totally catches Backlund off guard. Table tops him. 1-2-3! NEW WWF HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION! Wait! What? The ref says it was 2! I love how they sold this with the bell and everything. Wrestling needs more intentional shit like this. Blown calls and then reversals are apart of pro sports. Sometimes wrestling can be too neat, clean and tidy. This was good shit. Restart and Backlund has escaped by the skin of his teeth. Now here comes the hard-fought tussle we expect, but it does not last long. These two had two one hour draws in Japan over the summer. This is wrestled in such a way you know it is not going to a 60 minute broadway. Inoki slaps Backlund. Backlund does not take too kindly to this and slaps him right back. Inoki chops him and Backlund sells it like he chopped high into the throat. Great selling by Backlund. Between this and the early dropkicks, Inoki came to play. Inoki follows up with a choke/sleeper, but Backlund resists enough to turn it into a reverse chinlock. Backlund tries to make this a game of strength which where he will win, but BANG! ENZIGUIRI! ROCKS BACKLUND! Inoki is on fire in this match. Backlund has his bell rung and powders. He comes back in and when Inoki looks to suplex him. He hoists him up into a Fireman's Carry and SLINGS HIM DOWN! Think Wasteland from Wade Barrett! Backlund using his best asset to physical strength to take control. Inoki responds with sliding leg kicks to soften Backlund up for a Figure-4! It really does feel like Backlund is in deep trouble against Inoki in this match. Backlund fights off another Inoki figure-4 attempt, but Inoki kicks him through the ropes. I love how hard fought this is. Inoki is just pouring it on. Backlund looks like a defeated champion in a heap. Inoki big time suplex back into the ring gets a big pop, but cant pin the champion. Nice floating Butterfly Suplex but Backlund bucks him off. Backlund hits a desperation back suplex but misses the leg drop. INOKI BOMBS AWAY KNEEDROP! MISSES! Backlund attacks the leg. This is Backlund's opening! ATOMIC DROP! HOLY SHIT! 1-2-NO! WOW! Backlund almost escaped with the win there. He goes for it again. Inoki evades and hits a backdrop driver. Backlund does the smart thing and powders. A bleach blond Ueda and a young Saito attack and bloody both wrestlers. For some reason, the ref lets this continue. They trade dropkicks and then Inoki dropkicks low and Backlund sells it like a nut shot and the ref does not do shit! What the fuck! First the chop to the throat and now this! Where the hell is Arnie Skaaland when you him? They end up tumbling to the outside. Backlund rams Inoki's head into the ringpost, but Inoki goes bezerk and just starts bashing Backlund's head into the post and wins the match by countout. This is unlike any of there other matches. It is pedal to the metal from jump with Inoki dropkicking and almost winning the match in the first minute. There are some awkward moments to be expected. Backlund and Inoki are probably the two most on un-rhythmic wrestlers. There is a certain rhythm a match takes shine-heat-comeback-finish, but these guys totally abscond from that tradition, but while maintaining the integrity of the contest. They just make odd duck choices here and there and sometimes arent on the same page, but this is a lot more hits than misses. I really liked the story of Backlund being in deep trouble throughout the match, which is very unusual in a Backlund match. It makes the Atomic Drop feel huge like holy shit he survived and he might win! I think I would have preferred the No Contest/Run-In finish OR the countount win, the combination was definite overbooking. This is my favorite Backlund/Inoki match so far, but I do remember really liking the July 78 Broadway. ****1/4

WWF Heavyweight Champion Antonio Inoki vs Bob Backlund - NJPW 12/6/79 Inoki was presented as the champion so he will be given that designation in this review even though WWE disputes his title reign. There is something therapeutic to me about watching championship style wrestling. It can be sat and enjoyed. You can process it and look for details and watch for facial expressions. I really enjoy the human game of chess as Larry Z would call it. A great example of this game of body positioning was Backlund looking to grab a leg while in the midst of a side headlock. Inoki dropped to his back and executed a monkey flip to discombobulate Backlund and then reassert his dominance with a side headlock. It is fun bits of strategy like that that I love. I like the organic nature of how they arrive in the first abdominal stretch. This being championship style the touchstone hold is a side headlock controlled by Inoki. Inoki controlled most of the first 15 minutes by working in and out of the side headlock. Backlund got a takedown here and there focusing on deathlocks, but Inoki always reclaimed control. Around the 15 minute mark, Backlund hit a Back suplex out of side headlock that rocks Inoki and kicks off the suplex heavy portion of the match. I like how it was a counter to the headlock that caused this. Backlund immediately pressed his newfound advantage with a legdrop for two. Inoki responded to a Backlund headlock attempt with a back suplex of his own. There are many great spots that ensue: Backlund teasing suplexing Inoki out of the ring only for Inoki to hit a suplex, Inoki missing a big kneedrop from the top, only to still cover because Backlund was still selling. In typical Backlund fashion, he deviates from conventional norms and hits a gutwrench suplex instead. I liked their awkward 1979 take on the 90s workrate of countering pinfalls. Inoki's dropkick scores him the advantage after he was forced from the ring. Inoki goes for the win early with an abdominal stretch. Backlund bounces Inoki off the mat with a butterfly suplex. Undeterred Inoki presses for a figure-4, he has to fight through a stout Backlund defense to apply it. From here on out, this is a stellar classic Backlund performance. He does pushups when he has reversed the pressure of the figure-4 to apply more pressure on Inoki. Inoki attacks the leg to destabilize Backlund's base and then Backlund's leg gives way in the most dramatic way possible during a slam. Inoki starts an onslaught of headbutts and Backlund's selling is epic. I loved the errant punch. There was a great Backlund facial expression when he fell down to his ass. Backlund pressed Inoki off him during a cover and onto the floor. That might have been the most useful kickout ever! As Inoki tries to get back in the ring, Backlund channels JYD and hits him with a headbutt from all fours. I love it! BACKLUND PILEDRIVER! IT IS AN EPIC ONE TOO! Backlund goes for another no wait it is an Argentine Backbreaker, but Inoki kicks off and hits backdrop for two (similar to what Inoki did against Andre in '78, good spot). Inoki goes into the short arm scissors, Backlund wastes no time to show off that impressive strength and dumps Inoki on the top rope. Here comes Tiger Jeet Singh. He punches Inoki. It is not that Inoki NO SELLS them, it is that he acts like they never even existed that's weird. Backlund picks him up for an Atomic Drop and ATOMIC DROPS HIM ON THE TOP ROPE! GNARLY FINISH! 1-2-3! There are few greater joys than finding another great Backlund match. This one is super ridiculously fun. There are some awkward moments, which are part and parcel with almost all Backlund matches, but that is part of the charm. It is all action in the last 15 minutes and one helluva Backlund performance! ****1/4

WWF Heavyweight Champion Antonio Inoki vs Bob Backlund - NJPW 12/6/79 Inoki was presented as the champion so he will be given that designation in this review even though WWE disputes his title reign. There is something therapeutic to me about watching championship style wrestling. It can be sat and enjoyed. You can process it and look for details and watch for facial expressions. I really enjoy the human game of chess as Larry Z would call it. A great example of this game of body positioning was Backlund looking to grab a leg while in the midst of a side headlock. Inoki dropped to his back and executed a monkey flip to discombobulate Backlund and then reassert his dominance with a side headlock. It is fun bits of strategy like that that I love. I like the organic nature of how they arrive in the first abdominal stretch. This being championship style the touchstone hold is a side headlock controlled by Inoki. Inoki controlled most of the first 15 minutes by working in and out of the side headlock. Backlund got a takedown here and there focusing on deathlocks, but Inoki always reclaimed control. Around the 15 minute mark, Backlund hit a Back suplex out of side headlock that rocks Inoki and kicks off the suplex heavy portion of the match. I like how it was a counter to the headlock that caused this. Backlund immediately pressed his newfound advantage with a legdrop for two. Inoki responded to a Backlund headlock attempt with a back suplex of his own. There are many great spots that ensue: Backlund teasing suplexing Inoki out of the ring only for Inoki to hit a suplex, Inoki missing a big kneedrop from the top, only to still cover because Backlund was still selling. In typical Backlund fashion, he deviates from conventional norms and hits a gutwrench suplex instead. I liked their awkward 1979 take on the 90s workrate of countering pinfalls. Inoki's dropkick scores him the advantage after he was forced from the ring. Inoki goes for the win early with an abdominal stretch. Backlund bounces Inoki off the mat with a butterfly suplex. Undeterred Inoki presses for a figure-4, he has to fight through a stout Backlund defense to apply it. From here on out, this is a stellar classic Backlund performance. He does pushups when he has reversed the pressure of the figure-4 to apply more pressure on Inoki. Inoki attacks the leg to destabilize Backlund's base and then Backlund's leg gives way in the most dramatic way possible during a slam. Inoki starts an onslaught of headbutts and Backlund's selling is epic. I loved the errant punch. There was a great Backlund facial expression when he fell down to his ass. Backlund pressed Inoki off him during a cover and onto the floor. That might have been the most useful kickout ever! As Inoki tries to get back in the ring, Backlund channels JYD and hits him with a headbutt from all fours. I love it! BACKLUND PILEDRIVER! IT IS AN EPIC ONE TOO! Backlund goes for another no wait it is an Argentine Backbreaker, but Inoki kicks off and hits backdrop for two (similar to what Inoki did against Andre in '78, good spot). Inoki goes into the short arm scissors, Backlund wastes no time to show off that impressive strength and dumps Inoki on the top rope. Here comes Tiger Jeet Singh. He punches Inoki. It is not that Inoki NO SELLS them, it is that he acts like they never even existed that's weird. Backlund picks him up for an Atomic Drop and ATOMIC DROPS HIM ON THE TOP ROPE! GNARLY FINISH! 1-2-3! There are few greater joys that finding another great Backlund match. This one is super ridiculously fun. There are some awkward moments, which are part and parcel with almost all Backlund matches, but that is part of the charm. It is all action in the last 15 minutes and one helluva Backlund performance! ****1/4

Antonio Inoki vs Andre The Giant - NJPW 5/30/78 MSG Series Championship The MSG Series is the follow up tournament to the World League and the precursor to the International Wrestling Grand Prix (IWGP) and finally today's G-1 Climax. It is round robin format with the two highest ranked wrestlers after the round robin format meeting in a one match playoff championship round. Andre The Giant had more points coming into this match, but with no such thing has home ring advantage (I guess they could have the match in NYC or France) this is an even contest. I thought this was the best match between these two I have seen thus far (I am missing the first '74 match and the second '77 match. I will watch the '79 match soon). I liked this a smidge better than their '76 match. I thought this had all the great trappings of the '76 match, but with even more drama. The first ten minutes is all NWA Championship style with Andre working arm holds. At the very outset, Andre is distracted talking to his manager Frank Valois and Inoki dropkicks him. Andre does big fumbling oaf so well in trying to catch Inoki. When he does, he goes to town on Inoki's arm. I liked the Hangman's style armbar. All the armbars were well-worked with good wrist control. Strong double wristlock, he even busted out the hammerlock/half-nelson pin. In the '76 match, he was really good at getting on the ref's case and here he was yelling at the ref when he couldnt negotiate the pinfall. Inoki tries to go for the legs, but to no avail. Inoki is definitely over and Andre was great playing to the crowd jawing with them. I I liked the unique counter here. Inoki decided to use his legs to counteract the Giant's strategy. He forced Andre over with his legs into a tight headscissors. I have said previously no one until Vader did wounded bear selling as well as Andre. Andre really sold like he was trapped and being suffocated. They went back to this twice to really get the point across. I liked how Andre abandoned the arm to attack the legs. Ok, so you think you can beat me with your good limbs, how about I take those away too. However, before he could really do damage, Inoki applies his signature short arm scissors. Again, great Andre selling, he dumps Inoki over the top rope onto the floor in a gnarly bump but no one in Japan cares. That was too funny, today people would go crazy, there it just felt pedestrian. Inoki tries to attack the arm again, I love the switching strategies. Now it is Andre with big headbutts. Diving headbutt to the arm like he is a Giant Harley Race. SUPLEX SLAM! Andre misses the diving headbutt! ENZIGUIRI! BIG SELL BY ANDRE AS HE TUMBLES OF THE RING! Wow! Great countout finish as Andre goes for an Argentine Backbreaker, but Inoki kicks off the ringpost and executes a back drop on the Big Man! Sakaguchi and Valois get involved but Inoki makes it into the ring, but Andre doesnt and Inoki wins the MSG Tournament. Great NWA style match which sees each man work different holds with tight transitions and logical consequences. You beat me with your legs well I will take out your legs. I thought the finish was red hot. Andre brought the character work and selling in spades and really carried the match. ****1/2

It is not, but it is wicked easy to find on Google.

Tatsumi Fujinami vs Greg Valentine - NJPW 12/4/79 One of the sad things about this world is that The Hammer didn't work Japan more. I just typed "Tatsumi Fujinami vs" into Google to see what cropped up and saw this and said Hell Yeah! Dream Match totally lives up to the hype. Stiffness to the max. Tons of great cat & mouse spots. Both dudes are super motivated. Very energetic and urgent. Valentine brutalizes and works the leg. Fujinami dishes it out as good as he gets. I really love how Fujinami stands up for himself. Valentine does Timbahhh and isn't afraid to stooge. FUJINAMI DIVES ON VALENTINE!!! AAAAHHHHHHH!!! And we get a clean finish! My only complaint is that this didn't go longer! Humdinger of a match! ****1/4

OJ, did you find Inoki vs Piper? it made TV and it is only 10 minutes. I did a cursory search and couldn't find it. I think it would be interesting. Going through Inoki's match listing, the other matchup that stood out to me was a one off against Pat Patterson. Have you seen that? It is amazing how long he milked the Tiger Jeet Singh feud. I saw their first match and thought it was ok. Did they ever have a great one? Tatsumi Fujinami vs Greg Valentine - NJPW 4/12/79 One of the sad things about this world is that The Hammer didn't work Japan more. I just typed "Tatsumi Fujinami vs" into Google to see what cropped up and saw this and said Hell Yeah! Dream Match totally lives up to the hype. Stiffness to the max. Tons of great cat & mouse spots. Both dudes are super motivated. Very energetic and urgent. Valentine brutalizes and works the leg. Fujinami dishes it out as good as he gets. Valentine does Timbahhh and isn't afraid to stooge. FUJINAMI DIVES ON VALENTINE!!! AAAAHHHHHHH!!! And we get a clean finish! My only complaint is that this didn't go longer! Humdinger of a match! ****1/4

NWF World Heavyweight Champion Antonio Inoki vs Andre The Giant - NJPW 6/1/77 A really strange match. It was building really well and then just ground to a halt. It was like they both ran out of things to do and they were just killing time to the double countout finish. The first half was great. Andre working holds like the cobra clutch and a really impressive surfboard set up Inoki's explosive offense so well. Until Vader, nobody did wounded bear selling ad well as Andre. Inoki's dropkick is a big time weapon for him. Andre bumping and selling and the crowd is eating it up. Andre invents the Pedigree in the middle of the match and Inoki no sells it...eat it Hunter! Inoki goes for the Ali leg kick strategy and then Andre bellyflops off the top. Inoki goes for strangulation to choke out the Giant but Andre uses his girth to squish him against the turnbuckles. This is when the match drags. Andre goes back to working holds but now they are meaningless. No sense of progression. Doesn't feel like Andre is trying to win. There is a pointless Electric Chair spot. Andre hurts himself and Inoki races up the ropes twice to hit Bombs Away Knees! Thought that was the finish but I guess Andre kicked out. Look at Andre go he bumps for two flying headscissors second one sends them out for the double countout but it is Andre that stands tall hitting a poweslam on a table. They are really protecting Andre as a money Inoki opponent. First half Rocks, second half meanders, finish is hot! ***1/4

WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund vs Antonio Inoki - NJPW 11/30/79 I have seen their July 1978 (amazing) match and their April 1980 Florida match (underwhelming). I love Bob Backlund like it is my fucking problem. I could watch these two shoot in on each other all day long. Great struggle and rhythm. Look how hard each man works to stay upright on those hipblock takedowns. When is the last time someone blocked a hipblock and went full Greco-Roman wrestling? That's the shit missing. You have earn even the most basic takedown here. Backlund has two spectacular bridges early on. Inoki looks to control with the headscissors. Backlund has to fight hard to get out of it and finally get a headlock. Backlund hits a kneecrusher, but it is a red herring besides a toehold, it does not stick. Tempers flare on the ropes. I love Backlund reaching around and slapping Inoki in the face. He was going to get his receipt. No one will confuse Inoki with Steamboat firing up on Flair, but the energy does pick up for a hot second when Inoki starts unloading, before settling back down. Inoki applies a short arm scissors, a hold I love and of course allows Backlund to his feat of strength. He not only places Inoki on the top rope, but slaps the taste out of his mouth and causes him to tumble back to the mat. Inoki looked astonished that he was disrespected like that. I love Bob Backlund like it is my fucking problem. Backlund then sells on the subsequent lock ups by retracting his left arm because of the short arms scissors. He is the best. Inoki gets a flying headscissors takedown that spikes Backlund on his head and Backlund powders. From here, the match turns into a wicked bombfest. They are throwing suplexes out like candy. They tease a vertical suplex to the outside but Inoki brings in Backlund the hard way. Backlund is thinking atomic drop but hits a back suplex instead. Inoki too close to the ropes. BACKLUND PILEDRIVER! Inoki too close to the ropes. Now it is Backlund's turn to be too close to the ropes after an Inoki Bombs Away Kneedrop and an atomic Legrdrop. I love how they tussle over an abdominal stretch. Backlund is working hard not to let it becomes the Octopus Stretch. It is all about how you sell it even the abdominal stretch can be fearsome and epic down the stretch. I loved the side salto suplex and Butterfly suplex each hits out of the move. OCTOPUS STRETCH! Backlund is in deep trouble! But he makes the ropes. Tiger Jeet Singh effectively runs the Entrance Music Distraction finish of the 21st century. The Japanese wrestlers hold him back, but Inoki is distracted. ATOMIC DROP! 1-2-3-No Kickout at 3. I think Backlund thinks he has won!?! Inoki hits a backdrop driver for the 1-2-3-Kickout. Backlund did the whole kickout at 3 to protect himself and the title. Baba had won his second NWA Championship just a month prior. I don't know if this was a case of keeping up with the Jones' but Inoki did manage to get that big World Championship title victory over an American on Japanese soil and even if it didnt stick and it was controversial it was another feather in his cap to continue his mystique and legacy. As far as controversial finishes go, I thought this was pretty ok. I am not a huge fan of "I thought I won, but I didnt", but Inoki's kickout was kind of late so it was sold well. I thought the match started out great as a catch wrestling contest. My complaint would be there was not much sense of progression in regards to the narrative it was just great wrestling filled with struggle. Neither of these guys will be confused for Ricky Morton, but I thought down the stretch could have used more selling or at least more move consequence, there was a definitely a lot of bomb throwing. It was the tale of two matches, the wrestling at the beginning and the more All Japan style suplex-heavy ending. I think was did make the home stretch really good was how well the abdominal stretch was used. ***3/4

WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund vs Antonio Inoki - NJPW 11/30/79 I have seen their July 1978 (amazing) match and their April 1980 Florida match (underwhelming). I love Bob Backlund like it is my fucking problem. I could watch these two shoot in on each other all day long. Great struggle and rhythm. Look how hard each man works to stay upright on those hipblock takedowns. When is the last time someone blocked a hipblock and went full Greco-Roman wrestling? That's the shit missing. You have earn even the most basic takedown here. Backlund has two spectacular bridges early on. Inoki looks to control with the headscissors. Backlund has to fight hard to get out of it and finally get a headlock. Backlund hits a kneecrusher, but it is a red herring besides a toehold, it does not stick. Tempers flare on the ropes. I love Backlund reaching around and slapping Inoki in the face. He was going to get his receipt. No one will confuse Inoki with Steamboat firing up on Flair, but the energy does pick up for a hot second when Inoki starts unloading, before settling back down. Inoki applies a short arm scissors, a hold I love and of course allows Backlund to his feat of strength. He not only places Inoki on the top rope, but slaps the taste out of his mouth and causes him to tumble back to the mat. Inoki looked astonished that he was disrespected like that. I love Bob Backlund like it is my fucking problem. Backlund then sells on the subsequent lock ups by retracting his left arm because of the short arms scissors. He is the best. Inoki gets a flying headscissors takedown that spikes Backlund on his head and Backlund powders. From here, the match turns into a wicked bombfest. They are throwing suplexes out like candy. They tease a vertical suplex to the outside but Inoki brings in Backlund the hard way. Backlund is thinking atomic drop but hits a back suplex instead. Inoki too close to the ropes. BACKLUND PILEDRIVER! Inoki too close to the ropes. Now it is Backlund's turn to be too close to the ropes after an Inoki Bombs Away Kneedrop and an atomic Legrdrop. I love how they tussle over an abdominal stretch. Backlund is working hard not to let it becomes the Octopus Stretch. It is all about how you sell it even the abdominal stretch can be fearsome and epic down the stretch. I loved the side salto suplex and Butterfly suplex each hits out of the move. OCTOPUS STRETCH! Backlund is in deep trouble! But he makes the ropes. Tiger Jeet Singh effectively runs the Entrance Music Distraction finish of the 21st century. The Japanese wrestlers hold him back, but Inoki is distracted. ATOMIC DROP! 1-2-3-No Kickout at 3. I think Backlund thinks he has won!?! Inoki hits a backdrop driver for the 1-2-3-Kickout. Backlund did the whole kickout at 3 to protect himself and the title. Baba had won his second NWA Championship just a month prior. I don't know if this was a case of keeping up with the Jones' but Inoki did manage to get that big World Championship title victory over an American on Japanese soil and even if it didnt stick and it was controversial it was another feather in his cap to continue his mystique and legacy. As far as controversial finishes go, I thought this was pretty ok. I am not a huge fan of "I thought I won, but I didnt", but Inoki's kickout was kind of late so it was sold well. I thought the match started out great as a catch wrestling contest. My complaint would be there was not much sense of progression in regards to the narrative it was just great wrestling filled with struggle. Neither of these guys will be confused for Ricky Morton, but I thought down the stretch could have used more selling or at least more move consequence, there was a definitely a lot of bomb throwing. It was the tale of two matches, the wrestling at the beginning and the more All Japan style suplex-heavy ending. I think was did make the home stretch really good was how well the abdominal stretch was used. ***3/4

I popped for this!

OJ, I may not post on here as frequently as I used to. But lets not act like I dont exist anymore. I have really been getting into Inoki recently so it is on my list to watch all their matches. I love their 7/78 match. Their 1980 Florida match is a bit of a letdown. I will add my thoughts in here as I watch them.

WWF Junior Heavyweight Champion Tatsumi Fujinami vs Ryuma GO - NJPW 11/30/78 I had heard of the Fujinami/Go series many years ago and I am finally getting around to watching it, but how come we never hear about Go before or after this? He is quite good. Ryuma Go came to wrestle in this match. In the last match, I thought Fujinami dominated. Here, Go wanted to get off to a hot start. I don't think the mat work here was as breath-taking as the previous match. This was much more gritty and deliberate, but in a good way. The first ten minutes was a stalemate. Go tried headscissors, deathlocks and armbars all targeting a different part of the body to try establish control, but nothing stuck. Fujinami was his usual wizard self, but mostly in the forms of counters. Go was doing a good job of stopping him convert defense into offense until the halfway point. Go went for a crossface and Fujinami grabbed a wicked toehold and wouldn't let go. Tempers flared. Slaps were flying and Fujinami was winning those exchanges. The crowd Ooooh and Aaaaah. Fujinami went for a Bombs Away kneedrop from the top, but MISSED! Go pounced attacking the leg and applying a figure-4. Great stretch here with Go relentless and Fujinami selling well. They tumble outside on an ab stretch. The playing field is levelled for the finish stretch. Go throws Fujinami off the top and a suplex and a neckbreaker are his nearfalls. Fujinami holds the rope on a second neckbreaker. Fujinami wins in definitive fashion...piledriver...Dragon Suplex...TKO! The piledriver/Dragon Suplex finish was awesome! I slightly prefer the first match actually because I loved the pacing and Fujinami's work and the finish was still very good. This match does present Go as a more credible challenger. I am looking forward to the last match in the series. ****1/4

Antonio Inoki vs THE MONSTER MAN - NJPW 8/2/77 After seeing this advertised as Inoki vs The Monster Man I had to watch it. Is ther anything more 1970s than Antonio Inoki doing a fixed MMA match against a black Kung Fu dude from Detroit? I like stylized Karate a lot and The Monster Man throws great kicks especially a good enziguiri and a couple good flying classic flying karate kicks. He is in boxing gloves so he can't takedown or wrestle. Inoki does his sliding leg kick Ali strategy and works a couple takedowns. Things get chippy here and there. The finish is a massive letdown. Monster Man takes a dive off a phantom strike. They tease the Ganso Bomb but it is just a sloppy Tenryu style powerbomb and then Inoki adds a leg drop for the hell of it. More surreal than entertaining. Monster Man actually would have been a great great gimmick stateside. I think they was a real missed opportunity for him and American pro wrestling.