Superstar Sleeze

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you!

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

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

Count me in as someone who loved this! I feel like Minoru Tanaka is a pretty good shoot-style wrestler having been trained at PWFG. Why do you think he would have embarrassed himself? Did you mean to say Taka? Independent Junior Heavyweight Champion Taka Michinoku vs Minoru Tanaka - BattlArts 10/30/96 I meant to watch their '99 match but I couldnt find it, but this match still rules! I thought this was a perfect hybrid of shoot and pro style wrestling. Minoru Tanaka having trained at PWFG is a great shoot-style junior who I really came to enjoy during my watching of 2000s Puroresu. He is only in his second year of wrestling but carries himself like a veteran. He never quite hit his full potential due to tumultuous landscape of early 2000s Puro. Taka Michinoku has shown himself to be able to handle himself on the mat. The first five minutes is solid grappling, energetic, good body positioning and lots of struggle. There is a stretch in the middle where they were just wrestling at a ridiculously high level. Tanaka gets the first big submission hold which is a heel hook. The match really becomes about Taka Michinoku and his reaction to this. First, it is to counterattack the leg. We see him get a dragon leg screw and then his own heel hook. At one point he dropkicks the knee and gets a figure-4, but Minoru Tanaka is relentless going after the leg. Then it becomes about Taka's selling. The way he scrambles for the ropes in the hold and holds his knee on the outside was phenomenal. I liked Taka's new strategy which was to go for Knockout blows. He knew he was in deep trouble of losing his belt. He hits an enziguiri here, a punch to the head there. First Michinoku Driver, Tanaka turns into a heel hook, which when we get the really good Taka sell and scramble in the hold. The second Michinoku Driver attempt lands. Except there are no pinfalls in BattlArts! I FORGOT! Minoru Tanaka gets up at 8. Then Tanaka says two can play at that game and just starts dumping Taka on his head. German, Dragon suplexes. MISSILE DROPKICK! TANAKA BLASTS HIM WITH A HEAD KICK! You have to see Taka Michinoku's sell of this. The perfect 9 count sell. The only problem is once you do that you undercut the next one. So when Minoru Tanaka hits a Michinoku Driver, Taka's own move and does the Ikeda wind up motion to say Ballgame. BUT Taka does not have anywhere to go. He already got up at 9 the move before and he already did his best sell. That's moment when I knew the match was going to be AWESOME, just not Top 100 of all time. No shame in that. There is definitely overkill down the stretch, but it is wicked fun and keeps your interest. Taka Michinoku finally quells the Minoru Tanaka run with a German suplex and then clamps on a sleeper/choke which Tanaka makes the ropes but it definitely drains his energy. After the rope break, he is tenacious and re-applies it, but Tanaka grabs a toehold. Taka is selling his ass off in the match. Tanaka gets a heel hook out of it. I love the desperation Taka shows in driving double axe-handles to break Tanaka's grip and lunge for the ropes. SPRINGBOARD DROPKICK! Tanaka unleashes an onslaught of Shotei, Muay Thai Knees, Taka is taking 8, 9 counts repeatedly. Can the young, red hot challenger pull this off? Muay Thai Knees, Clinch, MICHINOKU DRIVIER! Taka back to the choke! Minoru goes for the toehold, but Taka persists and Tanaka passes out. AWESOME FINISH! Really enjoyed this match and highly recommend it. I thought Taka was the standout star. Great, great selling. It felt like I was Taka Flair stave off the latest, greatest challenger to his throne. He made Tanaka look like a million bucks and a future star in a loss. Tanaka looked awesome on offense. On a bigger stage, this would be remembered as the day Taka Michinoku made Minoru Tanaka a star. Just a huge match! There is some overkill down the stretch, but it just so big and badass that I was still eating it up with a spoon. Definitely check out this hidden gem! ****1/2

Don Frye vs Kazayuki Fujita - NJPW 8/2/97 Don Frye looks like the long lost Blackjack in this match. Badass muthafucka. I have seen a couple Frye worked bouts and none of them have been all that great, but this was pretty damn fun. Fujita was a monster in 2000s New Japan here he is the lamb to the slaughter. They are building to Don Frye and Naoya Ogawa in the short run and Frye vs Inoki for Inoki's farewell match in the long run. Frye just kicks ass. He stymies Fujita's takedowns with wicked punches and gets a nice armbar takedown. On the fourth try, Fujita finally gets a takedown to a pop. The best sequence of the match was Frye holds a top wristlock even though Fujita is in the ropes. The crowd boos. Then Fujita takes him down with an STO and attacks him while he in the ropes and the crowd loves it. Frye holds a choke long in the ropes. He is throwing great punches and Fujita has no stand up game. Frye takes a cheapshot. Headlocking him and punching him in the face. He tries to rain down blows to the back of the head, but the ref pulls him off. It is academic at this point as Frye throws him around and chokes him out. He doesnt let go so the wrestler bum rush the ring and Ogawa hops the barricade. Nuclear heat! This is Inokiism at its finest. Inoki is out there. It is Pandemonium and the crowd loves it. Short, but effective match to get Frye over as a killer gaijin heel. ***1/2

Kiyoshi Tamura vs Tsuyoshi Kohsaka - RINGS 6/27/98 Well they are breaking the RINGS formula here. Usually, it is stand-up->takedown->grapple->rope break->repeat, but the first twelve minutes are all grappling with no rope breaks. Tamura decides to reset by standing. It is amazing twelve minutes. The body positioning, movement and struggle are on full display here. Kohsaka looked great, more offensive minded. He was putting his body in weird positions to be successful. He almost got Tamura twice once with a headscissors and the other a toehold. The toehold looked devastating. Kohsaka was flipping out of full mounts into Boston Crab and Cross-Armbreaker attempts so explosively. Tamura did get a triangle choke from a full mount in a way I have never seen. Like I said it was Tamura who decided to reset and if I was judging I would have given Kohsaka that 12-minute round. The fight gets really good. They do a little stand up and Tamura catches a kick. Great takedown by Tamura. Very immediate and the heel hook he has looks sunk in. Kohsaka gets figure-4 using his arms on Tamura's legs that forces Tamura to use the ropes and that is the first rope break. From 12 minutes of grappling to that explosive exchange on that mat. I like the shifting gear. Tamura as usual when he gets shown up comes out swinging in the stand up. Really good shit. Kohsaka tries to quell this fast break by going for a takedown but Tamura easily spins out and gets behind Koshaka quashing the takedown attempt. This is definitely high end RINGS so far. Tamura is controlling the stand up. Showing himself to be more aggressive, hitting harder and landing more shots. This is forcing bad takedown attempts by Kohsaka and Tamura is controlling the grappling. Interesting that three times, Tamura starts on top during the grappling, he is left scrambling for the ropes. I mentioned one time in the previous paragraph. In addition, he loses control to a heel hook and a top wristlock (transitioned into a cross-armbreaker). It seems very un-Tamura like. Each time, he comes out firing. There is one exception. In between, the second and third ropebreak he does finish a grappling session out. I thought he was going for a neck crank headscissors, but he explosively switches gears to a cross-armbreaker. Watch how Kohsaka immediately bridges. This alleviates some pressure and gives him a chance to get to his belly and make the ropes. Great Kohsaka defensive match. Defensive clinic. Down 3-1, Tamura just light his ass up. You could tell he was not going to relent with these vicious strikes until Kohsaka went down meaning it is now 3-3. Love that aggression and mean streak. Tamura gets loose again. He takes Kohsaka down into a deep, deep side choke, really cranking, but cant finish and it is Kohsaka that finds a way to apply a rear naked choke. They are too close to the ropes so it doesnt count, but still Tamura is just not finishing besides that excellent stand up exchange where he would not be denied. From here on out, they really "sell" exhaustion well (who know they might have been shoot blowed up because this is a very taxing cardio style). Tamura falls on his ass during the next stand up and Kohsaka collapsing on a kick to the shin. Tamura gets a quick rope break by going for a choke. Kohsaka has changed game plans. He is going for big bombs. Huge head rocking strikes. I thought he had Tamura down, but Tamura SWEEPS THE LEG! Tremendous leg bar! Koshaka is forced to get the ropes. Tamura is now winning 5-3 after being down 3-1, scored four unanswered points. Whats interested is that Kohsaka gets the next rope break on the attempt of a submission. Tamura almost never goes for a rope break until he is in trouble. At the 5 minute mark of this match, he would have applied his wizardry to get out now instead he is so exhausted, he is just going for the rope break. Then Kohsaka actually controls a takedown and applies a guillotine choke and Tamura just gets his toe on the ropes. This is a very vulnerable Tamura. A side we dont see too often. It is 5-5 with 3 minutes left in the time limit. Kohsaka gets a very tired takedown that Tamura kneels into. This has gone from Man vs Man to Man vs Self. Each man is battling with his own body. Trying to will a victory when there is very little will left. Kohsaka looks poised to apply a submission, but Tamura wriggles free and climbs his back. REAR NAKED CHOKE! After all the defensive wizardry of Kohsaka, for Tamura to get a counter like this is huge. He leaves his feet dangling. Kohsaka gets the ankle cross. Tamura has to release the choke, but he goes for the cross-armbreaker, but the bell rings signaling a draw and it is a dead heat in points too at 5 apiece. Terrific match. I liked the first twelve minutes, but I LOVED the last 18 minutes. Great story. I was really pulling for Kohsaka masterful defensive wrestling match turning defense into offense on numerous occasions and then becoming offensive-minded down the stretch. Tamura was great striking a balance between vulnerable and asskicker. I loved his mistakes fueled his rage. Then I loved the selling of exhaustion and how this became a struggle against their own bodies as much as it was against themselves. In the running for the best non-Volk Han RINGS match with the Kohsaka/Yamamoto draw from the year before. ****3/4

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NWA United States Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat - JCP November 1978 I am telling you the greatest match of all time happened in the Carolinas somewhere in 1978 when Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat went at it, but we just dont have it on tape. We have twenty minutes of great Flair vs Steamboat action here, but it is hard to assess how great the match is with so much missing. This coming off the heels of the red hot angle where Flair rubbed Steamboat's face in concrete. I believe as a shoot they roughed up Steamboat's face with sandpaper. It does not look like make up. That is some nasty cuts and bruising. We are JIP to Flair's trademark work in the corner sans Chop. You heard me right, I didnt see any chopping from the Nature Boy. It was odd to say the least. he has a very underrated punch and that was on display. Nice shots to the bad eye. Gotta sting. Steamboat fires back, but the ref stops him from going full bore. Flair butts him in the abdomen. Flair does a nice job working the eye with kneedrops and boot scrapes and also working the ribs. Steamboat misses an elbow and Flair works the arm too. This is a very heavy handed, varied Flair heat segment. Not as much bump 'n' run, workrate more just beat his opponent down. I like Steamboat just lunging at him with a choke. Flair fends him off. At one point, the camera becomes fixed at a certain spot and they are fighting off camera, but there is some hot chick in the front row fidgeting with her bra so an extra 1/4* for that, brutha. Kudos she was also wicked into this match. We cut to a figure-4 and then cut out of it. Flair hits a nice delayed vertical after a short burst of offense from The Dragon. Steamboat hits a big time dropkick that whips the crowd into a frenzy as Flair takes one of his big time bumps. Flair tries to quell the rally with an atomic drop, but that is blocked and Steamboat hits a back suplex. Then it is all Steamboat. He chops Flair so many times in the head that busts him open. The crowd is going crazy as is Steamboat with bloodlust working over the cut with chops and biting the cut. Steamboat looks like a man possessed with between the nasty injury on his face and Flair's blood all over his mouth. Steamboat misses his big splash and seems to hurt his knee. This seems like the prelude to the Figure-4, but the match cuts again and we miss that section. We cut to Steamboat making his final comeback lunging at Flair, overpowering the Nature Boy biting at the cut. He gets two big nearfalls off a top rope chop and a delayed vertical suplex. Big pops. It is confusing. It seems the time is either running out or has run. He is trying desperately to stop Flair from leaving by yanking down his tights as Flair is scampering on his hands and knees. This is great ribald comedy as the cop is grinning ear to ear and the fans are going nuts. Flair breaks free and absconds with his US Championship. Cant rate with all the clipping, but what we saw was less of a workrate match, which is what these two are known for, but rather a match based on hot injury angle and lots of heat by Flair to set up the comeback. The two comebacks we see from Steamboat are the best two best I have ever seen from him. They are heated and violent. The image with Flair's blood all over his mouth is gnarly. The finish is a bit confusing like I said. Definitely worth a watch as it is pretty different from the other Flair vs Steamboat matches.

Thanks to the good brother, PeachChaos! Southern Heavyweight Champion Jerry Lawler vs Bill Dundee - Memphis 8/22/77 Title vs Hair Great Dundee promo before this match about taking all of Lawler's money and buying himself a Caddie. Lawler tries to interfere in a Dundee match and gets a knuckle sandwich right over the top rope. Great bump! So I am a novice when it comes to Memphis Wrestling History. Having watched a lot of 80s footage, I came in with the natural presumption that Lawler was the face and Dundee was the heel. What I love about this is that from the first punch exchange I could tell I was wrong. Lawler tags Dundee good after a lengthy cautious feeling out process. Dundee comes right back and knocks him off his feet. Immediately, I knew I was wrong. Could you say the same thing about today's wrestling? Could you tell the characters so readily? I dont think so and I think that is a shame. Wrestling is a dance. It is important to know the roles. There is another great punch exchange that Dundee gets the better of. Lawler sells it as a HEEL so well! I go back to this talking point so often. Selling as a babyface and heel is very different and people are only being taught how to sell as babyfaces. The way Lawler sells this punch, you dont feel sympathy for him rather you want him to get punched in the face again. Dundee goes after the leg because Lawler has incurred a previous injury at the hands of Dundee. I loved this work. Both men are so cautious. It really sells the importance of this. Dundee gradually is able to make in-roads on the leg. Going for Figure-4s but Lawler keeps avoiding them. I love the time Lawler comes charging in after one attempt and just gets knocked off his feet for his trouble. Dundee works a single leg crab and a modified Figure-4 because Lawler is defensing so well. I love that because it protects the Figure-4 if Dundee could get it on you believe he would win, but Lawler is just playing defense so well. Lawler makes the ropes, powders and then slams Dundee's knee against the apron. Now it is classic heel Lawler. His manager chokes Dundee with the towel and then it becomes all about the chain. He busts Dundee open and then the footage ends, but thanks to a good brutha I have the finish now! I love when Dundee shows life, Lance exclaims "DUN-DEEEEEEE" it makes me smile. This is pretty much all Lawler with a smattering of Dundee throwing a punch here and there. Lawler is just kicking ass. Lawler overwhelms him in the corner. Lance declares that Dundee is out on his feet in the corner as Lawler pours it on. The NWA rep agrees with Lance's assessment and calls for the bell. Dundee pleads with him to restart the match otherwise he loses his hair. The NWA rep recants and calls for the bell to restart the match to a big pop! Lawler is pissed. Lawler unleashes a furious flurry of punches that needs to be seen to be believed! It was incredible. Dundee survives and lunges at Lawler. There was a blown spot where Lawler misses an elbow drop and the ref counts two, but Lawler forgets to kick out and the ref just stops the count. These two just beat on each other. Lawler misses a second rope elbow drop and Dundee covers him for three to win the title. Lawler's lanky manager, Mickey Poole, who I have never heard of also lost his hair and looked quite ridiculous bald I will say. There needs to be more hair matches in wrestling! I love that even as a heel Lawler found a way to work the majority of the match underneath. It does not drag like most heel in peril segments because Lawler is so good at selling and because you they stakes so well. You are not worried about being entertained. You are worried about the outcome. You really want to see the hero prevail. Lawler was great pouring it on in the corner causing the stoppage and then right after the stoppage was an amazing barrage of punches. I will admit I thought the finish was anti-climatic. I know it is 1977 but an elbow drop from the middle rope c'mon. Also, even if Lawler missed a bigger move, it is more impactful to have the miss and then have the hero hit a move to win. Anyways that aside, this is a great war of attrition match and I have at #3 of the four Lawler vs Dundee matches I have seen. ****1/2

Best of NWA 1983-1987 Part 2 However, what is free is of course Pro Wrestling Love! This time we discuss a match that is on the short list for the absolute Greatest Pro Wrestling Match Ever in History. It pits the World Champion Ric Flair vs teen idol Ricky Morton in a battle of what it means to be a man. There is a lot about Ric Flair the character that is cool: the jewelry, the bravado and the ladies it attracts. It reminds me a lot of Wolf of Wall Street. Leo DiCaprio's character has that same cockswagger that can be very appealing and intoxicating. What the movie does so well is it obliterates that fantasy. The fun & games are over. You are left seeing a small, insecure, and abusive man. In reality, that is who Ric Flair the character is. It is all Woos and struts, until someone threatens him and his sense of self. He lashes out. He tries to permanently disfigure Ricky Morton by rubbing his face into concrete. Why? Because Ric Flair is a small, petty, sorry excuse for what a man should be. That's a great fucking heel! Ric Flair vs Ricky Morton is the pinnacle of wrestling storytelling and its climax inside a steel cage on July 6, 1986 is perhaps the Greatest Match Ever. Also, inside you will find two of Ric Flair's classics against Barry Windham, a hidden gem against Kerry Von Erich in Hawaii and two very famous bloody brawls: Greg Valentine vs Roddy Piper in a Dog Collar match and then many other's pick for the greatest match of all time Tully Blanchard vs Magnum TA in an I Quit Steel Cage match. It is a loaded edition of Pro Wrestling Love because it is the Best of the NWA 1983-87! https://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2019/03/pro-wrestling-love-vol-39-best-of-nwa.html

Best of the NWA 1983-1987 Part One When I was 8 years old, my Dad bought me the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Almanac 1997. I literally ripped that book cover to cover. Seriously, I still have it and the book spine is held together by blue electrical tape. I have always been fascinated by history and the rich history of pro wrestling was no exception to my childhood hunger for historical knowledge. One thing, I always remember was the passage on The Last Battle of Atlanta. How EPIC does that sound! Now imagine being 8 and you come to find out there is no footage of this bloody cage match that pits Tommy "Wildfire" Rich and "Mad Dog" Buzz Sawyer. That made the match was THE Holy Grail. All the conspiracy theories surrounding how the footage of the match went missing. It was something that captured my imagination as a child. Then it happened, the tape of the match was found in 2016. It was something truly special that basically unified hardcore wrestling fans from the 80s and 90s together. The Holy Grail had been found. Now it was put up or shut up time, would it live up to the massive hype? Well dont just sit there, click and find out! Also inside so much amazing Crockett goodness, Nature Boy Ric Flair engaging in stiff, manly fights against the Hands of Stone Ronnie Garvin Let me tell you about the ROCK N ROLL! All this and much more inside, it is the Best of the National Wrestling Alliance 1983-1987, thank you Dad for indulging my love of history! https://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2019/03/pro-wrestling-love-vol-38-best-of-nwa.html

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Barry Windham - Crockett Cup '87 FINALLY Superstar Sleeze has finished his review of Ric Flair vs Barry Windham at the Crockett Cup! I like my original review as something if I was writing an article on Ric Flair, but I think it was missing the point of this match. Flair is usually seen as the overconfident champion, but up until 85-86 he was wrestling his peers: Steamboat, Dusty and Kerry. In the mid-80s, new faces cropped up. I think he became even more confident. You dont see him Woooing in the middle of top wristlock sequences with Steamboat or chopping Kerry's chest and retreating just to toy with him. Flair respects his opponents, but he does not respect Barry Windham. He wrestled Barry's dad in bloody brawls. To him, Barry is a wet behind the ears kid. The kid did take him to limit in Florida and on Worldwide, but this is Flair so he can be delusional. Flair seems more confident than ever. He is trying to get into the mind of the youngster as I said Wooing in the top wristlock and then chopping & retreating. He was getting BW's dander up. I like the spot where on the third Barry charges the corner, mounts, balls his fist up, looks for approval, but he also knows it is the wrong thing to do. Goody-two-shoes! He climbs down. Flair goes for a cheapshot...block...Windham fires off a punch! Here we go! Dropkick and a nearfall. I like it was an underhanded Flair tactic that finally set off the ultimate good guy, Barry Windham. Flair then tries to use motion to discombobulate Windham, but Windham does not fall for it. He falls into a side headlock and then almost gets a drop toehold as Flair powders. Flair is still pretty calm on the outside. Back in Windham makes a rookie mistake of charging and Flair hotshots him. Here we go! Textbook Flair, heavy chops, pitch him to the outside, do plenty of damage out there with the steel and his heavy hands. They time Windham hope spots well. I like how Windham gets a fast break with those big punches in the corner he promised earlier and now delivers. Then when he goes for the dropkick it misses and Flair wastes no time for the figure-4. Normally, Flair would wait, but now he is freaked out. He thought he had the big youngster where he wanted him, but when Windham showed him he would not fold, he freaked out and went for his big weapon. Flair gets caught using the ropes and I love that immediately went back to Windham hope spot. Surviving Flair's biggest shot should be followed up by another win and this comes in the form of an explosive lariat from the corner, however due to the figure-4 he cant capitalize. There is a small cut here to the floor where Flair is going for the piledriver on the floor, but does not get it. Back in the ring, they do a barrage of nearfalls for Windham and Flair's reaction is to powder and take a hike. Again, I love Flair's fight or flight instincts. First time he is in trouble it is figure-4; second time it is just to leave. Windham gives chase but Flair comes back under his own volition. Flair's strategy upon re-entering the ring is to try to engage Windham in a fist fight and this goes poorly for him, but it is great for the fans as it is very exciting. I like him doing a backwards Flair Flop off the final Windham punch as that gets a two count. Windham gets some rapid fire punches and I love that this leads to a floatover suplex for two. Very scintillating nearfall! The match loses some luster here. Flair is just adamant about not having a heat segment even though there are three massive opening. Windham misses an elbow drop off the top rope, Flair backdrops him on the concrete and the most egregious Flair hits him in the balls. All three spots, Windham is able to counter Flair's next move easily and win control back. Very disappointing because those were great transitions and it hurts the match that Windham is put in a position especially no-sell a ballshot. Now a fourth time, Windham eats knees on a splash after an extended sleeper by Windham on Flair. Flair goes to the top rope and Windham pops up and hits a press slam. Why is this happening? I appreciate making a babyface earn his offense, but it does not feel like Windham is fighting through something rather the preceding moves dont have consequence. Now Windham is applying the figure-4 usually that is at least set up by Flair missing a kneedrop. Flair rakes the eyes so of course Windham hits the next move which is a powerslam for two. Windham has a ton of bombs such as the missile dropkick and the lariat both times Flair gets his foot on the bottom rope. You would think Windham would hook the leg. The first one Tommy Young actually counts three to a pop but realizes his mistake which is a good spot and he sells it well. Windham goes for an O'Connor Roll and Flair reverses for the win with the tights. Flair just does not do championship matches under 45 minutes well. He is fine in a short sprint brawl, but he tries to pack way too much in at the detriment of his own offense. He wanted Windham to shine so badly he forgot to create obstacles for Windham to overcome. The first 15 minutes is EXCELLENT! It had a cool vibe of cocky, veteran champion vs. young, inexperienced challenger. Then it became Windham blows off selling to hit his next bomb for 15 minutes. This was quite disappointing, it is still fun, but I was expecting it to be on the level of the other Flair vs Windham matches. To me something like Flair vs Sting from Clash I crushes this and that has a bum rap now. This is overrated at the all time level more like ****.

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Kerry Von Erich - Hawaii 2/13/85 Flair vs Kerry is probably my favorite US feud of all time. I have never seen these two have a bad match. This match does have a bit of rep and at the same time is overlooked because it happens in Hawaii as opposed to one of the major territories of the time. The contenders in my opinion for the greatest Flair vs Kerry match is the WCCW August 1982 match and the Watt Mid-South match from April of 1985. I have seen this before as it has been on Youtube for a long time. It is currently in five parts please let me know if there is a more complete version out there but I suspect because this is filmed for TV there will just be chunks that we will never have. Pretty routine Flair vs Kerry opening. I have to say I really liked how Flair incorporated amateur wrestling into his matches in 1985. You see the same work with Terry Taylor in 1985. Kerry is able to escape when Flair tries to ride with him, but when Kerry takes Flair down Flair cant escape and is forced to get the ropes. Then he gets pissed and loses a shoving war. It is little stuff like that that make Flair so good. He is so petty that he gets upset after being shown up one time. Kerry looks like a million bucks with his fists cocked and ready to go. From there we get some top wristlock tests of strength that Kerry wins. Kerry works an armbar and a double wristlock as Flair hollers and tries to maneuver out, but to no avail. Kerry moves into the side headlock. They cut a tremendous pace for a sixty minute Broadway. Flair tries crowding in the corner. He seems to make some in roads with his heavy hands. Anyone who has watch a lot of vintage Flair knows he likes to hurl his opponent to the outside. This has the double effect of making his opponent take a nasty fall to the concrete and give himself some time to recuperate. Here we see Kerry land on his feet and immediately jump back in the ring. Flair tries to take the offense right to Kerry but in all the commotion ends up in a beautiful Military Press Slam and now it is Flair with powder. I love that symmetry. There is some really good stand up exchanges here and Kerry does get an early nearfall off a discus punch. Kerry works a front chancery and it is very entertaining with Flair struggling hard against it and them both doing interesting work. We get to around the halfway mark according to the announcers (who are probably an unreliable source) when Kerry misses a dropkick and maybe pulls a muscle in his abdomen. Flair goes to work punting the challenger. Kerry is on point here with his selling really good. If you love crazed Flair, this is good stuff. After getting his ass kicked, he has snapped and is just straight choking Kerry by throttling his throat. Flair begins a King of Mountain sequence. This is a heavy Flair heat segment. Just big, thunderous shots. The apron work is really good. The ref breaks it up and this affords Kerry the opportunity to shouldertackle and go for the Sunset Flip, good hope spot. Kerry lands some punches, but Flair fights through it. Flair is desperate and goes off the ropes and Kerry applies the IRON CLAW to the stomach. Flair should not have given his man that much space. An assuredly fatal mistake if he had not raked the eyes. Kerry sells this so well. This is why wrestling in the 1980s is so good because the eye rake feels like such a big deal. He uses it to escape certain defeat and Kerry sells by writhing in pain. Flair goes to the sleeper, but cant finish his man off. Of course, Kerry applies his own sleeper. Flair sells the sleeper so well fading right next to the ropes with his fingertips grazing the ropes. Kerry goes for the big Kevin-esque splash but eats knees. Flair hits a nice short knee as a follow up to the midsection, but Kerry re-applies the sleeper. This time Flair hits a back suplex and both men are out. Flair misses his Flair Flip in the corner and comes crashing back to the mat. That was gnarly. The second time Kerry whips him he clear the top turnbuckle but tumbles to the floor also gnarly. Flair staggered re-enters the ring and Kerry applies the IRON CLAW~! TO THE HEAD! Wait! He does not have it fully applied. Flair short knee and chops Kerry down. Flair goes for his patented kneedrop but Kerry moves and Flair hurts his knee on the move. FIGURE-4! I love the announcer marking out saying he has never seen this before. Either he is a great liar or he is never watched a Flair match before. Kerry is relentless getting the hold twice, but on the second time Flair rakes the eyes. This time Flair is too hurt to press his advantage. IRON CLAW TO THE KNEE!!! Ok, I am marking out for that too, Dunbar! Kerry drags Flair to the post and wraps his knee around the post. This is excellent! Kerry is working the leg, but misses an elbow drop to the knee. Then he misses a kneedrop to the head. Kerry sells this like death. The next two minutes is incredible. They do a great job selling their respective knee injuries as Flair starts to mount his comeback while hobbling. I like how Flair just moves a step back and lets Kerry miss a dropkick before nailing a PILEDRIVER for two! Back from the commercial, they stop selling the knee injuries, which bums me out, but they are still selling attrition and exhaustion. Kerry gets a series of nearfalls as hope spots as Flair is working on him heavy. Kerry gets Flair up for a big suplex, but only gets two. Here comes the Grand Finale, Flair ballshot, Flair press slam off the top, big bump over the top rope by Flair off a standing dropkick, Flair Flip -> IRON CLAW which popped me huge! The last two minutes of the clock is spent wondering if Flair can last in the Claw and of course he can, but boy oh boy did Kerry come oh so close to recapturing the NWA Championship. Definitely up there with the two other classic Flair/Kerry matches I mentioned. Some really great selling by both men, top notch all the way around. Very exciting, breezy ~40 minutes that we see. The majority of the match was Kerry and you dont think of Kerry as someone with a lot of offense to fill this amount of time, but he does a great job mixing in some big nearfalls and the Claw teases. Flair is a master of just making these long matches thrilling and really putting over his opponent. I think missing as much of the match as we do I cant give it the full five and I think I would put the World Class match over it, but this has some really thrilling moments and it is highly recommended. ****3/4

Thanks, brutha! Well lets keep the party going! With the Top Six Matches of the Bob Backlund Era! Again, dedicated to the Titans of Wrestling: Parv, Pete, Kelly and Johnny! I met Bob Backlund at Survivor Series 2013 (November). My brother came back from getting concessions and told me he was just in the concourse. I had just started watching classic Backlund matches earlier in the year. I was pretty excited but also had no clue what to say to him. It was a total trainwreck of a conversation. He was hollering at me how he wanted to make a comeback and that the McMahons were stopping him. I was trying to ask him about how it was working Greg Valentine and Ken Patera. It was a total oil & water conversation. I got to say thank you and I got to shake his hand. His grip was just as crazy strong as you would believe. In the picture in the blog, that is Bob Backlund deadlifting Hulk Fucking Hogan from a crazy, awkward position. Backlund was just one of those freaky strong people. This is the top six WWF matches of the era and it features Bob Backlund against the biggest names of the era: Hulk Hogan, Sgt Slaughter and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, but there is one match that does not feature Bob Backlund that makes the list...click the link and find out what it is! https://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2019/03/pro-wrestling-love-vol-37-best-of-wwf.html

Pro Wrestling Vol. 36: Best of Bob Backlund Era WWF 1978-1983 Dedicated to the Titans of Wrestling, Kelly, Pete, Parv and Johnny! So I wanted to write here a little about linking Roller Derby's popularity in the 1970s-80s to this article on pro wrestling from 1978-83, but holy shit is the history of Roller Derby confusing as all get out. I think the only thing more confusing is the game itself! If you have a chance to go see a Roller Derby match live. DO IT! I did this past Saturday and it was awesome! It is raucous mayhem! Very physical and energetic. You wont know what the hell is going on, but you will love it. The peak of Roller Derby's popularity aligned with the Bob Backlund era of the WWF. Overshadowed by his incredibly famous predecessor (Bruno Sammartino) and his even more famous successor (Hulk Hogan), Bob Backlund's reign as champion is usually forgotten and overlooked. This is a crying shame because Bob was an incredible champion and very versatile in the ring. He was able to have classic championship style matches, bloody brawls, energetic workrate style matches and stiff standup fights. Backlund was a renowned amateur wrestler and just plain freaky strong. I think he has one of the more innovative takes on pro wrestling. He was the babyface hero that truly believed "Anything you can do I can do better". This made for very different matches and he would tailor his matches to his opponent. Eleven out of the top twelve matches are Bob Backlund matches and this first set features matches against Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, Sgt. Slaughter, Olympic Strongman Ken Patera, Adrian Adonis and Ivan Koloff all inside Pro Wrestling Love vol. 36! https://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2019/03/pro-wrestling-love-vol-36-best-of-wwf.html

I called Scott Keith out on a Twitter for clickbait headline that read "Meltzer is accusing Roman of faking cancer" and if you click the link, he says that is not true and Meltzer has been defending the legitimacy of Roman's illness. This pissed me off even more! Because so many people would just read the headline and think Meltzer actually believe it is a work. Keith himself says Meltzer is not doing that. I have felt indebted to Keith because he was the free PPV reviewer when I was a kid. If it was not for him, I would never have gotten into the rich history of pro wrestling, but after this incident fuck that guy. To me Meltzer on Twitter has been unequivocally clear that Roman's cancer was legitimate and he as been fighting trolls that think it is a work. I dont listen to his audio, but it seems like he does himself no favors, but to me it is very obvious he believes in Roman. As for the disconnect with current critics of pro wrestling, normally I take a "WWE is very mediocre" approach and that extremists on both sides blow it out of proportion. I thought last night was a good-to-great in-ring night, but from story perspective was a total bomb and can believe I saw so many positive tweets from a booking perspective. Shane/Miz has been booked really well and besides Miz's Dad being a total dud and severely undercutting the gravitas of the story with his no selling and they booked it to a logical next step. Besides Shane/Miz, there was nothing. The Handicap match was stupid and pointless. They cut off Owens' and Ali's balls. It was great to see The Big Dog back, but Ambrose should have turned heel. RAW women's main event has become an insane Heyman ECW 2000 angle. People bitch about Russo, but watch Heyman in 1999-2000 in ECW, it is just as bad. Tons of shitty worked shoot promos, Cyrus using insider language. This has Heyman's finger prints all over it. Point is Meltzer has every right to call this WCW 2000 trash because it is flirting with it.

I just rewatched this and I think that this match does so well is be so competitive without being "my turn, your turn" everything is earned. It is two combatants just throwing everything they have at each other. There is no waiting for the other to make a comeback you gotta go take it. It also never feels like a blowout. Steamboat takes an early lead but Flair is a master of breaking momentum. I like gradualism of the heat segment with Steamboat slowly losing that fire as the match wears on only to finally break through. If there is one flaw in the match it is the transition to Steamboat's comeback. To me this is the pinnacle of 80s workrate. I think there are better examples of Flairism as a style as this tones down a lot of the Flairism tropes in favor of being a workrate spectacle. We talk 5, 10 minute sprints, these two had a 20+ minute sprint. Insane!