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The Russian Daydream

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  1. The Russian Daydream
    This was so stiff. I've seen a lot of vicious and painful stuff in wrestling but I genuinely cringed at some of the shots being thrown in this one. Kawada's kicks to Misawa's face were particularly harsh. Now, this was a good match, and I did enjoy it. Maybe it was my expectations or maybe because I watched it back-to-back with Kobashi vs Taue from the same show (which I enjoyed enormously), but I felt this one was very good but not great. I think, after eeading the comments here I'll need to give it some time and revisit this one, because I seem unusually low on it. God they hit each other so hard though.
  2. The Russian Daydream
    I enjoyed this match so much. The Carnival match from March was probably the better match as a complete package but there were sequences in this match that were utterly tremendous. I loved the early going where Kobashi was going at Taue at a hundred miles an hour like an over-excited puppy, only for Taue to just keep stopping him in his tracks. The best example of this was where Taue whipped Kobashi into the railings and Kobashi no-sells it and comes racing out all full of fire with a clothesline but Taue blocks it and slams him with a chokeslam. These moments early on really emphasised their contrasting philosophies. The four minute sleeper worked for me brilliantly too. It reminded me a bit of the long claw sequence in the Barry Windham vs Dusty Rhodes match at Bash 88. There was no hint of this being a rest hold of any sort. It's amazing how action packed a sequence with two guys just working one hold for so long can be. I also really liked the teasing of the chokeslam off the apron and Kobashi's efforts to avoid it, which drew on the previous match where the chokeslam off the apron was a defining moment. Another defining spot in the Carnival match was Taue power bombing Kobashi on the floor. In this one it was Kobashi that hit Taue with this, which was a cool reversal of fortunes. Then Kobashi once again tries to do it on the exposed floor and Taue once again stops the Kobashi excess and backdrops him out of it. Really, I had a blast watching this. When I started watching All Japan, I had the perception of Taue as a distant fourth, but to my surprise I'm quickly coming round on him. He's been awesome, especially through 95.
  3. The Russian Daydream
    I think there's a lot of truth in Parv's article. The point about wins mattering is a point that is absolutely valid. Not only does Reigns not win enough big matches, but I'd say that everyone with the exception of Undertaker and Lesnar lose too much. I'm my opinion, the main reason for this is that guys used to be more careful about protecting their spots and sidestepping doing jobs. If they didn't win, they were also more careful about getting their heat back. The culture of not being selfish and being a company guy may be easier to manage but it does discourage that blow-away stand out guy from standing up for themselves. I wonder if Reigns had been less of a loyal company man and objected to how he was presented, vince might have had more respect for him and allowed him to come across stronger on TV.
  4. The Russian Daydream
    I enjoyed this a lot. I was losing interest in the early going and almost gave up on it, but I'm glad I stuck with it. The second fall really was excellent, with Barry's oh so graceful bump over the ropes and then the very well done work on the back, finishing up with the spinebuster. I understand why it went to a non-finish but it really disappointed me. If it had been a ten minute effort then that would be one thing but I'd invested half-an-hour in watching this and it felt very flat to end the way it did. I also agree with BigBadMack that they seemed to do these long Saturday Night matches for the sake of it during this period. Honestly I liked it, but if they'd done a better finish or at least did a time-limit draw, or else shortened it by 10 minutes it would have been really, really good. As it ended up though,I just can't follow JvonK in rating it as an all-time great match.
  5. The Russian Daydream
    I finally got round to watching this match. I've been working through the All Japan Excite podcast series but I'm hopelessly behind, (even more so than Parv and Steven themselves) however, I was particularly excited about this one after I heard Chad talking about it as his 'Christmas Day match'. I was not disappointed in the slightest. There is so much to love about this match. The continued attacks on Kobashi's leg and Misawa's cheek and the resultant selling, the continuation of the story of Taue's rise and the apron choleslam, Kawadas ongoing obsession with scoring a win over Misawa and the little things that played off previous matches. I really like feeling rewarded for watching the full story rather than a match in isolation. The match is paced perfectly too. It's three-quarters-of-an-hour and there is no time from start to finish where you can look away without missing something important. There were tons of great spots in this match too. It goes without saying that the chokeslam on the leg is an all time genius spot, and the way Misawa has to set up the moonsault is very clever. The suplexes and slams were brutal as always too. One I've not heard mentioned though, that sticks in my mind though is the move Taue did earlier on to Misawa where he lifts him as if going for an atomic drop then just throws Misawa upwards as high as he can, letting him fall flat on his back from the rafters. This really is an awesome, awesome match that lives up to its incredible reputation as the greatest tag-team match ever.
  6. The Russian Daydream
    It's a really good match, though to me it's a shade shy of the top marks that JerryvonKramer gives it. They start off all guns blazing with tons of hatred and the second half of the match is awesome with the feeling of a real war. I just felt that they lost their way a little bit in the second five minutes, where muta is stalling wandering around looking under the ring and Hase just waits in the ring taunting him. Where's the hatred gone? When the match gets back on track though, it's awesome. Muta and Hase are both on great form. Muta is. really crisp in his execution and character-wise at his sinister ninja best. Hase on the other hand puts in a really superb brawling performance, and the visual of him stood there with Mutas blood smeared literally all over him is one that always sticks with me. It's a brilliant match, just not quite 5* for me on account of that iffy bit from around 5-10 minutes.
  7. The Russian Daydream
    Fun show again guys. Rick Rude's impressed expression after checking Madusa's backside out is the moment that made this event for me. I always get a bit of a kick when Rude lets the serious hard-man act slip for a second and let's us get a glimpse of a sense of humour.
  8. The Russian Daydream
    I think Sabu deserves a huge amount of credit. He is a fantastic and really interesting character, which I think is probably reflected in real life to some extent. His style really is unique too. Many have tried to copy or borrow elements of it but, as said above, Sabu has this aura about him that just cannot be replicated. He also needs recognition for still being able to go out now aged 50ish and have a good shot at doing what he always has, when smart money would have bet on him being crippled two decades ago. He's a true innovator and a brilliant character who's had scores of matches which were tremendously fun to watch if not 'good'. Is he top 100? Part of me says yes, but another part says don't be silly.
  9. The Russian Daydream
    Enjoyable match I thought and a real shame there was almost no heat throughout. The crowd were pretty poor throughout the show actually. I guess in WCW's struggle to draw at the time, they gave away a bunch of free tickets to people who weren't really that into wrestling. There were some excellent exchanges in this from all four and, although he was by far the fourth guy, Shane Douglas still looked like he belonged there. That bump on the rope was really something. His belly-to-belly suplex never really cut it as a finisher though. The turn did come off a little confused in the ring but the post match angle really put it across brilliantly. Steamboat was awesome here for not giving the surprise away by flinching before Windham walloped him with the chair.
  10. The Russian Daydream
    There was a lot of good in this match. The offence was solid and the selling was well done. Unfortunately, there was too much bad that its lasting impression is less than favourable. They telegraphed the finish badly so there was never any expectation that there was actually going to be a finish, which took away a lot. It also dragged a fair bit in the middle.
  11. The Russian Daydream
    When I watched this, I had it in my head that Taue won this, so as the match wore on, I started doubting myself and then going into the finishing stretch I really wasn't sure who was winning to the point the kickouts really felt exciting. This was a tremendous match. I guess this is technically the better, cleverer match, withTaues work targeting the face and what-not but part of me found the Kobashi vs Taue match from a few weeks earlier more fun. I think it really does depend on the day you catch me whether I prefer the fun match or the clever match. Either way, watching these matches from Carnival 95 have really changed how I view Akira Taue.
  12. The Russian Daydream
    I really enjoyed this match. For me, it's the first time Taue really looks like he's on the level of the other three pillars in terms of having these incredible singles matches. It wasn't the perfect match, for reasons mentioned above. I was also disappointed that after Taue's really nice looking drop kick to Kobashi's knee followed by a leglock that Kobashi sold like sheer agony, the whole knee attack seemed to be forgotten. One thing that has to be complimented here is how this match was filmed. The director and camera guys were spot on in accentuating the wrestlers work. I love how the choke slam off the apron was filmed from low down and behind which made the height Kobashi fell that bit more dangerous. The power bomb on the floor also looked awesome from that angle where you couldn't see Kobashi's landing and he just seemed to disappear into an abyss behind the fans. It's something that doesn't get talked about enough but something that can really add to a match.
  13. The Russian Daydream
    Rude and Chono really are tremendous in this match. It really is such a shame that they'd both go down with neck injuries over the next few months that meant that neither would go on to have another match like this. I think overall, the Rude vs Steamboat Ironman match is better than this but there's still very little to mark down. One thing that bothered me just ever so slightly was just after the figure-four reversal spot, Rude is selling his leg pretty well but Chono is up and kicking at him like he was totally unaffected even though he'd been in the reversed figure-four for longer than Rude was in the standard hold I think. I also thought Rude kept the chi lock on just that little too long again, which is a common complaint in so many Rick Rude matches. I'm really being picky though - I loved this match.
  14. The Russian Daydream
    Ok, maybe it was the stupidity that made it make no sense to me. In my mind, a championship match had to be sanctioned by Jack Tunny and required contract signings and all sorts. This had none of it so, to me, it couldn't count. WCW get a lot of stick for the nonsense they came out with at times but this really is on that level.
  15. The Russian Daydream
    Ive always been one that looked for logical explanations in my wrestling, and in this instance, the ten-year-old me couldn't find any. The match hadn't been scheduled or sanctioned, how can a title change hands like that? It made no sense at all, to the extent the belt would need to be declared vacant and determined later. About a week after Wrestlemania, I was to be giving a 'public speaking' talk to my primary school class about wrestling. When it came to explaining that there were two main companies each with their own champion, I had a bit of an argument across the room with another boy who adamant that Hogan was WWF champ while I maintained that the title holder was unknown and the belt surely was held up. To this day this title switch irritates me.
  16. The Russian Daydream
    I really enjoyed this match. On one hand I felt it went too long and that going to time limit hurt it over all. On the their hand though, it felt a quick half-hour and my mind never wandered in the way it did in the Steiners vs Doc & Gordy from Beach Blast. It was all really snug action, worked at a good enough pace that it never felt like they were stalling to fill a long draw. Austin and Rhodes were the two stand-out guys here too which was unexpected. I guess Austin saw this as an opportunity to show off what he'd become and catch a break, which in turn perhaps motivated Williams to up his pace a bit. I think it was one of those times that the last minute sub actually led to a better match because I don't think Terry Gordy would have been as exciting as Steve Austin was here.
  17. The Russian Daydream
    That really is a tremendous match. As a companion, you should probably watch the earlier match with the two of them from 9/14/90. It's like the reversal of this one with Hase doing the massive blade job after Muta goes after him with the foreign object. It's somewhat inferior to the 92 match but it's still pretty good and kind of explains where Hase's aggression comes from in the later match.
  18. The Russian Daydream
    I came to the forum looking to see what people thought about the British Bulldogs vs Hart Foundation match from the same card, but instead found this review. I tracked the match down on Daily Motion and I have to agree, it was tremendous fun! Funk particularly was awesome here, both on offence and in his selling. Terry had a way of doing the most ridiculously exaggerated sells but somehow not make them look ridiculous. Also, Lanny played his part well here and his 80s perm and moustache combination must earn this match at least another quarter-star. Having watched it back-to-back with the Foundation vs Bulldogs match, I definitely found watching this match much more enjoyable, which is what it's all about at the end of the day.
  19. The Russian Daydream
    I got finished listening to this on my commute home tonight and really enjoyed the show. Thanks both of you! Like Parv, I had this on Turner video back in the early 90s and even as a ten or eleven-year-old, I was totally blown away by the Rude vs Steamboat match. I couldn't believe years later when I read Meltzer's Observer review and saw his star rating. I know it's all a subjective thing but I just could not see what about that match is not absolutely brilliant. Its definitely worth the big 5-stars in my mind. My only complaint is I've always felt that the non-title stip sort of gave away that Steamboat was winning. It really doesn't take away from the match though, and I still get that excited feeling watching that frantic final minute, even after seeing the match a whole load of times. I'd also like to say that Parv is right, that Greg Valentine vs Marcus Bagwell match really is good. At the time Valentine usually looked like he didn't want to be there, but I thought there were real flashes of why he was highly regarded in this effort. i've actually forgotten this was on the Beach Blast show until it started last time I watched it and was really surprised how much I enjoyed it. And Chad, I laughed out loud when you said Missy should have been instantly been DQ'd for wearing the bikini in the swimsuit round. It doesn't sound funny now I've typed it but the way you said it was very funny.
  20. The Russian Daydream
    This was a far easier watch than the Kobashi vs Kawada draw from the previous week. I'm usually not a big fan of really long matches, but It had a far more organic feel, where it felt like the match should have gone the hour, and didn't seem nearly as much like they were trying to reign the flow. Even though I knew it was a draw before watching it, I felt myself hold my breath at the moonsault near-fall close to the end, which I loved. Another moment I really liked was after Kobashi had been really beaten down, the way Misawa cleared house, pulled Kobashi towards the corner and waited for him to make the tag, but then Taue comes in so Misawa has to hop in, knock Taue out again and get back to the corner for Kobashi to finally muster the strength to make the tag. It's not anything like the best match I've seen from these guys, but I really think it may be the best hour-draw I've watched.
  21. The Russian Daydream
    I agree with JerryvonKramer here. All three are awesome matches, and judged purely on the basis of the work in the ring, it's quite hard to separate them. There's something about Magnum vs Tully though that goes beyond wrestling. There's such a tenseness there that you can feel while watching it, and it's that 'feeling' that puts it above the other two.
  22. The Russian Daydream
    I thought this was really disappointing. I guess it is difficult because I knew of this match before I watched it, so I knew it was going the hour. I just couldn't forget that while watching it so I never got wrapped up in the near falls like I usually do in these AJPW matches. There was a lot of great wrestling in here, it just felt to me like the match really wanted to be something different and every time it started to get going and become something awesome, they kept having to reign it in. I'd liken it to them taking a champion stallion racehorse on a long track over the mountains, so every time the racehorse started to gallop, they had to slow it back down and have it act like slow donkey.
  23. The Russian Daydream
    This really was the best I think I ever saw Steve Williams look. He was such a beast here. The ease he lifted Misawa for the Dr bomb was amazing. Everything he did looked so solid and I just loved that dropkick in the corner early on. But it wasn't just that. It was his timing and his body language as well. I really enjoyed Misawa here too though. He sold brilliantly throughout and really put Williams victory over as one which was worthy and deserved. The counter of the backdrop-driver by kicking off the ropes was already mentioned, but I also really liked when Misawa blocked the press-slam-into-snake-eyes move that Williams had used in the tag match the previous week. It's always good to see that sort of thing.
  24. The Russian Daydream
    I enjoyed this a fair bit. I really liked Ace in this. it was made clear that he was William's apprentice, setting up moves, like the top rope powerslam or assisting with the stampede but at the same time, was given enough to shine on his own merits. I particularly liked the double team where Williams did the press slam into the snakeyes, and Misawa rebounded straight into Ace's back suplex. The best moment of the match was Williams' save after the Kobashi moonsault. The crowd were so hot here and the timing was perfect - it looked like pure desperation. As much as I really liked this though, I just thought something wasn't quite right at the end. The crowd were popping for the kickouts but there wasn't any sustained heat leading to the finish, which meant it didn't really 'peak' like the really good All Hapan matches do and was a bit flat for me at the finish.
  25. The Russian Daydream
    I'm pretty much with you here. We used to get Lucha on Galavision via the old analogue satellite TV in the 90s and I'll admit to watching most weeks, but it was very rare I actually enjoyed a particular match. The appeal at the time was really just the dives. I've tried getting into it several times since and find myself being less and less interested by Lucha each time, which is a shame because I really do want to like it.
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