G. Badger

WWE vault YouTube page has added Awesome vs Tanaka from Heatwave '98. I've linked it below:

Great minds think alike 😁 I definitely want to check out his '93 WCW. There looks like some more really good stuff.

Hello! Back with more Mid South wrestling! This time we're looking at Butch Reed & the Midnight Express. Hope you find something you want to watch! Hacksaw Duggan & Magnum T.A. vs. Hacksaw Butch Reed & Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart (10/13/83) - Very good TV episode title match with a clean finish. It was all action and Reed & Anvil were looking like a team ahead of their time with their athleticism. Again, really good stuff! Jim Neidhart & Butch Reed vs Magnum TA & Mr Wrestling 2 (12/02/83) - Good match and I like both teams. This was a little slow but I'm still happy with the match. There's a lot of sleeper hold work but I'll take that over Figure Four work. The sleeper work makes sense when the guys can't make the tag and it was that type of match. Nothing fancy or special but a good bout. It's a lead in match to Mr. Wrestling II & Magnum T.A. vs. Butch Reed & Jim Neidhart (Cage Match) (12/25/83) but I wasn't able to find it. That one has gotten a lot of praise. If you're able to find it, watch it. Butch Reed vs Jim Neidhart (01/27/84)- Oh yeah this is great stuff especially with the post match. Former partners collide and Neidhart is a bloody mess but the man is a living tank. Even Butch can't contain the big man. Butch Reed vs. Jim Neidhart (02/10/84) - Upgraded "No Disqualification" version of the previous match. Hard hitting, bloody, awesome wrestling. I really like their chemistry. Hacksaw Butch Reed vs. Jim Neidhart (02/24/84) - First off, the ring doesn't look stable...it's like they didn't tighten something on the frame. When Neidhart goes up to get the football helmet (off the pole) the the ring looks like a rhombus for a second! Ohhh I get it...there's one spot that I think they loosened the ring for..I think. It's cheesy but its 1984 and it works and this is another great match! A great trio of bloody matches with this gimmick match being the culmination. And the stuff afterwards is quality as well. It's a wonder why the WWE didn't include one of the Butch vs Neidhart matches on their set. But I guess they figured neither were big enough names to sell DVDs but I thought each match would have been perfect for a comp like this - short in length, intense and actually resembles more contemporary wrestling with moves and spots people would recognize...thus more accessible. I don't think you need any background to include the football helmet on a pole bout. It's under 10 minutes and is full of great action and tells a simple story. All of these are recommended viewing. Butch Reed is a must see wrestler for me going forward. MIDNIGHT EXPRESS Midnight Express vs. Rock n Roll Express (05/11/84) - This one is Houston but I'm watching it since the WWE DVD only has gimmick matches between the two teams. This was good stuff and in a way a comedy match that the fans are freaking out over There's some good wrestling but most of this is shenanigans from the Midnights. Just premium chicken shit, ref distracting, double teaming, cheating heel work. But there's so much of it with the ref running around as much as the wrestlers that it's hard to take it seriously. Again, it's a bit of comedy wrestling. That said these guys worked the crowd like the all time greats that they are. Absolute rapid fire yet organic pro wrestling... *The Rock N’ Roll Express vs. The Midnight Express (05/23/84) - This is a really good match. I felt like both teams were gelling and the no DQ rule makes it legal to go off the top rope and over the top etc. Cheap finish but there's more to be had with these teams. WWE actually included the post match interview and another segment setting up the match below so we actually have some context. *The Rock N’ Roll Express vs. The Midnight Express (Jim Cornette in a Straight Jacket & in a cherry picker - October 1984) - This was a good match but for whatever reason it didn't hit me. In some ways, taking Cornette out of the equation diminished the quality. It was neat from a gimmick perspective that Cornette was physically out of contact but, they didn't bother to change the body of the match up. The Midnights dominated Ricky, and Robert come in with the hot tag and the finish was soon behind. I think that if things had been more even then it would have made the Midnights more in peril and made the ending (which was pretty awesome) be even more impactful. What do I know though? Midnight Express vs The Fantastics (1984?): This is Houston as is the next. However the below match is included in the DVDVR best of Mid South '80's list so this one is fair game in my opinion. It's a straight match so I'll compare it to the first match with the Rock'n'roll Express. I think that I liked the layout of this one a little better. I liked Fulton's work with Cornette after the opening shine segment. Then they move to Tommy Rogers getting beat down. It didn't seem to go on as long and I think that really kept the match moving along and then they went to the finish. The finish was kinda weak but dammit it worked on the crowd! Fun match The Fantastics & Hacksaw Duggan vs. Midnight Express & Jim Cornette (07/20/1984): If you ever wonder about how physically big you had to be a wrestler (or in Mid South) compare the size of the Fantastics who are 5'10 & 5'9" and jacked to the other guys in this match. I think I like the Fantastics vs the Midnight Express better...at least in '84. This was a great match and the stuff with Cornette is entertaining...until the cheap 80's finish. It felt very 80's in the sense that it felt nonsensical and it didn't contribute to anything and ended it on a sour note. I liked the Midnight Express stuff but I wasn't blown away. Perhaps I'm used to their stuff in JCP/NWA/WCW and with Stan Lane instead of Dennis Condrey. Or it's just that 1984 is pretty much the very beginning of their work. Same with the Rock'n'Rolls. I think part of it is that I'm just too removed from it to appreciate the style. I think that they turned tag wrestling in the US on its head. The couple matches on the DVD were a selling point and for me, they didn't live up to my expectations. Here I actually appreciate the work Cornette does as a manager more than what Eaton or Condrey are doing... which is a testament to Jim Cornette as a talent. I think the TV segments are all fantastic. All that said, these were some fun matches and definitely a good mix of action & angles. Too many of the finishes were "80's finishes" and not many (any?) were terribly satisfying if you're rooting for the baby face team. Again, I think their later work in the Mid Atlantic region & NWA/WCW was more my preference. All in all, this is a fantastic project. Every year I try to look at the 80's. I had no idea awhile ago that I would get into this as much as I have. It was just another DVD that I wanted to watch and move on from. If you're a fan of 80's & 90's puro then I think that this project will interest you as well as it has me. There are a lot of guys you may recognize from NJPW & AJPW and this sounded like an interesting project to expand upon. Additionally the stuff so far on the WWE is not a very good representation. It captures some of it but there's much better stuff they could have included. In fact, I would have suggested have quantity over quality. The significant matches included require too much backstory or just don't have good work in some cases. Another detail that took me a few matches to realize, WWE have dubbed in Jim Ross doing commentary. This is modern day (as of the DVD release) Jim Ross as he is more gravel throated than his younger days in Mid South. I don't like them trying to trick the viewers. Be upfront about the commentary or give the option to turn it off or use the old commentary. It's shit like this that keeps me away from them as a fan...it's duplicitous... and that's the tip of the shitberg. I'm working on watch Mid South 1985 pretty in depth and those should be my next Mid South posts. In the meantime, I'm going to get back to some Japanese wrestling 🙂 But there should be more Mid South shortly if you've been interested! Thanks for reading folks!

I wanted to share some of my reviews/thoughts on Regal in '94 which was amazing. This topic is an oldie but a goodie. Steven Regal (w/Sir William) (c) vs. Dustin Rhodes - Clash of Champions XXVI (26) (01/27) - I checked one of my alternate online sources and found the PPVs for 1994. There's some good stuff on there like this match. I'm going to put it here even though it took place January '94. Anyhow, this is a very good match where you can truly appreciate Regal as a complete worker. He's got his stretches & joint locks, his strikes but also his underhanded tactics, his chicken shitting & smarmy character work. He and Dustin work great pitting the working class man vs the posh lord. These two really gelled and since they are about the same build seem like natural adversaries. This was left off the 1994 Yearbook for some reason but, I suggest that you check it out! Sting vs Steven Regal (02/05) WCW Saturday Night - Oh hohoho this was really good stuff. The thing that I like about Sting is that he always goes along with opponents and will work their match. He's keeping up with Regal (who is great making the Stinger look like a technician) and this gets better & better as it goes. Arn Anderson vs Steven Regal (Super Brawl IV 02/20) - A long match for WCW standards. However, these are two guys I could watch all day. Your mileage is going to vary based on the pacing (the go almost 30 minutes). Very good stuff...I saw this was given ****1/4 by Loss on the '94 Yearbook... I can't find any argument against that. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TWq5iuBnYMw&pp=ygUOU3VwZXJicmF3bCB3Y3fSBwkJhQkBhyohjO8%3D WCW Pro 3/26/94 Steven Regal vs Brad Armstrong - PWO denizens will appreciate this match. Regal is grinding and stretching Brad's arm all match. Armstrong is barely able to find openings to fight back and it seems his only chance is to gets a pin fall from a quick reversal. This was a very good story match and really drew me in. Spring Stampede '94 April 17th 1994 PPV Regal vs Brian Pillman - Oh yeah, they gave them time to work and it was very good wrestling. Good rope stuff, Regal stretching, Pillman was fiery...I liked this quite a bit. A good mix of everything here. Definitely a match for wrestling fans, I feel. I had never heard of the Marquis of Queensbury series of matches that Regal & Flair had in 1994. It seems to be an attempt at European or at least British rounds based wrestling. What that means is a series of 5 minute matches where a score is given at the end if a pin or submission is not scored. Each round is a different week but from the looks of it, the first four round may have been on one day's worth of TV taping. The final round is unique (I mention why below). You can sorta consider this one match but it really feels like a series of 4 quick paced matches capped off with a full length match. It's a little clunky to explain but I actually like it. This little program takes place on WCW Worldwide. Steven Regal vs Ric Flair - Round 1 (04/30) Hyper technical wrestling for five minutes. This was fantastic stuff. Round 2 (05/07) - Another five minutes of purist match action. Judging from the ring gear, these were taped on the same day. Round 3 (05/14) - They both have haircuts but I'm feeling these were taped later in the day. Anyhow, this was another one predominantly on the mat. Round 4 (05/21) - This was actually more of their feet with Regal throwing his European upper cuts and Flair throwing his chops. Round 5 (05/28) - OK this one, the odd one out has Flair finally in different ring gear & Regal no longer has his thigh taped. This was a great match and a great conclusion to this series of bouts. They wrestled at a quick pace looking to get a win before the 5 minutes were up. When more time was given to determine a true winner, things really kicked up a notch. Bam! (Emeril joke anyone?)... Anyhow these two are fantastic here - technical & hard hitting. This Marquis of Queensbury series was a good way of pairing Flair and Regal up for TV and it delivered on what I had hoped for. It's over 5 different shows and from a fan perspective, it seemed easy to miss...let's be honest, these WCW Worldswide shows were hard to miss unless you were a devotee. And now you still have to track them down online match by match. Hope I have helped because, you definitely want to see these. Recommended! Larry Zbyszko vs. Lord Steven Regal (05/22/94 WCW Slamboree) - Hahaha I love that ECW fans are here in Philly! Hell yeah! What's great from the start is Regal is jaw-jacking with the fans like a shit talking heel...just like Larry Z used to do! So many of his AWA on ESPN matches started like this and really helped me appreciate that aspect of pro wrestling. This really started cooking once Larry shouted "You aren't good enough!" to Regal. His lordship began laying in the European uppercuts and elbows and Zbyszko returned the favor. Very good match and they definitely have in store for us. I'm a fan of both guys, so I'm looking forward to more. Larry Zbyszko vs. Lord Steven Regal (05/28 WCW Saturday Night) - What a great fucking match! The intensity & the pacing was out of sight! You don't need angles when the story is being told in the ring. It's two guys trying to prove who's better. And Steve & Larry had a master class in that type of wrestling. And this was shown the same day as the Marquis of Queensbury final...holy cow... Regal was peak technical wrestler for 1994 putting on two absolutely fantastic matches in the day (on TV at least). Note that you want to make sure you see the full match as the match doesn't end when the TV time does..so they show the conclusion the next week. Someone online has the regular version missing the end & another person has the match footage & ending & post match spliced into one video online. By the way, WCW Saturday Night "won" the honor of Worst TV Show of 1994 according to WON fans...OK sure...What the actual fuck folks? Larry Zbyszko (c) vs. Lord Steven Regal (w/Sir William) - Clash of Champions XXVII (27) (06/23) - Haha, Regal's got a powdered wig on! Yes! Anyhow, this is not your technical duel. These two are heated and they are beating each other up most of the match. But it's not that out of control way like Nasty Boys vs Jack & Sullivan... it's more like you'd see in NJPW or AJPW. It feels like competition instead of just a brawl for the sake of brawling. I really appreciate that nuance here. But don't get me wrong this was intense. Another great match.. I might say it was a near classic or more. These just keep ramping things up. Lord Steven Regal vs Larry Zbyszko (WCW Pro June 25th) - I wanted to save this one since I had a load of quality Regal work in the previous post. I thought I'd draw it out a little bit more And oh man this is a brawling and it is great!!! They are just beating each other for 8 minutes straight. Sir William of Dundee is fantastic here too. Unlike their Clash 27 match, this does feel like an out of control fight. They are unglued! Another fantastic match in their feud and by the looks of it, it's their final meeting. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Lord Steven Regal vs. Mark Starr (07 30 1994 WCW Saturday Night) - Fun match where Starr got some good hope spots in. Actually there's some good stuff like his reverse of the butterfly suplex, a tornado DDT and a slingshot clothesline. Nice promo afterwards building to Regal vs Inoki. I want to include some less known versus the stars & this was a good sample. TV Title Lord Steven Regal vs Brian Pillman Pro Aug 13th, 1994 - Good match but I've seen this same finish 2 times already (in different matches) this year...and honestly it didn't look great then and it doesn't here either. I get the impression they didn't know what to either buy at this time. Regal had Inoki coming up but that was more Bischoff/Inoki than what the booker man wanted to do. I think it was Flair at the time? Lord Steven Regal (w/Sir William) vs. Antonio Inoki - Clash of Champions XXVIII (28) (08/24) - Picture in picture of Bulk Bogan while Regal and Inoki battle. Showing Heenan, Bockwinkel & Tony jaw jacking about Mulk Mogan. What a crock of crap! Anyway, this was an intense Inoki Strong Style match. This looks like a real fight compared to the other stuff on the show. It's puro in a WCW ring on TBS. I thought it was great! If you're A fan of both guys then you should check it out. Is it a full dream match fulfilled? No but it is way better than you would expect and is a legit great, hard hitting match. It's an absolute travesty that Steven Regal did not win Best Technical Wrestler in the WON for 1994. Lord Steven Regal (w/Sir William) vs. Johnny B. Badd (WCW Fall Brawl 09/18) - Really good, all action match! This was a bit more traditional pro wrestling speed but Regal was calling the match. There were so many little things done right that made it seemed like they were doing more than they were. That's the type of stuff that I like. It doesn't have to be fancy to be good. I'm not opposed to Johnny B. Badd but I don't get his gimmick... haha just thought I'd throw that in there 😄 Hacksaw” Jim Duggan vs. Lord Steven Regal (10 01 1994 WCW Saturday Night) - Top shelf Larry Z levels of stalling from Regal. Stalling crowd work is underappreciated. It pisses everyone off - the casual fans, the marks, the smarks, the other wrestler (kayfabe)...it's great. Eventually, it irritates me which is great too 😄 This is a good match. I thought it was going to Duggan cartoon wrestling (WWF wrecked him) but Regal got nasty. Unfortunately we don't get a clean finish but it's a set up for the tag below. Johnny B. Badd and Jim Duggan vs. Steve Austin and Lord Steven Regal (10 08 1994 WCW Saturday Night) - Thank goodness that the baby faces came to wrestle! This was a lot of fun and a very good match as a result. Regal vs Mero/Badd was the best pairing as they really had fantastic chemistry at this point. Duggan actually was on defense for some time and they worked a proper tag team match here. This is the final Steven Regal match for the project I think. He had a fantastic 1994 with the Flair & Zbyszko series of matches being the pinnacle of not just his year but WCW, in my humble opinion. The honor of wrestling Inoki is something he definitely earned even if Hulkamania over shadowed it

My comment isn't necessarily about anything having to do with your question about why these belts went to Mexico but more to do with why lighter/smaller wrestlers & wrestling styles died out in the U.S. But generally, the answer to why these belts went elsewhere is promoters no longer saw the value of weight classes and the titles. I think promoters realized American audiences weren't interested in that when watching wrestling. The introduction of the "Slam-bang Western style" is probably the genesis of that as well as the start of football players in American wrestling. If we're thinking of the same guy, Sammy Stein was in the NFL for instance. Anyhow, when the smaller, technical wrestlers weren't as interesting and they stopped making money in the States, the belts got loaned out to business partners to make money elsewhere like Mexico or other places where wrestling was still perceived as athletic competition and size wasn't as important as speed & technique.

I agree with Dav'oh. Those guys all or most played American football at a high level like college or pro. To play at those levels you have to be physically huge. And there's no shortage of young guys who want to play football across the U.S. Promoters weren't necessarily getting guys from amateur wrestling or boxing backgrounds. I think most promoters in the U.S. probably had a football background of some sort as well. Even Verne Gagne, who is a wrestler's wrestler & promoter played collegiate football at the University of Minnesota. So it's a more natural transition to get big guys who were used to getting tossed around a beat up. As far as fans, American fans eventually got used to seeing these big guys and as time went on this was just accepted. To be a wrestler you HAD to be big. Additionally, American wrestling became less about wrestling and more about brawling (in general). So, people didn't know what they were missing in terms of quick technical wrestling. And I think everyone just had to get bigger once Vince McMahon got going. I think the comment about post War nutrition and everything else everyone said is true as well 🙂 but WHY it was popular was American Football and American audiences wanting to see big guys beat each other up (and not wrestle). This becomes especially true once the territories die out once Vince goes national & international.

The Legends of Mid South Wrestling DVD is a compilation that I bought used a few years back. It seems like a good time to jump in and watch it. It's a WWE production so I'm not sure what to expect. I know that the DVDVR did a best of the Mid-South project a long time ago. That's going to be my guide. I'm fully aware that watching in this format might tarnish the match quality since I might be missing backstory, promos etc. I'm going to try to see what I do to give myself some background going into the highly recommended matches. Additionally I'm going to scratch the surface so take this as a sampler rather than an exhaustive deep dive. Matches with a star (*) are on the DVD. JUNKYARD DOG *Andre the Giant, Dusty Rhodes & Junkyard Dog vs. Afa, Sika & Big Cat Ernie Ladd (01/1982) - Fun match that you could have a beer and some chips with. Tons of star power so I can see why they put it on here. This follows a segment highlighting JYD and this felt more about Andre vs Ernie Ladd so that's kinda weird. Nick Bockwinkel vs. Junkyard Dog (05/14/82) : This might be Houston but I'm including here. I know there's overlap later as Bill Watts buys a portion of the company and everyone starts to rally together to stay in business against Vince. So I may include Houston matches here & there but will avoid it if it's clearly Houston booking/angles. But seeing as this isn't and JYD & back do have a match in Mid South, I'm using this match as a proxy. Anyhow, this was really good stuff. Bock's character is a bit different than you'd see down this neck of the woods. It's refreshing as hell and gratifying once Dog gets to beating him up! And although this isn't a technical duel, JYD still has got maneuvers and even locks Bock in abdominal stretch and goes for an inside cradle... despite the WWE making him sound technically inept. I really dug this match. Junkyard Dog vs. Ted DiBiase (06/24/82) - DiBiase is a face here & he is friends with JYD. There's a lot of interview here and they have former champ Bob Roop speak. He looks like a rummy...you know a lush, a drunk! On to the match, this is very good stuff in ring. Pretty technically oriented and friendly like...which is what makes the match. They do a fantastic job being competitive but remaining friends. Slapping hands, shaking their heads after losing their cool and JYD even carefully helps Ted back in the ring. The finish is abrupt but changes everything and is great stuff with the story they were telling. I'm glad the interviews were provided before the match as they gave the necessary context. Great segment overall! *Junkyard Dog & Mr. Olympia vs. Ted DiBiase & Matt Borne (10/27/82) - This is a good match. Olympia was impressive from a wrestling standpoint. I think the real lasting effect of this is Jim Duggan dressing as a gorilla (for the State fair going on) and sneak attacking the baby face team. This is included on the WWE DVD but I think the above match/segment is better. As it shows JYD in singles action, has better wrestling and is simpler to understand to a novice like myself. This match on its own is confusing without more context. It's in the top 10 on the big DVDVR. Butch Reed vs JYD (Special Ref Dusty Rhodes 10/27/83) - This was a fun match with shenanigans at the end but we got to see Dusty get involved as Jim Neidhart came out to assist Butch. Not a long or complex match but, it'll put a smile on your face. *Junkyard Dog vs. “Hacksaw” Butch Reed (Ghetto Street Fight 06/1984) - This is the only Butch Reed match on the DVD and was a good motivator for expanding my search. I just felt that they didn't include enough wrestling. Anyhow, this is a good brawl especially once the belt came into play. I really dug the clotheslines with the belt. I would say my complaint was there was too much choking with the belt that really didn't look like work and it slowed the pace down. But they came out of this. Heck they even did some moves! Shenanigans ensue towards the end but it was a lot of fun. Junk Yard Dog & Jim Duggan vs Midnight Express (08/04/84) - I didn't know the Midnight's theme song was the same one as for Coast to Coast AM - holy shit! Anyhow, this one is a lot of fun. It's tremendously chaotic with action going on everywhere. Of course, Corny gets involved but there's even more shenanigans. It's a TV main event so no complaints from me. This was one WWE could have put on the DVD as no background or setup was needed and it's got all featured stars...and it's actually entertaining! JYD from all appearances and from the interviews on the DVD, was THE baby face for Mid-South, at least until Vince scooped him up. And while the DVD has matches of his, they probably aren't all the best he has to offer. The matches included on the DVD weren't representative of JYD's work and honestly don't do him any favors. I feel like I got a better sample from what I found online. MAGNUM TA *Magnum TA & Mr. Wrestling II vs. The Midnight Express (01/1984) - This was good stuff with some quality in ring action and meaningful post match. Terry Taylor plays a part but I'm not sure why they didn't include more of his matches. From the research I've been doing, he was a pretty big deal. Anyhow, the big deal with this match is Mr. Wrestling II turned heel as he felt TA wasn't listening to him & following his training so he (Mr. Wrestling II) wasn't going to take the lashings for losing the match (II was barely in the ring so he kinda has a point). *Mr. Wrestling II vs. Magnum TA (05/1984) - It's odd this made the DVD as it's joined in progress from a TV broadcast with Watts doing commentary. Regardless, what is shown is very good with a mix of wrestling and brawling. But there's an energy to it as well. And the story is well told. Of course I had to listen to Jim Cornette's podcast to understand why there's a "new" Mr. Wrestling II on the outside, Hercules Hernandez, I believe. Again I am not sure why the WWE folks picked some of these matches that required extra research to understand. But this was a very good nonetheless. Ted DiBiase vs. Magnum TA (07/01/84) - Great match! DiBiase jumps TA and both guys are swinging for the fences with their punches. The pace was very spirited and felt like a fight. I loved it when all the teenage girls were screaming for TA and then Ted starts mauling him (he is now bleeding) and those girls are legit freaking out! I liked that they incorporated wrestling maneuvers like drop kicks and back body drops instead of only punching & kicking. It definitely adds variety and excitement with still keeping the pace/intensity up. And to cap it off there was a great finish... as DiBiase was getting his glove ready for the KO punch... Ted Dibiase vs Magnum TA (07/06/84) - This is Houston a few days later and this is another great match! Lots of good wrestling to begin with and then they get to the brawling/bleeding. As before, they work a quick pace and tell a good story. Towards the end, the top turn buckle pops and they improvise and there's a couple amazing sequences...and another great finish. Magnum TA vs Hacksaw Butch Reed w/ Ernie Ladd (08/31/84) - This one is a Houston show. Hahaha! What a finish! It looked like it was one thing then it became another and then there was post match goodness. And that's the cherry on top to a great straight ahead wrestling match. Both guys were excellent. Great match! Magnum T.A. vs. Ted DiBiase (11/15/84) - Oh man I wish this was longer. It's in the TV studio so it's under 10 minutes but is the most jammed packed wrestling match of the 3 bouts. But it really plays off their early matches and I enjoyed the heck out of it. I almost want to say it was great because it was for as long as it lasted Magnum T.A. in Mid South is damn good. He was such a complete talent in my book...over with the fans and could actually work both brawling and traditional pro wrestling styles. He was in Mid South for a short time in his short career but he definitely made an impact. The stuff vs DiBiase should have been included on the DVD, the TV match would have been great if time was a concern. More Mid South Wrestling to come! Thanks for reading!

I don't believe that I ever saw this one during my 90's AJPW period. It's been awhile since I've seen this stuff but man, it is great. The whole match is fought with an intensity and urgency. There's no wasted movement here. I try not to get bogged down in the King's Road calculations because I've found that it tries to quantify something that the wrestlers weren't actively thinking of. There's nuances to be sure and I think this match has them but they're not necessary to understand or enjoy the match fully. In fact, I feel that doing such mathematics takes away from the overall experience. This is an awesome match that around 20 minutes feels appropriate for a big time Triple Crown Championship. It's not perfect and the pacing maybe just a little too quick for my preference but I think it's a great entry point match for anyone wanting to get into 90's All Japan nowadays. Near classic match or ****1/4+ perhaps.

They just posted this one. It says 1985 but it looks like footage from '75 based on the graininess. Definitely something you could believe was stored in an actual vault 🙂

The Legends of Mid South Wrestling DVD is a compilation that I bought used a few years back. It seems like a good time to jump in and watch it. It's a WWE production so I'm not sure what to expect. I know that the DVDVR did a best of the Mid-South project a long time ago. That's going to be my guide. I'm fully aware that watching in this format might tarnish the match quality since I might be missing backstory, promos etc. I'm going to try to see what I do to give myself some background going into the highly recommended matches. Additionally, I'm going to greatly expand upon the WWE DVD like I did for my ECW project a few months back. The DVD is going to inform my choices... most notably what did the compilation get wrong & how can I supplement it through what's available online. Generally speaking, I'm going to organize according to years/era, wrestlers and singles/tag matches and notable feuds. From what I've seen at the time of writing this, Ted DiBiase is THE wrestler to watch and he will appear throughout this project. I thought that I'd start with a bang and feature the Ted DiBiase vs Hacksaw Jim Duggan feud. The background is that Duggan was part of a crew with DiBiase and Matt Borne. Eventually DiBiase signed up with Skandor Akbar and Duggan wasn't down with that since he's a patriotic guy. The 1985 tuxedo stuff starts because Duggan gets cufflinks for being Mid South athlete of the year for '84. DiBiase insults Duggan saying that he's classless. Duggan shows up on TV the next week in a white tux and roses for his girl/wife...well you can imagine how that goes...there's great stuff on Mid South TV like Ted smashing Duggans 's windshield with a bat etc. OK folks, let's get to the matches. Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs Ted DiBiase (Texas Street Fight) - 07/29/83 - Fucking great stuff here. Two guys in jeans beating the shit out of each other for 10 minutes. Nothing cute happens or when it looks like it might people eat a steel chair. This match is in Houston but it's Mid South for my purposes. Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs Ted Dibiase (08/26/83) - Cage match, another great violent brawl. Blood, punches, the rope breaks... this was a joy. Great finish too! Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. Ted Dibiase (11/09/84) - Under 10 minutes and no gimmicks but this is still great. They are so great at just punching and trying to hurt each other. It all comes across very natural looking. Hacksaw Butch Reed & Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. Ted DiBiase & Steve Williams (11/23/84) - This was off the hook! The physicality, the energy, the spots (they actually had spots including a tandem rope running spot)... this was awesome. Fantastic finish where the outcome was always in doubt. Classic match! (Houston btw) Terry Taylor & Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. Ted DiBiase & Steve Williams (01/31/85 Midsouth TV ep.#282) Impromptu match and it's quite a pairing for the middle of the episode! Anyhow they cut a helluva pace and this was even more chaotic as Buddy Landel came out...and the ending was pretty fun/wacky as long as your not a stickler for the rules Also this is pretty close the start of the "Best Dressed Man in Mid South" tuxedo stuff...which explains why they're in tuxes in their famous match! Duggan vs DiBiase Taped Fist match (03/08/85) - The YouTube poster was kind enough to include the promos - great stuff! The match was pretty great as well. It's under 10 minutes of more blood-and-beat-the-shit-outta-each-other wrestling. If you've got a taste for that then this is yours to enjoy. 80's finish but it fuels the fire...I'm invested in this one, 40 years later. *“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan vs. Ted DiBiase (Coal Miner’s Glove Steel Cage Tuxedo Loser Leaves Town Match - 03/22/85) - This was a great match and dammit, it's a classic when you take the history and everything else into account. This is how you end a feud. It definitely plays off the early matches, which you want. But it adds the cage, it adds the miners glove...this is death match from someone who watches death matches. Blood, drama, visuals, spectacle. Definitely watch all of their stuff but it isn't essential. This can stand on its own. This is one that WWE got right including on their DVD set. HIGHLY Recommended on it's own and a MUST SEE if you're going to watch the above matches. This feud was voted the best by the DVDVR folks and I certainly loved it. For anyone who liked Duggan & DiBiase from WWF, like me, you need to see this. It will certainly put them in a new light. I absolutely recommend checking these matches out if you haven't. Since this is a puro centric blog: if you're a fan of what the Funks, Hansen, Brody, Tenryu, Riki Choshu, 1990 Onita were doing, you really need to check this feud out! Thanks for reading!

I would definitely agree with El McKell yet his classic vs Chavo Guerrero (11/03/80) gives me reason to believe he's got some more great non-Fujinami work out there especially in the very early 80's. I want there to be a clutch of great Kengo matches on his own or separate from Fujinami. Still he probably doesn't make 100...

I've been watching Mid South for the first time so I thought I would chime in. If you're still interested, the DVDVR voted on these being his top matches in Mid-South: Junkyard Dog vs. Nick Bockwinkel ( 6/11/1982 ) Junkyard Dog & Mr. Olympia vs. Ted DiBiase & Hacksaw Duggan ( 8/18/1982 ) Junkyard Dog & Mr. Olympia vs. Ted DiBiase & Matt Borne (Loser Leaves Town) ( 10/27/1982 ) Mr. Wrestling II & Junkyard Dog vs. Matt Borne & Ted DiBiase ( 2/16/1983 ) Some others that I enjoyed include: Nick Bockwinkel vs. Junkyard Dog (1982/05/14) Junkyard Dog vs. Ted DiBiase - North American Title 6/24/82 Junk Yard Dog & Jim Duggan vs Midnight Express 08.04.84

Seeing as no one has posted in here for 11 years...Going to recommend Sabu vs Too Cold Scorpio from the same show. I figure if you're looking up Cactus vs Terry then you're also interested in this match 😋 Both guys are in good shape and are doing all kinds of dangerous shit. All in all it's probably a spot fest but it does feel competitive and like they are trying to win a damn wrestling match. Additionally, I never felt like that they were just "showing off." I actually prefer this to their 1996 match since this was shorter than that & I felt the pace was better here. RVD has posted it:

Absolutely bananas fun match! It's really great match if you're a fan of these guys and this style. It is very chaotic yet Sabu & Goto did pro wrestling so its a wonderful mix of brawling, hard core spots, blood, a few moves...and it's a fantastic length even with the post match fighting. RVD has this one up on his YouTube:

I'm definitely in the camp of good/bad Muto but he's definitely grown on me now that I've seen more of his career. The NWA matches are the best that I've seen of him in the U.S. but maybe there's better ones? Here's a list of his best stuff imo. Nobuhiko Takada & Akira Maeda vs Keiji Mutoh & Shiro Koshinaka (NJPW 03/20/87) Takada & Maeda vs Mutoh & Koshinaka (NJPW 03/26/87) Muta vs Sting (WCW/NWA 09/01/89) Flair vs Muta (WCW/NWA 11/25/89) Muta vs Sting (WCW/NWA Starrcade 1989 12/13/89) Great Muta vs Hiroshi Hase (NJPW 09/14/90) Much better than the Muta Scale '92 match Keiji Mutoh & Masahiro Chono vs Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki (NJ 11/1/90) Keiji Muto vs Masa Chono (NJPW G-1 Climax 08/11/91) Keiji Mutoh & Hiroshi Hase vs Bam Bam Bigelow & Vader (03/01/92 NJPW) Big Van Vader & Bam Bam Bigelow vs Keiji Mutoh & Hiroshi Hase (NJ 5/1/92) Keiji Mutoh & Hiroshi Hase vs Masahiro Chono & Shinya Hashimoto (NJ 11/4/93) Steiner Brothers vs. Keiji Muto & Hiroshi Hase (01/04/95 NJPW) Keiji Muto vs Shinya Hashimoto (NJPW G-1 Climax 08/15/95) Genichiro Tenryu vs Great Muta (WAR 10/11/96) Genichiro Tenryu vs Keiji Muto (NJPW 05/03/99) Genichiro Tenryu vs. Keiji Mutoh (AJPW 06/08/2001) Keiji Muto vs. Yuji Nagata (NJPW G-1 Climax 08/12/01) Keiji Mutoh vs. Toshiaki Kawada (AJPW 02/24/02) Toshiaki Kawada & Masanobu Fuchi vs Keiji Muto & Satoshi Kojima (AJPW 04/12/03) Kaz Hayashi VS Keiji Muto (AJPW 10/24/10) I think people have softened their opinion on Muto over the years as tapes gave way to DVD which gave way to reliable high speed internet. It's easier to come across very good to great Muto matches which help fill in the gaps between the great-classic matches listed above. That said he does have some low-lows where you have to wonder, " what the hell is he thinking!? " Personally I'm interested in seeing more of him in the 90's to see what his day-to-day matches were like.