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G. Badger

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  1. G. Badger
    Generally speaking, I'm not a fan of the Great Muta. I'm OK with Keiji Muto but, the Muta gimmick just doesn't do it for me. Well, correction...the gimmick is cool but, the work stinks. It's dull. I'm OK with the 90 & 92 Hase bloodfests but, really it was a waste of both guys athleticism and talent. I'm sure they could have put on matches equal to Misawa at that time period but, we get kinda-sorta great matches with a tremendous amount of blood. I was kinda bored with wrestling for a moment (gasp!) so, I thought I'd check out Muta in WCW to see if that did anything for me. It was a random thought that I could entertain and I'm so glad that I did. It began with Steven Regal vs Muta in NJPW actually but, I'll list the matches I watched chronologically for convenience.
    Muta vs Eddie Gilbert (WCW/NWA Power Hour 08/12/89) This has a fucking awesome (and I think iconic start) with Missy getting the green mist straight to the faceplate. That was ruthless but, so awesome of a visual! Unfortunately, the rest felt like bland brawling with a fucking nonsense finish. Gilbert wins by pinning Gary Hart. They go to say it's a Anything Goes Match after the bell. What? But you still have to beat your opponent. I mean you can't pin yourself...oh maybe that's what the Finger Poke of Doom was like...after all of these years...it makes sense...still bollocks!
    Muta vs Sting (WCW/NWA 09/01/89) A super quick heated start with J-Tex Funk and Gary Hart throwing shade. Muta in full '89 heel mode but, the Stinger is out for blood. The fans are full on freaking out with people literally screaming. You can hear them in the fuzzy 80's audio mix but, especially when they are on the floor. Ross & Cornette frenzied commentary included. Oh God! Sting ate that ring post :@ !!! Ref bump, Gary Hart's in there but, is it enough to keep our neon yellow glad surfer Sting down? Can he outlast Muta? Yeah, I dug this shit.
    Muta vs Sting (WCW/NWA Starrcade 1989 12/13/89): They were doing a round robin this night. Muta lost to Flair in a shorter match and Sting lost to...shit...Ron Simmons? Just checked, it was Lex Luger. Ah fuck Luger man...nah I mean he's alright but, anyhow...this was an under 10 minute doozy! Sting & Muta were at their peak in terms of blending new high risk moves at a fast pace but still keeping things simple & smart. This was a blast and a very good match. If you're waiting for your pasta water to boil or the pizza delivery guy, watch this! Plus it's Jim Ross and Terry Funk on commentary. C'mon, you know you want to
    Muta vs Arn Anderson (WCW/NWA Powerhour 01/1990) TV title belt is on the line. Double A and Muta were totally clicking in the ring. Muta's moves were really spectacular for this time period and even more so in this TV setting. Again, Corny and Jim Ross were awesome. Buzz Sawyer and my main man Kendo Nagasaki (Dragon Master) were repping J-Tex Corp. What an awesome stable name! The two competitors started solid and kept building this match up. I really love Muta in the WCW as he can't really do the stalling bloodletting like he did in Japan later on. He actually had to wrestle here so, we get Muto with a gimmick. The Pearl of the Orient or do they call him Crown Jewel of the Orient? Probably Pearl - Hahaha! This was another very good match. If you're digging ROH's TV main events as of late, I would highly recommend this one to you. It's very similar to how they are keeping things simple yet exciting.
    Muta vs Brad Armstrong (WCW 05/30/92 Saturday Night): This is a 2/3 falls match. This is babyface Muta who was teaming with Sting at the time. Well, had some tags with Sting most notably vs the Steiners at the 92 WCW/NJPW supershow. That was a very good-great match if memory serves me. I'm fairly confident that the Mist will make an appearance by the end of the match. Let's see!
    Fall #1: They are evenly matched up trading holds and counter holds. The fans are cheering for both guys which is really cool since that's my feeling too. I mean Brad's cheers are the "USA! USA!" chants but, that's fine. More important is the wrestling! This puppy had it like a case of the fleas. I loved it It was like a 70's match with a slower meaningful holds/counter/escape dynamic with burst of rope running or striking which led back down to the canvas. Great fall with a great finish to me.
    Fall #2: This was a more modern for 1992 style and was quickly over. However, it was still smart and believable within the context of the match and each wrestler's standing. Do we see the mist?? Gonna have to watch and find out! I would say this fall was very good.
    Frankly, I don't know why this wasn't a single fall match. Well, maybe they wanted to fill time with this match since it was the show's main event. They probably got the signal to wrap it up sometime into the second fall. That's just a business perspective and probably the truth of the matter. If this was give the PWG "Go as long as you fucking want" treatment this could have been a lost '92 classic. Seriously, these guys were so athletic and on point that they could have done a true 2/3 falls banger. Nevertheless, this was still a very good-great match overall. Like ***3/4+ type of rating.
    Muta & Hulk Hogan vs Hellraisers (Hawk & Power Warrior) (NJPW 09/23/93): This may be the only time I review a Hogan match but, I'll be darned if this wasn't a good tag match. I can't say there was anything tremndously remarkable than the finish but, they did a good job. Don't get your hopes up about Hogan in Japan though. It's not like he turns into Stan Hansen but, he DRAMATICALLY tones the schtick down but, that fucker can help but ham it up by looking to the crowd at times. He knows he shouldn't do it too because he catches himself and stops. I liked that part in an ironic way. Like let's see if he can hold it together Still, this was a good match that was very much in the 90's NJ heavyweight style but, what could have been a dream match felt like a mid card exhibition. BUT! If you're looking for something with low emotional investment, low attention required, and familiar face, I cannot recommend this match any higher. For all the brown feces I'm  throwing at the Hulkster, he was completely adroit in this match.
    Muta vs Steve Regal (08/03/97 NJPW): It's Japan so we get the extended Muta entrance. His music sounds like the Coast to Coast AM bumper music Awesome! Muta is rocking the NWO facepaint which looks cool from far away but, up close, it is only a reminder of a shitty period of shitty shit. This was a very good match (surprised at the time) but, they could have done a bit more with this. It seems like Muta found a good place in 89-90 and never moved from there. The highlight was Regal open hand palm striking Muta in the mush. Also somebody ought to look into the legality of the Mist. Right after they look at Abby's fork and Sheik's spike...
    BONUS: Muta, Sanada & Yasu vs Chris Sabin, Kazarian & Christopher Daniels (TNA Lockdown 2014): This was tons of fun!! Muta is at the tail end of his career but, the TNA stars keep him in the match by taunting and mocking him. So, when he finally pops on and hits his signatures it feels meaningful rather than, "Hey remember this guy? Watch him do some moves every 145 lb. guy on the Indy circuit does a week after finishing school." That is good. That's how you show respect but, also keep order. Anywho...5 talents in the ring, 10 minutes, this was an excellent popcorn match.
    This was a really fun and unexpected journey. Nothing was mindbogglingly awesome but, perceptions of Muta were changed. I'll say that's pretty remarkable! I encourage anyone interested to watch the above matches. There are a few other '89 Muta matches floating around that I might check out because, darn it! They're just a bunch of fun.
    Thanks for reading!
  2. G. Badger

    AJPW You Might Have Missed - Muto's AJPW - 2005-2010

    By G. Badger,


    You Might Have Missed
    Back with more of Muto era AJPW! This time I'm going over 2005-2010. Well I'm actually going to sneak in a '03 &  a '04 match that I found as well. This post I thought I'd change it up a bit and focus more on the Junior Heavyweight side of things.. or at least matches that included them. AJPW was never really known for their Junior division so I thought I'd check that out since there was a concerted effort by many companies to feature these guys in the 21st century. Just a guess but NOAH seemed to kick that off a little by having Kanemaru and Marufuji right out of the gate. Kendo Kashin seemed to fill that role early on but Muto probably knew he couldn't build the division on him. Kaz Hayashi will become that guy as you'll see. Anyhow, just wanted to take a different approach to this post. Let's get going!
    Toshiaki Kawada & Kendo Kashin vs. Shinya Hashimoto & Wataru Sakata (12/05/03): Kendo Kashin seemed to be the face of the AJ Junior division before they started pushing Kaz Hayashi and getting some of the Dragon Gate guys. I'm not going to seek Kashin out on his own but this will suffice. So the big draw is Kawada vs Hashimoto of course and it delivers on that... you know as a teaser for their 2004 singles match. But what you want to see this for is Kawada vs Wataru Sakata. Kawada whiffs on his arm hold back heel kick. He goes over Sakata's head and falls. It works a little as Kawada had been taking stiff ass leg kicks from Hash earlier. But Sakata kinda mocks Kawada for the whiff by throwing his hands up like "ha! that's what you got? it missed." But then starts nailing K with elbows and Kawada hits back (and although Kawada missed he's still in control). Sakata should start selling after like 2-3 pretty stiff elbows. Wataru Sakata decides he's Misawa and not a Zero One junior (although with some shoot background) and wants to go toe to toe. Kawada makes sure not to miss again with Sakata and if he's going to pretend his Misawa, Kawada will hit him like Misawa. It almost goes off the rails and Sakata may have tried to go into business for himself a couple times including near the finish. Kawada ends the match with a very snug looking face lock and then a rear naked choke. Very interesting stuff for sure. Kawada was a professional though and kept it on track, kept the drama on he and Hashimoto. But man he just lays into Sakata.
     
     
    Katsuhiko Nakajima, Genichiro Tenryu & Kensuke Sasaki vs. Kaz Hayashi, Keiji Muto & Satoshi Kojima (10/22/04): Found this one by accident but man I'm glad I did! What a line up! I always felt Kensuke Office was more NOAH oriented but they were pretty much a part of AJPW during this era. This is a real showcase for Kaz as he takes a ton of punishment from his opponents. He even makes the teenage Nakajima look fantastic. Muto and Kojima have tons of history with Tenryu and Sasaki so they are more than game to get at them. Kensuke and Muto never really in any danger whatsoever but are very good in being "Kensuke" and "Muto" which works in this setting. I'm not asking for any depth from them. You could have had just as awesome a match with Tenryu & Nakajima vs Kojima & Hayashi frankly. But I think Muto and Kensuke were a cherry on top. You can find this on your "day-to-day movement" YouTube alternative. I thought it was great!

    TARU/Shuji Kondo VS Satoshi Kojima/Taiji Ishimori (09/23/05): Good little tag match and a sample of the Voodoo Murders stable. Not my cup of tea but it's OK here. I wanted to give it a chance but this type of heeling is a little too American style for me. The strength in numbers, too many short cuts etc. it's too obvious and heavy handed. I got my share of it during the NWO/Corporation/Ministry era of WCW & WWF but I bet there's some quality stuff. This has some nice moments... very good TNA Impact main event for 2005
     
    Satoshi Kojima / Kaz Hayashi  VS Keiji Muto / AKIRA (06/03/05): From highs and now to some lows.This has some good moments but overall it's terribly one sided and boring. The match pretty much neutralizes Hayashi who is your explosive junior and has him in the ring to long getting his leg attacked for Kojima, your explosive heavy to really do anything too awesome. The match has no real arc either. There's a hot tag to get Kojima in and get revenge but after taking a little bit of damage he tags Kaz back in. Now we see that kind of nonsense wrestling to brush it off as "he wants to get payback too soon" but that's pretty much how the match ends up. There's no 3rd act...Muto & AKIRA are never in danger. Kojima never gets another tag to clean house for a hot final third. It's OK but you don't need to see this. Or maybe you do...???
     
    RO&D - TAKA Michinoku/Taiyo Kea/Jamal VS Kensuke Sasaki/Akira Raijin/Katsuhiko Nakajima (12/05/05) :So just found out that Akira Raijin was Kiyoshi back in TNA and is Sushi! That's badass! This was a ton of fun. Everyone was playing their roles to perfection. Not a barn burner but surprisingly very stiff. From Jamal's tears after the match, I think it was his last match in AJPW and RO&D and he was heading to the WWE to become Umaga. This match makes me want to see more Jamal. He's got a really good energy and is booked go toe to toe with the big guys like Kensuke. This was a really fun 18 minutes. I think RO&D might be more my speed the Voodoo Murders should I revisit this time period.
     
    Katsuhiko Nakajima & Taiji Ishimori vs. AKIRA & Kaz Hayashi - (01/03/06) : Really fun tag match with just a bunch of non stop action. AKIRA who is sorta the least exciting did a good job bringing his best moves. Nakajima vs Kaz is the highlight or focus of the match. There's one little hiccup during a spot that was more confusing than anything but it can be overlooked especially since this is just meant for fun than a world title defense type thing.

    Satoshi Kojima vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima (04/07/06): Including this one as I remembered watching a long time ago on a comp I bought. Watched it again now and it is still pretty awesome! I thought it was great (****) at the time but I think that was on stiffness alone. This is stiff as a starched shirt. Kojima isn't known for his chops like Sasaki but he should be and that one lariat!! Holy Shit! Under 10 minute Champion Carnival match...watch it if you can find it.

     
    Shuji Kondo vs Kaz Hayashi (08/27/06): This is Kaz Hayashi in top form! He and Kondo had a fireworks show for the ages here. All kinds of crazy moves, reversals and such. Great striking too! Its a great match and one I've wanted to see for years. So psyched that Gaora posted it! Highly recommend this to Jr. wrestling fans
     
    Shuji Kondo VS Chris Sabin (07/01/07): Really good match and a blast to see Sabin in AJPW. It's something I wanted to see for awhile also. Of course it's mainly spots but they've picked some good ones. Its a little rough around the edges a couple moments but they do well in either recovering or moving on. I never felt taken out of the action. In all honesty, it's all you can ask for and more considering Sabin was not an AJ regular. At about 15 minutes, this is a blast! MCMG fans need to see this.
     
    Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Silver King (03/01/08): Fast paced, hard hitting bomb fest! This was a blast and a half to watch! If anything though it's a bit too fast and doesn't necessarily develop but it's like match you'd see on like a TNA or ECW pay per view and be really hyped on the next few days. It's only around 12 minutes if you see what I mean. Search this one out!
     
    brother"YASSHI vs Shuji Kondo (02/06/09): History here is both guys are Dragon Gate alumni, kicked out, joined TARU and helped form Voodoo Murders, tag partners and probably way more but now  squaring off for the last time. Saw something that he retired in February 09 so perhaps this is his retirement match (temporarily)? It's a wonderful under 10 minute match where they basically beat the crap out of each other. It's a great way to end their story if only for a few years.
     
    Kaz Hayashi vs Shuji Kondo  (08/30/09): Well that was insane...a classic junior match for sure. I think it went beyond their fantastic 2006 match. I've heard others like the 2006 match more and I can see that.  But really you need to see both! An absolute war with all kinds of moves, counters etc. like I expected. They easily could have rehashed their '06 fight but they pushed themselves to the limit. In fact, the reason this is superior is that it was full of surprises with many moves being counter strikes or reversals or things you rarely see from the wrestlers. I really like that kind of thing especially as we get into 2010's- present wrestling. This is out there for you to find. The video quality isn't amazing but it gets the job done & thanks go out to the uploader!

    Kaz Hayashi VS Keiji Muto (10/24/10): This is for the Junior belt. Kinda reminds me of when Kurt Angle wanted to win every title in TNA. To Muto's credit he looks in great shape and slimmed down from '05 and maybe that's the kayfabe reason? Anyhow we get some of the cool moments from the '05 tag match here in perhaps a call back. In any case this is a great match! Of course Muto does his same 2-3 moves over and over (dragon screw, shining wizard, low drop kicks) but Kaz has them scouted and that's what makes this exciting. Kaz might just have a chance to topple the living legend. Obviously this isn't as crazy a match as Kaz vs Kondo but it was a surprise. Certainly a late stage great match for Muto. 
     
     
    If you noticed a few comparisons to TNA throughout, then you'll get a good impression of what AJPW feels like during the Muto era. It really does feel like Japanese TNA. Just from the few matches here, there was talent exchanged (Sabin and Akira Raijin) and I recall seeing the fake Muta for a little while. Afterwards as Wrestle-One I know they worked together as well. So for better and worse, that's probably the best way to describe Muto's AJPW to someone unfamiliar. I have a soft spot for old TNA and I'm forming one for this period of AJ as well. I'll definitely be checking out more. 
    I hope you've enjoyed reading and watching some of the vids. Again, that's awesome that Gaora has been doing this. Hopefully I have helped spread the good word a little. This era of All Japan certainly is worth your time. Thanks for reading! Stay safe!
     
  3. G. Badger
    We're back with more WCW in 1994!
    TAGS
    Stars And Stripes vs. Bad Attitude (09 03 1994 WCW Saturday Night) - Fun match! I think Keirn & Eaton are the reason it's enjoyable. Bagwell does most of the work for his team. Patriot just kinda cleans up at the end but hey, it's fun TV stuff. I don't think Bad Attitude has had one sub par match.
    Cactus Jack vs. Kevin Sullivan (09 10 1994 WCW Saturday Night) - A super quick "match" but Sullivan does a tope, Jack does his elbow to the floor and we get a glorious interview at the end. 
    Cactus Jack vs. Kevin Sullivan (Fall Brawl 09/18) Hulk hogging the PPV more... they are replaying when he gets hurt at Clash of the Champions and ugh we gets years of shit like this. Anyhow someone has a sign that spells out Hulk and it hasn't aged well.
    Humanity
    Understanding
    Love
    Kindness
    WTF world was this person living in? It's a pro wrestler not the Dalai Lama! So let's get to two actual wrestlers no one would confuse with a Buddhist - Cactus Jack & Kevin Sullivan! Anyhow, this was a really good brawling match and *spoilers* Cactus Jack loses but does he really go out with a bang (bang). Foley really took some harsh bumps here. It's a silly statement 31 years later but, they messed up getting rid of Mick. Along with Regal, he has been the most entertaining and unique wrestlers that WCW has shown in '94. No one can combine the brawling with the energy, character work & toughness that Foley did. 

    ---
    Arn Anderson, Bunkhouse Buck, Col. Robert Parker & Terry Funk vs. Brian Knobbs, Dustin Rhodes, Dusty Rhodes & Jerry Sags (Fall Brawl - Wargames 09/18) - Holy cow! Dustin & Arn tore things up in the beginning segment!! It was so creative & violent. It's probably my favorite part. Terry Funk was excellent using his boot and ring to his creative advantage. Bunkhouse Bunk continues to add nothing but a warm body. This is return to form for the Nasty Boys and I felt they could unload on their foes. Parker & Dusty were there for the finish but things really picked up out of the approaching monotony and ended in a fever pitch. Meng going berserk ringside was exciting too! Great spectacle match. Great end to a very solid PPV. WWE vault has it for you below:
     
     
    STEAMBOAT
    Ricky Steamboat & Dustin Rhodes vs Arn Anderson & Bunkhouse Buck (Main Event 09/04) - Super fun tag match. A cheap finish but it works in context. Buck isn't my favorite by a long shot but is a good bit player for the stable. I wish this was a little longer. Steamboat and Arn could wrestle for another 5 minutes by themselves and I would be happy. 

    Sting, Steamboat, & Rhodes vs Anderson, Funk, & Buck (Main Event Sept 11th) - An escalating of the previous match. It's pretty much the faces beating up the shit heels so it's a bunch of fun! 😋 And from the looks of it, it's the final Steamboat match for the project. He had a helluva 1994!!!

    Bless you Terry Funk
    ---
    REGAL
    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 😄

    ---
    VADER
    Vader is back! 

    Vader (w/Harley Race) vs. Sting vs. The Guardian Angel (Elimination Match - Fall Brawl 09/18) - The first match is a really fun hoss battle. Bossman/Guardian Angel vs Vader is a nice pairing that I wouldn't have thought of. Check out their Bash at the Beach match too. Sorry if that is a spoiler but you knew that this wss was going to be Sting vs Vader. And the actual finish aside, I thought this was a classic. I prefer their matches when Sting isn't completely overwhelmed but still fighting from underneath. So I really thought this was excellent. Vader was vicious and Sting is a helluva super hero baby face. Again, not my favorite finish BUT it does work in context with the show & overall company booking so I didn't hate it 🙂 But it does keep it from being a classic so, I call it a near classic match and still RECOMMENDED viewing!

    ---
    WCW is still holding on as long as you avoid Hogan which is rather difficult to do. It's clear to see that they are shifting people out of the picture. Admittedly Hogan is one of biggest stars of pro wrestling and in 1994, got me & many others to pay attention to WCW. Hindsight and personal taste makes it difficult to watch him and his influence take over. But, there's one more installment and it should be good with the Fantastics showing up & more Vader.
    Thanks for reading! Take care folks!
  4. G. Badger
    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!
  5. G. Badger

    Spotlight: FMW 1998 - Revisited

    By G. Badger,


    Spotlight
    I'm very excited to be watching more FMW after a long time away (Kudo stuff excluded!). I'm not limiting myself to just FMW but am including interesting stuff from ECW and AJPW as well. I'm going off my DVDs so there's a bunch of pics. They're grainy but you get that old school VHS video quality vibe like you're watching these in '98. Hope you dig 'em. Let's jump on in!
    Hayabusa & Jinsei Shinzaki vs Yukihiro Kanemura & Hido (01/06/98): Oh yeah, this was just a blast! You kinda get everything you want here in one 14 minute match. It's like a Dean Malenko Nitro match from like '96 It is just 4 pros having a very good wrestling match. It tells a little story (or continues one), has some drama with the heels hitting nut shots, using chairs and making blind tags, you've got your baby faces shining with their cool moves, its a good start!


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    Hayabusa, Masato Tanaka & Hisakatsu Oya vs. Mr. Gannosuke & Yukihiro Kanemura & Hido (01/16/98) highlights only but this looked like a lot of fun.

    Two guys going to a Bruce Springsteen concert in 1986 and a guy in his pajamas
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    Hayabusa & Masato Tanaka vs. Tetsuhiro Kuroda & Koji Nakagawa (02/06/98) highlights but looked cool. I'm not sure Nakagawa had a snowball's chance at this point. I know later when he betrayed FMW, he got a pin over 'busa.
    Hayabusa vs. Jado (03/16/98) : Good match, we got Hayabusa doing his big moves, Jado and his pals doing some heeling, and a really sick power bomb from the apron through a table. I mean no one sold anything but was Hayabusa's 2nd match of the night so it's all good.
    Hayabusa vs. The Gladiator (Mike Awesome) (03/17/98): I wouldn't have laid it out this way but this was a very good battle between the two most flashy wrestlers. It did not disappoint one bit. There were some really great moments here and nice surprises. Really high impact stuff throughout. I thought the selling was pretty good as well. Nothing fantastic but both guys really sold the pain and struggle they were going through in this big stakes match. I think if you want to see a Gladiator vs Hayabusa match this is an excellent one to go with.

    Taste the Radness

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    Hayabusa, Giant Baba & Kentaro Shiga vs Jinsei Shinzaki, Jun Izumida & Giant Kimala (AJPW 05/01/98): Tokyo Dome match, in the ring with Giant Baba, that ain't too shabby! We get a couple clips here in my version (probably a TV edition) but I think a good portion of the match is shown. This thing is FUN. Baba vs Jinsei is great, Hayabusa is on point, Izumida is channeling Shinzaki and Kimala, and Kimala is a blast. So much fun, the wrestling is really good, the fans are loving Hayabusa & Jinsei... yeah this is one of those random 6 mans that you want to see



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    Mike Awesome & Justin Credible vs Masato Tanaka & Jerry Lynn (ECW Hardcore TV 07/18/98): This is a weird pairing that I don't know if there's any kayfabe reason. I guess it makes Awesome a heel for willing to team with the slimy Credible. And anybody who wanted to think Japanese=Bad guy would be discouraged by Tanaka being with the New F'n Show. All that said, this is a really good all action tag match. Of course Tanaka vs Awesome is the big attraction (this was their first appearance at the ECW Arena) but Credible did a nice job chicken-shitting with Tanaka that they told a really fun story. Jerry Lynn and Awesome worked well together but there was not much there beyond doing their athletic stuff...no little story or anything. Awesome and Tanaka had a match at the Hammerstein before this I believe but, I think this was a truer introduction to ECW fans than that singles match. This definitely could have taken place in an FMW ring. Bonus: They take this match on tour for a few nights in a row and I might like the Ft. Lauderdale fan cam 07/24/98 better. It felt like the ironed out some kinks, incorporated Jason & Chastity at ring side and gelled. 

    Justin and the ref argue over how many brain cells he has left.
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    Mike Awesome vs Masato Tanaka (ECW Heatwave '98 08/02/98): They were a little nervous at the very beginning but once they got in the groove, they did not let up! The early portion saw a back and forth match but eventually Mike got the upper hand and starting dropping bombs and crushing Tanaka's skull with chair shots. Dangan does not stay down though! There's a great twist here and an excellent finish. It's a great match. From what I can tell, they don't face each other in singles competition on TV or PPV in the States until the next summer. Wow! What a tease! When they return in '99 is when everyone remembers them in ECW but this stuff in '98 is excellent. Tanaka in '98 is fantastic and Awesome is on a bit of a tear too. This is worlds better than the Hayabusa/Shinzaki vs RVD/Sabu match from Heatwave '98 (that's a fun but disjointed type of match).


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    Hayabusa v Rey Bucanero, Jr. (Battlarts 11/23/98): This is kind of a fun squash match. I think Rey does like 1 or 2 cool moves. It's all Hayabusa doing signature moves.

    Hayabusa v Hisakatsu Oya (FMW 12/13/98): I think there was a period where they were friendly and not rivals. Well that time is over! We get a clipped match but it's not a hyper clip/only big moves type deal. We actually get a good portion of the match and from what is shown this looks pretty good. I have this on two different compilations and I actually watched it twice in a row to double check that they were the same. And it was super fun both times

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    This has been a blast to watch! I'm going to keep going with stuff from 1999. Also very glad to be chipping away at my mountain of un-watched DVDs.
    I'm sure some of these are online so go check a few out! Thanks for reading everyone!
  6. G. Badger
    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!
     
  7. G. Badger
    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!
  8. G. Badger
    OK folks, it's that time! We're wrapping up the WCW 1994 project. There's some really interesting matches ahead so buckle up and let's get going!
    TAGS
    Pretty Wonderful (Paul Orndorff & Paul Roma) vs. Stars and Stripes (Bagwell & Patriot) - (10/23/1994 - Halloween Havoc) - I liked how they did a very exciting, all action few minutes before going into the Buff in peril match that they have been doing. We actually got to see Patriot wrestling! Also not sure if it's out there but a Buff vs Roma singles match or two would be pretty entertaining. They are both super athletic at the time. His elbow drop off the top here is phenomenal! Paul Orndorff's YouTube page has it so I'll share it below:
     
    The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags) vs. The Stud Stable (Bunkhouse Buck & Terry Funk) (w/Col. Robert Parker & Meng) WCW Halloween Havoc 1994 23-10-1994 - Um wait... that was the match? Was Bunkhouse Buck even tagged in? I'm all for a Terry Funk does everything match but did his team even get offense in? What the actual fuck was this? This was 2nd from the top of the PPV? Is this Hoganomics showing its true colors? This had potential to be wild as heck but it's basically Terry jobbing to the Fatty Boys. He does  an awesome job of making himself look like a crazy bastard. Good for him! The Stink Twins have wore out their welcome from having great matches with Mick & Kevin Sullivan months ago. Back to your cages Boys!

    Fantastics vs Mark Starr & Frankie Lancaster (Saturday Night 11/19/94) - Yes! yes, that is how you do it! A return to form for the tag division. The Fantastics and Lancaster & Starr show you how to do a keep it simple tag match that gets everyone pumped up. It's the classic three act tag match but WCW tags have been lacking that to be honest. This was very good stuff!

    Fantastics vs Pretty Wonderful Worldwide Dec 10th, 1994 - Oh shit! This was a hoot! No offense to Stars n Stripes but their how you do a TV face-heel match. Orndorff & Roma have been the absolute GLUE of the tag scene and for a bit there it felt stale. It wasn't them. Fantastics come in and Pretty Wonderful tear the shack down. It's action packed but clever and bets all of those lil moments in there that make you cheer or boo. Great stuff... watch that Roma elbow drop! Again, Paul Orndorff legacy YouTube page has it:
     
    Harlem Heat (w/ Sensational Sherri) vs. The Fantastics (12 10 1994 WCW Saturday Night) -A really clever match where both teams played up the size difference. The Fantastics needed to be quick and use team maneuvers to get the better of Booker & Stevie. You know Sherri factors into this too. Really fun match, glad to see Harlem Heat again and Fantastics have been a joy to watch!
     
    REGAL
    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. 
     
    VADER
    Big Van Vader vs. Sting (10 15 1994 WCW Saturday Night) - Oh yes, this was sweet! Sting & Vader are putting on a PPV level match but we don't get a clean finish BUT a great post match, great vibes & amazing out of control Vader post match. That leads to the match below 🙂 Tons to enjoy here! Also I believe this is the final Sting vs Vader match. I don't love all of their matches but he might be my favorite US opponent for Vader. When they are really cooking, there's great stuff to be had.

    Vader vs. The Guardian Angel (Halloween Havoc 1994 23-10-1994) - Vader is shit talking Sting & Muhammad Ali, Guardian Angel beats the ass out of Harley Race. Harley is not in great shape at this point and Angel gives no fucks. Vader is like, " WTF dude? Harley wasn't crumpled in a ball when I left him." This sets the tone. They beat the crap out of each other and I loved it. Plus a clean finish that was smart too!! Definitely RECOMMEND this one. I felt this could have taken place in New Japan.

    ----
    Vader vs Dustin Rhodes (Clash of the Champions XXIX 11/16): Oh boy, this was a slobber knocker. Vader was pummeling Dustin but he wouldn't let the big man beat him. Rhodes used everything in his arsenal to try to take out the monster. This had a great intensity and pace and some excellent action. This was a great match! Again, I could see this in '94 NJPW. RECOMMENDED viewing!
    WWF vault has this match along with the 04/30 Cactus Jack match below:
     
    Big Van Vader vs. “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan (12/10  WCW Saturday Night) - This totally could have taken place in Mid South 😄. This was really good stuff and like or dislike it, Duggan was absolutely competitive with the big man. Duggan could still go and his clothesline on Vader & Race on the floor were awesome! They are giving Vader excellent opponents and he's bringing out the best in them.
    Big Van Vader vs. Dustin Rhodes (12 17 1994 WCW Saturday Night) - Really good stuff! Brain himself thinks Dustin is as good an opponent as Sting...and I do too. He and Vader work so well together. Dustin is able to do more junior oriented offense since Vader is so big plus Rhodes Jr. is willing to take a beating to put on a quality bout. Obviously their Clash match is better than this but, absolutely worth checking it out!

    ----

    Vader vs "Hacksaw” Jim Duggan (12/27 Starrcade) - This was the curtain jerker for Starrcade...which seems odd. Your " triple threat " main event is Mr. T vs Kevin Sullivan, John Tenta vs Sting & Hogan vs Brutus the Barber Beefcake...I mean The Butcher. It's not 1988...I guess I should say the same for Duggan vs Vader but like Sting vs Tenta, it is potentially an interesting match. Harlem Heat vs Nasty Boys is on the card too. The Hogan era is in full motherfucking effect. Also, I know Duggan's gimmick is Mr. USA working class hero but it's really been distilled into a 2x4 and U-S-A chants. Vader is from the USA too. So people never really chant "Duggan" like in Mid South...they chant for their country which seems like he's not as popular as it would seem, you know? Kind of a cheap pop type of gimmick he's got going. Anyhow...This was a good match...maybe 3 stars or 3.25 stars. There's a lot to like but I do get that they were wrestling in the opener too so I think they did their job. Good action, everyone in the stands was pumped up..and good finish too 😋 I prefer their TV match though.
    Vader definitely finished 1994 strong and certainly feels like he's going forward somewhat. Most of the other guys that I looked at left the company or their push got stalled out (probably due to the WWF influx). Regal definitely should have been going forward past the TV title and onto US Champion contention after this year. Hell - put him up against Vader!
    Overall, this was a pretty enjoyable experience. Although I focused on the tag division, Ricky Steamboat, Steven Regal & Vader, I think I got an excellent taste of the best of what WCW had to offer in 1994. The three singles wrestlers all had an excellent year and worthwhile matches. I felt the tag division was strong all year with Buff & Scorpio feuding with Harlem Heat then Cactus & Kevin fighting the Nasty Boys along with the Stud Stable mixing things up with Dustin, Sting, Ricky & others. Orndorff & Roma definitely were the glue in the middle & end of the year as Stars & Stripes just didn't deliver in my eyes. Bad Attitude should have had more of a role but they were used as enhancement/support rather than players. Anyhow, I would recommend checking some of these matches out from 1994. There's a lot to like with this year of WCW - exciting tags, technical battles, wild brawls, dramatic title matches and an entertaining commentary team. 
    Thanks for reading!
  9. G. Badger
    Sorry for the delay folks! It's been a busy week. Let's get to the wrestling!
    TAGS
    Harlem Heat vs. Brad and Brian Armstrong (Road Dogg) (08/06 WCW Saturday Night) - Two pairs of brothers square off! This was a blast. Both teams got a bunch of offense in and then a helluva finish to cap things off. 
    Pretty Wonderful vs. Stars And Stripes (08 13 94 WCW Saturday Night) - OK face/heel match but was too long for how it ended. I like the corny U-S-A gimmick especially since everything the last 30 years has been too cool for school. I like a lil bit of cheesy gimmicks now and then.
    Jim Duggan and Stars & Stripes vs Lord Steven Regal & Pretty Wonderful (WCW Pro Aug 20th, 1994) - Man, they were really laying the jingoism on thick with this face team...and I refreshed my memory...nothing was really going on in '94 to warrant it. It's weird but then again it's super hero comic book type stuff so I guess they figured it's better than nothing especially when people clearly love chanting U-S-A for any fucking reason (edit: I guess it didn't take me too long to sour on the Stars & Stripes shtick 😋). But this was a fun match. The shit heel team did a great job keeping this interesting and keeping you wanting to see that big tag.
    Arn Anderson, Terry Funk and Bunkhouse Buck vs. 3 Armstrong Brothers (08 20 1994 WCW Saturday Night) - I think this was filmed at the same time as the above two man tag match. Those two chicks were in the front cheering for the baby faces are still there too.  It's a fun yet meandering match that really serves to add fuel to the Dustin & Dusty vs Stud Stable feud.
    The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags) vs. Pretty Wonderful (Paul Orndorff & Paul Roma) (Clash Of The Champions XXVIII (28) 08/24) - Fun match to kick off the show. There's not necessarily anything memorable other than Barry Darsow in the crowd as just another fan (even though they keep doing close ups). But I guess this was the start of an angle as The Blacktop Bully. Anyhow, fun match...

    ----
    Dustin Rhodes & Dusty Rhodes vs. The Stud Stable (Bunkhouse Buck & Terry Funk) (w/Col. Robert Parker & Meng) (Clash Of The Champions XXVIII (28) 08/24) - An absolute blast where it's about the whole package rather than the match alone. It's chaotic goodness 🙂

    ----
    The tag division is lacking the punch it had earlier in the year. Stars & Stripes are generic compared to Bagwell & Scorpio and the Nasty Boys are fun but aren't much without Cactus & Kevin and the violent brawls. Bad Attitude is still quality, Harlem Heat appears to be in a holding position at this time of '94. Pretty Wonderful do their jobs as heel champs but aren't awesome. Looking forward, the Fantastics come in at the end of the year so perhaps things kick up a notch then.
    STEAMBOAT
    Sting & Ricky Steamboat vs Bad Attitude (Main Event Aug 7th, 1994) - An absolute blast of a bout! It's nowhere as developed as the matches with Arn. Bad Attitude seems to be advanced enhancement talent (unfortunately) so this is just a really offensive display for Ricky and Sting...but Keirn & Eaton make them look great. 
    Ricky Steamboat & Johnny B Badd vs Steve Austin & Lord Steven Regal Main Event Aug 14th, 1994 - Quick match but a lot of fun. Regal isn't really at play much of this. It's more about Austin vs Steamboat. Mero was supposed to look like Little Richard, right?

    Ricky Steamboat vs Arn Anderson (Main Event Aug 21st, 1994) - Oh yeah! This is the match you want. Excellent action, simple but full of impact. I especially liked how they chained things together. There's shenanigans with Col. Parker & Meng (looking like Victor Quinones with those sunglasses) but that's all expected. This was compact but told a story and had good action. It's a very good match.

    Steve Austin vs. Ricky Steamboat (Clash of Champions XXVIII (28) (08/24)) - Well, the era of picture in picture shots of Hulk Hogan backstage while an actual fucking wrestling match is happening has begun. Here we see Hulk getting loaded into an ambulance while Steamboat faces Austin... a year long feud. Anyhow...Holy cow, this is awesome! They are chaining so much together and it really does feel like the culmination of their skirmishes on TV. Austin is such a dick throughout by slapping and taunting Ricky. Steamboat doesn't take this lightly and goes after his foe. Stunning Steve is no pushover though. Quick, technical and heated from beginning to end. I thought this was a classic. HIGH RECOMMENDATION

    ----
    REGAL
    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.

    ----
    I'm going to keep on truckin' with WCW 1994. It might wrap up in one or two posts. It's been a fun ride so far.
    Thanks for reading folks & stay safe!
  10. G. Badger
    This is post #3 where I'll be looking at the 1997 matches from the ECW Unreleased vol.1 DVD and a boat load of matches from YouTube 
    Rob Van Dam & Sabu vs. Perry Saturn & John Kronus (ECW Cyberslam 1997 Feb. 1997) - ECW World Tag Team Title Tables & Ladders Match - An absolute war between the two most innovative tag teams in ECW. Bell to bell craziness... it's hard to tell what was planned and what was on the fly. Expect a few blemishes, this was a great ECW tag title match without a doubt.  

    -----
    Sabu vs. Taz  (ECW Barely Legal, 04/13/97) Very good grudge match! The crowd was kinda sedate for this match which is totally weird since they'd been building this up for sometime. A straight ahead match for the most part and that's what made this so enjoyable. Others have said they're not the best opponents for each other and that's true. Sabu wrestles a faster pace and Taz either does a squash or something closer to a puro match. The pacing could have been quicker for the intensity factor but I think both guys got legit hurt....maybe I've seen to many Tenryu/Choshu type matches. I think that's the weaknesses - I didn't think they hated one another. And the finish could have been more dramatic. Again, I think I've seen better and am comparing it (duh, it's a review! That's what you are supposed to do!). Watching this right after the tag match above also may have influenced me. Also post match angle which was pretty significant but goofy.

    -----

    On YouTube:
    Taz vs. Sabu / Franchise vs. Taz (06/06/97 Wrestlepalooza '97) - Taz vs Sabu here is better than Barely Legal because it's at a quicker pace. It's under 10 minutes and is a stripped down version so it keeps it's intensity. It feeds off the events of Barely Legal so the story is that much stronger ...plus you get what you want from both - suplexes & high risk moves. I dig the finish a lot too! But then it gets better... Franchise starts shit talking Taz from the crow's nest. We get a special challenge match for the TV title. It's more of a story arc device but it works so well especially right on the heels of the previous match that I think the whole segment is a classic.

    Taz & Chris Candido vs. Sabu & Rob Van Dam (ECW 05/08/97) Pretty chaotic action packed match. They are flying off the top rope, there's a suplex or a move with the chair. Not necessarily a dramatic match but a high energy one...good, good fan cam match. Everything you would want... Candido was great in ECW. Sabu does a great leaping frakensteiner off the chair to Chris. Elks Lodge is like the Hammerstein Ballroom. Probably my favorite ECW venues since the balconies makes it feel so epic...like there's so much to be said for the old architecture compared to modern arenas. But I think the Elks Lodge is the best...everyone is just packed in there..That said the Fan Cam shot is really shaky here because Feinstein keeps needing to move in order to get the shot. So there's a couple other good looking matches from this show that I am going to skip for now...well just one more...
    Shane Douglas vs. Pitbull #1 (05/08/97) - It dawned on me that these DVDs don't include the Pit bulls and I've skipped them over too. So we can't have that! It's fun but holy shit, Rick Rude carrying Francine like that :S That's a bit pervy even for ECW. Now you're going to look it up for this - oh great! Butt...whoops...but anyways we get to see the Triple Threat (Franchise, Candido & Bigelow) plus Pitbull #2. *Edit since posting: Been listening to clips from Francine's podcast (super interesting btw) and she mentions this incident and it was unplanned. She says Rude pretty much did whatever he wanted with her in this and at other times. She's over it but yeah that's pretty fucked up. Just wanted to add some info from Francine since I found it*
     
    Mikey Whipwreck vs. Spike Dudley (ECW 1997) - Not sure on the date but this is really good stuff! I forgot how much fun Spike was on offense. I think I just recall him taking sick bumps but he was much more than that. Mikey and he wrestled their asses of and this was a precursor to the Super Crazy - Tajiri - Spike - Guido - sometimes Jerry Lynn matches from a year or two later. I put this here chronology because Mikey and Spike shake hands and looks like team up later in '97.
    D-Von Dudley (w/ Joel Gertner) vs. Tommy Dreamer (w/ Beulah) ECW (05/30/97 Hazelton, PA) - Fancam at a gym show and this one is a lot of fun. Pre-match jaw jacking and then a simple but enjoyable singles match. Beulah & Gertner at ringside are great. D-von and Tommy can do a match like this in their sleep but dammit! It put a smile on my face

    Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Spike Dudley (As Good as It Gets 09/20/97): A famous ECW moment as Bigelow press slams Spike into the crowd from the ring!! And the ECW Arena fans body surf him! It's a fun match with a great moment. A person in the YouTube comments was there and said on the 2nd toss into the crowd, no one caught Spike and they thought he was dead. They eventually resuscitate Spike & surf him though... Holy Cow!

    Jerry Lynn vs Justin Credible (10/31/97 ECW Fright Fight Stamford, CT) - Really good junior style match. Lynn & Credible worked really well together. This was pretty early in their ECW careers so I think they were working a program to get some interest in them. Not sure if there's much more to it than that!
    Back to the DVD!
    Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Shane Douglas - (ECW November To Remember 1997 - 11/30/97) - In Pittsburgh (Monaca, PA to be exact), The Franchise takes on his former Triple Threat member, Bam Bam Bigelow for the ECW title! And it's a good match - lotsa drama here, lotsa Bigelow working the pro-Franchise crowd. I wasn't a fan of the slow pacing but there were some choice spots and Francine did a great job as usual. This was good stuff if you like both guys & if you're watching a chunk of ECW like me. Also a nice allusion to the Bam Bam vs Spike match above. If you're not a fan or your not invested then, this is not going to keep you entertained.

    Missed posting this last week, now it's up!
    -----
    Sometime in 1997:
    Chris Candido vs. Dr. Tom Prichard (ECW 1997) - Great all action match! It's under 10 minutes and there's a section clipped out for TV. Had to watch this one Not sure on the date so I'm tacking it on at the end.
    Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Sabu (ECW World Title) 1997 - Not sure when this one was either. It's a TV match so we get the get camera angles for the Elks Lodge. And although this match doesn't have a decision, everything that happened before all of the run kind was great! This is a great example of Sabu doing his match - its quick, frenetic and he's using his body as a weapon. It makes sense against the Beast from the East. Bigelow just needs to be a monster and this works! Bam Bam in ECW was awesome! 
    Al Snow vs. Paul Diamond (w/ Chastity) ECW 1997 - I gotta have an Al Snow match. I couldn't find many but Snow and the head gimmick was so over in 97 & 98. It confused the hell out of me how he'd be on ECW and WWF (for a time) but in a way Snow helped me get into ECW because I at least recognized him from the WWF shows and magazines. Same with Bigelow. This isn't much of a a match but it's fun & if you look it up, it is A good representation of Al Snow during this time. Also didn't realize that his Snow Plow finish is a Northern Lights Bomb - sick!
    I kinda went overboard for 1997. There's only 3 matches on the DVD which I found wasn't representative of the roster or all of the neat pairings. As I kept looking for stuff, I kept finding interesting matches. The roster seemed pretty damn stacked in 1997. There was fresh blood and new angles (ECW vs WWF/Jerry Lawler for instance) as well as PPVs. They had lost talent but it didn't slow down. 1997 was ECW turning a corner into bigger & better things. Bigelow was just awesome in this setting. Yeah, 1997 seemed like a very good year.
    Hang in there and thanks for reading!
  11. G. Badger
    Hi Folks!
    It's June and it's the midway point the year. So, it's time for the Best Matches Watched thus far for 2025. I'm only including things that I've covered in the blog. I have been watching Mid-South Wrestling but haven't talked about any of that yet. That will be my 80's project for the year. 
    HM stands for Honorable Mention and are matches that absolutely worth checking out along with the classics. I mention them because, you might watch them and be like, "No dude... that was badass. That is a classic too." And you know those ones that are on the fence for me too. I have to give them a nod here along with the classics. 
    Also I tend to think of things in terms of promotional/regional style. You might love a TNA tag match but hate a GAEA tag. Or dig New Japan Juniors but not like death matches at all. You know your preferences best so, keep that in mind! If you need more info then, go and read my comments in the  corresponding original post 😋 
    I have sorted things by promotion and by year below:
    BJW
    Ryuji Yamakawa vs. Jun Kasai (Land Mine Board Russian Roulette Death Match)  (BJW 03/03/02) HM MEN's Teioh vs. Daisuke Sekimoto (BJW 03/30/03) Kintaro Kanemura vs. Ryuji Ito (Cage Death Match)(BJW 08/24/03) GAEA
    Chigusa Nagayo & Aja Kong vs. Meiko Satomura & Chikayo Nagashima (GAEA 02/08/02) HM Meiko Satomura vs. Chikayo Nagashima (GAEA 04/14/02) HM Meiko Satomura & Ayako Hamada vs LCO (GAEA 07/14/02) HM Manami Toyota & Aja Kong vs. Meiko Satomura & Ayako Hamada (GAEA 08/30/02) Mayumi Ozaki & KAORU vs. Meiko Satomura & Ayako Hamada (GAEA 10/20/02) NJPW
    Takeshi Morishima & Takeshi Rikio vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Yutaka Yoshie (NOAH 04/07/02) Putting this with NJ since it's an inter promotional match Yoshihiro Takayama vs Kazuyuki Fujita (NJPW 08/29/02) HM Kenta Kobashi vs. Masahiro Chono (NJPW 05/02/03) Yuji Nagata vs. Yoshihiro Takayama (NJPW 05/02/03) HM Tiger Mask vs. Takehiro Murahama (NJPW 06/13/03) HM Yoshihiro Takayama vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (NJPW 06/13/03) ROH
    Jerry Lynn vs Nigel McGuinness (ROH Southern Hostility 2008) HM *Bryan Danielson vs Davey Richards (Final Countdown: Boston 09/25/09)* KENTA & El Generico vs Nigel McGuinness & Davey Richards (Steel City Clash 2009) Davey Richards vs KENTA (Supercard of Honor IV 2009) KENTA & Tyler Black vs Austin Aries & Katsuhiko Nakajima (Take No Prisoners 2009) American Wolves vs KENTA & Roderick Strong (Violent Tendencies 2009)  KENTA vs Tyler Black (End of an Age 06/27) American Wolves & Chris Hero vs Steenerico & KENTA (ROH on HDnet ep #17 aired 07/18/09)  Austin Aries vs Davey Richards (Aries vs Richards 11/13/09) TNA
    Jerry Lynn vs AJ Styles (TNA PPV #20 11/06/02) HM Triple X (Elix Skipper & Christopher Daniels) vs Jerry Lynn & Amazing Red (TNA 09/04/03) Team Canada (Bobby Roode & Eric Young) (w/Scott D'Amore) vs. America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris & James Storm) (TNA Final Resolution 2005) Sabu & Raven vs Jeff Jarrett & Rhino (Sacrifice 2005) HM Sabu vs Rhino vs Abyss vs Jeff Hardy - Monster's Ball (Bound for Glory 2005) HM Sabu vs vs Abyss - No Ropes Barb Wire match (Turning Point 2005) WCW
    Ricky Steamboat vs Ric Flair (WCW Spring Stampede '94) The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags) vs. Cactus Jack & Kevin Sullivan - Slamboree 05/22/94) HM Larry Zbyszko vs. Lord Steven Regal (05/28/94 WCW Saturday Night) HM Larry Zbyszko vs. Lord Steven Regal (w/Sir William) - Clash of Champions XXVII (27) (06/23/94) HM Feud of the year so far is Larry Zbyszko vs Lord Steven Regal. I may have underrated those matches. I loved them. American Wolves vs Steenerico is probably second feud. Meiko Satomura & Ayako Hamada are the tag team of the year at this point. Although there's not as many matches of theirs, they feel most like a top tier tag team... they were putting on classic, big time matches. They feel like they belong in that mid to late 90's AJW level. Bryan Danielson is a perennial Best Match Watched contender and it's no different this year. And honestly, I don't know if I am a big fan of his anymore. I think I'm over-familiar. But that should be evidence for the quality of the nominated bouts. I'm not swayed by favoritism or nostalgia there. Those matches are that good. And the front runner is Bryan Danielson vs Davey Richards (Final Countdown: Boston 09/25/09). My wrestler of the year isn't listed above but comes from my Mid South viewing and that's Ted DiBiase. That's a teaser for those posts, I guess 🙂 Regal in '94, Davey in '09 & Satomura in 2002 would be runners up at the moment.
    If you're bored with wrestling lately then, give these matches a shot. I'm sure you'll find something you like. Thanks for reading! 
  12. G. Badger
    Keep that 1994 WCW train chugging along baby!
    TAGS
    Cactus Jack & Kevin Sullivan
    Cactus Jack and Kevin Sullivan (w/ Dave Sullivan) vs. Nasty Boys (07 02 1994 WCW Saturday Night) - Fun short match but also shenanigans that loops Pretty Wonderful into things for Bash at the Beach.
    Cactus Jack and Kevin Sullivan vs. Bad Attitude (07 16 1994 WCW Saturday Night) - Bad Attitude is Bobby Eaton & Steve Keirn if you're just joining us. So much bleached blonde hair - Keirn, Eaton, Dave & Kevin Sullivan...all in terrible mullets 😵 And I'm not a hockey hair hater. Anyhow, a very good brawling match...bits of wrestling maneuvers sprinkled in between punches and kicks. What's good is that there was action all over & felt organic. Plus Bad Attitude let Jack do a couple of his spots and that really elevated the match. I don't think Pretty Wonderful let Jack do shit at Bash at the Beach.
    Cactus Jack and Kevin Sullivan vs. Pretty Wonderful (Bash at the Beach 07/17): This was OK...It just didn't need to be this long for the cheap and unbelievable finish that they did. How didn't the ref see that?It's like he counted 1-2-3 because he wanted to wrap the match up too. I watched the Match vs Bad Attitude afterwards and OK this finish plays off that but two things - that was a better but similar match & the finish was better executed there. This was right before Flair vs Hogan on the show so the fans were mildly into this too which didn't help.
    Cactus Jack and Kevin Sullivan vs. Pretty Wonderful (07 23 1994 WCW Saturday Night) - The return match from the PPV. Fun promo from Jack & the Sullivan Bros. before the bout. This is a better version of the PPV match. The crowd was into it and the finish was better. It's longer than it needs to be still but it's WAY more enjoyable and doesn't drag. It's actually fun to watch. Cactus Jack is restrained again as I feel neither Pauls want to take his big spots. I think their 06/11 bout might be their best but this was still worthwhile. It's the last Sullivan & Jack team match that I have.
    The Paul Orndorff YouTube page has this up. It's dated 07/02 but it's the correct match:
     
    STEAMBOAT
    Ricky Steamboat vs Ric Flair Main Event July 24th, 1994 - This is only 15 min and more my speed right now. And it is fucking great! Awesome baby face performance from Steamboat! Awesome heel performance from Flair - chicken shit heel stuff had me laughing! Sherri Martel was great as well - so many cheap shots and crazy bumps. This was top notch stuff between these two. No it's not a human chess match but was an electric wrestling match with great work by everyone involved. And beautifully sets up the next batch of matches.

    Ric & Sherri
    -----
    Ricky Steamboat vs Steve Austin (Worldwide July 30th)- Tony S. talks about how Steamboat has never been a heel his whole career. What's neat is that he doesn't use the terms baby face/face or heel (shit heel) and doesn't even say good guy or bad guy. Ventura makes some cracks at Greg Gagne after the match Anyway, this is good stuff but really is set up and continuation of their feud. They have a match at Bash at the Beach but given the reviews in '94 yearbook, I skipped it.

    Ric Flair and Steve Austin (w/ Sherri) vs. Sting and Ricky Steamboat (07/30  WCW Saturday Night) Long main event but dammit, they went for it here! I would say it's a great match especially with the finish in mind. There were parts of the middle that sagged. I think it's because they needed to fill time. It's weird actually... there was good action but it didn't seem to escalate. It reminds me of someone on a treadmill. But it was still good during these portions... but not really moving the match forward. They eventually did and again the finishing portion was excellent and it reminded me that we have 5 of the best workers of all time here...and this is a TV match! Awesome post match interview/promo too.


    Ric using Sherri as a human shield from Sting
    -----
    REGAL
    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 all 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.
    1994 continues to a great year for WCW if you cherry pick like me. As you can tell, I'm avoiding Hogan like the plague. I can't avoid the references to Hogan by the announcers during the matches but I think I'm going to back to watching with the sound off. Sorry no Vader this post but he'll be back.
    Thanks for reading folks! 🙂
  13. G. Badger
    We're back with more of WCW 1994! It's a heck of a year so far and really is an end of an era since Hogan eventually comes in and wrecks the shop. But don't worry, I'm not going to be looking at a single match of his. Instead I'm going to focus on the tag division, Ricky Steamboat, Steven Regal and the man they call Vader. Same as before
     
    TAGS
    The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags) vs. Cactus Jack & Kevin Sullivan - Slamboree 05/22/94 - There's a few Slamboree '94 matches that I'm reviewing and it's definitely in PPV that the WCW YouTube page should post. As myself and others have discussed, it has many future WWF/E legends like Austin & Foley who they still will promote along with Flair & Terry Funk but it may lack that Hogan appeal...maybe it needs more Goldberg? hahaha...anyhow...I typically don't like the Nasty Boys but I want to pay Sullivan & Jack some attention with this project so, here we go! But first, Tony Schiavone already sounds like he doesn't give a shit. I don't listen to commentary much but I wanted to for this PPV and Schiavone sounds like he's fucking checked out from his old days...the spark, the passion sounds gone and he's got 6+ years in WCW. He's like a husband who still goes to his kid's play and over to the in-laws for Xmas but he's off in the corner staring out the window. He knows he should get a divorce but is sticking it out because he made a vow before God and family and he's not going to go back on his word. His wife knows the fire's gone...she can feel it when they kiss, when they make love...who is she kidding it's just sex anymore. So, yeah that's Tony Schiavone on commentary. This is an awesome brawl where they legitimately are trying to beat each other up...they are working but this is like the UWFi of brawling. No one's really swinging chairs & trash cans safely, there's little to no setup time on highspots. Perfect that this is in Philly. This is a near classic to me...if everyone was bleeding then I think that would have increased the sense of chaos and violence. ECW, Cactus Jack/Mick Foley fans want to see this. Definitely looking forward to more Jack & Sullivan matches if they're like this! Recommended!  EDIT: Oh shoot, the WCW YouTube page is putting good stuff up again. I guess they have to put something up instead of Scott Steiner, Kevin Nash, Hogan & Goldberg once in awhile. Here it is for you below!
     
    Cactus Jack & Kevin Sullivan vs Harlem Heat (WCW Pro May 28th, 1994) - joined in progress on TV...and they are trying to kill each other! It's a good match but I think it lacked variety. However they did a great job keeping that intensity up and that's what kept me watching.
    Cactus Jack and Kevin Sullivan vs. Pretty Wonderful (06/11 WCW Saturday Night) - Very good tag team match. Jack & Sullivan brought the intensity & brawling. Roma & Orndorff obliged and Roma even was jumping off the turnbuckle quite a bit. This was spirited stuff.
    Cactus Jack & Kevin Sullivan (w/Dave Sullivan) vs. The Nasty Boys  - Clash of the Champions XXVII (27) - (06/23) - Oh yeah, they deliver again! This is just a straight match but they keep the intensity going and are laying in their shots. And just when you think you've got a grip on the match, Cactus Jack does what he does best. Seriously, if anyone else took that bump, you'd be seriously worried... don't get me wrong that shit hurt Mick too. Anyhow, great match and opener for the Clash of the Champions.
    STEAMBOAT
    I don't have any singles matches to review for Ricky Steamboat for this time although it's highly recommended that you check out the Steamboat vs Flair match from 05/14 Saturday Night. It's gotten a fair bit of pimping and I'm not going to use my time to do so here. It's a long match for TV standards and it's gonna bog me down, I'm afraid. I mean it's Flair vs Steamboat - if you're interested then you've got to see this one, right? I'm just not that interested in a long match between these two that's gotten plenty of good reviews already. I'm more interested in stuff like:
    Ricky Steamboat & Arn Anderson vs Bad Attitude (Main Event May 1st, 1994) - Really fun match with Keirn & Eaton being the Fabulous Ones but evil...it's a weird paring considering I'm sure Stan Lane was available... maybe Beautiful Bobby corrupted Stan originally and now he's moved on to tainting the heart of Steve Keirn. Anyhow, 4 of the greats in the ring for an 8 minute TV match. It's so organic and well paced...they are just out there putting on a show.

    Ricky Steamboat & Arn Anderson vs Bad Attitude (Main Event May 8th, 1994) - A rematch and an expansion on the previous match. I thought this one was really good. It felt like the intensity was ramped up and these teams definitely should've done more together. I'm going to stop myself from calling this a "great" match but damn I really dug it!
     
    REGAL
    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!
    OK now we're back to Spring 1994.

    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 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
    VADER 
    Sting vs Vader (Slamboree 05/22/94) - This was OK...it had its moments but didn't really deliver on what I know they can do together. Now they said the match was supposed to be Rude vs Vader...maybe that's true. This felt barebones in terms of complexity and I never felt Sting did enough to warrant the turns in moment. I do think this was an excellent performance from Vader though. He looked like a monster when on offense but vulnerable when on defense plus he put his body on the line with some of the bumps he took. And Sting really did great too but I know they have better stuff. Looking ahead, they have a TV match on WCW Saturday Night in October '94.
    Vader vs. The Guardian Angel (Big Boss Man) - Bash at the Beach (07/17) - They show Hank Aaron & Antonio Inoki sitting next to each other, ha! That's awesome! Hank seems to be enjoying the show. This was a fun match with the two big dudes going at it. Harley takes some big bumps here too. This finish is an 80's finish but without the post match goodness. It's all good though. Fun one off match for me. Posting this here to make up for the mediocre Sting match.
    I'm not going to kid you, Regal is having a helluva 1994. I'm having a blast with the Cactus & Kevin Sullivan team as well as Arn & Ricky (I don't think it lasts...hint-hint). More Bad Attitude too...I hope! 
    Thanks for reading!
  14. G. Badger

    Thank you Sabu!

    By G. Badger,


    Spotlight
    I'm having a hard time thinking about how to introduce this post. It's really hard to put into words what Sabu means to me as a wrestling fan...as an ECW fan, as a Sabu fan. I think I've told the story elsewhere but Terry Funk vs Sabu's barb wire match is the match that hooked me into watching ECW. It's a seminal moment for me as a wrestling fan. It made me a fan of both men instantly. Sabu is foundational for my interest in wrestling as a young adult and a middle aged turd now. I admired his high risk moves, his improvisation & creativity and his toughness. My admiration wavered as got to be snobby shit in my 20's, I came to understand his style again and on a deeper level as I got older. His best matches show an intensity and drive to win by any means necessary... many times using his own body as a weapon. Much like Manami Toyota, Sabu would ride the razor's edge between success and failure... between making a move or crashing and burning. That razor's edge is where the thrill came from...would he make it or not? Would that gambit pay off?  Sometimes he (with Toyota) would be on the brink of disaster and would be able to pull it back and deliver his devastating attack... sometimes something more dangerous than he originally planned for. Writing this, I think of some of the lyrics to Motörhead's 'Ace of Spades.' He had an aura of danger but also mystery. The entrance music, not speaking, appearing out of the darkness. And the pointing to the sky!
    Many people have posted online sending condolences and tributes to Sabu. I was pleased to see that TNA wrestling had posted a "Best Of" Sabu compilation. Even though I didn't watch much new wrestling in the early 2000's I remained a Sabu fan...watching my old tapes, getting stuff off eBay and playing WCW vs the World where Sabu is a playable character. So when I started to get back into contemporary wrestling, it was Sabu that drew me into TNA with his matches on their Bloodiest Matches DVD. I never did get to see his matches... until now. I've got the video below and if you're interested, my reviews follow.
     
     
    vs Malice (TNA PPV #5) - This was a great highspots match with a virtual unknown (to me at least). This was a ladder match and by gawd they used the ladder along with tables and chairs. Sabu really made this match by putting his body on the line to get over how dangerous Malice was. Make sure you watch til the end for the post match mayhem!
    w/ Raven vs Jeff Jarrett & Rhino (Sacrifice 2005) - Hahaha! That was fucking chaotic in the best way with the shenanigans. A great hardcore rules tag match from these four guys. Double J really comes through in these matches as he's always down to bleed and Sabu and Rhino can still go. Raven had me a little worried but he came to work and this was just a blast. Golden era TNA had tags like this down pat and this was no exception.
    vs Abyss (Unbreakable 2005) - Really good hardcore spot wrestling. Abyss was an excellent base for Sabu. As a result, they were able to do some really impressive moves off of Sabu's triple jump. Sick finish too!! I dug their dynamic as Sabu really made it seem like he had to use body as a weapon to defeat the giant Abyss.
    vs Rhino vs Abyss vs Jeff Hardy - Monster's Ball (Bound for Glory 2005) - And that's fuckin' insane! Wow, what a well paced highspot spectacle. Two big guys paired with two high flyers was a smart idea. The slams looked fantastic, the suicidal dives looked warranted... yeah this was great. I can't say it was clever (other than one spot) but it was a thrill. An absolute fireworks show that I recommend checking out!
    vs Abyss (Genesis 2005) - This was a simpler version of their Unbreakable match. No that's not exactly right. It just didn't seem as cohesive as that match. This seemed a little simpler in terms of spots - athletic and hardcore oriented. Still, this was a lot of fun. Sabu is definitely what makes this enjoyable. I'm not taking anything away from Abyss but Sabu puts himself in harms way for our enjoyment. Having watched BJW from this time period, this match would absolutely fit right in - chairs, tables, barb wire & thumb tacks. It's not in excess like you might see in a BJW main event but it definitely has an excellent blend of brawling, moves and garbage spots that it's worth your time.
    vs Abyss - No Ropes Barb Wire match (Turning Point 2005) - Speaking of death matches, here we go! This was great! A spectacle to see six sides of barb wire and they did not disappoint. Great spots with the wire and the wire covered chair and boards. Both guys got as good as they gave. I really dug when Sabu pulled the spike out and carved up Abyss' arm just like his uncle, The Sheik. Fantastic! By the way, Abyss' 2005 was really great - his program with Sabu & his ROH/Embassy work...I think that's worth noting.
    vs Samoa Joe (Lockdown 2006) - Good match and a really good pace but it's over too soon for my liking. I feel like Sabu could have pushed Joe further but seeing as I didn't know these two had this match, I am happy that I saw it These two gelled really well. They absolutely could have done more work together.
    There's a couple more matches included on the video but that's where I'm going to stop my review. I'm so glad to see these matches and I think was a fitting tribute to Sabu. There was no one like him in the ring. If you're a Sabu fan but haven't seen anything recently check these matches out. If you've wanted to see a Sabu match but never had, check something out. Everyone else will have more poignant things to say. People that knew him will have stories and insights on the man Terry Brunk. I'm just a 20+ year fan of his work and all I can do is tell you to watch some Sabu. Thank you Sabu!!!
  15. G. Badger
    I think this project was prompted by the WCW YouTube page started recently by WWE. They came out the gate with some great stuff and have been trickling out Hogan era schlock lately. Anyhow, 1994 seemed like a really interesting year in terms of their roster and matchups. As usual, I'm going to cherry pick certain wrestlers and matches. I want to focus on Steven Regal, Ricky Steamboat, Vader & tags that look interesting. I know I'm missing some stuff. I was going to do a comprehensive 1994 but that was too large of a project. I'm mainly using the TV shows but will include WCW YouTube stuff where applicable for PPVs and any official wrestler YouTube videos.
    TAGS
    2 Cold Scorpio & Marcus Bagwell
    Paul Roma and Paul Orndorff vs Marcus Alexander Bagwell and 2 Cold Scorpio (01/15 WCW Saturday Night) - This was OK and not very long...for as big a mouth as Roma has had, he didn't work very well here. I think that he missed a spot or took too long and didn't seem to know what the finish was on a rolling clutch type thing...and after the match, they were to do a top rope splash on Scorpio and it looks like a legit knee drop on Scorp's abdomen because Roma didn't want to commit to the splash
    Harlem Heat vs Marcus Alexander Bagwell and 2 Cold Scorpio (02/19 WCW Saturday Night) Oh man! This was a heck of a match. We don't get a clean finish but damn it still ended spectacularly! Obviously, Booker was best with Bagwell & Scorpio but I definitely appreciated Stevie Ray's hard hitting style in this match. Very good stuff!
    2 Cold Scorpio & Marcus Bagwell vs Harlem Heat Worldwide March 26th, 1994 - Another high energy tag match with Scorpio & Bagwell being a team that I wish I knew sooner. Unfortunately we don't get a clean finish but looking forward, it sets up a couple more matches. (looks like Bagwell & Scorpio have some good tags in '93).
    Marcus Bagwell vs Booker T (04/02/94) - Super fun match! Plenty of quality in ring action and a nice finish involving Ron Simmons - keep the feud alive
    Ice Train, 2 Cold Scorpio, & Marcus Bagwell vs Harlem Heat & Ron Simmons Worldwide April 9th, 1994 - I think that the unifying factor of the Buff & Scorpio team is that they dance. Not in a stupid way (I guess) but yeah...hahaha! Booker does his break dance and even Ron Simmons is shaking his hips. There's a lot of boogie in this match Ice Train is here for moral support as he's never tagged in. So, we get excellent in ring action with Scorp & Buff wrestling their butts off vs Harlem Heat & Simmons. This is very good stuff...simple but exciting wrestling. This just puts a smile on my face.
    2 Cold Scorpio, Bagwell, & Ice Train vs. Harlem Heat & Ron Simmons (04 16 1994 WCW Saturday Night) - Holy cow, they gave this some time on Saturday Night. This feud didn't make it to PPV so I think they gave them this to end it. And damn they wrestled this like it was - hot opening, face in peril with Bagwell and a hot tag to finish. I thought this was a great TV match for sure. Sadly it's the end of the Scorpio & Bagwell team by the looks of it... or at from I've found. They had more stuff in '93 so perhaps that's worth a look.
     -----
    STEAMBOAT
    Ricky Steamboat & Arn Anderson vs. Steve Austin & Lord Steven Regal (03 05 1994 WCW Saturday Night) - Holy cow! That was a great TV tag match! Steamboat in peril was fantastic and Austin & Regal as a team is as top notch as you'd like. Arn laying the smack down was great too. Great pacing and timing...just super easy to enjoy this.
    “Stunning” Steve Austin vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat (03 12 1994 WCW Saturday Night) - This was a great match from beginning to end - technical but with some fisticuffs, shenanigans but nothing that spoiled the match, full of action but no mindless spots. Yeah, this definitely Recommended wrestling. And a good finish that leads to bigger things
    Paul Roma vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat (03 19 1994 WCW Saturday Night) - Very nice keep-it-simple work-a-limb wrestling. Roma just looks like a smarmy heel so this just works in the most basic way. Fun stuff...There's an old RF shoot where Roma talks shit on Ricky...like the only person ever to have bad things to say about Steamboat... classy dude.
    Spring Stampede '94 April 17th 1994 PPV
    Steamboat vs Flair - Set aside some time, be in the mood/mind set and watch these two masters go at it one more time. I thought this was a classic. Definitely suggest you read some of the takes from the 1994 Match Discussion Archives/PWO Yearbook. There's spoilers there. As far as my opinion, I have no real flaws in mind but I would say that you're going to be watching something in line with their '89 matches...which are more technically oriented than brawling or full of the fanciest moves of 1994. Headlock work, backslides...there's chops, dropkicks, moves off the top but they're not the bulk of the match. So bear that in mind
     
     
    Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat & Arn Anderson vs. Pat Tanaka & Haito (04 23 1994 WCW Saturday Night) - Tons of fun! Face/heel, Steamboat in peril...Tanaka was making things look great.. nothing complicated but this is the stuff that made Saturday Night a excellent weekly show.
    ----
    REGAL
    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.
     
     
    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. See the Spring Stampede '94 link above.
    ----
    VADER
    Big Van Vader vs Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
    February 26, 1994 edition of WCW Saturday Night - Yeah we miss the beginning but Steamboat goes hardcore on Vader by blasting him with chair shots. This is fair since Vader really is a beast. We get a really fun match and Harley Race is a fun manager. Obviously this is a fraction of what they could do but Steamboat gets in a lot of high impact offense and its a blast to watch!
    WCW World Wide Wrestling 4/30/94
    Cactus Jack vs Vader - Oh man! They went at each other like wild animals. This was a heck of a match for World Wide...chair shots, splashes off the middle, somersault senton off the apron, Harley Race was even bumping. This definitely could have gone another 5 minutes.  Fantastic !
    Maxx Payne vs. Big Van Vader  (04 30 1994 WCW Saturday Night) - I thought there might be a little more to the match since Maxx was Cactus Jack's partner but, it's essentially a jobber match. Fun big man wrestling nonetheless.
    -----
    This has been a fun project so far as it's got a lot of variety and quality. My apologies for the way I've organized this as I tend to go strictly chronologically but it's been easier for me to group them by wrestler. Also apologies for the inconsistency with the dating and name formats. Again it was just easier to have them this way (usually copy/pasted from the source videos). You should be able to find these online a little easier at least 🙂
    The next WCW '94 post should pick up a couple things I intentionally left off in April '94 and then get to May and the Summer months of 1994. I hope you enjoy watching these matches in the meantime!
    Thanks for reading!
  16. G. Badger
    Okay, this 2004 post came a lot sooner than I thought since there wasn't a lot to 2004 or what I could find online. Only two shows and only one that's worth a full look at. 
    I started out with 09/25/04. This is an outdoor show...and wow! That is an amazing building across the way. But honestly, I can't truly recommend anything on this show. Kintaro Kanemura & Ryuji Yamakawa vs. Katsumasa Inoue & Shadow WX  was exactly the type of straight tag match you know they can wrestle. Fast simple stuff, good stuff. Renews my opinion on Shadow WX and Yamakawa. Delirious vs. Chris Hero was fun indy-riffic wrestling! That's cool that Samurai TV aired just about all of this. This under card is very enjoyable. So if you see these matches you'll be pleased but I wouldn't go out of your way to watch them. The main event of BADBOY Hido vs. Ryuji Ito felt really phoned in for a death match. Maybe these outdoor shows are C-level shows because that's what this felt like given the let down of the main event.

    12/18/04
    After the previous show's poor main event, I decided to watch this one backwards. Main Event first to the curtain jerker last. I've organized my review that way also.
    BJW Death Match Heavyweight Title 10 Items Death Match
    Ryuji Ito vs. BADBOY Hido - Holy cow, the ring looks like the game Mouse Trap...with glass. There's all kinds of apparatuses involving glass light tubes & barb wire. But this is a bad match. Even if you like death matches... it's bad. There's no selling, no psychology to the point where they are just leading each other to the next spot area. It's like Double Dare with blood. And unfortunately the finish spot doesn't make sense... the chairs laid a top the prone wrestler act as armor from the barb wire and nails that you're supposed to be driving into them. That's some part of psychology in wrestling - "Does what I'm doing make sense in the context of this match and the reality constructed by the promotion?" Anyone can tell you that sandwiching a guy between chairs is to crush him. Putting glass, barb wire, nails etc on top or underneath is to cut him. Putting chairs in between is going to crush still but not cut. I'm wasting brain power on this. This is pretty stupid unfortunately... Ito needs someone who can put a match together like W*ing Kanemura...Hido can't put together a straight match so this is just bleh. Go watch Ito vs Kanemura from the 08/24/03 show instead.
    Hardcore Match
    Shadow WX vs. Daisuke Sekimoto - Very good! This was best when they were doing wrestling moves. The chair shots were very disposable but I dug the table spot. So overall no big complaints with the Hardcore aspects but the wrestling was where this was at. Sekimoto's Choshu style matches WX's when he's in work mode...thankfully we got that. Lots of beefy lariats, brainbusters & German suplexes. I can't say there was a story here and the action wasn't so electric that a story was irrelevant. A little story in the ring would have improved this but, I dug it nonetheless!
    Tornado Bunkhouse Death Match
    Kintaro Kanemura vs. Jaki Numazawa - This was very good... maybe even a great death match. It got really interesting as it went on as they added surprises into the match. That's where this greatly exceeded the Hido vs Ito match. This had far less contraptions but it had better wrestling maneuvers, surprises, bits of comedy and it felt like they wanted to win.
    Street Fight
    2 Tuff Tony, Madman Pondo & Necro Butcher vs. Abdullah Kobayashi, Daikokubo Benkei & Gosaku - The beginning was shown in highlights/digest form and then maybe the 2nd half was shown in full. This worked as this was fun! Good moves, crazy spots but enough guys in the ring that no one's weaknesses were exposed.
    MEN's Teioh & The Winger vs. Junji Tanaka & Yuki Ishikawa - Highlights... Ishikawa may have legit busted Teioh open. Wish there was more...
    Tanny Mouse, Yoshiko Tamura & Yuki Miyazaki vs. Haruka Matsuo, Misae Genki & Yuka Nakamura - Highlights again but this was fun stuff. Nice to see joshi and makes me start thinking about GAEA again.
    GENTARO & Takashi Sasaki vs. Hiroyuki Kondo & Katsumasa Inoue - Great action packed junior style tag match! So glad that I watched this show in MY order. This was the best match of the card. Very exciting stuff from all four dudes! 
    This was a pretty good show with a crappy main event in Hido vs Ito. You totally could skip that and have a fun time with these matches instead: WX vs Sekimoto, Kanemura vs Numazawa, and  GENTARO & Sasaki vs Kondo & Inoue. I think it's worth finding this show online and watching those bouts. I wish I was able to find a little more for 2004 but, I've got to move on to my other projects. But I will be doing an in depth look at BJW 2006 which is based on a 4 disc compilation from Highspots from a few years back. Keep an eye out for that...I'm still working on getting through my DVD back catalog!
    Thanks for reading!🙂
  17. G. Badger

    Spotlight: BJW - 2003

    By G. Badger,


    Spotlight
    I'm moving forward to 2003 in my very cursory look at turn of the century era BJW. These cards are looking pretty cool. Let's take a look!
    03/30/03
    Darkness Fluorescent Light Tubes Death Match
    BADBOY Hido & Madman Pondo vs. Gosaku & Ryuji Yamakawa - Oh ho, that was good! About 10 minutes of really fun stuff, nice old school foreign object forehead carving, a few sick spots..this was an easy watch for most anyone.
    WEW Hardcore Tag Team Title Ryuji Ito & Daisaku Shimoda Trial Series Match #4
    Abdullah Kobayashi & Daikokubo Benkei vs. Daisaku Shimoda & Ryuji Ito - Yeah!!! This ended up being a ton of fun!! The baby faces made their comeback right as I was losing interest and the rest of the match was exciting. Ito & Shimoda were going off on offense. This maybe the best Benkei match as a result. 
    BJW Heavyweight Title Match
    MEN's Teioh vs. Daisuke Sekimoto - Oh shoot, this was absolutely awesome! Like Tanaka, Gannosuke & Hayabusa working AJPW style in the late 90's, Teioh & Sekimoto do the same. They prove here (and I'm sure before) that they are not just death match wrestlers. They put on an classic match in that pure puroresu style. The early portion reminded me of Flair vs Steamboat. And the later portion was an homage to Misawa, Kawada & Kobashi without being parody or tribute. If you're into the older indies, then you ought to see this. Teioh, who was overshadowed by other members of KDX, and a young Sekimoto really put on a show and really encouraged me to keep exploring this period of BJW. Highly recommended match, FMW/BJW/Michinoku Pro fans...it's a Must See. It's early still but this is Best Match Watched contender for the Indies.
    BJW Death Match Heavyweight Title Light Tubes & Glass Death Match 
    Shadow WX vs. Kintaro Kanemura - A very fun way to spend 13 minutes. This style or era of death match is much like a TLC match...there's a good amount of time spent setting up furniture. And then WHAM! big spot. So you're going along for the ride and waiting for the those big moments. It certainly couldn't have followed up the Sekimoto vs Teioh match but it felt more like a post credit bonus scene. 13 minutes of high spots and spectacle to cap off an excellent BJW show.
    I'd definitely recommend this show/TV episode...BJW is moving in the right direction!

    08/24/03
    Hyoma & Junji Tanaka vs. Hiroyuki Kondo & Katsumasa Inoue - Jip -This was just as good a junior tag match as you'd probably see on a NJPW undercard at the time. It's simpler but well paced and executed. I dug it.
     
    Shinjuku Shark vs. Bancho Matsuzaki - clips...
    Tetsuhiro Kuroda & Yuichi Taniguchi vs. Mike Samples & Mr. Big Japan (Ryuji Yamakawa)  - Fun match...kind of stupid but that's why it was fun I do wish they book Kuroda in something a bit more prominent than these under card tags though.
    Free Weapon Street Fight
    2 Tuff Tony & Madman Pondo vs. Mr. Pogo & Shadow WX - Now this is the fun type of match you'd watch BJW for - half of a hardware store is used, guys are bleeding, some cool spots...no rhyme or reason but violence for violence sake. 
    BADBOY Hido & Gosaku vs. Abdullah Kobayashi & Daikokubo Benkei - OK match that had it moments. Gosaku took a sick bump and may have hurt his head and maybe ended the match a bit sooner than planned.
    *Tag Team Match
    TAKA Michinoku & Yuki Ishikawa vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & MEN's Teioh - Yeah this was really good stuff. I gotta say Sekimoto vs Ishikawa was my favorite pairing. Lots of great action and tag moves.  This went longer with 2/3rds being shown. The talent of all workers shone through and made this very good wrestling to watch. My only real complaint is the camera work seemed to be all over the place.. like it was too zoomed in at times and was catching the lights too often. It made things feel disjointed at times. That's to say, it was hard to follow all of the action. Oh and I thought the figure four on the floor killed the early energy/momentum and they had to work their way out of that hole. Had they not done that, I think this would be a great match...still totally worth your time!
    *BJW Death Match Heavyweight Title Cage Death Match
    Kintaro Kanemura vs. Ryuji Ito - Aw hell yes! This is what I wanted. Kanemura works so much better with Ito than Shadow WX. Ito can still move, wants to do pro wrestling and while Kanemura is broken down some, he's willing to meet the young guy in the middle. As a result we get a great, dare I say classic Cage Death Match. While it isn't in the upper echelon of cage matches, this is right below as it conveys the intensity, they use the cage as a weapon, they use their other weapons but at almost 15 minutes, this never overstayed it's welcome. They do a little bit of everything and it hits just in the right way. I think one of the near falls should have ended it but, nothing afterwards feels superfluous. They made it work and went back to "wrestling" at the end. And that's a good sign for BJW to come. If you're a hard-core/garbage wrestling fan, I Highly Recommend this one.
    12/24/03
    Tag Team Match
    Chocoball Mukai & GENTARO vs. Gosaku & Shadow WX - Fun tag match. They super bomb GENTARO on his fucking head. He's the best worker of the match.
    Hardcore Street Fight Death Match
    BADBOY Hido vs. Jaki Numazawa - Good garbage wrestling... lots of spots with the ladder and barb wire bat. 
    BJW Heavyweight Title Match
    MEN's Teioh (c) vs. Ricky Fuji - This is a fun match with a bit of comedy so it's not the full extent of what they're capable of. Still it's a treat to see Ricky Fuji vs Terry Boy face off
    Tag Team Match
    Daisuke Sekimoto & Manabu Hara vs. Daikokubo Benkei & Yuki Ishikawa - This was OK. I'd rather see Sekimoto vs Ishikawa. I don't think there's anything worthwhile here unless you're watching the full show. 
    BJW Death Match Heavyweight Title Ring Of Death Fluorescent Light Tubes Barbed Wire Board & Glass Board Death Match
    Ryuji Ito (c) vs. Abdullah Kobayashi - For Xmas, Kobayashi brings out a barb wire wrapped cactus with a star on top...like a death match Xmas tree. This was more spot crazy than working a match with the props. This is no less cohesive than many ladder matches you'll see. Nonetheless, this was pretty sick...there was a ton of glass. Abdullah's back is red with blood and Ito may have actually hurt himself. You can tell with this match and the cage match that BJW has a great future with this style.
    Thanks for reading! The next few posts should be more U.S. oriented as I've been watching Mid South Wrestling and WCW. If you're enjoying the Big Japan stuff, I'll probably do a post on 2004 stuff in couple weeks.
     
  18. G. Badger

    Spotlight: BJW - 2002

    By G. Badger,


    Spotlight
    This is the second post in the series and I've skipped 2000 & 2001. That's because the company is gummed up with CZW...like the dregs of Zandig era CZW. I'm not interested. There's a couple CZW names still here but these guys actually have some talent, skill or something. Let's take a look!
    BJW Harder Than Hardcore Series 2002 03/03/02
    Match
    Trent Acid vs. The Winger - Eh, I'm glad I half watched this and a Bob Newhart Show episode. They go outside and do pile driver on the sidewalk. Then they do a balcony dive spot and then eh...at 17 minutes.. this was probably 10 minutes too long.
    Nate Hatred vs Shunme Matsuzaki - Not interested at first...But I gave it a chance and it was as a good straight forward indie puro match. There was good action and a bit of drama to make it an easy watch.
    Shadow WX vs. Abdullah Kobayashi (Barbed Wire Board & Strap Death Match) - Good match and it was really fun once Shadow WX got the strap off his wrist. Then they started using the barb wire boards. It's an under card death match and I think it's enjoyable but left me wanting more.
    BADBOY Hido vs. Kintaro Kanemura (Fluorescent Light Tubes Death Match) - Very good death match. They use the tubes from the beginning and while they're not young men anymore, they do some good spots. I thought the one where Jun Kasai was waiting in the balcony was particularly clever. There's a little bit clipped out but the official match time is around 14 mins so it doesn't overstay it's welcome. If you're not wanting to watch a light tube match, this is one you will want to skip. It's not as dangerous & insane as I've seen but, they still take a few big bumps into the glass & Hido is shirtless. If you're a little curious then, I think this is a good one to check out...especially if you like Kanemura & Hido from FMW. They're tough but not youngsters looking to prove anything by how gruesome they can be. So, we get a good spot match augmented by the props.
    Daikokubo Benkei (c) vs. Daisuke Sekimoto - Unfortunately this wasn't included on this video/Samurai TV episode. Knowing them, it's probably on the next episode... ah well but Benkei isn't especially spry so perhaps this is no great loss? They could have cut the Acid vs Winger match for this though...or perhaps it really stunk?
    Ryuji Yamakawa vs. Jun Kasai (Land Mine Board Russian Roulette Death Match) - Great death match! What makes this so good is that the actually do a regular match and incorporate the exploding boards and a few light tubes rather than base the whole match around a couple crazy spots. I thought they also did a excellent job putting over the damage. I think this actually would be a good one if you've never seen anything with the tubes in case your squeamish. The finish is what pushes this up to a "great" match. Recommended

    Homicide vs. The Winger (08/14/02): Good match, Homicide takes a giant plunge and yet the match continues? Haha it's all good...it should have been the finish but they do a few more minutes...but those are fun. Homicide definitely knows how to put on an entertaining singles match. Honestly, if they didn't do the big dive then, just with the barb wire boards and the moves, this would have been better
    BJW Harder Than Hardcore II (big show) 08/18/02
    Tetsuhiro Kuroda vs. Bancho Matsuzaki - We get about half of this but it's really fun stuff. Happy to see Kuroda. This is simple but enjoyable wrestling. Nice finishing segment with near falls done right! Bancho is Shunme Matsuzaki but he's got a shaved head.
    Singles Match
    MEN's Teioh vs. ODD (Dudley Dudley) - Vaguely remember Dudley Dudley from ECW tapes I had...don't actually remember him wrestling though. I skipped through this one...
    BJ Death Match Rumble Match
    Shadow WX vs. Homicide vs. Madman Pondo vs. The Winger vs. Abugold Bayashi (Abdullah Kobayashi painted gold) - This was a lot of fun. Some dangerous spots, some comedy, and this was an enjoyable plunder garbage match. A total waste of Homicide but I don't think anyone knew that at the time...not even Homicide.

    Daikokubo Benkei vs. Daisuke Sekimoto - OK match only for Daisuke Sekimoto fans...Benkei is good in tag matches as he's a massive dude and can do King Kong Bundy type moves. But in singles, he's just so boring and lacks any enthusiasm. Sekimoto singlehandedly makes this interesting and stiffs Benkei just to get him to sell perhaps.
    World Extreme Cup 2002 Final Glass Death Match
    Seiji Yamakawa vs. Kintaro Kanemura - Light tubes on the ropes and panes of glass leaned up in the corners. Panes of glass are way sketchier than the light tubes.. The tubes break uniformly into little chunks...panes of glass are irregular and the pieces are much larger. We'll see how this goes...hell I watched the Headhunters glass match and Tarzan Goto carve a chunk into some guys arm (actually may have Yamakawa)...but I'm still tentative. Whew! OK that's some strong ass glass and its looking to break like windshield glass. Man in the old days that shit would spider web and there'd be all kinds of nasty looking shards. Anyhow this was pretty good. I really wish the spots were more logically organized. A couple Kanemura did near the beginning would have been much more meaningful if they were built up to. And that's the flaw...I didn't feel like this told a story. It's just spots for spots sake. To be fair though, if I got a tape of this match in 2002, I would have been psyched...there's some great 'holy shit!' moments. Still, it's entertaining and fun if you're interested in this kind of thing. 

    Daisuke Sekimoto, MEN's Teioh & Ryuji Ito vs. Da Hit Squad (Mafia & Monsta Mack) & Homicide (10/14/02) - Very good match! Lots going on with Da Hit Squad doing big guy power moves, Homicide doing some craziness. Ito is skinny as heck still but has tons of fight, Sekimoto is definitely a star on the rise and Teioh is charismatic as heck. I had a lot of fun with this match. Looks like Monsta Mack himself has this posted so, I'll share it here:
     
     
    2002 was good but inconsistent...at least from what I saw Nevertheless there was always something worth my time - either a bit of fun or a legitimate very good/great match. Definitely recommend the Ryuji Yamakawa vs. Jun Kasai match.
    Thanks for reading! Hang in there folks!
  19. G. Badger
    I think I was motivated to watch this era of Big Japan because I've been playing Fire Pro Returns again. And I've been enjoying this era of GAEA & NJPW. I really like the energy in turn of the century puro & joshi. Production sensibilities were changing, outfit and general aesthetics were changing and the changing of the talent guard was just beginning. It's all really appealing because I think a lot from this time is worthwhile. I have been pleasantly surprised with AJPW, NOAH, joshi, and various indies during the 99-04 time period. I do think a portion of that is due to my lower expectations. Conversely, I think people undervalued somethings by using the amazing 90's as a baseline. I know that I used to. So, I feel that I am seeing much of this period with fresh eyes and an open mind.
    Let's take a peek at BJW 1999!
    04/29/99
    Shadow WX & Tomoaki Honma vs. Abdullah Jr. Kobayashi & Benkei Daikokubo - Very good, pretty straightforward tag match. Sure there's chair shots and a ladder but ignore those! This was solid wrestling with Honma being the face in peril. 
    08/10/99
    Ryuji Yamakawa vs. Shadow WX (No Rope barbed wire Fire Death Match) - Damn Yamakawa makes an entrance! This show is outside due to the fire stipulation so a souped up red Mercedes comes charging in and drops Yamakawa off...And he's wearing a leather Starter jacket with his white pants and bleached blonde hair... that was cool! Yeah this was fun stuff...they used light tubes also. And they really went into the flaming barbwire! That sounds worse than it was (I think) as the knew just the right way to hit it and move past it to the outside. Still it was really dangerous! I like that in 1999 light tubes were put over so strongly. That's a gripe I have about later light tube matches. Anyhow, this is only about 12 minutes and ends without going too long. So I had fun
    11/08/99
    Tomoaki Honma & Ryuji Yamakawa vs. Shadow WX & The Winger (Fluorescent light bulb & Barbed Wire Board Death Match) - Whoa! This was a great death match! Excellent pro wrestling to start. Then Shadow WX gets violent and starts really employing the weapons and danger. Winger is crazy! I particularly liked the one spot where it look liked Shadow used fire to motivate Winger to do his big dive. All in all this was jammed pack with great action. Honma & Yamakawa were great baby faces and garnered sympathy from me. That's hard to do in a death match sometimes. Plus we get blood on the camera lens!  Recommended!

    12/04/99
    Kamikaze & Shunme Matsuzaki vs. MEN'S Teio & Jun Kasai - Clipped as the full time was 24 minutes. I'm not sure how enjoyable this would be at that run time but this was a lot of fun clipped
    Great Sasuke vs. Minoru Fujita - Pretty seamless editing here as only a third was shown but it appeared to be only slightly edited. The wrestling was quick and energetic. Fujita was especially exciting. Again, I can't give a strong rating but this may be the only version you or I are going to see so I recommend it.
    Shadow WX vs. Ryuji Yamakawa (4 Corner Fluorescent light bulb Board Death Match) - This is in full as the early parts of the TV episode focuses on Shadow WX.Oh yeah! It's a lights off match and the lights are plugged in and lit up! I always thought that was a nice touch the old light matches had. Anyhow this was pretty good stuff! They do some really crazy spots and there's a pretty good come back. In all honesty, this could have been laid out a little bit better. The whole first part when they go in the crowd seems pretty meaningless and just "something they do." Then they get into the spots and it gets going. But really a 17 minute match could have been shaved down to 14 by just staying around the ring and that would have kept the intensity going. So if you watch this one, fast forward the part where they are in the crowd. You'll like this a lot more!

    Thanks for reading!
  20. G. Badger

    NJPW You Might Have Missed - 2002

    By G. Badger,


    You Might Have Missed
    I'm continuing to take a peek at early 2000's New Japan. Early on we're going to look at some NJ vs NOAH that I didn't cover back in my NOAH 2002 posts from last year (I think). Some might be in a NOAH ring but I'm counting them. But overall this is just a mix of matches from 2002 New Japan that I thought looked interesting and were online
    Yuji Nagata vs Jun Akiyama (01/04) - Oh, that was a great bout! No way you would guess this is their first time working together and at the Dome no less. I honestly don't get the criticism of the middle of the match being slow. They are using different neck locks to wear away at each other and in fact both guess use signature holds (Nagata Lock & King Crab). I think since I watch wrestling with the volume low or off that I wasn't effected by the Dome crowd lack of enthusiasm. That's typical Tokyo Dome and why it's my least favorite venue. There's criticism that this is wrestling by numbers, too your turn-my turn etc. I didn't feel that way anymore than most other 2000s big star match puro. I think it's a way to express parity if anything. I thought this was a battle between two big stars of the new decade on the biggest level. Again, they hadn't worked together (maybe there's a tag? I get mixed up) enough to have this clean and coherent of a match. This wasn't a feud blow off...it's an exhibition match about pride/superiority so the chippy shit Akiyama does to Misawa/Kobashi isn't going to be there. The mind games were there with the now tired trope of "move theft." This still works for me because I think I avoided that trend along with a lot of contemporary wrestling. 
    Takeshi Morishima & Takeshi Rikio vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Yutaka Yoshie (04/07) - There's a lot of good matches on this NOAH show. I vaguely remember this but didn't watch it last year or whenever I watched 2002 NOAH. I'm watching odds and ends now clearly Still, two teams off mooses locking antlers should be fun. And that's what this was... two pairs of bull mooses fighting over territory. This is your inter-promotional/bad blood match. An archetype match for Strong BJW...Tenryu influenced? Classic stuff...best Yoshie match? He seemed at his peak here in 2002. Matches like this became over played in the mid & late 2010's but, if you haven't seen those in awhile, you're going to really appreciate this.

    Yuji Nagata vs Bas Rutten (07/20) - This was very good stuff! Bas knows how to work by mixing his natural charisma with his athleticism. This reminded me of very good UWF/i work..maybe a little bit of RINGS at least early on. The fact that they worked quick like a real fight helped this tremendously.

    (08/29)
    Masayuki Naruse vs. Takehiro Murahama - This looks like a very interesting matchup. I just couldn't get into the the rhythm of this. If you're intrigued by this pairing, I want to let you know that it's out there...you may really dig it.

    Yoshihiro Takayama vs Kazuyuki Fujita- Great under 10 minute match! Inoki Strong Style match were the have a little bit of match action, striking, more shoot suplexes..I'm digging it during this project plus the matches are concise and competitive. This is one I'm surprised I haven't heard of but it precisely what you expect from these too. Fujita punches Takayama and he's bleeding profusely from his ear...ruptured cauliflower ear is my guess. That's a good indicator of what this match is about. Great no nonsense, stiff stuff.
    Kentaro Shiga vs Osamu Nishimura - This one is in NOAH whereas the other two are in NJPW. In an alternate universe, this would be the meeting between NOAH and NJPW's respective aces. This is wrestled like it was and it was also 1980. I am not complaining I love 2002 Shiga and this match is no exception. I'm just recently getting a chance to see more Nishimura with these early 2000's NJ projects. It's a longer match than many of these "around 10 minute" matches of this era but it's totally worth your time. 

    (10/14)
    Tsuyoshi Kohsaka vs Tadao Yasuda - It's not very long but absolutely worth the couple minutes to watch TK wrestling rings around Yasuda.
    Bas Rutten vs. Osamu Nishimura - Really cool novelty match! I think it's best when they're trading holds on the mat. Like most strikers, Bas isn't quite sure how to throw some working strikes. Others he's fantastic and they look vicious. If he kept wrestling, I think his move set could be pared down or he would have dialed something in. Ok that's an aside. He & Nishimura have a very good and sometimes great European style match. This was up my alley as its UWFi like. 
    Kazunari Murakami vs Masayuki Naruse - Under 5 minutes but it's a lot of fun for brawling shoot style stuff.
    Kaz Fujita vs Yuji Nagata - I prefer this match to the June 2001 bout. Maybe it's got a bit more pro wrestling drama or moves but, this actually was pretty good stuff. Nagata really had his work cut out for him. Fujita is one dimensional but he playss no neck badass very well. This seemed to have more of a fire or spark to the action than the first match.
    Although this period of NJPW gets a bad rap, there's plenty of very good wrestling here. I am definitely going to keep popping in with assorted reviews from this era. Watch the big-boy tag match from 04/07 & Takayama vs Fujita, you'll be glad that you did!
    Thanks for reading!
     
  21. G. Badger

    NJPW You Might Have Missed - 2003 - Summer

    By G. Badger,


    You Might Have Missed
    I'm really digging 2003 NJPW even with the MMA Inoki-ism. Well I'm avoiding the legit MMA that is shown. Here I came across a commercial compilation showing things from the summer of 2003. It starts with the Best of the Super Jrs. X which I'm happy to find. The matches they have included only have the last few minutes shown. It's a nice taste of the action. I believe I've seen some matches NOAH's Takashi Sugiura wrestled...maybe I really dug he vs Kanemoto from 06/11. Also there's another tag Liger/Kanemoto vs Marufuji/K. Suzuki from 06/10 that looked good (again maybe saw this years ago when watch NJ vs NOAH dvd). Also on the comm. comp. is the continuation of Enson Inoue (who I know from PRIDE) vs Kazunari Murakami. It's shown in full and Murakami gets beat up in a great brawling spectacle like from 05/02/03. Also is Tenzan vs Takayama, or the last 7 minutes. It's OK...cool to see these two face each other. We do get the BOSJ X finals though!
    Koji Kanemoto vs Masahito Kakihara (06/11): Oh yeah! This was a great bout! Most of this was scrambling on the mat and is exactly what you want. Koji then starts with the kicks and gains the advantage. Kakihara isn't going to back down. Things really got great and I felt the near falls actually worked too. Exciting stuff that harkens back to the heart of New Japan Junior division mixing wrestling with select high spots...Tiger Mask, Fujinami but without the formula of the 90's..or that's how it seemed.

    06/13 show:

    Masayuki Naruse vs. Minoru Suzuki - Sweet 6 minute match. Kinda shoot style but, seems kinda like Inoki Strong Style evolved with people's knowledge of MMA. Both guys impressed me as Suzuki wasn't quite considered Pro-Wrestling like he is nowadays. I'd really like to see more Masayuki Naruse. I only know him from Fire Pro but he hung in there with Suzuki and then some. I believe he was in RINGS but that's its own can off worms The shoot style slippery slope must wait until I work through more of my DVDs and heaven knows I'm doing a crappy job...ahem..moving forward...
    Tadao Yasuda vs. Enson Inoue - More fun brawling shoot feeling stuff but it's more of an angle than a match.
    Yuji Nagata vs. Katsuyori Shibata - Very good hard hitting stuff marred by an 80's finish in 2003. The Makai Club stable interferes for Shibata and denies us a clean finish unfortunately. This was getting to be a great match too...Shibata was going to make his comeback and we were going to get into the hot final third. This is still absolutely worth checking out though. In honest words, I can see the issue with the booking now. We really haven't had anything to sink our teeth into match wise. I'm not sure anything has been longer than 10 minutes yet.
    Manabu Nakanishi vs. Mitsuya Nagai - this is not shown on the tape unfortunately
    Tiger Mask vs. Takehiro Murahama - Oh ho ho, this was sweet! I haven't watched BattlArts in a long time but this reminded me of that. Very stiff striking, grappling, suplexes and a couple dives. Murahama reminds me of Koji Kanemoto...he seems like he could do it all. Add this match to the list of Murahama matches to watch. Tiger Mask IV was fantastic as well. Great shit - recommended!
    Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Masahiro Chono vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yutaka Yoshie - joined in progress showing the last 5 minutes. Fun stuff from what was shown. I didn't know Yoshie was pushed this much...damn.
    Yoshihiro Takayama vs. Shinsuke Nakamura - This is a sick badass battle. Nakamura pushes the titanic Takayama eats a tremendous beating as a result. This is not one sided as it may seem but damn they don't go easy on each other. For a twelve minute match... I'm gonna call it a classic. Pre-Beat It Nakamura doesn't get a ton of love but damn, I'd like to see more of him if he's doing this shit. Absolutely nails the up and coming young star role against the baddest dude of the early 2000's. HIGHLY Recommended
    Now I'll include some NOAH vs NJPW that I've never seen or reviewed. These take place in NOAH.
    Yuji Nagata vs Jun Akiyama (07/16) - Under 10 minute bomb fest. It's a lot of fun but not indicative of their usual matches (if you're interested in starting here). That said, if you like these two then you'll have a good time.
    Kenta Kobashi & Tamon Honda vs. Shinya Makabe & Yoshihiro Takayama (07/16): This was like a delicious meal but you gotta be patient. Once it gets done and out the oven, it's worth the wait. Here things really pick up once Makabe, Takayama and Kobashi are on the apron/ring ramp. Honda Dead End German suplexes the blonde giant back into the ring and Kobashi eats chair shots to the back for breakfast. Let ultra stiff chopping begin. Honda is an acquired taste that I've never fully gotten used to but here I liked him. He uses his wide variety of sleeper and neck holds to great effect (which masks his physical limitations). Makabe was great all the way back in 2003. And Kobashi vs Takayama you already know about. Great match...Recommended.
    There was a bunch of excellent wrestling here. I definitely encourage you to check some of this out. Everything is online in one place or another.
    Thanks for reading!!
  22. G. Badger
    This seems to be right in the middle of Inoki-MMA which wasn't necessarily a terrible call given how popular PRIDE fighting/K-1 was around the time. But that's not really what pro wrestling fans wanted and no one really benefited. I generally feel like I have a good handle on booking ideas until it comes to a promotion like NJPW or WWE. It seems like a tremendous balancing act along with a bit of luck.

    Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Hiroshi Tanahashi - Opening match to a Dome show but I think it was very good stuff. Under 15 minutes, so it's all action with Tenzan pushing young Tanahashi. Nice spots, stiff shots and super entertaining wrestling. This period of Tanahashi is worth checking out some more.
    Takashi Iizuka vs Ken Shamrock - Shamrock is a great shooter to book for wrestling worked matches...probably the best to be honest. They start out doing shoot style and then transition into Inoki Strong Style. They told a good story of both guys losing their cool and it's a lot of fun. You know it's a very good match as Iizuka doesn't have much charisma but these are the types of matches he belongs in. He and Shamrock worked seamlessly here. 
    Jushin Thunder Liger & Koji Kanemoto vs. Heat & Tiger Mask - This was good. It had some cool moments. Minoru Tanaka as Heat is OK but the gimmick diminishes his natural charisma. But, this was lacking something. I think I would have maybe preferred Koji vs any of these other three in singles. 
    After this match we get into the MMA portion of the show which I'll skip. I did skim Manabu Nakanishi vs Kaz Fujita which is two NJ guys versus each other technically. It looks semi-worked... as they told Kaz to make sure it goes 3 rounds and finish him off in the third. I think this alone would have been perfectly acceptable mid show. AJW used to have ladies kickboxing or shoot matches early in the card.
    Kazunari Murakami vs. Enson Inoue - This actually looks like a fun use of Enson Inoue... there's a whole angle setting this up. They just beat each other up in a brawl It's super entertaining. Again, this is a good way to use an MMA guy especially against someone who can take a punch like Murakami. I could see a lot of people liking this one.
    Kenta Kobashi vs. Masahiro Chono - Oh man, they had me hooked from the beginning. And because of that, I loved this match. Chono physically can't match up to Kobashi but dammit, he's not backing off. He's got to find a way to grind the NOAH Neanderthal down. That's what made this great...the story of watching Chono using his wits and skills. Kobashi is a juggernaut and aims to destroy Chono with brute force. I dig this pairing since it forces Chono to hit stiff and Kobashi to work smarter (reality not kayfabe) instead of relying on highspots as his opponent is physically limited in 2003. I think this was a classic match and as a fan of both, I highly recommend it. Others might find fault in Chono not being someone else and not working like someone in NOAH. I think that's what makes it so good. The story is bigger than just the moves. This was Chono's swan song in a way (even if it wasn't... it's wrestling after all). I don't know if he had been in match this physical and dangerous after he broke his neck.  It may not be everyone's cup of tea but the pacing, move selection, the storytelling (Tenzan panicking ringside at the end), the spectacle of the match, etc., I was enthralled. Perhaps I'm being a sap but, big time Dome dream match fulfilled.
    Yuji Nagata vs. Yoshihiro Takayama - Great big time fight! I loved the wrestling at the beginning. Nagata withstands the giant's strikes and goes Inoki with arm breakers to get back into the fight. From there on out they beat the crap outta each other. Nagata is bleeding from the nose and has a goose egg (that's bleeding)...and well it's hard to tell the damage on Takayama. I felt this could have went a minute longer and milked the drama into a classic match but it still delivered on what I wanted with these too. Tons of little touches, surprises and compelling non cooperative looking action. You know, I think it's a near classic bout.
    Overall, the show was great. Does it live up to being in the Tokyo Dome? No, it would have been fine in the Tokyo Sumo hall or where their usual big shows were. But match quality, I think it knocks it out of the park. There's definitely a MMA flavor in NJPW at the time (New Japan which always had the shoot influence/flavor compared to AJPW/NOAH. This Every few years they really get into it though). That said, each match is its own thing and takes as much or as little from the martial arts tree as it needs.
    Thanks for reading!
     
  23. G. Badger
    Here we are for the final post for my very narrow look at Ring of Honor for 2009. This should be a good one! We're looking at DVD events only.
    Claudio Castagnoli vs Davey Richards (Final Countdown: Dayton 09/18/09) - Good stuff especially at the end. It wouldn't surprise me if this was a mid card match. It lacked the intensity and pacing of anything else. But it's been awhile since I've seen Claudio. He did some really cool strength moves. Yeah this was good.
    American Wolves vs Briscoe Brothers (Final Countdown: Chicago 09/19/09) - Great match! I thought this might just be stuck at a "very good" match... it had action and some kind of story but the pacing felt off. Then somewhere they got into a groove or rhythm. When that happened, it all came together and this really felt like the Wolves vs Dem Boys. Man up! * clap clap* Man up! If you like either team, check this out.
    Bryan Danielson vs Davey Richards (Final Countdown: Boston 09/25/09) - Holy Cow! That was what I am talking about! High expectations met and exceeded. Excellent face/heel work with crowd, stiff as a starched shirt, white knuckle intensity, fans should have gotten a piece of the gate for taking bumps on those dives, yeah... this was all time classic stuff. Bryan Danielson yet again gets his early in the year all timer...3 years in a row, I think. But he needed to work for it as he was getting close to being corny as baby face & getting into a Ric Flair spot sequence (predictable)... then he snapped. And I like to believe Davey brought it out of him. Perhaps it was the savate kick to the throat? Top shelf stuff from both guys. MUST SEE

    And here's a video leading into the next match...
     
    American Wolves vs Steenerico (Glory by Honor VIII 2009) - This is a ladder match, Ladder War 2. It's got some pretty bananas ass spots in it. But I think it's not the best either team can do. It really just is a bunch of spots and I felt all of them were pretty telegraphed. I think the guys were more focused on not becoming paralyzed instead of having a very good intense match. That said, Generico has a knee brace, Eddie Edwards has a broken arm or something, and Steen is fat But, it was a heck of a spectacle!


    -----
    Davey Richards vs Kenny Omega (ROH Clash of the Contenders 10/09/09) - Very good PWG match in a ROH. This felt like a routine set up around a series of highspots. Those didn't always make sense though and just felt more than they needed to be. I really liked how Davey didn't allow some of Kenny's goofiness (kayfabe) so at least it felt like a good story...even Davey felt Omega was a pretender and not a contender. I think it's worth your time.
    Austin Aries vs Davey Richards (Aries vs Richards 11/13/09) - Whoa, I was not expecting this! This was a slow burner but even then it was quality stuff. It felt like something great like you'd see in WWF or WCW. They did work on Davey's knee which he sold very well until they gradually moved past it. It was allowable but is what holds this back from being an all time classic. If they kept this illusion going, this would have been brilliant from beginning to end. Still I don't feel like I wasted my time with that section. I think it can be attributed to an adrenaline surge (especially from the ultra intense Davey).  This felt like a throw back to 2004 or 2005 in the best way... character work, comedy early on, surprises...an action packed match without being choreographed or a spot fest. It has flaws but if you're an old school ROH fan - It's a classic in my book. HIGHLY Recommended

    -----
    Kevin Steen & El Generico vs the Young Bucks (Final Battle 2009) - Ring of Honor YouTube has got this one. I'll post the video first then do my review.
     
    Speaking of PWG, this should be good. The Bucks in 2009 could sleepwalk great (if similar) matches. Generico's knee looks better so I'm thinking this is going to be a hit. And dang, at around 17 minutes, this was sick!! Steen's hurt but Generico is well so, Kevin can just lay in the shots while the luchadore can run & do the flying. 2009 Bucks are in top for here and because the teams have that familiarity they are able to mix up the spots and keep it surprising. Additionally, the brothers Jackson aren't completely obnoxious yet. So this really felt like a competition rather a routine. Near classic, Recommended...oh and there's a pretty big angle at the end...
    And that's a wrap! A very brief look at 2009 Ring of Honor but I definitely feel like I got a great sampling of what the company had to offer. I admit I didn't see enough of Tyler Black or Austin Aries however, I saw enough to see how they had changed from the Age of the Fall era. I like Aries as the hammy heel champ as he offers something completely different than the wrestling machine he was in the Generation Next days. Black/Rollins was always pretty good and it's been cool seeing him on his own (I did love him & Jimmy Jacobs team). Danielson had a pretty good year from what I saw and this probably isn't my favorite era of his in ROH, when he needs to deliver, he really does. If you want to know, I think there's too many smiles and repeating of popular/standard Danielson moves in smaller bouts..that's working smart and getting ready for WWE. From my totally lopsided viewing, Davey & Steen were the standouts of the year. Totally skewed that way, I know BUT I felt that they delivered on every match AND met the booking demands and transitioned to the big stars of ROH for 2010. Here's the list for those tldr folks. I've noted ones posted on YouTube, videos are embedded in my posts for your convenience. p.s.
    Be sure to check out post # 3 as I added a review and video link for Tyler Black vs KENTA in the comments.
    Must See:
    Bryan Danielson vs Davey Richards (Final Countdown: Boston 09/25/09)
    Highly Recommended:
    -KENTA & El Generico vs Nigel McGuinness & Davey Richards (Steel City Clash 2009) YT
    -Davey Richards vs KENTA (Supercard of Honor IV 2009)
    -KENTA & Tyler Black vs Austin Aries & Katsuhiko Nakajima (Take No Prisoners 2009) YT
    -American Wolves vs KENTA & Roderick Strong (Violent Tendencies 2009) 
    -KENTA vs Tyler Black (End of an Age 06/27) YT
    -American Wolves & Chris Hero vs Steenerico & KENTA (ROH on HDnet ep #17 aired 07/18/09) YT
    -Austin Aries vs Davey Richards (Aries vs Richards 11/13/09)
    Recommended:
    -American Wolves vs Steenerico (ROH on HDnet ep #11 aired 05/30/09)
    -American Wolves vs Steenerico (Manhattan Mayhem III 2009) 
    -Bryan Danielson vs Tyler Black (ROH on HDnet ep# 18) 
    -American Wolves vs Briscoe Brothers (Final Countdown: Chicago 09/19/09)
    -Kevin Steen & El Generico vs the Young Bucks (Final Battle 2009) YT

    2009 was certainly a transition year for ROH and from reading, they were on shaky ground especially with Bryan & Nigel leaving. I think that everyone else really picked up the slack and it was a boon to have KENTA be a part of ROH for a good chunk of the year. As you can see from my list above, it's a different group of folks holding the company up from a year or two earlier... not entirely but most of these guys were getting the big time push with little safety net. Cherry picking matches prevents me from seeing that on the rest of the shows but there is a lot to like if you're thinking of watching these or other matches from Ring of Honor 2009.
     
  24. G. Badger

    Ring of Honor You Might Have Missed - 2009

    By G. Badger,


    You Might Have Missed
    I'm still trying to get through my pile of DVDs. A big blind spot is Ring of Honor starting with the HDNet era stuff. I'm going to start with 2009 and I'm going in with the DVDs that I got: Best of ROH on HDNet vol. 2, American Wolf: Davey Richards comp and Best of the American Wolves that was a bonus DVD compilation with Champions vs All-Stars 2011 (pretty obscure place to put a Best of Comp). I think I have 3-4 matches from YouTube. I'm not going to find more...there's way too much material to shift through that YouTube channels post..I'm kinda burnt out on hunting on YouTube. So if you're interested in finding more, by all means - go for it! I'll post links to ROH's YouTube where available. Overall, I think I've got a got sample of 2009 especially the top stuff along with middle of the road stuff to pad things so I get the vibe.

    KENTA & El Generico vs Nigel McGuinness & Davey Richards (Steel City Clash 2009): Ohhh shit! This was badass! Sure you get the awesome fast paced action and it's a great match on that alone. But the added wrinkle of Nigel being hurt is what makes it a classic. Davey has to fight even fiercer, KENTA smells blood but Nigel, still the champ is hurt and in a way more deadly. This is a fantastic setup to he & KENTA's title fight the following night but it's a classic match in its own right. 
    ROH has this up so, enjoy!
     
    ...and here's the Nigel vs KENTA match from the 7th Anniversary Show the next night. It's a classic but definitely different from what you'd expect due to Nigel's arm injuries:
     
     
    Now let's get to ROH on HD net Vol. 2:
    The first couple matches are actually bonuses not listed on the case - sweet!
    Jerry Lynn vs Delirious (ep. 1) Fun match and a good showing from both guys. First match for ROH on HDNET. Jerry Lynn is an ageless wonder. I never understood why people had problems with him winning the title. He's been a staple of indie wrestling in the States, he's one of THE guys in ECW that inspired a generation to wrestle a certain style... and he proves here that he has the goods. Nice to see this after my ECW project.

    Nigel McGuinness vs Jay Briscoe (ep.2) - Man this was really good stuff. Smart work a body part match. Nigel targets Jay's shoulder ALL match. Jay does a great job selling the damage but refraining from using it. Chops & elbows with the strong arm and kicks for his big moves. Yeah super enjoyable non-title bout for TV between two of the best ROH has ever seen.

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    Davey Richards vs KENTA (Supercard of Honor IV 2009): Picking back up after Steel City Clash... Davey & KENTA have a score to settle. And holy cow, this is a match! Not a super long epic with a great internal story but damn do they push the limit with the action. And let's be honest, that's what you want with this kind of fight. Tons of great strikes, suplexes and high spots...I think the pace and building intensity is what makes this special. That all culminates with a awesome finish! That really pushes this over the top to a Classic match at around 18 minutes. Davey has officially levelled up in 2009 and KENTA in early 2009 is on a roll.
     
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    KENTA & Tyler Black vs Austin Aries & Katsuhiko Nakajima (Take No Prisoners 2009): This is a late addition but since this is a puroresu centric blog, I gotta see this. And very glad that I did! It's one of those ones that got better as it went along. Having seen a bunch of wrestling, surprises are appreciated and I felt that's what made this a classic. Hayabusa era FMW tags are like this just when you think you have it figured out they hit you with something different and ratchet up the pace or intensity and end things beautifully. I think this did that. I had this as a near classic for the last 3/4 of the bout but the couple minutes and the finish made this a classic all action tag. What's different than was expected in terms of characters is that Aries is in his chicken shit heel era. So this isn't badass 2004-2008 GenNext Aries but you know what? It works because it makes this different and eases you into the match. Shit that's too serious at the start puts me off a match. Like, "oh I gotta be in the right place to enjoy this." This actually feels more American in style early and it's funny to see Aries squirm & get beat up. So, I definitely recommend it if you're interested. 
    ROH has this up also:
     
    This was an absolute great start! Enough variety to keep things interesting but still some classics to take note of. Thanks for reading!
  25. G. Badger
    We're getting into the main chunk of the ROH on HDNet DVD now.
    Chris Hero vs Jerry Lynn (ep. 13) - You know another reason Jerry Lynn was champ, beyond Nigel's injuries, beyond Nigel probably already planning going to TNA but specifically giving it to Jerry was this TV deal. Lynn is pretty much the only recognizable face in ROH at this time. They are trying to grow and get new fans and Mr. JL is someone watching TV is going to remember. A lot of folks wanted them to pull the trigger on Tyler Black at this time but, you need Jerry as an attraction. But look at me talking about this **oh good God** 15 years later. Anyways, let's talk about the match! This was a really good match...nice little bit of story with Hero being a cheatin' heel but really starting to incorporate the various elbows and kicks into his repertoire. Lynn is in for a fight especially with Del Ray and Hagadorn at ringside. Good mix of Lynn's junior offense and Hero's big strikes. Jerry Lynn has wrestled everyone

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    Kenny Omega vs Kenny King (ep. 14) - Very good movez match. I really appreciate Rhett Titus' heeling and goofiness at ringside. It made this a lot of fun. Otherwise I think this could have just been another enjoyable but skippable match. This was thoroughly entertaining and multi dimensional.

    Rhett Titus doing his thing...oh...he & Kenny brought their dates along to watch the match...
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    KENTA vs Roderick Strong (ep. 14) - Main event for the episode and baby does it feel like one. Great match between two of the hardest hitting wrestlers. This actually felt like an upper card match on a show. Surprises, good fighting spirit without being hammy and it felt like two guys trying to win an athletic competition. They didn't empty the tanks but this delivered.

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    American Wolves vs KENTA & Roderick Strong (Violent Tendencies 2009) - Hyper work rate match. This is pretty awesome and what you're looking for with this pairing. It flies a little close to the sun with the spots in my eyes. There's a couple tandem spots that I just find too cute anymore, you know what I mean? Anyhow, the rest of the match is that chest slapping, face kicking, back breaking stuff. This all seemed real impromptu as I guess Danielson was originally booked. These guys all have history so they make it work and it gives the match an organic feeling - some moves are repeated, some spots really do look on the fly (as if it were a "real" fight) and although the tandem stuff doesn't do it for me and was a little clumsy/cluttered/forced, they don't diminish the rip roaring excitement of this tag match. Near classic match.
     
    From ROH on HdNet for episode #15
     
    Jimmy Jacobs vs Delirious - Fight without Honor (ROH on HDnet ep #15 aired 06/27/09) - This was a great match and having just watched a load of ECW, this definitely would have been a hit at the ECW arena. Great spots with the chairs and table, excellent action in between and a high spot finish that I totally popped for. This is a great hard core match.
    American Wolves vs Bryan Danielson & Tyler Black (ROH on HDnet ep #15 aired 06/27/09) -   Cheap finish aside this was a very good tag team match. It's an excellent match for TV since there's plenty of action but they don't go too crazy with the pacing. I'm tempted to see the "real deal" and watch the Tag Title Classic... we'll see...but anyhow this would probably be a TNA PPV mid card match for like 2006...so yeah pretty darn good for TV episode.
    I definitely recommend the tag match from Violent Tendencies. The HDnet show is good and reminds me of what TNA wrestling has been doing the last few years. I prefer the in ring work from ROH.  Thanks for reading!
     
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