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G. Badger

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  1. G. Badger
    Stiff clubbering puro match like I was hoping for. I wouldn't put it in that classic match category but, on a fast paced Jr. Heavy tag show, this was the way to close out the night. You came for the razzle dazzle but, stayed for the beat down! Two big war tanks crashing into one another for 20 minutes. Sasaki's Choshu tutelage is apparent as he leads the match- fast, hard hitting, lariats aplenty. Both guys are bleeding a little which added to the air of intensity. Its pretty hard to fault anything but, don't think you'll find deeper drama. Its a heavyweight title fight, plain as toast. Great match
  2. G. Badger
    I've come to like this match a bit more than when I first saw it. I "get" 'Fuji now and the look on their faces after the bell is rung for the win is timeless. Marufuji is elated and Akiyama while upset has got a grin on his face like, "I can't believe he beat me without beating me." The thing is Akiyama in AJ held the same spot Marufuji does...the guy who got elevated quick and has to take his lumps in the ring but is damn athletic & damn talented. The ring work is mostly spots akin to a RVD/Jerry Lynn match so; it's entertaining and amazing but also not capable of a "classic." Akiyama is like Jerry Lynn in giving the match a skeleton from which M-fuji can perform. It's like a "Did you see that move? I can't believe he did that!" match which probably translates well to contemporary NJPW than let's say pre-split AJ. It bit off more than it could chew at times but, it's still quite good. I'd probably say **** all things said and done.
  3. G. Badger
    The match was everything I hoped it would be. Takayama has an air of violence to him very much like Fujiwara. He certainly delivered on that. It was really quite excellent in its layout and it really propelled Takayama as a budding main eventer and gave Misawa the vulnerability that he needed in this portion of his career. The match on a whole really put the GHC title into the class of the Triple Crown. Excellent performance by both guys. Classic match.
  4. G. Badger
    Found my old notes on this: Eh! sorta a letwdown but it was stiff at times Kawada wasn't up for another killer match tonight. He was bleeding from the nose after a stiff lariat. Re-watch: This is better on the re-watch but still both men worked smarter matches in the evening and worked a better match on the 10/9/00 show.
  5. G. Badger
    I'm with Superstar. This got better on the rewatch. This match is brimming with hatred and crowd heat. The wrestlers feed off of this brilliantly. It harkens back to the Jumbo/Misawa days. Fuchi is a sadist, Kawada is as intense as ever, Nagata is the defending hero, and Iizuka is the tough underdog. It is an awesome combination that everyone plays to perfection. Classic stuff
  6. G. Badger
    Slower strong style bout that got very stiff near the close and ended awkwardly. I think what happened here was something more political than wrestling. Hashimoto was released from NJ & started Zero One not much after this I believe so, it's no wonder it's not the best one could hope for. Still, they were punching the shit out of each other though & that was pretty cool stuff. Fujinami was legit hurt for sure. This brought a real sense of violence. Certainly 4 stars.
  7. G. Badger
    I think Jericho was masterful in pulling all kinds of historical taunts/mannerisms out of the bag to pop the Dome crowd. This happened way too much for a one off hate-kill-destroy match though. Especially in Japan...his 95 J Cup w/ Benoit match was more hate filled than this. Near knockout slap anyone? This shouldn't have been 2nd from the top (perhaps 3rd) but Jericho can still go, Omega is hot, this was a money match (better than Super Liger, right!?) good shit nonetheless.
  8. G. Badger
    This WK seems like the point in time where the public may choose to turn a reflective eye upon the NJ juggernaut. Omega/Jericho got a curmudgeon like me to tune in but, what I got was what I expected, unfortunately. Folks get caught in the zeitgeist for awhile then, these things too become mundane.
  9. G. Badger
    It looks like you guys are having a blast! This is a lot of fun, thanks for sharing
  10. G. Badger
    This had that big Dome match aura to it. Intense and violent from the get go and it did not let up. Never overstaying it's welcome, Goto & Suzuki put on a brilliant wager match. I'm glad this only had one drawn out back and forth elbow exchange and that led to the story of the match. I pop into to watch NJ once in a while and the NEVER belt stuff always seems to be what I'm looking for. I was hoping for something like this for the Jericho/Omega match but, I'm not sure they could have topped it. This felt like a Dome main event from the 90s or 2000s perhaps. Great match
  11. G. Badger
    That's now how the rules of pro wrestling work. The point of breaking pins and submissions on rope breaks is that once you're in the ropes (or just touch them as in modern wres) it's considered as if you're outside the ring and this was not a falls count anywhere match. Since I mentioned the rope break stuff, I think the issue was inconsistencies with the rope breaks. Call them all or don't call any. I would have been happy with either but, not both. I felt this match shouldn't have been the time for technicalities. I'm with you on your view of the match. 7 out of 10 seems about right to me too.
  12. G. Badger
    Finally got around to watching this dream match The Hardyz vs The Briscoes - Omega 04/26/14 Briscoes working a brawling, cheating, heel style here. Not clear cut villains as I'm guessing they are as popular in NC as anywhere but, against the hometown Boyz, they are the villains. Goes to a 2 on 1 beat down with Briscoes clearly in control but, never so much that you think the remaining Hardy is completely out of it. That shows real restraint and a sense of the crowd. I think from the matches I've gone through, its clear that their biggest strengths as a team is adaptability and versatility. They adjusted their styles, characters, and work to match the trends, promotion, and opponents. Its a testament that they could be considered one of the best teams for a 10 year span.
  13. G. Badger
    This was a pretty good match but, I felt it took way too long to get where they were going. There's no way this had to be around 40 minutes. I think 30 would have better and 25 would have been best. There was too much down time IMO. Technically it was very good- selling was there, the spots were inventive and played to the stipulation, both guys are clearly charismatic. I loved Jericho messing with Red Shoes and his son on the outside. I was thinking at that point "this is classic stuff." They kinda lost me after that though. Sometimes there were rope breaks, sometimes there weren't, there was a count out despite it being no DQ. I felt these were screw ups that could have perhaps been opportunities for Jericho to "correct" the ref with a yell or another shove or slap saying "No DQ!" That way we at home and especially those in attendance got "it" as well as make Chris look more vicious. Ah well just a creative nitpick there... And really, I didn't feel like there was a lot of hate there. Maybe for a current NJ Dome show there was but, past the early parts, they just went into predictable territory. Successful Riki Choshu Dome slugfests are a known quantity but, I guess expectations have shifted past that. If they brought that kinda intensity along with their spots and a shorter match time this would have been great or perhaps classic stuff. Instead, we got a very good match. Still worth watching and I'm glad I did.
  14. G. Badger
    I think what makes the Briscoes such a stellar team is the characters they've created. Sure they're brothers but, eh so are the Malenkos. Don't get me wrong I loves me some Malenkos but, its just not enough. The redneck gimmick is fantastic but, it certainly needed updating. It would be easy to be a redneck like Dick Murdoch in 2006. It would come across as caricature though. Like doing the NASCAR stuff in WCW...it reaches a certain audience but, it seems inauthentic. Their early stuff doesn't play it up but, as soon as they beefed up, covered in tattoos, wearing stars & bars trunks and playing Skynard-shit felt real. Hillbilly gangstas if you will. Couldn't find any older stand alone promos but, I enjoy these two. The Briscoes welcome ROH's new day promo (2011) The Best vs The Baddest - The Addiction vs The Briscoes This Weekend! #SOTF14 promo (2014)
  15. G. Badger
    Man, I'm going to go with option #2. If I can rewatch any and everything that I've ever seen then I would gladly chose to watch this stuff over and over again. Its the stuff that I love and what's made me a fan etc. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of what's going on in wrestling currently and if we are talking about "until death" then, I'm pretty sure I'm not gonna care for or about the state of wrestling in 20 years. Let alone have the time or energy to follow it. I'd much rather go back and watch the classics when I'm old and grey.
  16. G. Badger
    Digging through the old review grooveyard today. Found a couple Briscoe Bros. matches... Kevin Steen/El Generico vs. The Briscoe Brothers ROH Tag Title 2/3 Falls 8/25/07: "Excellent match full of crazy spots and with nice counter sequences too. Really, talk about monster jam...there must have been a half dozen "Oh shit!" moments here. Straight exciting indy tag wrestling without out all of the goofy kick-out of a hundred finishers that look like they'd put the entire 1997 AJPW roster in the hospital. The whole match was go-go throughout & never did it seem like too much. And another thing! The execution was rather crisp, not NJPW Jr. crisp, but damn close...none of that Indy sloppiness...really it's a wonder these guys aren't big stars...except they probably wouldn't sell many T-shirts." Well, now they are The Briscoe Brothers vs. Naruki Doi/SHINGO ROH Tag Title 3/2007: "This was another crazy Briscoe affair that was very good when momentum wasn't being killed by a miscue or slight mistake. Still it was a really Toyota style match with no real selling but fantastically entertaining full of "oh shit!" moments including SHINGO catching the one brother mid air with a lariat that would make Kensuke Sasaki proud. Also the finish has an awesomely devastating Fisherman Driver thingy!"
  17. G. Badger
    Watched the full match a couple years back and found my review: I thought it was fantastic. The timing and near finishes were just awesome. You knew the hope spots were going to be there but, wow! This was just an awesome match that should be on every one of these guys “Best Of” comps. The stand-outs were Hase and Vader. The segments they had were just great stuff and very stiff. Vader was just punishing throughout and Bigelow and Mutoh were the charismatic ones who put the flashy bits in. Everything was hitting just right. Maybe this is a case of low expectations and being surprised but I really enjoyed this. Great match. I'd like to rewatch this to see if my opinion holds up.
  18. G. Badger
    Fortunately, the Briscoes have been loyal to ROH for most of their career and a good sample of their matches and more is available on ROH's YouTube. Here's a compare and contrast: The Briscoes vs Samoa Joe & AJ Styles 11/28/03: Recommended match that shows the Bros. looking very different from what most fans came to know. The guys were very young but, very very solid especially considering what ROH's tag pool looked like at the time. A more contemporary version of the above match: The Briscoes vs Shinsuke Nakamura & Kazuchika Okada 5/12/15 Here their characters and styles are well defined as vets/lynchpins of the company. Less about looking similar and more about Jay the hard nosed talent & Mark the Redneck wild man. I mean its fun when Nakamura and Mark first get in the ring together Anyhow, definitely a team I'd like to take a deeper look at here.
  19. G. Badger
    I think this is a match people are going to love or hate. Everyone is on point with their execution & timing. Beyond that there's no great story, selling or other stuff. Its pretty much two young teams going out to impress. That's what the NTV Jr. Tag tournament is about so, I'm not going to fault them for being exciting. I think if you're going to do an extended sprint, do it like this. 16 minutes of madness.
  20. G. Badger

    Footloose

    G. Badger replied to goodhelmet's topic in Tag Teams

    Footloose is probably my favorite tag team right now. They are just so enjoyable to watch. Fuyuki followed Tenryu to SWS & WAR where they kept a very similar style...rope running, stiff clubbering blows, attitude, and relatively short match times (compared to where AJ was headed). I think that's what's interesting about Kawada in Footloose & Tenryu's Revolution stable...did he prefer this style over the grander Kings Road style? He surely excelled in both. Key matches to me: vs Takashi Ishikawa & Mighty Inoue 4/21/88: weird moves, teases, tricks, and smart work. A great match for sure! vs Shunji Takano & Shinichi Nakano 7/19/88 & vs Shunji Takano & Shinichi Nakano 9/15/88: The first match is the better of the two but both are fantastic. The first is fast & wild where the rematch this more about hate. These should be seen together. Giant Baba, Rusher Kimura, Masa Fuchi vs. Genichiro Tenryu, Toshiaki Kawada & Samson Fuyuki 9/15/89: Classic example of a diamond in the rough 6 man for this period. Baba & Rusher stunk by 1989 so, Fuchi in essence has to do the lion share of the wrestling for his team. Footloose as Tenryu's underlings are fantastic. Genichiro Tenryu, Toshiaki Kawada & Samson Fuyuki vs. Kenta Kobashi, Great Kabuki & Jumbo Tsuruta 10/14/89: High energy, multi-near fall type match with simple moves that elevates it to something maybe not entirely memorable from a "highspots" standpoint but, something absolutely excellent. Footloose faced the Can-Am team of Kroffat & Furnas to excellent results best exemplified by their 6/5/89 match. They also had some very fine meetings with the Malenkos, Bulldogs, Jumbo/Yatsu/Kabuki, Rock n Roll Express, and others. Some of these are jip but, I've yet to see a Footloose match that disappointed...usually around the ***1/2-***3/4 range.
  21. G. Badger
    Just finished this, great recommendation & merry Christmas! This match was just so much fun to watch and is probably why this time period in AJ is my favorite. Tenryu and Yatsu hating each other, Kawada trying to prove himself, and a person not typically associated with great matches or work rate just fitting into the mix seamlessly like a later Baba, Rusher Kimura, or Great Kabuki. In this case, John Tenta. He was so good here that you'd think he and Yatsu were regular partners. They looked like quite the force here. This is the type of wrestling that doesn't demand you set aside an hour of your time, doesn't require that you buy into the flash, hype, or gimmicks. It is just there. A simple story with straight forward action. Most importantly, it puts a smile on your face
  22. G. Badger
    Yes to this. I hated them with a passion in 2010 but, in 2017 I bought this shit. Like I said earlier, they are best in PWG. Its almost like ROH, NJ etc. are second to PWG. Its like they portray those promotions as jobs but, PWG is the real thing Although wackiness occurs there too but, they're like big fish in a little pond and come across as villains more often.
  23. G. Badger
    Carrying this over for posterity since the comments psyched me up to watch the match Yeah, that Dragon/Steen one is just fucking epic. Great build too for those who followed PWG. The Bucks were booked to be smarmy twerpy heels who kept going foe the company ace and this match was a glorious pay off.
  24. G. Badger
    Takashi Okano vs El Gran Apache IWA Japan - 1/8/95 part 1 part 2 This was much more mat based than the Super Astro match. Okano again hangs in there very well making this a much more substantial match. Its less pizzazz and more of a fight. Highly recommended match. Okano has got talent. Edit: also watched these two guys from 10/16/94 but, its not paced or laid out as well. Its also in 2 parts on YouTube but, its worth just skipping to the 2nd segment. Its in Korakuen to distinguish it from the other.
  25. G. Badger
    The outset of the match appeared to one sided. The hefty Super Dragon & even heftier Steen were mauling the Jackson Brothers. Elbows, punches, chairs, you name it. Obviously, the Bucks mount a comeback and we get one brutal hardcore match. What makes it so special (in addition to Dragon's return) is the intensity that Steen & Super brought. It legitimately looked like they wanted to hurt/kill the other team. The Bucks were heel but, man they garnered sympathy. Every move even if just a punch or stomp gave a little hope that they would survive. It even looked like they had a chance of winning when they'd isolated Steen from Dragon. Its a wonder no one was hurt more than they were. A really well done hateful No DQ (Guerrilla Warfare) match. No glitz no glamour.
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