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G. Badger

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  1. G. Badger
    I don't get the Joey Styles hate...All in all ECW was an East Coast Indy promotion. We can't hate they guy for hyping the company... Also, the commentary was dubbed after the fact...in his or Heyman's basement IIRC. So, he's the mouthpiece for Heyman especially with this match & others like it that defied mainstream US wrestling in '95. A 30 min technical match with no shenanigans or gimmicks in a bingo hall in 1995...I mean there's a reason why people got signed by WCW. ECW was that platform for talented guys who were being overlooked. ROH, PWG, Evolve being the launch pad for today's superstars is due and in large part to the culture of creativity that ECW created. Match in 2017 is fun but, not super great but, significant for the reasons above. The end
  2. G. Badger
    I'm a fan of both guys so, I was going to like this right from the get go. Found it odd that Eddie used the brainbuster and frog splash so early on but, eh in this period of ECW moves weren't logically built up to...some could argue this case for the promotion in general... I digress. Fun match with Scorp tossing some nice superkicks and hitting a Hurty looking Tumbleweed. Eddie was coming into his own execution and charisma wise. Nothing to sneeze at though. A big plus: this finishes up in an appropriate fashion and time! Recommend it esp. if you're a Scorpio fan b.c. he actually gets to work a clean match with another athlete.. Not something that happened very often during his ECW career.
  3. G. Badger
    This was pretty much what I expected. Nothing too deep, nothing too dramatic but, plenty of their signatures. Very psyched on the fact Otani was ok'd to bust out all his springboard moves! Very good match and a nice match for what is was...loved the finish. Nice taste of mid-90s NJ Jr. Style
  4. G. Badger
    Man! I love that lariat!!! Off the top of my head, I think the Steiners dominated Hase too much for this to be as dynamic and surprising as intended. My review from a few years back: "This was one of the first Japanese wrestling matches that I saw and it really wowed me. Having gone past my novice stage, I can see the faults with this match & it certainly can't really be the match of the year. The big problem is that there never was any back and forth drama, the Steiners never honestly looked in trouble. The finishing portion was quite awesome ; especially the tag turnbuckle moves. The reason for this is the fact that they had 13 minutes to do a tag title match! This is stupid! What they could do in that time span was a move exhibition. There just wasn't enough time allotted to build up drama for those great moves & it came off kind of flat. If given enough time, I'm sure it would have been great and maybe that MOTY. I think they had to give time for the infamous Flair/Fujinami "Dusty Finish" match. Whatever...I haven't seen many matches from '91 but I'm sure something from AJPW or AJW was better mainly because they focus on providing the fans with an exciting card from top to bottom; not throwing the other matches away for some screw-job main event. In other words this match should have been given more than 13 lousy minutes." I've seen more '91 bouts since then and can say there are better BUT if you haven't seen this one, check it out! Its cool stuff for sure.
  5. G. Badger
    As far as all action Jr. Tags go, it's difficult to ask for anything more. If someone is thinking they're going to get long term selling, working a body part, character development stuff then, they'll be disappointed. If you're looking for fast all action tag wrestling, this is it. Both teams are really going all out here and it's a pleasure to watch...guilt free Great Jr. Tag match with speed, timing, and intensity that would hold up or perhaps outshine the Jr. Tags of today.
  6. G. Badger
    The match begins with Aja calling out her mystery partner, Kyoko Inoue. From there we get a real rough and tumble tag team match. It is tremendously gritty and full of heart. It seems to be an off night in terms of execution as this is Kyoko's 2nd match, and Toyota gets injured. With that being said, the performances are more realistic because of these stumbles and mistakes. It's covered well because the passion and intensity are there. It's not one of those matches were they are biting off more than they can chew. It's more like the women are so drained that they can hardly muster the strength, concentration, and balance to execute their moves. So, the moment is never really killed, it's just a more organic match. Many of the great early 90's Joshi matches are in this same vein. This match is not talked about in the top tier of Joshi and maybe rightfully so but, it's certainly a top tier match of 92 for AJW.
  7. G. Badger
    This match takes place right after the AJW tag match in Mariko fought in. So, Mariko has this belt as well and she must defend this evening...because why? Sakie and her have very similar style and have provided us memorable and recommended encounters. This is no different. There is nice limb working and a real display of fighting spirit by both. The good kind too, not the 'macho elbow to the jaw - grunt - throw an elbow of your own - repeat' kind. There aren't any mind blowing segments but, it's really very good stuff. It's a shame for joshi fans that Mariko got hurt around this time and was not around until a year or two later because you could tell she was heating up in terms of ring awareness, psychology, and story building. Highly Recommended
  8. G. Badger
    A physical and monumental match up as two up and comers battle it out like top tier talent. Oh yeah, that was alliterative! If this was the best that Joshi had to offer, it would still be worth while. It showed guts and determination and is Highly Recommended.
  9. G. Badger
    This is simply a continuation of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre match. Brutal and intense as all hell. Austin as the toughest S.O.B in the world puts the contest and wrestlers over huge. This stuff is the real Attitude era..not the dick jokes, pillow fights and the cheap stuff. Its heated violent stuff with an ornery baddass Austin as the moderator.
  10. G. Badger

    ...Dive

    G. Badger replied to Coffey's topic in Pro Wrestling

    How does this effect him? Is he losing work because there are all of these work-rate guys out there? I think "he's" 17 years late to the party. Did "he" see WCW Cruiserweights, RVD vs Jerry Lynn, Tajiri and Super Crazy...hell! Jack Evans in ROH? Can't put the genie back in the bottle, or shut Pandora's Box. I like the tweet as a poem though. It maintains its intensity and focus throughout. With a little editing to keep rhythm, we could get it published. The PWO community should encourage more wrestling poetry
  11. G. Badger
    I disagree. This was completely brutal and fantastic. Seriously, this was a classic hardcore style bout without any of the ECW trappings... And I say that as an ECW fan. Both guys really put their bodies on the line and this was a true war. I'm not sure what everyone else watched but this was a slow burning battle. The selling bordered on legit as both guys took a lot of punishment. Plus, I'm a sucker for a heel getting on the mic mid match! Corporate Rock was so awesome at being a cocky yet likable heel. The fact that he took his shots despite being the fresh young hope of the company is a testament to him. He really could have messed his body up in this match. I haven't seen this match in 15 years so, I figured in retrospect it would be a 3.5 star type match - recommended for a story or a few sequences. It was a classic even with the finish. A draw isn't always a bummer. The dueling chairs to double KO was strong as hell, looked good, and kept the door open for the future. Addendum: there was a segment from HEAT where Rocky ambushed Mankind and hurt the knee and this is essential to this match. It seemed like it was going to be a ppv screw job to the fans but Foley was spectacular in not only staying in there with the Rock early on but, bringing the violence to him as well.
  12. G. Badger
    Hahaha! The best and I do mean the best part of this match is the stuff with the ref!! He gets the elbow...OK, I get it but, Bret drops a Kobashi or Sabu level leg drop to the back of his neck! Seemingly for no reason Later Sting drops down out of exhaustion but obviously its to talk to the ref...probably to tell him to move. Schiavone blows the call saying he's checking on the ref...which makes no sense in terms of the "story" in the ring- he just got pummeled by Hart. Heenan tries to cover up and Tony withdraws the claim saying 'oh yes my mistake! He's on all fours in exhaustion.' Hahaha! Then the superplex on the ref is where I fully cracked up laughing. Its brutal but serves no purpose and is totally circumstantial...and it is the highlight. I watched the whole match, none other than the aforementioned wackiness is of merit. Both guys were on autopilot, the finish sucked, the layout sucked, Sting's look was killer though. Too bad...I was hoping for something better.
  13. G. Badger
    This was the first ppv I ever got. Going on memory from re-watching my vhs copy: this was pure soap opera for men type match up. Val Venis was a comedy act as was most of the roster. Shamrock was probably one of the few along with Steve Blackman who didn't have some kinda funny gimmick or catch phrase at the time. So, putting him as the straight man in the comedy routine was gold. Even more so since he was too stiff an actor to ever pull it off:D This is capped off by the timeless camera at the wrong place wrong time "Slap me" LOL The match is forgettable but this incident is timeless unintended comedy in the vein of Big Poppa Pump Steiner/what the hell is going on!?
  14. G. Badger
    This match exceeded my expectations. Vader really cannot go light and it gives this match a sense of realism. I felt the booking of the count out and DQ finishes worked since Shawn really did have his ass handed to him. He sold the beat down very well. Finish was alright...Vader going up and predictably missing the moonsault took a little wind out of my sails. As far as chemistry goes- many of WWF matches especially of this era look wrestled at 3/4th speed and anyone who's watched enough stuff can tell what's coming up. I think if it looks like they don't have chemistry it worked in their favor. Less cooperative and more competitive. Edit: Also enjoyed Cornette's manager interference. It came at the right time and it added to the match rather than be a screwjob finish. Plus it was under his advisement that Vader go up top which of course cost him the match.
  15. G. Badger
    Enjoyed Foley's leg drop on the table. It catches Rocky in an odd but still damaging way. Made it look more like real contest rather than a spot. Same goes with the ring steps and chair spot. Like, "damn Rock's trying to end this thing!" This was a fun match and a good feud starter. Ending is kinda befuddling to the crowd...and even to me on the rewatch. The 'Screwjob' reference doesn't come off that well. It seems like Vince & co. realize they need to go out of their way to explain it...even enough to say in essence, "Watch Raw tomorrow for a logical and clip aided explanation... We're just rambling right now."
  16. G. Badger
    It was a faster pace and played to the Steiners strengths and covered up for their weaknesses. I've only seen a couple Midnight Express matches but, Bobby Eaton really does shine here. I really prefer the Steiners in this match than their more prominent matches in NJ. Their offense was simple yet powerful. Too often in Japan, they would come across as super powerful and not vulnerable enough. Here they opt for scoop slams instead of suplexes for instance. The MX were clearly at a size/strength disadvantage but had experience, craftiness, and a little bit of cheating on their side. So, it seemed like an even matchup. They made the Steiners look great without getting killed. Again, another improvement over the way the brothers worked in Japan. A breath of fresh air and a recommended match.
  17. G. Badger
    Too late: Vader's run in AJPW. I liked it a lot but, Vader joining in '92-96 (perhaps instead of Albright???) - That would have been gold! Edit: adding KENTA & Jun Akiyama vs Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue (NOAH Great Voyage 10/03/09) Maybe sometime in 2005...
  18. G. Badger
    Surprised this was thrown on the WWE superstars of the 90s set and was amazed that essentially a Joshi match made American TV no less on WWF. Nakano was pretty great here as was Madusa/Blaze. No shenanigans, count outs, b.s. just all action. The German on the floor was goofy as it led into a transition with Bull getting back in control for a bit but, what the heck! This was a fun match!
  19. G. Badger
    I recall really enjoying Misawa vs Kawada 10/92 a lot as a competitive top of the class championship bout between teammates. Kawada's victory over Green Jeans was way over due and in retrospect tarnishes his arc 20+ years later :-/ However, Kawada is still Misawa's greatest rival and really beat the ever loving shit out of him even more than Kobashi or Jumbo. This is meaningful since Misawa was near unpinnable. The real heat between the two elevated their encounters, Kawada's little victories transcended records and that's why they are classics of wrestling. Any who...I'm totally digging your point but, after Jumbo got sick they had to put Kawada in there and as awesome as you and I know he was as Misawa's buddy, it was better as rivals..not even for the belt but for deeper reasons. The Misawa & Co. vs Jumbo & Co. feud is amazing! Probably my favorite!!!
  20. G. Badger
    These are ones that have struck me as significant or legendary but I can't give the years or days... Lou Thesz, Dory Funk, Jr. - NWA World Champion Verne Gagne, Nick Bockwinkel -AWA Samoa Joe, Bryan Danielson, Nigel McGuiness - ROH World Champion And Kobashi's 2003-2005 GHC run which created the mold for all puro that would follow. Enjoyed this the Tokyo Dome chopfest with Sasaki ten years ago but, I hate that we're still feeling the after effects...
  21. G. Badger
    It was great in showing Shiga's heart as well as Saito's 'evilness.' That dude is a beast. Great long finishing run with false finishes and great moments for sure. Epic finish too. Bad Ass! People were psyched on this one throughout! It had to build a little for me but, at the end I was shouting and making noises right along with 'em. This is a great to perhaps classic match that has been lost in the shuffle. I think most of the mid and early 2000's will be like that...
  22. G. Badger
    Watched this one a couple times and I really don't know how it's a MOTY candidate or could be nominated for Top 20 but, it's certainly top 50. The start is clipped to where both guys are sweating pretty good. Kobashi's offense is the highlight and he nearly gets Jumbo but, really he wasn't going to win. Still, you really feel for Kobashi & his facial expressions never seemed to get mentioned but he's one of the best. Better organized than the Kawada carny match but not as brutal & believable that the underdog could pull it off. Although Kobashi's moonsault got pretty close...No real flaws it just wasn't meant to be a MOTY & the divide between the two is far too large to have any believable drama especially since the moonsault didn't do it. Still Top 50 type AJ stuff that should be seen. ****
  23. G. Badger
    A fantastic technical bout. The vicious hammerlock that starts out the bout sets the tone. They are really grinding in the holds but always looking for an escape or counter. Then when they run the ropes, it looks wild and violent with Gagne's drop kicks being particularly good. Great match...I haven't seen enough of this era to call it a classic but, it really is timeless stuff by two greats.
  24. G. Badger
    This was a physical all action match that is still captivating all these years later. There's no goofiness or corniness that creeps its way in during the TV era. Its kinda like a Stan Hansen match 45 years early. Great stuff
  25. G. Badger
    Just an athletic Jr. weight match that is so damn stiff at just the right times. And the crowd is electric and both guys just eat it up. This is a proper match with a great heated American crowd full of fans. Nice build-up, great reactions, beautiful execution; just an awesome match. A semi-forgotten classic. ****1/2
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