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June Jumbo Tsuruta & John Tenta vs The Road Warriors (06/08/87): Ok, this has potential. Switch Wajima for Tenta and we've got something good. And to little surprise Tenta delivered. His stuff vs Hawk was awesome. Oh shit! It's over? That was quick...fun though. Honestly, this is probably the best use for the Warriors in AJ if not facing Jumbo & Tenryu. 06/09/87 The Great Kabuki & Takashi Ishikawa vs. Tiger Jeet Singh & Jason The Terrible. - Tremendously non AJPW match 😄 The heels were hitting the faces in the head with a folding table...in the ring...in front of the ref! This could be good or bad depending on your preferences. I think it was fun either way. Genichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara vs Yoshiaki Yatsu & Shinichi Nakano: Hara is a beast! but colored me surprised Hara is the one in peril not Nakano. Again, Yatsu really shines in this match. I'd again say he's the best wrestler in there. This was really enjoyable but, over too quick. There was never a dull moment though and features two really great spots. Recommended match The Road Warriors vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Hiroshi Wajima: This was pretty good when Hawk and Jumbo were in the ring. Wajima if you've never seen him is goofy. That's the case here per usual. Animal does his press slams and such but, is really too massive to be good. The chaotic ending is fun but, comes outta nowhere. It's an OK match. 06/11/87 Hiroshi Wajima vs. Animal Warrior: Well, they read my mind and gave me the worst match up of the above match...and perhaps the worst pairing for AJPW '87. I could not see this lasting more than 5 minutes since Wajima is embarrassing and Animal has little ability or personality. I had my fiance time it. Fortunately, it's around 3 minutes. Thank you! Giant Baba vs Tiger Jeet Singh: Great brawling start. Tiger's using a bucket like it's the WWF Raw game from the 90's. Yes! But from there it's more mat wrestling and less blood (if any) than I expected. Started fun but, was just OK. Jumbo Tsuruta & Tiger Mask vs Genichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara: This was really a lot of fun if a little disorganized. Perhaps chaotic is a more complementary way to phrase that but, that's what held it back from being a great match. Aw screw it, this was a blast especially with Tiger Mask Misawa flying around. He was revolutionary for '87 AJPW and appeared to have Tenryu beat. This match really helped elevate him. Jumbo was a bit off tonight but, wisdom says that was purposeful. It helped Tiger's star shine brighter. Recommended match. Stan Hansen vs Hiroshi Wajima (06/15/87) - I think this is good to watch as it's the payoff of all of their tag matches.Very good to great match to be honest. It's 10 minutes and it's Stan guiding Wajima through a big time title match. And Wajima does really well...the only thing he didn't know what to do with were a couple eye rakes. So Stan just hit him over the back very hard...he got the message then 😄 What works about this pairing is that Stan & Wajima both have simple, straight forward offenses. Or at least Hansen keeps it simple so he & Wajima look even. So then the fight is only about who tougher. Additionally, Hansen makes sure there's a good story with Wajima focusing on the Texan's arm & Stan on the yokozuna's ribs.

AAA J.Liger, T. Mask III , HD Santo & Octagón vs La Parka, Psicosis, B. Panther & E. Guerrero (05/15/94): Fun stuff with a lot of stars in the match. 1st & 3rd falls were best. Jushin Liger and Eddie Guerrero were the standouts for their teams. Tiger Kanemoto was in quite a bit but looked just OK. He's already good as himself in '92 but he's not a Tiger Mask except for his kicks. Psicosis also is pretty good here - taking crazy bumps. Highlights of the match are the dives. Makes me want to watch Eddie vs Liger in New Japan along with a Koji match...to remind me that he doesn't stink 😁 AJW Manami Toyota, Mariko Yoshida & Takako Inoue vs Cynthia Moreno, Esther Moreno & Mika Takahashi (06/18/91 - 7/21 TV): A dizzying display of speed & technique. Everyone was on fire. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED especially for ladies lucha libre or joshi fans. 14 minutes or so. Near Classic. Classic UK wrestling Mark Rocco vs Sammy Lee (Sayama) (04/04/81): This is an amazing match. I think since Sayama is being showcased here, he is more spectacular than most of his Tiger Mask matches. Rocco is an excellent foil here by letting Sayama shine, working/selling his maneuvers brilliantly and being a shit head, thus giving the match meaning. It's under 13 minutes and I LOVED IT. Definitely recommend this one! I'd actually highly recommend it if you're a fan of either guy. CMLL Blue Panther vs Ultimo Dragon (01/31/92): Stumbled upon this while looking for other matches. This is really good stuff that definitely would appeal to puro or U.S. style wrestling watchers. I find that Ultimo Dragon does a good job adapting to each style and is probably the proto international hybrid style worker. This has big moves, big dives and moves along at a good pace. It's stuff that any modern viewer should be down with. A recommendation for any lucha novice like myself. More seasoned lucha fans or old school fans might be interested but I think it doesn't have enough essential lucha libre qualities to grab their interest. Wrestlingstreaming service NJPW Solitario Vs Tatsumi Fujinami (1981): Another outstanding match from these two. Technically oriented but a bit more fisticuffs than I recall from their '79 bout. Additionally the pace is slower perhaps to match Fujinami's rank as a heavyweight. Therefore a small step down from that 1979 match (in comparison) but on it's own merits, this is great and RECOMMENDED. 13 minutes. See both if you can! Jushin Liger vs Black Tiger (Rocco) (07/12/89): Where has this match been!? 😃 I loved this. Heated junior wrestling, B.T Rocco choking Liger with his towel. Simple yet big moves & counter moves. Some reason NJ skips round #3 on the tape (yup there's rounds...which actually works well here) but no matter. 15 minutes or so of near classic junior wrestling. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for fans of the style or Liger. Wrestlingstreaming service

Last Spring, I took 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. I'm watching through another sampling for 2010 ROH currently. So be on the lookout for that. 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. Links for full reviews & pics: Ring of Honor You Might Have Missed - 2009 PART #2 PART #3 PART #4 FINAL PART 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

AEW/ROH posted the first episode ROH on HDNet. Pretty cool. I have a few of the Best of DVDs that were released years ago. Would be cool if AEW released these HDNet episodes regularly. We can't probably hope for the Sinclair episodes to be seen (?).

AJPW Watched "The Patriot" matches because I like a gimmick and it's almost 4th of July in the States... seemed like a good one..plus I have been meaning to watch more midcard AJPW 90's. Most/all of these are joined in progress. I LIKED them all but maybe you'll see one here that looks more interesting than others. vs Kenta Kobashi (06/03/92): An offensive move display from both. Good near falls. w/ Kobashi vs Dr. Death & Terry Gordy (09/05/92): Damn! This was really good! Extended beat down of Kobashi then makes the hot tag to Patriot. Then its just big moves and excitement. I understand how things get lost in the mix in 90's All Japan but, this one gets my pick as the one to check out. 11-12 minutes. It's from 09/20/92 TV btw. w/ Eagle vs Kobashi & Kikuchi (02/25/93): Rough at times but a big move/tag move fest. w/ the Eagle vs Dr. Death & Terry Gordy (05/14/93): Last 4 minutes but oh so good! w/ Eagle vs Stan Hansen & Bobby Duncum Jr. (09/02/95): Good fun, enjoyed watching Patriot knocking Stan & Bobby over 😃 Classic UK wrestling •Dalibar Singh vs Caswell Martin: Not sure on the date but seems later in the 80's based on the graphics on screen as well as a bit more American style moves (by my estimate). Also this is edited to pretty much just show the falls. Still very athletic, entertaining wrestling. Singh's European upper cuts were nasty. LIKED IT CMLL •Corazon de Leon vs Bestia Salvaje vs Dandy vs Felino vs Negro Casas vs Ultimo Dragon (03/03/95): The way this match was talked about in the '95 Year book/Match Discussion you'd think people were actively shitting their pants during the contest. Maybe it's with those low expectations that I really enjoyed this match. Bestia & Felino get eliminated too soon but then we have a essentially a tag match. Except Leon/Jericho doesn't come in until the very end. Everything prior is very, very good stuff. Jericho is no luchadore though so this resembles more typical junior fare but let's not say Casas & Dandy can't adapt - they can. So this continues to be very good just in a little different way. I LIKED IT. Can't comment on the booking or anything but, it's a fun match that moves along well, tells a simple story and has good action throughout. FMW •Hisakatsu Oya vs Hayabusa (06/27/95): Having watched FMW, this match was a step in the evolution of FMW wrestling. With Onita's (temporary) retirement, the promotion could move a tad away from the slice & dice and more towards the wrestling. This feels like a big move towards that and while they would improve upon it, I still really LIKED this match. Probably didn't need to be as long as it was but, since you're probably watching it online feel free to speed it up during the slower parts 🙂 NJPW •Antonio Inoki vs Tatsumi Fujinami (08/19/82): Roughly 15 minutes of grappling. If you want to see technical wrestling, this is your ticket. A technical duel between master & student. Definitely recommend this one! LOVED IT •Kengo Kimura & Tatsumi Fujinami vs Hiroshi Hase & Iizuka (06/27/89): Emphasis on technical wrestling, Iizuka & Kimura grappling was a highlight. LIKED IT •Vader vs Riki Choshu (06/27/89): Vader gets his mask ripped and they are looking to destroy one another! THIS is what you want with these two. Awesome ending too. LOVED THIS! •Randy Savage vs Jushin Liger (07/17/96): Damn! Randy took a bunch of hurty Liger offense! I doubt any other older WCW guy would have worked that way with Liger. Let's hear it for Macho Man! Fun match - LIKED IT •Fujinami, Koshinaka & A. Nogami vs Chono, Tenzan & H. Saito (07/17/96): That is how you do a 6 man match! What a finishing run there! They built the match right up to it, popped the crowd and ended it. LOVED THIS! SWS •Ultimo Dragon vs Jerry Estrada (12/12/91): This was a lot of fun. Estrada made Ultimo Dragon look great. It had spots he was doing in Hamada's UWF/FULL but they did more. RECOMMENDED UWA •Can Am Express (Furnas & Kroffat/LaFon) vs Los Cowboys (Silver King & El Texano) (07/04/92): 2/3 falls but that's the only lucha libre part about this. The match was much more junior/Puro oriented. It was rough around the edges but would have been right at home in W*ING or other indie. HIGH RECOMMENDATION for fans of either team. Great stuff, glad I saw it!

Yoshihito Sasaki is a guy that is under the radar because he mainly worked B level promotions like Zero One & BJW. Also he had a relatively short career at about 10 years. He has become one of my must watch wrestlers though. Lots of intensity and stiff as a starched shirt. Here's some recommendations: Ikuto Hidaka & Minoru Fujita vs T. Kuroda & Yoshihito Sasaki (08/31/04 Zero One Wrestling): Classic structure Jr. tag match with an awesome high energy final act. Great to see FMW alum Kuroda kicking butt! And man Sasaki had a relatively short career but he's so impressive even this early. No one talks about him so I'm going to praise his work and no frills style every chance I get. Here Fujita's execution is on point and the man Hidaka is his usual wizard self. He is just so quick and clean in his movements that it's a joy to watch. Fujita's hot tag to Hidaka is just sick! This is a very very good match. Masato Tanaka v Yoshihito Sasaki (12/24/07 Zero One) This was called Best of 2007 because these two were the best Zero One Wrestling had to offer. They did not disappoint me. There was good wrestling on the mat. Tanaka tries to weaken Sasaki's arm seeing as the lariat is a big weapon of his. But let's be honest, this is not the point of the match. No, there was fighting on the floor, there are big moves and very hard strikes were there too. Sasaki got busted open the hard way from a table thrown by Tanaka. So he was bleeding most of the match. What really put this above just another great match was the counter moves. There were a few choice moves that really surprised me. It made this really feel like two of the best that Zero One had to offer. By the end both men were loopy and although only one man got his hand raised, both were winners in my eyes. I would call this a classic and highly recommend it. Sami Callihan vs Yoshihito Sasaki (wXw 16 Carat Gold 2011 - Night 2) - Man, this looks promising! Sami really looks like he's got a screw loose! He brings so much intensity and bravado to the ring that, I'm invested before the bell rings. A handshake to start the match means Sasaki and Sami are going to be rough. And good gravy, this is violent wonderful wrestling and a near classic bout.

April & May 04/02/87 Stan Hansen & Ted DiBiase vs. Hiroshi Wajima & Takashi Ishikawa - Surprisingly good match! Wajima is limited but Ted & Stan sold it. Ishikawa is the workhorse. He employed slightly more advanced offense and bumped & sold his butt off. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Tommy Rich - Good title match but no way was Tommy Rich going to beat Jumbo. Still is was somewhat competitive and entertaining. It's definitely an improvement from their tag match! Dory Funk, Jr. & Hiroshi Wajima vs. Stan Hansen & Ted DiBiase (04/05/87): Stan starts things off right, nearly crushing Joe Higuchi in the process! He & Ted are THE tag team for 85-87 All Japan. The brawler/wrestler dynamic is good and a change of pace from the Brody/Hansen monster team. This match, Wajima looked really good. He did a few more complicated moves like a back drop suplex & Cobra Twist stretch. This was a pretty darn good tag match. It was fast paced in Stan's style and everything was of good quality. It's funny, Wajima & Dory Funk Jr. aren't that old in '87 but looked like wrestling grandpas here 😋 Note: I thought the Hiroshi Wajima matches were very good overall. I read that he started wrestling to pay off debts. Once he earned enough money, he stopped wrestling. So, in all he wrestled part of '86, all of 1987 and some of '88. I think this is partially why 1987 AJPW is odd. Anyhow, Wajima was limited but actually a good tag wrestler! 04/23/87 The Great Kabuki & Tiger Mask vs. Ted DiBiase & Pete Roberts - A very good bout especially with Tiger Mask II in there. He & Pete Roberts even got to work a swanky Greco Roman knuckle lock sequence in there. Kabuki wasn't his normal fiery self but the other three did great. Jumbo Tsuruta & Genichiro Tenryu vs Yoshiaki Yatsu & Shinichi Nakano: This was a very good all action bout. There wasn't a strong story or a tremendous amount of drama. That's OK since it was more centered on slapping and chopping the other team. Nakano put forth a lot of effort. He was out ranked but, never appeared out of his depth because he was busting his ass. Surprisingly, Yatsu looked strongest in terms of aggression and dictating the pace. He looked to have Jumbo's number. Watch for the powerbomb too! Giant Baba & John Tenta vs Rusher Kimura & Goro Tsurumi (05/01/87): Goro's afro and mustache is enviable. What an awesome look! Speaking of looks, Tenta is looking really fit & trim here in '87. As always, I'm giving Baba a pass for experience and the effort he puts forth despite his limited capabilities. This is better than the Road Warriors matches by the way. Rusher's overhand chopping Tenta in the throat. The big man looks awesome here...like a champ really. Referee Wada takes the best fucking ref bumps too. This was a fun, fun match. I wish I understood Japanese for Rusher's jokes at the end. Even Baba's laughing! Genichiro Tenryu vs Yoshiaki Yatsu (05/09/87) ROY TV has last 10 minutes...only half shown. I think those minutes are the best after finding this in full. Lots of fire and energy which tapers off as Yatsu works over Tenryu's knee. Still very good stuff in full though.

AJW •Esther Moreno & Suzuka Minami & Yumiko Hotta vs. Debbie Malenko & Mika Takahashi & Miori Kamiya (06/05/91 - 06/30 TV): Esther stole the show with her moves. Mika had a couple good ones too. Everyone looked good. Nice quick pace, super easy watch. RECOMMENDED •Debbie Malenko & Suzuka Minami & Yumiko Hotta vs. Mariko Yoshida & Takako Inoue & Toshiyo Yamada (06/05/92 - 06/22 TV): Everyone did something interesting & although no one stood out, the whole was greater than the sum of it's parts. Recommended for their energy and effort. Classic UK wrestling •Johnny England vs Sammy Lee (Sayama) (02/14/81): Funny bit with Mick McManus before the bout. Great showcase for Sammy/Sayama. Impressive stuff - lots of fun! NJPW •Tatsumi Fujinami & Gran Hamada vs Perro Aguayo & Anibal (03/06/81): Very good technical tag wrestling with some fisticuffs from the rudos. 12 minutes of quality wrestling. I really dig this stuff 🙂 •Jushin Liger & Akira Nogami vs Naoki Sano & Shinji Sasazaki (06/27/89): Liger vs Sano is a known quantity. Don't doubt this is anything less than a quality encounter just because it's a tag match. •Jushin Liger vs Pegasus Kid (11/01/90) Oh yes! This was great stuff wrestled at an urgent pace. Each guy was going for the win whether it was from a big move or a quick pinning maneuver. LOVED THIS. Not overwrought or cliche. Solid RECOMMENDATION •Chris Benoit vs Dr. Wagner Jr (09/17/97): Very fun match with good wrestling on the mat + big moves. It's a WCW TV match essentially but if you are in the mood for one then, it's a good pick! •Hiroshi Tanahashi & TAJIRI vs TERRIBLE & Texano Jr (11/03/10): Pretty sweet, action filled tag match! Everyone came to wrestle. Lucha moves, power double teams, Tanahashi doing his big stuff even though it's a small show. Yeah, this was a lot of fun. I recommend it. Also, Rest in Peace Joe Doering...thank you Joe.

Definitely want to share some recommendations since Kotaro is great junior wrestler and nothing substantial has been said. I haven't seen much of him recently but I will update this sporadically. There's quality stuff people are missing. Takuma Sano vs Mushiking Terry (Suzuki) (NOAH 11/05/05): What started out as just a fun match turned into something I would strongly recommend checking out. There was a neat story as it appeared Mushiking has Sano's rolling solebutt to the gut scouted. He's dodging it at every attempt. This is really smart because it has been shown to be equal to Misawa's elbow strike or Kobashi's chop. Not only strong, it is unpredictable. Sano is the master of this move along with the top rope double stomp. In combination, it usually spells the beginning of the end for his opponents.Terry (Suzuki) uses speed and craftiness against the the veteran. Smartly he works on weakening Takuma's legs with a variety of holds. This plan looks really good in pulling the upset. Sano's not out of it completely but, I'm buying a Mushiking win. It doesn't matter how much the kids are yelling for their superhero. He can only dodge that kick so many times. Really good match and two masked gimmicks in one year for Kotaro Kotaro Suzuki vs El Generico (wXw 16 Carat Gold 2011 - Night 1): This is a pretty high profile match for 2011. It's like an unofficial Best of the Super Jrs. match. It had lots of good action that kept the excitement and drama going. Who would win? Generico is a mega star in indy wrestling and Kotaro is GHC Jr. champ...every nearfall felt like the one that would do it. They both have so many tricks in the bag so, the end was always in doubt. Great match. Recommend it Shiozaki, Suzuki & Aoki vs Otani, Hidaka & Hashimoto - (NOAH 05/09/12) - I loved this match. Korakuen hall 6 man tag magic here with every pairing offering something interesting or outright exciting. The big story is young Hashimoto being able to hang in there with Noah top dogs especially Shiozaki. Otani keeping Go in check was enjoyable as all hell since Shinjiro looks like someone's buff dad. I think what made this great beyond the actual talent was the pacing. It was around 20 minutes and built up steam little by little until at the end, the excitement was at a fever pitch. Never did they over do it or go down a road narrative wise only to abandon it. In fact the story finished what it began with twists and turns along the way. I think this was a classic 6 man tag. Not necessarily a Suzuki focused match yet I Highly Recommend it! Kotaro Suzuki, Yoshinari Ogawa & YO-HEY vs Daisuke Harada, HAYATA & Tadasuke (01/06/19 NOAH): This is Korakuen Hall six man action and damn it is very good! NOAH still knows how to do this 17 minutes of excitement. This had heat and the tandem moves most notable Ogawa and Kotaro (Misawa's other protege besides Marufuji) doing Untouchables moves - Oh man! so cool to see 20 years later!

Sharing match recommendations here: Tajiri & Zumbido vs Chicago Express & Black Warrior (05/29/97 BJW): 7-8 minutes of lucha sweetness. Nearly constant movement. BJW shows the whole thing. Even they knew how good this was - hidden gem. RECOMMENDED Tajiri vs Chicago Express (05/30/97 BJW): Reminds me of Tajiri vs Super Crazy - dives, cool arm drags, ranas - you'll dig it! Tajiri & Ikuto Hidaka vs Super Crazy & Super Calo (12/18/99 ECW) Chattanooga, TN. This would be so awesome to see at your high school gym! These fans saw something special. Spring board moves, tilt-a-whirls, dives, fighting in the crowd... the ending came sooner that I would have wanted but that's not a complaint but a preference. Very good stuff! RECOMMENDED Tajiri vs Tommy Dreamer (03/25/00 ECW): Wichita, KS. Corino is talking crap on the mic. Dreamer comes out to shut him up but Tajiri intervenes. This was a fun house show type match yet had some pretty good spots. Definitely scratches an itch for your standard ECW match. Everyone had fun, me included. Hiroshi Tanahashi & TAJIRI vs TERRIBLE & Texano Jr (11/03/10 NJPW): Pretty sweet action filled tag match! Everyone came to wrestle. Lucha moves, power double teams, Tanahashi doing his big stuff even though it's a small show. Yeah, this was a lot of fun. I recommend it. The video is below.

Sharing some recommendations for posterity. I have watched a good bit of 2000-2010's Omori and he's awesome. But I think he's probably someone you have to "get into" and understand his journey/history to fully appreciate. But it's not some big task to do that. Tag partner to Akiyama, tag partner to Takayama, challenges Kobashi in Champion Carnival before the NOAH exodus, exiled from NOAH, goes to Zero One for awhile, returns "home" to AJPW as a vet etc. His 2010 has depth beyond that arc especially once Akiyama & co. come into AJPW. Will update this periodically: Jun Akiyama vs Takao Omori (09/04/99): If you are a fan of either guy then, damn man, you need to watch this!! Knees, lariats, armbars, attacks off the top rope, man! Why did people thing AJ sucked in '99? It has a big match feel, it has a nice early focus on grappling then, organically transitions to big moves but no MKII finishers which was refreshing. This is very similar to 2012-2015 actually Great match! Takao Omori & Mohammed Yone vs Yoshihiro Takayama & Takashi Sugiura (05/26/02 NOAH): A little bit earlier there's a schism in No Fear. Akiyama calls Omori out saying Takayama is using him...during the match Takayama wants to decimate Akiyama with double team moves (they do) but Omori says enough is enough and hit his partner with the Ax Bomber and splits. That looks to be on the 05/09 show. That sets up this match. Anyways...this was some great hateful hard hitting wrestling. It boils down to two parts 1) Takayama getting his ass kicked 2) Omori getting his ass kicked. Yone & Sugiura were very secondary in their roles. Yone was especially stiff with Takayama...I've got to see more of his NOAH work. I would have liked a little bit better of a finishing segment but, we get 20 minutes of potatoes so I can't gripe too much. If you're interested in watching this then, you should! Takao Omori & Manabu Soya vs Seiya Sanada & KAI - RWTL (11/26/11 AJPW): Omori & Soya have teamed up here as Wild Hearts. The thing is Sanada & Soya were tag partners just a few months ago. Not sure who wanted the split but, they square off right at the bell. Seiya goes for speed and shocks Soya. KAI's in there and they go for the double team. These two young guns look dynamic as all get out!They are fighting in the stands now. Old man Omori's out there choking Sanada with a child's parasol! Hahahaha! Back on inside the ring and KAI's trying Soya but, come on dude! Manabu is a freaking caveman...and not the Fred Flintstone type either.Omori gets in there and wisely slows things down with KAI. The K man eventually finds an opening to get Seiya, the fire plug, going. Omori's had enough and puts big Soy sauce in there. Hey, deadlift suplex a motherfucker, Soya! This is a real back and forth match. Omori's trying to Axe Guillotine Driver KAI off the top now. Great! erase his head from existence! Just tons of double team destruction but, surprisingly never goes into bonkers territory. Both teams were very impressive. This was a great match. Go Shiozaki & Jun Akiyama vs SUWAMA & Takao Omori (07/28/13 AJPW 2/3 falls match): Here we have one of the few reminents from Muto AJPW, ace SUWAMA and a cast off from Misawa's AJPW exodus in Omori up against NOAH's ace and Kobashi/Misawa pupil Shiozaki and Jun Akiyama. Let's all remember that Akiyama is former tag partners, champs and friends with Omori. Akiyama got to ride the NOAH wave in the 2000's while Omori was surfing relatively low tide in Zero-1 and washed up back in AJPW like driftwood. This was a battle for a lot. Omori had remade himself in partnership with Manabu Soya however. He was not someone to be kicked around anymore. This was Omori's home, AJPW had been through alot in that time and SUWAMA had been there and is still there. This isn't just his home, it's his kingdom. He had outlasted them all. Akiyama wants back in? Akiyama had been gone for 13 years. Ok that's fine but he has to earn it. Shiozaki on the other hand has no place in AJ. He's an outsider through and through. This was a battle. A beautifully long match that harkened back to the classics of AJPW '92-'96. The grappling, striking, layout and pacing were conservative. Therfore, the contest was more organic in its story progression and the escalation of aggression. The 2/3 falls usage was brillant and perhaps is what made it so damn good. It provided the wrestlers the framework to bring the level of excitement up and down, to be able to rest the fans energy only to build it back double fold. Classic Match.

Hamada UWF / FULL SUPER ESTRELLA '90 Gran Hamada vs Perro Aguayo (06/01): 11+ minute, really good lucharesu but too many moves followed by a pin attempt which stifled the flow. A pet peeve still a quality match. Hijo del Santo vs Fuerza Guerrera (06/04): 9+ minutes, pretty good- great under 10 min. match. =-=-=-= Yoshihiro Asai vs Cuchilla (06/04): Another really good under 10 min. match. A good portion of this was mat wrestling. Aja Kong, Bison Kimura & Grizzly Iwamoto vs Manami Toyota, KAORU & Mika Takahashi (06/04): Aja & co. are brutal bruisers while Toyota & Honey Wings are technical and fast. Pretty much exactly what I wanted with this one. Near classic match, LOVED IT! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Gran Hamada, Perro Aguayo & Kendo vs El Signo, Texano & Negro Navarro (06/04): Really fun first fall, nice pace & structure. 9min. 2nd fall featured a great technico shine with the rudos dominating towards the end to get the pin. 7 minutes. Quick moving third fall, 7 minutes. This match was a lot of fun! Yoshihiro Asai vs Negro Casas (06/07): Great match that should be part of the 90's junior canon. Mat wrestling, fierce chops and slaps plus nice twists & surprises. RECOMMENDED! =-=-=-= Kato Kung Lee & Super Astro vs Blue Panther & Cuchilla (06/07): Good stuff with good moves. I would have preferred a quicker pace but it had a nice rhythm nonetheless. Hamada UWF / FULL 1991 Yoshihiro Asai vs Bestia Salvaje (06/07): These guys threw caution to the wind! A year later, Asai puts on another awesome match. He & Salvaje brought the intensity and the moves. Great match, RECOMMENDED! Gonna keep my eye out for more Bestia Salvaje in the future. IWE Strong Kobayashi & H. Eigen vs Isamu Teranishi & Mighty Inoue (06/29/80): 2/3 falls. Great match! Match builds wonderfully. A match for old school tag wrestling fans. 20 min or so. RECOMMENDED NJPW Tiger Mask vs Villano III (06/24/81): Amazing technical encounter. Two greats engaged in a battle of wit & will. A classic bout - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Toryumon CIMA & Sumo Dandy Fuji vs Great Sasuke & Tiger Mask IV (06/04/00): Very good action tag match. Cool moves & big dives. 13 min. CIMA vs Sumo Dandy Fuji: Follow up to the previous fight. Speed vs Power wager match. Sumo Dandy Fuji impressed me with his lariats & chokeslams. 7 minutes. UK Classic Wrestling Marty Jones vs Bernie Wright (08/87): Great technical first fall. Jones fights his way back into the 2nd fall. Fall #3 was quick and emphatic. Very good 10-11 min match. UWA Hamada, Solar & Hijo del Santo vs Negro Casas, Dr. Wagner Jr. & Baby Face (05/30/92): Excellent first fall, technical wrestling with Solar & Wagner, Puro style with Casas & Hamada then fast spectacular moves with Santo & Baby/Babe Face. Fall #2 is rudo score evening. Fall #3 brought it home. 16 min, fun, fun wrestling!

Now we're on to 1987. Change of pace, just going to post the reviews/write ups & pics here. Jan-March 01/10/87 Riki Choshu vs. Ashura Hara: Very good stuff with these two water buffalos locking up. Unfortunately not long enough to really develop into something special but with these two you can't go wrong. Animal Hamaguchi/Yoshiaki Yatsu vs. Jumbo Tsuruta/Genichiro Tenryu : Intense, urgent tag wrestling. This is how it should be done. And don't be confused, this isn't Jumbo & Tenryu carrying anyone. Animal & Yatsu are criminally underrated. Two of the best Japanese tag wrestlers of the 80's. Great match and little more than that to be honest. 03/12/87 Yoshiaki Yatsu/Animal Hamaguchi vs. Terry Gordy/Art Crews: A very good all action tag match! There's lots of rope running and simple but good looking moves. I'm unfamiliar with Art Crews but he keeps the party going so this is a winner of a tag match. Jumbo Tsuruta & Genichiro Tenryu vs. The Road Warriors - Great big time tag match! Lots of action and the Warriors actually used some wrestling holds. And sold for Jumbo & Tenryu. This was pretty much what you want with this matchup. 03/28/87 Yoshiaki Yatsu vs Pete Roberts: This is one for the real wrestling fans in All Japan. 8 of 9 minutes of these two trading holds & fighting for leverage. Then we get about a minute of big moves to set up the finish. I'm glad that we get to see Pete work a technical match. I think Yatsu is the man to have it. I really am starting to really appreciate him. This is a fast, athletic and competitive bout. Very good stuff, an easy recommendation. I see Pete vs Masa Fuchi get recommended, this is better. Jumbo Tsuruta & Tiger Mask vs. Tommy Rich & Jerry Oates. - I don't care for this match. There's nothing special about it. Feel free to skip right past it. Genichiro Tenryu & Hiroshi Wajima vs. Stan Hansen & Ted DiBiase. - Wajima was a yokozuna in sumo which makes sense why Baba would have him debut in his late 30's. The focus on the bouts is Stan vs Wajima... which kinda seems like a waste of Tenryu. However, he improves any match with him in it. So he does the bulk of the nuts & bolts work for his team. Wajima wasn't as bad as I remember though. He does very well when he has his moments. I didn't write a rating but I would say this was good to pretty good.

Lucha Libre: World Wrestling Peace Festival '96 and IWE '81 IWE Cobarde & Herodes vs Isamu Teranishi & Mach Hayato (02/28/81): Great action tag match! Tons of stuff going on here. Definitely recommend this one! Ref kinda muffs the finish but it doesn't really matter. Mach Hayato vs Cobarde (03/02/81): Pretty cool stuff, paced closer to Mil in AJPW but moves similar to NJPW lucha libre at the time. joined in progress Carlos Plata & Jose Luis Mendieta vs Isamu Teranishi & Mach Hayato (04/08/81): This was off the hook! Joined in progress but fast paced action with some really crazy moments. Definitely recommend this one! Herodes vs Mighty Inoue (1981): Roy's got this listed as El Cobarde but it's Herodes. Very good stuff, Herodes is quite the the chicken shit heel. Good face/heel match with Inoue finding his openings. Exciting finish too. World Wrestling Peace Festival 06/01/96 Lady Apache & Reina Jubuki (Akira Hokuto) vs Bull Nakano & Neftali: This was Bull vs Hokuto with Lady & Neftali as help. A fun time! Negro Casas vs Hijo del Santo: Great match, they packed a lot into a short time. That dive was badass. RECOMMENDED Black Cat vs Tatsumi Fujinami: Fun, simple yet clever wrestling. Rey Misterio Jr & Ultimo Dragon vs Psicosis & Heavy Metal: Rey & Ultimo showcasing spectacular offense. Fun fireworks match. Perro Aguayo & La Parka vs Pierroth Jr. & Cibernetico: A blast! A bunch of action plus Parka is a hoot. RECOMMENDED Dos Caras, Atlantis & Hector Garza vs Dr. Wagner Jr, Silver King & Gran Markus Jr: LOVE IT, technically minded, BIG RECOMMENDATION to lucha novices like me.

Rey & Ultimo showcasing spectacular offense. Fun fireworks match but not much more. Other stuff from this show I'd recommend above this match are: Lady Apache & Reina Jubuki (Akira Hokuto) vs Bull Nakano & Neftali: This was Bull vs Hokuto with Lady & Neftali as help. A fun time! Negro Casas vs Hijo del Santo: Great match, they packed a lot into a short time. That dive was badass. RECOMMENDED Black Cat vs Tatsumi Fujinami: Fun, simple yet clever wrestling. Not recommended above Rey/Ultimo tag BUT feels like a definitely good stuff. Perro Aguayo & La Parka vs Pierroth Jr. & Cibernetico: A blast! A bunch of action plus Parka is a hoot. RECOMMENDED Dos Caras, Atlantis & Hector Garza vs Dr. Wagner Jr, Silver King & Gran Markus Jr: LOVE IT, technically minded, BIG RECOMMENDATION to lucha novices like me.