TheBean

Oct -November '87 Bruiser Brody & The Moondogs vs Tiger Mask II, Shinichi Nakano & Isao Takagi (10/03): Fun meat & potatoes wrestling. Brody is such a great character! Genichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara vs John Tenta & Isao Takagi (10/31): Damn! Everything packed a punch! I thought Hara was going to break the ring on his corner clotheslines. Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu vs. Ashura Hara & Samson Fuyuki (11/07): Energetic match, rough in a couple spots but, fuck it, it's 1987. And the energy along with the Hara vs Yatsu hate smooths everything out 🙂

AEW PAC, Penta & Rey Fenix (Death Triangle) vs. Kenny Omega & Young Bucks (The Elite) (Full Gear 2022): Yeah, I dug this. This was a bananas spot fest but I also dug the story with Omega making a comeback from injury as well as Fenix not wanting to use the bell hammer. A great 6 man match. +-+-+-+ PAC vs Malachi Black vs Clark Connors vs Miro (Forbidden Door 2022) 16 minutes of excitement. This was a neat mix of wrestling with Miro being so strong but PAC & Black had some wicked kicks. Connors was the wild card. I had a lot of fun with this one. It was really good stuff! +-+-+-+ Dragon Gate PAC vs Dragon Kid: Spectacular, offense-minded match! I appreciate that PAC minimized his aerial attack to let Kid's moves shine. That said, he had to be nimble footed in order to take many of them. Very good showing from both guys. If you're in the mood for fireworks, this is a no brainer match to watch! +-+-+-+ PAC vs. Genki Horiguchi (07/17/11): 13 minutes of fun wrestling. Joined in progress, Genki & his gang heel it up against PAC. +-+-+-+ PAC vs. Susumu Yokosuka (8/29/2010): Really good all action match pitting PAC spectacular offense versus Susumu's gordbusters, lariats & suplexes. It's simple and a good time!

Post #4 for 2010 AEW/ROH has posted the ENTIRE Death Before Dishonor VIII show recently! That's awesome! My thoughts afterwards. Here it is: • All Night Express vs Up in Smoke (Cheech & Cloudy) (Death Before Dishonor VIII - June): Damn! This was sick! It's all movez but they did this right. Kenny & Rhett were dialed in tonight. They made Up in Smoke look great while wrestling like a top tier tag team. Cheech & Cloudy are a more fun Young Bucks. This was great. Gotta recommend it! • Eddie Edwards vs Tyson Dux (Death Before Dishonor VIII): This was part of a gauntlet match but this was the best match up and was first. Dux looked as good here as he ever did. They were well matched in speed & strength. Very good-great stuff. This honestly could have been booked as a stand alone match. It was that good. • Austin Aries vs Delirious (Death Before Dishonor VIII): Delirious is wearing the red gear so he means business. Both guys wrestle intelligently and we have a couple good spots. This is a very good match and a very good mid card feud with some life left. • Christopher Daniels vs Kenny Omega (DBD VIII): Daniels does not get enough credit. The man is charismatic & consistent as fuck! This was a great action packed bout - big moves, counters, reversals & plenty of surprises. This delivered for sure. RECOMMENDED. ROH has this one here if you don't want to watch the whole show: • Kings of Wrestling vs The Briscoe Brothers (DBD VIII): No DQ match. Quad blood chair, table, hard hits, drama, great high spots. Four of the best tag wrestlers of the past 20 years going at it. Plus! This isn't a tank emptying/end of the feud affair. That's how well this rivalry is in 2010. I've left off a few tidbits from this big write up but they are teasing at these two teams on the TV shows and edges of the DVDs. Here we get a taste and it's a battle for the ages. It had that grit & intensity that only a couple of the Generico vs Steen matches have. This is my ROH storyline for 2010 so far. Absolute classic match, Highly Recommended!! • Tyler Black vs Davey Richards (DBD VIII): This is one of those bigger matches in old school ROH circles. I thought it was a great match but not a classic. I definitely think it is a great main event to a great ROH show and if you get the DVD, its paired with Buffalo Stampede II. You're getting a great package of classic ROH wrestling. I tend not to go on about matches that have a reputation because you're just going to have to see this for yourself. I think you'll like it 🙂

As a tribute to PAC, I'm going to be watching a variety of his matches and sharing links to the videos and my thoughts. First off, let's look at some of his matches in NXT. Adrian Neville vs Zayn (NXT TV 11/27/13): Great 10 minute match.. All kinds of awesome aerial moves. FULL EPISODE: Nov. 27, 2013 Adrian Neville vs Bo Dallas (2/27/14 Arrival) - Pretty good ladder match. Neville/PAC really is what makes this interesting with his agility & flying moves. Neville vs Tyson Kidd (NXT TakeOver 05/29/14): This started out fantastically. I actually wish they had kept this about wrestling because these two were doing great. This was still a really good but somewhat typical WWE match especially from Kidd. He really has the "playing to the camera" facial expressions and mannerisms down. And that's not really what I like... at least not that "on the nose." But yeah, this felt very WWE /NXT big match template. Neville vs RVD (NXT TV 6/26/14): Oh yes, this was so good. I liked the story of young vs vet. I liked how RVD played it... cocky but not recklessly so. Additionally I really enjoyed how both guys were going for pinning combinations to get the win instead of spamming big moves. There's lots of scrappy elbows and kicks which made this feel like a fight instead of a spot fest. In fact, a lot of the early part felt very natural and on the fly...its not hyper smooth and has an sense of both guys reacting instead of acting. Do you know what I mean? Gotta RECOMMEND this match. Neville vs. Zayn vs. Breeze vs. Kidd (09/11/14 Takeover Fatal 4 -Way) This was good but had weird pacing. I watch WWE with the sound off. When I un-muted my TV, I realized the sluggish or stop-start pacing is for the announce team to blather on. And I thought Tyler Breeze brought nothing to this except stupid facial expressions which someone loves...melodramatic shit. PAC/Neville & Zayn are the reasons to watch this but honestly watch a singles match with them. This took too long to be interesting. That said, this has gotten praise and you should watch it for yourself 👍 Adrian Neville vs Sami Zayn (NXT Revolution 12/11/14) - Holy cow this was 90% awesome and 10% tired old shit the farts in the office can't part with - ref bumps and using the title belt as a weapon. But nothing is ruined but WWF/E always fucks with the flow of the finish. It makes two of the best workers of the late 2000's have to insert this crap into an otherwise brilliant match. If this doesn't bug you as much as me then, you might call this a classic. Shenanigans included, I'd still say this was a near classic and one of the best NXT match that I've seen thus far in my small sampling. Heck of a post match too. High Recommendation Finn Balor vs Neville (NXT Takeover Rival - 02/11/15): Near classic stuff! Another recommended match! Neville vs Hideo Itami (NXT TV 4-8-15 (start at 5 min or so): PAC vs KENTA? Absolutely yes. This was really good especially for a TV match. KENTA... I mean Hideo Itami...looked a bit too strong but Neville was never out of this one. That one super kick connected! This definitely should have gone on a minute longer.

PAC vs Bryan Danielson (Caged Rage '07): PAC makes his ROH US debut. Really strong, shoot style-esque showing from Danielson. This is more about getting Dragon looking very strong for the next night's fight versus champion Morishima. Still a good showing from PAC. PAC vs Davey Richards (Manhattan Mayhem II): That was some really good stuff! Richards lays into PAC even splitting his own head open with headbutts. PAC hits the perfect mix of fancy moves and smart wrestling. That reminds me, what really sets the tone is solid mat wrestling... done with intensity and purpose. Definitely a recommendation! More PAC matches to come...still stunned a bit.

I honestly think Sherri Martel made this match as good as it was. Flair did his thing and is what made this a match. He was pretty selfless while still giving a lot of quality Flair offense - stiff chops, pretty heavy clubbing punch across the chest...that type of stuff. Hogan put way more effort into this than I expected but he pokes holes in his own comebacks by being so one dimensional with them. He doesn't have any tact. It's ALL Hulking up in one form of another... And that's what does make this seem a bit longer than it needed to be. I honestly don't care about DQs but there should have been a couple especially with Nick Bockwinkel sitting right there! 😆

Thinking about a WCW/NWA 1988 project and this match came up. Glad I posted my review back in 2019 under my old account 🙂 Anyhow, WCW has since posted this match. Highly Recommended stuff!

Part #3 of 2010 • Roderick Strong vs Kevin Steen HDNet episode #58: Aries attacks Strong beforehand and Steen goats his opponent to forfeit. Roddy refuses and we get a fun match. • Eddie Edwards vs Colt Cabana #59: Colt 2010 is en fuego! Old Sports Center, anyone? This starts with technical wrestling then advances to big bumps & well executed spots. • Jerry Lynn vs Steve Corino #60: Really good action match with a bit of comedy. I dug this bout as an ROH & ECW fan. • Austin Aries vs Tyler Black #60: Great TV main event! Fantastic action - big moves & A sense of animosity. There's a nice touch with Aries attacking Black's knee but doing moves to get it over with the crowd. Say what you will about Aries but, he knows how to mix up his old & new school moves. The post match stuff was excellent and plays off of earlier matches in the episode. This would be an an excellent hype up to the Big Bang show but aired afterwards??? RECOMMENDED anyhow 😋 • All Night Express vs Briscoe Brothers (Buffalo Stampede II - June): These two teams work well together. ANX have great heel energy. The Briscoes are tame character wise (in this match) but work their butts off. This was an action packed, entertaining under card match. Very good stuff. • Kings of Wrestling vs Up In Smoke (Buffalo Stampede II): This was fun and reminded me of a match Chris & Claudio would be doing a few years earlier. Up In Smoke don't look the physical specimens that the Kings do. Yet KOW give them a fair shake and put on a great indie tag match. Everyone worked their butts off despite this being a minor show prior to DBD 8. Honestly a great match and one I'd recommend. • Austin Aries vs Kenny Omega (Buffalo Stampede II): Aries comes out to "The Final Countdown" and heckles the crowd - yes! This is a great match with reversals, counters & sequences. It's energy and pacing is on the level of an HD Net main event. I think it's about 14 minutes long. Aries' heel persona vs Omega's goofy baby face self is a great pairing... plus these two can wrestle. RECOMMENDED. ROH has this one here:

AAA Octagoncito, Mascarita Sagrada &Mascarita Divina vs. Minis Abismo Negro, Psicosis & Chessman (05/21/09): The AAA minis have yet to disappoint. Bell to bell acrobatic action. Now I can't say I could pick one match from the next BUT for a weekly or biweekly lucha viewing, that's not a problem. Gato Eveready/Fabi Apache/Pimpinela Escarlata vs. Billy Boy/Sexy Star/Polvo de Estrellas (05/21/09): This feud/program is so entertaining. This match wasn't so much about the hate as much as entertaining the crowd. It had action & comedy which is a truly difficult thing to do especially when everyone wants to seem tough. Classic UK wrestling Bobby Barnes vs Bob Kirkwood: Didn't see a date associated with this one. Excellent first 3 rounds. Technical stuff with a bit of flair especially with Barnes' dandy character. More rough and tumble from the 4th round on. This is really, really good. The story is entertaining as heck! Excellent selling and character work. LOVED IT - definitely recommend it to folks looking to dabble without jumping into the deep end. Ray Robinson vs Bernie Wright: I didn't see a date on this one either. Heavyweight bout. A much more measured pace than the catch weight match above. I could see this one being more palatable for NWA fans. Nice up tick in action and pace towards the end. Real fun 10 minutes! IWA-MS AJ Styles vs Ace Steel (Ultra Styles Clash - 2003): Good, good stuff. Lot of twists and turns especially for 2003 IWA Mid South. If you're in the mood for indie AJ Styles then I think you should give it a go! ROH Ace Steel vs Jay Lethal vs Too Cold Scorpio vs Alex Shelley (Testing the Limits - 2004): A Fire Pro Wrestling Returns/Get Your Wrestling Bingo cards out booking. Still a fun 4 corner match with everyone looking good. Scorpio was most impressive. Nigel McGuinness, Delirious & Pelle Primeau vs Adam Pearce, BJ Whitmer & Brent Albright (Manhattan Mayhem II - 2007): Man, they always can do an excellent 6 man match. ROH random six-man matches. Hangman 3 were a solid meat & potatoes heel team...real mid card maulers. I guess they didn't have anything for Nigel this show but he and Pelle made a cool little team. Nigel would devastate their opponents and Pelle would add insult to injury. PAC vs Davey Richards (Manhattan Mayhem II): That was some really good stuff! Richards lays into PAC even splitting his own head open with headbutts. PAC hits the perfect mix of fancy moves and smart wrestling. That reminds me, what really sets the tone is solid mat wrestling... done with intensity and purpose. Definitely a recommendation! More PAC matches to come...still stunned a bit. Ruckus vs Eddie Edwards (Manhattan Mayhem II): Fun, fun match. Ruckus is doing all his flip-flying. Eddie is solid and having watched the Davey match, it's a no brainer that they paired them.

Wanted to share my favorite matches of his: PAC vs. Claudio Castagnoli (PWG BOLA '07 - Block B Quarterfinal): Spectacular at times, Claudio was a fantastic base for PAC's moves. Likewise, PAC moved and bumped brilliantly for Double C. Very good match! El Generico vs. PAC (PWG ASW V Nt. 1 2007): Classic PWG title match. Heck I don't need to qualify it with "PWG title match." It's a straight up classic match. It is very much a go for broke, empty the gas tank with the pedal to the metal match. PAC is excellent as always and he hits everything perfectly despite doing some of the most insane stuff. No knock on Jack Evans but he's been replaced with a better model. Honestly I think Ricochet is/was redundant if on the same show as PAC. Anyhow, PAC is one step ahead of Generico. He's pulling counters and reversals out of thin air... which is usually something that the Generic One does. He's got to stop the Brit with brute force. Kaz Hayashi vs PAC (PWG ASW V Nt. 2 2007): This was a great junior fireworks match from what I saw. PAC really is one of the standout wrestlers of 2024 for me. Lotsa big moves, cool counters and just about everything I wanted...except the first half of the match Hayashi had a great weekend in SoCal as did PAC. Mike Quackenbush/Jigsaw vs Naruki Doi/Pac (DGUSA Uprising 2010): The Pac vs Quack opening is a thing of beauty. Things never really let up and while not as poetic as the first few minutes, this was awesome go-go bananas shit. Doi seemed to be the most tame of the bunch but he kicked things up and all four dudes were on fire by the end. I should note no one sold a thing beyond getting knocked down for a pin or rolling out of the ring for safety. That goes without saying for many of these tag matches. It's just the style so I can't use it as a criticism. I bring it up because that's really the only "flaw"... this was as bat shit of a Dragon Gate style tag as you can get...even more notably with one native Dragon Gate wrestler! At 15 minutes it ended on a perfect note. This was a classic in my book. Masato Yoshino/Pac vs CIMA/Dragon Kid (DGUSA - United NYC 2011): Yeah that was a sick finish! And this was a great match overall. It wasn't trying to be a barn burner from start to finish and I can appreciate that as this was a 20 minute match. Eventually they kicked it into high gear and it was flawless. The PAC/Yoshino team is insane. And while I have seen a good bit of the Kid/CIMA team they are kinda the gold standard for teams in DGUSA. They have the moves, the character, the history etc. Masato Yoshino/Pac vs YAMATO/Akira Tozawa (DGUSA Fearless 2011): Holy crap! This was sweet! One of those matches where it builds from pretty good -> great -> classic match by the time the bell is rung. I thought Yoshino was taking the night off but, I guess he was just conserving energy. Pac did a phenomenal job here as he really did the lion's share of the work during the early & middle portions of the match. I would say Yamato & Tozawa shared their duties pretty equally. Things picked up in the final portion and it really elevated this to a classic. Glad I got to see another Pac/Yoshino match as well as more Yamato & Tozawa. Neville vs Cesaro (NXT 03/05/15): Not gonna lie, I threw the horns a few times during this one 🤘 It was awesome. Cesaro was like Steven Regal in his precise brutality yet he did his own thing. He used his freakish strength in ways Regal could only dream of. He showed a mean streak that I really don't remember seeing as Claudio. Cesaro is a meaner, more aggressive, more calculated version of Castagnoli. Then, Neville, is a more grounded and focused version of PAC. When he tried his flying moves, they were done out of desperation rather than exhibition. It's wonderfully surprising when Cesaro stops those "hail mary" moves dead in their tracks. This is a wicked twist as Neville has been the man in my NXT viewing. Cesaro seems like the end to all of that. I LOVED THIS ONE. What's crazy is that this was a Dark Match and it only seems to be officially available on the first NXT DVD set (which I have). Find this anyway you can because I think it's an All Time Classic. Highest Recommendation. GAORA's Dragon Gate archives has a few PAC matches that I hope to check out.

I wanted to get a few more matches in this week but was busy. So, I think I'm going to find some time for 'em this weekend and will either add them to this post or make a mid week post before the month runs out. Stay tuned 🙂 AWA Big John Studd vs Mad Dog Vachon (12/25/80): Good, good old school fight. There's some real moments of greatness here. And despite this being a rough & tumble match there's some nice technical maneuvers towards the end. Cleveland All Pro Wrestling "Mr. Insanity" Toby Klein vs Christopher Daniels vs Chris Hamrick (02/10/02): No date on this one but CAPW has Daniels' entrance up separately and this is the date given. This was a heck of a match for some gym! Tons of 3 way spots and everything looked great. Just a lot of fun and tremendous time for indie wrestling. ECW Saturn & Kronus (The Eliminators) vs Sabu & Mikey Whipwreck (Heatwave '96): Yes! This was chaotic, exciting and kinda rough around the edges as I expected. It really feels like like 4 lunatics risking life & limb in a stinky, dimly lit bingo hall in South Philly. Saturn impressed me the most and would have been great in FMW as a singles wrestler for a tour. Anyhow, old school ECW nerds will enjoy this one! TWA Abdullah The Butcher vs The Sheik (Cage Match 1991): Hot damn! This is what Psycho September is all about! Sheik is cutting up the ref before Abby gets in the ring. We get bloody carving in the ring. Sabu throws a metal trash can over top of the cage. Sheik caves the bin in over Abdullah's bald head. Eventually there's a winner but things don't end. In fact, things get crazier! Sabu is in the mix, Kevin Sullivan comes out, Terry Funk is fighting. Sheik gets a sign off a wall or something. Abby is choking a camera man. Some other dude gets it! WCCW Bruiser Brody vs Great Kabuki (Cage Match 06/07/81): A really good old school back and forth cage match. There's a fair bit of action here as opposed to a lot of stabbing and face grating like the Abby cage matches. It's nothing earth shattering but a perfect match to watch while eating lunch 🙂

Takao Omori vs. Jun Akiyama (April 1, 2001): A really good...almost great match. I really like the Omori-Akiyama story. This period is one that I'm not as familiar with so I'm glad to have found this match. There's a strong focus on working a body part here and I think that's what makes it special. Akiyama mercilessly targets his former partner's Ax Bomber Lariat arm where Omori goes after the neck. Jun's attack is more defense minded. Takao is more offense oriented as his big moves also focus on the head and neck - piledriver, powerbomb, dragon suplex, Ax Guillotine driver and the lariat. I think what keeps this from being firmly "great" is the finish felt very uninspired. And I don't mean the final part of the match...no just the last couple moves. Like they didn't play off of the body of match...and they don't have to BUT it probably needed another back and forth sequence THEN the last couple moves to be a great finish and a "great" match. What a picky bastard I am sometimes This is still a very good encounter with the bulk of the match being excellent. And if I'm being fair both moves at the very end were super over at the time so I'm comfortable saying this is like ***3/4 stuff. Takeshi Morishima & Takeshi Rikio vs. NO FEAR (Takao Omori & Yoshihiro Takayama) (07/27/01): Badass 13 minute fight...really just beating each other for most of it. We got some really sick moves later but it ended sooner than I wished. Wild Two are still you but damn they brought it to Takayama & Omori. Near **** match Takeshi Morishima & Takeshi Rikio vs Yoshihiro Takayama & Takao Omori (02/17/02): Wild Two vs No Fear! A heavyweight super battle. This is the match I knew that they could have. No quarter given and none expected. The strikes were hard enough to crack concrete. Then some if the big moves were so sick looking because the guys are so big...they can't roll through with the momentum like a smaller guy. Rikio's Germans were especially nasty looking. A classic match for sure!

AAA Abismo Negro, Charly Manson, Electro Shock, and Histeria vs AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Homicide & Low Ki (Verano de Escándalo 2006 TV): Really awesome start but probably went on longer than it needed to. As time went on it was clear how team TNA out classed Los Vipers...not just kayfabe but also in actual skill. Abismo Negro & Histeria down the road looked like they should have been in the same ring with the TNA guys. There's a link for the video but its not worth sharing IMO. Not a bad match but just kinda OK. ECW Tajiri & Mikey Whipwreck vs Little Guido & Tony Mamaluke (08/12/00 St. Petersburg, FL): Some shenanigans for the crowd to start. Guido & Tajiri go at it to set the tone. Mikey & Mamaluke are great partners for these guys. This was a nice way to add some variety & longevity to the great 'junior division' in ECW. Too bad it didn't last too long. Anyhow, no death defying moves or hard-core spots...just really, really good all action tag wrestling! Independent Wrestling Cartel (IWC) Delirious vs. Christopher Daniels (UNCaged Fury - 07/07/06): Gosh, this really was a great period for Indie wrestling. Fun title match with a good deal of comedy & shenanigans. Simple, enjoyable stuff to watch while having a sandwich or something. TNA Jeff Hardy vs. Abyss (Destination X March 13, 2005): A very fun hardcore anything goes match. Falls count anywhere but there's only one bit in the guts of the building where they use that stipulation. The rest is in the ring. All the props are here: tables, a ladder, chairs and more. If you're looking for a fun 2000's mindless spot fest, give this one a shot! 👍 WCW Ultimo Dragon vs. Psicosis (Great American Bash 1997): Really, really good cruiserweight PPV match. This starts off more "American" style and the fans are eating up the face vs heel dynamic. Then they turn on the excitement. Admittedly, shorter cruiser matches (10 minutes or less) are best but they do a good job extending it beyond that. I give credit to Sonny Onoo for being an excellent heel manager. His presence and interactions kept this from being a move fest that starts to over stay it's welcome. It's a three man show with this bout. Really good stuff that you might have missed - Recommend it!

It's not complete but Internet Archive is where I go. Takes some looking but someone has posted the old PWO best of the 90's yearbooks up there as well so there's a good amount up there.

Part #2 of 2010 • Steen & Corino vs Colt & Generico (April 24 Bitter Friends... II): Oh yeah, this delivered. Blood, big spots and nastiness because they HATE each other. Excellent stuff in the ECW tradition. That in mind, it's a near classic and highly recommended if that's your style of wrestling. • Roderick Strong vs Davey Richards (Bitter Friends... II): Great intensity, excellent struggle on the mat & blistering strikes. Add another amazing match to each guy's 2010 resume. And this is an under card bout - Near Classic! RECOMMENDED for sure! • All Night Express vs Briscoe Brothers (Super Card of Honor V - May): Another bigger match booked as the curtain jerker. Like above, this was a really good match. I got lost a lil bit with all of the moves..the pace was too quick for me. I didn't feel like I could settle in to their rhythm. That's a quibble and you might not notice it at all. So go watch this one. It's a treat to watch Jay & Mark whoop the cheesy Kenny & Rhett 🙂 • Amazing Kong vs Sara Del Ray (Super Card of Honor V): A damn smart match & wrestled very well. It's definitely one of the better or best women's matches from ROH (that I have seen). It was very good and if given just a couple more minutes, it could have been great. • Eddie Edwards vs Christopher Daniels (Super Card of Honor V): Lots of neat sequences and fighting over the Half Crab. Good psychology with injuring or attempting to injure Daniels' knee. Both guys put on a great match. • Kevin Steen vs Colt Cabana (Super Card of Honor V): Last Man Standing/Hard-core match. Never over stayed its welcome & they worked smart with the gimmick. Some shenanigans but those worked for the match & the feud. A great match. • Motor City Machine Guns vs Kings of Wrestling (Super Card of Honor V): The Guns come out ready to fight. They do their synchronized attack but the Kings respond with a Storm of Boots to the face. The big guys use their size to their advantage. Chris damn near KO's Shelley with a back brain elbow - damn! This is as awesome as I hoped. I'm not going to spoil anything but we get a finish that serves the overall booking instead of serving the match. I can live with that especially since it's justified. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Ring of Honor tag match. A classic to me. • Tyler Black vs Roderick Strong (Super Card of Honor V): Great title fight and main event. Rod was excellent here showing a diversity of moves while maintaining his plan of attack. This all would have been made better had Tyler sold the back as injured. But I'm not bitching...this had awesome stuff going for it.

Psycho September is looking at some of wrestling's most notable crazy-men. Truthfully, this gimmick has a ton of variation so I'm using it as a chance to watch some of my favorites and some guys I haven't seen enough of. AWA Mad Dog Vachon vs Jerry Blackwell (05/22/83): We get the last 5 minutes only but they're great five minutes. Mad Dog is drilling Jerry with punches. Very intense stuff with fantastic selling by the big man Blackwell. An easy 5 minutes of old school brawling that you will dig! ECW Abdullah The Butcher vs. Kevin Sullivan (10/02/93 Bloodfest - Steel Cage Match): Nice violent stuff! My favorite bit was when Woman comes out to stop Abby from choking Sullivan. Then the Madman from Sudan goes after the vivacious valet; her eyes rolling back in her head and Kevin Sullivan whacks the Butcher with a chair!! Damn you can hear it smack his broad back like a Ric Flair chop! Inside the ring is the good but standard "use the cage as a weapon" fighting. Taz comes out and throws a metal briefcase in there to help Sullivan. Then it gets really good again 😁 Fun, fun stuff. Yeah more '93 ECW is on the menu boys! Houston Johnny Valentine vs Wild Bull Curry (06/20/69):This really is an awesome match and the first time I've seen a full Johnny Valentine bout. He and Bull Curry beat each other senseless here...and I loved it! It was really great, simple yet violent pro wrestling. The quality of the footage is excellent as well. So very glad I watched this! Recommended! ROH Delirious & Cheeseburger vs Young Bucks (Conquest Tour 2016: San Antonio – 04/23/16): Ahahahaha! 😆 This was a fucking blast! Absolutely bonkers comedy wrestling match for days fans. Height of Super Kick Party. Cheeseburger & Delirious were a great team (in a fun indie way) and definitely gave the Bucks a run for their money. I was buying these DVDs when they were a couple years old and have yet to watch them. Long time readers might remember early days of 2015 ROH reviews. Anyhow, lots of fun! WCW Psicosis vs Kidman (09/23/97): Fun TV match...A wager match but I'm not sure it had the urgency like you'd see in Mexico. Still good moves...Juvi & Chavo Jr. interfere on Psicosis' behalf so that does give it a bit of drama. But let's be honest, we know the outcome 🙂 WWF Sid vs Bret Hart (In Your House: It's Time! 12/15/96): Very good match. Bret surgically attacks Sid's spine. The Sycho won't stop! We get Stone Cold and HBK shenanigans but it doesn't hurt the match. Sid vs Mankind (RAW 03/03/97): An excellent TV match for the World title! Plenty of action, great showing from both guys. I actually think Mankind should have used the sleeper hold as his finisher based on how it was worked here. Anyhow, fans of either guy will find something to enjoy here!

October '87 Genichiro Tenryu & Toshiaki Kawada vs. Shinichi Nakano & Isamu Teranishi (8:35 complete)All Japan TV (October 2nd, 1987): Man, it's not hard to do a good action tag match but for the past 25 years people just over complicate the fuck out of it. This is a great example of how to do a under 10 minute action packed match. Run the ropes, tag in and out, keep your shit simple but it look like it hurts, give the match some ebbs and flows, some believable near falls and get a cool looking finish if you can. If you're following Kawada's progress, this is the best he's looked so far. Definitely junior star material at the very least 😋 Shout out to Shinichi Nakano & Isamu Teranishi...too many folks are sleeping on them still. They might not be flashy but they do it right. Jumbo Tsuruta, Tiger Mask & Giant Baba vs Genichiro Tenryu, Ashura Hara & Toshiaki Kawada (10/03/87): Last 6 minutes and lots of action. Hara is just blasting guys with his lariat. This definitely is priming me for 1988!

Loved the European Championship back in the day...

AAA 04/21/09 Mascarita Sagrada, Octagoncito & Mascarita Divina vs. Minis Abismo Negro, Psicosis & Histeria: An absolute moves filled blast! I see Triple A minis, I watch them. Rarely do they disappoint! Aero Star, Súper Fly, Argenis vs. Tigre Cota, Río Bravo, Tito Santana: More spectacular high speed lucha action. Aero Star & Super Fly continue to "wow!" Pimpinela Escarlata, Gato Eveready & Crazy Boy vs. El Brazo, Decnnis & Black Abyss: Another really entertaining match. This has a bit of comedy but plenty of action. This card/show is shaping up to be a very good one! Classic UK wrestling Ian McGregor vs Bernie Wright: This is from an England vs Scotland tournament. It's edited down to 10 minutes or so. Technical bout as I had hoped. Really like how Wright was rolling through the snap mares. Ian does a wonderful counter move where he applies the headscissor from a back breaker, rolls Wright over (flying headscissors) and goes for the pin! Good stuff! ECW Terry Funk & Stan Hansen vs Abdullah the Butcher & Kevin Sullivan (09/18/93) Ultra Clash '93. This was a lot of fun. Not so much a match as a brawl and no real direction as the "match" actually got better after the bell rang to declare the winners. It's hurt by just the one fixed camera angle but Joey Styles does a great job keeping us in the action even though this style really benefits from up close shots. Tempted to explore more ECW '93 after this one 🙂 Natural Born Killaz (08/24/96) Mikey Whipwreck vs Little Guido: I didn't remember them meeting this early but boy this was a lot of fun. Mikey gets hurt as some giant lug who was part of the Full Blooded Italians blew one of Whipwreck's spots...I think he was supposed to catch his diving frankensteiner to the floor and uh...maybe Mikey over shot him but the crazy tee shirt wearing junior hit the guy in the head and dived from the top right into the crowd. It's ECW so I'm not sure what was supposed to happen! 😄 Terry Gordy vs Brian Lee: A fun, quick big man brawl. They went outside, busted a few tables, hit some clotheslines and yeah nothing to complain about 👍 Rob Van Dam vs Doug Furnas: Good stuff...rough around the edges even by '96 ECW standards at times but Furnas' raw strength saved it...like turning a god knows what move from RVD into a kneeling pile driver on a chair! This would have been better as a straight match between the two with chair shots sprinkled in but still cool to see. I probably should look for more RVD in All Japan one day? NJPW Vader vs Shinya Hashimoto (08/08/89): Two bovine sized brawlers bashing about for 12 minutes. This is the best period for Vader and Hashimoto might be his best opponent. Size, chemistry, intensity... it's all there. This is a very good-great match with a great, wild finish. RECOMMENDED 1992 Shinya Hashimoto vs Shiro Koshinaka (08/06): joined in progress but really good stuff. 8 of 12 punishing minutes. And a bit of post match melee as well! All hail Hashimoto! Jumping elbow drop of death! +-+-+-+-+ Jushin Liger & Tatsumi Fujinami vs Pegasus Kid & Jim Neidhart (08/06): Very fun, all action tag match. The teams were excellent pairings and everything felt really good although I can't recall if they teamed before or since. Liger was in the ring for his team a majority of the time so, you can't go wrong there. 10 minutes of excellent tag wrestling 🙂 Shinya Hashimoto & Osamu Kido vs Shiro Koshinaka & Kengo Kimura (08/11): 10 minutes of chaotic wrestling goodness. Akitoshi Saito & Aoyagi are at ringside and are jacking Hash & Kido up! Dusty Rhodes is in the stands (in official context) and is enjoying this one. Super Strong Machine vs Arn Anderson (08/12): Good meat & potatoes wrestling by two of the best big enforcer type wrestlers, in my opinion. Big impact moves at the end. Nice stuff at 8 minutes.

Highspots posted this:

Highspots' YouTube has been posting some PWG Good Shit recently: AJ Styles vs Roderick Strong BOLA 2014 Zack Sabre Jr VS Kyle O'Reilly BOLA 2014 Young Bucks & Adam Cole VS Matt Sydal, Ricochet, & Will Ospreay BOLA 2016

"This community always had a hipster edge to it. So now it's cool to state the fucking obvious that Stone Cold was awesome." I think PWO has had a wrestling nerd edge to it. Just look at the 2016 GWE project or the Yearbooks of the 1990's/DVDVR 80's projects. That is hardcore nerding. That's not hipster-trendy shit. Maybe retrospectively it appears that way??? I've read & re-read your point so maybe your referring to the Internet Wrestling community at large? Regardless, the obvious thing about Stone Cold has been stated on both 2006 & 2016 GWEs. He's been in the top 25 all 3 polls. #16 in 06 & #24 in 16. So if you're being serious or sarcastic with your point, the numbers tell a different story. Stone Cold has done well whether it was cool or not...for better or worse.

08/07/11 Ikuto Hidaka & Takafumi Ito vs Takuya Sugawara & Kaijin Habu Otoko: Fun, fun match! Suwa is out there as the guest official NWA referee looking like Joe Higuchi in his all red outfit & white belt. Unlike the venerable Joe, Suwa is a heel ref 😄 So he's making trouble for Hidaka & Ito (who is new to me). But it doesn't detract from the in ring action. Everyone looked great but Hidaka put on a show but I am partial. 14 minutes of enjoyment. Shinjiro Otani & Yuichiro Jienotsu Nagashima & Daichi Hashimoto vs Ryoji Sai & Kamikaze & Munenori Sawa: OK 6-man match. Nagashima didn't do much for me but I looked him up & he's a kick boxer & cosplayer...and has some backstory with Hashimoto & Otani so...it makes sense. The team of Sai, Kamikaze & Sawa was much more entertaining. Masato Tanaka vs Daisuke Sekimoto: Great-Near Classic. Remember the phrase "subverting expectations?" It was that kind of bullshit that ruined the Game of Thrones TV show. But here it's not some ploy. Here they actively (and actually) surprised me for more than shock value. I can say that because they similarly did "what you expected" ... lots of beastly stiff chops, elbows & lariats... macho stuff and so forth. But they added twists and even when I thought I figured the twist out... those sneaky two would add something else. It's not a clever match though. This the equivalent of a gorilla fight...but that's what you want. Here in 2011, Tanaka is showing his age (I was watching '08 Zero One last) so Daisuke Sekimoto definitely seems at an advantage. It's up to Dangan to hang in there. As an old time Masato Tanaka fan there's a few moments that got me jazzed - pulling out old moves and/or reminding me of his battles with Mike Awesome. I'm going on, aren't I? Anyhow, RECOMMENDED stuff especially if you like these two. Glad I got this on DVD but it's on the web, I bet. +-+-+-+-+-+ Daisuke Sekimoto vs Kohei Sato: Fire Festival Finals. This was definitely hard fought as it was hard hitting AND the second match of the night for both. I didn't like the pacing on this...it's that deliberate strike trading where they just take too long between hits. It just feels like killing time. And a lot of the match felt like that...hit me then I hit you...we do that for 8 times then do a move or two then we reset to hitting each other. This would be OK for a lower match in the tournament but this couldn't hold a fucking candle to Sekimoto vs Tanaka earlier tonight. THAT match was the finale in my book. It felt epic like a finale should. One other thought: Sekimoto doesn't have a ton on tricks up his sleeve so this match just felt "less" in simple comparison. Sato, I like as a tag wrestler but, he doesn't bring much to the table as a singles wrestler. This was his opportunity to instill some character, variation, intensity etc. but he did little... I think other people like Hidaka, Otani, Kamikaze & Munenori Sawa would have had more inspired & interesting matches...even if they would have been "underdogs." I just think this was a bland final.