ohtani's jacket

#271 OMEGA~! Hardy Boyz~! Serial Thrillaz~! I feel like I'm stuck in a 1999 DVDVR. South style tag wrestling isn't my favourite style of wrestling, and I like it even less with modern wrinkles, but the crowd were fantastic in this and that counted for a lot. Would mean more to people who are fans of indy wrestling.

#273 This is pretty much *the* Aja vs. Toyota match due to the passion that Aja brings in trying to win back her belt. Honestly speaking, I'd sooner watch a Toyota vs. Yamada match than watch Toyota against Kong, as unfashionable as that may seem, but this was still a quality bout. The caveat being that it's not a bout that I think would crack the top 5 of either woman's career and possibly not the top 10. Big Egg is more iconic in that respect, but I thought this was grittier and more intense than the flakey V*Top tournament.

I prefer the style of wrestling back then. This gets reinforced every time I watch a US match from Loss' 90s list. I don't think it would suit everyone's tastes, but it's my favourite decade for US stuff (at least for now.) And not just the Chicago stuff. I like the Los Angeles territory just as much. I haven't enjoyed 60s wrestling that much, but most of what I've seen has been from Buffalo, which isn't my favourite territory.

What, no Kenny Omega? I suspect George Gordienko is the greatest. Bronko Nagurski deserves a mention too

This is a difficult question to answer as I generally prefer different decades for different promotions or styles. And I think the 80s and 90s are overrated in many ways. Let's see: Europe -- 70s Japan -- 80s Mexico -- 80s US -- 50s I guess that makes the 80s the winner.

June Beyers vs. Betty Hawkins was more catfighting with terribly unfunny voice over narration. So many bad puns, and Beyers still hasn't shown me much. Dick the Bruiser and the Crusher vs. Johnny Diamond and Jim Eskew is a squash match from the Bruiser's WWA promotion. The most interesting thing about it is that it has these two commentators that are EXACTLY like those local basketball commentators you get on games that aren't nationally televised. It was kind of amusing to learn that type of commentary existed back in the 60s when so much of the commentary from this era is colour stuff with terrible jokes (makes you appreciate Russ Davis more, actually.) Nick Bockwinkel vs. K.O. Matt Murphy is a short squash match but the post-match interviews with Jules Strongbrow show you how thoughtful Bockwinkel was with his promos even in his youth. Next up were a couple of Gallagher Brothers' bouts (vs. Billy Red Lyons & Frank Townsend and Guy & Joe Brunetti.) The Gallagher Brothers are a team that I think a lot of people would enjoy if there was more interest in this era. Solid stooge types that have fun shtick and draw a ton of heat. I just wish their offense was a bit more interesting. Argentina Rocca & Perez vs. Karl von Hess & Skull Murphy was another showcase of Rocca's leaping ability and "leg-based" offense. I have to admit, I'm getting used to the Rocca show and it's becoming clearer why he was such a big draw in the 50s. The biggest, in fact. Dick the Bruiser vs. Bob Orton Sr. was like vs. like (aside from the height difference.) Slow, grinding bout. Bruising at times but too much like for like. Finish was a weird upside down bear hug.

I have a lot of Antonio Pena recommendations if you liked that finish!

I'm still plugging away at 2016. I had mostly positive things to say about the Volador Jr vs. Cavernario title bout but the Reyes del Aire final was spottier and had an awful finish. I suppose I should have expected a Reyes del Aire bout to be spotty. There were some spectacular spots in the tercera caida and some nice drama. Until that finish.

I'd put it on the list. I just wouldn't celebrate it.

Volador Jr. vs. Cavernario, 2016 CMLL Reyes del Aire final, 9/30/16 I didn't start enjoying this until deep into the terceda caida. The crowd was at a fever pitch and there was a lot of selling and drama. Prior to that, it was move after move, dive after dive, with it all feeling pretty hollow. People often complain about the first two falls in lucha being short and pointless. You watch a match like this and it's hard to dispute that claim. The first two falls were rubbish, especially the segunda caida with its unearned comeback. If they're going to work like that, they might as well kill the tradition and start working one fall matches. The only thing I really enjoyed about the first half of the match was Cavernario's pretty tope through the turnbuckle ropes, but he does that spot a lot so it wasn't like he was pulling out all the stops. The two most spectacular spots in the match were Volador Jr's springboard plancha into the crowd and that over-the-top-rope, sunset flip powerbomb thing that was gorgeous. Cavernario's diving splash to the floor also looks like it hurts every single time. Ouch. Then, just like that, all of the good was swept away by the finish. What a horrible finish. It was the kind of finish Pena would have booked. A horrid, awful thing. Not worth the thrashing they put their bodies through. All in all, this felt like more of a Volador-led, offense-minded bout. I preferred their title match by a considerable margin. Awful finish.

#284 This is a match I've tried to get into several times over the years but I still haven't cracked it. My biggest problem with the match is that yeah, Kawada can get Jumbo in a sidelock, and yeah he can get him in an abdominal stretch, but then what? There's nothing he can do that can really put Jumbo away. That's the story they're going for, and it's praiseworthy and everything, but I prefer watching some thing that's more competitive. I did like Kawada badgering Jumbo around the head and neck, and Jumbo's selling was excellent. The backdrop at the end was sweet but it was like swatting away a fly. I didn't like the way Jumbo celebrated so nonchalantly. It made Kawada seem like a mere trifle and little more than a nuisance. I will say that Loss' list is making me fall in love with Kawada all over again. The powerbomb struggle that Loss mentioned was awesome as were a number of other touches.

#277 I've been meaning to revisit this ever since Phil and Will praised it so much. They do a lot of cool shit that rewards your patience but ultimately I think the story of Regal trying to stall and hold on for twice the normal time limit makes this less competitive than it could have been. And since Regal and Arn have had plenty of matches with other people filled with cool shit, it's hard to rate this as anything special. Bobby on commentary was better than I remembered. His exchanges with Schiavone weren't as spiteful as they seemed at other times.

The next match was Argentina Rocca vs. Killer Kowalski from Chicago. When I first saw what was next, I immediately thought: "that's like 10 Hail Marys for penance." Then I stated thinking maybe it could go the other way and they'd surprise me, and sure enough that's what happened. It was Rocca's first match in the Chicago territory so he couldn't coast along on star power alone. He needed to make an impression on folks and he did it by dancing around like a barefooted MMA fighter and peppering Kowalski with kicks to the face. Kowalski responded by trying to ground Rocca with powerful looking headlocks, crunching sidemares and vicious looking kneelifts. Not adjectives I'd usually associate with Kowalski, but he was as good in this bout as I've ever seen him. The booking stopped the bout from being truly special, but it was far more entertaining than I expected and the first time I've really liked a match from either man, and that's a win right there. Bearcat Wright vs. Bulldog Bob Brower had some fun brawling. Brower did a gimmick where he'd get a look in his eye and lose all control of himself. They had to get some cops to pull him off Wright at the end of this one. Also from Buffalo was Fritz Von Erich vs. Big Ed Miller. This was heel vs. heel and pretty much two big guys beating the crap out of each other. A bit slow at times, but I loved the finish where Von Erich tried to put the claw on a bleeding Miller and Miller fought out of it and began kicking the crap out of Fritz until the ref called the bout off. Again there were cops involved. At least I think they were cops. They might have been security guards. In any event, I like how Buffalo has cops with nightsticks breaking things up. The theme of heel vs. heel continued with The Gallagher Brothers vs. Johnny Barend and the Magnificent Maurice. Apparently, Barend and Maurice had split after a falling out between the two and this was their first match teaming together after Maurice had made some save in a match Barend was losing. Anyway, it doesn't take long for them to fall out again and Barend ends up fighting three guys. Note that Maurice and Barend's manager here is Ernie Roth doing an early gimmick of his called Mr. Kleen. Next I watched the Wrestling Workouts show from Hollywood. What a strange format for a wrestling show. WW was mostly made up of workers doing workouts with each other and practicing their offensive and defensive moves. That's interspersed with short newsreel footage of the workers having actual matches. Sometimes tempers flare in the workouts, and occasionally they set up matches later on, but mostly they're a fun way to see your favourite grapplers working holds and a chance to see more folks like Blears and Joe Blanchard. The Mighty Atlas vs. Mr. Moto is not exactly a battle of my two favourite guys, but they managed to work an entertaining twenty minute, no fall contest. There were some cute spots in this, like Moto hurting his hand trying to chop Atlas' flexed muscle and Atlas taking Moto down by his fu manchu beard. Mostly strength holds in this one but never boring. Finished up with The Crusher vs. Hank Lane. Poor Lane didn't stand a chance.

Marty Jones & Dave FInlay vs. Mile Zrno & Franz Schumann (Vienna, 8/3/90) I had high hopes for this and it didn't disappoint. Fun, houseshow-esque title match that may be low on grappling skill but makes up for it with attitude. Jones plays a heel here -- a role he was born to play. Lots of fun heel work. Schumann blades, but it's hard to see in the black and white copy I saw. The crowd can smell a title change and are right behind Zrno and Schumann. They scrape out a win and the fans at ringside are extremely happy. Worth watching if you want to see a heel Marty Jones.

The Royals were fans of wrestling long before the Crabtrees got together and thought up the Daddy gimmick. Here's a little excerpt for you: "An entry in Labour cabinet minister Richard Crossman's diary for 1968 recounts a meeting with an unusually jovial Her Majesty The Queen, who is described as "writhing" in delight at the ringmasters' exploits." I believe it was the Duke of Kent who confirmed that the Queen used to "sit up" at 4 o'clock each Saturday and watch the wrestling.And there's that famous story of Princess Anne meeting McManus and remarking: "I didn't recognise you with your clothes on." McManus was buddy buddy with Thatcher and John Major. I'm 100% sure that McManus was a Tory. I'm sure Daddy and Haystacks had plenty of celeb fans. Another oft-told story is the time Frank Sinatra approached Haystacks backstage at the Royal Albert Hall and told him that British wrestlers were the best entertainers in the world. But we're talking about Mick McManus. The main even inspired Peter Blake to paint wrestler portraits. The same Peter Blake who did the cover to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. No matter how you slice it, he was infinitely cooler than Crabtree.

I would be tempted to add Giant Baba vs. Dick the Bruiser (11/24/65). This was the night where Baba won Rikidozan's vacant NWA International Heavyweight Championship -- a clear sign that the JWA was building around Baba in the wake of Rikidozan's death. The '67-71 period was one of the hottest in Japanese wrestling history with nightly sellouts and prime time TV on Fridays and Mondays. Inoki and Baba were the top drawing team in that period. I'm not sure what their biggest match was during that period but they headlined against plenty of big American names. I also mentioned Baba winning the NWA title from Race. Whether that was as important as the first win over Brisco I'm not sure.

Also, after reading Matt Farmer's article and checking cubsfan's site, you really need to add the Santo vs. Aguayo mask vs. hair match to the list. The date was 10/3/75.

Since I was being lazy here are the dates for these: There was some discrepancy about which matches aired on the 1/13/65 broadcast so I would nix those. I forgot that McManus and Pallo had a rematch on the '63 Cup FInal Day show. The date was 5/25/63. I believe this is the match that was claimed to have been seen by over 20 million people.

McManus/Pallo wasn't that bloody long ago. I ask you this, Parv: Were the Stones fans of Big Daddy? http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BK_187mCQAIHdDO.jpg:large Was Prince Philip eager to meet him? http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/05/22/article-2329043-0040428A00000258-352_634x462.jpg Did Big Daddy get to horse around with Tony Cooper? http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/05/22/article-2329043-0060B09500000258-611_634x531.jpg Did he put Pete Murray in headlocks? http://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/624/media/images/67896000/jpg/_67896015_3167552.jpg McManus is in the National Biography for crying out loud. I know there are people who push hard for Daddy in the HOF each year, but McManus was the most famous and important wrestler in the history of British wrestling.

#285 I like this match. It's not as epic as their 1/97 match, obviously, and it's a bit too lenient with the back and forth action, but they work really hard to bring Kobashi up to Misawa's level. I don't think they could have had the 1/97 match without having a match like this along the way. Since there's been a lot of Jumbo on the list thus far, I noticed a contrast between how guys were elevated against the two aces, Tsuruta and Misawa. With Jumbo, Misawa & Co. had to overcome his size advantage on a constant basis as he had so much more power and strength than them. Whereas Misawa's rivals had to outgun and outmaneuver him. All Japan under Misawa became much more move focused. That's odd to say in a promotion that also valued selling, psychology and build, but it really is the ultimate video game wrestling. You could stick a life meter on either side of the screen and watch it tick down as they hit their shit. Is it any wonder we were all into this at the same time we were playing Tekken? Another thing this match did was reacquaint me with what a beautiful seller Misawa was. His early 90s stuff had me wondering whether I was wrong to think that Misawa was one of the all-time great sellers, but it's clear to me now that he didn't become a sublime seller until his all-round ability peaked in 1994. Sure he has certain quirks that are picked up in close-up, but he sells a stretch run like nobody else. This wasn't for all the marbles, but it was a five setter in a Grand Slam, 9th innings of a World Series game, triple over-time in a playoff game... you get the idea.

I think you share the same general reaction that the footage received when it first aired on Classics. The clipped version was long considered a five star match, but people wound up thinking that Chigusa vs. Devil had the better psychology and build and that Lioness vs. Jaguar was spotty. I haven't seen the match in years. I imagine it's the type of thing I'd go back and forward on depending on how much I could get into the rhythm.

Elliot, Baba swapping the NWA title with Race prior to Jumbo becoming the ace was important. Also Baba winning the NWA International Heavyweight title that later became part of the Triple Crown.

Parv & Alan, I get that Haystacks and Daddy were household names, and still are to some extent years after their deaths, but people having some vague idea that they fought at "Wembley" doesn't make it the most important match in British wrestling history. Not when they sold out Wembley two years prior with Daddy vs. Quinn and not when it led to a downturn in wrestling's popularity instead of adding to it like McManus/Pallo did. Aside from the fact that Daddy vs. Haystacks was held at Wembley Arena and not the Wembley Town Hall, I can't think of a single reason why Daddy/Haystacks was better, or more important, than McManus/Pallo, other than the generation that witnessed McManus vs. Pallo has largely died out. McManus/Pallo was the better match, had the better build, did the better rating (per head of population/TV set), led to greater things in terms of wrestling's popularity, and the pair hobnobbed with the Queen Mother, the Duke of Edinburgh, Sandie Shaw, the Beatles and Richard Attenborough not bloody Noel Edmund and Bruce Foresyth. Wrestling was never more mainstream or accepted in England than it was in the 60s. The reason I mentioned the match not being well remembered is that I don't think people are actually reminiscing upon the match. 1981 was a long time ago. People may have fond memories of Botham in the Ashes but the better judge of how important the Botham Ashes were is how relevant they were at the time. I don't think the Haystacks/Daddy match mattered a month later let alone a year. They actually rode a re-match into the ground when Daddy won convincingly enough. I already mentioned knowing about Andre vs. Hogan long before I ever saw it and I think Daddy vs. Haystacks is folklore at best. And to be frank, if that's the most important match in British wrestling history then the history of British wrestling is pretty sad. Thankfully. it's not -- on both accounts.

It's important because there was a tiny article about it in the Guardian that's not even about the match? 1981 wasn't the peak of British wrestling and the rating for Daddy vs. Haystacks has never been proven. It's speculative like the rating for McManus/Pallo in '62. If Haystacks vs. Daddy was so important why did they never run Wembley again? Why did so many guys jump to Dixon the following year? How come Dale Martin/Joint Promotions began a massive slide thereafter? I give Daddy all the credit in the world for picking up Dale Martin & Joint's business in the mid-to-late 70s and sustaining it for a good ten years longer than it might have lasted after British wrestling's peak in the mid-60s, but arguing that Daddy/Haystacks is the most important match, or even show, in that era of British wrestling reminds me of the argument that Big Egg Universe was the crown jewel of Joshi shows.