ohtani's jacket

Atlantis/Negro Casas/Ultimo Dragon vs. Dr Wagner Jr/Mocho Cota/Pierroth Jr (CMLL March 7th, 1995) The opening fall of this was excellent. It was the type of mat-based fall that fans like me were always searching for great lucha back in the day. Mocho vs. Casas was outstanding. Better than anything they did in the lead-up to their hair match in '94. Mocho dialed it back to '84 when he came across as a master grappler. The other match ups were solid too. The trouble started in the second fall when the rudo beatdown went past the point where they should have claimed the fall. if you've watched enough lucha, you know the rhythm of the falls and you know the beat that the fall will end on. The fact that they went past the beat usually means that the momentum will be reversed and the opposing side will steal the fall, but that didn't happen. The beatdown continued and the rudos refused to listen to the refs, which can only mean one thing -- DQ. Lousy finish and a crappy way to follow up on that opening fall. Casas vs. Mocho was must-watch stuff, though.

Dusty Rhodes vs Ivan Koloff (Dusty's Hair vs. 30 Days In The Hole) (August 23rd, 1980) -- Dusty wins the services of Oliver Humperdink for 30 days and we get a couple of fun vignettes of Dusty ordering Humperdink about. Fun stuff. N.W.A. World Heavyweight Title Match: Jack Brisco (c) vs. Buddy Colt (December 18th, 1973) -- Brisco vs. Colt is such a great match up. This wasn't their best match together but it was still exciting to watch. Good stuff. Mike Graham & Eddie Graham vs. Dick Slater & Pak Song (October 12th, 1974) @Bayfront Center -- Pretty good match. I don't care much for Mike Graham, but Eddie Graham comes across like a legend in all of this footage. Slater is okay. Song is better than most Asian heels and has some cool signature offense. Good stuff. Florida Tag Team Title Match: Dick Slater & Johnny Weaver (c) vs. Harley Race & Roger Kirby -- This is mainly Race doing some heel commentary over the footage. OK, but not as good as Colt's heel commentary. OK footage. Florida Heavyweight Title Match: Bill Watts (c) vs. Dusty Rhodes (October 22nd, 1974) -- Dusty vs. Watts is a fun match up. Watts commentating over the top of it is even better. Fun stuff. Florida Tag Team Title Match: Rocky Johnson & Pedro Morales (c) vs. Ivan Koloff & Mr. Saito (1977) -- Awesome seeing Mr. Saito in action. One of the better Japanese workers of the 70s. Johnson and Morales made for a fun babyface team. Johnson was limited, but effective, kind of like his boy. Good stuff. Florida Tag Title! Ivan Koloff & Mr. Saito (c) vs. Don Muraco & Pedro Morales (November 26th, 1977) -- We get to see quite a bit of Don Muraco vs. Ivan Koloff in this, which is cool. Hot finish with Morales once again being a super babyface. Good stuff. The Superbowl Of Wrestling: Harley Race vs. 'Superstar' Billy Graham (January 25th, 1978) (CWF) -- this was better than I expected considering the rain and the fact it was Superstar Billy Graham. I'm sure there was a ton of lying around but the footage they showed wasn't bad. Good stuff.

This was the final of the #1 Contenders tournament for the CMLL Trios title, so they got more time than in the other tournament matches. Very good match. Best Shocker performance in a while. He gave a complete three-fall performance with strong offense in the first fall, excellent selling in the second fall, and a fiery comeback in the third. We got to see the two heavy hitters, Wagner and Shocker, square off, but I also liked the way Apolo got in the mix. You can see what an excellent worker Apolo was through his interactions with Vampiro. Just a really good hand. There was some predictable interference from Rey Bucanero, but it was actually pretty cool. Ultimo & Rey beat the shit put of Vampiro on the entrance ramp and left him for dead while the rudos moved on to next week's final. This would make my Best of the Year comp.

This was the semi-final of a #1 Contenders tournament for the CMLL Trios titles. The super beef between Vampiro & Bucanero continues. One fall. Nothing major happens.

Bit of a nothing match. I like watching Ultimo Dragon in Mexico, but he was a bit player here. Some cool teamwork by the rudos at the end of the second fall. Atlantis & Mascara had some decent exchanges, but I would have preferred more Panther vs. Atlantis instead.

This was clipped but it had plenty of guys you want to see on TV like Felino and Zumbido. Casas came across as a huge badass in this. There was a callback to his history with Fuerza. Fuerza didn't have much left at this point, but it was cool to see them square off. Casas vs. Juventud was excellent

I really liked the matwork in this. I thought it was fantastic. After the hot start, it became more of a generic back and forth "epic." You can see the pattern emerging of what fans expect to see in terms of nearfalls and finishing stretches. I appreciate the thought that goes into countering your opponent's finishing moves, but if it's too clever then it looks choreographed. I don't like being told I'm watching a Match of the Year candidate, either, but that's not really the workers' fault.

Austin is a contender for best in the world in 2001, although personally Low Ki is my favorite US wrestler from that year. I'm not a huge fan of WCW Austin, so I can't really agree with him being the best in the 90s. I guess if you're a huge Steve Austin fan he was. There's definitely a lot of merit to his WCW work if you're into it.

This was a fun match. The Joshi revival was all but over, but it was cool that there was a niche for them to have this style of match.

Decent match, but a bit of an exhibition. Low Ki seemed to be suffering from that weird pressure foreigners feel to work a serious match in Japan instead of something dramatic. He had the tools to work a Japanese style bout, but the match was never super exciting, and Low Ki brought almost no personality to the bout. The commentator made an allusion to Dynamite Kid, which was a nice comparison, but the actual execution was lacking.

Awesome match. Not sure that it would have worked in Arena Mexico, but it was perfect for Arena Coliseo. It was equal parts heated mano a mano brawl and sublime technical wrestling. There were a surprising number of nearfalls for a mano a mano bout, and a clean finish to boot. It wasn't until afterward when Atlantis demanded a title shot that I realized the significance of the tercera caida and all of the nearfalls. I'm biased because I love this pairing, and their 1991 and 1997 bouts are two of my favorite matches of all-time, but I honestly thought this was one of the best matches of 2002, especially when you consider how badly CMLL has struggled with delivering compelling singles matches. This hit all the right notes. The falls were decisive and the match never lost its rhythm. I kept waiting for some derailing moment like a DQ or a double pin, but surprised the heck out of me with the finish. And the technique was sublime, especially from Panther's end. Total under-the-radar bout.

I thought this was a decent match in the context of the feud and the matches that led up to it. If you watched it as a standalone match, you wouldn't enjoy it. Once again, it was a single fall apuesta match, which I guess was something they were experimenting with in 2002. The problem with a single fall match is that the workers' rhythms are out of sync. They were trying to work a intense, violent bout, but there were lulls where there should have been falls, and it didn't make much sense that it wasn't 2/3 falls. I liked the basic performance from both guys, but it was another case where the singles match didn't live up to the build. It's strange to me that CMLL doesn't want to hit these singles matches out of the park but at least the weekly TV is good.

This wasn't as hot as some of the other Rey vs. Vampiro matches. Honestly, I thought that was because Wagner had to get his, and so there was a large focus on Wagner beating up Niebla. Vampiro and Rey had a couple of exchanges but nothing electric.

Match starts with a contract signing between Satanico and Damian that lasts longer than their bout probably will That's followed by a short, action-packed match.. Satanico and Damian brawl before and after the bout. I thought this was good TV.

How's this for a trios? The match is built around Panther vs. Atlantis, which is one of my all-time favorite lucha pairings. They run through some nice looking stuff in the primera caida before the match turns into a mask ripping brawl. Normally that would piss me off, but they worked a tight bout that kind of had me wishing that Atlantis had been the one to take Panther's mask. We also got to see Satanico brawl with the others. It's not every day you see Satanico trading right hands with Casas, so this is pretty much a must-see for anyone who likes these workers.

Volk Han didn't thumb his nose at pro-wrestling. He was scouted at a sambo tournament and invited to join the RINGS promotion. You're barking up the wrong tree if you think it was Volk who was disgusted with pro-wrestling. We're talking about a martial arts practitioner who agreed to do worked shoots. If he had been disgusted by pro-wrestling, he would have never agreed to do works. By his own admission, he was "working" in the sambo tournament to attract Maeda's attention, and he got over with the Japanese press and fans in large part to his charisma and the pro-wrestling licks he used in his matches. There was never a question of Volk working anywhere else. He was fiercely loyal to Maeda and called himself Maeda's soldier. You can hold that against him if you wish, but it was never on the cards.

The whole of Japan is miserable right now.

I wasn't overly thrilled with the Sandman Mystery Theatre "Phantom of the Fair" arc. For the first time in the series, it felt like there was too much story in the arc. Sandman Mystery Theatre is such a tightly plotted book, and so well paced, that I almost always feel compelled to read an arc in a single sitting, but this arc dragged. It couldn't figure out what it wanted to be. At first, you had Wesley brooding over the future, and the spectre of war, against the backdrop of the World's Fair. Then suddenly it was about Wesley confronting his own prejudices and homophobia. Personally, I couldn't understand how Wesley could be homophobic given everything we've learned about him thus far. My bigger problem, however, was how the two themes were meant to be connected. Utopia ideals vs. man's basic nature? Another murder, another direct connection to the titular character. At least this murder prompted Wesley to behave in new ways. I don't like the way Wesley and Dian's relationship has been thrown on the backburner. Dian has a job now and has found some purpose in her life, all Wesley and Dian do is engage in endless rounds of foreplay (okay, people had sex in the 1930s, I get it!) I did like the clumsy fight scene at the end of the arc. I like the fact that Wesley is perhaps the most nonathletic superhero, ever. I guess Dian being involved more in the crimefighting side of things is a welcome development, but their relationship hasn't felt right to me since she ran off to England. There are an increasing number of cameos from other Golden Age heroes. Ted Knight did not seem like the Ted Knight I know from James Robinson's Star Man. I dug the Jim Corrigan appearance, though. Another thing that threw me off about this arc was the overhaul of the cover designs. They are trying to make the covers look like the covers to an old pulp magazine or movie poster, but they would have looked much better if they'd been painted or done with pencil art. Another series I wrapped up was Earth X. I'm not a huge fan of dystopian future storytelling these days (perhaps because we're living in one right now), but the series grew on me towards the end. I'm not in a rush to read the sequels, but the art was nice and there was some intrigue, which is all I really hope for from a comic.

Harley Race vs. Gino Hernandez (NWA World Title Sept 28, 1980) This was a decent match. One thing I'll say for Harley is that he did a good job of working with younger guys like Gino and the Von Erich kids. As far as bogus finishes go, I think I'd take Flair with his feet on the ropes over Harley being tossed over the top rope.

This Vampiro vs. Bucanero beef is so much better than it has a right to be. I can't really say much more about GdI at this stage except that they're compulsory viewing, but Vampiro looks like the real deal in this feud. There's no sloppiness, no awkward moments, and no moments where he's hunched over sucking in the big ones. He looks like a badass and fights like one. I don't know why these two are clicking, but it's fun to watch. There's a nice callback to the Casas/Tarzan Boy hair match, too, with Tarzan Boy trolling Casas over losing his hair. Casas lets rip on Tarzan Boy, which is both awesome and a reminder of how shitty the apuesta match was. I can't believe I want to see more Vampiro.

Buddy Colt vs. Big Bad John (December 26th, 1972) (Championship Wrestling From Florida) -- Buddy was one of those guys who could size up their opponent and deliver exactly the right kind of match. Big Bad John is pretty bad, but watch how Buddy sells for him, and the offense he uses to clobber him later on. Just perfect. Good stuff. Buddy Colt vs. Frank Hester (January 4th, 1975) (Championship Wrestling From Florida) - tremendous heat for this, especially when Hester makes his comeback. Buddy rules as usual. Good stuff. Buddy Colt vs. Tim Geohagen (August 29th, 1972) (Championship Wrestling From Florida) (CWF) -- I've never head of Tim Geohagen, but Solie sold this Buddy vs. Geohagen was a major feud, and suddenly I was all revved up about Tim Geohagen. Danny McShain was the ref for this one, which is cool because he's another guy who we have limited footage of who could have a case for Top 100. Good stuff. Don Muraco vs. The Mongolian Stomper (November 12th, 1974) (Championship Wrestling From Florida) -- not really a showcase for Muraco. Stomper beats him up after the match and Dusty does a run-in. OK footage. Don Muraco vs. Pak Song (June 18th, 1974) (Championship Wrestling From Florida) -- another Muraco match that puts over the heel. Pak Song had some cool offense. Gary Hart is on commentary and does some decent schtick. OK footage. Jack Brisco vs. Mike Hammer (1979) (Championship Wrestling From Florida) -- fabulous little television match. You've gotta love how much amateur stuff Brisco pulls out in these short TV bouts. What a wrestler. Great stuff. Jack Brisco vs. The Gestapo (October 24th, 1979) (Championship Wrestling From Florida) -- even against masked wrestlers like The Gestapo, Jack is doing his amateur takedowns and awesome pin attempts. Jack Brisco, I love you. Great stuff. The Last Tangle In Tampa: Harley Race vs. Dusty Rhodes (August 3rd, 1980) (Tampa Stadium) -- Dusty cuts a barely audible promo in a swimming pool (something about Apocalypse Now II). Match is simple but effective. It's a one hour broadway, so I'm assuming it had a lot of down time. There's no deny the connection Dusty had with the crowd. Race is getting fatter here and growing out his beard. He barely gets a lick of offense in during the footage, but it's cleared towards showing Dusty as the victor of the match but not being able to claim the title. Awesome Dusty promo afterward. Good stuff.

Demon Slayer is a decent series. I read it because my daughter was so heavily into it, and I was buying the volumes for her. Towards the end of the series when the popularity is exploding, you get the feeling that the mangaka is burnt out and in a desperate rush to finish the series. My favorite thing about the series was the tragic backstories. Every time they'd slay a demon, you'd find out the person's history and what led them to becoming a demon. Some of the backstories really got to me.

I finished the Sandman Mystery Theatre arcs "Dr. Death", "The Night of the Butcher", "The Hourman" and "The Python." Absolutely one of the most tightly plotted series I've read with each arc being compelling reading. The relationship between Wesley and Dian has taken twists and turns that I didn't expect, but I have to say it's the development of the supporting cast that I've enjoyed the most. I love Burke. Readers have come across cops like Burke in fiction countless times, but he still feels like a living, breathing character. I also like that they're saving some of the reveals until the end and throwing in a few red herrings. Night of the Butcher finally introduced a killer that wasn't immediately connected to the characters, and all it took was a bit of mutilation. I like Guy Davis' art, but I still find him to be a bit inconsistent. The characters' weight seems to change all the time, and I often get confused between his depiction of Dodds and the coroner, Hubert Klein. I'm really enjoying the series, which is why I'm burning through it so quickly. I also read Jim Starlin's Metamorphosis Odyssey from Epic Illustrated. I've been reading quite a few Marvel magazines lately, and I feel like they were an untapped avenue for Marvel's creators to enjoy creative freedom and explore their own original ideas instead of trying to shoehorn them into the monthly books. Very few creators took advantage of the possibilities of this new format, and there weren't a lot of successes, but Metamorphosis Odyssey was definitely a success. It was gorgeous to look at and the concept was intriguing. The execution wasn't perfect (it felt a bit rushed to me), but it was magnificent in its scope. I must admit, I immediately thought, "Wow, it's Green Arrow" when Vanth finally appeared.

When did Edge morph into Emilio Charles Jr?

Harley Race vs. Wahoo McDaniel Dream Match February 10, 1978 This was much better. Race gives Wahoo pretty much the entire match, but that's okay when it's a guy as tough as Wahoo, I actually liked how the only offense Race was able to muster was the headbutt while on one knee and those little jab-like headbutts from a standing position. I also liked that flat body bump Race took off Wahoo's chops. It was a touring champ performance from Harley, but it was an exciting one, and what the crowd wanted to see. This one goes in Harley's favor.