tcg91
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The Fabulous Moolah vs Wendi Richter (5/21/84) Moolah worked as the babyface here, which confused me at first, as I clearly remembered her being in the heel's corner at the first WrestleMania. Wendi played a decent heel in terms of generating heat I guess, but the action stank. Of course, Moolah also had to do her forced referee-climbing spot, which the heel Richter decided to join for some reason. Moolah showed no continuity or ring psychology, trying to work on the arm, then the back with a horrible leg scissors, and then the leg. Richter had Moolah beaten for what felt like a full minute after a series of weak slams, but instead of going for the pin, she decided to shove the referee and got herself disqualified. DUD
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Bobo Brazil, Rocky Johnson & SD Jones vs Afa, Sika & Samula (5/21/84) Brazil got a decent pop, but he was badly exposed here. The whole point of putting him in a six-man tag should have been to protect him, yet he opened the match with a long, horrible sequence against Afa, as he could barely move his legs properly for kicks and headscissors. It was sad to watch, and not really his fault, unlike his annoying no-selling. This quickly turned into a mess, and of course the Samoans weren't good enough to carry their opponents, relying on dull chinlocks and a lot of growling. They tried a finish with SD leapfrogging one of of the Samoans just to be hit by a combo clothesline by the other two, but the execution was horrendously sloppy. Thankfully, this lasted less than 10 minutes. -*
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Salvatore Bellomo vs Afa (5/5/84) They both got booed during the introductions, which was funny, although Bellomo gradually won some of the crowd over despite his offense not looking very good. Watching him do those pointless cartwheels in the middle of the match always made me wonder what the goal was, I think he was trying too hard to get a pop. There were even a couple of "boring" chants as Afa used a long chinlock before switching to an armbar for a minute, which didn't make much sense, especially since Bellomo never really had any trouble during his comeback. The finish was actually fun, as Afa back body-dropped Bellomo into the ropes, and it looked so nasty that Bellomo might have hurt himself in the processs. 1/2*
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Chief Jay Strongbow vs The Masked Superstar (1/23/84) "What the hell is he doing?" is what Superstar asked as Strongbow was doing his stupid dance, and I couldn't agree more. Strongbow wasn't in good shape and clearly didn't have much left in the tank, but unfortunately he still dominated most of the match with a series of side headlocks before going after Superstar's mask, which at least got a decent reaction from the crowd. Despite doing the job, Strongbow took about 90% of the offense, but none of it was particularly good. He also no-sold some of Superstar's strikes, before suddenly collapsing after a simple clothesline and losing the match in a quite unticlimatic way. 1/2*
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Ivan Putski vs Tiger Chung Lee (1/16/84) This was painful to watch. What hurt it the most was their inability to build any momentum or a meaningful heat segment, as everything they did felt random. Lee's static nerve holds didn't mean a thing, as Putski was kicking him without any problem a few seconds later (and his kicks looked awful as well). The match was just a series of meaningless comebacks, one after another, followed by another rest hold as if nothing had happened. They didn't manage their time well either, as they went past the 10 minute time-limit and it felt like forever before Putski threw Lee off the top rope, prompting the referee to finally stop the match at the 12-minute mark. -*
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This was a great match for the most part. Dandy played his part beautifully, selling Charles' punches like they were lethal and then hitting an explosive and merciless comeback. This got bloody, which only added to the good atmosphere and some effective match pacing, as they were bit on selling exhaustion without boring anyone. Dandy took a few dangerous bumps, including a top rope suicide dive, that was followed by a furious fists exchange outside the ring. The non-finish in an apuestas match was a bit of a let-down, even though their feud continued, but this was a very enjoyable match anyway. ***3/4
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[1989-07-24-UWF] Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Kazuo Yamazaki
tcg91 replied to Phil Schneider's topic in July 1989
This was a beautiful match and definitely the kind of stuff I like to see during shoot style bouts. Tight and intense grappling, rather than being just a filler series of rest holds between a kick and the next one. The strikes were good too and told the story of a desperate Yamazaki who tried to win the match by KO, while Fujiwara was more focused on his holds, until he realised he had to switch gear to keep up with his opponent. This got bloody due to the hard strikes and they got down to a decisive KO point, as Fujiwara won with a few violent headbutts, but Yamazaki was getting closer and closer to the upset. ****- 6 replies
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- Yoshiaki Fujiwara
- July 24
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(and 2 more)
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This was way impressive, lasting less than 10 minutes and showcasing most of the shoot style features that I like, as there were no filler holds and these two hit each other hard, while indulging in competitive matwork. Nakano's nose started to bleed due to Funaki's hard shots, so seeing his revenge shots on Funaki was very satisfying and the crowd got into it. Funaki sold his opponent's kicks very well, but he managed to come out on top with a good submission finish. ***3/4
- 6 replies
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- Masakatsu Funaki
- Tatsuo Nakano
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(and 2 more)
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I loved both guys and this was great stuff, but this match always left a bittersweet taste in my mouth. As an angle advancement and story development, this was pretty much perfect. However, there was some sloppiness and forced spots, like the double fall from the apron. Also, the piledriver was such an important part of the feud here and they just dropped one in the middle of the match without any consequence. I don't think this was an all-time classic, but it was still a great spectacle between two of the best ever. ****
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This was a decent match, enhanced by a very hot crowd. The War Games formula is pretty much the same at all times, but some guys worked hard to keep it compelling and some just did their 2 cents. Doc looked like a monster and the babyface in general shined a lot. Usual finish. Definitely not the best War Games match, but not a terrible one by any means. **3/4
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[1989-07-23-NWA-Great American Bash] Lex Luger vs Ricky Steamboat
tcg91 replied to Superstar Sleeze's topic in July 1989
This was very fun and a cool story, as Luger was very worried about Steamboat's skills and played the part of a coward despite his bigger size. Not only Steamboat sold generously for Luger, but so did Luger every time Steamboat tried to find an opening and use his experience to turn things around. Luger got so much heat from the crowd here and, despite the non-finish, Steamboat's comeback and raged chair shot were so satisfying. ***1/2 -
This was a great match and also Kobashi's breakout performance. Jumbo was in rebuilding mode, after losing the Triple Crown, and Kobashi proved to be a valuable ally against the Hansen/Tenryu dream team. Just like Kawada did the previous year, Kobashi mostly sold his opponents' stuff, but every dropkick or move looked like progression and development, celebrated by such a hot crowd (Jumbo had to work babyface too). Cool finishing stretch and everything had a purpose here. ***3/4
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[1989-07-15-AJPW] Dean & Joe Malenko vs The Fantastics
tcg91 replied to Superstar Sleeze's topic in July 1989
Very enjoyable match. This was a mix between a classic Southern tag setup and a Japanese junior heavyweight battle, showing elements of both with good heat and a competitive focus on matwork. This could easily considered a spotfest by most, but a late 80s All Japan version of it. The Fantastics fit right in with good selling and they brought extra amount of excitement, which made the Malenkos look like total mat masters. Good finish. ***1/2 -
This was a great match and the best Liger bout at that point. Liger gradually evolved from his first matches as a highspot machine, indulging in heated and aggressive action against such a dangerous challenger. This still had some nice amount of flashy moves though, looking like a very modern Junior Heavyweight setup. Sano looked sloppy a couple of times, but brought tons on intensity, leading to a rare and well-executed double KO finish. ***3/4
- 4 replies
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- Naoki Sano
- Jushin Liger
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(and 2 more)
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A good rematch, which was actually even better than their original bout. Tenryu and Hansen's developing chemistry became a factor here as Tenryu was finally the champion, while Jumbo had a point to prove as Tenryu just took the belt off him. Yatsu also played a good role, getting ready for his title match against Tenryu and getting best out of him. Hansen and Jumbo, traditionally the leaders, were the ones that sold their arm and leg respectively, leaving most of the momentum to the others. Surprising and impactful decisive finish. ***3/4