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tcg91

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Everything posted by tcg91

  1. tcg91
    The crowd was very hot and the announcer told them a couple times not to throw objects in the ring, that is the kind of heat the Duo had at the time. The action was pretty good, but the atmosphere made the match special. Once again, Gino was the man: cheap shots and goofy celebrations, before hiding behind the referees or escaping the ring to avoid the babyfaces. Mascaras left most of the action to Fernandez, who made the match better and got a really hot tag, but this was more about getting heat than wrestling itself (especially if compared to Southern tag team action). The crowd almost riots when the Duo gets a super dirty (and rare) pin on Mascaras and it felt pretty cool ***1/4
  2. tcg91
    This was a pretty good showcase. I liked the double gear concept, as Fujinami/Roberts was a rugged confrontation on the mat, while Mask and Solitario had a more mobile and quick series of exchanges. Even the other pairings were not bad and there I say Mask and Robert did well then the first Dynamite Kid match with their chemistry. However, this had "B-show match" written all over it and nothing was too captivating, I was disappointed because Mask and Fujinami is a really badass team on paper. Clean finish at least, albeit a bit flat, but this was a solid 12/13 minutes contest **3/4
  3. tcg91
    Much like the Lawler/Funk empty arena deal, it's an angle and not really a match, even though this one actually takes place after a ring bell at least. This kind of brawls are not my things, plus it's JIP and it doesn't even have a finish, but it's somewhat historic. I can see while some people love this and why this was quite unique in 1981
  4. tcg91
    This was JIP, we got 11 minutes out of 18. That is shame, because the von Erichs in St. Louis keep being tons of fun and this looked really good. Race relied a lot on headbutts as his main point of offense, hitting David everywhere and making him bump left and right with it. It was established that Race was dominating thanks to his experience, but David was always a threat. The crowd was fully behind David's comeback and his lethal claw, as David finally managed to apply it after a few teases. Race sold the claw really well until the non-finish, as Race managed to save himself. Can't go higher as almost half of the match wasn't shown ***
  5. tcg91
    Not a dream match, but quite a suggestive pairing at the very least. Unfortunately, they seemed to be in spot show mode and some of the action was quite lethargic. However, they started this strong and the matwork in the first fall was solid, it's just too bad that all the good armwork didn't have a relevant follow up later in the match. This is yet another bout that had a promising start and then died in the later falls, despite the first two having decent endings. They actually brough the arm stuff back at the very last minute of the match, with an abdominal stretch battle, but it was followed by a non-finish by interference. This could have been so much better **3/4
  6. tcg91
    This was absolutely tremendous. Cortez was probably having the best performance of his career here, starting this as a babyface match and gradually getting more and more heelish to keep controlling the pace. Grey is a good hand himself and, as seen in previous matches, loves to fight from underneath. I liked the growing tension and battle for supremacy, Cortez finally found a weakness in Grey's arm and started working on it without mercy. The last two rounds were all about Grey's reaction, with some rare vicious strikes and and a good comeback. The finish, although creative, was a bit of a let-down as I really wanted to see somebody get the victory here. Especially with no funny characters and both wearing basic black trunks, this is the best example of how great and simple Joint Promotions was ****1/4
  7. tcg91
    This was a fun little match and I am happy I saw it. I really enjoyed the quick pace they used, while also relying on their physical skills and presenting a very solid battle for supremacy. This was somewhat similar to a Memphis 10 minutes TV match, straight to the point and with a "less is more" attitude when it comes to big spots and bombs. Even the crowd seemed quite impressed by this lowcard match being so smooth, but the fans never got into it as they should have. It was also interesting to see both guys so early in their careers ***
  8. tcg91
    I really liked this, especially considering that 60 minute matches are never easy to do (or watch). Brunzell stepped up big time and went toe to toe with Bock, they used a slower pace to build this very well from the beginning, by possibly using the longest hammerlock sequence ever. As usual, Bock was a master at making his opponent look really good, he gave him plenty of rope and sold his attacks accordingly. The growing fatigue was also very credible, but the best part was Bock's legwork on the challenger, that lasted for most of the bout and got the best nearfall of the match from a Brunzell's sick dropkick. With a more dramatic finishing stretch and a bit less of stalling in the first 20 minutes, this could have been an all time classic ****
  9. tcg91
    Thanks for recommending this! This was a great match and what one should expect from a Joint Promotions bout. I liked the idea of a slower pace, with a great set of counters and an impeccable matwork, then picking up when Myers tries to hit his opponent with a few strikes. They also mastered the idea of creating a stalemate and an equal match, without getting to the predictable "my turn, your turn" sequences. It's a shame that Haward doesn't have a lick of charisma, because Myers does and this was just missing a bit of spice here and there. This was starting to die towards the end anyway, I really wanted to see a finish but we got a draw and no resolution for the constant stalemate ***3/4
  10. tcg91
    This didn't do anything for me and it seemed like they had a night off with a lazy performance. Joyce keeps giving me "post ROH Colt Cabana C-shows" vibes: he knows how to wrestle, but he's just teasing it and relies too much on unfunny skits between a hold and the next one. I don't mind babyface matches (if rare) and I like comedy, but something's wrong when fans and the announcer giggle after an armdrag and hammerlock sequence. At least this didn't go more than 15 minutes, it was unoffensive and I guess decent for the live crowd, but I wasn't into it. **
  11. tcg91
    This is slightly clipped, 11 minutes out of 15 are shown. It's a really nice bout, solid and very tight on the mat. All the focus was around arms in the early part of the match, they both worked on each other's arms and Brunzell actually managed to go toe to toe against a master like Bock. However, Bock soon took over and of course most of the match was him taming poor Brunzell with hammerlocks and wristlocks; Brunzell's selling skills are seriously underrated, his name never really comes up. The fans loved his reaction too, he capitalized on a Bock's mistake and started beating him down furiously over his legs. A great dropkick ends the match and Brunzell gets a rare victory on the current champion ***1/2
  12. tcg91
    What a beautiful match, one of the best from Joint Promotions. Breaks stole the show once again, trying to behave and even shaking Grey's hand, before changing his attitude towards the end when the match wasn't going his way. 5 minutes rounds are so much better, especially for their style, they got all the time they needed. Great armwork from Breaks, as usual that sets up his finisher, while Grey was sympathethic in his selling, but not on his opponent's level when controlling the match. I liked the drama of the last fall, Breaks was one warning away from getting the DQ, but Grey was pretty much fighting with one arm only at the moment and that led to Break's victory ****
  13. tcg91
    This wasn't exactly "good", but it was definitely "fun" and so thumbs up. We got 4 big names and a quite a big skirmish feeling in Osaka. Hansen ducking Dusty's signature punches ruled. Inoki was quite generous in his selling for the gaijins, but the match never went to the next level as the heels worked on Dusty and the match kind of plateaued at some point in the middle. Not saying Dusty was lazy, but he wasn't all in that night. The final part with the hot tag was fun, but a run in stopped the match (but, to be fair, a non-finish was quite obvious as none of them would drop a fall in a B show) **3/4
  14. tcg91
    A good match, but I'm usually not really a fan of 2/3 falls matches that have a really long fall and 2 short ones (unless the story of the match requires it). The first fall, however, was really well done: lots of goodness from Gino, limbwork and cheap heat on Chavo, who sells it all and fires up the crowd with his comebacks. Then, as mentioned, the other falls went quite quick and didn't do really much for me until the finish, as finally Chavo got revenge on Gino and pulled his tights, which infuriated the champion. Not a classic, but a really nice bout, also thanks to the Houston crowd ***1/2
  15. tcg91
    Gagne's retirement match. This felt like a big deal and the taped interviews were also really well done. The match was slightly clipped in the middle, but it was a rock solid contest with a long wrist lock sequence at the beginning. Then, Gagne started working on Bock's leg and the challenger sold as much as he could. The No DQ stipulation might have been just a swerve, as nothing really happened and no major rule was ever broken. It was a decent match, that mostly relied on crowd reaction and on the two grizzled veterans knowing how to get the basics done. Gagne's clean victory also felt like a good (but selfish) moment **3/4
  16. tcg91
    This was a really nice and brutal match. I liked it less than other people did as I think that, despite featuring a good start and a great finish, this match kind of died in the middle and didn't create anything special. Granted, it was a 12/15 minutes match and so it went quite quick, but it's undeniable that the central part of the match was highly disappointing. It was almost like the fans didn't care about Slaughter beating Patterson, however they reacted big time when Sarge was getting pummelled. Sarge bled like a crazy man and this featured great selling from him, especially when Patterson started hitting him with his boot. I also liked the towel finish, as it was a good heel strategy and saved the hopeless Slaughter. It's just a shame that the match died right before its final minutes ***3/4
  17. tcg91
    This was alright. It is quite clipped, we only get 8 minutes and don't even know how much we are missing from the complete match. Lawler puts over Blackwell huge in this bout, getting dominated by the big man for the whole time and seeing all of his comebacks getting cut off after a little bit. The limited length also helped, as Blackwell never looked dull or gassed, despite failing to bring the match to the next level. Some blood or assault on a specific body part would have definitely helped his case here, but his dominion was alright anyway. Lawler gets a lucky pinfall out of nowhere, this was another match that was booked really well and elevated Blackwell **3/4
  18. tcg91
    This is the kind of match that you either love or hate and I ended up liking it a whole lot. It's Dory vs Terry going at it for 55 minutes, with a heavy focus on matwork. I get that you don't get much flashiness or movez here, but you shouldn't: it's a battle between two brothers, who want to outwrestle each other and don't even attempt pinfalls for most of the bout. Terry's selling was great here, we was copying everything Dory did at one point, because his brother got the best of him on the mat. We got a clean finish to boot, which is also a plus in the 80s. I get that this is not for everyone, but it's just a good example to differentiate a matwork sequence from a rest hold ****
  19. tcg91
    I found this to be the best of the Inoki/Hansen series, as most of the previous matches always left me with a bit of bitter taste in my mouth. Short and sweet, playing in favour of the competitors' strengths and avoiding a long limb segment that Hansen couldn't really deal with at this time. Inoki, however, used the matwork to weaken the gaijin as much as he could, because Hansen tried his hardest to decimate the Ace with both his arms and his legs. We finally get a blowoff on the lariat spot of their very first match, because Inoki finally kicks out and then gets a clean 3.0000001 pinfall on his opponent ***1/2
  20. tcg91
    You could tell that the fans were quite intrigued about this one, as Tiger Mask's debut has been quite hyped and he was wrestling the best heel junior heavyweight around. As a 10 minutes showcase of what they could do, this was good and, more importantly, left fans with with a lot more yet to be seen (which easily sets up rematches). The anticipation was created thanks to Dynamite's mean actions, compared to Tiger's unique style and quickness. This is still ground-breaking to this day and I liked the fact that they only scratched the surface, ending the match with a clean finish, but still not using all the tricks they knew ***1/4
  21. tcg91
    I have seen this probably 5/6 times throughout my life, every couple of years or so, and I still don't "get it". It's a good segment, not even a great one in my opinion, but it's definitely not a wrestling match. And, if it is a match indeed, it's 5 minutes of hide and seek with a bit of brawling and a no finish. Not saying it was a bad piece of business, but this doesn't belong on my match list, just like Edge vs Cena at NYC 2006 wouldn't. I still had to watch it, given its high (and, partially, deserved) reputation, but I didn't change my mind yet again
  22. tcg91
    This was a good match, but also the definitive proof that these two have a low ceiling together as a pairing; each one of their matches has been decent, but they have always lacked "it" and this wasn't any different. I liked the fact that they kept this short and that there weren't slow moments, they relied on their aggression to fit their styles and make their punches the best part of the matches. Hansen took a couple of good bumps and Backlund used one of them to leave the cage and win, even though the challenger didn't seem that hurt and the finish felt quite flat due to that ***
  23. tcg91
    This didn't reach the heights of Terry vs Lawler, but it continued the saga and it was still a very nice piece of business. The best thing about this was the evolution of their attitude, as they started with a very civil and polite matwork, then gradually becoming more naughty as time went; by the time the match finished, they were punching each other as Terry and Lawler were (even though the brawl was better in the previous match). Kudos to Dory for carrying Lawler on the mat, but then he failed to be as good as him towards the end, even though they gap in their styles made the match more compelling. The DQ finish fits the story, but the referee let them break the rules a bunch of times before finally having enough, which confuses me ***1/2
  24. tcg91
    This was such a great brawl. I am not always into Lawler's matches, because he usually stalls too much for my own taste, but it wasn't the case here and surely Funk is the main reason why this didn't happen. Funk worked on Lawler's leg with good results and the fans got into it, as Lawler's leg was broken before and Gordon Solie quickly remarked it. Lawler's comeback was amazing, leading to an incredible brawl that saw his prevail and got the fans cheering so loud for him. I also liked the way Lawler finally grabbed the chair to give Funk the receipt the deserved, targeting his leg, to give Funk the same pain he inflicted to him. Not a great fan of a countout finish in a No DQ match, but they made it work as Funk couldn't return to the ring after Lawler's assault ****1/4
  25. tcg91
    This was better than their previous match, as the cage stipulation added a bit of drama and roughness from the East West Connection. The match is clipped and we only get the last 10 minutes, with a constant crescendo that, as the other bout showed, particularly shines when Brunzell and/or Adonis are involved. Ventura was solid, while Gagne looks weak, but better than usual thanks to selling the blood after getting beaten down. Nice to see a bump from the top of the cage for the finish, from Adonis of all people (you assume the High Flyers would get this done), but the camera kind of misses it and it was quite a shame ***1/4
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