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tcg91

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Everything posted by tcg91

  1. tcg91
    Man, there was so much to love here. The crowd was so hot for everything they did and all the lumberjacks interactions made sense, getting heat on Backlund and creating interest every time somebody left the ring. I was not a fan of a piledriver kickout 5 minutes into a match, though, it's dumb in the 80s as it is in 2024. Backlund's goofy charisma keeps on giving and the finish was gold, as the goodnight Irene hold was always protected up to that point. This might easily be the best lumberjack match ever, as I don't remember any of them being better than this one ***1/2
  2. tcg91
    This was a good match and a textbook Lawler Memphis title bout: good brawl, decent selling, an attentive crowd and a bit of stalling. I did like the fact that the No DQ stipulation didn't translate to crazy and exaggerated action, but at least ensured a finish when things got uglier later in the match. Not the best limbwork from Mantell to be honest, but Lawler's selling was good at least, although he forgot about it towards the end of the match. This was very easy to watch and I was surprised by the finish in Mantell's favour, even though Lawler was kind of protected anyway ***1/4
  3. tcg91
    Much like Lawler vs Funk from the previous year, this is more of an angle rather than a real match (even though the bell actually rings this time). It's far from a bad angle anyway and it sets the tone for the rest of the feud, but ranking it as a match it's not really ideal. Some good bumping from Lawler, but it's quite overbooked and it very much works as an advancement angle. A very good angle, to be fair **1/2
  4. tcg91
    This wasn't the best version of Finlay vs Davey Boy in their prime, but still a damn solid match and a fun attraction. Lots and lots crispy matwork without any shenanigans, Finlay was at his best when he worked on the opponent's arm. More strikes and moves that you would see in a normal Joint Promotions match of that era, so that made it more digestible and well. I liked the continuous selling, apart from a few instances, plus the way they sold their exhaustion (even though they were probably really tired by the end), but the 35+ minutes lacked any major drama spots and kind of dragged at times ***1/2
  5. tcg91
    Much like the Dory/Terry match from All Japan, I liked this, but I can see why it might not be some people's cup of tea: it was a slow and methodical match, with solid limb work and a lot on emphasis on them struggling to get from a hold to the next one. Dory was more rational and less mobile, but Robinson spiced this up with good selling and initiatives. It looked like everything was done for a reason, which is a good thing. Robinson working on Dory's leg was definitely the best part of it, while Dory's armwork was more restholds than anything else at times. The 30 minutes didn't fly, but they did a good job at keeping the stalemate alive until the latest parts of the contest ***1/2
  6. tcg91
    This was decent, but it looked like another smoke and mirrors showcase, which is surprising due to Race's level. They just fought for 10 minutes before the non-finish, so this didn't reach the heights of their 1983 bouts. I mean, this wasn't bad, but it felt quite flat at times and didn't pick up until they both started bleeding as a result of their fight. Not everything looked super smooth, on top of that, especially Race's piledriver. Another problem was the crowd not being able to pick a side, which influenced the guys and there was not a consistent babyface or heel throughout the match. Anyway, the ending was well done and they did leave people wanting more **1/2
  7. tcg91
    This wasn't the best Flair title defense, but it looked like Florida was behind Graham and so this felt quite important (locally, at least). Flair brought some different elements, working on the challenger's throat after a sudden bump, but things were not very smooth when Graham was dictating the pace after his comeback: he worked on Flair's legs for a bit, but never consistently, then picked it right back up at the end for the non-finish. Even Flair getting coloured seemed too much, this was a pretty good match after all, but it seemed like they were trying hard to have an epic one ***
  8. tcg91
    The attendance was quite impressive, but unfortunately the crowd wasn't as vocal as I wished (the japanese commentary seemed a bit out of place as well). This was a solid match for what it was, with good parts and interesting points, but a few dull moments and executions too. I didn't really care for the first too falls, they were too short and a bit dull, but the last one was really good. Hamada was clearly a step above his opponent, he bumped around really well and seemed quite reckless at times. A bit irritating to see the legwork on Hamada being completely forgotten later in the match, it didn't lead to a long heat segment, but they did nothing with it ***1/4
  9. tcg91
    This had a great crowd and a big match feeling, which made it really special. And the action wasn't that bad too, Baba couldn't really go but he worked this match so smartly: pacing around the big guy, working on the arm and selling as much as he could. In comparison, this was as good as any Inoki/Hansen fight (maybe with the exception of one match only), despite the bigger limitations here. This was short and sweet. There was also a throwback at the Ace going out of the ring after Hansen's lariat, which lead to the predictable non-finish. Not a problem at all, as this needed to continue anyway ***1/4
  10. tcg91
    Despite having a few dull points (and in a 20 minutes match between them, this shouldn't be a thing), this had some great moments and it was a good match overall. All the limb stuff looked so strong and challenging, in opposition to other matches where offense seems quite light. Jumbo's heat segment on Bock's back was the best part of the match, the always found a way to back to it, even when Bock started to get more offense. I liked the finishing stretch, there was a really good nearfall and good crowd support; the non finish is not that unpredictable, but I hate airplane spins and here Jumbo ends up looking very silly due to this finish ***1/2
  11. tcg91
    This was a nice match and it was the best of the series so far, but it still had a few flaws. They definitely worked better, once again, with a shorter length to fill. The matwork was crip and the athletic stuff didn't seem to come out of nowhere. I particularly enjoyed Dynamite's vibe, he was extra focused and made Mask look great when going insane for the amount of offense that dished by the champion. I wasn't too fond of the ringside stuff, anyway, but I rarely am. The crowd loved this towards the end and I can't blame them, it was a good sequence and a nice finish. They deserve some credit for not letting a botch affect them, as they quickly recovered from it ***1/4
  12. tcg91
    This was a really kick ass match and I am surprised that I never really heard about it. It dragged a bit at the start, due to some stalling, but Backlund dictated the pace in a nice way with a competent armwork. Adonis was an impressive seller for his size and all of his spots always mattered when he took over, even though it took quite a bit of time. This was booked really well, with the way Backlund freed himself from Adonis' hold, the blood bath (but the blade took forever) and the furious Backlund slugfest at the end. If some stalling was trimmed from here, this could have been a classic ***3/4
  13. tcg91
    Special referee Gene Kiniski, Sam Muchnick's retirement and a big crowd: this felt like a big deal. 10 minutes are missing, but it's still over 20 minutes of a good fight. Dusty cared and bumped a lot, indulged in mat sequences and never dragged at any point of the match. The pace was quite good, considering that the match lasted that long. All the falls were good and convincing, I am not a big fan of Flair starting working on the leg literally a few minutes before the end, but Dusty's knee giving out was a great finish to the whole thing ***1/2
  14. tcg91
    This was a nice little match, it probably lasted less than 10 minutes to accommodate a very large card. Not their best one, but quite solid, plus the length actually helped them not indulging in dull matwork. The limb work was crisp and Dynamite showed around fire to keep this heated, even know Mask didn't bump around as usual. I actually enjoyed this as it was simple and well done, continuing with the trend of Mask outsmarting Dynamite, despite his rival looking like a real threat. Not the big blowoff, but a needed milestone of a long feud **3/4
  15. tcg91
    This wasn't great, but it was a fun match anyway. The first few minutes are clipped, but it didn't look like it took too much away from the match. This was a classic old school tag match, which is a good thing, so High Killers shined before the heat segment. The initial stuff didn't blew my mind, but Gagne shined as the outnumbered babyface, which surprised me as I always found him to be a bit too goofy for my liking. Brunzell was hands down the best in here and it was a shame that his hot tag got cut short, but the finish with the Blackwell splash made total sense ***
  16. tcg91
    This was a good match, but I was a bit disappointed as I usually enjoy their work much more than what I did here. The Duo were awesome in their usual stalling and bumping around, especially at the beginning, but they all seemed to work quite loose during this match for some reason. Especially in the second fall, Mascara's selling appeared to be quite bland for me. Anyway, things picked up in the last few minutes, as predicted and I really wish there was a Santana vs Gino after watching this. The babyfaces get protected, so there was a non-finish that looked quite acceptable ***
  17. tcg91
    This was an amazing match and, even better, an amazing storyline progression with the introduction of Stan Hansen in All Japan. Terry and Brody picked this right where they left it during their recent singles match, this time the brawl was done better and also helped by the support from Dory and Snuka. While these two at times tried to actually wrestle, Terry and Brody never stopped their slugfest for the joy of the crowd. It's easy to praise them as the star of the matches, but Snuka was a general here, helping Brody controlling the pace, while Dory was very sympathetic in the finishing run, when he was desperately trying to fight the heels by himself. This did wonders for All Japan at the time ****1/4
  18. tcg91
    This was fun and the overbooking actually helped, for once. Fujinami was in one of his early test as a heavyweight and he shined with his selling, the gaijins repeatedly beat him down and he proved all of his resilience. It also worked because the crowd was crazy for Inoki, so the hot tag on him got a nice reaction and final stretch, even though the highlight of the match was definitely the heels working on poor Fujinami. As mentioned, the match restart actually added to the contest, first the lariat on Fujinami was an incredible nearfall and then Fujinami himself captured the final pin, against all odds. In hindsight, you could tell Fujinami was a rising star ***1/2
  19. tcg91
    This was slightly clipped, only 10 minutes out of 14 were shown. It was a good skirmish leading into the RWTL (both Dory and Snuka interfered) and the crowd was into it, but the match itself wasn't super. They both bled a lot and it almost felt like they were trying to create an epic battle, but it wasn't that good (it gave me HHH v Taker in a HIAC vibes). Funk did well, but his selling never reached the high levels that he can get to, maybe because the time wasn't enough, or maybe because he was smart enough not to let Brody dictate the whole match. The non finish wasn't a big deal, as this was a skirmish match and it served its purpose **3/4
  20. tcg91
    This was a nice match and, for once, it was refreshing to see a WWF blowoff without too much overbooking or contrived stuff going on. Just these two for 15 minutes and a clean finish; tons of fire and intensity, of course the MSG was also instrumental in making this a remarkable match. After Backlund being a copycat with a lot of opponents, this time Valentine used this strategy and his legwork was quite smooth. Backlund's weird charisma was off the charts here, he looked great in his struggle and hold reversal sequence, finally setting himself free before the finish. Not an all time great Backlund match, but this was tons of fun ***1/2
  21. tcg91
    This was amazing. Houston was ON FIRE for Santana towards the end, especially the ladies, and this made the match quite special. I really liked the initial pace on the mat and the psychology of Santana going toe to the with the champion Bock with a long hammerlock, only to lose the first fall because of a risky crossbody. Even better, it were actually two crossbodies to award Santana the other two falls, like he finally learned what to do and, especially for the decisive pin, his desperation made him risk everything with an over the top jump. Santana's furious comeback was also pretty great, as he started bleeding everywhere like a raging bull, I was so ready for a typical DQ finish before the spectacular end ****1/4
  22. tcg91
    Jesus, did Rocco owe Dynamite money or something? However, this was a nice change of pace and fresh air for Joint Promotions, even for Rocco's matches (even though I usually like them). Quick action, rapid mat sequences and more strikes than we usually see in this dynamic. They both didn't hold back and collected public warnings, Dynamite's knee from the top was quite spectacular but still very stiff. Rocco had a nasty wound and lots of stitches on his taped knee, so props for him for still doing well, but it's a shame that they never took advantage of this injury. We also got a clean and satisfying finish, Dynamite's win was a nice touch as he got the international star treatment ***1/2
  23. tcg91
    This was a complete surprise, as it was way better than it had any right to be. Fuji and Saito were just ruthless, while Jones and Atlas are such a weird couple at first sight, but gelled so well together. I find Atlas to be quite goofy at times, but here he sold well and bled all over the place, while the champions were greedy jackals on him. This also had the best hot tag of 1981 so far, but then they made it a bit weird with some sort of time out sequence and this time it was Jones to be beaten down, before the non-finish. Still, happy I saw this ***1/2
  24. tcg91
    I have never seen much of Duncum, but this was a really nice match, of course also thanks to the super reliable Robinson. While the beginning of the bout was solid and created a nice tension, things escalated quickly when Duncum started to work on Robinson's arm, after the most believable double collision spot I have seen in a ring (I usually hate those as they look phony). Duncum was amazing when he was on control and his knees were especially brutal. Crowd supported Robinson's final come back and struggle, the over the top rope DQ finish it's what it is, but the heat was slowly fading anyway after a bad executed sequence to get Duncun stuck in the ropes. Still, a very nice surprise ***1/2
  25. tcg91
    Real date is November 5th, according to cagematch. This was really really good and they showed great chemistry. At times, these kind of New Japan showdowns can feature a bit of stalling or dull matwork that goes nowhere, but this was not the case here. Hamada clearly showed Mask the right pace, their limb work meant something the also left plenty of space to the "fun stuff", especially towards the end. Mask didn't sell the leg at times, but Hamada never got a major heat segment on it, so that is not the end of the world. Not even the countout finish spoils this, as it makes sense in their dive psychology, it looked quite good and the fans were really into it. ***3/4
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