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tcg91

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Everything posted by tcg91

  1. tcg91
    Very fun match, even though the non-finish kind of ruined it, as it was anticlimactic as hell (but the angle couldn't end there). Really great start, with the von Erichs on fire and a very angry Kevin getting a dose of violent revenge on Garvin, who at times had a Ric Flair-like courage that would then turn into fear. Plenty of hate and snugness, which made up for the lack of outstanding drama and for such a rushed third fall. Garvin fit in the von Erichs vs Freebirds war right away ***1/2
  2. tcg91
    A good match, but not the best that von Erichs and Freebirds have ever put together of course. This was very fun at the beginning and during the brothers' shine segment, but the Birds didn't manage to look that strong while dominating the match; maybe it was the lack of consistency or maybe just because this felt a bit rushed. Hayes caught a lot of heat, as usual, but the champions never felt in danger during the middle part. Fun and chaotic finishing stretch, with a creative little finish for the title change ***
  3. tcg91
    This was another little gem between these two. I liked the fact that they started this match in a different way, focusing on the arms, but then Choshu moved to the legs once again, as he started struggling; but, this time Fujinami was the one to imitate him and got a better leverage on the mat. They fought outside the ring, getting a bit of colour and lariatting each other hard, adding a ton of drama to the last 5 minutes of the match. Fujinami kept mastering the opponent's strategy and hit bombs on him on the floor, getting the title back by countout when he managed to return to the ring despite his bad leg ***3/4
  4. tcg91
    I didn't love this, but it was very fun nonetheless. No-nonsense approach, they brawled the whole time and, as this lasted less than 10 minutes, the action was very enjoyable throughout. Good crowd and they really never went too far with exaggerated spots or bumps, even when using weapons. The simplicity of this was outstanding, but the same basicness gave it a low ceiling to my eyes, plus some chair shots looked very weak with today's eyes. I might be meaner than I want to with the rating, because I did enjoy it actually ***1/2
  5. tcg91
    This was a very good match, enhanced by a good crowd, it seemed like the von Erichs could do no wrong in Texas. The stipulation helped the flow of the match, Kevin took charge and was very persistent with his bodyscissors. However, Garvin showed good ring presence and knew how to catch heat with his attitude, also indulging in limb work against the champion. The finish was dirty, but it kind of made sense, even though Kevin was a bit silly in wasting time on Sunshine; still, it didn't look like a total farce and Garvin, despite his cheap tactics, still looked like he could kind of hang with Kevin ***1/2
  6. tcg91
    This was a good match, even though you could smell the non-finish from a mile away and this kind of ruined it (including the comical ref bump). Solid bout, anyway, Bock never took a day off and his armwork was sweet (even though Jumbo forgot about it at times). I liked Jumbo's fire later in the match, when he wanted revenge from Bock trying to piledrive him on the floor and showed the best side of himself. Again, the Dusty finish wasn't that great, but this was a good title match thanks to Bock's presence and made fun by Jumbo's "limb revenge" in the last 10 minutes ***1/4
  7. tcg91
    Slightly clipped, as the first couple of minutes were missing. This was a blast, we got two of the best ever in a mat wrestling showdown, both working on the other man's leg. It felt more like an exhibition, as they seemed to go through the motions at times, but everything was good and crisp to be fair. It's just a shame that this never became a slugfest or a more snug bout, because they could have put on a classic with a bit of drama. Funk was so good I can't tell if he was a better seller or a better controller. Typical political non-finish, but it wasn't that bad this time ***1/2
  8. tcg91
    A nice match and the crowd was very good in here too. After the fun shine segment, the formula was easy to follow, as the Briscos stretched the youngsters and got heat in the process. Youngblood was mostly good in his selling, but Steamboat was the star of the match: great ring presence, even on the apron while he was cheering for his partner, and a lot of energy when he finally got the hot tag. I wasn't a big fan of the finishing stretch, it felt quite flat due to the lack of drama, even the finish was weak (not the idea, but the execution) ***1/4
  9. tcg91
    This was a great match and a perfect way to build the feud towards the famous Dog Collar Match. Just like he did in Portland, Piper proved that he could be a great babyface and this was an amazing slugfest. Lots of blood, which definitely suited this match, especially towards the end. Valentine was bigger and furious, his attacks on Piper's ear were incredible and tough to watch at times, but they triggered the incredible comeback by Piper. Great punches and I am afraid Vince booked him against Mr. T after watching this, the choke finish was also so credible and a very nice piece of story telling ***3/4
  10. tcg91
    Slightly JIP, 5 minutes or so are missing. This was a good match, but not the easiest one to follow due to bad visibility during the frequent ringside confrontations (the announcer talked non-stop at one point). Good brawl, Wanz was very over and Slaughter knew how to irritate the fans. We got an abundant amount of stalling, but it led to Slaughter gaining control of the bout and things got only better at that point. Wanz looked like superman, bloody and tired, but still able to make his powerful comeback. Not the best finish, but at least it was clean and the crowd loved the result ***1/2
  11. tcg91
    Another good match between them, but it wasn't their best stuff so far. Tight limb work, they both targeted each other's leg, as Fujinami was the better man on the mat, but Choshu wouldn't admit it at all. Fujinami then fought from underneath, which suited him very well, despite the crowd being more on the champion's side. They picked this up in the story, as Fujinami became more frustrated and aggressive as he couldn't submit Choshu. Hot finishing sequence and, again, good finish because Fujinami refused to break a hold due to his aggression. Solid action and good storyline progression here ***1/4
  12. tcg91
    Amazing match and one of the hottest crowds ever, not just in Texas or the 80s alone. The reason I didn't go higher is because the falls mechanic kind of disrupted the momentum at times (a referee promo? really?), but everything they did ruled; this is textbook ring presence and awareness of their own characters. This got very dramatic when the brothers were losing 1-0 and all the hot tags were cut by the Birds, both David and then Kerry got isolated and the blind tag also added to the tension, until finally Kevin got to become the legal man and all hell broke loose. While the first fall was quite balanced and the Birds dominated the second one, the third was pure chaos and it led to an all out war. Kevin gets the clean pin on Hayes for an incredible pop ****1/4
  13. tcg91
    This was a very good match, it was incredibly simple and yet everything they did got tons of cheers and heat. Chavo was on form, really over in Houston, he managed to bump around convincingly and sold a simple chinlock like it was crushing his face, which helped maintaining a good momentum throughout the bout. The middle lacked something, and drama peaks like Chavo aiming for the heel's mask were only teased, but it's hard to suggest better idea when all they did was so over. The clean finish also made this very enjoyable all around, this was an intense and well fought 15 minutes ***1/2
  14. tcg91
    This was a solid title defence and also a bit of fresh air from the von Erichs challenging Flair. Very solid bout, with an almost maniacal attention to small details, things like pulling and taking bumps on a shoulder to trigger an injury. The first part was quite slow at times, mostly focused on Kevin trying to use the claw from all positions and to put over the over the top throws (that were legal here). Then the match got really good when Race started working on Kevin's arm, also thanks to the challengers' one arm comeback. Unfortunately, the non-finish was around the corner, it was so lazy (and silly) to get another von Erich to interfere and cost his brother the match ***1/4
  15. tcg91
    This was a good and solid showcase, Valentine ruled as a heel and Flair's babyface run in 1983 felt like a total fresh act. The limb work was solid, it looked credible and Valentine got the change to hang with the best. Flair focused on the leg later in the match, it was a short sequence, but they did well enough to make this bout fun, especially when Valentine reversed it and took the lead. The non finish was almost obvious and it's a shame the slugfest was only teased, because they went at it with plenty of fire ***1/4
  16. tcg91
    This was an excellent match, almost as good as the one from the previous year. They used a few spots from the 1982 bout and Jumbo looked dominant once again, his experience suggested him to transition from the armwork into the legwork, when he realised that it wasn't enough to beat Flair. After an amazing first fall, the second dragged a bit until Flair started his impressive legwork. I was just a bit puzzled when the last minutes of the match featured Jumbo protecting the 1-0 (that doesn't win him the belt), rather than Flair trying not to lose another fall. Apart from this logic and the stale 10 minutes, this was very very good all along ****1/4
  17. tcg91
    This was a great match. Hot hot Memphis crowd and a big match feeling from start to finish. I am not always a fan of Memphis' big match pace, as they can stall a loooooooooot, but it was on point here: since the slow start, every little interaction mattered, every little detail was taken care of and they built a great climax, also thanks to the usual nice slugfest and some blood. Gordon Solie was flawless here too, he made me worry about Lawler more than the match itself did. An all time great count out tease for Lawler led them to the finish, a nice, clean and satisfying one to end the match accordingly ****1/4
  18. tcg91
    This was a blast, a very fun match. Hogan was good on the limb work here, showing a lot of potential, and Inoki sold big time for him. Still, Inoki was clearly more familiar with the armwork and those were the best sequences of the bout, as a few of Hogan's happened to be a bit clumsy. They definitely had chemistry and this was their best match together, despite Hogan struggling to keep an heel attitude, as a good chunk of fans were supporting him. Very infamous finish here, but Inoki sold it very well and this was another testament to how over Hogan was getting at the time ***1/4
  19. tcg91
    This was a fun and energic match, albeit a bit messy at times and not exactly fought with the same spirit of a "modern" elimination bout, as it was very quick and it only lasted about 15 minutes. As mentioned, the first few minutes created a bit of chaos, mostly to get rid of quite a few competitors, but then the match became a very attractive 2v2 deal with a nice crowd reception. Hayes got tons of heat here, this and Roberts worked well as a duo and made Kevin look very strong as the sole survivor ***1/2
  20. tcg91
    This was a fun and energic match, albeit a bit messy at times and not exactly fought with the same spirit of a "modern" elimination bout, as it was very quick and it only lasted about 15 minutes. As mentioned, the first few minutes created a bit of chaos, mostly to get rid of quite a few competitors, but then the match became a very attractive 2v2 deal with a nice crowd reception. Hayes got tons of heat here, this and Roberts worked well as a duo and made Kevin look very strong as the sole survivor ***1/2
  21. tcg91
    This was a great match, a very enjoyable crescendo that could have been one of the best ever with a proper finish. The announcer correctly talked about their similarities: second generation stars with good technical skills, but the respectful stalemate slowly turned into a snug war, that also got bloody at one point. The mat section was well done and the punches were so believable too. Funk ruled when he worked on Orton's knee, as Orton displayed a very subtle but consistent selling, almost like he was trying to work despite the injury. Not many nearfalls (but Orton's after the piledriver was massive), but I would have really loved any kind of finish here rather than a time limit draw, because this was getting just too good to be true ****
  22. tcg91
    I haven't been a massive fan of the Vachon/Blackwell matches I have reviewed, but this was really good. Short, violent, crisp and straight to the point. Blackwell proved himself here, selling and bumping around for the veteran, despite his size and still never losing much stamina. Like their previous tag bout, Vachon was generous with Blackwell too and made him look very strong. Yes, the stipulation maybe affected the match a little, but the goodness of the slugfest was enough to make me ignore the long pauses between a fall and the following one (which was good for their rhythm, to be fair). Original but fun finish, even though the rules of the match kind of impacted the fans reaction to it ***1/2
  23. tcg91
    A good, fun and solid tag match. Santana shined big time here, everything he did was so crisp and it got over huge with the crowd, especially his mat sequence with Destroyer or his flashy attacks. Surprisingly, Mascaras was quite generous in his selling and the match didn't drag at all when the heels were focusing on him, which lasted quite a lot. Really great hot tag for Santana, but an interference from Gran Markus costed him the match and protected him despite the loss. This was not a classic, but a good performance from Mascaras and another nod for Santana ***1/4
  24. tcg91
    This was a fun sub 10 minutes brawl. The Fabs were very over and sold big time for the Moondogs, who managed to cut the ring and isolate them really effectively. This was short enough to have a rapid bout and leaving no space to downtime. It got dirty and even the babyfaces fought that way, giving the idea of a grudge feud. The finish was quite original, especially if you're used to the "modern" notion of the stretcher match (or if you listened to Gordon Solie on commentary), but it worked well thanks to the drama while poor Keirn was being viciously choked between the ropes ***1/4
  25. tcg91
    This was alright, I guess, but it was not my cup of tea. Vachon's revenge on the Sheiks got Gagne back in the ring for another hurrah and the crowd seemed into it, at least. Blackwell was once again very generous with his selling, but sadly this featured the babyfaces destroying Kassie for the most part (which kind of made sense). It was fun to see Gagne and Vachon winning this, but the match was flat and even the finish didn't accomplish much **1/4
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