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tcg91

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Everything posted by tcg91

  1. tcg91
    This was a blast. The MNX worked so well as babyfaces, bumping around and taking chances against the Horsemen. The crowd was hot for this and Flair, as usual, made his opponent look like gold by selling generously for them and then being extra oppressing in the heat segment. Eaton placed himself very high on the Ricky Morton babyface in peril scale. Good bullsh** finish, but I wasn't too high on it. ***1/2
  2. tcg91
    Fun cage match, with some predictable smoke and mirrors moments. Lawler tried to escape the cage and sold Kerry's stuff in a very good way at the beginning. Lawler taking over thanks to the use of a chain was good and sneaky heel work, but I don't understand why he was hiding it from the referee, as it was a cage match? Kerry used it on him later without any repercussions? Anyway, this had good heat and a decent finishing stretch. ***
  3. tcg91
    A good match and it was quite fun, as they tried to give some spots to all of the teams involved in this bout. They didn't rush this and gave it plenty of time. However, while it never dragged, I wished some of the best worker could have stayed until the end, instead of doing the best stuff and then disappearing. This was ultimately an angle to do a Demolition and PoP double turn, which worked quite well despite a convoluted finish. ***1/4
  4. tcg91
    This had a lot of energy and was a good match, but I can't help thinking that some of the matwork was just filler between a kick and the next kick, as this lacked the substory of other UWF bouts and they just started collecting TKOs to get closer to the finish. Takada's selling was fully convincing. The last minute of the match was simply an epic showdown, also due to the new KO system, but the kicks truly were the only thing to look forward to. ***1/4
  5. tcg91
    This was great and, with a positive finish, it would have been up there with the best matches of the decade. Outstanding hostility feeling and storytelling progression, as they were hitting each other on the head and Jumbo ended up getting some kind of concussion, so Tenryu worked on his head and tried to knock him out. Jumbo had incredible face expressions in this, working on the leg and gritting his teeth to endure the pain. A few impressive near falls and the disqualification, despite being a letdown, was probably the one of the best non-finish ever. ****1/4
  6. tcg91
    This was tons of fun. The Rockers brought a lot of energy and bumped all around the place, while Demolition looked like badasses in their control and wise pacing of the bout. The work over Shawn's back and his selling were pretty great, and the crowd got involved too. The finish was effective, but I really wish they had more time at the end, as things felt a bit rushed after Jannetty finally got the hot tag. ***1/4
  7. tcg91
    Despite not being their best match together, this was very good and almost a lesson on how to fight and create drama without taking unnecessary risks. While Inoki was trying to fight hold by hold, Choshu didn't have enough patience and continued to strike his opponent to change gear, ending up blooding him. Inoki lost it, to the point of getting disqualified at last, showing lots of aggression and seeming tired of wrestling 'the right way', after Choshu spent minutes working on his cut. ***1/2
  8. tcg91
    I got this as 1988-09-24. For a dying territory, this had such a great feeling and a good crowd. Kerry was an amazing babyface and Lawler did very well as a heel, selling Kerry's punches like they were bombs and using his infamous stalling in the right way, as he tried (and at times failed) to stay away from Kerry's claw. This was a solid performance with an enjoyable crescendo later on, apart from the piledriver no-selling that I very much disliked. This had the classic unification match non-finish, as they both got tired of the referee's antics. ***1/2
  9. tcg91
    This was incredible. Morgan was the star of the show and bloodied Dandy right from the beginning, getting over as a ruthless rudo, drinking and spitting the blood of his opponent. While his heat segment was awesome, I can't help but roll my eyes at how Morgan refused to win the match on a couple of occasions; that is not heel behaviour, that is silly behaviour, as his hair were on the line too. Of course, this later on triggered Dandy's comeback and it was a rather feisty one, a captivating eye for eye as Dandy finally drew blood from Morgan as well. The terceira caida was long and satisfying, with a good amount of nearfalls, I just wish the referee wasn't so slow at counting. ****
  10. tcg91
    Another solid match from this pairing, pretty much on the same level of their July bout. Both Kawada and Fuyuki acted extra aggressive, trying to regain the titles back, but the champions seemed to be more level headed and in control. Good heat segment on Fuyuki's leg, setting up Kawada's later comeback with a few great strikes, showing a hint of what he had in him. Cool and believable finish, as Fuyuki's leg fell during a bridge that almost costed him the match, before his desperate cradle ended up working. ***1/4
  11. tcg91
    Another great NJPW elimination match from the 80s, this time not putting NJPW/UWF or different generations against each others. The juniors got to shine a lot at the beginning, with crisp and exciting action from Yamada and Koshinaka, while the big boys cleared the house. Choshu and Fujinami had an amazing battle, full of heat and elimination teases. Fujinami made Saito bleed tons, despite the shocking finish with the rope elimination that was really well executed. ****
  12. tcg91
    This was not a 'great match' in the traditional sense, but it was a blast and a fun spectacle to watch, with such a roaring crowd. The fire also looked very good as an attraction, despite slowly dying down while the match went on, which was a shame. This had the usual amount of Puerto Rico blood and guts, then some cool legwork as the point of the feud was Hercules not able to run away from the ring due to the fire. Short and sweet match. ***1/4
  13. tcg91
    A strong 10 minutes bout, with plenty of awesome punches and Starr bleeding all over the place from the very beginning. #3 was seriously underrated, even though the 80s were filled with great brawlers everywhere, he had lots of charisma and all of his stuff looked lethal. I didn't really care for the finish, #3 sold a whiplash like a big deal, but an elbow from Starr looked like a weak way to get a pinfall. ***1/4
  14. tcg91
    Amazing match, only 24 hours after their previous one. Tenryu and Hara focused on Jumbo's leg once again, as it worked well the previous night, and this time Jumbo was prepared for it, but still fell prey to a lot of their attacks. Hara was decisive here, as he knew he had to step in more often and promptly helped Jumbo when needed, so the heat segment didn't feel as tense for him and Jumbo fought from underneath with a bad leg. Big climax for Jumbo's final comeback and unleashing his backdrops on Tenryu until he couldn't take anymore, with another satisfying clean finish in the middle of the ring.. ****1/4
  15. tcg91
    This was a great match, that had an enjoyable crescendo and was never boring, apart from a handful of minutes in the central part, where I felt things were not clicking when the champions were on top of things. It is actually a very small flaw, as they still went 30 minutes. Apart from that, they did little to no wrong, quickly stepping this up with a very good focus on Jumbo's historical bad leg. This also had the best Jumbo vs Tenryu final face-off (so far), with a rare flashy pin from Tenryu, after a couple of strong nearfalls. ****
  16. tcg91
    This was a blast, 10/12 minutes with little to no downtime and a good crowd. Demolition was underrated in terms of match leading, they put on a solid performance and it worked well, also thanks to the challengers selling their stuff big time, especially a very generous Bret. Neidhart got an energetic hot tag, and holy crap, he was probably the most motivated I've ever seen him as a babyface on fire. Good bulls*it finish to screw the babyfaces, wrapping up a good bout. ***1/2
  17. tcg91
    Slightly clipped. I liked the way Yamazaki seemed even more of an underdog due to his previous UWF losses, as Takada was trying to bully him and used a few cheap kicks to gain advantage. The legwork by Takada and Yamazaki's selling was some of the most consistent I have seen in the UWF, it was real good stuff. I would have actually limited the use of kicks from Yamazaki, due to what happened in the bulk of the match, but he had such a good desperation comeback that they made it look believable, topping it with a satisfying finish. ***3/4
  18. tcg91
    This was billed as Inoki's last title shot and presented as a big deal. This match was amazing for about 45 minutes, before they got too tired and visibly lost some steam. Great, progressive pace with exhaustion selling and a lot of struggle on the mat, putting emphasis on countering holds and telling a story of Fujinami now being the top star and more driven, after his different attitude towards his mentor in their 1985 match. Inoki sold Fujinami's leg work in a very compelling way and, despite never giving up, used all of his arsenal in vain. The time limit was a questionable finish, as people expected Inoki to pass the torch, but at least it was an excellent match and story, because it was centered on Fujinami kicking out of Inoki's stuff repeatedly, rather than the other way around; the focus wasn't on Fujinami not defeating the legend, but the legend failing to dethrone the top guy. ****1/2
  19. tcg91
    Their blowoff and a great match. Inoki did a good job at elevating Vader's threat and dominance by giving him most of the match, yet finding a weakness in his arm and holding on it desperately, it looked like the only chance Inoki had to win this. Great exhaustion selling by Vader, as he slowed down progressively and started suffering Inoki's holds more and more as time went on and he made a few rookie mistakes. The steel post's spot with the blood was very creative and visually effective, as it led to Inoki finally locking in the right hold for such a satisfying finish. ****
  20. tcg91
    A great match and a great angle, establishing Tenryu as the underdog from the beginning, as Hansen attacked him on the aisle and made him bleed. Great pummelling on the cut by the gaijin, while Tenryu refused to stop the match and it took him minutes to see a dramatic and short-lived comeback. Awesome never-say-die performance by Tenryu, and the end was awesome despite being a non-finish, as Tenryu took a crazy bump and couldn't crawl back into the ring on time. ****
  21. tcg91
    I don't mind shorter matches, and it is generally quite smart to book one during a tournament to advance a hot feud, but this was a bit underwhelming despite a hot start that separated this from a 'regular' longer match. Inoki had an answer for all of Choshu's tactics, creating a decent flow, but this never seriously picked up and they both seemed a bit off. Good finishing spot, as Inoki was protected despite Choshu decapitating him with two lariats. **3/4
  22. tcg91
    A good match, but a step below the previous instalments of War Games. Dusty was in it from the beginning, putting o an energetic start with Anderson, before all the other entrants stepped in, with the usual heel advantage taking place. Williams was a good addition to the mix and Flair made Luger look great again by bumping all around for him, but the action was very fragmentated due to the 2 minutes intervals that were a continuous momentum shift. Things slightly picked up for 'the match beyond', that was only 3 minutes long anyway, even though the finish was good and the crowd was always hot for it. ***1/2
  23. tcg91
    A decent match, with Lawler's usual effective punches and Hennig selling big time. Despite the good chemistry, at times it felt they were going through the motions and giving a B-show performance, apart from a few generous bumps from Lawler. Hennig was on his last match before the WWE run and looked like a matured performer here, getting heat on Lawler without taking too many risks. Mediocre non-finish, but also a weird decision as Hennig didn't have to be protected here. ***
  24. tcg91
    After making Sting, Flair was trying to make Luger here and, to their credit, they busted their butt. Short amount of stalling to put over Luger's strength with simple moves like a bearhug, then Flair took over with his usual legwork. Luger sold it quite consistently and got to look good in his superman-like comeback, even though some of the no-selling spots were stupid. The finish was horrendous, they stopped a match for a silly rule like 'excessive bleeding' even though the blood was barely there. ***
  25. tcg91
    This would be an impressive match for any set of teams, however it ends up being one of the worst MNX vs Fantastics bout in their awesome 1988 feud! I blame this on the underwhelming crowd or the fact they "only" had 15 minutes here. Still, the MNX had a great control segment on Rogers and I liked the storytelling of Jim Cornette being caged and unable to assist his clients. Good heel finish too, this was very good but disappointing, given who was wrestling. ***1/2
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