Tim Cooke

Keep watching. I am bored at work and need some wrestling content to read now that the main DVDVR board is filled with mostly idiots!!!!!!!!!

If a guy gets over (ala Jericho and RVD in WWF/E), you push them harder. If a guy sucks after his initial push, go another route.

The commercials don't bother me that much because: a.) They seemed to work the match specifically around commercial breaks and did it well b.) Will's editing on the DVD flowing from segment to segment is great. It's old NWA matches like the MX v Fantastics TV matches where they take commercial breaks at random, even when someone is hitting a huge move that bugs me.

Oh and Benoit/Eddy from 10/16/95 Nitro is their best in WCW. Blows away the highly pimped 11/18/95 WCWSN match.

The first two times I watched the Smackdown Eddy/Rey match, I just couldn't see it as clearly as I was able to on Sunday Night. The Smackdown match obviously has toned down spots but to make up for that, they are able to work longer and get everything out of the story as possible. Eddy and Rey in the Smackdown match carry the "slower" moments via selling and facial expressions. Not that this didn't happen in the Havoc match (in fact, I don't think I have ever seen a meaner looking person in wrestling than Eddy throughout the Havoc match) but here it was really exemplified through the camera work, announcing, and the in ring storytelling. I'm trying to find some way to justify putting Smackdown match above Havoc but it just isn't coming to me. There was just something about Rey's outstanding selling, Eddy's rudo job, teasing and hitting of their big moves, it was all there. Havoc was all there too, so I can't argue with that one. I feel both are bonafide classics, with the second looking disappointing to the majority of people just because Rey couldn't whip out his cool as fuck 1 1/2 flip into a rana. The more Memphis I watch, the more that nothing else becomes important. Eddy/Rey are the modern day Lawler/Dundee. I re-watched Brock/Eddy over Labor Day Weekend. Uck. Eddy was great, but Brock was exposed. Way too many knees to the gut, typical instead of using a chinlock-use a body scissor when they essentially mean the same thing, too many fast comebacks from Brock. Vader 1993 vs. Eddy 2004 would make everyone forget this match even happened and not give a flying fuck about Brock. BTW, I don't want this to spread too fast, but Vintage Memphis #1 that Will converted from Dan's tape is a perfect quality TV episode of Championship wrestling from 6/4/83. So what? It is the studio edition with the whole show focused around the build to Lawler/Dundee loser leaves town 6/6/83. With this and the 5/83 Special Edition of Championship Wrestling featuring a roundtable discussion of the match, I think I will finally be comfortable making the Lawler/Dundee 1983 Loser Leaves Town DVD.

The SD chronicles rule. If just for JBL, Eddy, and Rey Jr.

I have been digging everything Dundee has been doing. His face work vs. Lawler in 1979 was great (and I just found out that Steve Friedlander has the COMPLETE Hair vs. Hair 1979 match that I will be getting shortly that so far I had only seen clips of). His work as a face against Bobby Eaton produced such a fun match. Of course the Lawler matches as they are equals to each other in the ring (Misawa/Kawada, Flair/Steamboat, Austin/Rock). His promos are some of the best ever from 1985-1986 as a heel. He has a 1982 match against Lawler from a spot show in Louisville where Lawler has 2 minutes of offense and Dundee takes over, NEVER stopping. Even when he wasn't hitting a punch or move, he would stomp on Lawler's hands to keep things moving. So brilliant. I have learned so much from watching this Memphis stuff that I am afraid to re-watch some other promotions for fear of disappointment. BTW, my 2005 MOTY has changed and become very firm upon re-watching it on Sun. Eddy v Rey Jr (6/23/05 Smackdown) Dare I say it? Possibly as good if not better than Havoc 97 *runs and hides* Tim

"In fact, not to take away from Baba, who was awesome here, but he could have just showed up and stood still and Destroyer could have had a match almost this amazing. The fact that he didn't makes this match even better." See the 1965 Destroyer vs. Toyonobori 1 hr draw for someone showing up, doing nothing, and Destroyer having to do all the work. It is *** or so and Toyonobori isn't even as capable as Eric Watts, Ultimate Warrior, or whoever has really sucked in the past. Destroyer makes it *** all by himself. Nice review Loss. I re-watched this a few weeks ago and it is high upon my list. Lawler, Dundee, Eddy, Destroyer, Jim Breaks, Jumbo are my 6 favorites now.

Baba/Destroyer from 3/69 is *****. Will, I command you to buy another DVD player to watch discs while you are burning/converting.

Restore the credibility?

I use Amazon UK all the time. I have to believe Amazon Canada would ship anywhere. AMazon Japan does as well.

Some quick thoughts on some matches since I have a little time. - Slaughter v Sheik (6/16/84) - #1. For a blow off match to a hate filled feud, building on everything they had done in past matches, this might be the best in US history. - JBA v Gilmore Girls - top 10. The JBA ability to get over with their state of the art moves was fascinating. Plus, the Gilmore Girls using 70's heel tactics and not much else until the nice powerbomb at the end really made for a contrast in styles and a good story. - Dibiase v Roberts 89 MSG - top 10. the best Dibiase match on the set from what I have watched. Roberts is way over as a face, Dibiase is a fantastic heel hiding, running away, stomping his hands and feet when something doesn't go his way. The numerous DDT teases are straight out of AJPW pysch. - Roberts v Steamboat 86 Toronto - didn't like this at all. Other than the slingshot on the floor into the post, I thought this was barely average. - Sheik v Slaughter 5/84 Landover - Top 20-30 but notable for a chairshot that may be the GREATEST ever. - Adonis v Backlund 1/18/82 - Top 5. Backlund usually needs an interesting heel to make his matches interesting (Adonis, Rose, Slaughter). The arm work from Backlund is so much fun and Adonis puts it over big time before throwing all of his neat offense at Backlund. - Backlund v Rose (11/82) - Top 15. Aside from the abrupt finish, I dug this almost as much as the Adonis match. 2005 wrestling needs more fat guys who can work. - North-South v Backlund/Blair - top 10. Best N-S match on the set. I initially like the Slaughter/Daniels match better but this is the better match because of Blair and the finish is painful yet probably safer than 75% of finishers today. - Slaughter v Backlund 1/81 - top 30. Liked this a lot until the end where it started to fall apart a tad. - Windham v Murdoch - top 10. On first viewing, this doesn't look all that great but I was tired that night (always bad). Second time around, it is vet Murdoch wanting to make Windham pay for beating him for the tag titles. WIndham's bumps and selling are top notch here.

Ok, so now that you wrote that glowing review, time to send to Will so we can all share the goodness!

BTW Will, this was the problem with Santo/Casas. Both discs worked fine, just didn't have sound coming out of the left. When I got the WWF set, I thought my players were fucked but it was only a small reconfigurement of cords. Figures... Tim

WP, connect the red cable into the white slot on the TV instead of the white into white and that will get you sound. The discs have the audio coming form the right speaker (red) and the left is the (white) speaker. Tim

What do you find tedious about them?

My sub ran out 2 weeks ago and right now I am just not interested enough to re-up. But Meltz teased having a big history of Mid South/New Orleans/Superdome in this weeks issue. Can someone post/scan?

Jim Breaks. I have only seen 3 of his matches but I am pretty convinced that he may be the greatest heel I have ever seen. He is sneaky, he is whiny, he is angry at the crowd, he cheats but swears he isn't, and the list goes on and on. Jim Breaks v Jon Cortez from 2/14/81 has Breaks really making the match. Cortez looks like a sturdy hand in the ring but without Breaks to really put a solid story into the match, he would be just another flashy euro mat work guy. Instead Breaks makes him look like 1000 bucks while getting over his character. Breaks v Grasshopper is the shortest match but features lots more jawing with the crowd and heel bufoonary. Breaks v Kung Fu is right up with the Cortez match as Breaks goes all out complaining about everything, being a prick. The ending literally made me pop up. It isn't intricate or anything but it works so well. Longer reviews after I watch some more this weekend. All 3 of these matches are on the World of Sport Vol-11 from Niall, FM, GH, or Ginnetty. Tim

Rich and Gilbert were the "New Fabulous One's". Watch Gilbert Vol-2 for their awesome break up angle.

Aw fuck, ****3/4 for me. The lesson learned: Don't watch wrestling when you are pissed, tired, angry, etc.

Adonis/Fujinami is top 10 NJ of all time for me as of now. Fucking Adonis whips out a piledriver, bulldog, and an assortment of incredible stomach first bumps. Sick. Inoki/Andre has better spots that Eddy/Show but doesn't develop and come full circle as well. The Inoki headscissor on Andre, the cross armbreaker spot, the gutbuster on the ropes are all awesome. But that double arm spot went on WAY too long and it has too many stand off's where they re-start again. I do want to find a late 70's/early 80's Inoki/Andre match when Andre may have been a bit more spry. Tim

That DVD was actually put together by Bix. But most AJPW footage that has aired on classics is in great quality.