Tim Cooke

Dunno as no one is at home but last time you sent, it was 2 days, I would expect no different unless something weird happens. Now the big question is will I get my tapes from Bill Pancoast (TuColdVideo.com)? Tim

Sure will. I may even ship it out to you tommorow as I have a load of stuff for Noel and Naylor to send off. That tape also has the fantastic Velocity 11 minute match between Rey Jr and Noble from 5/1/04 that is so good. And I am excited that you will be converting the Jewett Round Robin and World Class tapes. 2 more hours until I leave, then go to dinner, and then home for DVD's hopefully. Tim

Marty PM'ed me asking me to sell him on this match (feels like Classics now). I wrote a review at DVDVR but I am not searching for it so here is an overview. The match aired is 11:14 (with a commercial break chopping 1-4 minutes off). If Big Show loses, he leaves. Eddy is not defending the title. This match is to soften Eddy up. This is a lot different than Eddy/JBL as Show controls 80% of the match, where as JBL only controlled about 40% of their Judgement Day match (and even less if you consider that Eddy was so on top of his game that night). The first theme of the match is Big Show using headbutts to give the match an over arching theme. He headbutts Eddy early, with Eddy taking a bump for it. He headbutts him later while working over Eddy's arm. So smart, as I haven't seen Show punch a lot and it sure beats indy like chopping sequences. The second theme is Show in control. Show is obviously bigger but he also has his job on the line. He goes after Eddy without hesistation and just wants to beat him down. Show even does some work on Eddy's arm involving headbutts and stepping on Guerrero's arm with his foot. That is an awesome visual. The third theme is Eddy's attempt at comebacks, which are all great in their own way and Show does a nice job in cutting them off at the right points, building them in length each time. I really don't want to spoil these because they are too good to know about beforehand. The fourth is Eddy taking Show out. When Eddy finally gets an advantage, his one big move (hint: it was his big move throughout the title reign), it not only looks incredible but stands out so well. Forget about throwing out hundreds of finishers-the big transition move is great. Fifth is the finish. Not going to spoil everything but it makes sense, it very old school, and gets a huge reaction from the crowd and me. Get the match. If you don't at least like it for a TV match, then I don't know what to say. This is better than Eddy/Angle from WrestleMania. For a MONSTER vs. Smaller guy, Show is better than Lesnar was at No Way Out. Tim

My favorites: MX v Fantastics (both in World Class and then in the NWA) - thunderous chair shots, faces smashed in cake, straight jackets, studio brawls. MX v Dusty & Co (with Magnum and later with Nikita) - Cornette at his best. The heat for those 1986 angles is amazing. Should have the 9/20/86 Bunkhouse match to watch when I get home. Cornette training, then his "match against Mulkey" with all of the stooging is my favorite US wrestling. Also the Bubba "chair" angle with Dusty. Tim

Favorite Match involving Blood: 5/16/04 Eddy Guerrero vs. John Bradshaw Layfield Favorite World Title match (any promotion): 6/3/94 Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Toshiaki Kawada Favorite match that you like but deep down you know it really sucks: ummm, maybe a Barrio Boys vs. Kumbia Kids vs. Black Fmaily AAA match from 2004 which is all spots Favorite Tag Team match: 12/6/96 for Japan and 3/27/88 MX v Fantastics for the US Favorite cage match (Wargames excluded!!): I dunno Favorite Wargames : 1992 Favorite three-way match: Fuck 3 way matches Favorite comedy match: Florida Brothers vs. Do Fixer 9/17/04 Toryumon Favorite match between wrestlers who have never been World Champion (in any company): Juventud Guerrera vs. Rey Misterio Jr. 3/16/96 Favorite match involving wrestlers with face-paint: Sting v Vader 2/21/93

Debbie Malenko is the best US worker I have seen. Cynthia Moreno and Fabi Apache are good luchadoras but are a few steps behind Malenko. Tim

Forgot this. Should have kept O'Neill around for a couple of days. His insanity, in small doses, can be fun. I know a "Why Kurt Angle is over rated" thread would have made my day! Tim

As a reader of the WON (and I love it), I am insulted at the over generalization and think he is doing the readers a dis-service. An opinion is one thing, but an over generalization is another. Tim

"Maybe he finds 20 year old matches boring compared to today's standards. He's entitled to his opinion, that's half of his job, to give his opinion that is." Telling that to your audience, which has a lot of people who started watching way before "Today's standards", is weak. It also shows a major flaw with Meltzer. I wouldn't expect everyone to love Destroyer vs. Baba from 3/5/69 but I would expect some thought to be put in in comparing to today's matches. Japanese/US wrestling is all rooted in the same philosophy. Destroyer does more good heel work than anyone in the US in 2004. Meltzer also talked recently about Jumbo v Robinson matches from the 70's and said they were great at the time but wouldn't look good compared to the wrestling of today. Since wrestling (outside of lucha, but lucha can be included with an explanation) is based in the same fundamental principles, great matches will stand the test of time, regardless of period. Jumbo/Funk from 6/76 would almost certainly be passed off as dated by Meltzer today when in fact it brings everything to the table and more than any match from 2004. Watching in context is more key than judging against today's standards. Tommy Rogers did a lot of high flying for 1985 and did it well. It isn't as impressive as Rey Jr. but it is done well and holds up. Tim

Good read. Why does Meltzer always preference that matches from 20 years ago would be considered boring today? He talks about that in reference to Yokota in Mexico in the early 80's. That is an insult to an audience who is supposed to grasp basic wrestling concepts. Tim

Eddy's change in style in early 2004 was a HUGE reason that he was able to work with guys like Big Show and JBL, but remain very capable with Rey Jr. Eddy's 2002-2003 irked me at the time and looking back at it, even more so. Eddy's 2002-2003 style was WWE highspot oriented without any of the great moves that Eddy has. So instead of a great brainbuster or a stiff splash mountain powerbomb, he got lots of non stop moving with little reason. The laso from El Paso sucked. I even hated the rolling suplexes because of how they were just thrown out there. I took that back after Feb 2004. Benoit vs. Eddy from 7/03 PPV is the worst match I have seen two great to excellent wrestlers have. Tim

I'll respond to this later as it is very interesting and something I have thought a lot about in the past few weeks. Tim

Ah, Loss, hang in there. This stuff is tough to watch, VERY TOUGH at times. But you will get to 12/7/02 and see Danielson/London work a story match in ROH and throughout 2003 see little bits and pieces of good stuff. Then by April 2004 you will see more and more good stuff to the point by 2005, you have Jimmy Rave of all people working as a full on old school heel, very well too. But early ROH is hard to stomach, both at the time and looking back. Tim

I think 12/6/96 > 6/9/95. But that isn't fair since they are both top 5 matches of all time for me. I like Akiyama in his role on 12/6/96 more than I like Kobashi in his role on 6/9/95. Kobashi was fantastic and certainly didn't do anything wrong but Akiyama's story was so deep with his 1996 being based around him being young and out of place and Misawa having to save him throughout the year. When Misawa fights off both Kawada and Taue and goes to make the tag and Akiyama is not there, the look on Misawa's face and the way he looks around to try to find him before realizing he will just have to fight the good fight himself is a beautiful moment. It is the moment that defines everything I love about All Japan. That moment is the equivilent of "The Wire" on HBO compared to 6/9/95 and the Fox show "24." 24 is my favorite show on network TV and my favorite show on TV currently. But The Wire is so deep and so awe-inspiring that if I had to choose, I would choose the 12/6/96-Wire combination. I think Taue is also better in the 12/96 match. Taue doesn't get to work as much with Misawa in 6/9/95 as he does in 12/6/96 and when Misawa and Taue work together after Taue got good, it is great. Plus Akiyama was a better fit for Taue to work against as well. So 12/6/96 is tops for me. If I were asked today at this moment, my top 5 is: 1. 12/6/96 2. 6/3/94 Misawa v Kawada 3. 10/15/95 Misawa/Kobashi vs. Kawada/Taue 4. 7/24/95 Misawa v Kawada 5. 4/15/95 Misawa v Taue Tim

Well, it should highly impress you- even if it is almost 10 years after the fact!!!!!!!!!!!! Welcome to the party Tim

Dave's review of Misawa/Kobashi vs. Kawada/Taue 6/9/95 if it isn't too much to ask. Thanks, Tim

Me and You. I guess with Russo completely fucking up WCW and WWF using Big Show to feud with Bossman (a match I wouldn't have minded seeing in 1995), Awesome and Tanaka doing actual good moves as heavyweights was impressive. Tim