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If Jarrett giving that bone to the dog doesn't scream America, nothing does. Cheesy stuff.

Another showcase type match and again too short to be anything really meaningful. The mini's can really go when allowed the chance but I am as impressed with their great matwork moreso than their dives at times and the matwork went by the wayside for the majority of the time here. ***

Not much to add to the comments of this. The match is really good and a excellent showcase for the performers but never kicked into that extra gear to make it great. Liger and Benoit would seemingly have a lot of classics against each other but Loss is right in that I can't recall a slam dunk singles match between them. Keep in mind that I haven't watched the 1992 match so maybe that will be it. ***1/2 BTW I think this disc is my favorite of all the discs on any set I have watched so far. Classic matches, angles and a wide variety of styles. I loved every second of it.

Agree that this is on the low-end of WAR vs. NJ stuff but that is still pretty damn great overall. Ishikawa and Kido felt really lesser here, moreso than anyone else in that role in these multi-man matches to me. The match lived and died between Choshu and Tenryu's interactions and they delivered in spades at times when it counted. I also am completely jacked for the incoming Hashimoto vs. Tenryu match. This feud rocks overall. ***3/4

I liked this better than the January 6 man too. This also really showed how some evening of the sides needs to happen as no matter how much I love Akiyama and Ogawa, at this point in time they were no match for Misawa or even Kawada for that matter. Akiyama and Ogawa got some chances to shine and it was refreshing to see them mixing it up with people that will become long term rivals. I keep having to tell myself that Akiyama is only 6 months in at this point which is incredible. Good stuff continuing AJPW run through 1993. ***1/2

Why wrestle when you can live the life of Crush? Good coconut crushing skills.

I didn't like this as much as Kawada vs. Hansen but it was still great and this show provides an excellent 1-2 punch. This is worked in a really traditional style that displays Misawa's growth as an overall worker and leading someone like Taue to a very credible 25 minute title match. Nothing was spectacular throughout this match, but everything was executed well and the match carried the gravity a Triple Crown match should. Commendable effort from both men. ****

A complete war in every sense of the word. This may not have the depth of the tip top matches from All Japan in the decade, but it is an engaging, visceral match that makes me sit up in my chair and take notice every time I watch. I think this match was also crucial to Kawada's development. Kawada at times didn't seem as aggressive going up against Jumbo and other AJPW legends. Here he didn't back down an inch and took the fight to Stan as much as he could. This set him up to join forces with Taue and reek havoc on the new appointed heir, Misawa. ****1/2

Thanks for the words, Ric vs. Vader was a match I knew I was emotionally connected to, but never really realized how much until Charles poised that match to me. It became one of those moments where when I finished talking, I couldn't remember what I said and I never know if that is a good or bad thing. I would put most of the blame Mick on Angle in that regard. Brock was really wet behind the ears for his first WWE run but he was able to be led into something amazing and had excellent tendencies. I have watched a fair bit of Angle the past year or so and the matches that don't hold up for me is almost always where he tries to do too much. This iron man match and the Edge Backlash 2002 match are the most egregious examples off the top of my head. Angle in both of those instances doesn't do things in my mind to play a role as either a heel or a face, it is just that he simply can perform at that high of a rate for that long of a time.

Can only speak from the fancam stuff I have seen but Hashimoto and Tenryu are pretty great in it and Misawa (someone with a rep of dogging it at house shows) looked stronger than Tanahashi and Okada have on this tour so far.

Sounds like the 92 match has the reverse focus on the body parts of the 91 one so that is cool at least. Anyway, Parv watch the 91 match.

The one you watched is this: Arn Anderson vs. Barry Windham (WCWSN 6/6/92). I was wondering if you had a longer version of intros with Arn coming out, but I chalked it up to being 5:00 AM and me being groggy. I have now laughed at my office for five minutes straight about this gaffe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjlT-e6Pxg0

Wow a lot of interesting revelations there Parv in regards to Bruno and Windham. My status quo has stayed about the same. One thing that maybe can be in play as we get closer to the deadline is a GWE watching night where we can create a playlist of a variety of stuff/workers and watch the matches together. I think this may be better overall since looking at my overall wrestling goals for 2015, I can't see myself fully engaging in 80's joshi, WOS, etc.

I have thought about that in the greatest wrestler ever stuff Pete but moreso in the WOTY stuff for an individual. Nakamura when compared with Tana and Okada has been working harder on the lesser shows so far this year but he certainly hasn't had a performance that comes close to matching the WK output and I would like to see more. Maybe it is just the way the top matches are structured but why can't we see him work a underneath singles match. I watched this show right after watching the stuff for WTBBP and was blown away by how much harder Arn seemed to be working on a throwaway Tommy Rich match than any of the top stars here. That is kind of jarring when watching in context and when evaluating workers overall for the GWE. I am still uncertain as to who is winning the top matches at New Beginning big shows and when things like Okada's rehab will start to kick in full force.

I would put Arn's best singles match as vs. Regal from SuperBrawl right now. This is in the running. The match suffers a bit from the first portion. Maybe if more had been played up on commentary of them being aligned for so much of their career, it would have benefited the match overall, but it was presented as them biding time until we got to the target on Arn's leg. The match really comes alive for me with the middle portion and dueling limb work is always one of my favorite themes when watching wrestling and it is done well. I do still wish it would have played a bit more into the finish where for instance, Barry would have hit a clothesline and Arn was able to kick out due to the damage but that is just dissection of an overall great match.

More egregious examples is how many times I say nondescript or my pronunciation with epitome, which is a word I always have to consciously say in my head correctly before speaking.

Tough to say, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on that match Pete compared to the Steamboat vs. Windham 1993 match I bring up in comparison.

Matt talking about finding a hidden gem in wrestling. I think this may be Matt's best article yet: http://placetobenation.com/the-column-beyond-the-great-hunt/

http://placetobenation.com/where-the-big-boys-play-70-1991-tv-and-end-of-year-awards/ Chad and Parv wrap up on 1991 by reviewing 12 TV matches from the year and presenting their end-of-year awards. On this show: – [05:36] Reviewing ten matches televised from WCW throughout 1991. Match listing is as follows: Arn Anderson & Barry Windham vs. Brad Armstrong & Tim Horner (WCWSN 2/2/91) Sting vs. Larry Zbyszko (Main Event 3/10/91) Arn Anderson vs. Tommy Rich (3/30/91) Barry Windham vs. Brian Pillman (4/6/91) Ric Flair vs. Brian Pillman (WCWSN 4/13/91) Ric Flair & Arn Anderson vs. Brian Pillman & Bobby Eaton (Main Event 6/9/91) Freebirds & Badstreet vs. Young Pistols & Dustin Rhodes (WCWSN 6/15/91 Barry Windham vs. Mr. Hughes (WCWSN 9/21/91) Ricky Morton vs. Brian Pillman (WCWSN 9/28/91) Arn Anderson vs. Barry Windham (11/2/91) Sting vs. Cactus Jack (Submit or Surrender) (Power Hour 11/23/91) Ricky Steamboat vs. Bobby Eaton (WCWSN 12/14/91) *NOTE: Parv accidentally reviewed the Arn Anderson vs. Barry Windham match from 06/06/92 without realizing it. Thoughts on 91 match next time.* - [2:06:40] End of show awards for the year of 1991 in WCW and discussion. Awards discussed are The Total Billy Graham Award for worst wrestler, Best Feud, Best Show, Worst Show, Best Tag Team, Best Face, Best Heel, Top 5 matches and Top 5 wrestlers (plus the Ric Flair Award for wrestler of 1991).

2/8/15 New Japan World 2:00 AM Eastern Sho Tanaka vs. Jay White Jay White continues to be impressive. I liked his arm work better here than what he did the opening night of the tour. Tanaka made a good comeback and kept working on the arm. I especially liked that he couldn’t hit a gut wrench suplex because of the damage that had been done with his arm. Tanaka locks in a Boston Crab, but White is able to escape. After a bit of back and forth, White hits a big missile dropkick for the best nearfall of his short New Japan career. Tanaka locks in another half crab and after a tease rope break, he is able to push White into the middle of the ring and bend back earning the submission. This was a very strong opener with sound psychology. The young lion future is bright for New Japan and this was the latest example. *** (2) Tiger Mask IV & Yohei Komatsu vs. Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish Another good match here. I am really becoming fans of Red Dragon as they have worked on tightening up their heel work before just going straight into the finishing stretch. O’Reilly in particular has improved by leaps and bounds at little touches like parading around the ring leading the inexperienced Komatsu into a Fish clothesline. The work here was strong and while the finish was never in doubt, they built up some moments of triumph for the TM and Komatsu team. The best of these was a TM submission attempt. Red Dragon puts the match away with the Chasing the Dragon finisher. This show is two for two in my book. *** (3) Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Manabu Nakanishi, Tomoaki Honma & Mascara Dorada Death, Taxes and a fun multi-man match involving Liger and TenKoji. I have come to really relish these matches even though they are usually the epitome of nonconsequential. I say usually as this one had the neat wrinkle of Dorada scoring the pinfall over Liger. Maybe it means nothing in the long run, but I am hopeful that after a successful Chase Owens defense, we get some Liger vs. Dorada single matches. **1/2 (4) Hirooki Goto, Katsuyori Shibata, KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley vs. Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Matt & Nick Jackson This could have suffered from the fact that it came after the last multi-man, but I still thought this was a good match continuing the trend of the show overall. I thought this suffered at the end from being too disjointed overall. I did like some of Goto’s work on the apron and the Bucks schtick. **3/4 (5) Kazuchika Okada & Gedo vs. Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga Our first really blah match of the night. I have been pretty negative on the Okada vs. Fale stuff and not just from an in-ring standpoint. I just don’t see how Okada starting from the bottom at this point was really beneficiary and it didn’t really play into the groundwork laid for him in the last half of 2014. That said, the in ring portion of these tags has been mundane at best. This felt like everyone wrestling through molasses with the exception of Tonga for brief moments. Nothing to see here at all. ** (6) Yuji Nagata, Togi Makabe, Tetsuya Naito & Captain New Japan vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI Another pedestrian match as the second half of this show is getting lapped pretty easily by the first half. This had some more liveliness than the previous match but that was based on the amount of bodies in there. Yano might as well have been non existent. At least Nakamura brought it at the end. **1/2 (7) Hiroshi Tanahashi & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Yujiro Takahashi & Kenny Omega To say I was anticipating this match would be an understatement of big proportions. Omega and Yujiro are my two least favorite New Japan guys period. Taguchi is someone I am very tepid about. I am by no means a huge Tanahashi fan, but he was clearly the best guy coming into this match but his history with spot show matches is well known. We start with him and Omega having an uninspiring exchange. Yujiro and Taguchi try their luck but Taguchi is more concerned with hip swiveling and delivering the butt butt. His whole repertoire screams anti-main event that it is tough for me to put much stock into it. Matters get made worse with Bullet Club interference on the outside. The referee is somehow preoccupied with Tama Tonga calmly talking to him on the apron instead of the 5 on 1 beatdown happening on the floor. The work on Taguchi inside actually improved this as Tana is a good apron guy at times although there can be some silliness of him watching a double team. Still Taguchi makes his comeback with what else, a butt butt and goes to tag Tana and we get a nice moment where Omega pulls him down as a hope spot. Tana of course eventually comes in and we get more Bullet Club nonsense with Omega clamoring to the crowd to a HUGE (slight) reaction. I don’t want to pick on the guy that much but I really think this whole act stinks. The highlight comes with Taguchi hitting a good sequence of moves culminating in a tope on the entire Bullet Club. This allows Tana to hit the slingblade and HFF and we are out. **1/4 Overall: Story of this tour has been promising and super fun undercard and pedestrian and by the number main event matches. We will see what the mega shows in the next week have to offer.

This weeks new article! http://placetobenation.com/this-week-in-90s-wrestling-february-8th-14th/

The match guide is an awesome read and receives my highest recommendation. I enjoy the fact that it isn't just the top hyped matches of the month and Paul works hard to give historical context and dig into the mechanics of the match. Reading twelve of these this year will be a treat.

It definitely got me thinking that a future top 6 live moments for a PWSS would be neat..

Yeah, I honestly don't see Tana vs. Morshima being looked at as a dream match at this point. Most fans, at least in the US that regulary watch Japanese footage, would probably see Makabe vs. Tana as bigger. Morishima right now is not all world but just in the January footage, he has found his place and footing more and it seems like some of the pressure of him to be the guy is off and he is able to just be a big, bulky monster in the ring that now has a protege.