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I have decided to just throw up my top 25 and then I can edit in comments later on. 24. Hulk Hogan vs. Stan Hansen (WWF/AJPW 4/13/90) I still think this may be my favorite Hogan match of the 90’s. A wonderful effort that mends strong style and US heavyweight main events together. It does look better in retrospect coming off the disastrous Ted/Warrior match but in an alternate universe this is what I imagine numerous WWF or AWA events of the 80’s being headlined with. 23. Aja Kong, Bison Kimura, Madusa Miceli, Tarantula & Xochilt Hamada vs. Manami Toyota, Mariko Yoshida, Kaoru Maeda, Mika Takahashi & Esther Moreno (Hamada's UWF 11/17/90) I agree with the notion that this is joshi doing a M-Pro style match in 1990. All action but everything was hit well and Aja looked like a monster. This was also my first glimpse at Moreno and made me anticipate her on the 1991 set. 22. Jerry Estrada vs. El Satanico (Hair Match) (EMLL 3/23/90) Satanico starts off a fabulous year with a great match vs. Estrada. Estrada in a hair match just screams crazy bumps and this didn’t disappoint. In another year, this may be one of the lucha highlights of the year. 21. Pirata Morgan vs. El Faraon (EMLL 11/16/90) Pirata Morgan is always my favorite performer when he has a chance to shine. He did great in this match. The way this match escalated from nice technical to gritty brawling with Morgan’s gusher amped up the drama. 20. Mitsuharu Misawa, Kenta Kobashi & Akira Taue vs. Jumbo Tsuruta, Great Kabuki & Masa Fuchi (AJPW 5/26/90) The start of the war and the beginning of a new day in All Japan. Hatred is on display and already in this match Misawa feels like a new person without the mask. Amazing start to a feud that carries the promotion for years to come. 19. Keiji Muto & Masa Chono vs. Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki (NJPW 11/1/90) You really got a sense that New Japan new breed of guys was comparable and even maybe superior to the All Japan counterparts at this point and time. Misawa was really good by this point but Kawada was inconsistent and Kobashi was still fiery but didn’t have much depth. This tag match featured 4 guys really rising above to create a great tag. 1991 has continued this theme so far as well. ****1/2 18. Midnight Express vs. Southern Boys (GAB 7/7/90) Probably the most well known MX 1990 match and a really great one. I do like the kung fu off between Smothers and Lane and think this mixed most of the elements of what made 1990 MX matches so fun together. 17. Lightning Kid vs. Jerry Lynn (No DQ) (PWA 10/90) I am not surprised by the athletic ability of this match although it is impressive. These are two younger guys that were very quick. I am however surprised with the overall maturity of this match especially in regards to Lightning Kid. It is amazing that a teenager would be able to have the confidence and ability to be so "perfect" in a wrestling match at this point in their career. Every mannerism and choice he made in this match was the correct one. Lynn was really good here as well (in fact has he ever been this good again?). Just a great conclusion in 1990 for a wonderful rivalry and something people really should seek out. 16. Midnight Express vs. Rock & Roll Express (Wrestle War 2/25/90) On the short list of matches I would show someone that wants to see how a tag match should be worked. Amazing that a heated rivalry this long in its lifespan can still do a match like this that seems so fresh and exciting. The transition from comedy to wrestling is flawless. A formula perfected by 4 men. 15. Jushin Liger vs. Naoki Sano (NJPW 1/31/90) Gritty junior battle is not all that common in Japan but was certainly the case here. The desperation of the finish was done well with the shooting star press making an appearance. Liger gives his first big performance of many for the decade. 14. Mitsuharu Misawa, Toshiaki Kawada & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi vs. Jumbo Tsuruta, Akira Taue & Masa Fuchi (AJPW 8/18/90) Built off the first 6 man into another war where Kikuchi takes a beating like only Kikuchi can. This is probably my second favorite Jumbo performance for the year. 13. Bull Nakano & Grizzly Iwamoto vs. Aja Kong & Bison Kimura (AJW 8/19/90) Memorable match with scenic weapon shots and hate being portrayed. Kong vs. Nakano was no always "on" in their 1990 feud but when they were it was magic. 12. Rayo de Jalisco vs. Cien Caras (Mask vs. Mask) (EMLL 9/21/90) Mask vs. mask may be my favorite match and this one had all the pomp and circumstances you would expect. Fitting match to hold the attendance record in my eyes and the best money drawing and big show match of 1990 including the Ultimate Challenge. 11. Riki Choshu, Kantaro Hoshino, Kuniaki Kobayashi, Kensuke Sasaki & Shiro Koshinaka vs. Higo Hamaguchi, Super Strong Machine, Tarzan Goto, Hiro Saito & Masanobu Kurisu (NJPW 6/26/90) You have to love New Japan multi mans and this one was a wonderful find including superb performances from lesser known guys like Kurisu and Hoshino. Animal vs. Riki was as heated as ever as well. 10. Mitsuharu Misawa, Toshiaki Kawada & Kenta Kobashi vs. Jumbo Tsuruta, Akira Taue & Masa Fuchi (AJPW 10/19/90) My favorite 6 man of the year. May have not been as frantic or loose as the two previous but to me it tightened up the focus and hit all the high points of the previous 6 mans and then some. I think Kobashi has a lot to add to this series by this point in proving himself. 9. Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. Nobuhiko Takada (UWF 10/25/90) Up there with Vader vs. Takada as my favorite shoot style match of all time. Takada was great in this but Fujiwara really bolstered his case of being one of the best workers of at least the 80's - early 90's with his performance here. 8. Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Jumbo Tsuruta (AJPW 6/8/90) A match that may draw criticism from some but I really enjoyed it and think it played off wonderfully. The match is a little rough around the edges but that goes along with the youthful exuberance and changing of the guard aspects this match creates. And that finish destroys me every time knowing what Jumbo would become after this and how he was officially on the downswing of his storied career. 7. Ric Flair vs. Lex Luger (Wrestle War 2/25/90) Me and Loss have chatted about this match endlessly and will some more on an upcoming WTBBP (cheap plug) but I do feel in some ways this was the last night where Flair was the "man" of the 80's and the rest of his career is just sprinkled moments and callbacks to greatness. ****3/4 6. Jumbo Tsurtua/Akira Taue vs. Mitsuharu Misawa/Toshiaki Kawada (AJPW 9/30/90) This 45 minute draw flew by and never felt tiresome. This was also my favorite Kawada performance of 1990 and when I felt like he truly first belonged in this rivalry. 5. El Dandy vs. El Satanico (EMLL 10/26/90) This match plays into another one higher up but what can you say about two of the greatest wrestlers of all time mixing up a variety of styles and weaving together a classic. 4. Aja Kong vs. Bull Nakano (Cage Match) (AJW 11/14/90) A stunning climax and triumphant victory for Bull. Tides were turning in other promotions but Bull was able to proclaim her dominance in AJW and humble her main rival and challenger in the process. Emotional match to watch. ***** 3. Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Jumbo Tsuruta (AJPW 9/1/90) Jumbo saying that he is not washed up yet. Misawa was great in this match. Jumbo gave one of the best performances of his career and proved he was still the Ace to a certain extent. I want to commend this match for not feeling like 50/50 booking coming off of 6/8 2. El Dandy vs. Angel Azteca (EMLL 6/1/90) Classic lucha wrestling personified. This feels less like a wrestling match to me in some ways than a beautiful painting or composed piece of classical music. Two masters showing the artufl skill of wrestling. 1. El Dandy vs. El Satanico (EMLL 12/14/90) The best lucha match I have ever seen. A true war and my #1 and #2 Wrestlers of the year for 1990.

The first paragraph sums up how I view wrestling product. I can freely admit that most of the time my favorite type of wrestling is generally not the one that did the best at the box office. That is why I love when that difference does overlap. The second paragraph I think is important in establishing parameters on what everyones base is to consider something a fad. If we set a 5 year mark, then very few in wrestling history I think could pass the parameter of being more than a fad.

I legit laughed when Gene busted out Duggan as a candidate for Slaughter at Mania. Pretty good promos to thrust this program into the wrestlemania build. I do think the promos are better than the stuff we saw a year earlier.

Slaughter should have gotten the win here. The beatdown was good but I agree with everyone else that Hulk could have been bothered to sell more.

The patriotic thing was really thrusted to the forefront in WWF at the time.

Crowd was really awful here. Hilarious concept from the name to announcers talking about never seeing this match before. USWA Texas announcing has fallen on hard times as well. Akbar was shockingly calling things mostly down the middle here. This felt like an honest indy version of a ROyal Rumble. Some neat spots but sloppy and less depth. Fun as a watch. I didn't like how Kong elminated BJT so easily though.

El Gigante is still getting carted out there and doing nothing. This may be the most disappointing match I have ever seen with Flair that got 10+ minutes. You hear the broomstick statement but this was not good at all. Methodical, weird bumps, Steiner looking lost. Just an overall disaster that should have really put a halt into any single Steiner plans at the time.

Glad to hear some dissenting opinion on this show as currently I would probably have it 4th of the Clashes behind 1, 4, and 6. Parv's comic references will mostly go over my head.

Did we ever get a comprehensive guide of the degree of damage each color mist can bring to an opponent?

Did we ever get a comprehensive guide of the degree of damage each color mist can bring to an opponent?

Thanks Loss, I think it may take some time to get used to no play by play but hopefully it will allow use to expound upon other things revolving around these shows plus i think it may lead to more discussion/disagreements in opinions between Parv and me with the matches. Also interested to hear other opinions on this show. I kept feeling like I liked each match less than most that I have seen review this show. Would still call it a good show overall but not a great one to me.

I would say Doom from mid 90 to the split was positioned as more important as anybody Slick had except the early Twin Towers stuff. The tag division revolving around Doom was the 2nd most important thing going on in WCW for an 8 month period. He also has longevity. I wont be able to judge Parker until I see the Continental stuff in full but he feels like a bonafide contender up there with Pringle once I watch everything. I may have given Sherri a bad break as she enhanced a lot of matches but she is not that good a promo.

To me the managers list gets pretty thin once you reach outside the top 5 and many flaws creep in. Whippleman as Downtown Bruno is great. He had some of the worst talent of anyone on the list (Adam Bomb, Gaylord, Sid) and still had really good heat. I may perfer some other USWA guys from time to time like Bowden and Richard Lee but Whippleman had a more sustained run. I don't know why you are down on Pringle. He had two great characters and really helped guide, mentor, and "manage" some of the most influential wrestlers of all time. I have liked Ellering a lot in AWA as more of a flamboyant type character and he was an established part of the Road Warriors team and had to help babysit them for almost a decade.

1. Bobby Hennan - Great in AWA and WWF. Doubt there will be any argument. 2. Jim Cornette - Great run with Midnights, some great stuff in Smokey Mountain vs. Bob Armstrong, and fun stuff early on in Memphis and in WWF with Yoko 3. Jimmy Hart - 1983 cuts off probably his best Memphis run but he was still really amazing and many times did the most with the least talent wise. I also really liked him in WWF and didn't find him terribly annoying until his 1994 Hulkster run 4. JJ Dillion - Integral to the Horseman and the glue that held them together. Kind of sad we really only have a 3.5 year run of him as a manager. 5. Paul E. Dangerously - Really underrated in SST unit and of course amazing in the Dangerous Alliance Run 6. Paul Bearer - Awesome with Eric Embry/Steve Austin in Texas and added a lot of depth to Taker character 7. Paul Ellering - Maybe longest running manager with one team and he really fit the mold both inside and outside the ring. I really like Ellering in AWA to 8. Harvey Wippleman - Best of lower tier Memphis managers and did well with a variety of less than exciting guys in the WWF. Two distinctive characters help him also 9. Sherri - Great women's manager that is able to generate fabulous heat. I am really coming around on her as the Macho Queen 10. General Adnan - Probably up there with Hennan in my favorite managers in the ring as he was great in some AWA cage matches and again generated massive heat in 1990-91 Slaughter run. Honestly, one of the better drawing managers of all time, I just haven’t seen the presence and interview chops from the footage available for him to compete with the upper tier. 11. Gary Hart - Creepy looking dude that worked well with Muta/Funk and had good charges in Texas 12. Bill Alphonso - I find him annoying but you can't deny how well he reacted and riled up the crowd when he was with Taz and then Sabu 13. Lou Albano - Big Name manager but in the 1983 onward, he felt more like a leech than a person that organically took a team to the top. 14. Teddy Long - Good manager especially the Doom stuff in late 1990 where he is chauffeur for the day and Doom is positioned as really important in the overall promotion 15. Paul Jones - Got a big run which places him this high for me but a manager I really don't like and think he was unworthy of as many chances as he got 16. Skandor Akbar- I go back and forth on Ak. He sometimes had some terrible talent in Devastation and again could mail it in, but when he was on he was great and he was a stalwart for Midsouth and Texas in the 80's. 17. Slick - My favorite midcard manager and he actually had a good group of talent that he helped with his gimmick. Below others for me based on his lack of big runs 18. Harley Race - Helped mold Luger into being a decent champion for a floundering promotion and I like his work with Vader also 19. Mr. Perfect - Brief run but added a lot to Flair which was tricky because it is not like Flair needed a talker to carry him 20. Mr. Fuji - Had plenty of chances but I am pretty indifferent to him and don't think he added much besides cane shots and salt between Demo, POP, and Yoko. Also not the smartest manager with his challenge of Hogan at WM 9 21. Vickie Guerrero - Had insane heat when she was with Edge but her character is a little too one note and now I find her mostly annoying. 22. Freddie Blassie - Really catching the tail end of his run with the 1983 deadline. 23. James Mitchell - Someone I may have way too low for some but I was never a fan at all and generally liked his workers better as solo than with him which is not a good sign. 24. Sunny - Did her best with the Donnas, Gunns, and Warriors but the tag division was not exactly a high priority when she was in the promotion. I didn't really like her endless catfights with Dawn Marie and Francine in ECW either. Brief run to. 25. Johnny Polo - Fun manager for a year run. Too brief to be much higher. 26. Johnny V - To me everything Johnnny V tried to do had people doing it better elsewhere. His commentary is horrendous to. I do give him props for being there from the beginning with the Dream Team 27. Genius - Not the best gimmick but he was pretty good with Perfect and then really good with the Beverly's. 28. Ted Dibiase - Not crazy about his work with the Steiners on in the NWO 29. Dutch Mantell - Had nothing to work with and depending on what they do with Swagger may just be entering his best run 30. Armando Estrada - Ok but really generic. I would only place him a step above someone like Divari 31. Sonny Onoo - Pretty good in 1995 Starrcade angle, didn't really add anything elsewhere. 32. DDP - Pretty annoying with Badd Company even though they were a pretty hot team in AWA. His stuff with the Studd isn't amazing either.. 33. Chavo Classic - Not a big fan at all. Here would be where I would rank the managers listed with Rob Parker below Albano and everyone else moving down a peg.

LT looks pretty gone in this short clip. Weird collection around the table.

Good clean fun. LOved Dusty's commentary.

Good job by WCW making this rematch seem big time by showing the huge Tokyo dome crowd and them marking out. Good promo by Hansen.

Yes the Condrey/Eaton version circa 1986 or so.

Midnight Express vs. Arn/Tully unless I am blanking and they matched up Also did the Rockers vs. Freebirds ever meet because that could have been cool.

Sad indeed. Every shoot interview he has done has been pleasant and informative. Guy was great in the Texas stuff I have seen.

RIP to Percy Pringle. A great manager.

Another good run down with Kevin. I agree with him on the distinction of a program like Austin vs. Taker which felt like a big match built really well to something like Warrior vs. Hogan which was essentially a clash of the titans "dream" match. I disagree that Vader couldn't have been an asset in 1998 for WWF. He still had real good runs in All Japan and even Noah in the next few years (a lot lesser dates on the schedule I know). I think it was more of his attitude that led to his demise instead of his lack of ability. I think you can see a lot of confidence in the product in late 1998-early 1999 compared to the disarray going on at WCW at the time. Forgot to mention the Gorilla stories which I loved and seemed to fit his personality at this time.

Here is what I remember: WM 28 : Freaking mess. Cena vs. Rock in lame joke offs, undercard muddled with Teddy vs. Johnny war and stuff like Kane vs. Orton. Jericho getting diminishing returns every time he came out ( and people criticizing Cena's shift in tone last night should track Jericho last year). Sheamus vs. Bryan felt like an afterthought. HHH vs. Taker was built to well. I like this show less than a lot so YMMV on whether actual show met expectations. WM 27: Mainly sold on thought that you haven't seen this guy in 7 years, so plop down money for him. HHH vs. Taker was built to pretty well and I liked the "Aint no Grave" narrative. That match also gives me some sliver of hope for Punk vs. Taker because damned if live I didn't think the streak was over when HHH hit the Tombstone. Cole vs. Lawler was built to well but then was a trainwreck at the show. Miz vs. Cena did not feel like a main event and the match was not good. I don't remember much about Del Rio vs. Edge. Show did not meet expectations going in. WM 26: Vince vs. Bret weaved in and out between hokey and good stuff and the match was a mess. Main event was built well and had big implications. I also liked the build for both title matches. Overall probably best built to WM in past 5 years. Show met expectations for me if you cut out the Vince/Bret shit. Before this it starts to get hazy but even watching the yearbooks, Wrestlemania 6 ( I know your baby Justin) is not built to well at all with the rambling promos. Honestly Ted vs. Jake may be the best built match on that show. Wrestlemania 7 build is much better as an overall show and the buyrate was worse. I don't know if this says that Wrestlemania is sold on the matchups instead of the build or what but I do think that theory should have some thought put into it.

Maybe it is because I am going to Wrestlemania now and trying to hype myself up but I thought last night was by far the best job they have done at getting me excited about the card. Punk justification that the streak is as important as main eventing will end up being a hollow statement but makes sense froma logic standpoint. I also don't know if I have liked a John Cena promo more than the one last night in probably a few years. I could have done without the Tyson impression but other than that it was spot on.

Shield vs. Orton/Sheamus/Big Show seems pretty fun to me if they go that route. I also wouldn't mind seeing a Ryback vs. Henry match. That leaves people like Jericho, Ziggler, Cesaro, Miz, Hell No without stuff to do so they need to be developing that up. I still have problems with the upper portion of the card but its tough to complain when this show has already grossed 11 million.