Kronos

I have never really been crazy about Necro Butcher or garbage wrestling in general. But watching his 9/17/11 match in Z1 against Masato Tanaka, it occurs to me that he has a pretty soft touch with his opponents. And he takes the nastiest bumps, not them. Bad for his own health, of course. But I'll bet it makes him sought-after as a match opponent.

That's what I love so much about Youtube. I wasn't looking for Martel matches in WCW. I just noticed one, and there I went. I'll keep an eye out for the Saturn matches. I didn't get a chance to see the Booker T match yet, either.

Rick Martel vs Silver King -- Worldwide, Feb 1998? Sub-5 min match, so not a whole lot to go on. but they work well together, and I wouldn't have minded seeing 10 or 15 min. Some stretching, some chain wrestling, an "I'm crazy!" bit with the camera by Silver King. Good times. Rick Martel vs Eddie Guerrero -- Nitro, Feb 1998? Ahh, Nitro Girls. :-) Eddie's so awesome in his entrance, making like he doesn't care even a little bit about the fans or the match. This one's another 4.5 min match. Martel looks really good here, press slamming Eddie and coming off the second rope for a lariat. Eddie does a great bit where he distracts the ref by complaining about Martel's allegedly pulling his hair during the armdrags, demonstrating on the ref what Martel supposedly did. EG was such a master of the little things. I am going to watch Martel vs Booker T later tonight. Both of these matches, I believe, were leading into that PPV match. I'm curious how Martel holds up for 10+ minutes. Based on these matches, he looks really healthy.

The November 12 NJPW show has started really strong. The first two matches have a lot of bizarre comedy, but they're short and entertaining. That Killer Rabbit team kept me smiling. Also, what with Saito's magic glove that turned him Face? Nagata - well, that just kicks ass. Then we have the tag with Makabe & Taguchi vs Takayama & Taichi I wrote on youtube: I can't get over how much I love Takayama's grumpy old man schtick. They treated him like dirt the whole match, and finally he decides it's time to go home, so he finishes the match. Awesome. Taichi's cowardly heel antics were terrific, too, as he would taunt the other corner and then run to the ref when they made to strike back. Then we get to Richards & Romero vs Tiger Mask & KUSHIDA, and it's the first thing I have not enjoyed. I figured I could handle Richards in small amounts in a tag match. He wasn't going for all-time billion-star epic, after all. But I can't get behind Davey's "Look at how big a badass I am!" attitude. His heeling antics are laughable. He just seems to be going through the motions because someone told him heels do certain things. KUSHIDA's a lot of fun to watch, though. So four-for-five so far is not bad at all, and we have TAKA/Devitt up next.

Was looking for the '89 Spivey match John mentioned, and I found that one and several other Japan ones. Should be interesting watching.

Well, that does seem to be the consensus. Still, even if I wasn't sure I liked lucha I would probably still have been okay. I really liked one match, liked another one, and enjoyed some bits of others. So not a total waste of time.

Wisdom, as always. Your description is exactly what I meant to say. Looking back on it, I am certain I can sort out Flair and Vader matches. I should have asked for good recommended matches. Such as: I watched it last night, based on your suggestion. I thought it was really fun. I know a lot of people don't care for DDP, but I have always enjoyed his work. So it's not a shock to me that it was as good as it was. I think Page kicking out of two piledrivers was putting us into HBTaker mode, and that's not really a good thing. But it was exciting and hardhitting and quite enjoyable.

So I have finished AAA's Heroes Inmortales, my first full lucha show. On average, I'd rate it mediocre. The women's match was decent-as expected from those workers-but hampered by the darkness gimmick. (Velvet Sky didn't belong, which becomes a theme throughout the show). The lumberjack match was terrific fun. As I said on cubsfan's YouTube, I've never seen lumberjacks used so entertainingly. The tables match was actively bad. God, Abyss sucks. Everything else was mostly mediocre, though sometimes good spots occurred (parts of the dog collar match were quite good, for instance).

I've been watching some Sting lately and finally starting to like him. I haven't really seen the big matches, unless you count vs Foley at Beach Blast. What are his recommended matches? I assume Flair and Vader, for starters. But which ones? Anyone seen his 2006-08 TNA stuff lately? Does it hold up at all, if it was ever good?

They sold it as Shamrock being injured. I can't possibly imagine Shamrock would have had a better match with Jericho than Waltman did, so it's for the best. I didn't notice the spot being called. But your brain does become tired 2+ hrs into a show.

Unforgiven 1999 Really solid PPV almost top to bottom. And Vince has got to dream of crowds that blazing hot. King's juvenile commentary got annoying at times. Also random: D-X were really obsessed with dicks and gayness. From X-Pac's bronco buster to "suck it" to Road Dogg acting like he was gonna buttfuck Edge. Very weird. Val Venis vs Steve Blackman - fairly forgettable opener. Mark Henry vs D-Lo - I was shocked at how good this one turned out to be. Henry moves like a guy half his size, and it's really the first time I've ever liked Brown. Chyna vs Jarrett - JJ obviously carried the match. But he bumped really well for Chyna, and I had always heard how he refused to make her look good. Fun ending, especially with Mae and Moolah "suplexing" Jeff. I am not comfortable with Chyna beating up the ref afterwards. It's not a good guy thing to do, and she was definitely the face in the match. Acolytes vs Dudley - acceptable but dull tag match. I have never been a Dudley fan, except in their feud with Beer Money. Ivory vs Luna - hardcore match took place backstage. Physical and more vicious than some IWA-MS matches I've seen. NAO vs Edge + Christian - great fun, and I can't believe how OVER Road Dogg was. E&C were actually a bit bland here. Bossman vs Al Snow - dog kennel from hell. DUD. Easily the most boring match of the night. Jericho vs X-PAC - nice fast paced cruiserweight exhibition. 6Pack Challenge - insanely great! Edge of your seat excitement and great performances from everyone. Even a bit of payoff with the refs on strike angle they ran all night. It never ceases to amaze me how well Kane and Show moved in those days. And again, Vince should be so lucky to get crowds half that excited these days. Interesting that Taker was on the poster. Did he get hurt, and then not come back until BikerTaker after the first if the year? I know they lost Austin not long after this. Hard times for them.

I thought it might be amusing to kick around some ideas to analyze as wrestling. The title's kind of a joke, but John's certainly a genius at this game. I'll start: 1980's G.I. Joe cartoons

Sounds about right. Speaking of Nitro, I am randomly watching the 9/11/00 episode. It's the one with the wedding of David Flair and Stacy K. 30 min in, and I have to shut it off. It's so very awful. It's exactly like TNA, if impact were in a large arena with a real crowd. It's ADD and ridiculous and has just about done my head in. I thought I might enjoy some so bad it's good. But no.

That's the thing: watching the buildup, it was clear where the story was headed. But this match was textbook storytelling. Everything is done so beautifully. Did anything more come of this angle with Sting's involvement? It seems perfect for a tag or singles match against Flair on the next PPV. You mention that abortion of a main event. For more good, though, I wonder how DDP vs Johnny B Badd was? I know I really enjoyed their WW3 match around this time.

I am a few weeks late reading, but I have to say I am not sure I have ever laughed so hard reading a thread. I was sad when it came to an end.

Sting vs Lord Steven Regal -- Saturday Night, 9/23/1995 Sting demonstrates his strength by repeatedly lifting Regal into the air using only the knucklelock at the bottom of Regal's extended arm. Later he throws Regal over in what Schiavone calls a mexican arm drag -- I have not seen that move before, and it's pretty sweet. Short but solid match. It ends with run-ins, as the point of this match is clearly to further Flair's begging Sting to be his partner. (I don't know the ultimate result, but surely it's going to be Flair turning on Sting - they're pushing it too hard for it to be otherwise.) Sting continues to be one of the weaker interviews of any guy who reached his level. Sting vs Arn Anderson -- Worldwide, 9/30/1995 Arn and Sting don't do anything special, but they do it very very well. Sting starts out dominant, bouncing up several times from Arn's attacks. Then AA gets the comback and works over the knee. Eventually, Sting escapes a DDT and goes on a babyface comeback that gets the crowd going. Unfortunately for Sting, it's another short match that ends in interferance (this time from Pillman). Flair comes out and begs some more. Arn Anderson & Flyin Brian vs Ric Flair & Sting -- Nitro, 10/16/1995 Arn Anderson & Flyin Brian vs Ric Flair & Sting -- Halloween Havoc, 10/29/1995 Sometime in the first two weeks of Oct, Sting and Flair apparently made up. But Sting doesn't show up for the beginning of the Nitro main event. Flair has to wrestle a handicap match, and he's terrific. But eventually, he can't handle it, so Sting runs out. He's absolutely awesome taking a hot tag and cleaning house. (Mongo: "I haven't seen a house get cleaned like that since the Republicans took over the Democrats.") In the end, Sting says he now believes Flair is on the straight and narrow -- which of course means he isn't. For the PPV match, Flair has been attacked back stage and does not come out with Sting. (I can see where this is going.) I love Pillman and Arn as a team. Flyin Brian is agressive, quick, and unpredictable. Arn is slower, but he's mean and smart and strong. They compliment each other very well. Here Pillman lures Sting out to the floor so AA can attack from behind, but he's too smart for them and gives them both a nasty clothesline for their trouble. Eventually Flair shows up in street clothes, but Sting can't get to him for the tag. In the end, as expected, Flair turns on Sting and reforms the Horsemen (cutting a killer promo after the match). This Havoc match had everything I love about wrestling. Solid technique. A fast pace. Wicked heels who aren't above a bit of comedy. A superface giving it his all. Some nasty bumps (at one point, Sting throws Pillman off the apron and into the guardrail). Lots of excitement and suspense. And whitehot crowd. And a terrific promo at the end. This match right here is why I watch wrestling.

Heenan: Sting is a coward. McMichael: You wouldn't say that if he was standing right in front of you. Heenan: I fear no man. Schiavone: Bobby Heenan fears no man. Just his own shadow. -- Nitro, 10/16/95

Nope, that's me! Last night, I watched two October episodes of NWA Smoky Mountain's TV on their youtube channel. It's an interesting program. They do a 30 minute show that revolves around selling their house shows. Very old school, like watching SMW (of course). It's pretty much all talking, with the announcers standing with a mic and also promos from the feud-du-jour. They also include some clips from their shows, but I didn't see a whole match on either episode. They also have been using Ricky Morton of late. Interestingly, the Oct 8 program was pimping a Chikara taping that night in TN. One of NWA's guys was scheduled to be on the show, so they pumped it endlessly. They even played a promo from Sara del Rey, who was scheduled to wrestle KANA on the taping. (Incidentally, SDR vs KANA and Jessie McKay vs Madison Eagles means I may have to get that show and ease my personal ban on chick rasslin.) I like what they're doing, even if the promos could be a bit better. I might order some of their recent DVDs.

Just watched Regal vs Goldberg from Nitro (2/9/1998). No one questions that Goldberg's skills were limited, especially in those early days. But Regal pushes him to grapple, chain wrestle, and even work some submission stuff on the mat. It's only 6 minutes, but I have to agree that I have never seen Goldberg work a more classically styled match. He's forced to pull out all kinds of moves he's probably only recently learned, and he looks good doing them. I have such a mancrush on Regal.

Greatest thread in a long time!

Sting vs Angle -- Impact Wrestling, 9/01/2011 I think Sting looked really solid in this match. He moved well and projected confidence. Angle, OTOH, seemed to be in such a hurry to get everything done. It makes Sting look more the pro. Also, the segment that transitioned between a "blocked" scorpion lock into an ankle lock that looked very awkward from both guys. Okay TV match at best. Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose -- FCW, 9/18/2011 Hmm. Jon Moxley vs Tyler Black in a 30min iron man match. Interesting. 10 minutes into the match, Rollins has demonstrated why I have never been a fan of is work: He's so very bland. He has a great look, and his technique is solid enough (though I would criticize a segment where he crawls across the ring on his knees as demonstrating confusion). Ambrose is a bit OTT in his character work and expressions, to be sure, but that's more fixable than the "bland guy". He has humor and old school heelishness. There's something baby-JBL about his character in this match that I really like. As a result, when Rollins begins to make his comeback 20 min in and throws a really nice over-the-top-rope to the floor spot, it lacks some impact. I don't care about him, and so even when he does cool stuff I feel MEH. Still, I felt the same about Drew Mac two years ago, and he came around. The guys have a lot of wasted time and feel tentative (read: Green). But they have some really solid segments, esp in the last 8 min. They both sell the exhaustion well as the match goes on. And the sudden-death period was very exciting. William Regal vs Dean Ambrose -- FCW, 11/06/2011 Fantastic! Ambrose will learn more about controlling a match and heeling it up from one match with Regal than he would with 20 Tyler Black matches. There're some really clever spots, like putting the arm through the turnbuckle and Ambrose wrestling half the match with only one arm.

Jake Roberts vs Hashimoto -- 9/23/1993 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mua9l8n-HWg Watched this short match last night before bed. Their styles really don't mesh well, and so there's a lot of downtime. Jake's a master at heeling it up, though, and he tries really hard here to pump the crowd using his usual stooging and stalling and cheating and working with the snake. It's entertaining at points, but it just doesn't come together. The one aspect I liked is that Hash's frustration with Jake for not working a regular and honorable match seems all too real. Misawa vs Kobashi - NOAH, 3/01/2003 http://youtu.be/yf1lbJr1uW8 I have never been the biggest Kobashi fan. I appreciate what he does and how much the crowds get behind him. But his whole chop-fu schtick, especially since NOAH, becomes uninteresting for me pretty quickly. Still, this is a big-time match, and I figured I should get around to seeing it eventually. Both guys move pretty well in the early moments, especially considering 10 years in AJPW is like 25 in the WWE in terms of wear and tear. We soon move into joint-locks and chain rasslin, that picks up the pace again -- leading to Kobashi's being viciously head-dropped. We're only about 2 minutes into this thing, and they're already diving to the floor. Misawa is dominating early-on, and I'm getting excited. Kobashi tries to start up his chopping, but MM knocks him on his ass with a strategic elbow. About the time Misawa flies head-first into the metal guardrail and starts bleeding from the mouth, I know this is not two old boys sleepwalking through a nostalgia match. There's an awesome sequence about half way through where Kobashi gets German'd and then Tiger'd. He counters with a nasty spinning backhand chop, but MM finally puts him down with a big forearm. The crowd goes nuts! I don't want to write out the whole match, since it's 35 min. But I will say the intensity stays dialed up to 11, and these guys are fearless veterans giving it their all. They do a few seriously fucked up moves, though, including a double-underhook to the floor, which even quiets the crowd a bit before waking them back up with a lovely near-double-countout.The final moments actually felt a bit rushed. No, rushed isn't the right word. It was more like Kobashi's comeback seemed a bit easy. But maybe the story being told was that they spilled all they had, so someone was going to finally hit a big move and win. Great, great stuff. I am a bit uncomfortable watching Misawa get repeatedly head-dropped, though.

I think I recall PS on GoodWillRasslin saying that he chose it because it was just plain bizarre. Surely he didn't think it was good? Heenan's pretty funny throughout, though.

If you haven't seen it track down some late 91/92 AJW shows Long stretch of Sakie, Yoshida, Takako & Debbie Malenko ripping things up in various combinations against each other in the mid card. I think I may have seen some of the Debbie matches, but it's been awhile. I like grumpy badass Takako and Mariko from the early 00's, myself. I will go fishing at Doublemiz for those 91/92 matches.

Blacktop Bully vs Dustin Rhodes, Uncensored 1995 Finally got around to watching this one on Schneider 26. They're in the back of a flatbed semi trailer, on the highway. Chicken wire seems to be all that's holding them in. Gotta give WCW points for one of the more creative gimmick matches of all time. That said, this thing is boring as hell. After about 30 seconds, you've seen all you're really going to see. The camera cuts away to the scenery. Heenan and Tony try to think up something to say. And the rasslers brawl around. But mostly they fall down when the truck hits its brakes or takes a corner. At one point, they stop for a church bus to pass. About as interesting as it sounds, only less so - and more endless.