Kronos

There's a great 70's AJPW match with Billy Robinson vs Abby that speaks to this question. The Butcher works over Billy's knee pretty strongly, and it's never forgotten. For the rest of the match he tends to favor that leg. There's even a spot where he goes to bodyslam Abby - which he'd done earlier in the match - but fails because his leg collapses under the weight.

This show opener is one of the two semifinals in the Title Tournament. (the other semis match is Sting vs Bret, later on the card) I am trying hard to get over my disgust for Benoit and just watch the match. The guys put on a solid match. I appreciate that they both come out swinging, showing they really want to win. That's not always the case, especially with WCW openers which tend to be exhibitions from guys like Malenko and Guerrero. But these guys really want the belt. They're hitting hard and trying for pins. One of my favorite bits happens on the floor. Benoit is chopping. He does it twice. The third time, Jarrett ducks it and crotches Benoit on the ring post. In the end. Benoit wins by knocking out JJ with his own guitar, despite run-ins from Creative Control. Also, Dustin Rhodes helps Benoit. Russo-riffic, baby!

"Narrative Shorthand". Thanks, Bix. That's the very phrase I was trying to think up earlier, in a film context. Perfect timing!

Isn't the entire Randy Savage documentary on the Network though? I'm pretty sure I've seen it, and I don't have the DVD and never watch those First Look features. I don't know. I was watching the Angle preview for the new DVD set, and it just kept playing First Look items.

I am watching a 25 min docu about Randy, under the First Look section. I think it may be from the Macho Man DVD set, but I have never seen it. I am learning a lot. The bit about why Randy chose his colors and wardrobe to make himself seem bigger than he was is fascinating. And also that he borrowed his Ooh Yeah and voice style from a Hawaiian wrestler.

Yeah I wasn't directing that at you, my bad. Your post just reminded me of people who seem distraught at the next generation of wrestling fan not liking what they do and vice versa. I had that experience as I live-tweeted Battleground the other weekend. I couldn't believe that some of these kids were loving the show and praising matches I thought were crap. Still, it's nice to see the enthusiasm.

Despite the fast (and awesome) beginning, this match does feel a little slower than January's. But the intensity is off the charts. ECDub fans are such smarks. They count Crazy's punches in Spanish. That finish with all the chairs and the table stomp was badass.

RVD matches usually have me checking my watch. There always seems to be so much going on, and yet it feels so slow. This match is better than some I have seen, but it's for sure sloppy and nothing special. Tanaka does fine work, but with RVD it's all about RVD. I really like the look of the TNN show.

Solid match that kept the crowd involved and included some fine matwork. Very enjoyable. Spike is super over in his entrance - using "Highway to Hell", which is ECDub AF. It does make you wonder if Mikey feels some genuine jealousy about no longer being everyone's favorite scrappy underdog. It does allow his heel-work to have some more depth than it might normally. One of my favorite moments is when Spike knocks Mikey down the steps and then does a flying tackle to the floor to take him down as he's standing up. Such a simple sequence, and it's very effective.

It's Mike Awesome against a little guy. What more is there to know? You could storyboard the match. Guido bumps well. But we already knew that. I like Sal's involvement, especially his talking to the camera. I also like the facility and the camera work. This is a far cry from the crappy ballroom we saw in January. It just looks better for a show, and I can easily follow the action.

I'm so tired of The Rock on the mic. I'm always tempted to fast forward. Angle 2000 to me is great, both on mic and in the ring. Tazz throws a belly-to-belly on Angle that makes tiny Tazz look like a badass. Then he gets a choke on Angle and throws a killer clothesline on Rocky. He doesn't win, but Kurt and Rocky are not burying him. The Show run-in strikes me as smart booking. It continues to sell him as a monster, and it also absolves The Rock from having to be involved in the pinfall.

I was upset about their burying the Radicalz two matches straight. Now I come here and read that they were supposed to win. That makes more sense when you're trying to debut new guys. I don't hate the NAO as much as you lot do. But their pre-match schtick is definitely tiresome. As least The Rock sometimes uses different words in his tiresome promos.

This is a decent match, with Dean and Pac meshing well. Malenko gets more offense than Eddy and Perry get later against the NAO, with X-Pac having to cheat to win. The promo segment with Foley works well for them (Benoit gets an especially big cheer).

I caught this segment the other night while watching the Rumble show. It was bizarrely out of place in 1991 WWF, for sure. But Sherri was amazing - as usual, she committed 100%,. while Warrior Warrior just stood there like a doof.

This is the kind of match you watch when you want to remember why you love wrestling. Just watch Tenryu's face at the beginning, when Randy's all "come at me bro". Then when he does come after Savage, Randy acts like a chickenshit heel and runs out of the ring. That gets the crowd booing, which Sherri encourages by taunting them and even making obscene gestures. Tenryu's expressions are great all throughout. One of my favorites is when Sherri clobbers him with a running forearm to the back. He turns around, with a priceless "WTF?" look. God, I love this match. PS Does anyone else feel that Savage looks like Fred "Ogre" Palowakski here? It's no wonder he took to wearing hats and shades.

Some years back, I saw Demolition on a Chikara King of Trios tape. They were old, fat, and frankly ridiculous in their ring gear. And they put the Chikara guys to shame. While the indy guys were trying to get their flippy spots in, Demolition put on a clinic about how to pace a match and build drama so the crowd got involved. I see a lot of that here, too. They control a great deal of the match, dictating the pace and allowing some breathing room between spots so that heat can develop. When Shawn and Marty come in for their high-flying antics, it's a lot of fun. (If sloppy - I swear Marty didn't hit a target once, apart from the final pinfall. His punches, dropkicks, and even a flying shoulder tackle all seemed to miss by a mile.) The Rockers' antics are crowd-pleasing, for sure. I like the bit where they do a revolving arm twist. Twist-Twist Tag! Twist Twist Tag! But even that spot gets ruined by their need to do it again on the other guy. (I always forget which Demo is which.)They're like the Chikara guys in that match I saw: They're just biding time until they get to throw their cool moovez. At this point in their career, the Rockers seem best when in the ring with controlled, thoughtful opponents like Demolition or the Brainbusters. A few years later, they'll be ready to produce sprintfest classics with The Orient Express. But in 1988, they're not there yet.

How do you mean?

Not sure if it's on the network, but they had a belter of a match at MSG on 10/24/88 10/24/88 is one of the two shows on the Network, so score! Thanks.

Are there any shows on the network with a Rockers v Demolition match?

Intensity! There's a lot of hate happening here from moment one, especially when Jaguar gets slammed all to hell on the chairs outside the ring. It never lets up for 20 min. Was the giant swing common in early 80's joshi? I have seen it used to great effect on this match and the Sato/Tomi match from the same date.

Scaramucci isn't Russo - because he's not running things. But the damage he's doing in just a matter of days reminds me of the TNA thread that talks about how Russo managed to destroy anything good that TNA had going in 2006-07 -- in about 4 weeks. That doesn't quite work, though, because this is more of a dumpster fire. There's gotta be something from WCW 1999-2000 that fits Scaramucci's actions.

Two of the people I am most looking forward to seeing in the early 80's are Jaguar Yokota (whose work I have always loved) and Jackie Sato (who I have not seen before - or at least not recently). Sato earns her reputation here, and then some. Both gals throw gorgeous standing drop kicks, and they hit hard. They seem pretty evenly matched, but in the end it's Sato's wily veteran skills that outsmart Tomi. Seriously, though, that dive to the floor Tomi takes to end the match is just plain brutal. Is it possible that Sato was supposed to be there?

I love the Andre interview at the beginning. And that Gino Hernandez was one handsome man. Re the battle -- I am with Jetlag. These kinds of matches tend to make my eyes glaze over (even royal rumble, sometimes). But this one does a nice job of demonstrating just how much bigger Andre was than everyone else in 1980. I know the limitations of movement that come from being a supersized dude. This guy Big Mike generally fits those limits. And when I see a guy like him or Calhoun, I feel more appreciation for Yokozuna. He moved so much better than most guys his size.

The roster are all in the ring, wearing their orange tracksuits. Baba says a few words. It's nice to see him smile. I have never noticed before, but from a certain angle Giant Baba looks like a face-stretched Leonard Nimoy. (or maybe just a face-stretched Spock)