El-P

To me, yes, influence in how the form of pro-wrestling has evolved is definitely important. And even way more importantly than new moves (although obviously it is very important because otherwise we'd have matches with a vertical suplex as a finisher still), *the way* pro-wrestlers are moving inside the ring and how they use this space and the space outside absolutely matters to me. With that line of thought, someone like Naomichi Marufuji, who's been a great pro-wrestler for like 20 years now, is somewhat of a pro-wrestling genius in that he has changed the way pro-wrestler uses their space, with his use of ropes and turnbuckles in unusual ways (I'm not sure if he came up with the misdirection spot too, but it was all in this spirit, KENTA actually was also instrumental in this). Without the form evolving, pro-wrestling has nothing interesting to tell in and out of itself as I said before (pro-wrestling match stories.... yawn....). Fuck, I'd make an argument for Sabu, really (yes, I know table spots existed before, but there's a clear before/after Sabu in terms of how prevalent and how they were laid out and used then abused and overused, 25 years later still). As far as new moves that are so awesome that no one even dares to do it since then, the moonsault footstomp of Hikari Fukuoka needs to come back in style at some point. Someone will see it, want to do it and someone is gonna be willing to take it...

And this my friends, is exactly the reason why he has no shot at being my #1. Because in the end, I value the experience of the greatness in a pro-wrestling match actualized into an aesthetic that I actually care for. And the fact Daniel Bryan worked his prime years in the one context I care the less for and has maybe some of the greatest pro-wrestling work against people you'd have to pay me to willingly watch at this point (hello Kane, coucou Miz) just makes it impossible for me to consider him as my #1 guy. He is just missing that one little Japanese experience or one US big time promotion (hell, even TNA !) work outside of the WWE patterned and overproduced context (which he has successfully tweeked as much as humanly possible because he's just that great). I would love for him, even at this stage, to work that one G1 Climax... Bryan ended up in the WWE system too soon, which has deprived me (and other people) of watching him in the prime of his years in different contexts where he could have expressed his genius in much more satisfying ways. Won't keep him out of my top 10 (or even 5) though.

Doesn't matter, what actualizes in reality is what matters. It's funny as it's one I don't think I have ever seen, because I did not care for buying tapes from AJW at that time (the Maekawa push was a legit big time turn off). I seem to remember there was an infamous match in a rainstorm too at about the same time (which probably wasn't great but had hype because of the sheer insane context)

That old running gag of me pimping a worker only to have Dan doing a run in and just say "Nope !"

LCO peaked from 97 to 99. After that point they still had some really good matches but they had lost their uniqueness and the smaller crowds also hurt the heat they were working for, not to mention both girls were now physically past their prime, after the grueling and taxing 90's working the hardest style on the planet. Shimoda really came into her own I'd say (from memory) in about 93-94, before that point Mita (who invented the Death Valley Driver, that should never be forgotten) was the superior worker to me. So that's 5-6 years of her being a great worker, with a peak at the end. LCO vs HAMAKino in ARSION is probably the last ride and their best match ever. In 1999 she also had another bloodbath of all bloodbath with Ozaki in single (it may have been at the second Oz Academy show !). Mima Shimoda, top tier working heel ever.

Did IMPACT basically teased Taylor Wilde returning ? That's a nice surprise. Omega & Good Brothers keep on delivering the excellent weekly matches, this time with a little trick to build Swann as a legit contender (got out of the OWA position, maybe would have had the pin on Omega but Callis pulled the ref, got the win on Anderson).

Yeah, it's a typical bullshit economics trick. People pay more and they think they get better because of the higher price. When in fact there's no correlation at all. I was about to continue my post with "Which reminds me that when my MacBook doesn't work anymore, I really need to buy a PC again" and then I see your reply. Well, indeed.

Agreed, it was one of HHH's best performance. Stephy was really good as a valet again too. The Kofi match on the other hand, I really thought watching this that Bryan was just working some magic trick with a "pretty good" worker.

You people are crazy. In a good way, but crazy nonetheless.

You're not the only one.

How dare you call the Andre the Giant Battle Royal "nothing" ?

Ah, the infamous Bulldog Buzz Sawyer.

I like the fact there isn't a barrage of PPV, but they could have 6 per year honestly, that sound reasonable.

But will they honor Freddie Joe Floyd one day ?

I will definitely go back on her case to see the earlier stuff, but I concur, when I was watching 90-91-92, Hokuto already appeared as a legit great worker as part of the Marine Wolves and then when the end of 92 hit with the start of interpromotional stuff , she was on top of the food chain to me along with Nakano.

Well, I've listened to Raymond Rougeau for years and I never got confused. It was all charmingly exotic to me.

Wow, that's interesting. The fact you *understand* the language actually hurts. I would not have thought about that but it makes sense. I mean, Mauro legit kept me away from NXT for instance, whereas the same screaming guy probably would not have bothered me as much if I did not understand him.

No one would ignore his viewpoint if he didn't act like a FUCKING POMPOUS ASSHOLE and talked down to people who disagree with him. (edit : whatever, such a waste of time)

Charlotte is gonna do a run-in after Bianca wins the title a-la Hogan at Mania 9.

Ok, don't sell me on something that won't happen now. That's cruel !

You mean the one thing he is absolutely unable to do himself because he is "objectively right" ? KEKW, as they say... The idea that someone needs help to "really get" Greg Valentine (or whomever else) is the most laughable shit ever. People can figure shit out by themselves. They don't need lectures. And they don't need to abide to whomever's narrow vision of pro-fucking-wrestling. And no, they don't need "thougher skin" (that's the shit you hear in other circles BTW).

You've got to remember he was not doing a course on lucha libre trios matches, he was trying to explain some basic stuff about the culture from the perspective of what was presented on a weekly US pro-wrestling show that pretty much never had any equivalent in term of looks and form, for the audience of a company built on Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair & Sting. Can't fault someone for not doing something he was not trying to accomplish.

It's unfair to blame Tenay, who did his absolute best in the WCW US TV context, where they never ran a traditional lucha libre match (and why should they have ?). It may not have been "the real thing", but I'm pretty sure it was the gateway for many people to get interested in lucha libre. It sure was for me (although I really got into it way later, but the initial interest and curiosity came from there). Whatever works. Also, these guys came from AAA, which was not exactly traditional lucha libre to begin with (much more than it is now though).

Yes, exactly. Which is why just watching the Friday shows on Youtube was such a breath of fresh air to me because I was like, I don't even know who 95% of these masked fellows are, I'm just watching to enjoy instead of trying to "figure out" something specific, and after a very short while it was just flowing naturally. Well.... I'm not sure I would go that far. They absolutely are an ends in displaying that spirit of lucha libre and awe the crowd, and they are very important as a form. But yeah, they absolutely are a way also to make room from what's gonna take place inside the ring next, which is why : no tag needed, people (did you not listen to Mike Tenay on Nitro already people ?) Yep.

True that. I really was looking forward to the Kanyon episode.