Ditch

What makes these swerves even worse is that they have zero internal logic. Why is Jarrett acting that way during the match? ONLY to swerve the viewer at home. They can just do the screwjob immediately and go home, but noooo, have to drag it out. (although NOAH did the same thing in fall of 2000, one of their first angles, so Russo isn't alone)

Crazy MAX vs M2K vs Do Fixer, trios titles, Toryumon July 7th 2002 Background: The second of the three-way trios matches gets the honor of headlining the company's annual supershow in Kobe. Why I think it's underrated: As with the 2001 match, this didn't get attention based on Toryumon's perceived status as a second-tier promotion at the time. What it deserves: Top 100. I put this ahead of the rematch a week later by virtue of the rematch's repetition; I credit the original over the sequel every time.

Glad to see my lobbying paid off on these two!

All we're missing is 10 minutes of Kanemoto vs Kashin, which in truth was probably the weakest part of it.

To me this is one of the least matches in the series. I think they did a better job with keeping the tempo up later on.

Why is this on the set?

Updated 5 links, please re-download the excel.

Tenryu & Araya vs Kea & Miyamoto, All Japan April 27th 2002 Background: Miyamoto, a young lion, seeks to prove himself against much larger competition. Tenryu shows no mercy whatsoever and Araya follows his lead. Why I think it's underrated: As a small-show tag this didn't make headlines, but it's one of the best 'young lion shows fighting spirit' bouts of the decade. Kea might be the biggest heel in this by virtue of how quickly he tags out every time, no matter how much punishment Miyamoto has taken. What it deserves: Top 100. It doesn't quite have the greatness of a top-tier bout, but they really accomplish what they were going for.

Even though the December match was a huge gateway for me into puro, I don't think it aged particularly well, much like the June '99 TC bout. The heat suffered due to being in STUPID IMPOSSIBLE TO GET TO Ariake rather than the heart of the city like Sumo Hall or Budokan, there's "fat" as you say, and the finish is a bit telegraphed based on the structure. Misawa/Akiyama is tighter, smarter, and much more momentous. I have the December match 9th on the year.

I pegged that as Japan MOTY for 2000 because it had a mix of smart details from Misawa, him feeding Akiyama perfectly, and Akiyama delivering a huge performance in the clutch. Kawada/Sasaki doesn't hit the same heights, and the 12/14 tag has a rather dry first half.

All Japan was plenty good in 1999-2000, it was just very lackluster compared to early '90s, and *really* lacked depth in terms of good midcard matches and consistently good small-show tags.

Sleeze nails it: transitions and struggle are key. I'll add that a hallmark of go-go matches is one guy going out of his way to set up the opponent's next move in lieu of anything remotely logical. Choshu/Yatsu vs Jumbo/Tenryu has tons of struggle. Prince Devitt's countless junior title matches lack anything resembling story, intensity, or struggle. They aren't as "epic" as Angle and Davey Richards standard fare, but the flaws are the same.

The April match was their last one, which makes the booking quite odd until you remember Inoki was behind it.

Akiyama looked much more competitive in their '98 matches, but none of these were great. They hit the mark in 2000 at least. Compare this to the Jumbo/Kobashi matches (which weren't even for the TC). Which half was more important in making those matches better?

You wonder how the hell they couldn't do this sort of thing regularly given the sprawling Time Warner empire. There had to be enough people who were wrestling fans or just game for anything to have these sorts of segments every so often. Even if you never watched the show, it was advertised SO OFTEN during WCW programming that you knew who the guys are. Instead of a standard plug they do a wrestling angle. Not genius but it's *entertaining*.

Crazy MAX vs M2K vs Seikigun, trios titles, Toryumon August 14th 2001 Background: The three original factions duke it out for trios supremacy. This was the first multi-way trios match the company attempted, and it tended to be saved for special occasions until recent years. Why I think it's underrated: Toryumon wasn't nearly as well-known outside Japan as Dragon Gate is today. It was the 4th or 5th biggest promotion in Japan and got treated as such. Add in the fact that this wasn't at a big event and it was easy to miss, but I'd say it was the best spotfest that they produced in the first three years of the promotion. Plenty of fun sequences and excitement. What it deserves: Top 100. They went on to top themselves, but this set the standard.

AJ going for the Jon LaJoie look of all things.

Idolizing Vince is easy. New Japan wrestlers calling Inoki "god" after all the things he's done that make the XFL look like fiscal prudence...

It is literally impossible to overstate Vince McMahon's willpower and work ethic. You can't compete with him because he will grind you down, no matter how many mistakes he makes. When Vince finds something that works he will milk it better than anyone could hope to. Look at how over Goldberg was in mid '98, and look at how little WCW did with him in the 2+ years after he lost the title. Compare to how Vince used every megastar he's had: Hogan, Austin, Rock, Cena. Vince will wring every penny from his successes because he knows how to get everyone in the company behind his vision. Even if he isn't pointing in exactly the right direction, the ship is moving forward. Again, compare to WCW's internal politics leading to booking sclerosis.

As usual the Onion scoops everyone to a frightening degree:

This was the first name that came to my mind, but I'm not familiar with '80s AWA so I can't fully judge. That said, he strikes me as someone who occasionally gets "second-tier GOAT" or HOF-level talk from people who have only ever followed US wrestling and see Bret vs Perfect at Summerslam 1991 as one of the best technical matches of all time, and who deserves none of that sort of praise when he's compared to a broader sampling of wrestlers over time. Not a top 50 worker or draw.

Kanemoto & Minoru Tanaka vs Dr. Wagner Jr & Silver King, IWGP junior tag titles, New Japan February 3rd 2001 Background: With WCW behind him, Silver King joined real-life brother as a regular part of New Japan's foreign contingent. Wagner is a former junior tag champion, and it stands to reason he would do even better with King as his partner now. Why I think it's underrated: Another year, another under-the-radar match that Stuart put a spotlight on. This is carried by the luchadores. Their teamwork and interaction make the body of the match enjoyable, and a good finishing run is to be expected with the combined level of talent at work here. What it deserves: Top 100 consideration / on the bubble. The crowd could be better, and there are several superior junior tags, but it's on the list for a reason.

VLC player is the best, and free! The Kanemaru matches often got initial praise but they rarely hold up; lots of finisher spamming and little beyond that. For a while there, you'd think Kanemaru was the best wrestler in Japan if you just went by Meltzer.

The leg stuff is definitely the worst part of Tenryu/Kawada: dull when it's happening and totally forgotten. There isn't *that* much backstory other than Kawada having a few Tenryu trademarks (powerbomb, step kicks); 95% of the value is the slugfest aspect.

I guess if they're good video quality. HERETIC!! But seriously, it has its flaws, and I didn't even like it the first time I watched it (~2002).