Matt D

The biggest problem with this match, like pretty much everyone else has noted, is that Tanaka's roaring elbow, which in and of itself is perfectly fine (reversal out of a brainbuster attempt; explosive; means something to us given our past with Tanaka; quick, visually appealing pin for the nearfall), even really good, was met to near silence by the crowd. I was about to note that the second issue is that Tanaka just falling apart afterwards felt off/mistimed, but you know what? Forget it. If I hit a move like that and it's met with silence, maybe I'm ready to throw in the towel too? Because really, what's the point? I don't think Tanaka was at all some sort of babyface that needed the crowd's elation to register (in a way that let's say Ricky Morton could draw from them, kayfabe-wise), but the circuit was broken and he oozed to dust. Anyway, the match itself was striking, I thought. I love how self-contained it was. I didn't need to know anything coming in, except for my own head-canon for what I know about Tanaka and Hashimoto. Tanaka's a guy who would tug on Superman's cape and spit in the wind. He's more fighting spirit than brains (and in fact, years of the former led to headshots that affected the latter). He wants Hashimoto unleashed so that he can test his mettle against him and kicking the guy's title belt to start the match is a hell of a way to do so. Hashimoto charges at him and basically never lets up after that. I'm higher on the transitions than Marty. I like how Tanaka, despite wanting to match him blow for blow or try to out-headbutt him, had to go to other avenues to get an edge, whether it be the spear out of nowhere or targeting the leg. Moreover, maybe because of my own mental image of Tanaka, I thought he was a threat throughout. The guy can absorb punishment and come back fighting. He has one of the most explosive weapons in the 95-05 period of wrestling with the roaring elbow. I didn't necessarily think he was going to win, but I never counted him out. I think that bore out in the match, even if it was a glorified squash in some ways. There was such a sense of consequence in the selling to. I really loved the way Tanaka sold the belly after the second double stomp (though the first one was the more gruesome one). It meant that when he went for the desperation second spear, he had nothing in the tank and Hash caught him, kicked him three times in the guy, and DDTed him. And in the end, none of this really mattered because the fans didn't buy into that roaring elbow in the least. I did, and usually that's enough, but here it was just too striking. I'm honestly not sure what the two of them could have done differently to make it work though (maybe teasing it earlier in the match? I don't even know). Good but unfortunate match.

It's always a bit of the art of the possible with this stuff. Like, for instance, if they have one random match on a 1983 Charlotte show, then they might have others (with it most likely that they have the ones around the Piper vs Valentine show): JCP @ Charlotte, NC - Coliseum - January 1, 1983 Sweet Brown Sugar defeated Dory Funk Jr. NWA US Champion Greg Valentine defeated Bob Orton Jr. NWA Tag Team Champions Sgt. Slaughter & Don Kernodle defeated Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood NWA World Champion Ric Flair defeated Roddy Piper JCP @ Charlotte, NC - Coliseum - January 30, 1983 Mid-Atlantic TV Champion Mike Rotundo won an 18-man battle royal Dick Slater defeated Jerry Brisco via disqualification Jimmy Valiant defeated the One Man Gang Roddy Piper & Dusty Rhodes defeated Paul Jones & Red Dog Lane Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion Dory Funk Jr. defeated Jack Brisco NWA US Champion Greg Valentine vs. ? Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood fought NWA Tag Team Champions Sgt. Slaughter & Don Kernodle to a double disqualification JCP @ Charlotte, NC - Coliseum - March 5, 1983 Masa Fuchi defeated Bill White Sweet Brown Sugar defeated the Ninja Mike George defeated Ricky Harris Jim Nelson defeated NWA Tag Team Champion Sgt. Slaughter via disqualification Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion Dory Funk Jr. defeated Jack Brisco Ricky Steamboat, Jay Youngblood, & Jimmy Valiant defeated NWA US Champion Greg Valentine, Terry Funk, & Sir Oliver Humperdink JCP @ Charlotte, NC - Coliseum - March 26, 1983 Mike Davis defeated Ken Timbs Bill White fought Abe Jacobs to a draw Wayne Jones defeated Ben Alexander Mid-Atlantic TV Champion Dick Slater vs. Jos LeDuc Jack & Jerry Brisco defeated Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion Dory Funk Jr. & Paul Jones NWA US Champion Greg Valentine, Sgt. Slaughter, & Don Kernodle vs. Jim Nelson, NWA Tag Team Champions Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood JCP @ Charlotte, NC - Coliseum - April 8, 1983 Mike Rotundo defeated Masa Fuchi Red Dog Lane defeated Sweet Sugar Brown Jos LeDuc defeated Gene Anderson Jack & Jerry Brisco defeated Jake Roberts & the Great Kabuki NWA US Champion Greg Valentine fought Roddy Piper to a draw Andre the Giant, Jimmy Valiant, & Bugsy McGraw defeated Mid-Atlantic TV Champion Dick Slater, the One Man Gang, & Sir Oliver Humperdink Sgt. Slaughter & Don Kernodle defeated NWA Tag Team Champions Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood in a non-title steel cage match JCP @ Charlotte, NC - Coliseum - April 24, 1983 Ricky Harris defeated Keith Larsen Johnny Weaver defeated Masa Fuchi The Magic Dragon defeated Jim Nelson Jake Roberts defeated Sweet Brown Sugar Jimmy Valiant defeated the Great Kabuki NWA US Champion Roddy Piper defeated Mid-Atlantic TV Champion Dick Slater Sgt. Slaughter & Don Kernodle defeated NWA Tag Team Champions Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood via disqualification NWA World Champion Ric Flair defeated Greg Valentine via disqualification JCP @ Charlotte, NC - Coliseum - May 15, 1983 Kelly Kiniski & the One Man Gang defeated Rick McCord & Vinnie Valentino Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion Dory Funk Jr. defeated Mike Rotundo Jimmy Valiant, Rufus R. Jones, & Bugsy McGraw defeated the Great Kabuki, Gary Hart, & the Magic Dragon NWA US Champion Greg Valentine defeated Mid-Atlantic TV Champion Jos LeDuc Jack & Jerry Brisco defeated NWA Tag Team Champions Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood and Sgt. Slaughter & Don Kernodle in a round robin tournament; the Briscos defeated Steamboat & Youngblood via disqualification in the final match JCP @ Charlotte, NC - May 28, 1983 (4,114) Gene Anderson & Rene Goulet defeated Mike Davis & Keith Larsen Vinnie Valentino defeated Masa Fuchi Bob Orton Jr. defeated Bill White Wahoo McDaniel defeated the Magic Dragon Mid-Atlantic TV Champion the Great Kabuki defeated Jimmy Valiant via count-out NWA Tag Team Champions Ricky Steamobat & Jay Youngblood defeated Jack & Jerry Brisco NWA US Champion Greg Valentine defeated NWA World Champion Ric Flair via disqualification JCP @ Charlotte, NC - Coliseum - June 25, 1983 Rick McCord defeated Masa Fuchi Mike Rotundo defeated Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Champion Kelly Kiniski Jos LeDuc defeated Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Champion the One Man Gang Jake Roberts defeated Bob Orton Jr. Rufus R. Jones defeated the Magic Dragon Mid-Atlantic TV Champion the Great Kabuki defeated Jimmy Valiant Ric Flair & Roddy Piper defeated NWA US Champion Greg Valentine & Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion Dory Funk Jr. NWA Tag Team Champions Jack & Jerry Brisco defeated Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood JCP @ Charlotte, NC - Coliseum - July 9, 1983 (This is the one I think we have the Piper match from) Keith Larsen & Rick McCord defeated Gene Anderson & Bill Howard Assassin #1 defeated John Bonello Jake Roberts defeated Mike Davis Dick Slater defeated Jos LeDuc NWA US Champion Greg Valentine defeated Roddy Piper via disqualification NWA Tag Team Champions Jack & Jerry Brisco defeated Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood Ric Flair defeated NWA World Champion Harley Race via disqualification JCP @ Charlotte, NC - Coliseum - July 23, 1983 Rene Goulet defeated John Bonello Vinnie Valentino defeated Golden Boy Grey Dick Slater & Jake Roberts defeated Johnny Weaver & Brett Hart Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion Dory Funk Jr. defeated Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Champion Rufus R Jones Jimmy Valiant & Bob Orton Jr. defeated Mid-Atlantic TV Champion the Great Kabuki & Gary Hart in a steel cage match Ric Flair defeated NWA World Champion Harley Race via disqualification; Sandy Scott was the guest referee JCP @ Charlotte, NC - Coliseum - August 6, 1983 Assassin #1 defeated Golden Boy Grey Gene Anderson defeated Vinnie Valentino The One Man Gang & Kelly Kiniski defeated Johnny Weaver & Mike Davis Bob Orton Jr., Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion Rufus R. Jones, & Bugsy McGraw defeated Dory Funk Jr., Paul Jones, & Jake Roberts Wahoo McDaniel defeated Dick Slater via count-out Ric Flair & Ricky Steamboat defeated NWA Tag Team Champions Jack & Jerry Brisco via disqualification JCP @ Charlotte, NC - Coliseum - September 17, 1983 Brett Hart defeated Golden Boy Grey Scott McGhee defeated Kelly Kiniski The Assassins defeated Ric McCord & Keith Larsen Bob Orton Jr. defeated Johnny Weaver Charlie Brown defeated Mid-Atlantic TV Champion the Great Kabuki NWA US Champion Greg Valentine defeated Mark Youngblood Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood defeated NWA Tag Team Champions Jack & Jerry Brisco JCP @ Charlotte, NC - Coliseum - October 2, 1983 Vinnie Valentino defeated Tom Lintz Scott McGhee defeated Golden Boy Grey Mark Youngblood defeated the Magic Dragon Gene Anderson defeated Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion Rufus R. Jones Baron Von Raschke defeated Charlie Brown Bob Orton Jr. & Dick Slater defeated Ric Flair & Wahoo McDaniel via disqualification JCP @ Charlotte, NC - Coliseum - October 23, 1983 Brickhouse Brown defeated Gary Royal Scott McGhee defeated the Ninja Angelo Mosca defeated Gene Anderson Dory Funk Jr. defeated Mark Youngblood Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion Rufus R. Jones & Bugsy McGraw defeated the Assassins NWA US Champion Greg Valentine defeated Roddy Piper NWA Tag Team Champions Jack & Jerry Brisco defeated Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood Ric Flair & Wahoo McDaniel fought Bob Orton Jr. & Dick Slater to a no contest in a No DQ match JCP @ Charlotte, NC - Coliseum - October 30, 1983 Ric Flair defeated Bob Orton Jr JCP @ Charlotte, NC - Coliseum - November 17, 1983 Brett Hart defeated Golden Boy Grey Kelly Kiniski defeated Scott McGhee Bob Orton Jr. defeated Johnny Weaver The Assassins defeated Keith Larsen & Rick McCord Jimmy Valiant defeated Mid-Atlantic TV Champion the Great Kabuki after the 15-minute mark NWA US Champion Greg Valentine defeated Mark Youngblood (sub. for Roddy Piper) Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood defeated NWA Tag Team Champions Jack & Jerry Brisco in a non-title No DQ match JCP @ Charlotte, NC - Coliseum - November 19, 1983 Brett Hart defeated Jerry Gray Kelly Kiniski defeated Scott McGhee Bob Orton Jr. defeated Johnny Weaver The Assassins defeated Keith Larson & Rick McCord Charlie Brown defeated Mid-Atlantic TV Champion the Great Kabuki NWA US Champion Greg Valentine defeated Mark Youngblood (sub. for Roddy Piper) Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood defeated NWA Tag Team Champions Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco in a No DQ match JCP @ Charlotte, NC - Coliseum - December 25, 1983 John Bonello defeated Tony Russo Vinnie Valentino defeated Gene Anderson Wahoo McDaniel defeated Barry Orton Bob Orton Jr. defeated Mark Youngblood Angelo Mosca defeated Don Kernodle The Assassins defeated Dory Funk Jr. & Rufus R. Jones via disqualification Jimmy Valiant defeated the Great Kabuki Roddy Piper defeated Greg Valentine in a dog collar match NWA Tag Team Champions Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood defeated Jack & Jerry Brisco in a steel cage match; Youngblood sustained a broken foot during the match Lots of good stuff in there. I feel like the cards are more overall interesting before fall but there's at least one match on every card I'd like to see.

I think the lesson there is to run the podcast straight without gimmicks or attempts at buzz worthy feuding.

The idea of Bryan having leverage is solely tied up with the fact that they marked him to Fox as a selling point for Smackdown, I think. I am dubious.

I got my wish on the short arm scissors in that Brisco vs Flair match. I'll take new matches from 84 with a move being used over someone in 2018 using it any day.

How much Prince Puma have you seen?

The people who usually know these things (or figure them out) are saying we just get the one match today. I've only dipped my toe in but it's JIP (only slightly? 2-5 mins, I'd say), a little over 20 mins, with 3 minutes of Ole screwing around beforehand which are absolutely gold.

Worth noting that the WCW March 1984 shows setting this up are on youtube thanks to Kris. You can see the Brisco tournament matches vs Sweet Brown Sugar and Brad Armstrong, plus Horner getting a surprise roll-up on Hawk and the Horner/Armstrong tournament match where the Roadies take out Armstrong by accident and the subsequent promo where Brisco wouldn't give Armstrong a week to recover. Plus another Brisco and Flair promo setting up the match. Always better to watch stuff in context when we have it.

Yes, but if it's just one match, at least it's that match?

To me, I think this fits nicely into your new character thread. I think fans at the time were so ga ga for the spots/pace that they totally overlook the character a guy like Psicosis put into his work with his behavior and reactions. I read reviews from the time and it feels like they're only watching half the match.

I'm a big Short Arm Scissors fan.

No

Week 21. Still nothing from Ippon/Oldbirds so they are forever united. Edger's taking a week off. Random.org says:: DR Ackerman Nintendo Logic Grimmas SmartMark15 HeadCheese fxnj Victator Matt D dawho5 JoeG jetlag, you're the odd man out. Happy to double up with you if you want though. Victor, we'll talk.

I want to make the cheap Bella joke first.

We're a couple of days away from having some sense on just what this is going to look like on a week-to-week basis. I don't know how the network works. Will we have some sense tomorrow or Weds or nothing til Thursday?

Bischoff struggling to remember the name of "Game of Thrones" but then likening Meltzer to Varys by name and calling him the "Lord of Whispers" multiple times is peak 2018.

Someone somewhere brought up Great Match Theory and I was about to write a treatise and the board gods were generous and stopped it.

Glad you enjoyed it. It's been a long weekend here. I'm going to reroll tomorrow morning. Anyone on/off?

The O'Connor/Brisco training session from the CWF episode is phenomenal. Just such cool kayfabe stuff that makes everything better (especially as it foreshadowed the finish of the non-title match). The Steinborn vs Dory match is something we had before but it's really spry and fun. The matwork in Brisco vs Matsuda is off the charts great. And the picture journey from the year before felt really special too. Good stuff.

Five minutes of Rip Rogers stalling against Adrian Street is the way to go.

Like Savage/Taker. Enough already.

Next week's are Thursday at 10 am. That'll be the first real telling sign of how this will go long-term.

Bossman was a super fun three minute b show tv worker in 00-02. He put so many little touches into such short matches.

Honestly? I thought it was executed weakly. They needed to keep the beatdown going for at least another minute to ramp up the pressure. Park and Hijo de Park pretty much just followed Los Ingobernables out, like they were overeager to get out there. It really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things since them just being there is all that matters but I was disappointed when I saw it. They were out literally six seconds after the beatdown started. All payoff, no build.