What are you watching?

[sek69]

I watched Bash 1991 out of morbid curiosity and found out it was not nearly as bad as the Skeith review made it out to be. The biggest problem of course was the whole upper third of the card got fucked up due to the Flair stuff and Scott Steiner being injured, but I thought the Lex/Barry match was really solid and perhaps Barry's last stand as a good worker before fully morphing into Blackjack Mulligan Jr physically.

[Timbo Slice]

Got a chance to re-watch 6/3/94. Some interesting things I caught this time around:

 

-Misawa's early backdrop, which was something he would do in the Kobashi match in 2003 in a very similar spot

-Just how long the control sessions were

-The small semblances of no-selling (which worked here way better than anything Kobashi ever did)

-Just how much they laid things in, which reminded me of the first time I went back and watched Chi-Town Rumble after many years

-How awesome Misawa's transitions were (which helped with the best seller of all time)

 

I mostly remembered the aura of the match and Kawada's incredible stretch run where you thought he would win, but how Misawa won wasn't something I remembered right off the bat. I really wish Kawada went over here and they didn't go the Misawa--->Williams--->Kawada route, but man alive this match still resonates even 20 years later.

 

Also, please track down both the Hero/Styles ROH match from March and OMEGA tag from April between the Hardys and Briscoes. The Hardys do the best RnR routine I've seen in a long time and the finish is right out of their playbook, too. The Hero/Styles match was really well done, worked more like a big fight than a showcase match with another great finish.

[SomethingSavage]

Jericho's recent podcast with Bully Ray spiked my curiosity. I didn't remember their TLC 4 being all that monumental or memorable the first time around, but I realized how desensitized I've grown to Ladder Matches in general over the years. So I wanted to go back and give it another watch.

 

Nothing outstanding for the first few minutes. It's all typical brawling, right up until Bubba takes this magnificent header for a Bulldog spot off the ladder. And then business just picks up from there. Holy hell. Bubba's bump looked like a penguin taking a big old belly flop into the arctic waters somewhere, but it made for a tremendous visual.

 

I've mentioned how much I love Jeff Hardy's frantic, manic style of bumping before. It instantly raises the sense of danger and urgency in a match. Jeff doesn't land like someone that's trained to fall. He lands like he's been shot out of a speeding car or thrown from a rooftop. Same time? He's capable of creating these grand "moments" in time where he's airborne, and it just looks like such a masterpiece in motion.

 

So imagine my delight when Jeff takes a back body drop over the top rope, looking like a freaking bird of prey swooping down to descend on a carcass, only to CRASH violently through a table on the floor. It was breathtaking brutality, and I eat that shit up.

 

At one point, Spike Dudley does the Bret Hart sternum charge directly into the end of a ladder. Normally, that's not all that noteworthy. But this is Spike Dudley, and his bones look brittle enough to mash into dust upon contact. So yeah. I let out an, "Ouch" for the poor guy on that note.

 

Christian is pummeled and PUNISHED towards the end of the match. It bordered on being overkill. He takes a slam off the top and has to spread out like a freaking filleted-open starfish just to ENSURE that he lands on the ladder for a back bump. Seriously, this bump HAD to do some damage to the guy's kidneys legitimately.

 

Ditto for the suplex Jericho suffered onto the ladder. He landed with a SPLAT. As someone that's had lower back spasms in the past, it made me cringe a bit.

 

There was a miscue or something on the Chokeslam from Kane for the finish. You could visibly see Kane and Jericho talking back and forth for a bit, but it wasn't so much that it really took anything away from the effect. Keep your eyes on Jericho though & you'll see him slide over on the mat to use his feet and help brace the bottom of the ladder, so that it doesn't tip over while Kane climbs. For a second, I thought he was going to kick the ladder over & the match would continue. But nah. He was just lending a helping hand.

 

All in all, I definitely walked away from this match feeling differently about it. It certainly doesn't get talked up enough in most circles, which is really unfortunate. It's just kind of wedged in there between the first historic TLCs and the popularized Money in the Banks that followed. It's a shame, because it's got some really good stuff packed into what COULD have just been a throwaway free TV match. Everybody brought their working boots, and it's neat (to me at least) that we got to see some makeshift, oddball tag teams involved. These pairings aren't your usual longstanding teams.

 

Oh. And JR referring to the Jericho/Christian team as the TLC All-Stars was a nice touch, since they were a merging of the only two teams that had won TLC matches up until that point. It's little things like that, which JR would pick up on and mention, that I miss.

 

Also? His call of the Van Terminator, in which Ross shouts, "Kane just ate EVERY DAMN BIT of that chair!" My god. Calls like that give me chills, because they just FEEL authentic. They resonate like they come from the heart, spontaneously, in the heat of the moment. We just don't get enough of that anymore.

 

I'm not the cynical type to sit around and harp on how bad the current commentary team is, but it's REALLY noticeable when reflecting back on even the random stuff like this. It doesn't necessarily need to be a classic "Austin" call or anything. Even when it came to the subpar or under-the-radar stuff, JR had a way of elevating it with his storytelling.

[anarchistxx]

Just watched the match after your great write up – WWE conveniently has it uploaded on the official YouTube channel. Fantastic match as you say, and Jim Ross is absolutely sensational behind the desk. He adds this sense of urgency and excitement, and the realism you allude to is really prevalent, just with little things like begging the production team not to go to commercial immediately when something big is about to happen. Hearing him scream “This is sick and perverse” and truly sell the action selflessly makes me a bit sad, knowing the announcing these days, all buzzwords and endless shilling and no indication the announcers are actually enjoying the action with the fake joviality and scripted jokes. JR had an underrated vocabulary as well, for all his repetition, he always found unique ways to describe things if he was on form.

 

The match itself is way better than I remember. It is frenetic and violent and spectacular, of course, but there are also lots of little minor things that add up to make it a classic. The close up on a shade of fear that comes across RVDs face as he goes to hit the coast to coast. Kane seeming extra violent, fighting for his life alone, adding a little extra stiffness and authority to everything he did. The sneering grimace on Christian’s face as he chokes Kane out on the table. There is a story told amongst the brutal madness, with everyone knowing their character, expressing through facials and body language. Importantly nothing feels clean either, the bumps and falls are realistic and not overly set up, the falls are clumsy and painful. Conveying chaos whilst being in total control is a real art.

 

Add that to the fantastic bumps, the non stop action, the molten crowd, just an incredibly entertaining match, which makes you wonder why they don’t pull out the stops more on Raw these days. You probably have more consistently ‘good’ wrestling matches now, but they are definitely more predictable and homogenous compared to the variety you would get back then; a sluggish brawl here, a crazy ladder match there, a tedious HHH main event or a high flying cruiserweight sprint, a Kurt Angle style go-go-go ‘clinic’ next to a Brock Lesnar beatdown.

 

Jeff Hardy is such a case of wasted talent. He could have been on top for years, with his natural charisma and connection with the crowd, and his idiosyncratic offence and bumping style.

[Blazer]

Watching the two Hogan/Race "Texas Death Matches" from post-WMIII in '87. First match is at MSG. Rematch at Boston Garden.

 

Race makes Hogan look like a million dollars, and Hogan is completely fun to watch. These are really good brawls, perhaps some of the best stuff Hogan has done since his early '84 matches after winning the title.

[BruiserBrody]

http://culturecrossfire.com/wrestling/wrestle-war-90-wild-thing/#.U5RYHSgm-Sr

Lex Luger tries to once again wrest the World title from Ric Flair, The Steiners compete against Arn and Ole Anderson, Norman the Lunatic clashes with Cactus Jack, The Rock and Roll Express face old rivals The Midnight Express, The Road Warriors go to war with the Sky Scrapers, and Brian Pillman and Tom Zenk defend the US tag titles against Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin

 

 

Watching the two Hogan/Race "Texas Death Matches" from post-WMIII in '87. First match is at MSG. Rematch at Boston Garden.

 

Race makes Hogan look like a million dollars, and Hogan is completely fun to watch. These are really good brawls, perhaps some of the best stuff Hogan has done since his early '84 matches after winning the title.

Are these the CHV matches that played back to back and had almost all the same spots?

[Blazer]

Yep - same ending. Very odd.

[BruiserBrody]

http://culturecrossfire.com/wrestling/the-monday-night-wars-week-20-january-15th-1996/#.U5b9Wygm-So

WCW has week 20 of Lex Luger, Sting, Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage bickering+ Sting vs. Ric Flair and Randy Savage vs. Lex Luger. RAW counters with A Dead Man vs. A Dentist and Goldust ramping up the homosexual overtones.

[SomethingSavage]

I've kind of been caught up in this phase of just plugging in random matches here & there, whenever the schedule permits for now. I'm actually enjoying it, as it gives me a chance to watch a wider variety of wrestling in a shorter span - not trying to force my way through entire cards at a time.

I gave Brock Lesnar versus Hulk Hogan from SmackDown 2002 another look. I didn't even remember about the detail that Brock put his title shot at SummerSlam on the line for this one, but yeah. It packed a grander "big match" feel with or without any of that. For a free TV match, this had the buzz and aura of a "Clash of the Titans" type of collision. And that's what you want when two major superstars engage in a showdown.

They kept things simple, but everything made sense. It's just two big guys laying into each other for the most part. Lesnar's elbow drops literally lifted Hulk up off the mat upon recoil at one point, which I dug. Just a neat visual to see that sort of impact on such an elementary move.

Hulk's big boot to set up the Atomic Leg Drop was incredibly weak though. Hate to say it, because his punches actually had a lot more "UMPH" behind 'em leading up to that.

Oh, but there's the stunning sight of Hulk freaking Hogan eating a big old running Powerbomb out of the corner. So that pretty much eclipses the weaker-than-wet-tissue kicks to the face for me.

Hogan's comeback was his typical routine, but his reaction to Brock powering out of the pinfall attempt off the Leg Drop was AWESOME.

Hulk goes full-on, over-the-top 80's HULKA-HARD SELL for it, getting wide-eyed and doing the head swivel in utter disbelief. It's one of those things that is easy to cast aside as being lame and outdated, but nah. I don't care. It feels do darn right in THAT moment. It's excitement, and it CAN feel like a genuine, raw reaction when done right.

The finishing stretch is quite good for a Hogan bout, too. There are counters that lead to counters. There's Heyman getting slugged, which I just love. It brought a moment of nostalgia to mind when Hulk would bump around the managers left, right, front, & center. Oh, and there's the F-5.

Part of me wants to like the bear hug as the choice for Brock's submission here, but it almost always looks so odd & out of place when it's done to a taller guy like Hulk. His legs should've gone limp long before his arms. I know that's nitpicking, but it would be one of those things that even the most casual viewer would pick up on - even if they couldn't quite explain WHY or put it into words, they'd still know it just didn't look right for him to be standing there, yet somehow unconscious.

Of course, the real story is the post-match punishment. Man, Brock puts a HURTIN' on Hulk. It's easy to see why Brock caught on so fast, so huge when looking back at even his earliest work. The guy just brings this amplified intensity and sense of energy to EVERYTHING he does. With the bear hug, he clinches and clutches tighter & tighter - squeezing the life from Hulk, and slinging & trashing around back & forth like an enraged attack dog. Or a gator trying to devour some deer carcass or something that's every bit as big as the gator. It's crazy, but it's an enticing image that sticks with you.

And that's really the story of this match. It's highly effective in elevating Lesnar and providing fans with a moment that really STICKS with you & stands the test of time. The idea that they actually produced a pretty solid match in the meantime? That's a bonus.

Just a throwaway thought that entered my mind when watching the match though - Austin walked out on RAW when proposed with the idea to lose to Lesnar for free TV with no program or buildup. Here's Hulk, a month or so later, doing precisely the same job that was proposed to Austin. Anyone have any thoughts as to why?

I've heard the motivation was that Hogan had the idea in mind that they'd come back and do return matches with a "redemption" program for Hulk and Brock down the line. And that's a realistic theory to me. Totally believable. And, outside of Hulk actually wanting to WIN said rematch(es), I can't really think of why they didn't at least attempt to milk a big money match or two out of the deal.

Same situation COULD have applied to Austin, of course. But I don't fault the guy at all for feeling like it was a wasted opportunity to do big business at the time.

And, to be honest, Hulk was losing a LOT during this period. I know most people think of that as the way it should be with older guys, but I think there are special cases for folks of Hogan's reputation and stature. When you have someone like Hulk lose too frequently to too many people, it just devalues the whole idea and loses purpose.

That wasn't the case here, but some of that goes back to just how strong they pushed the post-match beat down and everything also.

Samoa Joe vs. Jay Briscoe - ROH World Championship Steel Cage Match was another random one I watched recently. It's crammed with SOME unnecessary stuff, but it's nothing too excessive. The early cat & mouse game is tremendous. And the structure & storytelling actually ends up being one of the best Steel Cage Matches I've seen put on in recent times. It captures the key elements of old Cage Match encounters and blends them nicely with all the frenzied, frantic violence of the modern day indies. It's good stuff. It's suspense in a fence!

From a big picture perspective, bell to bell, the match tells a GREAT story of champion & challenger waging war inside the cage. The narrative is simple, but everything makes sense.

The punishment that Joe puts on Jay is brutal but beyond fun to watch. I will say that the ring is still extra "bouncy" at this stage of ROH, and it honestly distracts from some of the bigger moments & spots in the match. Other than that? It all wraps up nicely towards the finish, with Samoa Joe busting out a twisting Muscle Buster from the top.

The treatment of respect and honor at the end is one of those things I really remember enjoying about ROH around this time. Plus the visual of Jay receiving immediate attention & soaking up his blood with the towel? Yeah. I'm a sucker for the small stuff like that.

So yeah. Plenty of diversity and disparity in what I'm watching lately.

[goc]

Hulk wanted to win the Lesnar rematch which is why it didn't happen.

[BruiserBrody]

http://culturecrossfire.com/wrestling/from-the-wwe-network-the-best-of-old-school-house-shows-vol-5/#.U5mc5ygm-So

Featuring: Tag Team turmoil!, Macho Man vs. Andre the Giant, The Rockers vs. Demolition, Bret Hart vs. Rick Martel, Jake Roberts vs. Rick Rude, The Ultimate Warrior vs. Mr. Perfect and reviews of some of the worst wrestling matches I've seen in a long time!

[SomethingSavage]

I really need to make it a priority this weekend to catch the latest PWG show. And I still haven't watched the semi-finals and finals from Best of the Super Juniors just yet. Christ.

I've formed this new highly addictive habit of just watching random matches, and I'm caught up in that loop lately. I'll bounce around from 80's New Japan to modern lucha, stopping to hit some ROH and whatever free matches WWE puts up on their YouTube channel in between.

So yeah. Need to take some time out for more recent stuff.

[Johnny Sorrow]

I was at that Joe/ Brisco match. It was the first ROH show I went to. I fucking loved that match and Jay bled so much they were cleaning the ring afterwards tug whole rolls of paper towels. As in, take out the cardboard tube and use an entire roll as a sponge.

[SomethingSavage]

More randomness...

 

Karl "Machine Gun" Anderson vs. Roderick Strong from Super Card of Honor 7 last year. Bleh. This was just a muddled mess to me. I really, REALLY wanted to like this match so much more going in, too. I generally dig both guys' work, but if I'm being completely honest - their matches are very hit or miss. So I guess it's not exactly unfathomable that they'd hold next to no chemistry when working TOGETHER here. And that's precisely what went down.

 

Just a complete disconnect from the get-go. No smooth transitioning. Everything felt rehearsed and prepackaged. They'd wander aimlessly to fill time. There was a sense of dead air to it, and a good chunk of the match was kind of like each guy waiting on the other to get caught up and in place for their next planned spot. At one point, Anderson drapes Strong across the barricade at ringside. Anderson then literally stops & stares at Roddy, until Strong actually adjusts HIMSELF and waits to receive an attempted Cutter. Just awkward movements & motions on everything. Nothing felt fluid at all.

 

Even the strong style no-sell, which I'm pretty high on in the right spots & doses, felt out of place and absurd here. Karl standing there with his hands down and leaning INTO the back-fists and strikes... just seemed weird. It wasn't like he was doing the "dare" thing that Elgin does either. Just standing there like a goof and eating some shots, basically waiting for Roddy to run the ropes so they could - you guessed it - set up the next spot.

 

The tease for the Cutter finish was clunky at best, too. I've seen some good reversals, counters into counters, and spin-offs done to set up the Cutter over the years. This... was not one of those times. When Anderson finally DOES catch Strong with the Cutter, I guess you're meant to care or pop for it. But it's coming off a weak string of teases, and it just seems very flat.

 

Again, I wanted to like this one so much more than I did. Ahh well. Can't all be winners, I guess.

Oh. There is one badass Bicycle Kick from Anderson on the apron. Roddy eats that boot like a champ. So there's at least that.

 

Randy Orton vs. Christian © from SummerSlam 2011. Admittedly, this one wasn't entirely random. I went out of my way to seek it out with the recent Randy thread popping up & the mentions of their feud within it. This is the big blow-off, and I actually dug it for what it was. Don't get me wrong. I get WHY Christian fans would be upset with his handling & booking throughout the feud, but come on. He's the chickenshit heel, and he played it up to the HILT. I love cowardly, seedy Christian. It's a better fit on him than the plucky underdog deal, although he's fully capable of conveying that as well. I just think it's a case of the guy being CLEARLY better suited for one role over the other. That's all.

 

Edge coming out and dumping on Christian was lame. Besides, wouldn't it have been better for Edge to show up as the guest referee instead? That way, they could tease interference on Christian's behalf, play off distrust from Orton, and question whether Edge will call it down the middle. I mean, if they've got him locked in for the appearance ANYHOW, why not make the most of it? I get that the guy couldn't take a bump, but that's not exactly a requirement. In fact, if anything, I think NOT having him take a bump is more unexpected - especially in the context of a No DQ brawl.

 

The actual match was fun though. I'm a sucker for call-back spots, and the moment where Christian had Randy sprawled out and set in place for the Con-Chair-To... only to SPIT down onto his face? Glorious. Enjoyed the hell out of it. Randy's reaction was PERFECT, too. The overkill onslaught that followed was PRECISELY what should have gone down, given the story that they'd told thus far. Randy's mental state, anger issues, etc. were a key part of WHY and HOW he lost the belt in the first place. It's only fitting that he unleashes that rage again in order to recapture the prize. Christian does a great job selling the punishment, too - flipping & flopping around in agony like a freaking frog in a blender.

 

But Christian wasn't totally outclassed. He counters and almost sets up his own comeback, but not-uh. Randy does the mid-air RKO and leaves Captain Charisma splattered across the ring steps. So yeah. The hero triumphs. The villain goes down in defeat in EPIC style. The finish was definitive. For me at least, this was a seriously SATISFYING end to their rivalry. It told a great, entertaining story. And Christian was actually able to get even MORE mileage out of it on the other side - powering forward with his "One More Match" campaign for quite awhile.

 

The only thing I'd change is some of the buildup, since I do believe the overkill comeback from Orton would've felt more justified and enjoyable if Christian had been allowed to look more like a legitimate threat going in. Winning the belt via DQ made sense from a story line perspective, but I'm just honestly never a fan of a belt changing hands that way. It set up the "spit in the face" segment of this match wonderfully, but things could have been shifted around and still made sense there. Christian could just as easily have won the belt through nefarious means (an actual pinfall or submission over Randy), then retained by tricking Orton into losing his shit and raging out with the whole "spit in the face" routine.

 

That still would have led us here to the No DQ stipulation, the overkill spot, AND with the added benefit of Christian actually looking comparable to Randy as far as skills and rep go. But I digress... For what it was, in a vacuum, the match is REALLY entertaining. Oh, and Booker knocking Edge's outfit on commentary is a nifty bonus.

 

I finally started to finish up the Best of the Super Juniors with some late night viewing last night. Hoping to wrap it up & catch the PWG event before the weekend's over.

[SomethingSavage]

Still making my way through the first few nights of this year's Best of the Super Juniors, but I took a detour to catch this week's SmackDown. Glad I did, too.

Don't sleep on this one, guys. I honestly can't recall the last single, isolated episode of WWE television that was this good up & down the card. A lot of the stuff was completely cold & simply tossed together, but it clicked. Really fun show throughout.

Wade "Bad News" Barrett vs. Roman Reigns wasn't anything extraordinary, but it's probably the best solo performance I've seen from Reigns to date. It's still a little weird to see him sell so much and fight from underneath. I've grown so accustomed to seeing him in the "secret weapon" role - just generally receiving the hot tag, doing the superman save routine, and going home with the comeback routine.

But he did okay here. Barrett is a believable guy to be putting THIS kind of punishment on Roman, so it worked well enough. No clean finish, which I think is smart. 3MB causes a DQ with their run-in, seeking revenge. They get none of it, of course - as Roman promptly lays waste to the trio. Worth watching just to see Reigns murder, death, kill Slater with an AWESOME spear in mid-air on the outside.

Sheamus vs. Cesaro just about stole the show for me though. It's a toss-up between this one and the main event, for sure. These guys REALLY brought the bruising offense, and I loved every second of it.

Cesaro carves up Sheamus with those crisp, clean-cut uppercuts. There's a spot where he just CRUSHES Sheamus' sternum with a caving kick to the chest, squashing Sheamus in the corner & setting up the always eye-pleasing facewash.

Oh, and those crossface forearms? Absolute devastation. Cesaro ROCKS Sheamus' jawline with those bad boys, time & time again. At one point, Cesaro puts so much power behind one of 'em that he literally loses his footing and falls down with the follow-through. Just a raw, roughhouse fight right here.

And that doesn't even TOUCH on the neat story line stuff they accomplished here. Heyman's pre-match promo put all the pieces into place perfectly. The finish, with Cesaro countering and using his OWN cradle - PLUS grabbing the tights? Nicely done. Extremely clever, and it ACTUALLY builds to the next logical step of their feud.

So this isn't just a series of endless rematches we're seeing, which WWE has been guilty of sending down the assembly line a lot lately. So kudos to them on that end. In fact, I think this bout actually surpasses what these guys did at Payback. Maybe I'm in the minority with that line of thinking, but it's certainly not far off.

Bray Wyatt vs. Dean Ambrose was our main event, and it delivers big time. Phenomenally fun, physical contest from beginning to end. Bray has this way of working that just revolves around bombs and brutality. All his maneuvers and motions feel like broad strokes. It's full steam ahead at all times, and it's blunt force trauma type attacks. Nothing seems like filler or meaningless time-killing, like a lot of the "punchy kicky stompy" stuff we got in the Attitude Era heyday, for example. Hard to put into words, but when I watch the guy work - it's easy to point out.

Anyway, Bray pumps plenty of violence into this thing - whether it's the spine-jarring slam against the apron or the battering head-shots against the ring post. Oh. And there's the car-crash crossbody he busts out, too. Always dig that.

Dean retaliates with some darn good stuff of his own. Big DDT, the stinging jabs, the suicide dive. You name it. There's pretty much no lull in this match. It's nonstop.

There's also this terrific visual of Dean and Bray, both on their knees, just staring across at their foe eye-to-eye. Dean's got the eyes of a wildman, and he's shouting something directly at Bray. It's a GREAT image that's ultimately doomed to get swept aside in the abundance of TV we get every week. But it's still worth noting as a neat sight to see.

I like the way they're establishing that Bray can strike with the Sister Abigail attack out of thin air now. It's much more lethal as a sudden death type kill-shot, and it adds sharper teeth to his overall persona.

Dean is excitement. Pure, plain, and simple. The guy's a bundle of energy brought to life. If Seth Rollins is quietly putting critics to rest with his confident comfort & poise as a heel, then Dean Ambrose has shouted out loud that he is ALL ACES as a babyface. His peril routine, his fiery comebacks, his selling, his timing... EVERYTHING just gels so freaking well with this guy.

It's been almost a revelation with Ambrose this year, because I never would've called it. I'm pleasantly surprised. It's sheer versatility. The guy's practically got zero downside now, and I'm stoked for the possibilities with his future. Dean's playing the part perfectly thus far. He's a loose cannon with a lit fuse. A human hand grenade. And I know fans are calling to see that villainous side of him again soon, but I personally wouldn't have it any other way for now.

Now then... back to New Japan soon, probably with another pit stop for some more WWE or ROH randomness here & there. I'll post up thoughts on the Super Juniors when (IF?!) I get through the rest of the shows.

[BruiserBrody]

http://culturecrossfire.com/wrestling/royal-rumble-96/#.U6A2D7Em-So

The Monday Night Wars come to another PPV stop...This time VADER debuts and tries to end HBK's boyhood dream in the Royal Rumble, Bret Hart collides with the Dead Man, Razor Ramon fights off Goldust's advances, Ahmed Johnson clashes with Double J and the Smoking Gunns defend against The Body Donnas.

[SomethingSavage]

Finally finished up this year's Best of the Super Juniors. I liked a lot of the matches, although I was admittedly disappointed to see Mascara Dorada do so poorly overall. The guy's a GREAT high-flying talent, and he performs some of his dives with incredible ease. Dude's smooth as butta' in the air out there. But that's a minor complaint, as the majority of the matches DELIVERED. Think the blocks could have benefited from being structured a bit differently to guarantee better matches, but what we actually got still turned out to be VERY good anyhow.

 

Taka can still go, man. Naturally, he doesn't have quite the same spring in his leaps or anything, but he's still polished enough to look like a legitimate threat out there with these younger competitors. Say what ya will, but he never seems out of place to me.

 

Taichi took this chance to make a real SPLASH. He's not on the same page as a Nakamura when it comes to charisma or showmanship or anything, but his performances are REALLY entertaining in their own right. Taichi is essentially like this Japanese hybrid of heel Eddie Guerrero, early heel Jericho, and Alex freaking Wunderkind Wright. He's got this great douchebag heel vibe to him right now, and the guy's genuinely exciting to watch. The pairing with Taka took some time to grow on me at first, but I'm really digging the stuff now. His stalling and antics don't ever tread water or feel tiresome and boring to me.

 

Throughout the tourney, Taichi played the arrogant & cocky part perfectly well, because he meshed it with this sense of danger and unpredictability. He's loose and lethargic, but it's all character work. The guy's not lazy. He's just full of himself and almost apathetic towards his opposition a lot of the time. It's hard to put into the words, but the guy's turned into a joy to watch.

 

I just hope the suspension and punishment for his "out of ring" shenanigans doesn't do him much harm in the long run. I like the shtick with Taka as it is.

 

Watching Rocky Romero and Alex Kozlov separately just reminded me how they are SO much better when paired together. These guys just don't do much for me in singles. Maybe I'm in the minority. I dig the Forever Hooligans as a unit, but individually? Not real big on either guy. Pretty much the opposite of how I feel about the Time Splitters, come to think of it.

 

I've heard people dump on Tiger Mask lately, and judging by his contributions to this tournament - I can't understand why. He brought some good stuff out in these outings, for sure. In the opening round alone, he tossed Romero around like a rag doll with suplex after suplex. Wrecked him with a suicide dive that pushed back a few rows of chairs. Ruined him with a Tombstone Piledriver. Ripped away the Black Tiger hood, and then promptly folded Romero up like a lawn chair for the decision. It was the first match that really got me revved up for the rest of the tourney, and I never necessarily saw a drop-off in quality in Tiger Mask from there to be honest. Maybe I've missed out on some of his phoned-in work though.

I even enjoyed a lot of the random Bullet Club tags we got along the way. I'm no fan of the guy, but even Bad Luck Fale plays his part well. Reminds me of The Wall / Malice back in the day. Not lighting up anybody's radar as must-watch, but he knows what to do & when to do it. And, disagree if you want, but I feel like Doc Gallows has shown drastic improvement over the past few years. He's as fun a big man worker as you're going to find out there right now.

But Tama Tonga was the one that consistently drew my attention. Guy's got a natural presence and aura of intensity to him. Most of the Polynesians seem to share the same traits and similar qualities, sure. But he's got this extra bit of the intangibles. Maybe I'm overrating it or exaggerating, but that could be because it's still fresh in my mind. It DOES make me wonder why he hasn't been approached by WWE yet though. If Camacho landed a developmental deal, then surely they'd seek out Tonga, who has a look & feel of a natural bred superstar in the making.

 

My money was on Kushida to take the whole darn thing, and I was a tad disheartened to find out we WEREN'T going to wind up getting a Time Splitters clash after all. Shame that Shelley went down to injury. Kushida still impressed and made it all the way to the finals. With the way Ricochet breezed past the semi-finals, I *kind of* thought we were going to get shades of Bigelow/Bret from KOTR '93 - with Kushida outlasting the endurance factor and overcoming all obstacles to win the prize at the end of the night.

 

I was wrong. In a dazzling display of EVERYTHING these two have in their arsenal, Ricochet and Kushida delivered a tremendous match that's worthy of being called a Best of the Super Juniors finale. Still not totally sold on the Benadryller as Ric's signature finish, but meh. That's nitpicking, I guess. I can certainly understand why the guy would want to scale back on SOME of the high-risk stuff. I'd never fault a guy for trying to take better care of his body in that sense.

 

All in all, every night of the tourney gave us something different and something exciting. No complaints on that end. The booking kept me guessing right up to the end. Ricochet is as good as anyone to fill that void left behind by Devitt, if they choose to go that route with him. I get the sense that - at this specific moment in time anyhow - Ricochet is really generating that same style of hype and buzz around him. He really feels like he's on the cusp of becoming that next piece of highly sought after international talent.

 

Meantime? No harm done to Kushida, who is still finding his identity away from the Time Splitters. Not sure how long Shelley will be out of action, but this could be the premier time to put more focus and emphasis on launching Kushida towards more significant solo outings. I'm excited to see where they go with him.

[SomethingSavage]

Been purposely going back and giving a fresh look at several Ladder Matches that feel less memorable or lost in the surplus we've experienced over the years. Just wanting to see if there are specific reasons they don't stand out to me, or if I've just forgotten about them and been swept up in the "here and now" as time marched on.

 

CM Punk © vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. The Miz - Tables, Ladders, and Chairs for the WWE Championship.

This one came at the 2011 TLC event. I went into this one totally blind, as I couldn't recall or pinpoint one single moment or spot from this match. In fact, I don't think I'd seen it since the actual pay-per-view itself. Didn't really have high hopes either. I mean, yeah. Punk's solid enough, but both 'Berto and Miz have a long track record of being VERY hit or miss for me. Anyhow, Punk was the champ going in, having just won the belt back at Survivor Series. He's still very much in rebel Punk mode, getting huge babyface reactions for the most part.

 

The announcers note that all 3 of these men are past Money In The Bank winners. So this is billed as some sort of all-stars, I guess. Funny. When I look at Del Rio and Miz, I don't think Ladder Match worker at all. Far from specialists, for sure. And it shows throughout most of the bout here.

 

Typical double-team stuff to start, with the two heels ganging up on Punk with your usual dual offense. They DO snap off a nifty double-team Hot Shot across the top rope that we don't see often enough, in my book. Nothing special, but hey. Nifty spot to throw out there, nonetheless.

 

We get a lot of the stock ladder match stuff. Punk mixes in some of his little things, like the knee strike through the ladder. 'Berto gets the best of Miz with a back drop onto the ladder, which I really think should have been reserved for Punk. It comes at a time in the match when the crowd was hungry for Miz's blood, and Punk could have benefited from the babyface redemption scenario right there.

 

There's a nice spot with Punk having Miz set up for a superplex, but 'Berto rushes over and does the run-up enziguri in the corner. Holy hell. This kick lands FLUSH to Punk's freaking face. Even has the sickening SMACK sound effect. This is something that should be getting replayed anytime they want to shine up Del Rio for a new program or something. Seriously.

 

Moving along, 'Berto FINALLY comes around to full throttle heel mode and goes all "shark that smells blood." I must say - I don't care for plenty of Del Rio's performances, but when he turns it on? It's FANTASTIC to watch him get all malicious. He breaks out some handcuffs, which brought a slight smirk to my face. Clever. Classic heel tactics.

 

Punk fires up and RIPS APART the brace of the ladder. Neat visual.

Ricardo Rodriguez eventually earns his pay, and in a pretty big way. He gets toppled off the ladder and takes a NASTY spill down through a ringside table. Christ. He PLUNGES through the wood like an ass backwards beaver with a bag of bricks strapped to his back. Just brutal. Lands with a loud THUD that'd make you believe there was nothing but concrete underneath. Refs signal that he's alright - still alive and kicking - though.

 

Miz later handcuffs Punk to the middle turnbuckle. Again, just a clever spot. And Punk plays it up, making the most of the moment and seizing the opportunity to put it over like all hope is lost. Great visual there.

 

The rest of the match is just Punk making the comeback and retrieving the belt to retain. Nothing extraordinary, but I definitely came away from this with a higher appreciation for the match itself. I mean, yeah. There's a reason it isn't talked about or rated up there among the all-time best TLCs or Ladder Matches. It's just not THAT kind of quality. But it's passable. It has some neat stuff worked into the context of the story, although I honestly feel like they could have gotten a lot more mileage out of 'Berto and Miz trying to top one another in terms of dirty deeds or something.

 

Other impressions? Well, Miz is CLEARLY outclassed as a heel by Alberto at this point. There's no wonder why he was shuffled down the card so much, to be totally honest. It wasn't just a sign of the times, because he feels so far out of place in a lot of these main events in retrospect. And that brings me to...

 

The Miz © vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler - TLC Match for the WWE Championship.

Another match from (much earlier) 2011, and another match in Miz's ill-fated main event run. Ugh. Still, I wanted to give this a fair shake and look at it through freshened eyes. So let's see what we got.

 

Nothing outstanding, which was what I expected. I did recall that there was nothing mind-blowing about the match, but I remember being excited for the story and stuff back around this time. I guess just getting Lawler back in the mix and then gearing him up for the 'Mania buildup was what I was remembering most, 'cause yeah. Nothing much here.

 

Miz manages to stand out for his sheer LACK of showmanship. For a guy that earned his spot and status for working his mouth and being "charismatic", he sure doesn't show much here. He could have channeled villainous shades of Lawler himself and done some trash-talking in the ring, but we got very little of even that. Miz cracks Jerry across the back with some chair shots that are softer than powdered pastries. And sure. The natural explanation is that he was worried about hurting the legend, but come on. Rule of thumb - if you can't execute the stuff well or properly, then it isn't worth doing.

 

Miz goes on to blow a spot with a couple of chairs. But hey. At least the setup looks like it WOULD HAVE (MAYBE?!) been a cool spot. Ya know. Had he actually connected or whatever.

 

Of course, Jerry's big comeback is the saving grace of this match for me. In a heated little moment that actually comes across as exciting and almost "in the moment", Alex Riley plays the stooge and hops onto the apron to distract Lawler. The King barrels over and SLUGS A-Ry on the jaw, knocking him straight down off the apron and down, down, DOWN through a ringside table.

 

And that's about it. Miz takes a similar bump through a table, setting in motion the finishing sequence with Cole and all that. So yeah. I came away from this one about the same, all in all.

Oh, and I'm still catching other matches at random of course. Like this little gem...

 

"Unbreakable" Michael Elgin vs. Jay Lethal from ROH Super Card of Honor VII.

I remember the buzz this one got when it first went down, so I guess I *kind of* went in with high hopes - but I also wanted to fairly judge it now that there's been some time and separation from the hype and all the message board overrating that sometimes comes with these matches.

 

But nah. NONE O' THAT HERE. Won't even lie, guys. I still gush over this one. It's just FUN. Yes. It has some faults. But it works on so many levels as this great chapter in elevating Elgin, keeping Lethal revved up & relevant, and just being a generally BADASS clash of babyfaces. It functions extremely well as a straight-laced, action-packed match that is just jammed bell to bell with a lot of energy and intensity. This isn't the story of two guys trying to cripple each other. It's the tale of two guys busting ass and breaking limits, finding out who WANTS IT more. And hey. I dig that.

 

They start off with a standoff, which is one of those things I'm just a sucker for. It's a small detail, sure. But it helps to enhance a match and make it stand out as more of a big deal, even if the moment isn't really destined to be one in the long run. Doesn't matter. It's about being in the moment here. And in this moment? These guys look supercharged and ready to wage war.

 

Lethal busts out a three-peat suicide dive spot, SQUISHING Elgin against the barricade each time. Loved that. Throw in the Koji freaking Clutch from Lethal, as well as a Black Machismo callback with the Macho Man elbow. Ohhhh yeah. I'm fully into the match at this point. Follow that later with some of my personal favorite Elgin spots, like the Deadlift Suplex and the always-awesome, SOOPAH snug Bicycle Kick to the mush. Nice, clean, and crisp.

 

The match pretty much keeps the course, up until we reach the no-selling points. Now these are tricky for me. They CAN be aggravating when they're overdone, taken too far to an extreme, or simply tossed out way too many times in the course of a SINGLE night's card. But here? I don't find fault with it. Elgin does the deal where he gets smacked around a few times and just stands there, daring Lethal to REALLY bring it and try to knock him out. That's a typical tough guy thing that I can buy into, no problem.

 

Now a little later, we start to crossover into the "this might be a little TOO much" territory, but it's not enough to really detract from my enjoyment of the match. The shit goes down when Elgin eats a Reverse Rana and is spiked on his big (balding) DAD-HAIR WEARIN' DOME. Mister Unbreakable shakes it off, rises up, and roars in Jay's face.

 

Lethal responds by rushing off the ropes and SCORING with the Lethal Injection. Here's where we get sideways a bit, 'cause Elgin rises up from THIS, TOO. I'd complain, but I like the rest of the match WAYYYY too much to nitpick on a single little thing like that one instance of going "too far" with the no-selling. So meh. Sue me.

 

PLUS, it plays into the bigger story, as we get this instantly AWESOME visual of Jay clutching onto the bottom rope, looking like it's certain dread and eternal despair in his life. He looks like a man out of options, and it's simply stupendous.

 

Finish follows up on the whole story of the match, as it's maximum, high-octane offense back to back to FREAKING BACK. How's this strike ya? Jay eats a RAPID FIRE succession of... Super Powerbomb, Spinning Backfist, and then a Buckle Bomb tucked straight into a Spinning Sitout Elgin Bomb. It's a freaking buffet of brutality, folks. I know some people might criticize this as an "indie-riffic" style finish, but nah. It's strong, for sure. But that's the point.

 

I think it ties in nicely & fits within the context of the match and their story. Fits well enough, and it works for me. It's breathtaking in the sort of way that leaves you feeling exhausted after watching a thoroughly EXCITING match that just packs the feel of a nonstop thrill ride. That's what this was for me. In fact, I'm disappointed that I haven't gone back and seen it more times now. I'll definitely be revisiting it a few more times in the future.

[BruiserBrody]

http://culturecrossfire.com/wrestling/the-monday-night-wars-week-21-january-22nd-1996/#.U6Lpd7Em-So

Another big week in the Monday night wars as VADER makes a major impact during his first televised appearance, Razor Ramon collides with HHH, Bret Hart butts heads with Goldust, Randy Savage faces Ric Flair and Sting, Luger and Hogan are all in action!

[BruiserBrody]

http://culturecrossfire.com/wrestling/the-clash-of-the-champions-32/#.U6VDZrEm-So

The MegaPowers collide with Ric Flair and The Giant! Luger and Sting battle the BlueBloods, Eddy Guerrero flies high against Brian Pillman, Public Enemy brawl with The Nasty Boyz, plus luchadores and cruiser-weights in action!

[BruiserBrody]

http://culturecrossfire.com/wrestling/capital-combat-90-the-return-of-robocop/#.U6l2krEm-So

Lex Luger clashes with Ric Flair in the Thunderdome! The Steiners defend their titles against DOOM, Tom Zenk and Brian Pillman bring their aerial assault to the Midnight Express, The Road Warriors and Norman collide with Kevin Sullivan, Bam Bam Bigelow and Cactus Jack plus ROBOCOP and other bad matches!

[BruiserBrody]

http://culturecrossfire.com/wrestling/clash-of-the-champions-11-coastal-crush/#.U6wS4LEm-So

Flair's infamous match with JYD headlines a night that also features Lex Luger vs. Sid, The Steiners against DOOM, The Rock and Roll Express colliding with the Midnight Express, Paul Orndorff taking the measure of Arn Anderson, Doug Furnas challenging Barry Windham, Brian Pillman making The Undertaker look like a beast and more!

[goodhelmet]

Watching a DDP interview from 1999 Nitro and he has a Hollywood Squares hat on. A fucking Hollywood Squares hat and it has an autograph on it. I can't make out the name but I don't think it is Shadow Stevens.

[Blazer]

Make fun of him all you want, Good Helmet. He could pull off the incredible feat of wearing a Hollywood Squares and still banging this...

 

[goodhelmet]

I'm with you. DDP was a charismatic guy.