NintendoLogic Posted February 23, 2012 Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 Sometime last year, my wrestling fandom was in a state of flux. I wasn't really sure what I thought was good, and there were whole worlds out there I had little to no exposure to. So I set out to watch as many highly rated matches from as many styles and promotions as possible to provide a basis for drawing informed conclusions. Dave Meltzer and Scott Keith are probably the most prolific and well-known match reviewers on the Internet, so I used their ratings as a starting point. Loss' huge list of matches he gave star ratings to was invaluable for providing a different perspective. Also useful were the DVDVR 90s and 80s projects, Ditch's All Japan 90s Project, and the "matches you must see before you die" thread from this forum. In the end, though, I sought out basically anything that had been pimped by somebody. Now that my horizons have been significantly broadened and my perspective has somewhat shifted, I thought it would be fun to look at what I would consider the most authoritative and broad-ranging ***** match lists and see how I think the matches rated thusly hold up. Meltzer's list: http://www.puroresu.tv/forums/topic/498-wr...5-star-matches/ He didn't officially give ***** to the Dream Rush tag, but he said it was better than the 12/6/93 tag he did give ***** to, so I'm counting it. SKeith's list: http://www.freewebs.com/wrestlinglists/5.htm He has subsequently downgraded his ratings of the 2004 and 2010 Rumbles, which is a relief. Loss' list: http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?showtopic=4803 I figured I'd do Segunda Caida-style ratings and declare each match to be Epic, Great, Fun, or Skippable. My plan is to just review the matches in random order, but if anyone has any burning desire to hear my take on a particular match (and I can't imagine you do), feel free to make requests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravJ1979 Posted February 23, 2012 Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 Sometime last year, my wrestling fandom was in a state of flux. I wasn't really sure what I thought was good, and there were whole worlds out there I had little to no exposure to. So I set out to watch as many highly rated matches from as many styles and promotions as possible to provide a basis for drawing informed conclusions. Dave Meltzer and Scott Keith are probably the most prolific and well-known match reviewers on the Internet, so I used their ratings as a starting point. Loss' huge list of matches he gave star ratings to was invaluable for providing a different perspective. Also useful were the DVDVR 90s and 80s projects, Ditch's All Japan 90s Project, and the "matches you must see before you die" thread from this forum. In the end, though, I sought out basically anything that had been pimped by somebody. Now that my horizons have been significantly broadened and my perspective has somewhat shifted, I thought it would be fun to look at what I would consider the most authoritative and broad-ranging ***** match lists and see how I think the matches rated thusly hold up. Meltzer's list: http://www.puroresu.tv/forums/topic/498-wr...5-star-matches/ He didn't officially give ***** to the Dream Rush tag, but he said it was better than the 12/6/93 tag he did give ***** to, so I'm counting it. SKeith's list: http://www.freewebs.com/wrestlinglists/5.htm He has subsequently downgraded his ratings of the 2004 and 2010 Rumbles, which is a relief. Loss' list: http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?showtopic=4803 I figured I'd do Segunda Caida-style ratings and declare each match to be Epic, Great, Fun, or Skippable. My plan is to just review the matches in random order, but if anyone has any burning desire to hear my take on a particular match (and I can't imagine you do), feel free to make requests. Here are a few matches given 5 stars by Dave that aren't in that link ... 1/23/91 - Bull Nakano v. Yumiko Hotta - AJW 8/3/91 - Cactus Jack v. Eddie Gilbert, 2/3 Falls - TWA 3/7/92 - Toshiyo Yamada/Manami Toyota v. Yumiko Hotta/Suzuka Minami - AJW 4/25/92 - Kyoko Inoue v. Manami Toyota - AJW 5/16/92 - Atsushi Onita/Tarzan Goto/El Hijo del Santo v. Negro Casas/Horace Boulder/Tim Matterson - FMW in US 4/18/93 - Devil Masami v. Bull Nakano - JWP 11/30/94 - Rey Mysterio Jr. v. Juventud Guerrera - AAA I believe there are more from the 80's as well, but not entirely sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLIK Posted February 23, 2012 Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 1/23/91 - Bull Nakano v. Yumiko Hotta - AJW Nothing against this match, I actually like it a lot but seriously, Dave went 5 stars on this? At best this is maybe the 3rd best Bull match in Jan 91 alone 3/7/92 - Toshiyo Yamada/Manami Toyota v. Yumiko Hotta/Suzuka Minami - AJW This I can sorta see a little more but don't agree with either. Not even the best Toyota/Yamada tag that month Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingus Posted February 23, 2012 Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 5/16/92 - Atsushi Onita/Tarzan Goto/El Hijo del Santo v. Negro Casas/Horace Boulder/Tim Matterson - FMW in USFirstly: when the hell did FMW run in America? Secondly: how the hell did a match with that lineup manage to nab five stars? My first assumption is that Dave was there live for the show and succumbed to "people there live tend to rate a match better" syndrome. That one's an automatic request, if anyone can find it. Here's a few more requests, mostly from Scott's list, because they're not currently talked to death: -Ricky Steamboat & Dustin Rhodes vs. Arn Anderson & Larry Zbyszko (Clash of the Champions XVII, November 19, 1991 - WCW Tag Team Title Match) -Tsuyoshi Kikuchi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Minoru Tanaka & Jushin Liger (August 29, 2002 - IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title Match) -Kenta Kobashi & Homicide vs. Samoa Joe & Low Ki (Unforgettable, October 2, 2005) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Waco Posted February 23, 2012 Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 Pretty sure FMW ran U.S. once and Russia once during the period where it was in between "martial arts" and "garbage" wrestling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwxwce Posted February 23, 2012 Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 El Hijo del Santo, Atsushi Onita & Tarzan Goto vs Negro Casas, Tim Patterson & Horace Boulder FMW - 05/16/1992 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP8Fye7WnOg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted February 23, 2012 Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 Here are a few matches given 5 stars by Dave that aren't in that link ... 1/23/91 - Bull Nakano v. Yumiko Hotta - AJW I don't even remember him reviewing that. Which issue? 8/3/91 - Cactus Jack v. Eddie Gilbert, 2/3 Falls - TWA 3/7/92 - Toshiyo Yamada/Manami Toyota v. Yumiko Hotta/Suzuka Minami - AJW Pretty sure he want to ****3/4 with that rather than 5. 4/25/92 - Kyoko Inoue v. Manami Toyota - AJW If should go on the list since he did 5 it, but there should be a major asterick added: based on highly edited TV version. My recollection is that it was cut down well under 10 minutes on TV for a match that went 20+, and it wasn't even a JIP version of editing: they seamlessly cut it down to the highspots. I highly doubt Dave would have given it 5 if he saw the full commercial version of it. 4/18/93 - Devil Masami v. Bull Nakano - JWP Yeah... that's buried in the WON and hard to find. I think we were talking about it here within the last year or so, I looked it up and cited the issue. 11/30/94 - Rey Mysterio Jr. v. Juventud Guerrera - AAA Wow... I don't even remember that rating. I do wish in hindsight that I would have suggested to him that he break AAA TV out into reviews like he did with Japan. It would have been an easy thing for him to do, and made it easier to keep track of what aired. I believe there are more from the 80's as well, but not entirely sure. The 80s are really hard to track, especially in Japan, because he didn't do regular reviews of TV. He's go a stretch, like in 1986, of breaking them out... then drop it. Frustrating. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted February 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 4/25/92 - Kyoko Inoue v. Manami Toyota - AJW It was on there as 5/18/92, which was the air date. I'll get to Jingus' requests, but I plan on doing Punk/Cena first because I want to make sure to get to it before it gets taken off Youtube. Also, I can't find the Kobashi/Homicide vs. Joe/Ki tag anywhere online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLIK Posted February 23, 2012 Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 Secondly: how the hell did a match with that lineup manage to nab five stars? By being really damn awesome It's not the most famous match out thear but it has a rep and most ppl who have seen tend to think pretty highly of it Pretty sure FMW ran U.S. once and Russia once Also ran Mexico too the day before their US show. The Russian shows were in 94 during the period where it was in between "martial arts" and "garbage" wrestling. Not sure what you mean by this. Here are a few matches given 5 stars by Dave that aren't in that link ... 1/23/91 - Bull Nakano v. Yumiko Hotta - AJW I don't even remember him reviewing that. Which issue? What's weird about that is that as far as I know it only even exist via fan cam and didn't make tv. Maybe he was thear live? 4/25/92 - Kyoko Inoue v. Manami Toyota - AJW If should go on the list since he did 5 it, but there should be a major asterick added: based on highly edited TV version. My recollection is that it was cut down well under 10 minutes on TV for a match that went 20+, and it wasn't even a JIP version of editing: they seamlessly cut it down to the highspots. I highly doubt Dave would have given it 5 if he saw the full commercial version of it. Eh, I wouldn't give it 5 either but having seen the full version I can see the argument for it atleast, certainly not one for the "I can't believe it" pile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravJ1979 Posted February 23, 2012 Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 1/23/91 - Bull Nakano v. Yumiko Hotta - AJW I don't even remember him reviewing that. Which issue? I nabbed these from keithh_32's comp I helped him research and he actually did 90 through 93 and I did 94. I'd be willing to double check. 8/3/91 - Cactus Jack v. Eddie Gilbert, 2/3 Falls - TWA 3/7/92 - Toshiyo Yamada/Manami Toyota v. Yumiko Hotta/Suzuka Minami - AJW Pretty sure he want to ****3/4 with that rather than 5. Ditto for these as well. 11/30/94 - Rey Mysterio Jr. v. Juventud Guerrera - AAA Wow... I don't even remember that rating. It's in a January 1995 issue of the WON, buried a few pages deep if I recall. I believe there are more from the 80's as well, but not entirely sure. The 80s are really hard to track, especially in Japan, because he didn't do regular reviews of TV. He's go a stretch, like in 1986, of breaking them out... then drop it. Frustrating. John Another problem with the 80's is that he would do more of the "this is on par with " without explicitly typing ***** or "five stars" or some variation there of. This is why any research or attempt to do a definitive 5 star list is almost impossible, or at the very least, time consuming as you can't just skim the issues like I did, but must read every paragraph, which in the early 80's is difficult, especially before he changed his typewriter ribbon, ugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted February 23, 2012 Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 Totally agree with you: it's hard to put together a definitive list. There would be things of commercial tapes that he'd mention on the phone as being great and as good as [insert 5* match], but it never would get in the WON. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravJ1979 Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 1/23/91 - Bull Nakano v. Yumiko Hotta - AJW I don't even remember him reviewing that. Which issue? I went all the way to August 1991 and couldn't find a review, just the result. I have no idea where Keith H. got the rating from. I even skimmed the December 1991 issues for awards contender's and couldn't find a mention. *Maybe* he got this confused with the 1/4/91 Nakano/Hokuto match that did receive *****, but not sure. 8/3/91 - Cactus Jack v. Eddie Gilbert, 2/3 Falls - TWA 3/7/92 - Toshiyo Yamada/Manami Toyota v. Yumiko Hotta/Suzuka Minami - AJW Pretty sure he want to ****3/4 with that rather than 5. August 12, 1991 issue, Page 5 in the Here and There section. For the first, only the stretcher match of the 2/3 Falls (essentially 3 seperate matches) got ***** Explosive Match (Fall 1) was given ****1/2 and the cage match received ***1/2. The AJW tag did get the ****3/4 rating. Not sure why Keith H. included it either. 11/30/94 - Rey Mysterio Jr. v. Juventud Guerrera - AAA Wow... I don't even remember that rating. January 30, 1995 issue, Page 10 in the AAA section. "On Galavision over the weekend they aired two matches from 11/30 in Matamoros which had never aired before in the U.S., one of which was a ***** match with Rey Misterio Jr. winning the World welterweight ... title via DQ from Juventud Guerrera. They aired about 26:00 of a 30:00 match with them editing out of the third fall, but even so it was one of the best Lucha matches I've ever seen which says something for two guys who were both 19 at the time of the match ..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Probably not a good idea to link to my list. I'm not sure I stand by those. With the yearbooks, I am re-evaluating all of that over time. I'm not sure how much value it has at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 This is the one I don't get: * 03/09/85 Tiger Mask II vs. Kuniaki Kobayashi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Probably not a good idea to link to my list. I'm not sure I stand by those. With the yearbooks, I am re-evaluating all of that over time. I'm not sure how much value it has at the moment. Hell, regardless of when you made them, they can't be more embarassing than SK ratings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted February 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 So is the FMW match confirmed for *****? Probably not a good idea to link to my list. I'm not sure I stand by those. With the yearbooks, I am re-evaluating all of that over time. I'm not sure how much value it has at the moment. Maybe so, but it's still useful because it has matches from the 70s and non-AAA lucha, which none of the other lists do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bix Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Dave wasn't at the FMW/WWA show live. I'm not sure if he later reviewed a tape of the match but if he didn't then the rating is from Dan Farren and others there live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted February 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 John Cena vs. CM Punk WWE Money in the Bank July 17, 2011 Some tentativeness to start. Punk puts on a headlock from the collar-and-elbow tie-up and transitions to a hammerlock. Cena reverses and does a snapmare into a chinlock. Punk makes the ropes and then goes for a roundhouse kick. Naturally, this sequence prompts "you can't wrestle" chants, which Punk has fun with by asking the audience who the chants are for. Cena gets a double-leg takedown. Punk puts him in the guard, but Cena reverses into an armbar and then works a wristlock as Punk stands up. Cena running the ropes leads to a shoulderblock and a headlock of his own. More rope running, and Punk takes control with a hiptoss and dropkick and goes back to the headlock. They run the ropes some more, which ends in Cena teasing an AA and Punk teasing a GTS. Punk takes Cena down with some kicks and stomps on him in the corner. He then tries to whip Cena in to the corner (1), but Cena reverses into a whip of his own and lands a one-handed bulldog. Punk kicks out of a pinfall attempt, so Cena applies a front chancery. Punk slugs his way out but gets levelled by a clothesline. Another kick out, so Cena goes back to the chinlock and actually does a pretty good job of working it. Punk reverses with a back suplex and whips Cena into the corner (2), with Cena doing a Bret Hart-style sternum-first bump. Cena fights out of a standing headscissors and whips Punk into the corner (3) and hits a fisherman suplex. He goes for the AA again, but Punk hits a DDT. Cena kicks out of a pinfall attempt, so Punk applies a figure-four headscissors. Cena tries to counter with an electric chair drop, but Punk elbows out and throws Cena out of the ring. He then hangs Cena on the apron and hits a diving knee drop. Pinfall attempt gets two, so Punk whips Cena into the corner (4) and goes for a shoulder tackle, but Cena dodges and Punk runs into the ringpost. Snapmare into a chinlock from Punk. Cena slugs his way out and whips Punk into the corner (6). He charges after but runs into a boot. Punk blows a top rope crossbody, landing on Cena's knee, and gets two on a pinfall attempt. Cena rolls to the apron. Punk tries to suplex him back in, but Cena does a suplex of his own and Punk does a flat back bump onto the floor. Yikes. Cena rolls Punk back into the ring and goes for a pin, which gets two. Another fisherman suplex from Cena followed by an elbow drop. Emerald Frosion (!) gets two. Punk wins a slugfest, but Cena applies an abdominal stretch, which pleased me because it's a move I mark out for. Punk counters with an eye rake and hiptoss, and both men take a breather after a double clothesline. When Cena recovers, he busts out some Vintage Cena shoulderblocks. Punk swings and Cena goes for the Protobomb, but Punk flips out and schoolboys him for two. Personally, I would have preferred it Punk hadn't swung in the first place. Cena tries to whip Punk into corner, but Punk reverses (7) and goes for the high knee, but Cena dodges and hits the Protobomb. He goes for you can't see me, but Punk kicks him in the head. I find it rather distressing that you can count the examples of people doing logical counters to Cena's goofy signature spots on one hand. Running knee knocks Cena out of the ring, and Punk follows with a tope. He rolls Cena back into the ring and goes for another top rope crossbody, but Cena rolls out of the way. After you can't see me and five knuckle shuffle, Cena goes for the AA. Punk tries to counter by landing on his feet, but he lands on his ass instead. He gets some kicks and goes for the GTS, but Cena counters with a gutwrench suplex. AA attempt, but Punk gets two jumping high knees and a bulldog. Slightly botched springboard clothesline gets two. Some kicks from Punk, but Cena ducks a roundhouse kick and locks in the STF. Punk makes the ropes and hits a roundhouse kick for two. Another top rope crossbody, but Cena rolls through and sets Punk up for the AA. Punk counters with a GTS attempt, but Cena reverses into another STF. He drags Punk to the center of the ring so he can't make the ropes, but Punk reverses into an Anaconda Vice. Cena gets to his feet and finally hits the AA, but it only gets two. Cena goes for a top rope leg drop, but Punk does a powerbomb-ish counter and signals for the GTS. Cena makes the ropes and hits a hangman and then gets the top rope leg drop for two. Another AA, but Punk kicks out again. Cena goes for a super AA, but Punk elbows out and hits a top rope frankensteiner. GTS finally connects, but Cena rolls out of the ring. One interesting thing about Cena is that in big matches, he generally does a better job of protecting his opponent's finisher than his own. Punk rolls Cena back into the ring, and Vince McMahon makes his way out with John Laurinaitis. Cena pops up and locks in the STF yet again, and Vince sends Laurinaitis to tell the timekeeper to ring the damn bell. Cena releases the hold and clocks Laurinaitis, telling Vince that he doesn't want to win that way. Punk then hits the GTS and gets three. There's some post-match shenanigans with Vince trying to get Del Rio to cash in, but let's forget about all that. God damn, did they get a bonus every time they whipped each other into the corner or something? My theory is that they had everything from roughly the double clothesline on pretty well mapped out and figured they'd build up to it by working old-school NWA title match style. But they didn't have the technical chops to keep it going on the mat, so it kind of meandered a bit in the middle portion. Beyond that, I think the match would've worked better if Cena had worked subtle heel like he did against RVD at ONS. Granted, his goody-two-shoes act was part of the bigger storyline, but that storyline ended up being fucking stupid. In all, though, this is about as good as modern WWE Main Event Style gets. There was more emphasis on working out of holds as opposed to simply powering out. The transitions were mostly solid. And the big spots were effectively built up to. More importantly, it felt like a Very Big Deal, which very few matches do these days. Overall, it's the best match of Punk's career by a wide margin. It's probably Cena's as well, but I could see somebody preferring the LMS match with Umaga. Final Verdict: Great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchistxx Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 I like reviewing projects like this, but is it really necessary to have three long paragraphs recapping what actually happened in the match move for move? Might be a personal preference, but I prefer to read thoughts and analysis rather than just a description of content. In film terms, that read more like a plot synopsis than a review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted February 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Don't worry, most of them won't be nearly as long, I promise. My plan right now is to start with PBP with insights sprinkled throughout followed by a paragraph of analysis that ties everything together. Hopefully, I'll incorporate more analysis into the body of the review as I become more adept at organizing and articulating my thoughts. The PBP is largely for my benefit, as it enhances my attention to detail and forces me to consider how much of the action is really important. It is significantly more time-consuming, though, so I may switch things up at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 I never mean to do PBP when I'm reviewing stuff but I feel the need to mention every cool thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KB8 Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Yeah, I always get really long winded when I write about stuff because I want to talk about all the good bits. I'm easily pleased, so there tends to be a lot of stuff I'd throw in the "good bits" category. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravJ1979 Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 So is the FMW match confirmed for *****? It is rated ***** in the 5/25/92 issue with no mention of "reported as" or any note of a correspondent rating. It sounds like he viewed it himself. However, on the front page when talking about the biggest news story he words it something like "what is being reported as the best live show..." so who really knows if the rating is his. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisZ Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Dave would post star ratings from all of his house show guys back then so he took their word if he didn't see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted February 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Before I go into the next review, I want to flesh out the rating system in greater detail. Epic: A desert island match Great: A MOTYC Fun: A MOTNC on a typical PPV Skippable: Everything else Arn Anderson and Larry Zbyszko vs. Dustin Rhodes and Ricky Steamboat WCW Clash of the Champions XVII November 19, 1991 The story going in is that Dustin had been tagging with Barry Windham, but the Enforcers broke Windham's hand. So Dustin goes into this match with a mystery partner, who ends up being Steamboat making his surprise return to WCW. Lockup to start. Arn gains the advantage with an eye rake, but Steamboat fights his way out of a double-team, and soon all four men are brawling in the ring. The faces quickly gain the upper hand, so the heels take a breather outside (Arn: "He's just a man!"). Steamboat and Dustin start to go to work on Larry's arm, including a diving chop to the shoulder from Steamboat that JR calls a "karate thrust." At least he didn't call it a judo chop. Larry manages to make a blind tag, and Arn slugs Dustin down in the corner. Dustin comes back with a series of bionic elbows to Arn and Larry as JR likens him to Steve Avery. Holy shit, what a clumsy attempt to shoehorn a reference to another Turner property into the broadcast. Arn tags in Larry, who calls for Dustin to tag in Steamboat. Dustin obliges. Steamboat takes the advantage, so Larry slaps him and runs away. Steamboat gives chase, and Larry takes the opportunity to make the blind tag. Arn blindsides Steamboat, and we're officially into the FIP segment. Steamboat tries to fight back, but Arn cuts him off with a low blow. He then tries for a sunset flip, but Arn makes the blind tag. Abdominal stretch from Larry, which is of course illegally assisted by Arn. Dustin tries to break it up, but the ref cuts him off, allowing for more double-teaming. Steamboat counters a back body drop attempt with a facebuster and tries to make a tag, but Arn tags first and Larry cuts him off. After working Steamboat some more, Larry tags in Arn, who applies a bearhug. Steamboat tries to counter with a bodyscissors, but Arn reverses into a Boston crab. Dustin complains to the ref some more, allowing the heels to make an illegal switch. I have a soft spot in my heart for heels who don't have to cheat but do it anyway just to be dicks. Steamboat inches his way to his corner, but Arn distracts the ref, leading to one of my least favorite spots: the hot tag that the ref disallows because he didn't see it. I hate spots like that that put the heat on the ref rather than the heels. Plus, when the real hot tag comes, the pop is significantly smaller than for the initial one. Then there's the whole issue of the ref having no problem with the heels tagging sight unseen. Back to the action, as Arn goes for an axehandle off the top, and three guesses as to how that works out for him. Steamboat finally makes the tag, and Dustin is a house of fire. Steamboat makes a blind tag right before Dustin hits the bulldog, allowing him to hit Arn with a crossbody off the top. Dustin runs interference to prevent Larry from breaking up the tag, and Steamboat gets the three count. This was a classic Southern tag match executed as well as any other. Technically, there was nothing wrong with it, but it was missing that little something extra to take it to the next level. Of course, my annoyance with several of the conventions of the genre might be contributing to that conclusion. You could also take issue with the early arm work that went nowhere. Granted, Steamboat liked to fill out the opening portions of his matches with armbars and such. But when someone slams a guy's arm into the post, you kind of expect it to lead to something. In all, though, it was a fine way to spend 15 minutes. Final Verdict: Fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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