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The Nomination Thread


Grimmas

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The Iron Sheik via Titans and WTBBP as well as 80s sets. How can he not be nominated?! Has great matches against Denucci, Backlund (in 79), Slaughter, Steamboat, and several other people. The greatest oversight? Good chance of making my list.

 

Via Titans: Spiros Arion, Johnny Rodz, Dominic Denucci, Prof. Toru Tanaka, Waldo von Erich, Superstar Billy Graham, Baron Scicluna, Tor Kamata, Jerry Valiant, Chief Jay Strongbow, Jesse Ventura, Ivan Putski, Hans Schmidt

 

I promise to comment in earnest on every single one of these. Not joke nominations. And every single one will get a BIGLAV rating.

 

Via WTBBP: Ranger Ross, Pez Whatley, Marcus Alexander Bagwell, Ole Anderson, Manny Fernandez, Jimmy Garvin, Jimmy Valiant

 

Via 80s sets: Sheik Adnan Al-Kasey, Greg Gagne, Doug Somers, Pat Tanaka, Brian Knobbs, Jerry Saggs, Master G / George Wells

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Todd Morton:

 

Harry Palmer vs. Todd Morton

Harry starts us off with a promo and looks to be on the verge of saying his goodbyes to the IWA faithful. Morton seizes the opportunity and attacks him from behind. Morton gets increasingly annoyed at the crowd chanting Harry on. Harry fires back for a bit and gets some added support with Mark Wolf coming from backstage. The flurry of offense is short lived as Morton goes back on the offensive and even has a moment to cut a promo on Harry mid match. This has been a squash match with Morton talking smack to the crowd between every shot and Harry writhing in pain. The crowd pops big when Harry gets a school boy as a result of Todd popping off too much. Some skinny black guy in the crowd gets so pissed off at Todd, he takes off his shirt and starts walking around the ringside area. Harry mounts his comeback and has the crowd behind him. Harry goes for a cover that has to be broken up by Hero. Wolf pounds on Morton outside a bit. Morton results to going into his trunks and retrieving a chain. He pops Palmer with that and picks up the escape victory. This was a good story driven opener match to start out tonight. The guys were given a lot of time to work with and the crowd was amped and behind Palmer throughout the match. **1/2

Todd Morton vs. Mark Wolf

I guess Wolf has already turned which is unfortunate as we have missed that but I am amped as we see one of the great rivalries in IWA-MS. Morton has some really unkind things to say about my girl Donna before the bell rings. Morton runs down Wolf before Wolf offers a quick rebuttal. Everyone is getting in jokes on Morton’s height. That never fails to not be funny in my eyes. This is a taped fist match and Morton starts the match teeing away on Wolf with some good looking punches. Wolf responds and Morton bails to the outside. Not much to say from a blow by blow standpoint here but both men punch and kick each other throughout a tough contest. When Morton takes over he keeps pounding away with rapid succession. Morton does mix it up with two big front boots to the forehead of Mark. Wolf is busted open from the damage and looking rough but still kicking out. Wolf makes his comeback and gets a nice pop from the crowd after Morton took him around ringside beating him up. Back in the ring, Wolf hits his clotheslines and pounds away on a begging off Morton. Morton is able to get out a chain and he blasts Wolf with it to pick up the victory. Another solid outing and the feeling that we have only seen the beginning of this feud. **3/4

The Resistance (Chris Hero, Mark Wolf, Todd Morton) vs. The Gold Bond Mafia (Paul E. Smooth, CM Punk, Colt Cabana)

You probably know some of these guys but let’s talk about the three lesser known competitors. I touched on Wolf a little earlier but he was always a great complimentary piece in the promotion that could be relied on in big feuds as we will see vs. Morton and especially Mitch Ryder down the road. Speaking of Morton, he is one of the top five people I am most interested in watching throughout this whole process. A person personifying qualities from Doug Gilbert and Bill Dundee, Morton is an undersized loud mouth that earns the moniker “the biggest little man in professional wrestling” by bringing legit heat and intensity to numerous feuds. Paul E. Smooth (later renamed Chuck) is the #6 guy in this match IMO but he has a lengthy run in IWA throughout the next few years. Cabana and Punk look much younger here than Hero does by comparison. Punk has just started the process of letting his hair grow out a bit. Cabana is sporting frosted tips hanging on to that trend of the late 90’s. Dave Prazak is the manager of the Gold Bond Mafia. Punk is on the mic beforehand and calls Hero a monkey, Wolf a referee and Morton a midget in a funny moment. Wolf is wearing a Disturbed shirt to prove to us this is indeed 2001. Morton starts a fight with a Brian Knobbs doppelganger as the bell rings. The opening exchange between Morton and Punk has some comedy stuff but unlike the previous two matches, they don’t let it wear out its welcome and intersperse those moments with some good wrestling exchanges. That is a key difference in making a match drag and in this case feel like an homage to a M-Pro six man from the 1990’s. Cabana and Hero come in and also have a good sequence with everything worked at a faster pace and smoother than what we have seen so far tonight. I liked the trope of tagging in Smooth and Wolf and they just bump heads instead of having an escalating sparring showdown like the previous competitors. This results in all six entering the ring and the match breaks down. Hero and Punk are now paired off on the outside. After a few minutes of this, a traditional six-man results with Morton and Smooth in the ring. The Resistance takes over on Smooth and does a good job of cutting the ring off and making frequent tags. Hero is able to hit a big time tilt a whirl suplex and the pin attempt is broken up by Punk. Todd Morton goes for one of his own but Smooth gets a hope spot by hitting a dropkick. Morton regains his bearings and takes over with a suplex as Punk rallies the crowd to start a “Hero’s a bitch” chant. Smooth hits a hurricanrana off the top rope and should have tagged out but he instead goes for the early 2000’s staple, the Bronco Buster. Wolf gets a boot up right into the testicle region of Smooth and hits a bridging back suplex. The referee counts the pin and informs the Resistance that both Wolf and Smooth are eliminated from the match due to Wolf having his shoulders down as well. Cabana and Morton start off what has now become a tag match. Hero hits a really good clothesline on Cabana and I am impressed with the fluidly these guys have shown in this match. I will reveal that I have seen some 2001 stuff so far most notably the 8/11/01 eight man tag and this has been much more cohesive and smooth than that match on last viewing. Hero mixes in some nice suplexes and the Resistance is once again in control working over Cabana. Cabana mounts a comeback by hitting an awesome piledriver on Morton that was made by him popping his head right off the mat. Cabana is able to tag in Punk and him and Hero square off. All four men enter the match with the Gold Bond Mafia firing away. Morton is able to send Cabana out and seizing the opportunity, Hero and Morton hit a backdrop/neckbreaker combo on Punk to put him away. Refreshing elimination off a nice double team move without excessive kickouts. Cabana is out there alone now and to add insult to injury, Harry Palmer returns to offer assistance to the Resistance. Hero locks on a Rings of Saturn variation submission onto Cabana but he is able to break free. A jawbreaker allows Cabana a moment of rest but Hero is able to make the tag to Morton. This doesn’t slow down Cabana who makes his comeback and hits an underhook suplex move that forces Hero to break up the pin attempt. Morton stunts the comeback with a backbreaker and double stomp to the knees. Both Morton and Hero are in the ring but Cabana pushes Hero into Morton sending Morton to the outside and allowing himself to hit a schoolboy on Hero to pin him. Morton immediately drags Cabana outside and posts him. Morton with an atomic drop onto a chair in a nasty spot. He follows that up with an elbow smash from the apron and some steel chair shots on the floor. Cabana does a good job firing back and this is not an easy role for him to be the face in considering the size advantage he has over Morton. Morton hits a splash but Cabana is able to float over and pick up the pinfall in around 23 minutes. Resistance jumps Cabana and it’s an attack until the Gold Bond Mafia makes the save with Smooth doing a wild dive onto Wolf and Hero on the outside. This match may have been a tad long and the crowd heat dwindled but it showed a lot of promise and range and was clearly the best thing on the show tonight so far by miles. ***

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I've been meaning to nominate Arkangel de la Muerte for the last day. I can't find any of his match reviews either through a quick Google search or by sifting through the WKO forum. Trust me, they exist.

 

So I'm nominating Arkangel de la Muerte based off reviews from WKO forum:

 

http://z11.invisionfree.com/wrestling_ko/index.php?

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I've been meaning to nominate Arkangel de la Muerte for the last day. I can't find any of his match reviews either through a quick Google search or by sifting through the WKO forum. Trust me, they exist.

 

So I'm nominating Arkangel de la Muerte based off reviews from WKO forum:

 

http://z11.invisionfree.com/wrestling_ko/index.php?

I'll find them later and post the thread then.

 

Edit: been very liberal about the 3 match rule which is fine. That said I really hope these last push guys get talked up at least a bit by the people nominating them.

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Nominating

 

Freelance

 

Traumas/Official 911 v. Freelance/Ultraman Jr./Jack - IWRG 3/7/10?

I liked this a lot actually. I wasn't totally enamored with all of the Trauma II v. Jack matwork as it seemed to drift back and fourth from really swank to overtly cooperative, but man was Freelance fucking great in this. To be fair Trauma II looked like a bad ass throwing fist of fury and Official 911 had some great moments, as well but Freelance was just on a whole nother level. Ultraman's dive here was pretty awesome and you hate to see a guy hit the bricks like that but I actually think the reaction of Freelance to that moment really makes the match. He immediately gets in the ring and almost seems to say "fuck it I'll have to do it myself" before rattling off a string of awesome offense on all the rudos. Obviously he gets cut off early, but he continues to rattle off explosions for the rest of the match and some of it is unreal. It's almost amazing how late he locks his legs on the final headscissors setting up the insane moonsault that wipes out 911. Just an incredibly smooth offensive wrestler who is super charismatic and really underrated when it comes to selling and structuring comebacks (I say underrated because he's still an unknown to much of the smark universe). I really liked the finishing comedy shit with Jack too, but man this was the Freelance show. Best match he's been in all year and a home run performance from him in general.

 

from Tim Evans:

 

Freelance, Golden Magic, Turbo vs Carta Brava Jr., El Pollo Asesino, Epidemia 3/24/11

This was a tecnicos showcase done right. Freelance was great like he usually his with his dives and armdrags. It's great to see Turbo in IWRG as he was the best part about PERROS and he really got to shine here. Haven't seen Golden Magic before but he had some nice flying move and did a nice moonsalt at the end of the 3rd Caida. On the Rudo side, Pollo Asesino was good in his role while the other guys were ok. Good match and it's great to see Freelance on TV. Now if only Chico Che would come back.

 

From Phil:

 

Centvrión & Freelance v Alan Extreme & Comando Negro 6/14/12

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpYus68sukU&feature=g-u-u

Great to see Freelance show up and be Freelance. There is a great moment where Freelance was backdrop and went so high that he was able to rotate and land on his feet. We also got a great pair of dives from the faces and some nifty rudo work.

 

Chico Che

 

Avisman/Gringo Loco/Trauma II v. Brazo Metalico/Chico Che/Hijo del Fishman - IWRG 2/18/10

The first part of the first fall is missing, but what is there I liked a lot more than I would have thought. Trauma II is absolutely incredible in this just beating the shit out of people. I know that is becoming a staple talking point, but here he was on a whole nother level, dropping people with rights, peppering bodyshots and sharp knees from the clinch. Loco wasn't as good here as he was last week but he was still entertaining as well. Best part of the technico team was Chico Che who had a run at the beginning of the second caida that was fun as fuck, hitting an explosion of fat man headscissors, roll throughs and diving headbutts with the heels bumping fast and hard for him. I also really enjoyed the chase scene with him and Trauma II and the finishing showdown being over almost immediately when Che gets caught in a cross armbreaker by II. Post match II continues his mauling and it's fucking great. Man he was awesome here.

 

Gringo Loco/El Hijo Del Diablo/Avisman v. Chico Che/Black Terry/Dr. Cerebro

Awesome match, definitely top ten, possibly top five for the year. Opening fall is rudo domination fall and features some serious blood loss from Terry, Cerebro and Chico Che. BTJR does an awesome job catching the gore here as there are some really wonderful shots of all of those guys throughout that really make this one feel like a war. I really love Diablo's nut kick as a defensive move any time someone tries to get the upper hand in a strike battle. Gringo Loco is a great prick as well and Avisman's headbutts look surprisingly vicious at times in this. There is a really great moment at the beginning of the second fall where Avisman comes over to cheap shot Terry and Terry gives him a "you have got to be kidding me boy" look and starts beating his ass before the rest of the rudos run over and stomp him down. The transition to offense for the "good guys" is really awesome here as Loco flies to the floor on a corner charge and they proceed to whip up on Avisman and Diablo with the inside out Cerebro dropkick and the Chico Che fat man senton. Chico Che by the way is fucking awesome in this. I'm a big mark for good big men in general, but Chico Che is one of the single most "fun" guys in wrestling and is super underrated. There is a moment in this that really feels like something out of a teen movie where the fat homely kid from the country is finally fed up of getting picked on a just snaps and starts beating the shit out of people. Seriously Chico Che is just punching people in the face and screaming and the crowd is going batshit like it's that scene in Can't Buy Me Love where Ronald Miller makes the save before the jocks beatdown Kenneth for hanging out with the cheerleaders and everyone in the school gives him a standing O. Actually I think nice fat kid getting picked on by douchebag jocks only to snap and start fucking people up is a really under explored way to structure a match in wrestling despite having real life relevance for a lot of people (and I say this as an emaciated vegetarian with a bit of a mean streak). Anyway Chico Che is awesome here and hits a couple of fat man splashes to take the second fall. Third fall is as awesome as the rest of the match with some crazy brawling, some great Terry hulk up moments, a run of awesome Chico Che shit with him gliding through exchanges, sprinting around the ring and hitting a super sweet tope during the dive segment that actually looked more impressive than the really great Loco dive that proceeded it. The moments in this when it is just Diablo and Cerebro in the ring are ultra hot and the crowd really goes nuts as Cerebro looks like he's about to put a run together and Diablo cuts him off and finishes him clean with a submission for the finish. Actually Diablo was fucking awesome in this too, begging off, picking his shots, et. Avisman was probably the least of the people in this and he was really fucking solid. This was just a great fucking match. Aside from one awkward spot with Diablo on Cerebro's shoulders that seemed to last forever until Chico Che hit the ring, this was prety much a flawless brawl.

 

 

Black Terry, Chico Che, Jack vs Eterno, Fishman Jr., Hijo del Signo - IWRG 4/11/10

This was really fun. Eterno's shit talking was awesome and made even better by the fact that Terry toyed with him so brilliantly. Jack is a guy I like more than most as his "comedy" has a douchy quality to it. Che was fucking great doing full rotation rides on the mat, hitting all his awesome fat man highspots, hitting the top rope splash on all of the heels to take a fall, and providing an awesome moment that BTJ only partially captured as you see him clinging to Signo on the floor and rushing forward violently as if he was trying to kill him. He also provided the funniest moment of the match when Eterno almost kills himself on a tope con hilo and Che just casually punts him in the ribs while the ref comes over to check and see if he's dead. There are definitely some sloppy and awkward moments in this and Fishman and Signo are guys I really could live without ever seeing again. But it was still a fun match.

 

Tiger Dalibar Singh

 

via Ohtani's Jacket thread http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?/topic/15983-the-beginners-guide-to-british-wrestling/page-6

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Nominating Rufus R. Jones


Rufus R Jones/Super Medico v. The Batten Twins


Chicky Starr, Hugo and Carlos Colon are wearing tuxes and introduce this match from what looked like another part of the arena which is something I wasn't expecting. Awesome moment early as Rufus is in a headlock and goes into his jive dance, slips out and the Batten face plants to a huge pop. The Battens are actually really good heels as they do a great job taking solid bumps and playing the fool for the babyface team. Gotta love the faces doing the heel tactics behind the refs back as the Battens freak the fuck out and plead with the fans to tell the ref what is going on. The Battens finally get in a cheap shot to the back of Rufus when he hits the ropes to take over. I loved the way Rufus sold that shot as he sold it like an old man who's back went out while taking out the trash. The Battens end up doing the switcharoo behind the refs back that the faces had been utilizing against them, but Rufus is able to fight out shortly thereafter and we get an epic hot tag with the Batten leaping to stop it and Medico going fucking nuts with fists of furry to a massive pop. Rufus knocks one of the Battens out with a headbutt and then Medico rolls through on the reverse crossbody for the pin, as The Battens claim their tights were held. Well, this was fucking awesome and it's going on the set. Kris can veto it now but it doesn't matter, because it's going to be a personal pick.


Bronca Boricua Match



One of my sole regrets with the AWA Set was not putting on this one really fun battle royal from the Showboat Era, that was admittedly not a great match, but was a hell of a lot of fun. Well this match was a hell of a lot better than that and I won't make the same mistake twice. I agree that the first part of this is pretty cluttered and not a lot of note happens, but you still have to take inventory of the situation. You've got Boogie Woogie Man coming to the ring looking like he just stumbled out of a mandatory stint in a post-prison/rehab halfway house, homeless with nowhere to go but a fist fight, carrying what very well may be a rusty hypodermic needle. Then Carlos saunters out in a Scarfaceesque track suit with no weapon in hand. A few minutes later we discover that Carlos has what appears to be some sort of spike/knife but we only know it because he stabs a guy in the head from behind in a total dick move while he's getting into the ring. You look around and there are guys with carelessly broken boards, vastly more dangerous than barbed wire, as you can practically see the splinters flying off of them. Rufus Jones and JYD are just milling around being RufusJones and JYD. Eric Embry looks even more street hustler like than Rip Rogers. So yeah there isn't a ton going on, but watching these flurry of boards being waved about but his motley crew is like a scene out of the Warriors or something. Then shit gets real when TNT has enough of Kendo's shit and just runs at him and starts clubbing him wildly with a board. Pretty much everything after that point was awesome, including the crazy train of eliminations with Colon and Rip and especially the final four. I swear to god the last five minutes of this with those four guys is among the best non-Hansen v. Colon stuff I've seen from PR. Perez going batshit with the stick was great and his elimination spot was really awesome. Then when it gets down to Ivan and Invader it turns into this totally dramatic, PR classic, with Colon and TNT leading the crowd in wild cheers for Invader. It's really back and fourth but completely awesome and you get little touches like Ivan Kollof of all people working in shots from his guard. Finish was completely satisfying and we get our post-match, fans mob the ring, Puerto Rico "moment." This ruled


Rufus R Jones v. The White Angel


Rufus R. Jones vs. White Angel Man I kinda loved this. This is all about Rufus either dancing and firing up, or selling for clubbing forearms and nerveholds. There is absolutely no reason for me to like this as much as I did but there is something about watching him do his thing that brings great joy to me. Maybe it's a South Carolina thing? In any case I loved his headbutt to the gut counter and I don't give a shit what anyone says, his double punch is a good looking spot. He even took a couple of decent bumps in this. The finish withRufus trying to escape the full nelson by walking over the top rope and Angel not breaking it huts it enough for me not to nominate it.


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These are going to be super-short reviews, but my goal is just to get a thread started for GORGEOUS GEORGE where I can elaborate more later. I have way more to say about him than this, so this is just formality.

 

Gorgeous George vs Hans Schnabel - 2/3/50

God Bless Russ Davis. He has so many quotable lines that I couldn't begin to list them all. One match I raved about a few months back was Mae Young vs Stacy in Power Pro, just because it showed Mae's command of parts of the heel act that are often taken for granted. A great heel can get tremendous heat removing jackets and other accessories before the match. I realized after watching this match where she got that schtick, and as much as I loved it when she did it, George does it so much better. The match sounds silly in description but is actually really fun and not just in a comedic way, although a large part of it is George not wanting his hair messed with and going out of his way to avoid it. When Hans finally messes up his hair, it gets a huge reaction. Not transcendant, but good build to a singular moment and worth a watch.

 

Gorgeous George vs Jesse James

It's amazing watching this guy because you really see how many aspects of heeling were taken from his act. This is a very good match that I really enjoyed both for the schtick and the substance. As an addition to his normal act, between falls, George requests and receives a tank of imported Florida air (which is beyond awesome) and we also see a lot of aggression from the guy - he has some really nice strikes and is solid on the mat. Both in this match and the other, you see a wrestler who is fundamentally very good, but who is made great because of the sheer size of his personality - it takes up the whole building, and it's awesome.

 

Gorgeous George vs Andreas Lambrakis

I've seen examples of it in the other two matches, but I think George's typical strategy is most apparent here. His goal is to anger his opponent in a way that he breaks the rules to go after him in a reckless way, forcing a disqualification. Think about Fred Phelps' family trying to egg people into attacking them so they can sue and you have a similar dynamic. In each case, he's able to win at least one fall that way. In his final fall, he tends to show the most aggression. This is laid out similarly to the Schnabel match, but is more compact.

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Any chance we could get threads for the below names? They should all have three matches reviewed somewhere at the board.

 

Bobo Brazil

Don Leo Jonathan

Gene Kiniski

Kim Duk

Kintaro Oki

Mr. Pogo

Red Bastien

Rikidozan

Tetsuhiro Kuroda

 

I am certain that Pogo and Bastien have three reviews on the board, because I've done them. Not sure about the others. Someone help me with this, because while I am trying to be liberal and error on the side of inclusion, I don't want to complete throw the established rule out either.

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