What Are You Watching?

[Loss]

Post about matches you are watching this month here.

[PeteF3]

Making my way through the new IWE box set (1974-81).

 

Only seen a little bit and some of the matches are just hacked to death (Mighty Inoue/Mad Dog Vachon is just the last 5 minutes of a 2/3 fall title change), but the big one of this set is Verne Gagne vs. Billy Robinson in a complete, 40-minute TV match for the AWA title in late '74.

 

Really, really good--not as good as Robinson's matches with Inoki and Baba, but really good. Verne is of course physically past it but is clearly one of the *smartest* workers of the '70s, if clearly not the best. Subtle heeling on his part, with clenched fists and goading Robinson into losing his cool and making a mistake, the psychology surrounding the sleeper hold...all makes up for a very satisfying '70s mat-based match. The only two main drawbacks:

 

1.) The double-KO finish is less than satisfying...though they still build to that very well with two false finishes just before it: a near-double-countout where both guys get back in at 9.9 and another double-KO after a Verne back suplex, where Robinson recovers at the last second enough to land a hot near-fall. All 3 of those moments had the crowd thinking it was over.

 

2.) We get entirely too familiar with Gagne's rear end. Robinson yanks him off the apron by the trunks and goes a bit overboard...

 

The IWE sets are well worth picking up, at least if you're into '70s stuff. They're not going to be filled with all-time classics the way an AJPW/NJPW set would be, but they provide several very good matches (Gagne/Robinson, and Kobayashi/Kimura and Kimura/Mulligan from the first set) as well as interesting glimpses of Red Bastien, Bill Watts, and others in longish singles bouts. And all in master quality.

[anarchistxx]

Yay, watched my first match in months today.

 

Sadly, it was the last match I saw as well, Necro/Joe I.

 

Now this is actually the greatest thing ever. From the incredible calls...

 

"He just kicked him right in the fucking head"

"And yes, Rob Naylor is here in the audience tonight"

(After Necro Gets Dropped On His Head On Concrete) That's Fucking Awesome!!!"

 

Yes, all commentary should be like this. If you've seen the match you know what I mean.

 

And yes, the action is inbcredible as well, people getting dropped on their heads, fucking killing each other with shots, they just don't give a fuck.

 

This is possibly my favourite match ever, I'd give it praise as high as that.

[Loss]

I'm detecting sarcasm.

[JHawk]

Right now I've got Prime Time on 24/7 and watching The Young Stallions vs. The Shadows from the Sam Houston Coliseum. Take the typical TV match from the two teams at the time and add like 12 minutes to it and that's what you get here. Nothing bad, but nothing spectacular.

[anarchistxx]

I'm detecting sarcasm.

Absolutely not!

 

No, I love this match, reminds me that wrestling can be fun. They totally look like they don't give a shit, and just kill each other.

 

This and promos from Dusty and Rock are the only sort of things I'd be motivated to watch these days.

[smkelly]

Hardy Boys vs. World's Greatest Tag Team - WWE/ECW One Night Stand - Raw Tag Team Championship - Ladder Match:

 

The best match I've seen so far this year, which isn't saying much since it's about the only match I've actually watched and cared about to remember.

 

Shelton Benjamin takes many (possible) career ending bumps in this match, and it actually had some decent psychology for a ladder match: M. Hardy holding Benjamin on the ladder so his brother could do a top rope move - Haas and Benjamin really stood out here, their selling was top notch - the bumps were fresh and unique.