Kazunari Murakami v Enson Inoue (New Japan, 5/2/03)
This was more of a prison brawl than an actual match, but as far as six minute prison brawls go this was pretty dang fun. I had no recollection whatsoever of Enson Inoue working New Japan but I guess putting him against Murakami for his brief foray into pro-wrestling works fine. I mean why wouldn't you want to put a mixed martial artist in there with a fucking crowbarring maniac? Murakami takes a gang beating by Inoue's corner early on, ends up bleeding profusely, and his sneer as he gets back to his feet might've been the very greatest Murakami sneer in history. The palpable crowd reaction of "holy fuck this guy is truly psychotic" was both warranted and amazing. He then stands and allows Inoue to punch him several times in the face. When he wiped blood away with his hand and licked it clean I about flipped and this was maybe the quintessential Crackpot Murakami performance.
Kazunari Murakami v Mitsuharu Misawa (NOAH, 10/13/06)
Not really the wild or awesome spectacle you'd hope for, so in that sense I suppose it's a touch disappointing, but it still had enough Murakami horse shit to be fun. Unfortunately Misawa didn't seem all that interested here. On the one hand it was pretty amusing seeing him act above engaging in Murakami's antics. Murakami would try and get a rise out of him by throwing dickish jabs and gloating, outright standing on his face while Misawa lay slumped in the corner, stepping onto the ramp and beckoning Misawa to follow, but by and large Misawa played it by the book. A couple times his composure cracked and he drilled Murakami with some elbows, but if that had been Hashimoto in there he'd have taken Murakami behind the woodshed and slaughtered him. Murakami getting cut open and rising from the grave like a sneering zombie ruled though, even if this was one of those NOAH crowds that was more likely to respectfully applaud than bay for blood. And if you're not there rooting for Murakami to wreak havoc then what's the point?
Kazunari Murakami v Naomichi Marufuji (NOAH, 6/8/07)
This was the match that really sold me on Murakami. Back in the faraway time of 2007 when my stupid young self had more interest in hunting down 90s New Japan junior heavyweights or keeping up with Japanese wrestling in general, watching every single thing Murakami had ever done wasn't really a priority. A lot can change in twelve years and I remember even then, watching this on youtube or Veoh or whatever streaming site after it had been posted on the DVDVR board, knowing that Murakami was someone I'd one day come to cherish like my own son. The skinhead, the death stares, licking Marufuji's blood, the straight punches to the jaw. I mean it takes a special kind of lunacy to have a perfect hairline and willingly go bald. At that point I still actually liked Marufuji, and he was fine in this, but it was the Murakami show and it opened my eyes to a whole new world of crazy. Maybe this as much as anything shaped my tastes in wrestling going forward. So there's a story for the grandkids.
Thursday 31 January 2019
Wednesday 30 January 2019
Hashimoto v Kojima (G-1 '98)
Shinya Hashimoto v Satoshi Kojima (New Japan, 8/2/98)
This felt almost Hashimoto-v-Choshu-Lite, not just for the parts with the lariats and Hashimoto staring them in the face but also for the parts with the lariats and Hashimoto staring them in the face. But hey, if you're going to work a low carb version of a famous match-up then I'm on board with a low carb Hashimoto v Choshu. For real though, Hashimoto was stupid great in this. Any time he gets pissed off enough to double stomp someone's intestines out their mouth you know you're onto a winner. Kojima isn't particularly good nor interesting but he'll at least throw lariats that make a thud, and really that was about all Hash needed to make this work. It's never not amazing to see how Hash will sell progressive damage, how those shots take their toll over the course of a match. He is so good at it. I don't think anybody's ever held a candle to him in making those "let me stand here while you take your best swing at me" spots not look cliche or downright stupid. We've already established that he's a man of honour and a man of honour will give an adversary fair opportunity. But son, you better make the most of it because he will vaporize you if you don't. Match went up a level when Kojima started hitting elbow drops off the top, landing one across Hashimoto's knee that seemed to surprise both him and the crowd in equal measure. Kojima going after the leg made sense if for no reason other than to lessen how hard he'd be kicked in the sternum. Hashimoto's sell of it was impeccable, especially during the figure four, really walking that line between embellishment to ramp up the drama while maintaining a sense of realism. As a response he moved away from the kicks and tried to overhand chop Kojima's arm off. The way he used it in the first instance to block an attempted lariat ruled, then later he went berserk with a huge flurry right to the shoulder. I could've done without Kojima just standing up after a DDT like it was nothing, not even as a goofy fighting spirit spot, just...got up like it hadn't happened, but I guess it's still Kojima and you make peace with that fact. Hash going to the cross armbreaker to seal the deal after the previous DDTs hadn't put Kojima away was a smart finish as well.
This felt almost Hashimoto-v-Choshu-Lite, not just for the parts with the lariats and Hashimoto staring them in the face but also for the parts with the lariats and Hashimoto staring them in the face. But hey, if you're going to work a low carb version of a famous match-up then I'm on board with a low carb Hashimoto v Choshu. For real though, Hashimoto was stupid great in this. Any time he gets pissed off enough to double stomp someone's intestines out their mouth you know you're onto a winner. Kojima isn't particularly good nor interesting but he'll at least throw lariats that make a thud, and really that was about all Hash needed to make this work. It's never not amazing to see how Hash will sell progressive damage, how those shots take their toll over the course of a match. He is so good at it. I don't think anybody's ever held a candle to him in making those "let me stand here while you take your best swing at me" spots not look cliche or downright stupid. We've already established that he's a man of honour and a man of honour will give an adversary fair opportunity. But son, you better make the most of it because he will vaporize you if you don't. Match went up a level when Kojima started hitting elbow drops off the top, landing one across Hashimoto's knee that seemed to surprise both him and the crowd in equal measure. Kojima going after the leg made sense if for no reason other than to lessen how hard he'd be kicked in the sternum. Hashimoto's sell of it was impeccable, especially during the figure four, really walking that line between embellishment to ramp up the drama while maintaining a sense of realism. As a response he moved away from the kicks and tried to overhand chop Kojima's arm off. The way he used it in the first instance to block an attempted lariat ruled, then later he went berserk with a huge flurry right to the shoulder. I could've done without Kojima just standing up after a DDT like it was nothing, not even as a goofy fighting spirit spot, just...got up like it hadn't happened, but I guess it's still Kojima and you make peace with that fact. Hash going to the cross armbreaker to seal the deal after the previous DDTs hadn't put Kojima away was a smart finish as well.
Tuesday 29 January 2019
WWE Royal Rumble Cherry-Pickin'
The Rumble is one of two big wrestling shows that I still make a point of watching each year and this year's looked like a pretty awesome event on paper. I watched it with a friend and my brother and by the end we were pretty well tanked up (we even watched the pre-show so all told that was like, what, sixteen hours of hard liquor?), and on the whole I thought it delivered a fun time.
Bryan/AJ felt like a match that might've been good but I really didn't care too much about it and on a rewatch I wound up thinking it was the fifth best match on the show. The Miz/Shane tag was whatever but it had an amusing enough ending and Shane looking like he was due to keel over and die was sort of funny maybe. Women's rumble was rough for the first third, then there was a middle third that picked up a bit, and the final third brought it home really well. I haven't watched a lot of Tamina but she does not seem...good. Rhea Ripley looked pretty awesome and the Kacy Catanzaro stuff was fun, especially the spot where she slithered her way up the ring post back into the ring (even if those spots are sort of tired at this point. I mean, "both feet must touch the floor" is being taken more literally than ever and if your whole ass body is chucked out you should probably be eliminated). Becky shouting "put me in, Fit!" and Finlay being all fuck it then go on and the pop ruled. I still figured Charlotte was winning so it was a cool moment when Becky actually pulled it off. I was a wee bit worried when Becky tapped clean as a sheet for Asuka, but in fairness they've managed to book the top women's feud(s) super well the last few months so I'll believe they can continue that going forward. Men's rumble had a Jeff Jarrett appearance and by the end I was rubber enough that I couldn't even remember Nia Jax being in there elbowing folk in the mouth. Rollins winning is a bummer because he is rubbish but Lesnar managed to kill it with Finn Balor so I have a little bit of faith that he can drag something decent out of Seth. I wanted a Velveteen Dream appearance and when I didn't get one I was bummed.
Asuka v Becky Lynch
This had a solid enough first five minutes and they had some nice ideas, though it felt a bit back and forth and didn't totally grab me. Asuka paintbrushing Becky and Becky looking at her like "okay we're doing this now?" was a cool moment. I'm definitely behind Becky getting the big push and think it's awesome how she's gotten herself mega over, but a bunch of her facial expressions can be pretty hokey and I think overall she's a step behind a few of the other women. Still, this picked up when she started going for the Disarm Her and I liked Asuka's sell of the arm for a while after that, especially from the armbar under the turnbuckle bolt. Asuka looked badass here, bunch of really snug strikes and she made those that missed look like she was trying to actually connect, really making Becky work for everything. She also had a few big hip attacks and took a couple nasty bumps, especially the neckbreaker/fisherman buster off the apron that both women crashed hard and awkward on. The struggles over each submission attempt towards the end looked appropriately ragged and Asuka doing a chickenwing Cattle Mutilation was a great finish. I probably wouldn't have had Becky tap clean, but I don't see it hurting her too much and if they're serious about building Asuka back up then fair fucks.
Ronda Rousey v Sasha Banks
The Rousey train keeps on rolling and this was the best Sasha's looked in aaaaages. I was hyped for this and it totally delivered. Everything around the arm was great. Sasha had a bunch of awesome and nasty looking ways of working it over and Rousey continues to be the best seller in the company. The ringpost spot to set it up was killer just for the visual of Ronda literally punching the lights out and she really never looked back from there. She had lots of great little moments around that busted up hand/arm, like throwing punches primarily with her left hand and never being able to throw rights without impunity (and she only threw a couple before abandoning the idea anyway), climbing the ropes using only her left hand, visibly leaving it hanging close by her side -- she never let you forget it was hurt and once or twice it prevented her from grabbing a submission she'd ordinarily have no trouble locking in. Sasha had about as many of those great little moments working from above and some of it was downright Finlayish. Stomps to the hand and fingers as Ronda tried to rope break the Banks Statement, using her own ring attire to get some extra torque on the crossface (as she was selling her own arm at the same time), driving her knee into Ronda's forearm as she tried to pull herself up by the rope. That armbar where she about had Rousey's elbows touching behind her own back was fucking disgusting, then she went even beyond that by adding in the joint-manipulation and finger-bending. I haven't really been interested in Sasha for quite a while, but it looked like she held a lot of this together on the offensive and it was a quality performance from her. Bunch of other cool parts as well, like Sasha hitting a tope early then trying it again later only to be caught and dragged into the armbar, and this might've been the best Rousey's throws have looked yet, she was just whipping Sasha around the ring one-handed and Sasha was snapping into bumps like a pro. Ronda's shit talking ruled yet again and the first time she picked Sasha up she made it clear that this was for all the folk who said she couldn't wrestle. It's still kind of amazing how she'll keep finding ways to hurl herself into submission attempts - like the cross armbreaker while draped over the top rope - and she'll bust out at least one strike per match that looks like it'd cave someone's face in. This time it was a step up knee coming off the ropes, but her body punches early on looked super tight as well and at one point she got surly and front kicked Sasha straight out the ring. Dug the finish too, especially Rousey's "this is over" exclamation between the gutwrench powerbomb and Piper's Pit. Loved this. Ronda is an absolute treasure and if she really does leave after 'Mania it'll feel like one of the biggest missed opportunities ever.
Brock Lesnar v Finn Balor
Man, when Lesnar gives a shit that guy is unbelievable. And he clearly gave a shit here because this was a crazy fun nine minutes. I have no use for Finn Balor and his Lash LeRoux offence but I guess Lesnar decided he was worth working with and boy did Finn take his chance. Lesnar took all of his double stomps right in the guts and I love how he ate those three dives by letting Balor land with his entire weight across his shoulder and neck. He never caught Balor the way most folk would catch a dive, he just lowered his head and let himself be squashed by the wee human full speed somersaulting towards him. Lesnar's diverticulitis coming to bite him after those nasty table bumps ruled and when he can be bothered selling big for someone he's absolutely sensational at it. All of those grimaces, the "ah SHIT!" as he tried to pick Balor up for the German, even struggling to hoist him for an F5 gave Balor that extra bit of time to regroup and reverse it into the DDT. Crazy Lesnar Face making an appearance at the end as he tried to snap Balor's arm like a tree branch was fucking amazing. There have been more than a couple misses in there for sure, but ever since he came back with that Cena match in 2012, motivated and in-the-mood Lesnar is the best big match wrestler in America. This totally smashed my expectations to bits and it was one of the better sub-ten minute matches WWE's had in a while. It's also the most I've ever enjoyed Balor by some distance.
Bryan/AJ felt like a match that might've been good but I really didn't care too much about it and on a rewatch I wound up thinking it was the fifth best match on the show. The Miz/Shane tag was whatever but it had an amusing enough ending and Shane looking like he was due to keel over and die was sort of funny maybe. Women's rumble was rough for the first third, then there was a middle third that picked up a bit, and the final third brought it home really well. I haven't watched a lot of Tamina but she does not seem...good. Rhea Ripley looked pretty awesome and the Kacy Catanzaro stuff was fun, especially the spot where she slithered her way up the ring post back into the ring (even if those spots are sort of tired at this point. I mean, "both feet must touch the floor" is being taken more literally than ever and if your whole ass body is chucked out you should probably be eliminated). Becky shouting "put me in, Fit!" and Finlay being all fuck it then go on and the pop ruled. I still figured Charlotte was winning so it was a cool moment when Becky actually pulled it off. I was a wee bit worried when Becky tapped clean as a sheet for Asuka, but in fairness they've managed to book the top women's feud(s) super well the last few months so I'll believe they can continue that going forward. Men's rumble had a Jeff Jarrett appearance and by the end I was rubber enough that I couldn't even remember Nia Jax being in there elbowing folk in the mouth. Rollins winning is a bummer because he is rubbish but Lesnar managed to kill it with Finn Balor so I have a little bit of faith that he can drag something decent out of Seth. I wanted a Velveteen Dream appearance and when I didn't get one I was bummed.
Asuka v Becky Lynch
This had a solid enough first five minutes and they had some nice ideas, though it felt a bit back and forth and didn't totally grab me. Asuka paintbrushing Becky and Becky looking at her like "okay we're doing this now?" was a cool moment. I'm definitely behind Becky getting the big push and think it's awesome how she's gotten herself mega over, but a bunch of her facial expressions can be pretty hokey and I think overall she's a step behind a few of the other women. Still, this picked up when she started going for the Disarm Her and I liked Asuka's sell of the arm for a while after that, especially from the armbar under the turnbuckle bolt. Asuka looked badass here, bunch of really snug strikes and she made those that missed look like she was trying to actually connect, really making Becky work for everything. She also had a few big hip attacks and took a couple nasty bumps, especially the neckbreaker/fisherman buster off the apron that both women crashed hard and awkward on. The struggles over each submission attempt towards the end looked appropriately ragged and Asuka doing a chickenwing Cattle Mutilation was a great finish. I probably wouldn't have had Becky tap clean, but I don't see it hurting her too much and if they're serious about building Asuka back up then fair fucks.
Ronda Rousey v Sasha Banks
The Rousey train keeps on rolling and this was the best Sasha's looked in aaaaages. I was hyped for this and it totally delivered. Everything around the arm was great. Sasha had a bunch of awesome and nasty looking ways of working it over and Rousey continues to be the best seller in the company. The ringpost spot to set it up was killer just for the visual of Ronda literally punching the lights out and she really never looked back from there. She had lots of great little moments around that busted up hand/arm, like throwing punches primarily with her left hand and never being able to throw rights without impunity (and she only threw a couple before abandoning the idea anyway), climbing the ropes using only her left hand, visibly leaving it hanging close by her side -- she never let you forget it was hurt and once or twice it prevented her from grabbing a submission she'd ordinarily have no trouble locking in. Sasha had about as many of those great little moments working from above and some of it was downright Finlayish. Stomps to the hand and fingers as Ronda tried to rope break the Banks Statement, using her own ring attire to get some extra torque on the crossface (as she was selling her own arm at the same time), driving her knee into Ronda's forearm as she tried to pull herself up by the rope. That armbar where she about had Rousey's elbows touching behind her own back was fucking disgusting, then she went even beyond that by adding in the joint-manipulation and finger-bending. I haven't really been interested in Sasha for quite a while, but it looked like she held a lot of this together on the offensive and it was a quality performance from her. Bunch of other cool parts as well, like Sasha hitting a tope early then trying it again later only to be caught and dragged into the armbar, and this might've been the best Rousey's throws have looked yet, she was just whipping Sasha around the ring one-handed and Sasha was snapping into bumps like a pro. Ronda's shit talking ruled yet again and the first time she picked Sasha up she made it clear that this was for all the folk who said she couldn't wrestle. It's still kind of amazing how she'll keep finding ways to hurl herself into submission attempts - like the cross armbreaker while draped over the top rope - and she'll bust out at least one strike per match that looks like it'd cave someone's face in. This time it was a step up knee coming off the ropes, but her body punches early on looked super tight as well and at one point she got surly and front kicked Sasha straight out the ring. Dug the finish too, especially Rousey's "this is over" exclamation between the gutwrench powerbomb and Piper's Pit. Loved this. Ronda is an absolute treasure and if she really does leave after 'Mania it'll feel like one of the biggest missed opportunities ever.
Brock Lesnar v Finn Balor
Man, when Lesnar gives a shit that guy is unbelievable. And he clearly gave a shit here because this was a crazy fun nine minutes. I have no use for Finn Balor and his Lash LeRoux offence but I guess Lesnar decided he was worth working with and boy did Finn take his chance. Lesnar took all of his double stomps right in the guts and I love how he ate those three dives by letting Balor land with his entire weight across his shoulder and neck. He never caught Balor the way most folk would catch a dive, he just lowered his head and let himself be squashed by the wee human full speed somersaulting towards him. Lesnar's diverticulitis coming to bite him after those nasty table bumps ruled and when he can be bothered selling big for someone he's absolutely sensational at it. All of those grimaces, the "ah SHIT!" as he tried to pick Balor up for the German, even struggling to hoist him for an F5 gave Balor that extra bit of time to regroup and reverse it into the DDT. Crazy Lesnar Face making an appearance at the end as he tried to snap Balor's arm like a tree branch was fucking amazing. There have been more than a couple misses in there for sure, but ever since he came back with that Cena match in 2012, motivated and in-the-mood Lesnar is the best big match wrestler in America. This totally smashed my expectations to bits and it was one of the better sub-ten minute matches WWE's had in a while. It's also the most I've ever enjoyed Balor by some distance.
Sunday 27 January 2019
If Tenryu'd Known She was Religious then He Wouldn't Have Came Stoned to the House of Such an Angel, too Fucked Up to Get Back Home
Genichiro Tenryu v Akira Taue (All Japan, 4/9/90) - FUN
Pretty similar to their match from TV the same month, which means it had Taue punching above his station and Tenryu making him pay for it. This started with Taue getting the jump as Tenryu was being checked by the ref', taking it outside and laying into him with a chair. When Tenryu made his comeback he grabbed a headlock and a leg scissors which is about the last thing I'd have expected him to do by way of response. It was kind of cool if you look at it as him trying to contain the young punk for a minute so he can regain his bearings. After that he chopped him many times and very hard across the chest, which is about the first thing I'd have expected him to do by way of response. Tenryu is always super giving in this kind of match so Taue got to look like he could hang for a second there, but ultimately we all knew how it would end. Maybe next time, champ.
Genichiro Tenryu v Shinya Hashimoto (New Japan, 8/8/93) - EPIC
Epic, all-time level slugfest and probably my favourite of their epic, all-time level series. What a match-up this is. It's largely built around strikes, and really, if you're going to have two heavyweights work 20+ minutes of striking then I can't think of two I'd rather watch. I can't even tell you how many times I've written on this stupid blog about current day strike exchanges in Japanese wrestling and how none of them come close to Tenryu/Hashimoto. Some hit harder, some hit cleaner, but I don't think any manage to make it all mean as much. "It's about the SELLING," I'll lament. "Nobody knows how to SELL it anymore!" And beyond being an old bastard yelling at clouds because there's not enough 1993 in 2019, I watch this and think yeah, fuck it, nobody knows how to sell that shit anymore. The striking in this told its own story, and more than one of them at that. Tenryu was dismissive, ornery and frantic, depending on which stage of the match you chose to look at. Hashimoto was gutsy, defiant and relentless, depending on whichever depth of himself Tenryu's horseshit had pushed him to. It might actually be my favourite Hashimoto performance and that covers an absurd amount of ground. One of the best things I've ever read about him was written by OJ on the PWO board, probably a good few years back now. It was about how Hashimoto was a man of honour, how he had bushido, how he embodied traditional Japanese values and carried himself the way a samurai should. Tenryu couldn't give a shit about any of that and will make a fight as dirty as he needs to. Sometimes he DOESN'T need to, he'll just do it anyway because it's in his nature. That sort of comportment pushes most men to dish out receipts in kind, but besides one moment early on where he flew at Tenryu in a rage, Hashimoto held his head high and resolved to win on his own terms. I mean he still tried to kick Tenryu's pancreas into the twelfth row but at least he wasn't a prick about it. As an awesome counterpoint, Tenryu was a prick about everything. The majority of his offence for the first three quarters seemed to be booting Hashimoto in the eye socket and chopping him in the Adam's apple. He was contemptuous as was his wont and maybe part of it was seeing how far was too far. At about the midpoint Hash catches him with a hip throw that lands him right on his shoulder, and Tenryu's selling the rest of the match is outstanding. Hash is just rifling him on the arm with roundhouse kicks, trying to tear his arm off, sort of using that as a base to start landing bombs. Last five minutes are off the charts. Tenryu's desperation selling was amazing and the sequence where he counters the German with a bulldog and a koppo kick was out of this world. Hashimoto's face before it as well, teeth bared, a total "fuck you and everything about you" look as he stares down the inevitable. His final dead-on-his-feet gambit before the penultimate powerbomb was everything great about Hashimoto. Phenomenal match, even better than the last time I watched it.
Complete & Accurate Tenryu
Pretty similar to their match from TV the same month, which means it had Taue punching above his station and Tenryu making him pay for it. This started with Taue getting the jump as Tenryu was being checked by the ref', taking it outside and laying into him with a chair. When Tenryu made his comeback he grabbed a headlock and a leg scissors which is about the last thing I'd have expected him to do by way of response. It was kind of cool if you look at it as him trying to contain the young punk for a minute so he can regain his bearings. After that he chopped him many times and very hard across the chest, which is about the first thing I'd have expected him to do by way of response. Tenryu is always super giving in this kind of match so Taue got to look like he could hang for a second there, but ultimately we all knew how it would end. Maybe next time, champ.
Genichiro Tenryu v Shinya Hashimoto (New Japan, 8/8/93) - EPIC
Epic, all-time level slugfest and probably my favourite of their epic, all-time level series. What a match-up this is. It's largely built around strikes, and really, if you're going to have two heavyweights work 20+ minutes of striking then I can't think of two I'd rather watch. I can't even tell you how many times I've written on this stupid blog about current day strike exchanges in Japanese wrestling and how none of them come close to Tenryu/Hashimoto. Some hit harder, some hit cleaner, but I don't think any manage to make it all mean as much. "It's about the SELLING," I'll lament. "Nobody knows how to SELL it anymore!" And beyond being an old bastard yelling at clouds because there's not enough 1993 in 2019, I watch this and think yeah, fuck it, nobody knows how to sell that shit anymore. The striking in this told its own story, and more than one of them at that. Tenryu was dismissive, ornery and frantic, depending on which stage of the match you chose to look at. Hashimoto was gutsy, defiant and relentless, depending on whichever depth of himself Tenryu's horseshit had pushed him to. It might actually be my favourite Hashimoto performance and that covers an absurd amount of ground. One of the best things I've ever read about him was written by OJ on the PWO board, probably a good few years back now. It was about how Hashimoto was a man of honour, how he had bushido, how he embodied traditional Japanese values and carried himself the way a samurai should. Tenryu couldn't give a shit about any of that and will make a fight as dirty as he needs to. Sometimes he DOESN'T need to, he'll just do it anyway because it's in his nature. That sort of comportment pushes most men to dish out receipts in kind, but besides one moment early on where he flew at Tenryu in a rage, Hashimoto held his head high and resolved to win on his own terms. I mean he still tried to kick Tenryu's pancreas into the twelfth row but at least he wasn't a prick about it. As an awesome counterpoint, Tenryu was a prick about everything. The majority of his offence for the first three quarters seemed to be booting Hashimoto in the eye socket and chopping him in the Adam's apple. He was contemptuous as was his wont and maybe part of it was seeing how far was too far. At about the midpoint Hash catches him with a hip throw that lands him right on his shoulder, and Tenryu's selling the rest of the match is outstanding. Hash is just rifling him on the arm with roundhouse kicks, trying to tear his arm off, sort of using that as a base to start landing bombs. Last five minutes are off the charts. Tenryu's desperation selling was amazing and the sequence where he counters the German with a bulldog and a koppo kick was out of this world. Hashimoto's face before it as well, teeth bared, a total "fuck you and everything about you" look as he stares down the inevitable. His final dead-on-his-feet gambit before the penultimate powerbomb was everything great about Hashimoto. Phenomenal match, even better than the last time I watched it.
Complete & Accurate Tenryu
Saturday 26 January 2019
Jumbo v Misawa: The Rematch
Jumbo Tsuruta v Mitsuharu Misawa (All Japan, 9/1/90)
Yeah, this is the business. I think if you'd asked me ten years ago where I'd put this on an all time list I'd probably have gone somewhere around the top 20. I guess it's a decent barometer of where I'm at with the pro-wrestling these days because it probably wouldn't be within a hundred spots of that now, but even still it's a cracking match. Ageing star trying to hold onto his place in the world is one of my favourite stories in wrestling and this is mostly an awesome telling of that story. Misawa's already beaten Jumbo once. Jumbo's been blitzed by those elbows and still hasn't quite figured out what to do with all that cruiserweight offence. So he either comes up with some answers or he'll be handing over the reins long before he's ready to. Like the June match I thought the first few minutes were shit hot. Misawa throws his first elbow but Jumbo knows all too well what to expect and gets a block. Jumbo then tries his own and Misawa has that scouted...so Jumbo just knees him in the guts. Last time he couldn't deal with Misawa flying around, so this time he won't let him get the chance. The knees to the body and the clubbering looked good too, so that was a bonus. I thought the middle part meandered a bit, much like in the first match. They worked a few holds and it wasn't as if they sat in them for minutes at a time, but it didn't feel like there was a great deal of urgency to them either. A headscissors, an abdominal stretch, Jumbo wearing Misawa down without it ever really grabbing me. There were a few cool moments sprinkled in, though. They play off the finish to the first match with the roles reversed, this time Jumbo flipping the pin attempt for a nearfall. Misawa had some of that flying to fall back on as well, like his Super Astro headbutt off the turnbuckle, and those elbows were always useful in a pinch. He came across as more of a heavyweight this time, whereas before it was a bit closer to cruiserweight stepping up a division. Then Misawa drills Jumbo in the ear one time too many and Jumbo goes apeshit. He didn't survive two years of Tenryu chopping him in the throat only to have his brains scrambled by the new kid's elbows. The new kid had even been Jumbo's understudy for chrissakes! He just batters Misawa all over the place, slams him over a table, hits him with a chair, dismissively chucks him through the ropes when Misawa makes it back in. The crowd can boo if they want but Jumbo's had enough and it's time for this foolishness to end. Everything that comes after this is pretty tremendous. Jumbo walked that line between desperation and frustration and his progressive selling for Misawa's elbows was amazing. The moment he snapped again and started throwing headbutts was doubly amazing, like a man who'd exhausted all other options and been driven to near frenzy. I loved the spot where Misawa tried the same leap off the turnbuckle from earlier only for Jumbo to finally have it scouted and drive him to the mat. Of course that little glimmer of hope is squashed not long after as Misawa catches him AGAIN coming off the top. It's like whack-a-mole where every time you get rid of one problem another one pops up. Misawa combining his two biggest weapons and hitting an elbow off the top rope was awesome, but I guess it was fitting that he went to the well once too often and it ultimately cost him. He had his own little glimmer after kicking out of the first backdrop, but Jumbo catching him with the lariat as he fires up for another elbow was a fitting way to shut him down for good. There are clear parallels between this and things like Hansen/Kobashi. Jumbo was probably as good in this as Hansen's best with Kobashi, but the best Hansen/Kobashi engaged me way more from start to finish. I think the biggest strengths of both matches is how the young guys came out looking great in defeat while the old dogs showed they weren't ready to step down. It's just that neither victory came decisively and you knew it wouldn't be long before those victories stopped coming altogether. I'd comfortably call this great, but I'm not sure it's what I really want to be watching at this stage in my fandom.
Yeah, this is the business. I think if you'd asked me ten years ago where I'd put this on an all time list I'd probably have gone somewhere around the top 20. I guess it's a decent barometer of where I'm at with the pro-wrestling these days because it probably wouldn't be within a hundred spots of that now, but even still it's a cracking match. Ageing star trying to hold onto his place in the world is one of my favourite stories in wrestling and this is mostly an awesome telling of that story. Misawa's already beaten Jumbo once. Jumbo's been blitzed by those elbows and still hasn't quite figured out what to do with all that cruiserweight offence. So he either comes up with some answers or he'll be handing over the reins long before he's ready to. Like the June match I thought the first few minutes were shit hot. Misawa throws his first elbow but Jumbo knows all too well what to expect and gets a block. Jumbo then tries his own and Misawa has that scouted...so Jumbo just knees him in the guts. Last time he couldn't deal with Misawa flying around, so this time he won't let him get the chance. The knees to the body and the clubbering looked good too, so that was a bonus. I thought the middle part meandered a bit, much like in the first match. They worked a few holds and it wasn't as if they sat in them for minutes at a time, but it didn't feel like there was a great deal of urgency to them either. A headscissors, an abdominal stretch, Jumbo wearing Misawa down without it ever really grabbing me. There were a few cool moments sprinkled in, though. They play off the finish to the first match with the roles reversed, this time Jumbo flipping the pin attempt for a nearfall. Misawa had some of that flying to fall back on as well, like his Super Astro headbutt off the turnbuckle, and those elbows were always useful in a pinch. He came across as more of a heavyweight this time, whereas before it was a bit closer to cruiserweight stepping up a division. Then Misawa drills Jumbo in the ear one time too many and Jumbo goes apeshit. He didn't survive two years of Tenryu chopping him in the throat only to have his brains scrambled by the new kid's elbows. The new kid had even been Jumbo's understudy for chrissakes! He just batters Misawa all over the place, slams him over a table, hits him with a chair, dismissively chucks him through the ropes when Misawa makes it back in. The crowd can boo if they want but Jumbo's had enough and it's time for this foolishness to end. Everything that comes after this is pretty tremendous. Jumbo walked that line between desperation and frustration and his progressive selling for Misawa's elbows was amazing. The moment he snapped again and started throwing headbutts was doubly amazing, like a man who'd exhausted all other options and been driven to near frenzy. I loved the spot where Misawa tried the same leap off the turnbuckle from earlier only for Jumbo to finally have it scouted and drive him to the mat. Of course that little glimmer of hope is squashed not long after as Misawa catches him AGAIN coming off the top. It's like whack-a-mole where every time you get rid of one problem another one pops up. Misawa combining his two biggest weapons and hitting an elbow off the top rope was awesome, but I guess it was fitting that he went to the well once too often and it ultimately cost him. He had his own little glimmer after kicking out of the first backdrop, but Jumbo catching him with the lariat as he fires up for another elbow was a fitting way to shut him down for good. There are clear parallels between this and things like Hansen/Kobashi. Jumbo was probably as good in this as Hansen's best with Kobashi, but the best Hansen/Kobashi engaged me way more from start to finish. I think the biggest strengths of both matches is how the young guys came out looking great in defeat while the old dogs showed they weren't ready to step down. It's just that neither victory came decisively and you knew it wouldn't be long before those victories stopped coming altogether. I'd comfortably call this great, but I'm not sure it's what I really want to be watching at this stage in my fandom.
Friday 25 January 2019
Back to where it all started...
Jumbo Tsuruta v Mitsuharu Misawa (All Japan, 6/8/90)
I haven't watched this in close to fifteen years. I imagine that, like a lot of people, it was my gateway to 90s All Japan. I remember reading back then about the deep storytelling and how you really needed to watch a lot of it chronologically to pick up on all the intricate details they were weaving into these matches. 6/9/95 is the pinnacle of pro-wrestling but you better check out these fifty three matches that came before it to REALLY get a handle on the tale they're telling. It was kind of carny in retrospect, but the passion folk had for writing about it was infectious and it's certainly a major reason why I started watching stuff outside of my WWF/WCW comfort zone. This always made sense as the place to dive in. You got the ageing ace of the 70s/80s and the future ace of the 90s. You got to see where Misawa cemented his spot. You got to see King's Road in its infancy. Plus you needed to see this for the sixth interaction between Misawa and Kawada in the fourteenth Misawa/Kobashi v Kawada/Taue match to truly resonate the way it should so really it was the perfect place to start. I don't remember exactly what I thought about it on last watch, never mind the very first watch. In 2019, at a point where I've mostly closed the book on 90s All Japan, I thought it had a great opening five minutes and a great closing five minutes but a middle fifteen that didn't really do a ton for me. I guess I'd rather be watching Battlarts? The opening ruled and I thought they did a solid job establishing both guys' strengths. Misawa wrestled more like a heavyweight than he did as Tiger Mask, but he only shed the hood a couple weeks ago so he still had some of those tricks up his sleeve. He had to get squirmy to escape a backdrop, reversing it into a pinning situation which I guess is a cool bit of foreshadowing for the finish. Then he went to the fake-out tope and dropkicked Jumbo into the barricade. That was an awesome spot because Jumbo obviously wasn't seeing anything like it from the heavyweights he was used to wrestling. It established a point of attack for Misawa that Jumbo probably didn't have an answer for (yet). Jumbo hitting the high knee and 'OH'ing with the crowd felt appropriately dismissive, but then Misawa slapped him across the face because he's here to stay. At that point you expect Jumbo to maul him, but they mostly settle into a steady wrestling match and Jumbo working from above wasn't the most compelling. I remembered Misawa's strikes playing a bigger role as well, especially after the six-man that started the whole thing where he was scrambling Jumbo's brains with elbows. Or maybe it was the rematch where they really played that up. I did like that Misawa's flying bailed him out a few more times in the body of the match and the big plancha to the floor down the stretch looked killer. Even when Jumbo was dominant there was always that danger of Misawa being agile enough to pull *something* out the bag. That of course plays into the finish and I still think it works really well, as does the set up with Jumbo taking the crazy bump into the ropes (which I'd forgotten about). Misawa managed to hang with him and it always felt like he was in with a chance, even if it was because of how different he was to Jumbo's most recent rivals. He may not have won decisively, but he used that athleticism to best Jumbo when he needed to and a three count is a three count. I always thought the rematch was the real classic so maybe I'll check that out again soon. I haven't seen that in about fifteen years, either.
I haven't watched this in close to fifteen years. I imagine that, like a lot of people, it was my gateway to 90s All Japan. I remember reading back then about the deep storytelling and how you really needed to watch a lot of it chronologically to pick up on all the intricate details they were weaving into these matches. 6/9/95 is the pinnacle of pro-wrestling but you better check out these fifty three matches that came before it to REALLY get a handle on the tale they're telling. It was kind of carny in retrospect, but the passion folk had for writing about it was infectious and it's certainly a major reason why I started watching stuff outside of my WWF/WCW comfort zone. This always made sense as the place to dive in. You got the ageing ace of the 70s/80s and the future ace of the 90s. You got to see where Misawa cemented his spot. You got to see King's Road in its infancy. Plus you needed to see this for the sixth interaction between Misawa and Kawada in the fourteenth Misawa/Kobashi v Kawada/Taue match to truly resonate the way it should so really it was the perfect place to start. I don't remember exactly what I thought about it on last watch, never mind the very first watch. In 2019, at a point where I've mostly closed the book on 90s All Japan, I thought it had a great opening five minutes and a great closing five minutes but a middle fifteen that didn't really do a ton for me. I guess I'd rather be watching Battlarts? The opening ruled and I thought they did a solid job establishing both guys' strengths. Misawa wrestled more like a heavyweight than he did as Tiger Mask, but he only shed the hood a couple weeks ago so he still had some of those tricks up his sleeve. He had to get squirmy to escape a backdrop, reversing it into a pinning situation which I guess is a cool bit of foreshadowing for the finish. Then he went to the fake-out tope and dropkicked Jumbo into the barricade. That was an awesome spot because Jumbo obviously wasn't seeing anything like it from the heavyweights he was used to wrestling. It established a point of attack for Misawa that Jumbo probably didn't have an answer for (yet). Jumbo hitting the high knee and 'OH'ing with the crowd felt appropriately dismissive, but then Misawa slapped him across the face because he's here to stay. At that point you expect Jumbo to maul him, but they mostly settle into a steady wrestling match and Jumbo working from above wasn't the most compelling. I remembered Misawa's strikes playing a bigger role as well, especially after the six-man that started the whole thing where he was scrambling Jumbo's brains with elbows. Or maybe it was the rematch where they really played that up. I did like that Misawa's flying bailed him out a few more times in the body of the match and the big plancha to the floor down the stretch looked killer. Even when Jumbo was dominant there was always that danger of Misawa being agile enough to pull *something* out the bag. That of course plays into the finish and I still think it works really well, as does the set up with Jumbo taking the crazy bump into the ropes (which I'd forgotten about). Misawa managed to hang with him and it always felt like he was in with a chance, even if it was because of how different he was to Jumbo's most recent rivals. He may not have won decisively, but he used that athleticism to best Jumbo when he needed to and a three count is a three count. I always thought the rematch was the real classic so maybe I'll check that out again soon. I haven't seen that in about fifteen years, either.
Thursday 24 January 2019
MS-1 v Cien Caras (ft. Satanico and Mascara Ano 2000)
MS-1 v Cien Caras (Hair v Hair) (AAA)
This was a AAA wagers match alright. Tirantes bullshit, each man's second getting involved several times, some dude having his head shaved as the victor's music and pyro blazes in the background. But hey, the Tirantes bullshit wasn't totally over the top, the involvement of each guy's second was fun as fuck, and the music and pyro blazing as the loser has his head shaved actively ruled. So this was an enjoyable hair match between two of the most charismatic old dudes in lucha. MS-1 and Satanico made for an awesome pair of thugs through those first couple caidas. Every single chance he had, Satanico would get involved. He threw pot shots, tripped up Caras when the comeback might've been on, I think at one point he even punched him in the balls. It all got a bit much for Mascara Ano 2000 and he finally jumped Satanico for his nonsense, but all that did was get himself removed from ringside. Satanico going a step too far in the segunda and also getting bounced set up the tercera as a proper showdown. In execution it felt more like the third fall of a title match, but they sold the struggle well and I'll probably never not get into a big Cien Caras deciding fall. Say whatever you want about him as a worker, but that dude has charisma out the wazoo and his death stare at Tirantes was unbelievable.
This was a AAA wagers match alright. Tirantes bullshit, each man's second getting involved several times, some dude having his head shaved as the victor's music and pyro blazes in the background. But hey, the Tirantes bullshit wasn't totally over the top, the involvement of each guy's second was fun as fuck, and the music and pyro blazing as the loser has his head shaved actively ruled. So this was an enjoyable hair match between two of the most charismatic old dudes in lucha. MS-1 and Satanico made for an awesome pair of thugs through those first couple caidas. Every single chance he had, Satanico would get involved. He threw pot shots, tripped up Caras when the comeback might've been on, I think at one point he even punched him in the balls. It all got a bit much for Mascara Ano 2000 and he finally jumped Satanico for his nonsense, but all that did was get himself removed from ringside. Satanico going a step too far in the segunda and also getting bounced set up the tercera as a proper showdown. In execution it felt more like the third fall of a title match, but they sold the struggle well and I'll probably never not get into a big Cien Caras deciding fall. Say whatever you want about him as a worker, but that dude has charisma out the wazoo and his death stare at Tirantes was unbelievable.
Monday 21 January 2019
1990 CMLL Project
Tier 1
Tier 2
El Dandy, Mogur & Popitekus v MS-1, Pierroth Jr. & Ulises (CMLL, 1/5/90)
Pierroth Jr. v Mogur (CMLL, 1/12/90)
Tier 3
Aguila Solitaria, Pantera II & Ciclon Ramirez v El Supremo, El Hijo del Gladiator & Herodes (CMLL, 1/5/90)
Angel Azteca v Emilio Charles Jr. (CMLL, 1/12/90)
Mascarita Sagrada, La Aranita & Aguilita Solitaria v Espectrito, Pequeno Goliath & Piratita Morgan (CMLL, 1/12/90)
Canelo Casas, Comando Ruso & Pánico v Ráfaga Azul, Remo Banda & Rokambole (CMLL, 1/19/90)
Angel Azteca, Super Astro & Mascara Sagrada v MS-1, Herodes & Tierra, Viento y Fuego (CMLL, 1/19/90)
Tier 4
Angel Azteca, Super Astro & Kung Fu v Emilio Charles Jr., Jaque Mate & Espectro Jr. (CMLL, 1/5/90)
La Diabólica & Martha Villalobos v Pantera Sureña & Zuleyma (CMLL, 1/19/90)
Pierroth Jr., Ulises & Super Halcon v Javier Llanes, Huracan Ramirez & Americo Rocca (CMLL, 1/19/90)
Saturday 19 January 2019
1990 CMLL Midcard Madness
La Diabólica & Martha Villalobos v Pantera Sureña & Zuleyma (CMLL, 1/19/90)
This was alright. Most of Mexican women's wrestling is a total blind spot for me so I'm pretty sure I'd never seen any of these four previously. It started out with a nice exchange between Diabolica and Zuleyma where they were really whipping each other around the ring by the arm. Villalobos looks a bit like Mr. Pogo or maybe a sister of the Headhunters. She was a lot of fun as a big bully who was really a shitbag at heart. Lots of cheapshots before hightailing it, full of hubris while not actually wanting any part of the fight. The rudos turned it into a brawl pretty sharpish and it never settled back into a fair contest after that. They were always looking for shortcuts somewhere and I think Diabolica pleaded for the tecnicos to be DQd at one point because I guess Zuleyma dropkicked her in the tiddies. Second caida had the rudos run through the full playbook of miscommunication spots as the tecnicos had them on toast. Villalobos also took a bunch of amusing timber style bumps and accidentally squashed her partner many times.
Canelo Casas, Comando Ruso & Pánico v Ráfaga Azul, Remo Banda & Rokambole (CMLL, 1/19/90)
Perfectly fine midcard trios. I'm not familiar with a few of these guys so I was interested in seeing what your Rokamboles and Remo Bandas of the world were bringing to the table. Baby Heavy Metal was pretty fun in this as he went out of his way to act like a prick and took a couple quality bumps. The rudo unit in general were all good, actually. Casas' hair is exceptional and man is that a talented family with A+ genetics. I've only seen Panico a few times but he's usually an entertaining stooge and he was again here. Ruso was only really interested in engaging when the situation suited him and of course it riled the tecnicos up from start to finish. He had a few cool exchanges with Banda, the latter taking some picture perfect back body drops, really high angle with the rotation coming right at the last second. I bet peak Ruso and Panico would be a blast.
1990 CMLL Project
This was alright. Most of Mexican women's wrestling is a total blind spot for me so I'm pretty sure I'd never seen any of these four previously. It started out with a nice exchange between Diabolica and Zuleyma where they were really whipping each other around the ring by the arm. Villalobos looks a bit like Mr. Pogo or maybe a sister of the Headhunters. She was a lot of fun as a big bully who was really a shitbag at heart. Lots of cheapshots before hightailing it, full of hubris while not actually wanting any part of the fight. The rudos turned it into a brawl pretty sharpish and it never settled back into a fair contest after that. They were always looking for shortcuts somewhere and I think Diabolica pleaded for the tecnicos to be DQd at one point because I guess Zuleyma dropkicked her in the tiddies. Second caida had the rudos run through the full playbook of miscommunication spots as the tecnicos had them on toast. Villalobos also took a bunch of amusing timber style bumps and accidentally squashed her partner many times.
Canelo Casas, Comando Ruso & Pánico v Ráfaga Azul, Remo Banda & Rokambole (CMLL, 1/19/90)
Perfectly fine midcard trios. I'm not familiar with a few of these guys so I was interested in seeing what your Rokamboles and Remo Bandas of the world were bringing to the table. Baby Heavy Metal was pretty fun in this as he went out of his way to act like a prick and took a couple quality bumps. The rudo unit in general were all good, actually. Casas' hair is exceptional and man is that a talented family with A+ genetics. I've only seen Panico a few times but he's usually an entertaining stooge and he was again here. Ruso was only really interested in engaging when the situation suited him and of course it riled the tecnicos up from start to finish. He had a few cool exchanges with Banda, the latter taking some picture perfect back body drops, really high angle with the rotation coming right at the last second. I bet peak Ruso and Panico would be a blast.
1990 CMLL Project
Friday 18 January 2019
Azteca v Emilio and Pierroth v Mogur: Title Match Friday!
Angel Azteca v Emilio Charles Jr. (CMLL, 1/12/90)
Sort of by the numbers for a title match, but then it's these two in 1990 so by the numbers is still very watchable. I thought Emilio was really fun here as he slowly lost his grip on proceedings. He didn't dominate the first caida as such, but he won it decisively in the end and you could tell he smelled blood by the way he celebrated. Then he let Azteca back into the game in the segunda - or Azteca fought his way back into it - and by the tercera he was beginning to unravel. In the primera he was willing to take a step back and regroup, where losing an exchange wasn't so critical and a mistake unlikely to be the difference between winning and losing. In the tercera, with the match on a knife edge, you could see him getting desperate. For a rudo like Emilio that meant pleading with the ref', adamant that Azteca had fouled him while everyone else in the arena saw it for what it was. A rudo starting out clean and confident before slipping into his true nature over the course of a match is a play we've seen a million times, but it's a timeless sort of theater and Emilio does it as well as anyone. More than a wonderful pro-wrestler, that man was a thespian. For Azteca, most of what he was doing early in the year kind of feels like a warm-up for the Dandy feud. It's not like he's treading water, but if you've seen the Dandy stuff then it's hard not to compare everything else to it. And not a ton compares (of course I'm hyped to check out the June match again for the first time in a decade).
Pierroth Jr. v Mogur (CMLL, 1/12/90)
This struck me as more of a fully-formed title match, though I'm not really sure how to quantify that. I guess it felt like everything carried more weight, like the impact of what they were doing was greater. Or something or other. It took me a minute to get into the primera but once I did I wasn't looking back. I've never thought of Pierroth as a mat worker. It's not that I'd have called him a bad one, it's just not the first thing that comes to mind if you bring up Pierroth. He was impressive in this, though. The mat work wasn't especially slick and it certainly wasn't tricked out, but it was rough and every time someone grabbed an arm it looked super tight. Mogur's arm wringers were brutal and Pierroth took a handful of bumps straight onto his shoulder. It was a fall that had plenty of time to build and they used that time wisely. The tercera followed suit and they upped the drama appropriately, with Mogur's dive looking sloppy and desperate and an awesome fight over a tapatia. I also loved Pierroth's low blow in the segunda. A good shot to the balls will go a long way with me and this was subtle enough that you probably missed it in real time, but on replay it was clear as day. I've always loved Pierroth and this was a side of him we didn't get to see too often. The title match, I mean. The low blow was nothing new.
1990 CMLL Project
This struck me as more of a fully-formed title match, though I'm not really sure how to quantify that. I guess it felt like everything carried more weight, like the impact of what they were doing was greater. Or something or other. It took me a minute to get into the primera but once I did I wasn't looking back. I've never thought of Pierroth as a mat worker. It's not that I'd have called him a bad one, it's just not the first thing that comes to mind if you bring up Pierroth. He was impressive in this, though. The mat work wasn't especially slick and it certainly wasn't tricked out, but it was rough and every time someone grabbed an arm it looked super tight. Mogur's arm wringers were brutal and Pierroth took a handful of bumps straight onto his shoulder. It was a fall that had plenty of time to build and they used that time wisely. The tercera followed suit and they upped the drama appropriately, with Mogur's dive looking sloppy and desperate and an awesome fight over a tapatia. I also loved Pierroth's low blow in the segunda. A good shot to the balls will go a long way with me and this was subtle enough that you probably missed it in real time, but on replay it was clear as day. I've always loved Pierroth and this was a side of him we didn't get to see too often. The title match, I mean. The low blow was nothing new.
1990 CMLL Project
Thursday 17 January 2019
Eddie/Santo v Casas/Panther (that just showed up on YouTube out of nowhere because it's Mexico and fuck it why not?)
El Hijo del Santo & Eddie Guerrero v Negro Casas & Blue Panther (Gimnasio Josue Neri Santos, 1987)
What a phenomenal discovery. It's sort of staggering that this was just lying around on a film reel or VHS or whatever and then randomly showed up on YouTube. Like, who even has all this stuff? How did they come to be in possession of it? How did nobody else seem to know it ever happened? I'll geek for just about any new Eddie Guerrero footage regardless, but this was a truly exceptional wrestling match. It was basically twenty five minutes of grappling where everyone got to pair up and really stretch out. I know Los Gringos Locos gave Eddie the launchpad to the US and eventual stardom, but after watching this I selfishly wish he'd gone to CMLL for a few years instead. He was 20 years old here, had been wrestling for a year tops, and legitimately hung every step of the way with three of the ten best luchadors ever. I had no clue he could work the mat like this so early in his career and we certainly never saw anything like it in the AAA run. Being in with Casas and Panther wouldn't have hurt and I've no doubt they were feeding him here and there, but there was a lot of this that you couldn't fake. He was adding so many cool little touches to his holds and his takedowns were super slick. My favourite part of the match was an extended spell between him and Casas that was as rugged as anything you'll see in lucha. The struggle over Eddie's belly-to-belly suplex ruled, but then they went and topped it with the fight over a butterfly suplex, Casas' shoulders being bent at disgusting angles as he tries to fight out of the underhooks, Eddie refusing to let go and eventually just muscling him over. I think I'm about ready to settle on Casas being the GOAT. He was unbelievable in this. Everything was fought for, whether it was that exchange with Eddie or his refusal to let Santo hook in anything without scratching and clawing for it first. If Santo wanted that tapatia Casas was going to make the process of applying it a miserable one. Of course all those Casas/Santo exchanges were wonderful and it peaked at the end of the first caida with Santo springboarding off his back into a rana. Santo might be the most graceful wrestler ever and all of his armdrag variations looked absolutely gorgeous. It sucked that the cameraman missed his corner tope, but there's something ridiculously cool about him torpedoing through the ropes too quickly for anybody to react in time to capture it. An awesome match and an awesome find. A big batch of young phenom Eddie Guerrero working Juarez is now probably my ultimate wrestling nerd holy grail.
Wednesday 16 January 2019
1990 CMLL...Minis!
Mascarita Sagrada, La Aranita & Aguilita Solitaria v Espectrito, Pequeno Goliath & Piratita Morgan (CMLL, 1/12/90)
Even the minis got to rule it in 1990. CMLL truly was top banana that year. And this had a bit of everything; neat matwork, fun brawling, quick exchanges, some comedy, and it got plenty of time to boot. Espectrito really feels like one of the most underrated wrestlers ever. He's an incredible rudo base and the pairing with Mascarita Sagrada is an all-time great minis match-up. They had a ton of awesome stuff together here, like Sagrada using Espectrito's back as a launchpad into a tricked out armdrag, about six hundred other armdrag variations, Espectrito military pressing Sagrada and chucking him onto the top turnbuckle, cool rope running sequences where they incorporated one or both of the other rudos, just a highlight reel of awesome moments (even with a couple minor hiccups). They didn't work exclusively with each other either so we got Sagrada turning Piratita Morgan inside out and Espectrito bullying some guy in a Spider-Man getup. La Aranita is the Spider-Man in question and I'm wondering if CMLL didn't cop some shit for that because it's pretty much a carbon copy of the costume. I don't think I've actually seen him before but he was pretty slick and matched up nicely with all three rudos. Pequeno Goliath was responsible for most of the comedy, lots of stooging and miscommunication stuff, bits where he can't move quick enough to keep up with the faster tecnicos, a few comedy bumps and temper tantrums. Of all six he's the one who you probably could've slotted into a WWF minis match most easily (not that I imagine the other five would've found it difficult). Really fun match.
1990 CMLL Project
Even the minis got to rule it in 1990. CMLL truly was top banana that year. And this had a bit of everything; neat matwork, fun brawling, quick exchanges, some comedy, and it got plenty of time to boot. Espectrito really feels like one of the most underrated wrestlers ever. He's an incredible rudo base and the pairing with Mascarita Sagrada is an all-time great minis match-up. They had a ton of awesome stuff together here, like Sagrada using Espectrito's back as a launchpad into a tricked out armdrag, about six hundred other armdrag variations, Espectrito military pressing Sagrada and chucking him onto the top turnbuckle, cool rope running sequences where they incorporated one or both of the other rudos, just a highlight reel of awesome moments (even with a couple minor hiccups). They didn't work exclusively with each other either so we got Sagrada turning Piratita Morgan inside out and Espectrito bullying some guy in a Spider-Man getup. La Aranita is the Spider-Man in question and I'm wondering if CMLL didn't cop some shit for that because it's pretty much a carbon copy of the costume. I don't think I've actually seen him before but he was pretty slick and matched up nicely with all three rudos. Pequeno Goliath was responsible for most of the comedy, lots of stooging and miscommunication stuff, bits where he can't move quick enough to keep up with the faster tecnicos, a few comedy bumps and temper tantrums. Of all six he's the one who you probably could've slotted into a WWF minis match most easily (not that I imagine the other five would've found it difficult). Really fun match.
1990 CMLL Project
Tuesday 15 January 2019
Maybe I should start that 1990 CMLL Project...
El Dandy, Mogur & Popitekus v MS-1, Pierroth Jr. & Ulises (CMLL, 1/5/90)
Well this was pretty awesome. I thought it started to lose a wee bit of steam after the lengthy first caida, but it was a great fall and it's not like anything after it was bad. Dandy/MS-1 had a wonderful exchange here and it's another one of those occasions in lucha where you hope for a long lost apuestas match where they're biting chunks out each other's forehead. This was way more mat-based (a title match certainly wouldn't suck), but MS-1 never could help himself even in a gentleman's contest so you knew there was potential for it to spill over. It eventually did, though it was Pierroth who really instigated it when he started punting Mogur in the spine. MS-1 dickishly standing on Popitekus as Ulises covered him at the end of the fall is one of those awesome little moments that separates the good wrestlers from the great ones. Popitekus is a fun fatboy luchador because he could squash just about anybody he lands on, but he's also a lovable big fella and has the haircut his granny gave him so when the rudos put the boots to him it's like a gang of bullies beating up a fat kid. Then when he fights back you know someone's lungs are getting crushed, so really it's the best of both worlds. I thought the tecnico comeback maybe came a bit too easy, although Mogur responding with his own kidney-punting and mask-ripping was a fitting enough way to swing the tide. His selling in the tercera as he stumbled around bleeding was a nice touch as well. Dandy hitting a bunch of cool spin kicks isn't something I remembered him doing in 1990. It's been a while since I've watched most of his run that year but I'll be shocked if I don't still think he was the best wrestler in the world. Even if it was a relatively short peak, that '89-'92 stretch was pretty remarkable.
1990 CMLL Project
Well this was pretty awesome. I thought it started to lose a wee bit of steam after the lengthy first caida, but it was a great fall and it's not like anything after it was bad. Dandy/MS-1 had a wonderful exchange here and it's another one of those occasions in lucha where you hope for a long lost apuestas match where they're biting chunks out each other's forehead. This was way more mat-based (a title match certainly wouldn't suck), but MS-1 never could help himself even in a gentleman's contest so you knew there was potential for it to spill over. It eventually did, though it was Pierroth who really instigated it when he started punting Mogur in the spine. MS-1 dickishly standing on Popitekus as Ulises covered him at the end of the fall is one of those awesome little moments that separates the good wrestlers from the great ones. Popitekus is a fun fatboy luchador because he could squash just about anybody he lands on, but he's also a lovable big fella and has the haircut his granny gave him so when the rudos put the boots to him it's like a gang of bullies beating up a fat kid. Then when he fights back you know someone's lungs are getting crushed, so really it's the best of both worlds. I thought the tecnico comeback maybe came a bit too easy, although Mogur responding with his own kidney-punting and mask-ripping was a fitting enough way to swing the tide. His selling in the tercera as he stumbled around bleeding was a nice touch as well. Dandy hitting a bunch of cool spin kicks isn't something I remembered him doing in 1990. It's been a while since I've watched most of his run that year but I'll be shocked if I don't still think he was the best wrestler in the world. Even if it was a relatively short peak, that '89-'92 stretch was pretty remarkable.
1990 CMLL Project
Monday 14 January 2019
Couple 1990 CMLL Trios
Aguila Solitaria, Pantera II & Ciclon Ramirez v El Supremo, El Hijo del Gladiator & Herodes (CMLL, 1/5/90)
Man, Herodes was the best. Best stooge, best bruiser, best everything. He was past his physical peak by 1990 even though he'd only been wrestling about twenty years, which by lucha standards is no more than the blink of an eye. He'd gained weight and wasn't terribly mobile, but what he'd lost in athleticism he'd gained in pure scuzz. The mask he wore pre-match was a Lidl brand Demolition hood, he was almost entirely bald on the top but still thick on the sides and retained the terrible rat tail, his dodgy Motorhead beard making him look like Brazo de Plata if Brazo de Plata inhaled Triple H. He started this on the apron, more goofy than menacing as he joked around a bit with some folk in the crowd. He was like the daft uncle at Christmas dinner who'd tell the kids that pulling on his ponytail would make him bite their fingers off. It was largely a stooge performance overall, giving up the ghost a couple times and taking a powder mid-exchange, but he got to bowl a few guys over and there was one gorgeous little sequence with Ciclon Ramirez that belied his impending decrepitude (not that it stopped him wrestling another ten years anyway). The first caida was about as basic as you'll get, but it got time to develop and was ultimately satisfying. I'm not familiar at all with Aguila Solitaria and I know I haven't seen much El Supremo. They were fine though, and their exchange to start the match was decent enough. The rudos chasing themselves in circles trying to catch Pantera wasn't quite Fuerza and Panther chasing Rey Jr., but it was a fun little segment that at least had you buying their reasons for snapping. You don't humiliate a man like Herodes and if Supremo and Gladiator are teaming with him you don't humiliate them either. A man's game charges a man's prices. They should've known better.
Angel Azteca, Super Astro & Kung Fu v Emilio Charles Jr., Jaque Mate & Espectro Jr. (CMLL, 1/5/90)
Emilio Charles Jr. is also the very best. I don't know if he and Angel Azteca had beef coming in but Emilio winning an exchange fair and square leading to Azteca having a vendetta against him for the rest of the match makes me think Emilio may have pissed him off in the recent past. It was sort of an overblown response from a tecnico, but then this is Emilio and I'm sure he did something to deserve it. There was a great moment where Azteca, mid-exchange with Espectro, turned to the rudo corner and smashed Emilio with a forearm. Anybody else and you'd have said it was uncalled for. Emilio of course got his revenge during the inevitable rudo beatdown and I feel like you could easily slot him into that Arn Anderson category of guys who seamlessly go from stooge to killer in seconds. Super Astro was really fun with all of his bamboozling footwork and his springboards always look gorgeous. The big dive of the match was a tope to a prone Jaque Mate and he landed with all of his stockiness across Mate's upper body. He also had a cool opening exchange with Espectro where Espectro ribbed him for being tiny so Astro stomped on his bare boot. It's always a little surprising that Azteca never wound up being a superstar. He had pretty much everything you'd want in a masked tecnico and yet I don't remember him doing anything of note after the Dandy feud.
1990 CMLL Project
1990 CMLL Project
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)