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Post by elliott on Dec 7, 2017 21:41:23 GMT -5
Terry Funk vs Atsushi Onita (No Rope Barbed Wire Exploding Ring Death Match - FMW - 5/5/1993)
One of the greatest spectacles and most memorable matches in wrestling history. One of those matches where I'm at a loss for what to say because everyone has seen it and has an opinion on it and a lot of us have for 20-25 years. I love big epic spectacles and this is one of the best.
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Post by El Mckell on Jan 12, 2018 18:28:34 GMT -5
This is a crazy spectacle and i think in some respects it's pretty great, not least of which is the fact that Funk never really stands up straight or recovers after the first time he goes into the exploding barbed wire. But there are a couple of things which prevent me from considering it seriously for my list. Most importantly how much of an anti-climax the actual pin is, i get that the real climax is the explosion but the fact that Onita won feels inconsequential. Secondly is the fact that actual explosion is kinda lame, i really do wish there was some way we coulda had Onita pull Terry out of the ring and then actually blow the ring up to some degree.
Anyway i'm seconding this nomination. ***1/2
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Post by microstatistics on Jan 17, 2018 22:35:04 GMT -5
Terry Funk's best performance since his first retirement. Great drama, teases and bumps. All time great finish. Bonus points for the ref's attire.
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Post by texanspaniard on Jan 18, 2018 0:04:00 GMT -5
HOLY MOLY! I have a friend who has been trying to get me to watch this match for decades now and I always put it off until tonight and WOW! I am almost speechless! A spectacle for sure, but almost like some strange manga/anime about hardcore wrestling come to life with cool music, explosions, blood, teacher vs student dynamics and the dramatic post-match stuff in the locker room between Funk & Onita. This is just incredible, fantastic stuff! I regret putting it off for so long, amazing pro wrestling from the match and all the non-match stuff surrounding it.
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Post by brockobama on Jan 28, 2018 15:17:33 GMT -5
Not my pick for the best deathmatch ever but it's no worse than the second most dramatic one ever and that's really what the style's all about. The real content of the match--the mechanics of the moves if you will--isn't going to blow anyone away but the treatment of and reaction to the literal explosions that will blow you away are like nothing else in wrestling. Cinematic in the way that so many promotions try to pull off today and fail at. No chance this doesn't make my list.
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Post by joeg on Feb 7, 2018 19:16:25 GMT -5
YES. This is going to be on my list. One of the most dramatic spectacles ever. Probably one of Terry Funk's best matches in his crazy old man phase. And probably one of the best deathmatches from Onita. So this is a personal favorite.
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Post by superstarsleeze on Feb 3, 2019 20:36:01 GMT -5
I am glad I watched this. It was definitely unique. I really liked Lawler/Dutch and Funk/Sabu as far as Barbed Wire matches go. The explosions did not add much for me. I think being ripped by barbed wire is enough that should be the focus. The clock was a nice touch. The pinfall happening well before zero was unexpected and seemed to be unexpected by the crowd as it was about the most anti-climatic pinfall ever. There was zero reaction from the crowd or me. I like violence and blood so I definitely liked it, just not Top 100.
Terry Funk vs Atsushi Onita - FMW 5/5/93 Exploding Barbed Wire Time Bomb Death Match
Wild Thing! Greatest referee outfit of all time. He looked like coolest beekeeper there ever was. As part of the Greatest Match Ever Project, I want to leave no stone unturned in regards to American & Puroresu wrestling. Thus here I am 1:30 am on a work night watching damndest thing ever. There were sirens and explosions and the match all of sudden ends, but the clock is still going and Onita is throwing the beekeeper referee out of the ring. I think the ring is going to explode but I am not sure. THEN KA-BOOM! Apparently the ring explosions get cooler as the year progressed. I thought it was cool, but I was not blown away, ha ha. This is first time I am watching Onita in his prime and this is probably his most famous match. I thought they were both pretty great in this. I thought Onita did a great job subtly selling, but I was expecting something more over the top. I think what this match does better than anything else is sell the dread of going into exploding barbed wire. The lock up is so intense because you dont want to be the one overwhelmed and shoved into exploding barbed wire. Funk wins with an elbow to the head, chop and some big punches. Onita hits the barbed wire BOOM! This got me because there is no fucking around that explosion happened on his back. You see the singe marks. Funk tries to win the piledriver. Onita goes into the barbed wire again BANG! Onita's arms are all cut up by the end. Really bloody. Funk wants to send Onita head first into the barbed wire now that would be something. The struggle here is epic and it is FUNK WHO GOES INTO THE BARBED WIRE! Funk did a good job covering up and opts for the safety of a blade to get his color. When a razor blade is the safe operation, thats a dangerous match. I am surprised to see Onita go into the fourth explosion and it is ta this point the sirens blare and there is a five minute countdown! Funk goes for the Spinning Toehold he is kicked off...BOOM...that was a big one. DDT...1...2...3...that was the flattest finish ever. The crowd did not even react. There is still two minutes on this countdown thingy. Funk tries to choke Onita because if he lost then ONITA MUST DIE! Funk attacks the ref...NO NOT BEEKEEPER REF! Onita makes the saves and powerbombs Funk...signing his death warrant. Onita throws the Beekeeper Ref to safety, but had a last second change of heart and goes to save Funk only for KA-BOOM!
I enjoyed this a lot, but I think there are better more dramatic, violent matches. I actually prefer Funk vs Sabu's Barbed Wire Match to this. The flat finish was a bummer. The selling of the dread of the barbed wire was great, but I thought the selling after the fact could have been better. Onita's arms were bleeding badly but he is so tough you wouldnt know it. I highly recommend it because it is so unique, interesting and influential. ***3/4
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Post by wrestlingfan on Feb 5, 2019 1:04:12 GMT -5
It's really enjoyable. The clock was a nice touch. Explosions add enormously. The finish could have been better. The pinfall shouldn't have happened before the final explosion, the explosion should have happened before. Then, the match should have been declared as a draw. When two wrestlers do sadistic things to each other in a match, they shouldn't just after take each other in their arms. I'm not sure if it will make my top 100. ****1/2
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Post by cactus on Jul 19, 2020 3:52:03 GMT -5
Wow, I loved everything about this, even down to the little things like how this was shot. There is a lot of barbed wire spots in this, but they treat them all with respect and I'd never been more on the edge of my seat than I was watching these two start the match with the most intense lock-up ever. Funk doing his usual punch-drunk stumbling near the barbed wire made me gasp with horror. Onita, bloodied and his clothes torn by the barbed wire, looked like a total badass. Onita scoring the win before the explosions going off doesn't bother me one bit, as it gives way to highly emotional climax of Onita failing to save Funk from the explosion going off. The guitar solo that played as the smoke cleared was a neat touch that made the moment feel even bigger. All the emotionally charged post-match stuff with Onita crying and Funk refusing to shake his hands added to the match tenfold. This felt like part-short film, part wrestling match. Screw your Firefly Funhouses and your Boneyard matches, this is how you do cinematic wrestling!
I currently have this at #10. I've still got a boatload of stuff that I want to watch, but I can't see this dropping out of my top 20. This pro wrestling for people who like gritty yet artsy fartsy cinema.
★★★★★
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Post by tetsujin on Mar 1, 2021 20:32:26 GMT -5
Man you gotta love Terry. He made this match legendary. I don't like the finish, or the timebomb concept at all, but this is still a great blockbuster of a match. Definitely a lot better than the Tenryu cage match.
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Post by violentbydesign on Oct 9, 2021 1:35:13 GMT -5
I haven't seen a deathmatch I like yet outside of this one. Good cheesy movie type of story telling. The explosion is pretty weak, but the shots of them in the ring with the smoke afterward looks great.
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Post by elliott on Oct 9, 2021 1:42:51 GMT -5
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Post by lemming on Nov 4, 2023 16:23:07 GMT -5
For some reason I've decided it'd be a good idea to put some thoughts on all the matches I voted for this year (at least where I haven't commented already).
I had this one at #100.
Classic match that showcases two of wrestling's greatest masters of melodrama. The match itself is kinda basic (apart from the bits where people are exploding I guess) but the overall effect is legendary. The production is gloriously over the top, from the referee's nuclear hazmat suit to the onscreen countdown timer and warning siren to the cheesy guitar riff which plays as our heroes emerge from the smoke at the end. It's probably the best 'B movie' wrestling match ever.
The setting allows Funk to operate at his most theatrical - both as a crazy psychopath (trying to shove Onita face first into the exploding wire, trying to choke him out with wrist tape after the pinfall) and showcasing his famous spaghetti legged overselling, staggering around the ring tantalisingly close to the barbed wire, teasing that he could collapse into it at any moment.
Onita's style by contrast is much more reserved in the sense of his moment-by-moment actions. He spends most of the match fighting stoically from underneath, unfazed by explosions and lacerations alike. But while his selling is a magnitude more subtle than Funk's the story he is weaving is just as deliriously crazed. He is the heroic figure battling determinedly though every trial and though Funk might have no qualms at outright murdering him, he can't stand by and let his advisory perish, deserved though it may be. Bleeding, battered, he will nevertheless willingly sacrifice himself, dying for Funk's sins in his place. When the dust settles, Onita will rise again. But now, his enemy has become his friend. No, more than that, he has become his brother.
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