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Post by microstatistics on Jul 1, 2020 2:41:12 GMT -5
Mocho Cota vs. Americo Rocca (EMLL, 1/27/1984)
A hard fought, technical battle in the first fall saw Rocca prevail through slightly superior skill. But a highly aggressive counterattack in the second fall allowed Cota to even things up. Cota maintained control into the third fall by continuing the onslaught, with particular emphasis on Rocca’s arm. Though by the end, despite throwing everything and the kitchen sink, Cota was losing his grip on the match while a Rocca comeback seemed imminent. But Cota ‘accidently’ collided with the referee and used the distraction to pin Rocca, despite the latter’s foot being under the rope. Using the injured arm for extra leverage was awesome psychology. The wrestling had been relatively clean up to that point, but Cota’s rudo tendencies made the difference at the most crucial juncture and won him the welterweight title. The matwork isn’t mind-blowing but the work is tight and focused and makes for one of the best matches within the genre. ****1/2
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 4, 2020 0:55:27 GMT -5
Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Kerry Von Erich (AJPW, 5/22/1984)
Touring world champion Kerry landed in Japan but got more than he bargained for in the form of a relentless Jumbo. Solid, purposeful wrestling in the first fall built to a Jumbo backdrop driver and a 1-0 lead. The second fall onslaught by Jumbo led to Kerry getting busted open and Jumbo pulling out awesome punches to attack the cut. But Kerry’s iron claw was the great equalizer that leveled the playing field. In order to combat it, Jumbo launched an attack on the hand in the third fall. Pretty dramatic finishing stretch but the double count-out finish was essentially a cop-out to protect both guys, while keeping the title on Kerry. Nevertheless, both looked great and the wrestling was aggressive, intense and strategic. ****3/8
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 4, 2020 15:34:25 GMT -5
Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. Super Tiger (UWF, 9/7/1984)
For a combination of quality and influence, this is probably the quintessential striker vs. grappler match. Sayama wasn’t a bad mat worker. In fact, he was pretty good but every time he took it to the mat, he got absolutely demolished. His striking ability, particularly his kicks, were his bread and butter and kept him in the match. The incorporation of pro-style moves such as piledrivers and top rope dives was well done. This was high end BattlARTS, twelve years before the promotion existed. Eventually, Fujiwara started to shark away at Tiger’s leg and turn the screw. But the kicks to the head took their toll by the end and softened him up enough for the crossface chickenwing, leading to a huge upset. ****1/2
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 5, 2020 19:24:23 GMT -5
El Satanico vs. Gran Cochise (EMLL, 9/14/1984)
Satanico, the challenger for the middleweight title, was younger and fitter and oozed confidence as he coolly outgrappled Cochise to take the first fall. He continued to dominate by attacking Cochise’s arm while Cochise retaliated in identical fashion. Satanico didn’t really sell the arm, which I think was for the sake of the story, as he continued to smirk and casually walk around. But Cochise’s resourcefulness allowed him to seize a second fall pin. Satanico offered an ambiguous handshake but Cochise preemptively kneed him in the back and launched an impressive submission-based assault, primarily targeting the back and neck. The arrogance turned into urgency and desperation as Satanico was forced to weather the storm, in almost underdog fashion. A smart, well timed counter turned the tables and secured him the win. Exemplary mat wrestling, particularly in the third fall, and an interesting, well done narrative shift. ****1/2
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 6, 2020 14:54:48 GMT -5
Jerry Lawler vs. Bill Dundee (CWA, 12/30/1985)
Previously, Dundee and Dutch Mantell injured Lawler’s eye so, coming into the match, his vision was severely impaired. Dundee simply unloaded on Lawler right out of the gate and dominated him for the majority of the match. He took pleasure in exploiting the injury to continue the beating while Lawler’s disoriented selling was pretty great. This match featured Lawler’s best comeback. His comebacks are usually too easy for my liking since he just drops the strap and suddenly it is a level playing field. But here it was more layered and when a defiant burst did materialize, he immediately collapsed afterwards to sell the exertion. The clipping was annoying though, especially since it cut a major transition short. Cheating from Dundee foiled Lawler’s momentum near the end and quashed a fairytale ending, to cap off a fantastic LLT brawl. ****3/8
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 6, 2020 15:33:31 GMT -5
Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Akira Maeda (NJPW, 6/12/1986)
An incredibly heated clash at the height of the NJPW vs. UWF feud. The shoot-style expert Maeda initially took it to the mat but Fujinami, a master technician himself, held his own. But Maeda started to attack Fujinami’s left leg, gained complete control, and began to annihilate him. Fujinami managed spirited fightbacks here and there, but his injured knee and quick and ruthless Maeda cut-offs prevented him from ever gaining any real momentum. Eventually, Fujinami was busted open hardway and Maeda hit his head after missing a spinning heel kick, leading to a slightly anti-climactic but logical double knockdown finish. Some Fujinami kickouts at 1 were a little odd and I guess you could argue this was too one-sided to be considered a classic. But this might be the best jack of all trades match ever since it had it all: great matwork, strikes, bombs, submissions, drama, limb psychology, selling and blood. Plus, Fujinami bravely holding the UWF final boss to a draw was a victory in itself. ****5/8
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 7, 2020 20:11:23 GMT -5
Ric Flair vs. Ricky Morton (NWA, 7/5/1986)
An insecure Flair could not wrap his head around Morton’s popularity with women and so went out of his way to torment him, including by breaking his nose. A needlessly extravagant Flair entrance was a not so subtle intimidation move. Ironically, Morton was completely indifferent to Flair’s issues with him and just wanted revenge. Targeting Flair’s face in an eye for an eye fashion was a nice touch. He dominated the initial portions until Flair tore the protective mask away. The Flair control segment involved him trying to simultaneously disfigure and humiliate Morton: he ripped at the nose while taunting the women in the crowd with hip thrusts, reasserting his idea of a real man. Of course, Morton’s fightback and the finish exposed Flair for the fake alpha he was, though the fact that he ended up winning made it even richer. One issue with the match was that Flair used the knee to the gut cut-off way too many times. Still, the brawling was vicious and aggressive, and they made good use of the cage stipulation. But it is the face psychology and story combination that sets this apart. ****5/8
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 8, 2020 3:02:15 GMT -5
Midnight Rockers vs. Buddy Rose/Doug Somers (AWA, 8/30/1986)
Arguably the high point of a blood feud between a pair of young fan favorites and a veteran heel duo. Shawn initially impressed with his flashy, athletic offense but got busted open and was isolated from Jannetty. Rose and Somers gleefully punished a dazed Michaels for a solid chunk of time. A hot tag led to Somers and Jannetty himself bleeding and the match escalated into a chaotic brawl as tensions boiled over and, eventually, a double DQ was called. One of the finest US tags. ****3/8
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 8, 2020 3:03:16 GMT -5
El Hijo del Santo vs. Espanto Jr. (EMLL, 8/31/1986)
The highest stakes possible prompted Espanto to come in with a clear strategy, which he executed to near perfection for almost two whole falls. He consistently targeted Santo’s back and neck and smothered him at every turn, leading to a one fall lead and continued domination into the second fall. But his frustration got the better of him as he started to rip away at Santo’s mask after the latter refused to roll over. This allowed Santo back into the match with a huge running knee, and he managed to tie things up. Espanto regaining control in the third fall after Santo’s damaged back came back to haunt him was outstanding psychology. The match then turned into a war of attrition with aggressive mask ripping, blood, desperate pins, and some huge dives. Santo eventually capitalized on a mistake to apply the camel clutch and claim Espanto’s mask while saving his own. The poor quality and some jump cuts are far from ideal but don’t hurt the match too badly. Overall, one of the best apuesta matches. ****3/8
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 8, 2020 3:29:08 GMT -5
Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Antonio Inoki (NJPW, 8/8/1988)
Fujinami was finally world champion, yet he was still in the shadow of the New Japan legend, Inoki. So, he had a chip on his shoulder and was determined to topple Inoki. A swanky and lengthy technical battle between the top two wrestlers in the company ensued. Fujinami went all out, with his pride and defiance occasionally taking center stage, compared to Inoki’s more measured approach. But, ultimately, Fujinami’s quest was in vain as they reached the time limit, and Inoki was no closer to being defeated by then anyways. Fujinami wasn’t defeated but lost the symbolic battle. My patience for long matches is not what it used to be. If 40 minutes feels long, 60 minutes is an eternity. So, they did a great job of keeping things consistently lively, especially as the pace slowed. As a result, it may be the best match of its kind. ****1/2
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 8, 2020 4:04:38 GMT -5
El Satanico vs. Sangre Chicana (EMLL, 5/26/1989)
Essentially, this was a grueling fight between Chicana’s subtler mind games and cerebral brawling and Satanico’s overt belligerence. But both were skilled enough in either department to fire back as seen with Chicana’s swinging haymakers and Satanico’s use of shady tricks and well-timed attacks, which rescued him in the second fall after he had been overwhelmed in the first. Both attempted to grind each other down with fall-ending submissions in the third fall while, concurrently, trying to knock the other out of orbit. The match eventually spiraled out of control, leading to a chaotic double count-out. The intensity was off the charts throughout the match, even before the first shot was fired. The punches here might be the greatest of all time and when it comes to pure brawls, this is likely at the top of the list. ****5/8
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 8, 2020 21:43:31 GMT -5
Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Genichiro Tenryu (AJPW, 6/5/1989)
The big rematch of their April bout in which Jumbo almost broke Tenryu’s neck with a powerbomb. Jumbo wasn’t impressed with Tenryu’s newfound popularity and mercilessly targeted the neck with a variety of clubbing blows and holds. It was well within the rules but hardly sporting, at least from the perspective of the crowd who became less and less enamored with Jumbo. Tenryu worked primarily from underneath and his timing of fightbacks and hope spots was impeccable. Eventually Jumbo ran out of steam long enough for Tenryu to put him down with two powerbombs and win the Triple Crown. The first powerbomb kickout is a contender for best near fall of all time. Also, I’ll go as far as to say the match wouldn’t have worked at all without the neck injury. Not only did it add tremendous focus, it augmented the underdog dynamic and enhanced the drama. The fast-paced hard-hitting action, sustained over a long period of time, makes this arguably the most influential match of the modern era, though the relatively minimalist nature of the work sets it apart from many of the matches that followed its layout. ****1/2
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 8, 2020 22:18:10 GMT -5
Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. Akira Maeda (UWF, 8/13/1989)
To start off, the wily veteran Fujiwara turned a Maeda charge on its head and gained a quick knockdown. But as Maeda regained his bearings, it basically turned into a tale of survival for Fujiwara. He tried to play mind games, busted out some fancy tricks, while judiciously using rope breaks and guarding himself. Fujiwara’s ingenuity secured him a few points, but Maeda was still well in control. Maeda’s kicks were deadly, but he also displayed proficiency on the mat, making him doubly dangerous. Fujiwara looked to have turned the tide with a toehold, but Maeda smartly thwarted his momentum and repeatedly blasted him with kicks in the corner, leading to successive knockdowns and, finally, the decision. The finish could have been more epic per se but was quite logical considering what a resolute slayer Maeda had been throughout the match. One of the top shoot-style matches of the decade. ****1/2
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 10, 2020 1:02:45 GMT -5
Jushin Liger vs. Naoki Sano (NJPW, 1/31/1990)
The terrific finale of a fierce junior heavyweight feud. Sano offered a handshake as an olive branch at the onset, but Liger simply slapped him and launched a quick ambush. An angry Sano bloodied Liger up to gain the upper hand. He followed that up with a prolonged and malicious thrashing, with attacks on the cut and mask ripping. Liger managed intermittent urgency-fueled mini-comebacks, but Sano was one step ahead at every turn and retook charge each time. Yet he was unable to deliver the kill shot and punched himself out by the end. A terminal burst allowed a battered Liger to regain the juniors title. ****5/8
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 10, 2020 1:07:33 GMT -5
Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. Kazuo Yamazaki (UWF, 4/15/1990)
Yamazaki actually proved to be quite a handful in their July match, but Fujiwara refused to learn any lesson and continued to treat him casually. Perhaps for good reason, from his perspective, as he pretty much dominated the majority of the match with some punishing holds and reversals. Yamazaki refused to yield though and, in the end, managed to land a few fatal blows to pull off the upset. Pretty great continuity from the 7/24/1989 match. In that Yamazaki was more of a defiant bruiser but here he fully embraced the underdog role. Fujiwara, on the other hand, paid the price for dismissing his opponent. He escaped last time, but it caught up to him here. ****1/4
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