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Post by microstatistics on Jul 25, 2020 19:13:28 GMT -5
Kenta Kobashi vs. Mitsuharu Misawa (AJPW, 1/20/1997)
The usual title match dynamic was flipped on its head here since the champion was the one out to prove something while the challenger knew he just had to calmly get the job done. Off the charts urgency from Kobashi as he tried to dominate Misawa while Misawa attempted to re-establish who was boss. The first phase was strong but Misawa injuring his arm kicked things up a notch. Kobashi’s attacks on the arm were varied and focused and crowd buying a potential submission was nice. I like Misawa’s arm selling more and more with every viewing. He probably threw 1-2 elbows too many with it by the end but the way he would register the pain and illustrate how the damage impeded proper execution of maneuvers was well done. Kobashi transitioned to throwing bombs after his arm also got hurt as he tried to desperately blitz Misawa. The frantic need to keep Misawa in check at all times proved to be Kobashi’s undoing as the frankensteiner counter to the powerbomb off the apron lost Kobashi control of the match. Great finishing stretch as Misawa methodically put Kobashi away and Kobashi’s selling is probably the only time fighting spirit has added to a match. Awesome TD91 kickout and I dug the symbolic elbow smash finish following the Tiger Suplex 85. ****1/2
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 25, 2020 19:54:52 GMT -5
Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Volk Han (RINGS, 1/22/1997)
Tamura’s well-rounded skill challenged Han during their September 1996 match, but that was still a relatively comfortable win for the Russian. However, Tamura was no longer a RINGS novice and had far more confidence. Consequently, they wrestled like equals here as the first rope break came six minutes in and they evenly traded points. Though, by the end, Tamura had Han on the ropes with his kicks. But as he continued to recklessly blast away, he left himself slightly exposed, allowing Han to destabilize and trap him for the submission. The lightning submissions were cool as hell but the progression for Tamura was the highlight. By this point, he had acquired all the technical tools to beat Han. But poor discipline ended up costing him, so there was still room to grow and improve. ****1/2
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 25, 2020 20:36:48 GMT -5
Jushin Liger vs. Shinjiro Ohtani (NJPW, 2/9/1997)
IWGP juniors champion Liger put the title on the line against a confident Ohtani. Liger came across as a tough, skilled champion but his struggles were evident as Ohtani was always a few steps ahead and just seemed to have his number. Ohtani essentially no sold the initial knee work, which I am convinced was intentional since I’ve watched him turn in top notch selling performances in other matches where his knee was a target. In contrast, Liger did some fantastic, long-term selling of Ohtani’s attack on his shotei arm. A gritty, punishing matwork-based first half gave way to a more bomb-heavy second half. Just when it looked like it was destined to be Ohtani’s night, he was unable to keep his emotions in check and unnecessarily postured instead of going for the jugular. When things reached a tipping point, instead of formulating a concrete attack, he stupidly resorted to meaningless defiance and essentially invited Liger to pummel him with palm strikes. Liger obliged and finished him off with a final shotei. ****1/2
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 29, 2020 17:50:28 GMT -5
Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin (WWF, 3/23/1997)
Bret’s frustrations at the injustices he felt he had endured boiled over as he lashed out at officials in uncharacteristic fashion. He was still a fan favorite, but his behavior had raised a few eyebrows. Austin had gathered a cult following and was at the heart of his troubles. They clashed here in a No DQ submission match, which started off with some surprisingly good crowd brawling, thanks to the intensity and hatred. The stipulations favored Bret, who launched a methodical attack on Austin’s bad knee to soften him up for the sharpshooter. But Austin used his brawling acumen to counter and even utilized an impressive array of submissions. But he eventually got busted wide open which, combined with a savage chair attack on his knee, left him vulnerable to the sharpshooter. But Austin refused to submit and defiantly passed out from the pain and blood loss. A dissatisfied Bret continued to attack an unconscious Austin in the post-match but backed off when confronted by special referee Ken Shamrock. This led to the crowd turning on him since he came across as a bitter coward. On the other hand, despite his hostile attitude, Austin was admired for his resoluteness. Strong mix of brawling and submissions, a fallen hero story and a historic double turn make for a WrestleMania classic. ****5/8
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 29, 2020 17:51:41 GMT -5
Akira Hokuto vs. KAORU (GAEA, 4/12/1997)
Kaoru was a low ranked challenger and so came out all guns blazing, only for Hokuto to shrug off the blitz and haughtily toss the title at her. Some vicious wrestling followed, complete with hair pulling and slaps, as Hokuto wanted to make an example out of Kaoru, who refused to back down. A particularly nasty Fujiwara armbar damaged Hokuto’s arm, forcing her to shift gears and instead focus on quickly finishing Kaoru off. Kaoru pushed Hokuto to the brink but took one risk too many and perished at the hands of the Northern Lights Bomb. Fast-paced title defense with a great mix of submissions and bombs and a real mean streak underlying it all. ****3/8
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 30, 2020 0:32:37 GMT -5
LCO vs. Tomoko Watanabe/Kaoru Ito (AJW, 9/21/1997)
This was ‘Rage in a Cage’ with both members of a team having to escape to ensure victory. LCO brutalized Watanabe and Ito right out of the gate, with emphasis on Watanabe’s injured shoulder. The babyfaces desperately resisted and even targeted Shimoda’s arm in eye for an eye fashion. The regular fightbacks took their toll on LCO and they were the first to attempt an escape, but in vain. Watanabe escaped as Ito tried to finish off a wounded LCO, though Mita managed to escape. She then tried to interfere with Ito’s exit, only to get brutally pulled in, and absorb an organ scrambling double stomp in an ultra-climactic finish. The guardrail spot was anticlimactic and wasn’t worth the time and effort and there were times when they got up sooner than was ideal to keep things flowing. But overall, this was a savage war with high-end psychology, bombs, and submissions. ****5/8
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2020 3:26:18 GMT -5
Your list just amplifies my feeling that putting together a watertight 100 GME ballot I was actually happy with would be impossible for me. So many great matches here that I have never seen. Thanks for this, can't wait to see what's next!
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 31, 2020 23:13:10 GMT -5
I'm glad you are getting something out of this. Yes, generating a definitive Top 100 is probably not possible since we discover new matches and opinions on previously seen matches change. That's why this is more of a draft for the year rather than something concrete.
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 31, 2020 23:18:42 GMT -5
Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Volk Han (RINGS, 9/26/1997)
An urgency-fueled Han launched a ferocious blitz in order to crush Tamura as quickly as possible. However, Tamura was more composed and patient than he was in January and withstood the onslaught, which provided him the foothold necessary to mount an impactful counterattack. The callbacks to the previous matches were truly special as Han seemed to have Tamura trapped with previously lethal holds, only for Tamura to adjust his positioning and manage an escape. Han grew more desperate as Tamura gathered knockdowns and rope breaks, but he still had a few tricks up his sleeve, including a last-ditch palm strike flurry. But he seemed to be running on fumes, in contrast to the more poised Tamura, who assertively setup the finishing submission to finally surmount the master. Tamura’s evolution, the fitting conclusion to his journey and the struggle, fluidity, and elegance of the matwork make for a pretty incredible match. ****7/8
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 31, 2020 23:19:35 GMT -5
Eddy Guerrero vs. Rey Misterio Jr. (WCW, 10/26/1997)
Misterio had to put his precious mask on the line for a shot at the cruiseweight title. The stipulation was particularly precarious since the champion Eddy had recently developed a bitter mean streak. Misterio was extremely agile, but Eddy seemed to have his every move scouted, allowing him to unleash a vicious assault on Misterio’s back. Eddy targeted the back with a variety of submissions and backbreakers, while maliciously ripping at the mask every chance he got. Misterio’s resilience and some breathtaking counters managed to keep him competitive. Eddy arrogantly went for an avalanche splash mountain, a move Misterio had proven adept at countering, and, unsurprisingly, it was reversed in mid-air for the title change. One of the best matches in WCW history. ****5/8
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Post by microstatistics on Aug 1, 2020 0:13:45 GMT -5
Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (RINGS, 6/27/1998)
A competitive, grapple-heavy section started things off. Tamura would often gain dominant positions but struggled to break down Kohsaka, who was a master counter wrestler and began to force rope breaks. Tamura’s striking prowess provided him an opening as he roared back with a knockdown and a couple of rope breaks. But Kohsaka fought back with his mat expertise, leading to a dramatic finishing stretch as both were plagued by fatigue. This was really quite minimalist compared to other RINGS matches but they did a great job utilizing relatively basic grappling and striking to construct a chess match-type bout. The draw also felt earned since just as Tamura seemed to have solved the Kohsaka puzzle, the time ran out. ****1/2
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Post by microstatistics on Aug 1, 2020 0:33:16 GMT -5
El Satanico vs. Lizmark (CMLL, 7/14/1998)
Satanico was challenged by his old foe for the middleweight title. Satanico applied all of his wrestling skill plus a few tricks but, similarly to other instances in the past, was thoroughly outwrestled by Lizmark. Lizmark targeted the head and back to take the first fall and continued the strategy into the second fall. Satanico seemed done for, but desperately executed a low blow on the blindside of the referee to steal the second fall. Despite getting mauled for nearly two falls, he displayed a cartoonish level of arrogance and subsequently lost control of the match, leading to a more competitive third fall. Just as Lizmark regained his momentum, Satanico snared his shoulders for a double pin, leading to a tie which was sufficient for a title retainment. This was the opposite of a morality play in some ways since Lizmark did everything right but still failed, while the cunning of Satanico was rewarded. One of the better Lucha matches of the 1990s. ****1/2
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Post by microstatistics on Aug 1, 2020 1:19:31 GMT -5
El Hijo del Santo vs. Felino (Monterrey, 10/18/1998*)
The underdog Felino was solid on the mat and used some rudo tricks to gain advantages but it wasn’t long before Santo began to twist him into knots to take the first fall. The domination continued into the second fall until Felino utilized a deceptive breather to ambush Santo and submit him with a devastating leglock. Santo’s knee was injured in the process, and he desperately tried to shield it as Felino relentlessly pursued the leg. Santo shifted gears and busted out some hobbling dives to disrupt Felino and they transitioned into a more desperate, bomb-heavy stretch which featured some fantastic near-falls. Felino survived the heavy artillery and eventually pulled off an upset with a sneaky low blow. The selling in the third fall wasn’t perfect but the way they merged matwork and high impact offense was impressive, and the psychology and action were on point. ****1/2
*The correct date might actually be 3/8/1998
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Post by microstatistics on Aug 1, 2020 23:47:10 GMT -5
Mariko Yoshida vs. Hiromi Yagi (ARSION, 2/18/1999)
Yoshida had conquered all comers relatively easily and so arrogantly tried to finish Yagi off right away. But Yagi proved extremely tenacious, particularly on the mat, to the point where Yoshida was visibly startled and frustrated. Yoshida’s arm ended up being a major target as Yagi launched a Volk Han-like submission assault on it. It turned into a race against the clock for Yoshida as she desperately tried to put Yagi down before the attack took an insurmountable toll. She finally managed to catch Yagi in an intricate submission, who did her best to fight out but to no avail. High-end female BattlARTS just about captures the essence of the match except this might be better than any match that ever took place in that promotion. ****5/8
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Post by microstatistics on Aug 1, 2020 23:51:59 GMT -5
Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto (RINGS, 6/24/1999)
These two were not exactly fond of each other and that was quite clear when Tamura feigned a handshake to slap Yamamoto at the onset. Yamamoto was the superior grappler, but Tamura kept him at bay on the mat and even got him to lose a point by baiting him into unloading illegal mounted punches. Tamura was still at a disadvantage though and drew Yamamoto into more stand-up positions, so as to open up additional avenues of attack. Yamamoto’s stand-up ability was up to the challenge, leading to sharp submissions and intense grounded blows as their animosity reached a fever pitch. Eventually it escalated into intense toe-to-toe striking as both relentlessly aimed for knockouts, before the 20-minute time limit was hit with a 4-4 score line. A shoot-style classic and maybe the best draw of all time. ****5/8
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