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Post by Cap on Aug 2, 2020 15:33:34 GMT -5
Ok, So I suspect that the poll for this will be lopsided, but these are two matches I have right next to each other and they are also two matches that I think could be higher for me. There are less jarring comparisons I could have drawn up for either match based on my list, but I'm interested in how the lesser known match holds up to the sort of vaunted 70s classic. Plus, I hope this encourages folks to give both a real chance in if you haven't already.
On one hand you have the most praised version of one of the best, most visceral rivalries in all of Japanese wrestling. On the other you have the unsung hero of one of the best indie rivalries in American wrestling.
Terry and Dory Funk vs Abdullah The Butcher and The Sheik (12/9/1978)
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Post by Cap on Aug 2, 2020 17:01:03 GMT -5
Watched these back to back and was surprised to see some votes for Ki/Dragon already in. I had it one spot ahead and feel good about the choice. I think of Dragon's 2002 (and surrounding years) like a great band's first album. It isn't as polished as their later work, but there is something so unique and compelling about it that always stands out. his work with Ki at this time really exemplifies that. I think the best part of early to mid 2000s indy stuff in America is that the people who would become the major players were really pulling from a lot of places and the influences ebbed and flowed depending on what and who you were watching and when. This match has a ton of shoot influence and it is really well placed. They aren't Tamura and Han or anything, but they strike a sort of singular balance between the shoot logic in grappling and transitions and the broader American pro structure. A few really quick things that just jumped off the screen here that I think capture the larger dynamics that I like.
1) Dragon's greatest strength is - I think - his ability to feel a crowd and respond to it. There is a moment around 9:40 where they are working some submissions and I felt a lull in the room. Almost as soon as I thought to myself, "is there a bit of a grinding stretch I don't recall" Dragon threw some wicked crossfaces and brought everyone back to life. He has always been good at that, but in those early career matches the skill stands out in terms of elevating matches.
2) This match really features some not always pretty, but realistic grapling. For example, there is a spot where Ki is on top. He drives a knee into the ribs, then pushes into the jaw, and immediately goes for an arm bar. The sequences if fine, but the timing is what I love. It shows me they are really trying to work the pace and responsiveness of some old UWFi stuff and they are living up. You see it throughout, but watch how smoot that is from ki AND how dragon sells.
3) Their movement from that grinding, gritty style into their big holds and spots is fantastic. I don't want to say flawless, but I think flawless would be worse. It's these in between moments that mesh styles.
Honestly, I'm low on it. It might be making a jump.
This is taking nothing away from the funks vs Abby and Sheik. Its amazing. The bones of this story are as strong as any wrestling match ever. Its up there with Andre v Hogan in that. This also has the advantage of featuring one of the greatest wrestlers to ever lace up up showing why he is. On this watch I couldn't get over Terry Funk. No one in history is the blend of genuine toughness, believably, charisma, goofy wrestling theater that he is. His performance is what makes this timeless. It ties the dated (xenophobic) logic, the caricature dynamics, and the gritty violence of everything in a pro wrestling package that is timeless and not just palatable, but desirable.
I'm going Ki vs Danielson, mostly because it captures what I find great in wrestling right now just a bit more. I think in both matches the sum exceeds the parts of the whole. I think both feature all timers showing you why they are all timers. I ultimately favor what I see as a sort of a successful experiment in wrestling in the 2002 match.,
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