Strongly Encourage 10 Matches to Watch.
Jun 12, 2023 19:58:24 GMT -5
Post by microstatistics on Jun 12, 2023 19:58:24 GMT -5
Here are Top 10 (relatively) unheralded matches plucked from my Top 100 I would strongly recommend for being unique/different (and of course great)
1. Rey Hechicero vs. Charles Lucero (Monterrey, 8/4/2013) - This ended up as my highest ranked lucha match (not counting When Worlds Collide). Maybe the best matwork of the style, the experience dynamic, big bumps, a dramatic finishing stretch, this has it all.
2. Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. Akira Maeda (UWF, 8/13/1989) - An oddly overlooked Fujiwara special. No intricate mat sequences here if that's not your thing, just a tightly worked story of the veteran attempting to survive a unrelentless killer. Uber-stiff strikes on display (check out the ref admonishing Fujiwara for almost shattering Maeda's fibula).
3. Jun Akiyama vs. Masao Inoue (NOAH, 4/23/2006) - A match I've heavily endorsed in the past and deservedly so since it eschews many of the elements that turn people off of NOAH/modern puro and instead focuses on unique character dynamics.
4. Daisuke Ikeda vs. Yuki Ishikawa (BattlARTS, 4/15/1997) - Maybe not their stiffest or most "epic" bout (the crowd is completely dead for instance) but the one that featured the best pure wrestling. An ode to the best elements of the style.
5. LCO vs. Tomoko Watanabe/Kaoru Ito (AJW, 9/21/1997) - This fell out of my Top 20 since it's a little slow in parts but is still world-class stuff. Ultra-violent, dramatic, and hateful brawl that blows away all of 80s Joshi and the majority of its 90s contemporaries.
6. El Satanico vs. Lizmark (CMLL, 7/14/1998) - I seem to be the only person who thinks this match is great but I stand by it as it made my Top 50 this time around. Offensive masterclass from Lizmark with Satanico not far behind with classic rudo shenanigans.
7. Steve Grey vs. Jon Cortez (JP, 7/27/1981) - One of the most intense matches you'll ever see, which is even more impressive considering it's babyface vs. babyface (though Cortez really pushes the boundary with his aggression)
8. Axel Dieter vs. Moose Morowski (CWA, 10/5/1980) - To me, this is better than anything done in Memphis, both on a macro- (i.e., as a match) and micro-level (fired up territory ace vs. belligerent heel, ultra-minimalist wrestling built around punches), even if the finish fell a little flat for me this time around.
9. Anton Tejero/Inca Peruano vs. Gilbert Cesca/Ben Chemoil (France, 3/12/1965) - It's hard to go wrong with any of the French stuff but this is the match I've always liked the best. Stooging, bruiser heels vs. a divergent babyface pairing featuring nutty bumping and frantic pacing.
10. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho (WWE, 7/20/2008) - Hatred, stiffness, blood, punches. This match (particularly its finishing stretch) seems tailor-made for this type of crowd.
1. Rey Hechicero vs. Charles Lucero (Monterrey, 8/4/2013) - This ended up as my highest ranked lucha match (not counting When Worlds Collide). Maybe the best matwork of the style, the experience dynamic, big bumps, a dramatic finishing stretch, this has it all.
2. Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. Akira Maeda (UWF, 8/13/1989) - An oddly overlooked Fujiwara special. No intricate mat sequences here if that's not your thing, just a tightly worked story of the veteran attempting to survive a unrelentless killer. Uber-stiff strikes on display (check out the ref admonishing Fujiwara for almost shattering Maeda's fibula).
3. Jun Akiyama vs. Masao Inoue (NOAH, 4/23/2006) - A match I've heavily endorsed in the past and deservedly so since it eschews many of the elements that turn people off of NOAH/modern puro and instead focuses on unique character dynamics.
4. Daisuke Ikeda vs. Yuki Ishikawa (BattlARTS, 4/15/1997) - Maybe not their stiffest or most "epic" bout (the crowd is completely dead for instance) but the one that featured the best pure wrestling. An ode to the best elements of the style.
5. LCO vs. Tomoko Watanabe/Kaoru Ito (AJW, 9/21/1997) - This fell out of my Top 20 since it's a little slow in parts but is still world-class stuff. Ultra-violent, dramatic, and hateful brawl that blows away all of 80s Joshi and the majority of its 90s contemporaries.
6. El Satanico vs. Lizmark (CMLL, 7/14/1998) - I seem to be the only person who thinks this match is great but I stand by it as it made my Top 50 this time around. Offensive masterclass from Lizmark with Satanico not far behind with classic rudo shenanigans.
7. Steve Grey vs. Jon Cortez (JP, 7/27/1981) - One of the most intense matches you'll ever see, which is even more impressive considering it's babyface vs. babyface (though Cortez really pushes the boundary with his aggression)
8. Axel Dieter vs. Moose Morowski (CWA, 10/5/1980) - To me, this is better than anything done in Memphis, both on a macro- (i.e., as a match) and micro-level (fired up territory ace vs. belligerent heel, ultra-minimalist wrestling built around punches), even if the finish fell a little flat for me this time around.
9. Anton Tejero/Inca Peruano vs. Gilbert Cesca/Ben Chemoil (France, 3/12/1965) - It's hard to go wrong with any of the French stuff but this is the match I've always liked the best. Stooging, bruiser heels vs. a divergent babyface pairing featuring nutty bumping and frantic pacing.
10. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho (WWE, 7/20/2008) - Hatred, stiffness, blood, punches. This match (particularly its finishing stretch) seems tailor-made for this type of crowd.