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Post by AndrewGB79 on Sept 4, 2023 11:08:02 GMT -5
Now onto AJPW's 1989. A year packed with quality wrestling for them. Though I was a touch disappointed only one match hit the five star level for me.
Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu vs. Genichiro Tenryu & Toshiaki Kawada (AJPW, AJPW World Tag Titles, 02/23/89)
A great action-packed, back and forth match.
It’s loaded with quality action and Kawada looks right at home here. He has no problem bringing the violence on the same level as the others even if he is the weakest link.
Though it goes a little too long to be a truly top-tier AJPW tag match.
****½
Masa Fuchi vs. Mitsuo Momota (AJPW, AJPW World Jr. Heavyweight Title, 03/29/89)
This was a lot of fun.
Momota’s nothing special, but he’s technically sound, and the crowd are 100% behind him. So after he gets some shine, Fuchi heels it up, and gives him a beating.
The great crowd and Fuchi’s work make this one to watch.
****
Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Genichiro Tenryu (AJPW, Triple Crown, 04/20/89)
This was a bit more hold based than I expected. And the holds weren’t that interesting.
But once they move on things really pick up and you can see it was going to be great. But a botched powerbomb by Jumbo spikes Tenryu on his head and the match gets cut short.
***½
Toshiaki Kawada & Ricky Fuyuki vs. Dan Kroffat & Doug Furnas (AJPW, All Asia Tag Titles, 06/05/89)
This was a great workrate tag match.
It gets off to a fantastic start with a nasty opening brawl between Kawada and Kroffat. And it could’ve been a classic if they’d continued down that path, but they settle down and go for all action instead.
It’s highly entertaining, but not quite top-tier as the structure and flow seemed off in places.
****¼
Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Genichiro Tenryu (AJPW, Triple Crown, 06/05/89)
This didn’t hit at quite the level it has when I’ve watched it before.
It’s slower-paced and Jumbo dominates but struggles to put Tenryu away. And Tenryu keeps coming back, keeps taking any opportunity he can.
It’s a great dramatic match, but I’d’ve preferred more back-and-forth action.
****¾
Stan Hansen and Genichiro Tenryu vs. Jumbo Tsuruta and Yoshiaki Yatsu (AJPW, AJPW World Tag Titles, 07/11/1989)
Another quality AJPW tag.
The action’s as great as you’d expect. Though this one felt a little aimless until they targeted Jumbo’s leg. But it was a bit too little and a bit too late to elevate the match.
Though, let’s face it, you’re never going to get a bad match with these four.
****
Jumbo Tsuruta & Kenta Kobashi vs. Genichiro Tenryu & Stan Hansen (AJPW, 07/15/89)
You can probably guess how this is going to go just from looking at who’s in it.
And you wouldn’t be far wrong.
Kobashi’s the new kid on the block and Tenryu and Hansen use him as a punching bag.
The action’s great throughout and it’s a good step up from the previous tag match.
****½
Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Genichiro Tenryu (AJPW, Triple Crown, 10/11/89)
This was an improved version of their June match.
It’s rougher around the edges, but it’s more back-and-forth, the action’s better, and the finishing stretch is great. And there’s an amazing sequence where Tenryu chops Jumbo ridiculously hard in the throat and Jumbo just goes crazy.
Plus they struggle to hit the big moves which adds drama. And the finish sees the winner pull out a new move that was both surprising and fitting for the match.
Classic match.
*****
Giant Baba & Rusher Kimura vs. Genichiro Tenryu & Stan Hansen (AJPW, Real World Tag League, 11/29/89)
This was more fun than it had any right to be.
Essentially it’s two extended face-in-peril sections. First Kimura takes a beating and then it’s Baba’s turn. But Baba’s fired up, he brings every offensive move he’s got, and he refuses to go down. He even had me thinking he could pull out the win.
It’s clear Tenryu and Hansen aren’t going as hard as they normally would. With Hansen seeming especially reserved with Baba. Though that doesn’t take much away from the match.
Probably the best match Kimura’s ever been in and one of Baba’s better outings.
****¾
Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu vs. Genichiro Tenryu & Stan Hansen (AJPW, Real World Tag League Final & AJPW World Tag Titles, 12/06/89)
The usual excellent match you expect from these four.
And it’s elevated by Yatsu coming in wearing headgear making him an instant target.
It’s a hard-hitting, all-action affair, though it felt like it was just missing something to take it to the next level. But that might just be that I’ve seen a lot of this style of match recently and I don't think any aspect of this stood out from the other high-end matches.
Not that you can go wrong with it!
****¾
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Sept 8, 2023 19:05:46 GMT -5
Getting started with FMW. A promotion I've been wanting to dive into for years.
I'm going off Bahu's top 100 and a few other recommendations I've seen here and at PWO. If I miss anything don't hesitate to let me know.
Atsushi Onita vs. Masashi Aoyagi (FMW, Different Style Match, 10/06/89)
This is pretty much the best possible version of what I was expecting.
It felt violent, chaotic, and intense. It felt like a real fight. Much more than most shoot-style bouts. And it’s enhanced by being a fancam as it helps immerse you in the atmosphere and the red hot crowd.
As for the match itself, it uses a round system, and in the first round it looks like Onita’s going to dominate as he takes the karate man down at will. But Aoyagi fights back with some hard strikes and soon it’s Onita on the defensive.
And as a match, it’s pretty good. But as a spectacle, it’s pretty amazing. ****½
Atsushi Onita vs. Masashi Aoyagi (FMW, Different Style Match, 10/10/89)
This felt like a retread of the previous match.
But not as good. It didn’t feel as chaotic or intense.
Though the finish is a nasty-looking Thunder Fire Powerbomb that has Onita immediately checking on Aoyagi.
***½
Atsushi Onita & Tarzan Goto vs. Mitsuhiro Matsunaga & Jerry Blayman (FMW, Different Style Barbed Wire Deathmatch, 12/10/89)
This was an incredibly fun, all-action bout.
Onita seems to spend most of the match in the corner bleeding after going through the barbed wire. But Goto is amazing. He sells and bumps for the karate guys and his offense looks vicious.
There’s not really a lot to it beyond back-and forth action. But it’s hard-hitting, high-energy action and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
****½
Oh, and one indie match that sounded fun:
Ian Rotten vs. Eddie Kingston (IWA MS, I Quit Steel Cage Match, 07/08/05)
This was not a 5 star match.
But it was a 5 star experience.
As with just one handheld camera and no commentary it came off like some underground fight scene that’s probably not even legal to watch. And every other aspect backs this up. It really feels like a grudge match between two people who want to hurt each other.
A violent, grimy little match.
*****
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Sept 10, 2023 9:30:54 GMT -5
Onto FMW's 1990:
Atsushi Onita vs. Masanobu Kurisu (FMW, Barbed Wire Barricade Mat Match, 02/12/90)
This wasn’t great, but I did enjoy it.
Both men throw some stiff strikes. And the crowd are into everything, especially the barbed wire bumps.
But it felt a bit repetitive and didn’t really build.
***½
Atsushi Onita & Tarzan Goto vs. Dragon Master & Masanobu Kurisu (FMW, Tag Team Texas Street Fight, 04/01/90)
This was plenty of fun.
It felt like they were aiming for something along the lines of the Funks vs. The Sheik & Abdullah the Butcher. And while it never hits that level of intensity or violence, it was loaded with some pretty crazy action.
They recklessly fight into the crowd, Dragon breaks a chair on Onita’s leg, Kurisu takes off his cowboy boots to use them as weapons, and Onita whips them both with a belt.
It just didn’t escalate as well as it could have.
But still, a great brawl.
****½
Atsushi Onita vs. Lee Gak Soo (FMW, Different Style Match, 05/19/90)
This was nearly a classic.
It felt like a huge match.
Lee had some amazing kicks and was far better at selling than I expected. And Onita does a great job bumping and selling for him.
It’s not as violent or chaotic as the Aoyagi matches, but it felt more tense.
What lets it down is a repetitive finishing stretch as Onita spammed Thunder Fire Powerbombs.
****½
Atsushi Onita vs. Tarzan Goto (FMW, WWA Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Title, No Rope Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch, 08/04/90)
A bit of a disappointment.
For a deathmatch they spend far too long fighting over a figure four. And nowhere near enough time teasing the exploding barbed wire bumps. The stipulation almost feels like an afterthought instead of the focus of the match.
And it’s not helped by the commentators.
Their calm tone makes it sound like they’re reviewing a jazz album or something. And it takes away from the atmosphere of the match.
Some good work, but nothing special.
***
Atsushi Onita vs. Mr. Pogo (FMW, WWA Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Title, Texas Deathmatch, 11/05/90)
Amazingly Pogo was almost a 20 year veteran at this point.
He comes across as a third-rate cross between Dump Matsumoto and Abdullah the Butcher. His backdrop is one of the worst pro-wrestling moves I’ve seen at this level.
This starts off a bit slow as he’s in control, but it picks up in a big way when Onita takes over. And Pogo even brings a bit of decent offense later on. And the finish is great as Onita wins essentially via massive head trauma.
I feared this was going to be terrible from the opening few minutes, but it got better and better as it went, and by the end I was having a great time with it.
***½
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Sept 11, 2023 23:49:57 GMT -5
Time for FMW's 1991. Only 3 matches, but the first two were excellent:
Atsushi Onita vs. Tarzan Goto (FMW, 02/26/91)
This is in a completely different league to their exploding barbed wire match.
It’s violent and intense. Like a sleazy, low budget take on an All Japan epic.
And I thoroughly enjoyed it.
In fact I gave it the full five at first and only dropped the quarter star as Onita spams his finish. If he had more offense this would’ve been an easy five star effort.
(Though if no other FMW match gets top marks I might give it back the quarter star back.)
****¾
Atsushi Onita vs. Mr. Pogo (FMW, Barbed Wire Barricade Mat Mine Explosion Deathmatch, 05/06/91)
This had the feel of a huge match.
And though the work wasn’t a patch on the above match it was still compelling thanks to the huge explosions. You don’t want to look away unless you miss something crazy.
Plus, it benefits from a similar head trauma finish to their last match.
****½
Atsushi Onita vs. Tarzan Goto (FMW, No Ropes Barbed Wire Mesh Current Explosion Texas Deathmatch, 09/23/91)
This was similar to their previous deathmatch.
And I still don’t understand why they work it like they do. It’s far less interesting - and less violent - than their non-deathmatch from February. It’s too repetitive, they spend too long working holds, and the exploding cage is secondary. And I think at least one or two of the bumps into it were accidental. Which is a pity because it looks great and we even get some cinematic crane shots.
These two could and should have had a classic here. But it almost seemed like they chose not to.
***¼
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Sept 12, 2023 10:18:09 GMT -5
Random indie watch:
Walter vs. Darby Allin (EVOLVE, 06/23/18)
Walter ragdolls Allin around.
Allin makes a few brief comebacks.
And that’s it.
I think I was expecting a bit more.
Though it was fun to watch and the finishing stretch was dramatic and exciting. ****¼
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Sept 14, 2023 13:34:49 GMT -5
FMW's 1992:
Atsushi Onita & Sambo Asako vs. Sabu & Horace Boulder (FMW, No Ropes Barbed Wire Street Fight Tornado Death Match, 04/23/92)
This isn't a great match.
It probably isn’t even a good match.
But it is compelling as you want to know what’s going to happen next. And that’s almost entirely thanks to Sabu.
As pretty much everything he does is mad from his bumps to his offense. He more than makes up for the useless Boulder.
***¾
Atsushi Onita vs. The Sheik (FMW, No Ropes Barbed Wire Death Match, 05/2/92)
Again, not a good match.
But a pretty entertaining spectacle.
Sabu interferes and along with Horace Boulder they wrap Onita in the barbed wire. Which promptly backfires as Onita then uses his body as a weapon.
***½
Atsushi Onita, El Hijo del Santo & Tarzan Goto vs. Horace Boulder, Negro Casas & Tim Patterson (FMW/WWA, ⅔ Falls, 05/16/92)
Super fun chaos.
Santo puts on a highlight reel performance. He’s impossibly smooth and he looks like the greatest wrestler in the world. And Casas is the perfect base for him.
While they’re putting on a lucha showcase the others are hitting each other in the head with chairs.
It shouldn’t work, but it does.
Everything comes together and makes for a wonderful slice of madness.
*****
Megumi Kudo & Combat Toyoda vs Bull Nakano & Akira Hokuto (FMW, 09/19/92)
Everyone’s got their working boots on for this one.
It’s an all-action sprint and a lot of fun.
The AJW team dominates with Nakano barely selling for the home team except for the finishing stretch. Though this doesn’t really hurt the match as everyone’s throwing out move after move anyway.
Lightweight, but an entertaining watch.
****
Tiger Jeet Singh vs. Atsushi Onita (FMW, WWA Martial Arts Heavyweight Title, No Ropes Barbed Wire Current Mine Explosion Deathmatch, 09/19/92)
Pretty much the complete opposite of the above match.
But it’s the better match as everything feels just right.
The opening cinematics, the atmospheric soundtrack, the entrances, the visuals, the explosions, the red hot crowd. Every element works. And while the work itself is basic it fits into all this too.
It all feels like an amazing spectacle. It’s not perfect, a few more bumps into the barbed wire would have been great, and it would have benefited from a stronger finishing stretch. But they don’t really drag it down for me.
*****
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Sept 17, 2023 2:18:34 GMT -5
Onto FMW's 1993:
Tarzan Goto & The Sheik vs. Tiger Jeet Singh & Tiger Ali Singh (FMW, 03/29/1993)
This was a lot more fun than I was expecting.
What it lacks in technical wrestling it makes up for in multiple stabbings.
The ending comes out of nowhere, but other than that I had a great time with this. Especially considering who’s in it.
***¾
Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada vs. Combat Toyoda & Megumi Kudo (FMW, 05/05/93)
A proper interpromotional match. It’s FMW vs. AJW with an LLPW ref.
And it’s much more even than when Hokuto and Nakano worked the FMW girls. The AJW team give their opponents plenty of offense here and bump and sell for them.
It does go a bit long. But the finishing stretch is great as Toyota tries everything she’s got to get the win, but it’s never quite enough. And interestingly the crowd popped the loudest for her dropkicks. Not her flying or suplexes.
Entertaining, fast-paced, all-action joshi fun.
****
Terry Funk vs. Atsushi Onita (FMW, No Rope Barbed Wire Current Blast Super Large Time Bomb Deathmatch, 05/05/093)
An amazing spectacle.
The finish is a bit flat and the explosion wasn’t all that impressive.
But everything else here is great. Funk’s a long way above most of Onita’s opponents and it shows. The in-ring work’s in a different league to his usual deathmatch spectacles. And they do a much better job creating drama at the prospect of going into the barbed wire.
When it’s over and the ring’s filled with smoke, the crowd audio’s cut, and we get the awesome visual of Onoita and Funk staggering to their feet while a guitar solo plays. And it’s perfect.
*****
Atsushi Onita vs. Mr. Pogo (FMW, FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Title, Barbed Wire Current Mine Prison Ring Time Bomb Deathmatch, 08/22/93)
Similar to the above match.
It’s not as good because Pogo’s in control for most of the match and Pogo is no Terry Funk.
But the last five minutes are amazing. Pogo tries to hit a fireball and ends up taking a DDT into fire.
A great deathmatch that with some more compelling work from Pogo could’ve been a classic.
****
Atsushi Onita vs. Mitsuhiro Matsunaga (FMW, FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Title, No Ropes Barbed Wire Current Blast Deathmatch, 12/08/93)
The opening to this is some of the cinematic work FMW’s done so far.
But the match itself is a bit of a let down. And that’s despite Matsunaga having a barbed-wire covered shinpad.
His constant kicking gets repetitive. Though Onita does use a rather dangerous looking cross-armed Thunder Fire Powerbomb for the finish.
Not as interesting as I was hoping.
***
Atsushi Onita, Tarzan Goto & The Great Sasuke vs. Jinsei Shinzaki, Masaru Toi & Mr. Pogo (FMW, No Ropes Barbed Wire Street Fight Tornado Deathmatch, 12/26/93)
A bit of a disappointment.
It’s almost all lowest common denominator basic brawling. With a notable exception being Shinzaki doing the rope walk on barbed wire.
But it’s all-action and easy enough to watch. If not a patch on the Santo and Casas six-man.
***¼
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Sept 19, 2023 0:36:51 GMT -5
FMW's 1994:
Atsushi Onita vs. Genichiro Tenryu (FMW, No Ropes Barbed Wire Mesh Current Explosion Deathmatch, 05/05/94)
This seemed like it was going to be a classic.
But they spent far too long working holds. Not really a strength of either man. And it sucked the momentum out of the match and I lost interest.
Though the finishing stretch was pretty good as Onita proves more of a challenge to put away than Tenryu thought.
***
Atsushi Onita, Katsutoshi Niiyama & Mr. Gannosuke vs. Mr. Pogo, The Gladiator & Hideki Hosaka (FMW, No Ropes Barbed Wire Current Sea Mine Explosion Double Hell Elimination Deathmatch, 09/25/94)
I miss this era of deathmatches.
The current scene might be more brutal, but it’s not as crazy.
This is set in a “mined” swimming pool. And the spectacle is pretty much as good as it sounds.
The work’s nothing special. But it’s all action and there’s never a dull moment. And Pogo brings out the scythe and a couple of fireballs towards the end.
Entertaining throughout.
And it’s a deathmatch in a ring in a swimming pool. You already know if you’re going to like this.
****
Atsushi Onita vs. The Great Sasuke (Mpro, No Rope Barbed Wire Exploding Landmine Double Hell Deathmatch, 10/30/94)
Yes, not an FMW match, but this seems like the perfect place to put it.
And it does have a few FMW-style cinematic touches such as Sasuke arriving by helicopter and then some helicopter shots of the match.
The first half’s a bit slow, but it picks up considerably in the second half. Onita ends up on the outside and Sasuke manages a Sasuke Special over the barbed wire. Which is even more impressive than it sounds as it’s higher than the normal ropes. Overall not as spectacular as I was hoping for but still entertaining enough.
***½
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Sept 24, 2023 1:56:37 GMT -5
Onto FMW's 1995 and the rise of Hayabusa:
Atsushi Onita vs. Hayabusa (FMW, FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Title, No Ropes Barbed Wire Current Mine Explosion Time Bomb Deathmatch, 05/05/95)
Another amazing Onita spectacle.
The work is definitely second to the spectacle. But it feels more dramatic here, Onita works stiffer than usual, and other than a moonsault off the top of the cage Hayabusa does little flying. And initially I was let down by what I thought was the ending when the cage exploded. But they keep going after that and it looks great as they fight in the dust of the explosion.
Not as good as Onita’s match against Funk. But not all that far off either.
*****
Hayabusa vs. Hisakatsu Oya (FMW, FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Title, 06/27/95)
This surprised me as they start with some quality, almost shoot-style matwork.
But then they just took turns throwing moves at each other. And it started to drag.
Plus Hayabusa’s offense looked far better and was far more varied than Oya’s. To the point it started to look like a bit of a mismatch.
Though they picked things up for the finish.
***¼
Hayabusa vs. Hisakatsu Oya (FMW, FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Title Tournament, 08/31/95)
This was a good step up from their previous match.
We get even better opening mat work. The rest of the match is structured better. And Oya looks a lot more dangerous here.
Though it just lacked enough urgency and energy to make it a truly top-tier effort.
****
Hayabusa vs. The Gladiator (FMW, FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Title Tournament, 09/05/95)
This was a good match that could’ve been a great match.
Awesome dominates to start and he feels like a poor man’s Stan Hansen. Though that’s not that much of a knock. He’s focused, relentless and violent as he goes after Hayabusa’s arm. Using everything from a table to a chair to a ringpost to attack it.
But when Hayabusa takes over and they start building for the finish it starts feeling much more generic and never recovers.
***¾
Hayabusa vs. The Gladiator (FMW, FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Title Tournament, 09/26/95)
There wasn’t necessarily much wrong with this.
There’s plenty of big moves, it’s structured well enough, and the limb work isn’t completely blown off.
But none of it felt important.
It was just a bunch of moves.
***
Hayabusa & Mitsuhiro Matsunaga vs. W*ING Kanemura & Masato Tanaka (FMW, 10/28/95)
This was a lot of fun.
They don’t go big or intense enough for it to be a classic. But it’s full of energy, urgency, and violence. And Hayabusa’s far more interesting to watch when he’s had his mask ripped off and he’s covered in blood.
Highly entertaining stuff.
****
Aja Kong & Megumi Kudo vs. Combat Toyoda & Bison Kimura (FMW, 12/21/95)
A typical all-action joshi match.
And there are plenty of great sequences here. But it went on for too long with too little build. Very little of the impressive action meant anything.
But it was an easy and entertaining watch.
***½
Hayabusa, Great Sasuke & Koji Nakagawa vs. Super Delfin, Ricky Fuji & Taka Michinoku (FMW, 12/21/95)
This was pretty much a Michinoku Pro match with everything you expect from that style.
Everyone pairs off to start with, the exchanges are fast and flashy, and we get plenty of cheating and triple-teaming from the heels.
It didn’t go as smoothly or build as well as the best of the style. And the MPro boys looked in a different league to the FMW wrestlers.
Though I’m a fan of the style and enjoyed it.
***½
Megumi Kudo vs. Shark Tsuchiya (FMW, No Ropes Barbed Wire Deathmatch, 12/22/95)
A match of two halves!
One half was Shark Tsuchiya who was incredibly bland and added little.
The other half was Megumi Kudo who single-handedly made this something worth watching.
Great drama and violence. And with a better opponent Kudo could have had a classic.
****
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Oct 4, 2023 11:10:43 GMT -5
Time for a quick detour to Michinoku Pro's golden era.
I enjoy the style, though discovered I'm not quite as big a fan of it as I used to be.
I probably shouldn’t have left it until I’d watched all of these to review them as they have blended into one another to a large degree. But at least I noted the star rating for each match directly after watching.
Great Sasuke, Tiger Mask IV & Shiryu vs. Super Delfin, Taka Michinoku & Gran Naniwa (M-Pro, 03/16/96)
This wasn’t the smoothest of their matches, they were still working on perfecting the formula.
But it’s loaded with quality action.
****
Great Sasuke & Super Delfin vs. Dick Togo, Men's Teioh & Shiryu (M-Pro, Handicap Match, 06/23/96)
More of a heel beatdown than a proper match.
Though there’s a great spot where Sasuke takes an incredibly painful looking shin breaker through a table.
***
Dick Togo, Sho Funaki & Taka Michinoku vs. Gran Naniwa, Gran Hamada & Jushin Liger (M-Pro, 08/18/96)
Lots of fun, lots of action, and it goes less than 15 minutes.
Plus the crowd are massively behind Liger which helps elevate this.
****
Dick Togo, Men's Teioh, Shoichi Funaki, Shiryu & Taka Michinoku vs. Gran Hamada, Masato Yakushiji, Super Delfin, Gran Naniwa & Tiger Mask 4 (M-Pro, 10/10/96)
This was one of the matches I was most looking forward to rewatching when I started this project.
But it left me more than a little disappointed.
The action is excellent. Especially the opening when they all pair off with each other and show off what they can do.
But it goes far too long, ends up repetitive, and I couldn't wait for it to end.
***
Dick Togo, Men's Teioh, Shiryu, Sho Funaki & Taka Michinoku vs. Great Sasuke, Gran Hamada, Naohiro Hoshikawa, Masato Yakushiji & Super Delfin (Inoki Produce, 12/01/96)
Similar to but slightly better than the above match as it was a more compact version of it.
***¼
Great Sasuke, Gran Hamada, Super Delfin, Gran Naniwa & Masato Yakushiji vs. Dick Togo, Men's Teioh, Taka Michinoku, Shiryu & Sho Funaki (MPro, 12/16/96)
Now this was the match I wanted from them.
It’s not as showy as the 10/10/96 match, but it’s far better paced, has a more violent edge to it, and the crowd are red hot here.
And while I’m not sure if it really is worth the full five, I enjoy the style as it’s so easy to watch and I want to see it represented in my top 100.
(But hopefully there’s a better match from Toryumon or Dragongate.)
*****
Dick Togo, Men's Teioh & Shiryu vs. Gran Hamada, Super Delfin & Great Sasuke (M-Pro, 01/14/97)
This livens things up as they go the ECW route.
Sasuke nearly gets thrown off a balcony and Togo does his best Sabu impression (though I’d imagine it looked far more impressive in his mind than it did in reality).
****
Dick Togo, Men's Teioh, Shiryu & Taka Michinoku vs. Gran Hamada, Gran Naniwa, Great Sasuke & Masato Yakushiji (Battlarts, 01/21/97)
Similar to the above match, but they go a little more extreme with Naniwa getting his mask torn and ending up covered in blood.
Other than that though it’s the same quality action you expect.
****
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Oct 10, 2023 9:17:50 GMT -5
I make a start on FMW's 1996:
Hayabusa, Masato Tanaka & Koji Nakagawa vs. Mitsuhiro Matsunaga, Hido & WING Kanemura (FMW, No Ropes Barbed Wire Spider Mat Double Hell Deathmatch, 01/10/96)
This was just a bunch of stuff.
Some of it looked pretty good, including big dives from Tanaka and Hayabusa.
And it all felt very ECW inspired.
Easy to watch and entertaining, but nothing special.
***¼
Mitsuhiro Matsunaga, WING Kanemura & Hido vs. Masato Tanaka, Ricky Fuji & Tetsuhiro Kuroda (FMW, Scramble Bunkhouse Wire Mesh WarGame Match, 02/23/96)
This looked like it was going to be a step up from the previous match thanks to the WarGames gimmick.
And it got off to a great start with Hido and Tanaka punching each other in the face.
But it ended up, once again, being just a bunch of stuff. Not quite as interesting as the previous match. But it made up for it with a good, but short, finishing stretch between Tanaka and Kanermura where they ignore the hardcore stuff and go All Japan.
And if I was in any doubt of the ECW inspiration, Fuji cosplays as Raven.
Match that had great potential, but didn’t manage to live up to it.
***¼
WING Kanemura vs. Cactus Jack (FMW, Barbed Wire Barricade Spider Net Glass Crash Deathmatch, 05/05/96)
This was a little slow and lacked urgency to start, but it soon picked up.
And by the end it was about as good a deathmatch as the company’s put on.
It might not have had the spectacle of the big Onita matches, but the work and the drama in the finishing stretch were a big step up.
A stronger start and this would’ve been an easy five stars.
****½
Combat Toyoda vs. Megumi Kudo (FMW, FMW Independent Women's & WWA Women's Title, No Ropes Barbed Wire Current Blast Deathmatch, 05/05/96)
The work here was excellent.
They do a great job of teasing the barbed wire bumps and throw in some vicious head drops towards the end.
But the crowd couldn’t really care less. They respond to the barbed wire bumps, but that’s about it.
And it really hurts the match. It drains it of all atmosphere. And to me, that’s a big part of what makes FMW’s style work.
Great match. Bad crowd.
****½
Hayabusa & Masato Tanaka vs. Terry Funk & Mr. Pogo (FMW, No Ropes Barbed Wire Current Mine Explosion Double Hell Time Bomb Tornado Deathmatch, 05/05/96)
The work in this match isn’t as good as the previous two matches.
But it’s the perfect example of the FMW style.
It’s a great spectacle, the crowd’s hot, and it feels crazy and chaotic.
And I’m coming round on Mr. Pogo. Sure, he’s far from the best worker in the world. But he brings a sense of real violence to these matches. At one point he’s trying to burn Tanaka alive and he made me believe he was going to do it.
Classic FMW action.
*****
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Oct 12, 2023 11:40:05 GMT -5
Continuing with FMW's 1996. Nothing great here, but it was all entertaining enough.
WING Kanemura, Hideki Hosaka & Hido vs. Masato Tanaka, Tetsuhiro Kuroda & Koji Nakagawa (WING, FMW Six Man Street Fight Tag Team Title Contenders Match, 06/12/96)
This surprised me at first as it seemed like the face and heel dynamic had been reversed.
But then I realised it was a WING show, not an FMW show, so of course the fans were cheering for the home team.
This was a lot of fun with a great sense of chaos and a feeling anything could happen. It gets a bit lost in the middle, but soon picks up for a good finishing stretch.
***¾
WING Kanemura vs. Masato Tanaka (FMW, FMW Independent Heavyweight Title Tournament Final, 08/01/96)
This was so close to greatness it ended up being a little disappointing.
Both wrestlers are technically sound with plenty of big offense. They work together well. And they put together more than a few great sequences here.
But it doesn’t quite come together. It ends up feeling more like a bunch of stuff than a coherent match.
Which is a pity, but it was still plenty of fun.
***¾
Masato Tanaka & Tetsuhiro Kuroda & Koji Nakagawa vs. WING Kanemura & Hideki Hosaka & Hido (FMW, No Ropes Exploding Barbed Wire Current Line Explosion Barricade Double Hell Deathmatch, 9/1/96)
This felt a bit pedestrian compared to their earlier matches.
And it didn’t help the atmosphere that it was outside in broad daylight.
But there was still some pretty good work on show.
***
Terry Funk & The Gladiator vs. Hayabusa & Masato Tanaka (FMW, Street Fight, 09/24/96)
This was a decent all-action match.
Mike Awesome looked impressive.
But given who was involved I was expecting something much better.
***½
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Oct 14, 2023 23:52:39 GMT -5
Finishing off FMW's 1996. A bit of a disappointment to be honest.
Hayabusa vs. Taka Michinoku (FMW, 11/16/96)
When I first got into puro I’d probably have loved this.
It opens with some slick matwork, they both throw out plenty of big moves, and there’s pretty much zero downtime.
And it does make for an easy, fun watch.
But none of it means anything. The moves have little consequence in terms of story or selling.
I didn’t understand the people who’d write something like that 20+ years ago.
Though I now know exactly where they were coming from.
***
WING Kanemura vs. Taka Michinoku (FMW, 12/10/96)
Not too different from the above match.
But felt a touch more violent.
And the finishing stretch was a bit better as it had me thinking Taka was going to win.
***¼
WING Kanemura vs. The Gladiator (FMW, FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Title/FMW Independent Heavyweight Title Unification Match, 12/11/96)
This wasn’t what I was expecting.
Early on Awesome goes for a springboard, slips, catches his strapped up leg in the ropes, and Kanemura goes to work on it.
And the result is a slower-paced match for FMW, but one that’s more dramatic than usual as Awesome does a great job of selling the leg.
At least right up until the finishing stretch where it gets forgotten.
Other than that this was a solid match with a great performance from both guys.
***½
Megumi Kudo vs. Shinobu Kandori (FMW, 12/11/96)
This felt like it should’ve been much better than it was.
Kudo’s an effective babyface and Kandori can dish out a vicious beating.
But for whatever reason they don’t gel in the ring. And the action doesn’t flow or build.
**½
Hayabusa vs. The Great Sasuke (FMW, 12/11/96)
Like the Taka match.
But less interesting.
**
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Oct 15, 2023 2:17:20 GMT -5
A quick detour to Germany:
John Klinger vs. Ilja Dragunov (wXw, wXw Unified World Wrestling Title, No Holds Barred, 12/23/17)
A hard-hitting fight as Klinger tries to cave in Dragunov’s head.
It plays to the strengths of both men as Klinger’s offense looks great and Dragunov does a great job selling.
And while it doesn’t hit the level of the best violent brawls I’ve seen, it’s not far off.
****½
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Oct 17, 2023 10:59:28 GMT -5
Couple more quick watches:
Kazunari Murakami vs. Shinjiro Otani (ZERO1, Fire Festival 2007 Block A, 07/16/07)
They hit each other hard.
A bit too hard as they both bleed hard way and after the match Murakami had to take 3 years off because of the brain injury he sustained here.
So maybe not the sort of match that should be anywhere near a top 100.
But it was highly entertaining.
****½
Fuminori Abe vs. Takuya Nomura (KTDan, 10/12/23)
To borrow from Elliott:
I’m glad people liked it.
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