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Post by AndrewGB79 on Sept 16, 2022 0:48:06 GMT -5
Exploring Fujinami's junior work for the first time.
Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Ryuma Go (NJPW, WWWF Junior Heavyweight Title, 07/27/78) Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Ryuma Go (NJPW, WWWF Junior Heavyweight Title, 11/30/78) Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Ryuma Go (NJPW, WWF Junior Heavyweight Title, 10/02/79)
I’ve grouped these together because they’re all much of a muchness.
The action’s good and they tend to get heated towards the end. But the transitions are rather sudden and they seem a bit my turn, your turn. With any long term, and most short term selling, completely blown off. For example, a couple of times Go takes a big move like a dive, but gets up first and goes on the offense.
And this stops them from hitting greatness. Which is a pity as they had the potential.
***½
Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Mando Guerrero (LA, WWWF Junior Heavyweight Title, 08/04/78)
A great showcase for both men.
They go back and forth on the mat and though it comes off more as an exhibition than a match, they do such a great job technically that it didn’t bother me too much. But I would have liked to see a more heated rematch.
And it felt like a precursor to the Eddie/Malenko matches and all the indie matches they inspired.
I like good matwork so I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
****
Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Ray Mendoza (UWA, WWWF Junior Heavyweight Title, ⅔ falls, 08/06/78)
It’s lucha and the style still hasn’t clicked for me.
But it features some great work from both men. And Ray uses a nice leglock I don’t think I’ve seen before to win the second fall.
You’ll probably like it more if you get lucha.
***¼
Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Dynamite Kid (NJPW, WWF Junior Heavyweight Title, 02/05/80)
Now this is more like it!
Fujnami goes into the match with a cut on his head and Dynamite relentlessly targets it.
A much rougher, more violent match than any of the above. DK delivers a great performance as he goes after the cut and gets the blood flowing. And Fujinami does a fine job as he struggles to survive.
They escalate the action while staying focused on the story. And even as DK starts to dominate, it’s never overwhelming as Fujinami takes every chance he can to pull out the win.
A quality junior match, not just moves for the sake of moves.
****¼
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Post by mvz on Sept 17, 2022 8:27:36 GMT -5
I’m glad to see you are checking these out, I did a run through these a while back and was glad I did. They were more engaging than I expected. I agree that the Dynamite match is the class of the bunch.
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Sept 17, 2022 18:56:47 GMT -5
I’m glad to see you are checking these out, I did a run through these a while back and was glad I did. They were more engaging than I expected. I agree that the Dynamite match is the class of the bunch. Yes, they were definitely worth watching. Even though I'd read the praise for them I was still surprised by the quality of the grappling.
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Sept 27, 2022 1:08:35 GMT -5
Given the praise for his recent match with Sheamus I decided to give some of his more praised work a look.
Walter vs. Timothy Thatcher (PROGRESS, PROGRESS Atlas Title, 01/28/18)
This is hampered by poor audio and camera work.
Which is a pity because it’s a great match.
Walter tries to keep things respectful, but Thatcher keeps pushing him and eventually he explodes and starts to beat on Thatcher. Then when it’s looking like a one-sided thrashing, Walter hits his hand on the ring post, giving Thatcher his opportunity.
I liked the story here of Walter’s own violence being his weakness. But I don’t think Thatcher focused on his hand enough. He let Walter off far too easily.
Other than that this was a quality piece of wrestling.
****
Walter vs. Jordan Devlin (OTT, OTT World Title, 08/18/18)
The Irish crowd are fantastic and firmly behind the hometown hero.
And Devlin goes out and throws everything he’s got at Walter. Refusing to stay and forcing the big man to beat the fight out of him.
This was really fun with plenty of action. But at no point did I think Devlin was going to win, which stops it from being a top-tier match.
****
Walter vs. Tyler Bate (PROGRESS, PROGRESS World Title, 09/30/18)
Despite the commentators playing up British Strong Style, this is much closer to a King’s Road style match.
Not that I’m complaining.
And the build is excellent. Bate knows what he has to do - hit and move - and he does it. And it makes for compelling watching as he tries to stay out of Walter’s clutches.
Though their finishing run isn’t as effective because when they start throwing the big moves, it becomes clear that like Devlin, Bate doesn’t have the firepower to put Walter away.
But given how much I enjoyed the build, I think it just scrapes full marks.
*****
Walter vs. Will Ospreay (OTT, OTT World Title, 10/13/18)
Not too different in style to the Devlin match, but unlike the Irishman, Ospreay has the credibility and offense to believably beat Walter.
And this is how I like my wrestling.
Plenty of action, plenty of big moves, and an exciting, dramatic finishing stretch. All helped by a red hot crowd who do not want to see Walter retain the title.
An easy five stars.
*****
Walter vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (PROGRESS, PROGRESS World Title, 10/28/18)
I was looking forward to this match the most out of any of them.
But it left me disappointed.
As while there are some great sequences, at no point did ZSJ seem like anything other than a minor annoyance to Walter.
When he took it to the mat, Walter kept up with him. And when he tried to strike he was outgunned.
Then as they head into the finishing stretch Walter suddenly starts selling on about the same level as ZSJ despite having taken little damage.
This could and should have been so much better.
***
Walter vs. Tyler Bate (NXT UK, WWE UK Title, 08/31/19)
A remake of their previous match. And like most remakes it wasn’t as good as the original.
It was too long and felt a bit too back-and-forth. It needed Walter to dominate more of the match.
And when a burning hammer, German suplex, corkscrew senton, and your own finisher can’t put your opponent away it doesn’t feel dramatic, it feels a little bit silly.
***
Walter vs. Ilja Dragunov (NXT UK, NXT UK Title, 10/29/20)
They just hit each other.
And like ZSJ, Dragunov comes off more as a nuisance than a genuine threat.
Plus the lack of a crowd doesn’t help.
Dull.
**
Walter vs. Ilja Dragunov (NXT UK, NXT UK Title, 08/22/21)
Similar but better.
***
Gunther vs. Sheamus (WWE, WWE Intercontinental Title, 09/03/22)
A fun battle of the big men.
Essentially this is the same as the Dragunov matches, but far better because Sheamus is much more suited to going toe-to-toe with Walter.
And they don’t let up throughout, they just beat on each other pretty much non-stop.
And that’s no bad thing!
****
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Post by tetsujin on Sept 27, 2022 4:22:21 GMT -5
Walter's 2018 is surreal, and the Bate match specially I remember it being close to a modern masterpiece.
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Sept 27, 2022 9:45:17 GMT -5
Walter's 2018 is surreal, and the Bate match specially I remember it being close to a modern masterpiece. Yes, a better finishing run and it would've been a classic.
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Post by [Darren] on Sept 27, 2022 14:05:16 GMT -5
It’s always nice when folks are on my side about the 10/29/20 Match.
Personally , I like the idea of a match in a quiet empty room where two dudes are just hitting each other but the presentation where the commentary team is screaming about how crazy it is.
I’d have had a more subdued, almost disgusted commentary approach.
I’d also shave off 8 minutes.
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Sept 27, 2022 17:38:28 GMT -5
It’s always nice when folks are on my side about the 10/29/20 Match. Personally , I like the idea of a match in a quiet empty room where two dudes are just hitting each other but the presentation where the commentary team is screaming about how crazy it is. I’d have had a more subdued, almost disgusted commentary approach. I’d also shave off 8 minutes. Yes, I should have mentioned the commentators. Their insistence it was the most violent match they'd ever seen worked against it.
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Sept 30, 2022 21:41:08 GMT -5
Thought I’d give a couple of highly acclaimed recent matches a go.
And I slimmed down my ongoing list by getting rid of all information other than the promotion and date for the matches. I think it makes it easier to read. And I have the full details in a spreadsheet if they’re needed for anything.
FTR vs. The Briscoes (ROH, ROH World Tag Team Title, 04/01/22)
I think the last time I saw The Briscoes was back in the early 2000s when they were wrestling the Spanish Announce Team in CZW. Turns out they’ve evolved a fair bit over two decades.
But they can still go. As this was pretty much non-stop, excellent, back-and-forth action with both teams presented as equals.
And my only complaint is that the finishing stretch felt cut short. It could’ve done with another sequence or two.
****½
FTR vs. The Briscoes (ROH, ROH World Tag Team Title, ⅔ falls, 07/23/22)
The 2 out 3 falls rematch takes things up a notch with a surprisingly pro-FTR crowd.
The first fall is solid and establishes things are a little rougher and more heated than the first match.
Then the action and drama massively ramp up for the last two falls. We get blood, violence, and the Briscoes demonstrating they’ll do whatever they have to in order to get the win.
And there’s no complaints about the finishing stretch this time.
*****
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Oct 3, 2022 22:42:22 GMT -5
On to Fujinami’s heavyweight career.
Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Riki Choshu (NJPW, WWF International Heavyweight Title, 04/03/83)
I’m cheating a bit with their feud and just watching the matches that made the DVDVR top 20.
Though despite this being their highest rated, I didn’t think it was anything special.
It’s solid enough and shows both men are at the same level, but felt a bit bland and basic. Especially given Fujinami’s junior work.
That said, the work’s decent and a hot finishing stretch with a clean finish help elevate it well above average.
***½
Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Riki Choshu (NJPW, WWF International Heavyweight Title, 04/21/83)
This is a notable step up.
Fujinami’s more fiery but his leg’s injured. And after Choshu survives an opening barrage, he relentlessly targets it.
Both men show much more of what they’re capable of here and the story’s far more interesting as Fujinami tries to overcome his injury.
Great match with a great finish that’s fitting even though I didn’t see it coming.
****¼
Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Riki Choshu (NJPW, WWF International Heavyweight Title, 08/04/83)
And another step up.
This is more heated and you can feel how much Fujinami wants to win. And it benefits from an amazing second half as they ramp up the drama and action. Plus the finish is great, with the final move getting a huge pop from the crowd.
This is the match I wanted from Fujinami vs. Choshu.
****½
Tatsumi Fujinami, Antonio Inoki, Kengo Kimura, Nobuhiko Takada & Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. Riki Choshu, Animal Hamaguchi, Isamu Teranishi, Kuniaki Kobayashi & Yoshiaki Yatsu (NJPW, Gauntlet Match, 04/19/84)
I always enjoy any sort of multi-man match and this is one of the best.
Excellent action and excellent storytelling that builds to each team’s heaviest hitter going at it. And though it lasts over an hour the time flies by and the crowd’s hot throughout.
A classic.
*****
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Oct 6, 2022 21:04:47 GMT -5
Giving some of the more acclaimed NXT matches a go.
Johnny Gargano vs. Andrade Almas (NXT, WWE NXT Title, 01/27/18)
I was really looking forward to this one.
And the excellent opening grappling makes it look like it’s going to be something special.
But then it turns into sequence, sell, repeat. And it didn’t come together for me as well as I’d’ve liked. It felt a little too pre-planned and was missing a sense of urgency and energy.
Though there’s still more than enough good stuff here to make it a great match. Just not as great as I think it could’ve been.
****
Johnny Gargano vs. Andrade Almas (NXT, WWE NXT Title vs. NXT Career, 02/01/18)
Like the previous match.
But not as good.
***
Andrade Almas vs. Aleister Black (NXT, WWE NXT Title, 04/07/18)
This wasn’t all that different from the Gargano matches.
Some great sequences, but it didn’t feel organic and I was never fully invested.
***
Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa (NXT, Unsanctioned Match, 04/07/18)
A match of two halves.
The normal wrestling was ok, but didn’t need to be here and felt like unnecessary padding.
The “unsanctioned” violence was great.
The match would’ve been far better if they’d just stripped it down to the hatred and violence.
***¾
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Oct 9, 2022 19:01:47 GMT -5
Time to start with RINGS.
Though I think this is going to be almost exclusively Volk Han and then Tamura when he arrives.
Volk Han vs. Andrei Kopylov (RINGS, 07/16/92)
An incredibly fun match to start with.
It’s a little long considering both men’s lack of experience. But it’s loaded with great matwork and takedowns. And the crowd are appreciative.
A great start to my RINGS journey.
***¾
Akira Maeda vs. Andrei Kopylov (RINGS, 08/21/92)
Excellent match.
As Maeda brings the structure and urgency that was lacking in the previous match. And Kopylov does a superb job carrying him on the mat, he continually subtly feeds him counters and openings so Maeda looks every bit as good as the Russian.
Exciting, hard-hitting, and action-packed.
****1/4
Volk Han vs. Andrei Kopylov (RINGS, 03/05/93)
Not as fun as their first match.
But it’s better structured and comes off less like an exhibition.
And Han looks far more confident and aggressive here. He only gets in trouble when he starts getting a little too creative with his submissions. A weakness he never overcame throughout his RINGS career.
Lacks the flash of their first match, but makes up for it by feeling like more of a fight.
****¾
Volk Han vs. Mitsuya Nagai (RINGS, 04/24/93)
The result’s never in doubt.
Han’s just too much for Nagai at this point. And he shows off plenty of cool takedowns and submissions. But he also takes things a bit too casually, giving his Japanese opponent openings he never should have got.
This could've been shorter, but it’s fun to see Han do his thing.
***½
Volk Han vs. Nikolai Zouev (RINGS, Mega Battle Tournament 2nd Rnd, 11/18/93)
Zouev is a step up in opponent quality for Han.
He’s confident, aggressive, and in an early exchange somersaults out of a standing hammerlock letting us know he’s got serious skills.
The action is great here, but there’s not enough of it to make this a truly great match.
***¾
Volk Han vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto (RINGS, 01/21/94)
Similar to the Nagai match, just not quite as good.
Though watching Han putting on a show is never a bad thing.
***¼
Volk Han vs. Andrei Kopylov (RINGS, 10/22/94)
A step up from their previous match as it seems they’re both more comfortable with the idea of pro-wrestling.
And this is a vicious match. The strikes are hard and at one point Han gets carried away, clearly annoying Kopylov who pays him back by busting him open. And the match is briefly stopped for Han to get cleaned up.
As well as the hard striking they also deliver on the mat. They bring all the technical skill you want, but it also feels far less showboaty and more like a real fight.
Great match.
****
Volk Han vs. Mitsuya Nagai (RINGS, 12/24/94)
Nagai’s come on leaps and bounds since their last encounter.
He’s levelled up his skills, his confidence, and his aggression. And he takes the match to Han who clearly wasn't expecting this.
Though the Russian’s still got plenty of tricks up his sleeve. Including an absolutely brutal looking shoot-style hammerlock DDT.
The action was great and it was tense throughout as it felt like either man was more than capable of ending it at any given moment.
****½
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Oct 16, 2022 19:33:26 GMT -5
Volk Han vs. Nikolai Zouev (RINGS, 03/18/95)
The Russians have a fun little encounter.
Great back-and-forth matwork. But it felt a little too relaxed. More like an exhibition than a match.
That said, it was entertaining to watch. And the finishing submission was amazing.
***¾
Volk Han vs. Masayuki Naruse (RINGS, 04/28/95)
Naruse presents zero threat to Han.
And though it’s fun enough watching him try, this goes on a bit too long.
***
Volk Han vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto (RINGS, 06/17/95)
Yamamoto’s significantly upped his game since their last match.
And he’s now a genuine threat to Han which seems to surprise the Russian.
They do a good job of using the point system to build to a dramatic finish. And it makes for a great watch.
****
Volk Han vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto (RINGS, Mega Battle Tournament Semi Final, 12/19/95)
This time Han’s prepared for him.
The result is a much more aggressive match with great back-and-forth action.
And given how close their last match was, the winner’s not obvious here. Han could put him away at any time with a submission, but Yamamoto’s prepared for him and his tricks.
Quality shoot-style action.
****
Volk Han vs. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (RINGS, 07/16/96)
Kohsaka turns up ready to fight.
He takes the fight to Han, continually cutting off space and struggling against everything the Russian tries.
This means we don’t get the Han show. Instead we get a hard fought technical matchup that feels more grounded in reality.
And it’s good work, but I found it a little dry.
Plus, we don’t get the proper finish as an enthusiastic palm strike forces the stoppage.
***½
Volk Han vs. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (RINGS, 08/24/96)
Similar to their previous match.
But the work’s even better. And instead of feeling dry, this time it felt tense. It almost came off as a thriller where the wrong move from either man would end the match in a heartbeat.
Excellent high-level grappling.
****½
Volk Han vs. Kiyoshi Tamura (RINGS, 09/25/96)
Like Kohsaka, Tamura’s on Han from the start.
But unlike Kohsaka, instead of forcing him into a tight grappling game, Tamura’s athletic enough to match Han on the mat. And the result is a faster-paced, flashier encounter.
Though it doesn’t get as dramatic.
****
Volk Han vs. Kiyoshi Tamura (RINGS, Mega Battle Tournament Final, 01/22/97)
A better version of their previous match.
The mat work’s fluid, exciting, and physical. Both men constantly fight for better positions and refuse to give up.
Great action, though lacks the drama of the best RINGS matches.
****¼
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Post by microstatistics on Oct 16, 2022 22:28:41 GMT -5
Unless it is already on your list, I'd recommend Han vs. Kohsaka from 11/22/96 as well to complete the trilogy.
Great thread, by the way.
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Oct 16, 2022 22:56:15 GMT -5
Unless it is already on your list, I'd recommend Han vs. Kohsaka from 11/22/96 as well to complete the trilogy. Great thread, by the way. Thank you. I was going to skip it, but I've just added it to the list.
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