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Post by AndrewGB79 on Feb 17, 2023 2:49:45 GMT -5
A quick detour for some Foley before I get to the big AJW Summer Night Festival matches.
Cactus Jack vs. Terry Funk (IWA, No Ropes Barbed Wire Scramble Bunkhouse Deathmatch, 01/08/95)
One of the fans has a miniature baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire and it looks great.
And this is what you expect of a deathmatch from this era.
They wander around the gym hitting each other and throw in a few big spots. Though this is better than average as both men bleed buckets, especially Foley. The crowd’s hot. And the spots look good, with the highlight being Funk’s flaming brand. It makes for a great image as Foley tries to defend against it.
But since 1999, BJW’s evolved this style and taken it to far higher highs than here.
***¾
Cactus Jack vs. Tarzan Goto (IWA, IWA World Heavyweight Title, 10/05/95)
This delivered a couple of surprises.
It’s far more of a proper wrestling match than I imagined. And Goto looked far better than I remember him being.
There was some crowd brawling towards the start, but most of this was in the ring. And when Goto brings in weapons the crowd turns on him and gets behind Foley.
The work was far higher quality than I expected. They do a great job of building drama in the finishing stretch.
And I had a great time with this.
****
Mick Foley vs. Ric Flair (WWE, I Quit Match, 08/20/06)
A frustrating match.
It starts well. Foley dominates and Flair’s soon soaked in blood. It looks like it’s got the makings of a classic.
But then Flair takes over. And not too long after that we get a truly terrible finish.
What they do is good, but this had so much more potential. ***½
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Feb 23, 2023 11:46:48 GMT -5
Back to AJW and three matches I was really looking forward to:
Dump Matsumoto & Bull Nakano vs. Jumping Bomb Angels (AJW, ⅔ Falls, 08/22/85)
Dump and Bull’s entrance by itself is easily worth five stars.
Sadly the match does not live up to it.
The crowd are firmly behind the Jumping Bombing Angels, but they come off as too lightweight to pose any real threat.
And the match feels like a watered down Dump and partner vs. Crush Gals bout.
***
Devil Masami vs. Chigusa Nagayo (AJW, All Pacific Title, 08/22/85)
I remember when I got this on AJW Classics VHS from Highspots. I was excited for the main event, but this was the match that blew me away.
And it more than holds up.
It continually builds, feels like a struggle from bell to bell, and has everything from matwork to dives and from hard strikes to bombs. It’s a long way removed from the stereotypical joshi match.
And it was compelling throughout. Especially the finishing stretch as both women are struggling to stand as they’ve given absolutely everything.
A classic title match.
*****
Jaguar Yokota vs. Lioness Asuka (AJW, WWWA World Title, 08/22/85)
This had the potential to be another classic.
It gets off to a high speed start with Lioness making the mistake of trying to go move for move with Jaguar. And it has an all-action finishing stretch with some great moves and sequences.
But the middle lets it down. First Jaguar works over Lioness’s legs. Then vice-versa. And it’s not all that interesting.
Though the hot start and finish do make up for it. And I did enjoy it.
****
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Post by mvz on Feb 23, 2023 12:12:45 GMT -5
Love the love for Devil vs Chigusa, and am excited to watch this go around. If someone placed it at number 1 I wouldn’t blink.
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Post by [Darren] on Feb 23, 2023 12:19:51 GMT -5
I can’t remember if I voted for it last time, I might’ve had it in the middle of the pack. But it’s now in my Top 10. I’m thinking it’s going to do well this time around. Cap brought it to my attention and it kinda kept growing on me. Even though I became infatuated with the Dump Matsumoto matches (also going to rank very high for me) somehow this match, which is VERY different from those became my favorite 80s AJW match.
It will probably be my highest rated Japanese and women’s match overall unless something changes (I’m lower on Kandori/Hokuto than most.)
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Feb 23, 2023 13:53:05 GMT -5
Love the love for Devil vs Chigusa, and am excited to watch this go around. If someone placed it at number 1 I wouldn’t blink. Agreed, I could easily see it as a number one contender.
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Feb 23, 2023 13:56:11 GMT -5
I can’t remember if I voted for it last time, I might’ve had it in the middle of the pack. But it’s now in my Top 10. I’m thinking it’s going to do well this time around. Cap brought it to my attention and it kinda kept growing on me. Even though I became infatuated with the Dump Matsumoto matches (also going to rank very high for me) somehow this match, which is VERY different from those became my favorite 80s AJW match. It will probably be my highest rated Japanese and women’s match overall unless something changes (I’m lower on Kandori/Hokuto than most.) Good to hear! I don't rate it quite as highly, but it's still a classic match and deserves a high place on the list. I'm worried I'm not going to have the time to get to 90s AJW to rewatch Kandori/Hokuto. Though from memory it's one of my favourites.
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Post by lemming on Feb 23, 2023 14:59:24 GMT -5
Yeah Chigusa vs Devil might be the match I'm most interested in seeing where it finishes in the next vote. Everyone here seems (rightly) to love it. I've watched a lot of great matches for the first time due to this project and this is the best of them.
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Post by tetsujin on Feb 23, 2023 16:40:40 GMT -5
That's one of the few matches that I would define as "revolutionary" with no hyperbole.
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Feb 24, 2023 2:51:36 GMT -5
Yeah Chigusa vs Devil might be the match I'm most interested in seeing where it finishes in the next vote. Everyone here seems (rightly) to love it. I've watched a lot of great matches for the first time due to this project and this is the best of them. I could see it going top 20.
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Feb 24, 2023 2:52:49 GMT -5
That's one of the few matches that I would define as "revolutionary" with no hyperbole. Definitely deserving of the term.
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Feb 26, 2023 2:28:44 GMT -5
Finishing off AJW's 1985 with a trio of great matches:
Dump Matsumoto vs. Chigusa Nagayo (AJW, Hair Match, 08/28/85)
An infamous match, but one that didn’t quite live up to its reputation for me.
As while the work’s good and it gets violent and bloody, it felt a step down from their other encounters. And, more disappointingly, the finish came out of nowhere with the loser going down far too easily.
That said, it was still a great match.
And I’ll give it an extra half star for the spectacle of the head shaving.
****½
Crush Gals vs. Dump Matsumoto & Bull Nakano (AJW, Tag League The Best Final, ⅔ Falls, 10/10/85)
This was a series of amazing moments in a match that didn’t make the most of them:
Dump and her cronies are wearing the same gear, so naturally they use that to cheat.
And after cheating non-stop throughout the first fall to the point they get a rare disqualification, Bull raises her hands as if to say “what did we do wrong?”
They attack Chigusa's injured leg until she can barely stand and she does a great job selling it.
Asuka gets knocked out and sits out part of the match.
Chigusa tries to fight by herself despite only having one good leg.
And Asuka comes in and lies on top of her to protect her.
All of which should add up to a classic. But it doesn't flow well and the near non-stop interference doesn’t help.
A great spectacle, but not as good a match as it could’ve been.
****
Devil Masami vs. Dump Matsumoto (AJW, All Pacific & WWWA World Titles, 12/12/85)
If you like the hair match, then this is a must-watch.
Dump looks awesome with her leather gear, mirrored shades, and multi-coloured haircut. And surprisingly she shows Devil respect at the start by shaking her hand.
But then she sets about working her eyes which I can’t recall seeing before. Giving us some great imagery with Devil staggering around unable to see and Dump laughing at her before attacking her.
It felt more vicious than most of Dump’s work and added a real sense of drama to the match. Though Devil’s comeback was too easily earned considering she spent a good portion of the match blind.
Even so, I thought the in-ring action here was better than the hair match. And this bout deserves to be better known.
****½
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Feb 26, 2023 20:47:56 GMT -5
I've never seen an prime Lawler so thought it time to change that before I dive into AJW's 1986:
Jerry Lawler vs. Terry Funk (CWA, No DQ, 03/23/81)
They punch each other, they sell, and that’s about it.
Though the punches are great and the selling’s good so it makes for an entertaining match.
I’d just have liked for there to be more to it. Or at least more urgency and violence.
***½
Jerry Lawler vs. Dory Funk Jr. (CWA, 03/30/1981)
After the Terry match, big brother Dory comes for revenge.
But as Lance Russell notes, Dory is “methodical” which is code for slow and boring.
That said, this is far from terrible and there is more variety than the previous match.
Though it doesn’t hit the same highs and feels dull in places.
**½
Jerry Lawler vs. Terry Funk (CWA, Empty Arena Match, 04/06/81)
This is the Terry Funk show and what an amazing show it is.
He demonstrates why he’s one of the all-time greats with his mic work here.
And as a spectacle this is an easy 5 star match.
Or it should be.
But Lawler’s comeback is cut.
We get to see him takeover and then it clips to the finish. I’ve checked several versions of the match and it’s the same in all of them. I don’t know why none of the reviews I’ve read mention this. It seems like a pretty important point.
Classic match with an unfortunate clip that means I can’t go the full 5.
****
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Post by [Darren] on Feb 26, 2023 21:08:43 GMT -5
Currently top 5 overall for me. I just double checked and I don’t see an issue. I mean. I see the cut but it’s not like you actually miss anything it changes nothing in terms of the comeback having that little cut in there. Like.. nothing would really be added by additional footage.
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Post by [Darren] on Feb 26, 2023 21:10:10 GMT -5
It’s not like it goes on for a long time. I think the fact that it happens and is over so quickly makes the match more effective because he was such a bully and the second the tables turned he’s crying like a true bully.
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Post by AndrewGB79 on Feb 26, 2023 22:27:26 GMT -5
Currently top 5 overall for me. I just double checked and I don’t see an issue. I mean. I see the cut but it’s not like you actually miss anything it changes nothing in terms of the comeback having that little cut in there. Like.. nothing would really be added by additional footage. ... It’s not like it goes on for a long time. I think the fact that it happens and is over so quickly makes the match more effective because he was such a bully and the second the tables turned he’s crying like a true bully. I acknowledge it's my dislike of clipping rather than any specific clip which turns me off. And I wouldn't argue with anyone ranking it top 5 or even as their top pick.
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