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Post by nintendologic on Oct 7, 2021 14:57:06 GMT -5
Shinya Hashimoto vs. Kazuo Yamazaki (NJPW, 8/2/98)
By this point in his career, Hashimoto had earned every accolade available in New Japan except winning the G1. Standing in his way is Yamazaki, a UWF veteran on the the downside of his career but also on an incredible Cinderella run. Not only did he win all his previous matches in the tournament by submission in under ten minutes, he won with a different submission each time. On top of all that, Hashimoto comes in with an injured leg, making him even more vulnerable to a submission master. But even a wounded Hashimoto is far more formidable than any of Yamazaki's previous opponents. As such, both men are understandably apprehensive in the early going. Hashimoto blocks Yamazaki's leg kicks and knocks him on his ass with a kesagiri chop in the corner. He goes for a DDT, but Yamazaki shows his submission skill by reversing into a Fujiwara armbar. Hashimoto powders to the outside and delivers more chops to Yamazaki's neck after returning to the ring, but Yamazaki chops him down with kicks to his bad leg. Hashimoto fends Yamazaki off with a front kick to the abdomen and lays into him with kicks from his left leg. Unfortunately for him, that's also his injured leg, so throwing those kicks exacerbates the damage. He seems to be banking on the kicks hurting his opponent more than they hurt him. That appears to be a miscalculation as the pain in his leg from throwing those kicks forces him to take a step back and regroup, allowing Yamazaki to hit a low dropkick. Hashimoto delivers more chops, but Yamazaki cuts him off with a chop block. After a particularly devastating low kick, Hashimoto collapses to the mat like a demolished skyscraper. However, he shows why he's perhaps the ultimate wounded grizzly as he takes Yamazaki down with chops from his knees. Yamazaki shuts him down with another chop block, though. They get into a strike exchange with Hashimoto throwing kesagiri chops and Yamazaki throwing leg kicks. The beauty of it is that it isn't simply a display of machismo. They're absorbing their opponent's shots and firing back because they have reason to believe he's about to go down. Hashimoto ends up winning the exchange. Yamazaki goes for another chop block, but Hashimoto counters with a DDT. They have another strike exchange, this time with Yamazaki coming out on top. Yamazaki absorbs a kick from Hashimoto and dares him to bring it on. Again, it's great because it isn't simply macho fighting spirit bullshit. He's daring Hashimoto to keep kicking because he knows they're doing further damage to his leg. Sure enough, Hashimoto doubles over in pain after throwing a kick, and Yamazaki takes him down with a low dropkick. A dragon screw sends Hashimoto to the outside, where Yamazaki nails him with a plancha of all things. He then rams Hashimoto's leg into the ringpost. When Hashimoto returns to the ring, Yamazaki peppers him with kicks and takes him down with another dragon screw. He then applies his first leg submission of the match, and Hashimoto looks like he's in serious trouble. He makes the ropes and kicks Yamazaki away when he goes for a figure-four. He chops Yamazaki down with kesagiri chops and goes for another DDT, but Yamazaki reverses into a sleeper. Hashimoto again makes the ropes, but when he tries coming back with kicks, Yamazaki catches his leg and reverses into a modified calf slicer. The ropes again save Hashimoto, but he looks to be in more peril than ever. He finally turns things around in classic New Japan fashion by swinging for the fences with a desperation enzuigiri. Yamazaki looks like he really got his bell rung, and Hashimoto follows with a reverse DDT. I kind of wish the prior leg work had come into play during Hashimoto's final comeback, but it was short enough that I was able to overlook it. Also, the way he slapped his leg before hitting the reverse DDT felt to me like a signal that he sensed the end was near and he was blocking out the pain to get to the finish line. He wins his first G1 with a terrifying brainbuster that looks like it should have broken Yamazaki's neck.
Tier: 2. I like to describe this as a combination of strong style offense and King's Road psychology. The match is built almost entirely around strikes with few traditional pro wrestling moves and no real matwork outside of flash submissions. However, Hashimoto's injured leg gives it a psychological hook beyond two dudes clobbering each other. Superb selling from both men (of Yamazaki's submissions and Hashimoto's knockout blows) adds to the big fight feel. If you like hard-hitting minimalist wrestling with a surprising amount of depth, this is about as good as it gets. A lengthier final Hashimoto comeback centered around leg selling would have made this even more epic. Even so, this is my pick for greatest ever G1 final.
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Post by nintendologic on Oct 8, 2021 14:42:52 GMT -5
Vader vs. Dustin Rhodes (WCW, 11/16/94)
Dustin isn't thought of as a big man wrestler and he doesn't work like one, but he's actually taller than Vader. Wrestling smaller than his size is a great quality because it allows him to be a more effective underdog, especially because he can flip the switch and use his size to his advantage during his comebacks. We see how that dynamic works in the opening minutes. Vader shows no respect for Dustin, muscling him around and even spitting in his face. This prompts Dustin to snap like a kid who's tired of being pushed around by the schoolyard bully. He takes Vader down with a double-leg and rains down punches and slaps. He gets a near fall off a crossbody and clotheslines Vader to the floor. Hindsight is 20/20, but I would've gone straight to the clothesline from the mounting and skipped the crossbody since it didn't quite fit in with Dustin's aggression. It would've worked better as a hope spot with Vader on top. Dustin follows Vader to the outside, where he keeps the pressure on and launches a preemptive strike against Harley Race. Back in the ring, Dustin pummels Vader in the corner and even suplexes the big man. However, executing the suplex took so much out of him that he's unable to follow up, which enables Vader to roll to the outside to regroup. That proves to be a godsend for Vader as he finally shuts Dustin down with a body attack when he returns to the ring. He backs Dustin into the corner and obliterates him with some trademark strike combos. Dustin dodges a corner charge and gets a near fall off a schoolboy. He tries to go back on offense, but Vader nails him with a clothesline that he does a full 360 bump for. Vader delivers rabbit punches and goes for a corner splash, but Dustin again employs his size by catching him and reverses into a bodyslam. Vader tries to counter a sunset flip with a butt splash, but Dustin moves out of the way and hits a sliding clothesline. He goes for the bulldog, but a Race distraction enables Vader to illegally throw him over the top rope. Dustin takes a HUGE bump all the way to the floor. With Dustin seemingly on his last legs, Vader brings out the heavy lumber. A man Vader's size coming off the turnbuckle is about as high-impact as it gets. He hits two Vader bombs, but Dustin kicks out. Dustin's comeback begins when he pays tribute to Sting by catching Vader coming off the second rope with a powerslam. Unlike Sting, though, he can't make the cover. He blocks Vader's blows and fires away with punches, clotheslines, and bionic elbows until Vader is literally on the ropes. He places Vader on the top turnbuckle and hits a second rope DDT (another page out of the Sting playbook). Dustin hits the bulldog, but Race breaks up the pin by distracting him and enables Vader to pick up the win with Dustin preoccupied. I have to dock several points for Vader popping up so quickly after the bulldog, but the awesomeness of the face eraser more than makes up for it.
Tier: 3. If Dustin had a stronger offensive arsenal, this could've approached the best Sting/Vader matches even with the abbreviated length. Dustin's punches and clothesline work great in a traditional US pro wrestling setting, but they can't help but look somewhat weak when contrasted with Vader's offense. He should've drawn even more from Sting and relied on power moves and using his body as a weapon. Still, great fight.
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Post by nintendologic on Oct 11, 2021 16:54:34 GMT -5
Jerry Lawler vs. Dutch Mantell (Memphis, 3/22/82)
This is a match between nominal babyfaces that is worked as a straight grudge match and doesn't even start out scientific, a novelty in any era. The grainy sepia-toned match footage makes the proceedings seem even grittier. It's almost like they've been kidnapped and forced to battle to the death in an underground fight club. Lawler wants to rush in headlong from the get-go, but Dutch isn't about to play into his hands. He tries to stick and move and isn't afraid to powder to the outside to slow things down. About four minutes in, he slides a chair into the ring. The referee tries to grab it to prevent it from being used as a weapon (it may be a no-DQ match, but that doesn't mean he'll let things get completely out of hand), but Lawler snatches it for himself and chucks it at Dutch on the outside. Dutch returns the favor, and the chair nails Lawler in the leg. Dutch finally senses an opening and swoops in like a lion pouncing on a wounded gazelle, laying into Lawler with stomps and punches. He tries to work the leg with a spinning toe hold, but Lawler escapes by punching his knee. Lawler is still hobbled, so he makes his comeback by whipping Dutch into the turnbuckle and catching him on the rebound with punches. After a brief break in the footage, we pick things back up with Dutch stomping on Lawler in the corner. Based on Lance Russell's commentary, he gained control by going after the leg again. He learned his lesson after Lawler showed he could fight his way out of holds, so in a move of tactical brilliance, he's shifted his game plan to targeting the leg with stomps to open Lawler up for other offense. That's the kind of high-end psychology most people don't readily associate with Memphis brawls. Now Lawler is the one who has to roll to the floor to regroup. When he returns to the ring, Dutch again stomps the leg. This time he doesn't allow Lawler to escape to the outside, sending him back into the middle of the ring with a headlock punch. When a big right sends Lawler to the apron, Dutch rolls outside to meet him. He slams Lawler onto the concrete and follows with an elbow drop. He then repeatedly rams Lawler's head into the ringpost and apron. In an awesome hope spot, Lawler throws a wild haymaker coming off the ropes but catches nothing but air. Maybe that's where Dustin got it from. Dutch again tries to use a chair, and this time the ref makes no effort to stop him. I guess he decided that if these two idiots want to kill each other, he's not going to stand in their way. Dutch clocks Lawler with the chair, and Lawler has to put his foot on the bottom rope to break the pin. It's the 80s, so even protected chairshots are treated like death blows. The ropes again save Lawler after Dutch hits a normally-illegal-in-Memphis piledriver. Lawler kicks out with authority after Dutch hits a second-rope splash, and everybody knows what's coming next. He drops the strap and absolutely unloads on Dutch. Normally during his comeback, he'll deliver his punches somewhat theatrically so the crowd can chant "boom" when they connect. Here, he throws rapid-fire left and rights like he's trying to knock Dutch's head off or at least give him a concussion. Lawler hits a running splash, but Dutch blocks a second by putting his knees up. The two collide after Lawler whips Dutch into the corner, and Dutch gets knocked to the floor. Lawler hammers him with more punches when he tries to climb back in the ring. He's seemingly on the verge of being knocked off the apron, but he stuns Lawler with a kick to the gut and shockingly picks up a clean win with a sunset flip.
Tier: 3. I've always thought this was clearly superior to the barbed wire match, which has never done much for me. Dutch in particular turns in an outstanding performance here as a thinking man's brawler. This managed to sneak into my top 100 after someone finally uploaded a near-complete version to YouTube. It supplanted Flair/Steamboat at Chi-Town Rumble, another match I figured was a virtual lock for at least top 50 but ended up falling off entirely.
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Post by nintendologic on Oct 12, 2021 12:33:47 GMT -5
Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. (WCW, 10/26/97)
In retrospect, the fact that Rey's mask is attached to his bodysuit and can't be removed kind of gives away the outcome. 90s Rey may be fastest wrestler in history. Even if he never left his feet, just the way he moved around the ring would be breathtaking. Eddie catches a quebrada attempt, but Rey shakes him off with an armdrag. Eddie ends up on the floor but has enough awareness to move out of the way when Rey goes for a dive out of the ring. Rey does a Misawa-style flip over the ropes, but Eddie is one step ahead and yanks him off the apron. He takes a flat-back bump to the floor, and the back becomes Eddie's target for the remainder of the match. The back work never directly comes into play, but it's not like Rey's a power wrestler with an arsenal of moves that require back strength to execute. The goal seems to be to amplify the impact of Rey's bumps so he's too incapacitated to avoid Eddie's high-impact maneuvers. Eddie sends Rey into the ring steps and hits a slingshot senton after rolling him back in the ring. Hey lays into Rey with chops and uppercuts, but Rey hits a dropkick out of nowhere. He tries to follow with a cartwheel maneuver, but Eddie counters with a backdrop. Vertical suplex and tilt-a-whirl backbreaker both get two. Eddie slows things down a bit with an abdominal stretch before turning it into a pumphandle backbreaker. He tries to force Rey's shoulders to the mat with a knuckle lock, but Rey amazingly counters with a moonsault DDT. The beauty of this match is that the high-risk maneuvers only work when they're genuine counters. If Eddie has enough time to react, Rey crashes and burns. Rey dropkicks Eddie to the floor, but Eddie again gets the jump on Rey and knocks him off the apron with a dropkick of his own. He rolls Rey back in and applies a camel clutch, a Guerrero family tradition. He releases the hold, which is a major pet peeve of mine. I don't like seeing a wrestler surrender an advantageous position unless their opponent does something to force them to. If the opponent has no viable means of escape and you have to release a hold to keep the match moving, it was a mistake to apply the hold in the first place. Eddie keeps it in the family with a Gory special. Rey escapes with an armdrag but whiffs on a dropkick. Eddie then lands a brutal dropkick to the back of Rey's neck. He hits a Canadian backbreaker drop and applies a modified bow and arrow hold, which ends up being another hold he has to release to keep things moving. He puts Rey in the tree of woe but ends up crotching himself on the ringpost when Rey sits up to avoid a baseball slide dropkick. He rolls to the outside, and Rey comes off the top turnbuckle with a crossbody while he's recovering on the floor. Back in the ring, Rey gets a near fall with a hurricanrana (that is, a proper one ending in a pinning combination and not simply a headscissors takedown) but is leveled by a clothesline immediately afterward. Rey sends Eddie to the outside with a 619 headscissors, which would be impressive enough on its own. But then he outdoes himself with a tope con hilo into a headscissors takedown on the floor. Nearly a quarter of a century later, it remains one of the most incredible highspots I've ever seen. Rey hits a corkscrew moonsault back in the ring, but Eddie puts his knees up to block a split-legged moonsault and nearly drives Rey through the canvas with a powerbomb. Rey counters a corner charge by catapulting Eddie into the turnbuckle and then hits a spinning heel kick. He signals for a springboard hurricanrana, but Eddie reverses it into a backbreaker. Eddie signals for the frog splash and rolls through when Rey dodges. He gets Rey in position for splash mountain from the second rope, but Rey reverses into a super hurricanrana for the pin. That's the right combination of high-impact move and tricky pinning combination to be a credible finish.
Tier: 2. This is another match that hardly needs to be hyped up. Not only do I not recall ever seeing a serious criticism of this match, I can't even imagine what possible basis there would be to levy such criticism. Whether you like fast-paced high-flying action or more traditional pro wrestling psychology with strong face and heel work, this match has you covered. More than anything, I don't know of any other match that comes close to making such mind-blowing spots look uncooperative. With all that said, right now I think I'm leaning toward the June 2005 match these two had on Smackdown being better. It feels more complete to me even if it isn't nearly as spectacular.
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Post by nintendologic on Oct 14, 2021 15:57:46 GMT -5
Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect (WWF, 6/13/93)
This is a King of the Ring semifinal match, and Bret has his fingers taped due to Razor Ramon stomping on his hand in the previous round. This starts out like a standard scientific babyface match as they work in and out of headlocks. There's an extra snap to Bret's hiptosses and side headlock takeovers so they feel like almost shoot takedowns. Perfect gets frustrated by his inability to deal with the headlock, so he forces Bret into the ropes and delivers a knee lift. It's Bret's selling that really puts it over as he makes it come across like a real cheap shot. Perfect follows up with stomps and kicks to Bret's midsection and sends him to the outside with a dropkick. He holds the ropes open to allow Bret to return to the ring but lands a cheap shot as he comes back in. This is often referred to as "playing subtle heel," which is a term I've come to despise because there's usually nothing subtle about it. It almost always refers to a nominal babyface using every shortcut and roughhouse tactic in the book if not outright cheating his ass off. Then again, pro wrestling is an art form that doesn't really lend itself to subtlety. Bret again rolls to the outside after Perfect lands another kick to the midsection. Perfect rolls to the floor to meet him and rams his head into the apron. When Bret tries to return to the ring, Perfect uses the ropes to slingshot him from the apron into the guardrail. That's a pretty massive bump by 1993 WWF standards, even more so because he landed on a couple of equipment boxes which couldn't have been pleasant at all. Back in the ring, Perfect hits a missile dropkick that sends Bret flying all the way across the ring. That ends up being a blessing in disguise as it enables him to escape a pin attempt by putting his foot on the rope. Perfect goes up top again after Bret goes into the turnbuckle sternum-first, but Bret catches him and turns it into a superplex. He then starts targeting Perfect's leg with kicks, which Perfect kind of ridiculously oversells. I would have preferred if Bret had started the leg work with something more impactful like a chop block. Bret applies a figure-four, and Perfect makes the ropes after raking Bret's eyes doesn't break the hold. Bret then applies a leglock, which Perfect escapes by forcing Bret's head to the mat and dropping his free leg across his face. Perfect hair mares Bret all the way across the ring and locks in a sleeper. Besides the obvious reason, it's brilliant psychology because leaning his body weight on Bret with the sleeper on alleviates some of the pressure on his leg. Bret makes the ropes, and Perfect utilizes the five-count to the maximum before releasing the hold. Perfect trips over Bret's leg while backing away from the ropes and slaps his leg to pass it off as his leg giving out. Nice veteran move. The extra seconds in the sleeper left Bret vulnerable, so Perfect reapplies it and puts his foot on the ropes for extra leverage. This time, Bret escapes by sending Perfect head-first into the turnbuckle. After Bret recovers, he clobbers Perfect with probably the greatest European uppercut of all time. He then returns the favor from earlier with a hair mare of his own, and Perfect ends up crotching himself on the ringpost. Bret capitalizes with an inverted atomic drop and goes for the sharpshooter after hitting his moves of doom. In probably the highlight of the match, Perfect escapes by bending back Bret's injured fingers and then stomps on the hand. After an incredible struggle over a Perfect-plex, they both go over the top rope and tumble to the floor. Perfect makes it back in first, but falling outside has seemingly aggravated the damage to his leg to the point where he can't stand. However, it turns out he was playing possum as he catches Bret with a small package. Bret's one step ahead, though, and he reverses into a small package of his own for the win. Perfect atones for his behavior during the match by offering Bret a congratulatory handshake afterward.
Tier: 2. I wasn't quite in love with how they transitioned to the leg work, but this is a superb chess match with enough aggression to give it an edge. I really dig the story of the reformed villain responding to being overmatched by returning to his old tricks only to realize the error of his ways when he's outwitted in the end. It just goes to show that cheaters never prosper.
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Post by nintendologic on Oct 15, 2021 13:50:32 GMT -5
Sgt. Slaughter vs. Iron Sheik (WWF, 6/16/84)
A boot camp match can only be won by pinfall and falls count anywhere, although the latter stipulation doesn't play much of a factor. The opening minutes are all Slaughter as he nails Sheik with a ballistic helmet and whips him with a riding crop. Sheik's heel selling is picture perfect as he's clearly in pain but expresses it so theatrically that the viewer feels no sympathy for his plight. Sheik turns things around when he reverses a whip into the corner, and Slaughter takes the Slaughter bump all the way to the floor. Sheik follows him outside, ramming his head into the apron and hitting him with a chair. Back in the ring, Sheik whips Slaughter with belt. As an aside, why was Sheik wearing a belt with his trunks? It'd be one thing if it was a weightlifting belt, but it was a plain old dress belt. It might have worked better if Ayatollah Blassie had handed Sheik his belt to use. In any event, he uses Slaughter's riding crop against him and chokes him with the belt. Slaughter manages to send Sheik to the floor and uses his own belt against him, but he still ends up on the short end of the exchange due to still feeling the effects of the choking. Sheik rams Slaughter's head into his (not yet loaded) boot, but Slaughter comes back with a shot to the throat followed by one to the midsection (for which Sheik does a comical TIMBER sell). Slaughter tosses Sheik outside, where he rams Sheik's head into the apron and hits a backbreaker on the floor. Back in the ring, Sheik rakes Slaughter's eyes and loads up his boot after ramming Slaughter into the turnbuckle. He tries to ram Slaughter's head into the loaded boot, but Slaughter opts to go into the ringpost instead. Willingly taking a hit to avoid an even bigger hit is surprisingly deep psychology. Slaughter is busted open, and Sheik goes to work on the cut. Truth be told, his punches aren't that great. He holds his fist vertically and swings downward like he's pounding on a table. Slaughter starts blocking Sheik's punches (he had tried to fight back from underneath earlier, but he's so worn down now that all he can do is block-great storytelling progression), so Sheik catches him with a boot to the midsection. Slaughter takes another Slaughter bump after being whipped into the turnbuckle, this time stopping short of falling to the floor. Sheik goes for a gutwrench suplex, but Slaughter counters with a body blow. He kicks Sheik in the head with his steel-toed combat boots, and now Sheik is bleeding as well. Amazing war-of-attrition selling from both men at this point as they struggle to make it to their feet. Slaughter lays into Sheik with punches and winds up his fist like Popeye before delivering an uppercut. He goes for the Slaughter cannon, but Sheik counters with another boot to the midsection. A gutwrench suplex and a vertical suplex both get two. Sheik takes off his boot so he can really load it up, but Slaughter ducks and hits the Slaughter cannon. From there, it's a race to retrieve the loaded boot. Slaughter wins and nails Sheik with the boot to pick up the win for America.
Tier: 3. There are some dull patches in between the gimmick weapon spots, but if your like your brawls with an equal mix of cartoonish action and bloody violence, it doesn't get any better than this.
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Post by nintendologic on Oct 17, 2021 12:03:00 GMT -5
Darby Allin vs. Brian Cage (AEW, 1/13/21)
Darby storms out of the gate like he was shot out of a cannon and clips Cage with a low dropkick. Darby has the best topes in the business these days for two reason. First, the speed and recklessness with which he executes them make it seem like he's violently flinging himself at his opponent rather than performing a pretty acrobatic maneuver. Second, he has a knack for setting them up so it looks like his opponent genuinely doesn't see them coming rather than forcing them to stand there and take it even if they see him coming from a million miles away. We see that when Cage is on the outside with his back turned to the ring and Darby's tope nails him in the back of the head. We also see the flip side of that when Darby's opponent does have time to react. When he goes for a second tope, Cage amazingly catches him in midair and turns it into a vertical suplex on the floor. Cage then proclaims his greatness and fist-bumps Ricky Starks. I find it mind-boggling that any promotion would want to turn him babyface when everything about him screams douchebag. Darby fires back with a slap after Cage rolls him back in the ring, but Cage levels him with a short-arm clothesline. He then press slams Darby all the way from the ring onto a table at the edge of ringside. Table spots are pretty trite these days, but a reckless uncontrolled bump like that will always be a holy-shit moment. Cage can't win Darby's TNT title by countout, and the way he returns Darby to the ring is almost as ridiculous. He hoists Darby up in position for a vertical suplex and carries him up the ring steps in that position before tossing him back in the ring from the entrance ramp. From there, he continues to brutalize Darby with power moves, including bieling him into the turnbuckle. What makes it even more impressive is that he doesn't rush from one spot to the next like he's in a hurry to get his shit in. Rather, he allows the impact of each spot to sink in by taking his time and giving them room to breathe. They seemed to be largely spinning their wheels during PIP time, but I can't blame them for wanting to save the really important stuff for when they got back from commercial. Cage doing curls with Darby's body before launching him with a fallaway slam was pretty cool, though. When they return from break, Darby stops a corner charge with a boot to the face, but Cage catches him coming off the second rope and hits an F5. Darby kicks out at one, though. Cage then hits a triple powerbomb, but Darby defiantly flips him off. Cage responds by powerbombing Darby from the ring onto the ramp, but Darby flips him off again. Cage brings Darby back in the hard way with a suplex while standing on the second rope and goes for a pin, but Darby takes advantage of Cage's nonchalant cover and again kicks out at one. Cage is now thoroughly enraged, so he decides to go for an F5 from the apron onto the steps. Darby senses an opening, so he slips into the ring, bites Cage's hand to break his grip on the rope so he falls from the apron onto the steps, and hits Cage with a coffin drop on the steps. It was going to take something huge for Darby to get back in it given the beating he had sustained up to that point, and his only hope was to piss Cage off with his defiance to the point where he got sloppy and left himself open to a big counter. His plan worked to perfection. After they both beat the count back in, Cage catches Darby coming off the second rope, but Darby escapes by biting Cage. He then hits a stunner and ties Cage's legs up with his belt (the kind of belt you use to hold your pants up, not the TNT championship belt). Cage is still able to send Darby up with a flapjack from his knees, but right when he manages to remove the belt from around his ankles, Darby hits him with a code red. He then sends Cage into the corner with a shotgun dropkick and goes for a pin. Cage kicks out with authority and launches Darby onto the top turnbuckle, but he immediately turns it into a double foot stomp. Very clever spot. He goes up top again, but Starks takes advantage of a Hook distraction to crotch him on the turnbuckle. The lights then go out. Sting is there when they come back on, and he disposes of Starks with his baseball bat. With Darby still on the top turnbuckle, Cage goes for a super F5, but Darby reverses into a crucifix bomb and gets the pin. It's a finish reminiscent of Eddie/Rey at Halloween Havoc as it's a pinning combination with enough impact behind it to keep a larger opponent pinned down for the three-count.
Tier: 3. As this selection indicates, I don't believe in recency cutoffs for my ballot. I know some people like to hold off on more recent matches to see how they hold up, but I think that's a flawed notion. After all, the matches don't change. Only we do. A project like this is a snapshot of a moment in time, not a sacred text to stand for all time. If a match from this year feels worthy of a spot on my ballot, I'm going to include it. Whether I feel the same way a year or even a week later is irrelevant. Darby is my favorite guy going today, and this match for me does the best job of capturing everything that makes him great: big meaningful bumps, high-risk offense that feels violent and uncooperative, and spots that are creative without feeling too contrived. Cage deserves credit as well for his heel performance. His power offense is legitimately mind-blowing, but he's such a thoroughly unlikable douche that he never becomes cool enough to cheer. This is Eddie/Rey's grittier American cousin.
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Post by nintendologic on Oct 18, 2021 16:21:55 GMT -5
Ricky Steamboat/Tito Santana vs. Greg Valentine/Brutus Beefcake (WWF, 4/21/85)
Important note: Valentine and Beefcake were not yet known as the Dream Team at this point. They first billed themselves as such on the June 8 edition of the Body Shop. This has one of the hottest openings of any tag match I can remember as Brother Bruti plays pinball for Steamboat and Santana's offense. They also send Valentine packing when he tries to run in and nail him on the apron as well. The Butcher gains control with an eye rake and tags in Valentine, but Santana dodges an elbow drop and fires away with lefts and rights. Valentine powders to the entrance ramp, where the Man With No Name and Jimmy Hart console him. I like how Santana wants to press the issue but has to be restrained by the referee rather than simply allowing the heels to stall like you sometimes see in tags. Back in the ring, Valentine has Santana reeling with a blow to the midsection followed by elbows, but Santana turns the tables with a clothesline and whips Valentine into his corner for Steamboat to hit a chop. Santana goes for the figure-four, but Valentine manages a rather ugly reversal and drops Santana with a kick to the breadbasket. Wrestling is much better when wrestlers are punished for going for their finisher too early. Valentine hits an absolutely textbook shoulderbreaker. Look at how he brings his knee up so that Santana is almost completely protected. Booty Man tags in and provokes Steamboat into losing his cool on the apron. While the ref is restraining Steamboat, Valentine runs in and delivers more punishment to Santana. Santana dodges an elbow drop, but Zodiac tags out and grabs Santana's leg to prevent the tag while Valentine takes out Steamboat. The Disciple does a number on Steamboat on the apron while Valentine works Santana over. Valentine works the hell out of an armbar, and Eddie Boulder pulls Santana into his corner to set up a double-team. Santana eventually makes the tag by scooting through Dizzy Hogan's legs (I love that spot), and Steamboat lays into both future Dream Team members with punches and chops. He locks in a sleeper, but Brute Force escapes with an eye rake and tags in Valentine, making sure to deliver a parting shot before returning to his corner. I have to say that I was surprisingly underwhelmed by the Steamboat FIP segment. Unlike the Santana one, there was no real involvement from the illegal men, nor were there any real hope spots and cutoffs. Instead, the heels focus on isolating Steamboat and beating him down. That only works for me if the heels deliver a Holy Demon Army-level beatdown, and they didn't quite reach that level of violence. However, Valentine again demonstrates his technique on a gutbuster, bringing his knee up to protect his opponent. Steamboat eventually makes the hot tag after using his martial arts to fight his way out of the heel corner. Santana hits a flying burrito, but E. Harrison Leslie breaks up the pin. Steamboat breaks up an illegal double-team with a top rope judo chop, and Santana gets the win by reversing an atomic drop into a figure-four.
Tier: 3. This is a testament to the power of the tag formula as the participants break no new ground but execute the formula to near-perfection. Santana and Steamboat are great underdog babyfaces, and Valentine is an awesome no-nonsense bruiser. Beefcake doesn't have much to offer on offense beyond chokes and eye rakes, but he contributes positively by taking part in double-team action and setting up ref distractions to allow his partner to interfere illegally.
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Post by nintendologic on Oct 19, 2021 18:56:36 GMT -5
Bret Hart/British Bulldog vs. Owen Hart/Bob Backlund (WWF, 2/26/95)
JR is joined on commentary by Todd Pettengill, and he seems about as thrilled about it as you would expect. Davey Boy gains the advantage on Owen in the opening minute with armdrags and does the same to Backlund when he tags in. He goes for a backslide, but Backlund kicks out and nails him with a forearm. Backlund attempts a vertical suplex, but Davey Boy reverses. Backlund makes the tag to Owen, who comes up just short of preventing Davey Boy from doing likewise. Bret lays into Owen with rights and nails Backlund on the apron as well. Backlund tries to run in after Bret yanks Owen up off the canvas by his hair, but Bret shuts him down with a blow to the abdomen. Owen escapes a backbreaker with a surprisingly aggressive eye rake (he looks like he's trying to claw Bret's eyes out) and tags in Backlund, who gestures for the crossface chickenwing. Bret counters with an inverted atomic drop and puts Backlund in the sharpshooter, but Owen breaks it up as they go to commercial. When we return, Backlund tags in Owen, who stomps on Bret in the corner. Backlund rams Bret's leg into the apron while the referee is restraining Davey Boy. From there, Owen zeroes in on the leg with all sorts of nasty holds and attacks. After reversing a figure-four attempt into a small package, Bret tries to crawl to his corner but gets cut off by Owen. When Bret gets another opportunity to escape, he crawls toward a neutral corner because he needs to be standing to make it to his corner and he needs the assistance of the ropes to make it to his feet. Great attention to detail there. Backlund doesn't spend much time as the legal man, but he makes his presence felt by repeatedly interfering illegally. Every time he runs in and blows things up when it looks like Bret is about to turn things around, it increases the tension and shows why the one save rule is stupid. Bret manages to make the tag while Owen has him in a stretch muffler, but the referee disallows it because he was distracted by Backlund. Of course, this is immediately followed by Owen and Backlund making a tagless switch. Spots that put the heat on the ref rather than the heels have ruined more tag matches than I can count, but this match as a whole is of such quality that I see no reason to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. They go to commercial again, and when they come back, Owen applies a figure-four. JR calls it a page out of Jeff Jarrett's playbook, which got a chuckle out of me. Bret reverses the hold, but Backlund runs in and turns him right back over. Awesome. Bret reverses it again, but Backlund runs in again and stomps Bret in the head. Davey Boy sees a chance to finally interject himself while the referee is ordering Backlund back to his corner, and he breaks up the hold with a stomp of his own. Bret makes his way toward his corner while Owen has him in a front facelock, but Backlund runs in yet again and pulls him back toward the heel corner. However, this leads to some heel miscommunication which allows Bret to finally make the tag. Davey Boy levels Owen with clotheslines, but Backlund breaks up a pin attempt after a press slam. He then sends Owen sternum-first into the turnbuckle, but you-know-who breaks it up once again. Backlund makes the mistake of overplaying his hand and trying to break up a vertical suplex, but Davey Boy sees him coming and sends him packing with a double noggin knocker. Bret hobbles over to Backlund and puts him in the sharpshooter to prevent him from interfering as Davey Boy gets the win with a running powerslam.
Tier: 3. This is largely a Bret/Owen singles match disguised as a tag, but that's hardly a knock when you're talking about two of the greatest of all time. The other two participants contribute by sticking to clearly defined roles. Backlund is fantastic as an annoying pest who constantly interferes and Davey Boy is a great explosive hot tag. The important thing to note is that Backlund's run-ins are only effective when the opponent is incapacitated or otherwise occupied (like in the middle of a pin). When they're able to react, they always shut him down.
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Post by nintendologic on Oct 21, 2021 17:20:41 GMT -5
Shawn Michaels/Diesel vs. Razor Ramon/123 Kid (WWF, 10/30/94)
The heels get the jump before the bell, but the babyfaces turn things around in a hurry by reversing a double-team attempt. Ramon clotheslines Diesel to the floor and puts Shawn in position for the Razor's Edge when he sets too early for a back body drop, which is kind of silly if you think about it. Is the idea supposed to be that he was gripping Shawn's head so hard with his thighs that he couldn't get away? It does pay off as foreshadowing to later events, though. Ramon hits the Edge, but Diesel pulls Shawn to safety before he can be pinned. They try to return to the dressing room, but Ramon grabs Shawn and throws him back in the ring. Shawn and Kid (who somehow is now the legal man despite no tag being made) work a fast-paced sequence with several hot near falls. Shawn counters a hurricanrana attempt with a powerbomb and makes the tag to Diesel, who lays into Kid with forearms and tosses him around like a ragdoll. Kid attempts a sunset flip, but Diesel muscles him up into a neck hanging tree slam. That's such a great move for a monster heel to perform. Not only does it emphasize their height, the way they dismissively drop their opponent to the canvas comes across as extra dickish. Kid hits a dropkick and manages to tag Ramon, who drops Diesel with a discus punch and nails Shawn on the apron. Diesel regains control by countering a wristlock with a massive forearm. Ramon fires back with rights, but Diesel stuns him with a knee to the gut. Shawn grabs Ramon's hair and pulls him toward the heel corner to set up an illegal double-team as they go to commercial. When we return, Shawn and Ramon are slugging it out. Ramon ducks a haymaker and picks Shawn up for an atomic drop, but that enables Shawn to make a blind tag to Diesel. Ramon ends up in the corner, where Diesel pounds on him with elbows and knees. While the referee is ordering Diesel back, Shawn runs over and hits a clothesline on the apron. The focus of the heels is on beating Ramon into submission rather than cutting off tag attempts, so this feels quite a bit more violent than a typical American tag match. Surprisingly, Shawn is the one who slows things down with a chinlock. Ramon fights out with elbows to the midsection and comes off the ropes as Shawn again sets too early for a back body drop. When that happened at the beginning of the match, Ramon hit the Razor's Edge. Here, though, Ramon can only manage a backslide because he's so worn down. Shawn slips out and hits a dropkick. Diesel tags back in and hits snake eyes. He then chokes Ramon with the second rope, and while the ref is holding back Kid, Shawn holds Ramon's head in place for Diesel to hit a leapfrog body guillotine. Ramon escapes a neck crank with elbows, but Shawn takes a page from the playbook of his future archrival with a knee to Ramon's back from the apron. Diesel follows with a leaping shoulderblock, which for him might as well be a standing shooting star press. We then get two classic heel standbys: the assisted abdominal stretch and the tagless switch. We miss a Ramon hope spot due to an unfortunately timed commercial break, and the heels are in firm control when we return. They flub a hiptoss but recover nicely enough as Ramon hits a proto-Rock Bottom. Ramon finally makes the tag, but the ref disallows it due to being distracted because of course he does. However, karmic payback is swift as Shawn accidentally knocks his partner out cold with a superkick. The amount of time Diesel spends knocked out is a bit ridiculous, especially given how quickly Shawn recovered from being Razor's Edged, but you can't deny it helped get sweet chin music over as a legitimate finisher. Ramon makes the tag for real this time, and Kid comes in with one of the most incredible hot tags you'll ever see. Shawn gets whipped into the corner and does a Fosbury flop over the turnbuckle all the way to the floor. Kid hits a tope con hilo and then rolls Shawn back in for a missile dropkick. Ramon has sufficiently recovered by this point to rejoin the fray, and he fallaway slams Kid into Shawn in a really nifty double-team maneuver. Shawn counters a super backdrop with a crossbody, but Ramon rolls through Misawa/Jumbo-style for a pin attempt of his own. He then tags in Kid, who gets two with a rocket launcher. Ramon tags back in again as a panicked Shawn tries to wake Diesel up. Ramon boots Diesel to the floor, which allows Shawn to lock in a desperation sleeper. Right when Ramon is on the verge of going out, Kid runs in to break up the hold. Ramon catapults Shawn into the turnbuckle as Diesel finally starts to stir. Kid tags in and gets two with an Alabama jam. Ramon tries to point Diesel out to the referee, but that backfires as Diesel drops Kid with a big boot while the ref is ordering Ramon back to his corner. Ramon just stands there like a chump and watches his partner get pinned, which I found kind of odd. Maybe the pin was supposed to happen while he was returning to his corner so he wouldn't realize what was happening until it was too late and they just mistimed it. Or maybe his team had already used up their save when Kid broke up the sleeper and they would have been disqualified if he had broken up the pin. I'll say it again: the one save rule sucks. Either way, a minor blemish on a spectacular match.
Tier: 3. Despite a few glaring gaps in logic and/or execution, this is the best tag match in company history. Having the much larger Ramon play FIP may seem counterintuitive, but it actually makes sense because he can take more of a pounding than his partner. Also, Kid's hot tag is far more energetic than his partner's would have been. It just goes to show how far you can go when everyone accepts their role and has their working boots on.
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Post by nintendologic on Oct 23, 2021 18:52:20 GMT -5
Mitsuharu Misawa/Kenta Kobashi vs. Toshiaki Kawada/Akira Taue (AJPW, 12/3/93)
I'm sure you all know the deal with Kawada coming in with an injured leg. Truth be told, though, whether a wrestler sustains an injury in a match or reaggravates an existing injury is really just an academic distinction. Where the injury comes from is far less important than how it factors into the match. Misawa and Taue start things out. Misawa gains control after no-selling an atomic drop and blasting Taue with an elbow. He tags in Kobashi, and they send Taue to the floor with a double dropkick. Kobashi staggers Taue with a baseball slide dropkick, and Misawa flips over the ropes and hits a diving elbow off the apron. Beautiful sequence. Back in the ring, Taue hits a lariat after reversing an Irish whip and delivers a couple of knees to the temple before tagging in Kawada, who is already clearly favoring his leg. It's bothering him enough that he has to tag out after hitting a spin kick. Kobashi hits Taue with a rolling sobat and makes the tag to Misawa. Kobashi quickly tags back in, but Taue gains the upper hand with brain chops and hits a vertical suplex slam. He delivers a parting stomp and then tags out. Kawada hits a huge lariat, and now the real pain begins for Kobashi. After Taue dumps Kobashi to the floor, Kawada whips him into the guardrail and slams him on the concrete. Kobashi tries to respond to Kawada's chops and contemptuous kicks to the face with fighting spirit, but Kawada puts him in his place with a body slam and soccer ball kick. He then applies a half crab while stepping on Kobashi's head. Misawa runs in to break up a nodowa attempt, but Taue catches Kobashi coming off the ropes with one. It's more of a golden arm bomber than a proper chokeslam, though. Taue guillotines Kobashi on the top rope and signals to Kawada so he can drop Kobashi on Kawada's knee. You can see how much Taue has grown as he can now call his shots rather than needing to take direction from a partner. Kawada comes back in and responds to Kobashi's refusal to stay down by kicking him in the leg. Kobashi responds in kind, and Kawada's response is absolutely brilliant. First, he sells like someone took a tire iron to his leg. He then flies into a rage, repeatedly kneeing Kobashi in the face and unleashing a punch flurry. Kobashi senses an opening, so he scores a single-leg takedown and repeatedly punches Kawada's injured leg. Kawada kicks him off and hits an enzuigiri, but he's too crippled to tag out. Taue recognizes this and knocks Misawa off the apron to prevent him from tagging in and taking advantage of a wounded Kawada. However, Kobashi grabs Taue's leg before he can return to his corner to take the tag from Kawada. Misawa knocks Taue to the floor with an elbow and then tags in. Kawada tries to throw punches and knees to the face like he did to Kobashi, but that only pisses Misawa off. Taue runs in to break up a tiger suplex attempt, and Kawada manages to crawl to his corner for the tag after hitting a lariat. Taue comes in and hits snake eyes on both neutral corners. He guillotines Misawa on the top rope and then guillotines Kobashi when he tries to run in. Taue in killing machine mode is always a joy to watch. Misawa reverses a chokeslam attempt with an armdrag, but Taue hits a big boot. Taue and Kawada hit a chokeslam/backdrop combo, but Kobashi breaks up the pin. In a classic ace moment, Misawa thwarts a double-team attempt by dropping Taue and Kawada with elbows and tags out. Kobashi hits a moonsault, but Taue kicks out. Taue blocks a second moonsault attempt by grabbing the ropes to prevent from being slammed and then hits a running neckbreaker drop before tagging out. Kawada comes in, but his leg gives out on him after hitting a backdrop. Kobashi grapevines the leg when he goes for a second, causing him to land on his head. Misawa tags in, but Kawada nails him with a spin kick. However, he had to use his bad leg as the plant leg, so the kick further aggravates the damage. He hits a German but can't maintain the bridge due to his leg giving out, which is just *chef's kiss*. He puts Misawa in a stretch plum, and Taue puts Kobashi in a sleeper when he tries to break it up. Taue turns it into an abdominal stretch when Kobashi tries to lunge forward to break up a pin, but that enables Kobashi to escape with a hiptoss and then break up the hold. Kawada's leg again bothers him when he goes for a powerbomb, so he kicks Misawa in the face. I love that moment because it felt to me like Kawada was pissed that his body was betraying him and decided to take it out on Misawa. Kobashi tags in after Misawa flips out of a powerbomb attempt, and he goes right for Kawada's injured leg with a low dropkick. He's obviously not playing around. Kawada tries to escape a half crab by kicking with his free leg, so Kobashi turns it into a Texas cloverhold to tie up that leg. Awesome. We get another double submission spot as Misawa puts Taue in a facelock to prevent him from interfering. Kawada makes the ropes, and a powerbomb from Kobashi gets two. He goes for a moonsault, but Kawada rolls out of the way. Kawada can't throw kicks due to the condition his leg is in, so he lays into Kobashi with headbutts. However, Kobashi manages to take Kawada down to prevent the tag and then tags out himself. Kawada counters a tiger driver attempt with a back body drop, so Misawa hits a tiger suplex instead. Also awesome. Kobashi tags back in, but Kawada counters a leaping shoulderblock with a jumping kick. Again, though, jumping into the air does further damage to his leg. Kobashi hits a lariat, and he and Misawa hit stereo German suplexes. Kawada escapes a powerbomb attempt, and Taue nails Kobashi with a backdrop. He goes after Misawa on the apron, but that ends badly for him as Misawa sends him to the floor with a rolling elbow. He then nails Kawada with a rolling elbow and release German and takes Taue out of the picture for good with an elbow suicida. With Kawada served up on a silver platter, Kobashi gets the win with a backdrop.
Tier: 1. Pro wrestling just doesn't get much better than this. Whatever flaws exist are minor and only stand out relative to the tippy-top matches. Kawada's performance here is on the short list of greatest selling performances in history. The beatdown he and Taue deliver to Kobashi makes it even better. Not only is it an amazing FIP segment in its own right, it ensures that Kawada doesn't seem sympathetic with his selling because he was such a prick in the early going. This would be the runaway MOTY in most years, but I anticipate it'll finish slightly behind Hokuto/Kandori on my ballot.
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Post by nintendologic on Oct 24, 2021 17:50:16 GMT -5
Kenta Kobashi/Jun Akiyama vs. Yoshihiro Takayama/Takao Omori (AJPW, 10/30/99)
No Fear had laid out Burning after a six-man involving the two teams a few days prior, which is why the latter are so pissed. Akiyama jumps the gun and surprises Omori with a dropkick before the bell. He tags in Kobashi, and they hit Omori with a double shoulder tackle. Kobashi goes for a suplex, but Takayama breaks it up. When Akiyama tries to come to the aid of his partner, Takayama disposes of him with a big boot and a sickening knee lift. No Fear then inflict further punishment on Kobashi with rapid-fire elbow drops. Omori nearly kills the momentum with a chinlock, but Takayama saves the day with a nasty-looking hanging sleeper. He works Kobashi over mainly with boots and knees and boots Akiyama off the apron for good measure. Kobashi eventually decides he's had enough of this shit and destroys Takayama with chops in the corner. He's so enraged that he tosses the referee aside when he tries to restrain him. Akiyama eventually has to run in and pull Kobashi to their corner so he can tag himself in. Amid the chaos, Omori takes out Kobashi with a dropkick and Akiyama with an axe bomber. With both members of Burning laid out, Takayama makes the tag. Omori boots Akiyama to the floor and DDTs him on the concrete. Kobashi tries to come to his partner's aid, but Omori whips him into the guardrail. The gap between Takayama's work on top and Omori's cannot be emphasized enough. While Omori is largely content to work chinlocks, Takayama is running around booting everyone in the face, including Kobashi on the apron. Interestingly, Kobashi actually gets booed when he breaks up a pin after a double powerbomb. Akiyama finally makes the tag after a heel miscommunication spot. Omori misses a spinning heel kick during the hot tag, and Kobashi hits a rolling sobat and a fameasser of all things. Omori escapes a half-nelson suplex attempt, and this time he hits the spinning heel kick. He makes the tag to Takayama, who hits a huge dropkick. He applies a sleeper and turns it into a Gargano escape. Akiyama also gets booed when he breaks it up, showing that crime does pay as far as All Japan's fans are concerned. Takayama gets rid of Akiyama with punches after he breaks up an Everest German attempt. He then absolutely destroys Kobashi with perhaps the most brutal knee lift in history. After Takayama hits a jumping knee in the corner, Kobashi hulks up and hits a lariat. Akiyama takes care of Omori with an exploder, and Kobashi finishes Takayama off with a burning lariat.
Tier: 3. This is more of a brawling sprint than a King's Road epic, so it turns out to be a hell of a curveball. No Fear are pretty plodding working on top, but the action really pops during the brawling on the outside and in situations where it's two-on-one or all four men are in the ring. Seeing Kobashi pissed off rather than simply fired up is always a treat. Takayama was starting to really get it around this time, and he shows how much you can do with just knees and big boots. Omori is pretty useless, but he doesn't drag things down too much.
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Post by nintendologic on Oct 25, 2021 15:43:25 GMT -5
Mitsuharu Misawa/Kenta Kobashi vs. Steve Williams/Johnny Ace (AJPW, 12/10/94)
The final day of the 1994 RWTL probably had more intrigue than any edition before or since. I won't go too deep into the weeds with all the possible scenarios involving draws and tiebreakers, but just know that the Holy Demon Army are the only team in control of their own destiny. They'll win the whole thing if they beat Baba and Hansen regardless of the outcome of any other matches. Misawa/Kobashi and Doc/Ace need a win and a loss by the HDA to win the league. Things are plenty chippy at the outset as Doc sucker-punches Misawa, who responds with a big elbow. A sequence that begins with the two trading headlocks ends with mutual hair-pulling, leading to a near pull-apart that the referee has to break up. Misawa tended to spend the opening minutes of matches against big Americans killing time with front facelocks and the like, and I think most would agree this is a far more entertaining way to do things. Kobashi tags in and hits a leaping shoulderblock, but Doc simply muscles him into his corner so Ace can come in. I have to say that Ace looks completely ridiculous with long hair. He looks like a sitcom character wearing a wig in a high school flashback scene. Kobashi and Ace do a test of strength spot as Doc rather hilariously cheers on Ace from the apron. Misawa tags back in and pummels Ace with uppercuts in the corner after escaping a wristlock with an elbow. He whips Ace into the other corner and charges in, but Ace counters by putting his foot up. The brilliance of Misawa's selling is on display here as he's able to get a boot to the face over as something that really rocked him. Misawa dodges a corner charge, and Ace takes a Harley Race-style bump to the floor. However, Ace whips Misawa into the guardrail on the floor. Doc tags in and hits a huge spinebuster that gets two. Ace tags back in and applies a scorpion deathlock. Kobashi tries to break it up, and Doc runs in to deliver some stomps as the referee is ordering Kobashi back to his corner. When the ref orders Doc back to his corner, Kobashi runs back in and breaks up the hold. Doc puts Misawa in a Canadian backbreaker rack, which Kobashi again runs in to break up. Misawa collapses into the ropes, and Ace lays in some cheap shots. Doc dumps Misawa to the floor, where he and Ace double-team him. Back in the ring, Doc applies a Boston crab which Kobashi breaks up. Misawa reverses a suplex attempt from Ace, but Ace is the first to his feet due to being the fresher man. He delivers a receipt to Kobashi for his run-ins by nailing him on the apron. Ace puts Misawa in the tree of woe and cranks his neck while Doc stomps his midsection. Misawa hiptosses his way out of an abdominal stretch, but Ace grabs his leg to prevent him from tagging out. Doc hits a top-rope shoulderblock and expresses his frustration with Kobashi's repeated run-ins by knocking him off the apron. Misawa tries to fight his way out of a double-team in the corner, but the numbers game catches up with him. He thwarts another double-team attempt and lands a tiger driver on Ace, but Doc breaks up the pin. Kobashi comes in to hit Doc with a rolling sobat, but Doc surprises Kobashi on the way back to his corner with a splash and lays him out with a release German. The crowd, which had been rather subdued up to this point, starts to come alive as they sense Misawa is in real peril now. He's going to have to make his own comeback because his lifeline has been cut off. Doc hits Misawa with a backdrop driver, but the one saving grace is that he's not the legal man. Misawa shows why he's one of the all-time greats as he has enough strength and presence of mind to roll to his stomach to prevent a pin. Before returning to his corner, Doc turns Misawa onto his back and directs Ace to make the pin. However, the delay is just enough that Misawa is able to kick out. Doc tags in and goes for Oklahoma Stampede. Kobashi tries to block it by grabbing Doc's leg, but Ace DDTs him on the floor. Doc completes the Stampede, but it only gets two. He goes for another backdrop driver, which Misawa thwarts by grabbing the ropes. He tries to pull Misawa away, but in a stroke of absolute brilliance, Misawa releases his grip and takes advantage of the momentum to hit Doc with a back elbow. Doc goes for another backdrop driver, but this time Kobashi rises from the dead and grabs his leg to enable Misawa to counter with a crossbody. Doc and Ace dispose of Kobashi with a double shoulder tackle and hit Misawa with repeated elbow drops. They hit an avalanche powerslam, but Misawa kicks out. Kobashi fights his way back into the ring and lays into Ace with machine gun chops in the corner. Misawa recovers and takes out Ace with a DDT while Kobashi is chopping Doc. Tiger driver from Misawa gets two. He finally tags in Kobashi, who nails Doc with a lariat. He goes for a moonsault and then turns it into a diving shoulderblock off the second rope when Doc recovers too quickly. He goes for another lariat, but Doc forces him into a neutral corner. Ace tags in and hits a top-rope clothesline. He hits an Ace Crusher, and Doc knocks Misawa to the floor when he tries to run in. Ace hits a moonsault, even doing a Kobashi-style fist pump in perhaps the ultimate heel move. Ace hits a fameasser and doctor bomb, and Misawa just barely breaks up the pin. Or maybe he came up just short and Kobashi had to kick out on his own, but the visual of breaking the pin up is what matters. Misawa gets rid of Doc with a rolling elbow, and Kobashi gets two with a moonsault. Misawa tags back in and hits a running elbow. When Ace backdrops out of a tiger driver, he tries to turn it into a tiger suplex. Doc runs in and goes for a tiger suplex while Ace goes for an Ace Crusher. Kobashi takes care of Ace and then gives Doc a receipt for the earlier German with a tiger suplex of his own. Misawa gets the win with a tiger driver. By the way, Misawa and Kobashi won the league after the HDA lost to Baba and Taue, marking what I believe to be the only time the RWTL winner wasn't in the final match.
Tier: 3. The genius of this match is having Misawa play FIP. Kobashi is far more aggressive about coming to his partner's aid than Misawa would be, so he doesn't allow Doc and Ace to simply sit in holds like they usually do without someone forcing the issue. It also serves as an interesting counterpoint to 6/9/95. In that match, Kobashi's eagerness to come to his partner's aid ends up costing his team because it causes him to be out of position for the tag on several occasions.
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Post by nintendologic on Oct 26, 2021 13:39:33 GMT -5
Daisuke Ikeda vs. Alexander Otsuka (Battlarts, 4/26/99)
First things first: the font of the "DIET BUTCHER" on Otsuka's singlet bears an uncanny resemblance to that of the Dunder Mifflin logo. We're JIP a little less than five minutes in as Otsuka hits a sick headbutt that busts Ikeda open hardway. Ikeda returns the favor with a headbutt of his own and sells the impact on his head. After getting that macho dumbassery out of their systems, they decide to settle down and have a pro wrestling match. Ikeda clotheslines Otsuka out of the ring and hits either the greatest or the worst space flying tiger drop in history. Back in the ring, Ikeda locks in a kneebar after hitting a Russian legsweep. He hits a Gotch-style piledriver after Otsuka makes the ropes. There are no pinfalls here, so he applies a double wristlock after floating over. He turns it into a Fujiwara armbar when Otsuka turns onto his belly and then into a guillotine choke when Otsuka tries to roll through. He refuses to release the hold when Otsuka makes the ropes, so Otsuka punches him in the ribs. Otsuka blocks a lariat and counters a second attempt with a Fujiwara armbar takedown. He turns it into a wristlock when Ikeda rolls through and then hits a rope walk armdrag(!). Ikeda comes up throwing kicks, but Otsuka catches his leg. He tries to counter with an enzuigiri, but Otsuka catches his other leg and performs a giant swing. Ikeda beats the count, so Otsuka applies a sleeper and goes for a cross armbreaker when Ikeda tries to break his grip. Ikeda resists the attempt to hyperextend his arm, so Otsuka transitions to a triangle sleeper. Ikeda makes the ropes, so Otsuka stomps a mudhole in the corner and hits a senton de la muerte and then a corner dropkick. He delivers further punishment to Ikeda's ribs with knees and locks in a half crab. Ikeda comes up swinging with punches and kicks after making the ropes. Otsuka grabs his leg again, but he knows better now than to feed Otsuka his other leg and instead scores a single-leg into a kneebar. Otsuka scrambles for the ropes and comes up favoring his leg, so Ikeda takes the leg out with a low dropkick. Otsuka beats the count, so Ikeda lays into him with brain chops. He goes for a sleeper, but Otsuka dives for the ropes. He then attempts a German suplex, but Otsuka counters by kicking off the ropes and landing on his injured ribs. Psychology! He sends Ikeda to the floor with a baseball slide dropkick and hits a tope con hilo(!). After Ikeda returns to the ring, Otsuka whips him into the ropes and hits a leaping shoulderblock. He goes for a sleeper, but Ikeda again makes the ropes. Ikeda manages another single-leg into a kneebar during an exchange of kicks. After a rope break, both men start going for the knockout with punches and kicks, which is more in line with what most people expect from a Battlarts match. With Otsuka seemingly on the ropes, Ikeda swings for the fences with a lariat, but Otsuka ducks and hits a Frankensteiner(!). He then drops Ikeda with a dragon suplex. Ikeda rolls to the apron and Otsuka tries to bring him back in the hard way with another dragon suplex, but he settles for what looks like an attempt at a spinning heel kick that ends up as more of a hip attack. He rolls Ikeda back in and wipes him out with a tiger suplex. Ikeda needing to use the referee's body as a ladder to make it to his feet to beat the count feels Kawada-esque. Ikeda resists another dragon suplex attempt, so Otsuka takes out the leg and turns it into a Tazmission. Otsuka hits a tombstone piledriver and a diving headbutt after Ikeda makes the ropes. Ikeda is doomed if Otsuka hits one more high-impact suplex, so he scrambles for the ropes when Otsuka goes for another dragon suplex. Otsuka breaks Ikeda's grip with another shot at Ikeda's ribs and attempts a brainbuster, but Ikeda escapes and begins a miracle comeback with a spin kick. Both men struggle to make it to their feet, but Ikeda makes it first. He hits a brainbuster of his own and locks in a sleeper in the middle of the ring. Otsuka has nowhere to go, and Ikeda wins by ref stoppage.
Tier: 3. I like this far more than most Battlarts matches because it leans heavily into pro-style elements in terms of both moves used and match psychology. Other than the lack of pinfalls, this wouldn't look out of place in New Japan. Besides the pro-style moves, the emphasis is mainly on strikes and submissions. The grappling takes the form of a wrestler applying a submission and switching holds in response to his opponent's attempts to escape, which I find far more entertaining than simply exchanging holds or fighting for position on the mat because there's a greater element of peril. This is the closest thing to shoot style that will appear on my ballot.
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Post by nintendologic on Oct 26, 2021 20:19:38 GMT -5
Mitsuharu Misawa/Toshiaki Kawada/Kenta Kobashi vs. Jumbo Tsuruta/Akira Taue/Masanobu Fuchi (AJPW, 4/20/91)
I didn't quite save the best for last, but I did save the longest. Honestly, I'm pretty burned out on reviewing matches at this point. I don't think I have it in me to do a detailed breakdown of a match of this length. Plus, it has enough of a base of support (it finished in the top 20 in 2019 and just outside the top 25 in 2020) that it doesn't need me to advocate for it. I'll just say that it takes everything that's great about the 1990 match between the two teams and super-sizes it. If you like that match, you'll most likely like this one as well. If you don't, then I cast thee out.
Tier: 3. This has the dubious distinction of being my favorite match of all time that I almost never want to watch. 51 minutes (or 48 or whatever the real time is) is a hell of a lot to ask of any wrestling match. This probably has less blatant filler than any match of similar length, but I still found my attention drifting away at several points during my most recent viewing. If this were trimmed down to about 30 minutes, it could've been a top 10 candidate in my book.
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