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Post by microstatistics on Feb 1, 2019 23:32:21 GMT -5
Eddie Guerrero vs. JBL (WWE, 5/16/2004)
I think I am officially on the bandwagon for this match. For me, the things that bump it from great match to Top 100 level are the focused layout and excellent psychology. The headlock takeover and bearhug would be momentum killers in other contexts but work really well for two reasons 1) JBL is desperately trying to contain an explosive Eddie who is determined to destroy him 2) Most of his offense targets the back/neck/kidney region of Eddie so those fit in appropriately. Plus, Guerrero's escape attempts are great. JBL isn't exactly perfect with his selling (as expected) and there were instances where I wanted more violent, intense brawling bursts rather than just punches. Also the opening is a little slow. Still, the Eddie show makes up for it. His character work is absolutely on point: watch his demeanor change once he spots JBL. Also liked his subtle selling where he is slow to execute his next offensive move because his back is hurting. Obviously everything after the legendary bladejob is really memorable with nonstop drama and great action. Great post match. Excellent crowd too.
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Post by microstatistics on Feb 9, 2019 23:11:28 GMT -5
Mocho Cota vs. Americo Rocca (EMLL, 1/27/1984)
Intricate, hard and rough matwork. Stuff like armdrag and knee to the gut work as huge momentum shifters. Aggressive arm attacks and consistent selling. Rudo takeovers and a classic techno comeback. I know the finish is not well liked but I think the way it was executed was intentional. Rocco dropkicks Cota but Cota falls forward and happens to run into the referee? That screams of rudo trickery. Plus the rope assisted pin with the use of Rocco’s injured arm as leverage is a nice touch.
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Post by microstatistics on Feb 14, 2019 19:13:04 GMT -5
Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Nick Bockwinkel (Honolulu, 2/14/1979)
I've liked this match before but this time I thought it was a world title classic. The first fall is nuts, it runs for 30 minutes but it feels like 10 minutes. Detail infused, hard hitting work with great character dynamics and selling. If the match had continued at that level, it would have hit Top 25-30. Unfortunately, the last two falls aren't as good. Still they remain incredibly focused and display some great psychology so the match as a whole works well. Bockwinkel does the best Flair impression as the slimy heel touring champion. Super crowd. Weird finish but it makes Jumbo look like a million bucks.
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Post by microstatistics on Feb 17, 2019 17:50:36 GMT -5
Terry Funk vs. Stan Hansen (AJPW, 4/14/1983)
High end, relentless brawling. I’ve been back and forth on Hansen not really selling the knee and this might have been 30 spots higher had he turned in even a decent performance but at least he did the bare minimum. Still his offensive onslaught is epic. Funk’s timing of hope spots and initial strategic approach are quite impressive here. Great crowd.
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Post by microstatistics on Feb 26, 2019 20:59:00 GMT -5
Toshiaki Kawada vs. Gary Albright (AJPW, 7/24/1996)
Kawada's dismissive approach is a good contrast to a relentless Albright, determined to make amends for 10/95. I'm not crazy about some of the selling here but the detail work is really neat. Decisive, well executed finishing stretch.
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Post by microstatistics on Mar 2, 2019 15:54:43 GMT -5
Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Yoji Anjoh (UWFi, 7/3/1991)
Great grappling and hierarchy based match. Tamura's counterattacks getting Austin level pops will not get old. Nice strike bursts by both guys. Excellent selling by Tamura here, he conveyed the wear and tear really well. I would have liked some desperate heel stuff from Anjoh actually but he did have this great "What the hell is this?" look as the Tamura challenge proved more daunting than expected. Having said that, I think the final scoreline should have been closer than it ended up being.
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Post by microstatistics on Mar 11, 2019 2:09:06 GMT -5
Rey Hechicero vs. Charles Lucero (Monterrey, 8/4/2013)
The first 2-3 minutes are actually dull as hell and I feared this was going to be one of the big losers of my rewatch spree. But then it suddenly burst into MOTDC level stuff with Hechicero busting out fancy, ridiculous submissions and old man Lucero counterattacking with intense focus. I noticed a lot of parallels between this and Satanico/Cochise but the narrative is quite distinct. Smart spots and cool short term limb psychology in the second fall. Some inconsistent selling from Hechicero but he does well enough. Slicks counters and fatigue selling in the third fall, followed by one of the two greatest tope spots ever and a dramatic finishing stretch.
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