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*Official* Pro-Wrestling Thread II

Red_Ink_Squid

Cricketer Of The Year
7. Kenta Kobashi & Jun Akiyama vs Vader & Stan Hansen, AJPW December 1998

It's clobbering time.

Sorry CM Punk but Hansen and Vader is surely the most clobbering collaboration of clobberers to ever clobber. Everything they do looks devastating, even simple moves like an elbow or a kick or a basic slam. Hansen is more than happy to take cheap shots as well, throwing illegal closed-fist punches whenever the referee is distracted.

Kobashi and Akiyama both make spirited clobberees, as they never stop trying to fire up and fight back while always selling the overwhelming power of the monster duo. This is the annual tag league final so they won't let themselves go down without a fight.

90s AJPW is more famous for it's big epic matches but this is great by keeping things short*, simple and, above all, fun. I find it pretty much endlessly rewatchable.


*NB the first video hit on YouTube I get for this match is 46 minutes long, but that contains a ton of skippable build up and post match ceremony. The match itself is under 20 mins which is perfect for what they were doing.

20. Genichiro Tenryu vs. Nobutaka Araya, WAR Jan '98
19. Ric Flair vs Ted DiBiase, Mid South Nov '85
18. Shinya Hashimoto vs Genichiro Tenryu, NJPW Feb '94
17. Kerry Von Erich vs Jumbo Tsuruta, AJPW May '84
16. Andre the Giant vs Stan Hansen, NJPW Sep '81
15. Kenta Kobashi vs Yoshihiro Takayama, NOAH Apr '04
14. Takada vs Vader, UWFi Aug '94
13. Combat Toyoda vs Megumi Kudo, FMW May '96
12. Tenryu & Kawada vs Hansen & Gordy, AJPW Dec '88
11. Jerry Lawler vs Terry Funk, Apr '81
10. Ishikawa/Otsuka/Sawa vs Ikeda/Usuda/Super Tiger, Battlearts Jul '07
9. Hashimoto vs Ogawa, NJPW Apr '00
8. Ted DiBiase vs Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Mid South Mar '85
7. Kobashi & Akiyama vs Vader & Stan Hansen, AJPW Dec '98
 

Athlai

Not Terrible
Regal wafg.
Hardy Boyz back together. That should be a lot of fun for the tag division, also I like that Andrade took over a faction.
In other faction news, is Adam Cole gonna steal Dark Order away from Hangman?
 

Red_Ink_Squid

Cricketer Of The Year
6. Devil Masami vs Chigusa Nagayo, AJW August 1985

Nagayo is one half of the legendary Crush Girls tag team and in the 80s was as over with the crowds as any wrestler has been anywhere in history. Absolutely up there with Hogan/Austin/Rock in their primes. Together with tag partner Lioness Asuka she'd sing pop songs for the school girls then give her all fighting against the monsters and bullies of 80s joshi. Here though she is the underdog challenging Masami for her title belt, someone she has never beaten in a singles match and who has a size and strength advantage over her.

A lot of the matches in my list so far have been worked as brawls, but this is a more technical, classical championship match. Masami is in the process of a slow-burn face turn herself, so doesn't do any overt cheating, though is clearly the heel in the match against ultra-face Nagayo, throwing her weight around early and getting frustrated as the match goes on and she can't put the upstart challenger away.

The match is roughly structured in 3 parts as they start off by working mostly holds, then progress to fighting over suplexes and higher impact moves and then have a wonderful reset where Devil loses her cool on the outside and when she comes back into the ring she just starts throwing fists. The match never feels like it is just moving from spot to spot, as the sequences flow together seamlessly, and just organically escalate as they go. I'd say this builds to a super hot finish (it does) but the crowd are molten hot the whole way through anyway.

20. Genichiro Tenryu vs. Nobutaka Araya, WAR Jan '98
19. Ric Flair vs Ted DiBiase, Mid South Nov '85
18. Shinya Hashimoto vs Genichiro Tenryu, NJPW Feb '94
17. Kerry Von Erich vs Jumbo Tsuruta, AJPW May '84
16. Andre the Giant vs Stan Hansen, NJPW Sep '81
15. Kenta Kobashi vs Yoshihiro Takayama, NOAH Apr '04
14. Takada vs Vader, UWFi Aug '94
13. Combat Toyoda vs Megumi Kudo, FMW May '96
12. Tenryu & Kawada vs Hansen & Gordy, AJPW Dec '88
11. Jerry Lawler vs Terry Funk, Apr '81
10. Ishikawa/Otsuka/Sawa vs Ikeda/Usuda/Super Tiger, Battlearts Jul '07
9. Hashimoto vs Ogawa, NJPW Apr '00
8. Ted DiBiase vs Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Mid South Mar '85
7. Kobashi & Akiyama vs Vader & Stan Hansen, AJPW Dec '98
6. Devil Masami vs Chigusa Nagayo, AJW Aug '85
 

Red_Ink_Squid

Cricketer Of The Year
Any WCW/ECW/NXT matches in your list RIS? Or would that be to reveal spoilers?
I like the idea that my favourite wrestling matches list is significant enough to guard against spoiling. :)

NXT matches I considered for my WWE list rather than this one. I'll say there are no ECW matches at all. WCW may make an appearance yet...

While I've gone back and watched bits and pieces from both those places, I never followed either of them 'live'. I've seen a lot less from them than old WWE stuff and probably from the big Japanese promotions as well.
 

Red_Ink_Squid

Cricketer Of The Year
5. Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada, AJPW June 1994

If you've had any interest in Japanese wrestling matches before now then these two wrestlers and this match need no introduction. It has long been heralded as one of the greatest matches ever. But some cliffs in case anyone is coming in cold:

Misawa is the ace of All Japan and at the peak of his powers. He's been champion for 2 years and he has beaten everyone in the company already. He's stoic and charismatic and he'll absorb huge beatings then elbow you to death. He uses tiger drivers and tiger suplexes as his big moves.

Kawada was Misawa's tag team partner in the early 90s when they were the young hotshots breaking through against the older generation. Then top star Jumbo got sick and Misawa became champ and they'd suddenly won that war but Kawada was left in Misawa's shadow. Kawada turned on his partner and allied with old rival Akira Taue to try and take him down. It didn't work. Misawa still just elbowed him to death every time. This was his 3rd shot at Misawa's title but he came in stronger than ever before having just won the prestigious Champions Carnival tournament and the patterns of AJPW history suggested this was his time. Kawada will kick you in the head a lot and uses powerbombs and his 'dangerous' backdrop driver as his biggest moves.

Highlights of the match include:

-An ATG hot crowd who visibly live and die on every near fall.
-Misawa bleeding from his ear(!) and Kawada targeting it with more kicks.
-Misawa suddenly attacking Kawada's injured knee, when he usually made a point of not targeting opponent injuries (sportsmanship plus he usually didn't need to), putting over how much jeopardy he found himself in.
-The most passionate commentary ever? (No idea what the guy was saying but he was waaaay into this match.)
-One of the best finishing stretches to a match and a killer finish.

20. Genichiro Tenryu vs. Nobutaka Araya, WAR Jan '98
19. Ric Flair vs Ted DiBiase, Mid South Nov '85
18. Shinya Hashimoto vs Genichiro Tenryu, NJPW Feb '94
17. Kerry Von Erich vs Jumbo Tsuruta, AJPW May '84
16. Andre the Giant vs Stan Hansen, NJPW Sep '81
15. Kenta Kobashi vs Yoshihiro Takayama, NOAH Apr '04
14. Takada vs Vader, UWFi Aug '94
13. Combat Toyoda vs Megumi Kudo, FMW May '96
12. Tenryu & Kawada vs Hansen & Gordy, AJPW Dec '88
11. Jerry Lawler vs Terry Funk, Apr '81
10. Ishikawa/Otsuka/Sawa vs Ikeda/Usuda/Super Tiger, Battlearts Jul '07
9. Hashimoto vs Ogawa, NJPW Apr '00
8. Ted DiBiase vs Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Mid South Mar '85
7. Kobashi & Akiyama vs Vader & Stan Hansen, AJPW Dec '98
6. Devil Masami vs Chigusa Nagayo, AJW Aug '85
5. Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada, AJPW Jun '94
 

Athlai

Not Terrible
Hope for the best for Big E, genuinely admire and enjoy him in and out of the ring immensely.

Some sympathy to Ridge Holland too, will define his career now.

Also side note: I didn't notice before cos the Big E news was so big, but the boomers have given Pete Dunne a new gimmick on Raw. "Butch"
 

Red_Ink_Squid

Cricketer Of The Year
Yeah Big E seems a really likable guy. Hope he has a swift and full recovery.

4. Kenta Kobashi vs Mitsuharu Misawa, AJPW January 1997

More 90s AJPW and it's Misawa vs a former tag team partner for the title again.

Kobashi's rivalry with Misawa had a different dynamic to Kawada's. For one, it was face vs face. But more than that, although Kawada may have been Misawa's career rival he always seemed destined to be defined as just that: a rival. Even the times when he won he was still 1B to Misawa's 1A. He could never break out of Misawa's world. With Kobashi however it was different: he wasn't merely 'a Misawa rival', he was the heir apparent. He wasn't just fighting Misawa for the championship, he was fighting him to be The Guy. Sooner or later this would be Kobashi's world.

Kobashi is the defending champion here but because he's facing Misawa he is still the de facto underdog. He always has to fight harder than his opponent to get control and keep it; Misawa just needs to land an elbow or two and he'll be back on top. Then we get a big turning point where Misawa hurts his elbow and Kobashi goes to town working the arm, trying to take out Misawa's biggest weapon. This sets up a more technical portion of the match, allowing them to save the big bombs All Japan was known for at this time until the finishing stretch as a natural point of escalation.

Both men's selling and offense are great but a particular shout out to Misawa's selling of the elbow: he never gives up on using it completely - it's still his greatest weapon - but each time he does he sells the pain of it. You can see him grimacing and fighting against his instinct to protect his injury, forcing himself to use it even though it's gonna hurt like hell because he knows if he holds anything back Kobashi will beat him for sure and take his spot as the company ace.

20. Genichiro Tenryu vs. Nobutaka Araya, WAR Jan '98
19. Ric Flair vs Ted DiBiase, Mid South Nov '85
18. Shinya Hashimoto vs Genichiro Tenryu, NJPW Feb '94
17. Kerry Von Erich vs Jumbo Tsuruta, AJPW May '84
16. Andre the Giant vs Stan Hansen, NJPW Sep '81
15. Kenta Kobashi vs Yoshihiro Takayama, NOAH Apr '04
14. Takada vs Vader, UWFi Aug '94
13. Combat Toyoda vs Megumi Kudo, FMW May '96
12. Tenryu & Kawada vs Hansen & Gordy, AJPW Dec '88
11. Jerry Lawler vs Terry Funk, Apr '81
10. Ishikawa/Otsuka/Sawa vs Ikeda/Usuda/Super Tiger, Battlearts Jul '07
9. Hashimoto vs Ogawa, NJPW Apr '00
8. Ted DiBiase vs Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Mid South Mar '85
7. Kobashi & Akiyama vs Vader & Stan Hansen, AJPW Dec '98
6. Devil Masami vs Chigusa Nagayo, AJW Aug '85
5. Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada, AJPW Jun '94
4. Kenta Kobashi vs Mitsuharu Misawa, AJPW Jan '97
 

Red_Ink_Squid

Cricketer Of The Year
3. El Hijo del Santo vs Negro Casas, CMLL September 1997

Slight change of scene here. I'm no lucha expert but I dip into it now and then and these are my two favourite luchadores and this is my favourite lucha match.

This is a mask vs hair wager match between two super charismatic stars who had been feuding on an off for a decade at this point. This kind of wager is a traditional way of settling lucha feuds, but otherwise doesn't feel particularly like the traditional lucha style. It is only one fall (2/3 falls is traditional) and the face/heel divide is blurred as Santo is the heel in storyline at this time but the crowd don't want him to lose because the revered Santo family mask is on the line. The matwork and strikes all feel heated and violent, but the match never boils over into a full out brawl the way wager matches often do. There aren't many dives for a lucha match (but the ones we get are great).

It's a match I find hard to describe, but the closest frame of reference I can think of is the matches Regal, Finlay and Benoit used to have, when they'd work a more technical, grittier style when facing each other which felt different to their matches against anyone else. This was kinda like that but on a much bigger stage (this main evented the biggest lucha show of the year) and with much higher stakes. Two ATGs in their career rivalry at their peak.

20. Genichiro Tenryu vs. Nobutaka Araya, WAR Jan '98
19. Ric Flair vs Ted DiBiase, Mid South Nov '85
18. Shinya Hashimoto vs Genichiro Tenryu, NJPW Feb '94
17. Kerry Von Erich vs Jumbo Tsuruta, AJPW May '84
16. Andre the Giant vs Stan Hansen, NJPW Sep '81
15. Kenta Kobashi vs Yoshihiro Takayama, NOAH Apr '04
14. Takada vs Vader, UWFi Aug '94
13. Combat Toyoda vs Megumi Kudo, FMW May '96
12. Tenryu & Kawada vs Hansen & Gordy, AJPW Dec '88
11. Jerry Lawler vs Terry Funk, Apr '81
10. Ishikawa/Otsuka/Sawa vs Ikeda/Usuda/Super Tiger, Battlearts Jul '07
9. Hashimoto vs Ogawa, NJPW Apr '00
8. Ted DiBiase vs Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Mid South Mar '85
7. Kobashi & Akiyama vs Vader & Stan Hansen, AJPW Dec '98
6. Devil Masami vs Chigusa Nagayo, AJW Aug '85
5. Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada, AJPW Jun '94
4. Kenta Kobashi vs Mitsuharu Misawa, AJPW Jan '97
3. El Hijo Del Santo vs Negro Casas, CMLL Sep '97
 

Red_Ink_Squid

Cricketer Of The Year
2. Ricky Steamboat vs Ric Flair, WCW April 1989

To answer @Aritro's question about the Flair Steamboat series and @sledger's about WCW matches: just this one made it.

This is the 2nd of their '89 trilogy, the 2/3 falls match from Clash of the Champions 6. It's another legendarily good match that feels like it needs no introduction. Steamboat is the earnest, babyface family man; Flair the lavish, playboy heel. Flair had dominated the NWA title for much of the decade but Steamboat won it from him in their previous encounter so enters this one as the champion.

These two have famously great chemistry and this is an amazing showpiece match with a big time feel that is a great demonstration of what their respective characters were all about, as well as how great these two were as workers. This is a long match (be warned) but one that flies by at a great pace without ever dragging. One of those matches that feels self-evidently great to the point where I'm not sure there's much I can add.

20. Genichiro Tenryu vs. Nobutaka Araya, WAR Jan '98
19. Ric Flair vs Ted DiBiase, Mid South Nov '85
18. Shinya Hashimoto vs Genichiro Tenryu, NJPW Feb '94
17. Kerry Von Erich vs Jumbo Tsuruta, AJPW May '84
16. Andre the Giant vs Stan Hansen, NJPW Sep '81
15. Kenta Kobashi vs Yoshihiro Takayama, NOAH Apr '04
14. Takada vs Vader, UWFi Aug '94
13. Combat Toyoda vs Megumi Kudo, FMW May '96
12. Tenryu & Kawada vs Hansen & Gordy, AJPW Dec '88
11. Jerry Lawler vs Terry Funk, Apr '81
10. Ishikawa/Otsuka/Sawa vs Ikeda/Usuda/Super Tiger, Battlearts Jul '07
9. Hashimoto vs Ogawa, NJPW Apr '00
8. Ted DiBiase vs Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Mid South Mar '85
7. Kobashi & Akiyama vs Vader & Stan Hansen, AJPW Dec '98
6. Devil Masami vs Chigusa Nagayo, AJW Aug '85
5. Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada, AJPW Jun '94
4. Kenta Kobashi vs Mitsuharu Misawa, AJPW Jan '97
3. El Hijo Del Santo vs Negro Casas, CMLL Sep '97
2. Ricky Steamboat vs Ric Flair WCW Apr '89
 

Shri

Mr. Glass
"Scott's on life support. Once his family is in place they will discontinue life support. I'm going to lose the one person on this planet I've spent more of my life with than anyone else. My heart is broken and I'm so very ****ing sad.

I love Scott with all my heart but now I have to prepare my life without him in the present. I've been blessed to have a friend that took me at face value and I him. When we jumped to WCW we didn't care who liked or hated us. We had each other and with the smooth Barry Bloom we changed wrestling both in content and pay for those......alot that disliked us.

We were the "Outsiders " but we had each other. Scott always felt he wasn't worthy of the afterlife. Well God please have some gold plated toothpicks for my brother. My life was enriched with his take on life. He wasn't perfect but as he always said "The last perfect person to walk the planet they nailed to a cross "

As we prepare for life without him just remember there goes a great guy you ain't going to see another one like him again. See Ya down the road Scott. I couldn't love a human being any more than I do you"

http://instagr.am/p/CbEqfqau6zp/
 

honestbharani

Whatever it takes!!!
"Scott's on life support. Once his family is in place they will discontinue life support. I'm going to lose the one person on this planet I've spent more of my life with than anyone else. My heart is broken and I'm so very ****ing sad.

I love Scott with all my heart but now I have to prepare my life without him in the present. I've been blessed to have a friend that took me at face value and I him. When we jumped to WCW we didn't care who liked or hated us. We had each other and with the smooth Barry Bloom we changed wrestling both in content and pay for those......alot that disliked us.

We were the "Outsiders " but we had each other. Scott always felt he wasn't worthy of the afterlife. Well God please have some gold plated toothpicks for my brother. My life was enriched with his take on life. He wasn't perfect but as he always said "The last perfect person to walk the planet they nailed to a cross "

As we prepare for life without him just remember there goes a great guy you ain't going to see another one like him again. See Ya down the road Scott. I couldn't love a human being any more than I do you"

http://instagr.am/p/CbEqfqau6zp/
Jeez how much more depressing news can you get? These ****ing last 2 years. :(

Scott Hall was awesome. An absolute legend and icon of this sport.
 

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