1001 MATCHES – Tag Team Back Again
Yeah – this tag team theme took like 3 months to put together. I don’t even remember what I watched, what made it in and what I am doing with my life.
Just for the two people that care – I only included 2 on 2 matches. Yes – I like making things harder for myself.
571) KUNG FU/PETE ROBERTS vs. CARIBBEAN SUNSHINE BOYS (JOHNNY KINCAID/DAVE BOND) – WORLD OF SPORT (10/8/77)
Always good times when you are causing old ladies to riot… and well the rest of the crowd. So amazingly chaotic.
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572) BUDDY ROSE/ED WISKOWSKI vs. RODDY PIPER/RICK MARTEL – PORTLAND (08/02/80 – NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Titles, 2 out of 3 Falls)
Part One, Part Two, Part Three
Segunda Caida named this (for now) as the Match of 1980. Your opinion might be affected by the finish but it is fucking 1980. If you were expecting nothing but clean finishes you are going to be in for a rude awakening. (No, not that type.)
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573) SGT. SLAUGHTER/DON KERNOLDE vs. RICKY STEAMBOAT/JAY YOUNGBLOOD – NWA MID-ATLANTIC (03/12/83 – Cage Match, NWA World Tag Title)
This is another of those “Matches that the Apter Mags Never Shut Up About When I Was Growing Up”. It really is all of our duties to make sure Slaughter is not forgotten as an amazing worker.
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574) RIKI CHOSHU/MASA SAITO vs. GENICHIRO TENRYU/JUMBO TSURUTA – ALL JAPAN (02/05/85)
Jumbo and Tenryu are two of my all time favorites and then you toss in hot crowd and I am all in. Boy I am all about guys who all your fuckers forget could bring it and Masa Saito is so deep in that zone it isn’t funny.
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575) ROCK ‘N’ ROLL EXPRESS (RICKY MORTON/ROBERT GIBSON) vs. MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (BOBBY EATON/DENNIS CONDREY) – JCP (08/16/86 – NWA World Tag Titles, 2 out 3 Falls)
Amazingly – a R&R vs. Midnights match had not been picked before. Of course, picking a specific one is a chore. But you really can’t do a tag team theme and ignore them both. So here is R’n’R winning the titles on a house show. Plus the screen cap makes me giggle because it looks like the ref is about to fall over.
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576) ATLANTIS/EL SATANICO vs. TIERRA VIENTO Y FUEGO/MS-1 – CMLL (09/22/89 – Mask/Hair vs. Mask/Hair)
While it is cool that Tierra, Viento y Fuego’s name is literally Earth, Wind and Fire it is infuriating to write out. Anyway – this match is amazing and criminally underrated at only finishing 13th in the 80s Poll.
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577) RICK & SCOTT STEINER vs. HIROSHI HASE/KENSUKE SASAKI – NEW JAPAN/WCW SUPERSHOW (03/21/91 – WCW & IWPG Tag Titles)
Reading (and spending far too much money) Apter mags had made me aware of all the other wrestling I wasn’t getting to see (that I had pretty much figured out was better than what I was able to see). This match served as almost the gateway match for a lot of folks. It also helped that I was a HUGE Steiners mark.
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578) NASTY BOYS (BRIAN KNOBBS/JERRY SAGS) vs. CACTUS JACK/MAXX PAYNE – WCW SPRING STAMPEDE ’94 (04/17/94 – Street Fight)
579) NASTY BOYS (BRIAN KNOBBS/JERRY SAGS) vs. CACTUS JACK/KEVIN SULLIVAN – WCW SLAMBOREE ’94 (05/22/94 – “Broad Street Bully” Match)
Breaking my own rule about more than one match in a feud but these two are linked and honestly I really can’t separate the two. Heck my entire review in DVDVR #125 is comparing and contrasting the two.
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580) HEAVENLY BODIES (JIMMY DEL RAY/TOM PRICHARD) vs. THE THRILLSEEKERS (CHRIS JERICHO/LANCE STORM) – SMOKEY MOUNTAIN “NIGHT OF LEGENDS ’94” (08/05/94 – Street Fight)
Infamous match early in Jericho’s career where he bleeds and bleeds and bleeds. Raven Mack tackled the subject in DVDVR #155
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581) ROB VAN DAM/SABU vs. HAYABUSA/JINSEI SHINZAKI – ECW (08/02/98)
This match does not hold up. Heck it didn’t hold up about 5 minutes after it finished. It is a giant cluster that shows the best and very very worst of ECW. So actually it is kinda appropriate to revisit. Hayabusa wrestling on American soil is what you are here for.
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582) SUPER DRAGON/SPANKY vs. BOBBY QUANCE/JARDI FRANTZ – ALL PRO WRESTLING (05/12/02)
SoCal wrestling. Misty Water Colored Memories…. Y’all don’t have enough Bobby Quance in your lives. This was on Schneider Comp #21. At the time, Phil called it the best APW match ever.
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583) KENTA/NAOMICHI MARUFUJI vs. JUVENTUD GUERRERA/RICKY MARVIN – NOAH (11/01/03 – GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Titles)
Kenta and Marufuji were a great tag team. A shocking statement I know. Plus – post WCW Juvie. Not as great as hyped (ie: not 4 1/2 stars that Meltzer gave it) but fun and worth the watch.
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584) SECOND CITY SAINTS (CM PUNK/ACE STEEL) vs. BJ WHITMER/DAN MAFF – RING OF HONOR “DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR II (07/24/04 – Street Fight)
A wild ass brawl that was quite different from what you were normally getting from the CODE OF HONOR~! fed. Probably doesn’t hold up for the “Yeah – unprotected chair shots were not wise” crowd. Also, lots of blood.
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585) MINORU TANAKA/PRINCE DEVITT vs. TAKA MICHINOKU/DICK TOGO – NEW JAPAN (01/27/08 – IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title)
You had me at Dick Togo. This is not 1997 Taka but he and Togo teaching Devitt a thing or two on my birthday is fine by me.
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586) HEAVY HITTERS (MONSTA MACK/HAVOK) vs. NIGERIAN NIGHTMARES (MAIFU/SAIFU) – JERSEY ALL PRO WRESTLING (9/20/08)
On Schneider Comp #26 (The video is just a taste of the cray cray.)
The Heavy Hitters are Monsta Mack’s other team. Four fucking fat fellows having a wild ass brawl and doing things they should not be doing. The Nigerian Nightmares should have been more of a thing.
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587) KENSUKE SASAKI/KOTA IBUSHI vs. JUN AKIYAMA/TAIJI ISHIMORI – KENSUKE OFFICE (2/11/09)
Available from DITCH (http://www.mediafire.com/?ano8ft7s4a7zq0b)
Broken down Kensuke Sasaki and not broken down Jun Akiyama bring the kids to have a real good match that is forgotten because it was on the same card as the OTHER KENTA/Nakajima match.
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588) APOLLO 55 (PRINCE/DEVITT/RYUSUKE TAGUCHI) vs. BAD INTENTIONS (GIANT BERNARD/KARL ANDERSON) – NEW JAPAN (11/1/09 – G1 TAG LEAGUE FINALS)
The good Karl Anderson New Japan tag team. And for those who thought Albert was never good. Great match that at least at one point Devitt said was his favorite match that he had in Japan.
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589) REY COMETA/STUKA JR vs. NAMAJAGUE/SHIGEO OKUMURA – CMLL (03/15/13 (Taped), 03/23/13 (Aired) – Mask/Hair vs. Mask/Hair)
I probably say this a lot but a forgotten outstanding match. RIP Namajague’s ridiculously great mask (or Spoilers for a 4 year old match I guess). Namajague sure as fuck didn’t continue his strong ass mask game when he became El Desperado.
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590) THE HARDYZ (MATT & JEFF) vs. THE BRISCOES (JAY & MARK) – OMEGA (04/26/14)
The first Hardy/Briscoe match ever. Both of the teams mean a whole fucking lot to my wrestling fandom (and in some ways my life) in ways that I don’t know if I could ever express properly in keystrokes. This match happening on in Cameron, NC on an OMEGA reunion show is so perfect. Only these fuckers could get away cutting promos threatening to check out each other’s landscaping abilities. Oh and Jay’s promo is probably my 2nd favorite one behind Terry Funk’s mouth guard. “I FLAT OUT DON’T LIKE YOUR ASS!!!”
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591) SUMMER RAE/FANDANGO vs. EMMA/SANTINO – NXT (9/12/13 (Taped), 10/2/13 (Aired))
Dubbed the “greatest comedy match of all time” (Spoiler Alert: It’s Not).
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592) SWORDS OF ESSEX (PAUL ROBINSON/WILL OSPREAY) vs. INNER CITY MACHINE GUNS (RICH SWANN/RICOCHET) – REVOLUTION PRO (03/15/14 – Rev Pro British Tag Titles)
One of the first matches that put Revolution Pro on folk’s radar. Maybe a good gateway for folks who lean in the anti-flip direction. Also good to see pre-WWE Rich Swann,
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593) GRINGO LOCO/SKAYDE JR. vs. ZEMA ION/BANDOLERO STAR – ABSOLUTE INTENSE WRESTLING (04/30/16)
The only men’s match on an all women’s show that is really fun. These two teams also had a match in February that Tom once called this “Three Falls of Fun”.
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594) TREVOR LEE/ANDREW EVERETT vs. ARIK ROYAL/RAY KANDRACK – CWF MID-ATLANTIC (05/14/16 – CWF Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Titles)
Please never leave me CWF Mid-Atlantic.
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595) JUVENTUD EXTREMA (MIKE MENDOZA/EL CUERVO) VS. LA REVOLUCIÓN – WWC (05/28/16 – Cage Match)
One of the best feuds that none of you outside of Tim Evans ever watch. Strap in – it is a cage match in Puerto Rico. You know exactly what you are getting.
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596) TEAM IOU (KERRY AWFUL/NICK IGGY) vs. THE KRAKEN (CHIP DAY/MURDER ONE) – ATLANTA WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT (7/17/2016)
Man oh man did I enjoy the hell out of this which is really surprising since there are so many things going on that would normally infuriate me. That is the power of having a bunch of guys I like to watch in the same match.
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597) #DIY (JOHNNY GARGANO/TOMMASSO CIAMPA) vs. THE REVIVAL (DASH WILDER/SCOTT DAWSON) – NXT TAKEOVER: TORONTO (11/19/16 – NXT Tag Team Championship, 2 out of 3 Falls)
The internet has taken to calling this the best WWE Tag Match Ever.
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598) TWIN TOWERS (KOHEI/SATO/SHUJI ISHIKAWA) vs. STRONG BJ (DAISUKE SEKIMOTO/YUJI OKABAYASHI) – BIG JAPAN (01/02/17 – BJW Tag Team Titles)
If these 4 guys have a match you should watch it. A hell of way to kick off the year.
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599) KAIRI HOJO/YOKO BITO vs. KAY LEE RAY/NIXON NEWELL – STARDOM (01/15/17 – Goddesses of Stardom Championship)
So many people the WWE are signing. And keep your hands where we can see them.
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600) CAVERNARIO/VOLADOR JR vs. ULTIMO GUERRERO/VALIENTE – CMLL (02/24/17 – National Parejass Final)
I giggle every time I look at that screencap since it looks like they want to be anywhere else. Anyway – we joked on the board that this was every guy cramming in last minute March Madness support.
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