1001 MATCHES: The Number Ones

Posted on August 5, 2016 3:50 PM by Phil

(by Phil Rippa)

This installment of 1001 Matches is all about the matches that where voted #1 in various projects (some terrible, some not so terrible) that have the DVDVR name attached to them. Whether or not they deserved the lofty position they achieved is always going to be open for debate. However, there has been enough said about them that one should definitely watch them at least once.

The following matches were voted #1 but have already been added to the 1001

  • Shinobu Kandori vs. Akira Hokuto – AJW “Dream Slam 1” (4/2/93) – #1 90s Joshi
  • Great Sasuke vs. Wild Pegasus – Super J Cup ’94 (4/16/94 – Finals) – #1 90s New Japan
  • Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Toshiaki Kawada (Triple Crown – 6/3/94) – #1 90s All Japan
  • TAKA Michinoku/Sho Funaki/Dick Togo/Shiryu/Men’s Teioh vs. Gran Naniwa/Super Delfin/Tiger Mask IV/Masato Yakushiji/Gran Hamada – M. Pro “3rd Anniversary Show” (10/10/96) – #1 90s Other Japan
  • Negro Casas/ Atlantis/ Ultimo Dragon/ El Dandy/ Mascara Magica/ Shocker/ La Fiera/ Brazo De Oro vs. El Hijo del Santo/ Dr. Wagner, Jr./ Felino/ Scorpio, Jr./ Black Warrior/ Kevin Quinn/ Satanico/ Silver King – EMLL 4/18/97 (16 Man Cibernetico Match) – #1 90s Lucha
  • Hardys vs. Serial Thrillerz – OMEGA (1/29/99) – #1 90s US Indy

~!~

171) JERRY LAWLER vs. BILL DUNDEE (6/6/83 – Loser Leaves Town)

https://youtu.be/CULWrrtvl2I

#1 on the 80s Memphis set. One of the rare exceptions to the “one match per feud” stipulation as Pete picked the 85 match that had similar stipulations (and was the #2 match on the Memphis set). Your mileage will vary depending on your opinion of Lawler and Memphis but if you are going to watch any matches from the era – the Lawler/Dundee matches are the ones to watch.

~!~

172) MS-1 vs. SANGRE CHICANA (9/23/83)

 

“The Greatest Professional Wrestling Match of All Time” – Phil Schneider

~!~

173) THE SEKIGUN ARMY (Antonio Inoki, Tatsumi Fujinami, Nobuhiko Takada, Yoshiaki Fujiwara & Kengo Kimura)
Vs. The Ishingun Army (Riki Choshu, Yoshiaki Yatsu, Animal Hamaguchi, Isamu Teranishi & Kuniaki Kobayashi) – NEW JAPAN (4/19/84 – 5-on-5 Gauntlet Challenge)

#1 on the New Japan 80s set. Arguably the greatest invasion angle ever. You NEED to watch this match but you also need to pack a lunch as this bad boy goes close to 75 minutes. The 5 on 5 Gauntlet means individual matches until one entire team is eliminated. The positive is that you can take breaks between the matches… or just power through it pussy. I mean it’s like an hour shorter than your typical tedious Zack Snyder movie. And since this is wrestling you know this is coming down to the final two. And you aren’t going to find a more molten crowd.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2pqu9v (Part 1)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2pr1mc_njpw-4-19-84-5-on-5-gauntlet-part-ii_sport (Part 2)

~!~

174) TERRY GORDY vs. KILLER KHAN (11/22/84 – Texas Death Match; Special Guest Referee, Kerry Von Erich)

#1 80s Texas Result. Many of you will need to watch this match as the casual observer would have thought a Freebirds/Von Erichs match would be #1 (or something involving Ric Flair).

~!~

175) TED DIBIASE vs. HACKSAW DUGGAN (3/22/85 – No DQ, Loser Leaves Town, Coal Miner’s Glove on a Poll, Tuxedo, Cage Match)

 

#1 80s MidSouth results. Actually floored that this wasn’t picked by like Pete or Ray for the original DVDVR #100 list. If you ever read an Apter mag back in the day – you heard about this match.

~!~

176) NICK BOCKWINKEL vs. CURT HENNIG (11/21/86)

#1 80s AWA. From SuperBrawl II. The board crash pretty much robbed us of the record of all the good writing about this match. Watch it so Matt doesn’t yell at you.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1nwwgy_nick-bockwinkel-vs-curt-hennig-awa-part-1_sport (Part One)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1nwwap_nick-bockwinkel-vs-curt-hennig-awa-part-2_sport (Part Two)

~!~

177) NOBUHIKO TAKADA vs. AKIRA MAEDA (UWF 11/10/1988 )

https://youtu.be/dbOfF25bhXo

#1 on the DVDVR 80s Other Promotion poll. Reviewed by Dean in DVDVR #165

~!~

178) JUMBO TSURUTA vs. GENICHIRO TENRYU (New Japan – 6/5/89)

#1 on DVDVR 80s New Japan poll. In the four months I have been working on this piece I think I have had to find this match like a half a dozen times because it keeps getting yanked down. So we shall see if this one works. I am chuckling as I put this together because I almost feel like of all the matches that were “number 1s” this one might be the most divisive.

~!~

The last three matches fortunately worked out to be voted the #1 matches for WWE/F, ECW and WCW in the DVDVR Best of the 90s polls. If you haven’t seen them already you have some serious catching up to do (and are probably under the age of 20 – curse you and your youth). And who knows why I can’t find the Double Dog Collar Match (besides the music and WWE owning issues).

179) BRET HART vs. OWEN HART – WrestleMania X (WWF 3/20/94)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3r36nv_wrestlemania-x-bret-hitman-hart-vs-owen-hart_sport

~!~

180) RAEN/STEVIE RICHARDS vs. PITBULLS – Gangsters Paradise (ECW 9/16/95 – 2/3 Falls Double Dog Collar, Tag Titles)

~!~

181) REY MISTERIO JR. vs. EDDIE GUERRERO – Halloween Havoc ’97 (WCW 10/26/97 – Cruiserweight Title)