Secret Santo - Winter 2022/3!

[zendragon]

@MattD whats the best Bock/Jumbo match?

[Matt D]

On 1/9/2023 at 12:29 AM, DEAN said:

@Matt D This match is fucking INSANE.  It's the fucking DREAM tagteam of Sherri Martel and Judy Martin aligning with total lunatic Devil Masami at ringside trying to murder the hell out of Mimi Hagewara and Yukari Omori in 1982.  GREATEST MATCH OF THE 80s!

 

This is some wild stuff! "Hugecor" on the GWE discord got me up to speed on Mimi and Omari:

Spoiler

Yukari Omori is one of the members of the class of 1980 who get the biggest push early on during 1981 and 1982, being placed as Mimi Hagiwara's tag team partner and winning the WWWA tag team championships with her, being part of the feud with Devil Masami and Tarántula. She is then paired up with Jumbo Hori and dominates the tag team division during 1983, with the two of them being poised as the next top act of the company until the Crush Gals explode overnight. When Jumbo Hori retires in 1985, she starts to get a big singles push, winning the Grand prix and then beating the world champion Devil Masami in very decisive and dominant fashion to become the wwwa world champion, defending it against Lioness Asuka until losing it to Chigusa Nagayo a year later. She is simply okay during 1981-1985, but in 1986 she becomes incredibly good and stays that way until she retires in 1988
She is such a good seller that she gets the fans chanting for her when Chigusa Nagayo is attacking her arm during the Grand Prix finals in 1986. She also has vicious comebacks.

Mimi Hagiwara was the second television personality zenjo signs after Mach Fumiake, she is also their first attempt to return to targetting an adult male audience via centering the presentation of a top name around their sex appeal after relegating that to the background during the first boom.

She becomes the most popular face of the 1982-1983 era in between the two booms, which is characterized by decreased attendances loss of their weekly television timeslot and the audiences being mostly adult men. She wasn't the ace and never got the world championship due to her physical limitations but she was their most promoted and featured wrestler, being the all pacific champion and main eventing a lot of shows thanks to being very good as a vulnerable face in peril. As an interesting piece of info, she was six years older than the rest of the zenjo class of 1978 and two years older than the Beauty and Black Pairs. Her most relevant feud is the feud with Devil Masami and the Black Legion/Devil's Corps.

So that was a lot to learn. The big thing I learned from this however was that Martin and Martel were basically Raging and Ravishing. I'm a big Glamour Girls fan, but Kai and Martin were pretty similar, great bullies, incredibly credible offense, big bumps, great pacing. Martin is basically the most credible Moolah-ism wrestler ever. Sherri on the other hand, is wildly over the top. Her punch to the gut may have been goofy, but she was all antics, all the time, starting from stealing the belts and refusing to give them back to just screaming, fighting with fans, heatseeking like wild. Then Martin would come in and just assert control and leave things for Sherri to cause havoc.

After the whole belt stealing thing, the faces got the early offensive advantage, but then Martin/Martel took most of the rest. Whenever the faces tried to comeback it became an absolute gang scene with everything completely breaking down. Devil would interfere liberally. So that meant whenever comebacks actually did take, they ended up being super violent. Structure here ended up being comebacks and quick cutoffs, and then a real comeback for the first fall victory as they switched up on top rope leaps and then hit a kneeling pile driver. There was more heat again right at the start of the second fall and it all broke down into chaos. Mimi and Omori looked fine but it was hard to get much sense out of them other than getting battered around a few moments of fiery comebacks. Sherri, however, came off as a generational heatseeker; obviously she was as a manager but I think she couldn't flex quite as much in the AWA and WWF as a wrestler maybe? Here she had a lot of freedom to just toss poise completely out the window and go wild.

 

Edited January 13, 2023 by Matt D

[DEAN]

12 minutes ago, Matt D said:

This is some wild stuff! "Hugecor" on the GWE discord got me up to speed on Mimi and Omari:

  Hide contents

Yukari Omori is one of the members of the class of 1980 who get the biggest push early on during 1981 and 1982, being placed as Mimi Hagiwara's tag team partner and winning the WWWA tag team championships with her, being part of the feud with Devil Masami and Tarántula. She is then paired up with Jumbo Hori and dominates the tag team division during 1983, with the two of them being poised as the next top act of the company until the Crush Gals explode overnight. When Jumbo Hori retires in 1985, she starts to get a big singles push, winning the Grand prix and then beating the world champion Devil Masami in very decisive and dominant fashion to become the wwwa world champion, defending it against Lioness Asuka until losing it to Chigusa Nagayo a year later. She is simply okay during 1981-1985, but in 1986 she becomes incredibly good and stays that way until she retires in 1988
She is such a good seller that she gets the fans chanting for her when Chigusa Nagayo is attacking her arm during the Grand Prix finals in 1986. She also has vicious comebacks.

Mimi Hagiwara was the second television personality zenjo signs after Mach Fumiake, she is also their first attempt to return to targetting an adult male audience via centering the presentation of a top name around their sex appeal after relegating that to the background during the first boom.

She becomes the most popular face of the 1982-1983 era in between the two booms, which is characterized by decreased attendances loss of their weekly television timeslot and the audiences being mostly adult men. She wasn't the ace and never got the world championship due to her physical limitations but she was their most promoted and featured wrestler, being the all pacific champion and main eventing a lot of shows thanks to being very good as a vulnerable face in peril. As an interesting piece of info, she was six years older than the rest of the zenjo class of 1978 and two years older than the Beauty and Black Pairs. Her most relevant feud is the feud with Devil Masami and the Black Legion/Devil's Corps.

So that was a lot to learn. The big thing I learned from this however was that Martin and Martel were basically Raging and Ravishing. I'm a big Glamour Girls fan, but Kai and Martin were pretty similar, great bullies, incredibly credible offense, big bumps, great pacing. Martin is basically the most credible Moolah-ism wrestler ever. Sherri on the other hand, is wildly over the top. Her punch to the gut may have been goofy, but she was all antics, all the time, starting from stealing the belts and refusing to give them back to just screaming, fighting with fans, heatseeking like wild. Then Martin would come in and just assert control and leave things for Sherri to cause havoc.

After the whole belt stealing thing, the faces got the early offensive advantage, but then Martin/Martel took most of the rest. Whenever the faces tried to comeback it became an absolute gang scene with everything completely breaking down. Devil would interfere liberally. So that meant whenever comebacks actually did take, they ended up being super violent. Structure here ended up being comebacks and quick cutoffs, and then a real comeback for the first fall victory as they switched up on top rope leaps and then hit a kneeling pile driver. There was more heat again right at the start of the second fall and it all broke down into chaos. Mimi and Omori looked fine but it was hard to get much sense out of them other than getting battered around a few moments of fiery comebacks. Sherri, however, came off as a generational heatseeker; obviously she was as a manager but I think she couldn't flex quite as much in the AWA and WWF as a wrestler maybe? Here she had a lot of freedom to just toss poise completely out the window and go wild.

 

I need to watch that match a third time.  So fucking great.

[Matt D]

2 hours ago, DEAN said:

I need to watch that match a third time.  So fucking great.

I went and told all my cronies about it and one came back and uploaded this as another potential best Sherri match. I haven't had a chance to see it yet.

On 1/12/2023 at 4:29 PM, zendragon said:

@MattD whats the best Bock/Jumbo match?

1. 2/14/79
2. 2/26/84
3. 7/13/83
4. 3/24/84

But a lot are close. The only one I really wasn't feeling was the AWA Title change (2/23/84).

[Matt D]

We're hanging in there. Unique pairings are just about done so maybe 1-2 more weeks if people are game.

@thee Reverend Axl Future
@Super Ape
are together again as you guys are a bit behind. But build off your last one I guess
---
Execproducer
@Curt McGirt
---
@DEAN
@Gordlow
---
Matt D
@John E. Dynamite
---
@Sammo~!
@porksweats
---
@SirSmellingtonofCascadia
@The Natural

 

Edited January 14, 2023 by Matt D

[John E. Dynamite]

I appear to have been doubled up from last week with five fresh names on the board. I gotta write up last week's rec so I'll hold tight for a bit after.

[Gordi the former AEW fan]

What a treat and a challenge, to exchange match recommendations with DEAN. I had a thing all picked out for you months ago which when the YouTube algorithms fed it to me I mentally filed away as "for DEAN in SS" material. Which was this:

 

But then today those same algorithms handed me this, and I haven't even watchsd it yet but oh boy THIS sounds like literally too much professional wrestling fun. Aja Kong in Gatoh Move! Teaming with Emi! Pro wrestling is an endless bounty of anything our hearts could imagine!

 

Two matches where, frankly, it kind of insane that they actually exist.

So. Take your choice.

Edited January 14, 2023 by Gordlow

[DEAN]

MEANWHILE!  I have been WAITING to be paired with @Gordlow so I can unleash THIS!  So beautiful.....

 

[Matt D]

1 hour ago, John E. Dynamite said:

I appear to have been doubled up from last week with five fresh names on the board. I gotta write up last week's rec so I'll hold tight for a bit after.

Hang tight. I'll amend.

Ok, you and me.

@Curt McGirtand @Execproducer

I'll get something for you later today!

Edited January 14, 2023 by Matt D

[Matt D]

@John E. Dynamite

Double posting but I've got one for you immediately. Turn of the century lucha. Monterrey. Hijo Del Santo vs Blue Panther 4/9/00.

And if you want a youtube version here for ease of access but with dodgier VQ here you go.

Spoiler

 

 

[porksweats]

On 12/28/2022 at 7:04 PM, John E. Dynamite said:

@porksweats I can't seem to figure out how to search through anybody's post history, so I wasn't able to fine-tune this pick as much as I'd have liked to. But seeing how AEW is going through a bout of J-e-Double-F J-a-Double-MANIA~ I figured I'd stick to the week's theme and find some Jarrett-on-TV stuff.

CACTUS JACK SMACK ATTACK - Jeff Jarret vs. Scott Steiner- TNA Wrestling IMPACT, airdate 4/23/2009

https://archive.org/details/tna-i-mpact-2009.02.05/TNA+iMPACT+2009.04.23.mp4
(timestamp = 1:09:00 for pomp and circumstance, 1:11:27 for entrances)

The absolute apex of Jeff Jarrett's TNA run is, without question, his matches against Kurt Angle. The NO DQ Match, the Foley guest ref clusterfuck, the 2/3 Falls Cage Match are all really rather brilliant. Those are too obvious, AND they're all free on YouTube so feel free to watch them if that sounds better than this. But this match here w/ Scott Steiner is that perfect blend of deadly serious violence and cross-eyed goofball charm, with two guys who are absolute emperors of those borderlands. Not to mention third man in the commentary booth / then-TNA champ Mick Foley knows his way around that neighborhood pretty well. I only knew this match from the .gifs (pogo stick, USE MY SIGN) but it turns out it's an exceptional TV main event. The only thing that made me hesitate was that Jarrett's the babyface in this one, but then something Christmas-y went down in the match and I stuck with it.

I'm realizing that old TNA is a lot more fun in 2022 then when it was happening. Back in the day we were wondering why the booking wasn't competent and why we couldn't have a WWE alternative that didn't constantly shoot itself in the foot, but now that we've got through the hump and all that anxiety is gone, you can finally enjoy the product for what it is. I'd love to call this match very Attitude Era, or very Memphis, but it isn't. It's very TNA (which is to say, occasionally competent 00's WCW), and it's better for it.

 

On 1/3/2023 at 10:13 PM, Execproducer said:

@porksweats Windham/Rhodes vs Barbarian/Butch Reed. J.R., Jesse Ventura, and Cactus Jack on commentary.

 

 

 

On 1/10/2023 at 8:31 AM, The Natural said:

Jon Moxley vs. Brodie Lee. CZW From Small Beginnings Come Great Things. 7th January 2011. Note the the correct day, month, year format, you Americans!

Good brawling round the ringside area. Liked how Mox got on the apron for Lee to clothesline him onto a table, felt organic with the follow up hip toss on the remainder. Brodie has great strikes, one slap uppercut drops Mox unlike the two clotheslines which Lee takes without going down. Lee has one of the best big boots ever. Never knew Lee took a bump through a glass panel and a thumbtack table bump which gives Mox the win. Thanks for helping me cross another of my to do list, @porksweats. Am I right remembering you're a fellow Brit or am I wrong?

 

I went back and forth between three matches from 2005. I've gone with...

Kensuke Sasaki/Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Kenta Kobashi/Go Shiosaki. Pro-Wrestling NOAH, 5th November 2005. 2005 was a great year in Pro-Wrestling NOAH, ROH and TNA. This was my 2005 MOTY as veteran vs. veteran and veteran vs. rookie go at it. A ***** match. The best match in NOAH's history and there's only one tag team match I rate more, Toshiaki Kawada/Akira Taue vs. Mitsuharu Misawa/Kenta Kobashi in AJPW, 9th June 1995. *****. Hope you like my pick!

 

Get ready for a true Secret Santo~~~! Mega-Posto~~~! as I play catch up on the 3 weeks I didn't review!

First things first;

Secret Santo Week 3 Review: Cactus Jack Smack Attack - Jeff Jarrett vs Scott Steiner

This is actually a first time watch! My TNA watching was off and on weekly NWATNA PPVs and some Impacts! through Angle's debut and a little past. By 09, I wasn't watching much of wrestling at all, but Steiner in TNA. That I know was a big deal, Steiner Math and the ilk. Love how many weapons are ringside, it's a truly excessive amount here. Jeff Jarrett's theme song is timeless, dig the baby blue gear he's got here. I imagine it's going to be soaked in blood by matchend. Jarrett opens the match with some kendo shots and clotheslines Scott outside, can Steiner overcome? Oh he hit him with a walker! Oh the fan's sign is actually a street sign! Smart! Foley looks dapper in a suit on commentary. Oh the pogo stick! great to have context. A mailbox now? And a santa as a weapon! Real variety of weapons, spectacular. Steiner in 09 is definitely a slower more lumbering beast than Steiner a decade prior but he can take a real beating.  Jarrett's not holding back with those headshots. Goddamn, Jarrett really works to get out of that Steiner Recliner, climbing to his feet keeping Steiner on his shoulders. Impressed. El Kabong! Stroke! Over! 

That's exactly what I'd want from a Cactus Jack Smack Attack match. Thank you John E, really great start to this review. Sad there was no blood but what can you do?

Second things second;

Secret Santo Week 4 Review: Butch Reed & The Barbarian vs Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham

Love me some Barbarian, can't say I've seen much of his team with Butch Reed but I did like Doom as well! Execproducer, did you choose this one with Jack on commentary because of the Jarrett/Steiner match the week before having Jack on commentary? I like when we get themes going unintentionally (or if it was intentional, still cool.) Rhodes and Barbarian start it off, but Barry's in just as quick from a tag and the Twin Texan Tag Towers clear the ring. Alot of quick tags here, Reed's in, Rhodes back in. Holy crap, Dustin goes for a shoulder ram to Reed in the corner and Reed dodges, Rhodes FLIES out to the concrete through the second and third ropes. Good lord. Oh now he's just getting pummeled by Reed and Barb. Majority of this match now is just Rhodes getting broke apart, the crowd is going to go insane when Barry gets in. Double clothesline! Rhodes reaches Windham before Reed can get Barb! Barry's in and he's hot! Superplex to Barb! No! Don't focus on Reed, he's not the legal man! Barry and Dustin dropkick Reed to the outside but Windham turns around and loses his face to a Barb Big Boot and its done.

Good tag match, Barb/Reed didn't really mesh all that well but I imagine Reed is at the end of career here as I can't think of anything he did post Doom and here we are.  Barry and Dustin were in sync but as a rule, Faces are Dumb and that's their downfall.

 

Last but not least, we've got The Natural's pick for me! Also, to your question Natural, you are sadly incorrect, I'm not a Brit. I'm really glad you liked the match I chose for you though! Wanted a nice quick watch to show you.

Secret Santo Week 5 Review: Kensuke Sasaki/Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Kenta Kobashi/Go Shiozaki

This is another blindspot I've got to be filling, NOAH Tag matches. I normally stick to Singles matches when I'm watching any Puro, don't know why but I've got to break that habit. All men in this match I'm familiar with, so that's cool. Not so much NOAH Kenta honestly though.

This match starts off with Go/Nakajima in a sprint, but they're evenly matched. Kenta asks for the tag in, same with Sasaki and now its the vets turn to show off. Really dig Kenta's post orange tights, the black and purple is nice. A Chop each and they hold the second back, opting for a good ol' greco roman knuckle lock test of strength. Up, Down, Up, Down, they're even! Kenta gets the suplex and another staredown. Shiozaki tags in, and that doesn't seem to be a good choice here. Sasaki just overpowers him, Go goes for a flurry of chops but Sasaki just shrugs it all off. Couple of headbutts and he tags Nakajima back in to maintain the beatdown. Reversal of fortune with Go hitting a beautiful dropkick and gets Nakajima back to the corner tagging in Kenta. Kenta then proceeds to hit two really sick chops fully charged. I can feel it through the screen. Oh good god there's more. Go's back in and gets Nakajima up in a surfboard (one of my favorite moves) and while the ref is distracted from Kensuke, Kenta comes in and chops the full surfed Nakajima... incredible. We're about a third through the match and I'm the edge of my seat. The vets are back in the ring and they're a clubberin and a tusslin' and a choppin' and a choppin' and still a choppin, that's at least 2 minutes of chopping. Kenta finally comes out on top and stumbles to the corner, falling and getting the tag. In spite of all that, Shiozaki goes at Sasaki guns a blazing but even after the minutes of chops, Sasaki stands strong and fends off Go. Nakajima gets back in and keeps the beat going, and in turn Sasaki catches his breath but also steps back in. He traps Go with big lariats on both sides of the body, ending with a decapitation. I thought that was it, but no! We've still got half the runtime left! Sasaki steps to the corner and we catch the first real glimpse of his chest, he's going full Burger. Sasaki charges Go as soon as he gets up and launches him into the opposing corner, Nakajima's back in and doesn't let up. At 19:46, he goes for another corner to corner irish whip and Go just collapses as his legs give out from underneath. He struggles to get back up to his feet, falls down again as he gets up and when he does, he gets no quarter eating a dropkick and a rejuvenated Sasaki tags in. Kensuke goes for the suplex but Go won't go! He stands strong and WOW! Deadlifts and reverses it! He gets Kenta in!!! Kenta shoves him into the corner and it's chop city between the two of them. 124 chops between the two of them in a matter of two minutes and then its a pair of half and half suplexes to Kensuke! Nakajima runs in and hits a german to Kenta! Go's in with a Back Suplex to Nakajima and last but not least Kensuke with a Dragon to Go, everyone's down. Everyone's hurt. Kenta's up first to go for Kensuke but he's been scouted getting thrown over and locked into a Strangle Hold Gamma! It's not enough, Kenta's leg reaches the rope. Kenta eats a real neck landed powerslam and Nakajima's back with sick kicks! Kenta won't feel defeat from the feet though, chopping and stopping Go's dropkick! Go's locked in a Texas Cloverleaf! Kensuke runs in and tries to kick Kenta to release it, but Go catches him and holds him back when he whips off the ropes, Nakajima's got nowhere to go! It's not over yet though, he reaches the ropes! Kenta tags in Go, let's see if that's enough here. Fisherman Buster! No! Go goes up top, but gets a wheel kick! Nakajima with a beautiful bridge to sell us the fans as he hits the german but Kenta breaks it up! Now we got the vets on the outside chopping and the rookies scrambling in ring! Holy shit a German into the corner turnbuckle, a second german! Nakajima kicks out??? Go with a moonsault but KNEES ARE UP! Chops! Kicks! The vets want in! The rookies are down! Sasaki's in! No Lariat, Go's going the distance! Fending him off! Oh no he eats a lariat of his own! Kenta in the nick of time saves Go, but Sasaki throws a charging Nakajima into Kenta and they both are outside! Go's still not up! Tornado Bomb's gotta end it but at 2.999, we got another kickout! Off the ropes and one of the most incredible Lariats I've seen in 2023 beheads Go. Yeah, that stops Go. Wow, what a quick half hour.

Great shit, I understand why that's one of your all time favorite tag matches Natural, I truly appreciate you sharing that with me. That was incredible in every sense of the word.

[porksweats]

On 12/9/2022 at 3:42 PM, Sammo~! said:

I've wanted to do one of these for a while. I'm in. I'll watch anything you put in front of me, but I'm especially interested in watching good Joshi and good Lucha.

For you Sammo~!

 

I give you the latest in the AprEW collection, Lucha Libre Jungle Boy!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XktBeRMLo8w

 

[John E. Dynamite]

3 hours ago, Matt D said:

Hang tight. I'll amend.

Ok, you and me.

The Barons (Jeff Kaye & Ian Gilmour) vs. "Tough Guy" Steve Logan & Mick McManus  - 5/5/1973 Wembley
https://youtu.be/J-l6Dt60S0Q?t=1803

A primo slice of British tag action. The greatness of Mick McManus was known going in but oh boy are the Barons some wonderful sleazeball babyfaces. Everybody's a jerk in this one and the crowd are with them all the way. Dare I call this southern?

Edited January 14, 2023 by John E. Dynamite

[John E. Dynamite]

On 1/9/2023 at 1:41 PM, Execproducer said:

@John E. Dynamite

Héctor Garza, La Máscara, Hijo del Fantasma vs. Terrible, Texano Jr., Heavy Metal, 2009/01/09

No particular reason for picking it other then it falls into your requested time period, some fun spots and, at points, some interesting camera work.

If this is from the Los Hijos del Averno era then yeah, I missed a bunch of that stuff. When I went on my initial lucha binge early-pandemic the first thing I noticed was that I had no idea Averno had lost his mask, for instance. This match is very much a battle of "rudos who I forget how much I like" vs. "tecnicos I forget how much I am unmoved by". Or maybe it's just La Mascara, who always strikes me as achieving the impossible task of being more anonymous than his name. Garza, though... I guess I liked him in Perros del Mal but he always hit more like an AAA guy or a dude who clicked more for me in US midcards than Arena Mexico main events? Maybe I just prefer him as a rudo. But he sells really good here during the part where the rudos work over and bite his ass. Yup. Young Phantasma is dope though I wish he had more to do in this one. The star of this match is El Terrible. I don't want to damn him with faint praise or send him to the land of "good hand"s, but he's just so solid and consistent and straightforward. He's the kind of guy I would want to wrestle if I were pulled out of the crowd and forced to perform. Garza wins me back once his shirt comes off and he plays up the cheers from the damas in the audience and starts kicking people in the dick. And it's amazing how much a little facepaint and some boot tassles does from Texano Jr., him and Terrible really seem like a well-oiled, proper tag team. Presumably because they are. We finally get a Phantasma tope late and it's a good one but you can tell it's not fully leveled-up yet. The tecnicos win like they shouldn't, I swear you could have La Mascara main even this year's WrestleMania and the next day I'd only remember Roman wrestling himself. The takeaway from this is that Terrible rules and I should check out his big matches from this period, and that I want to see Terrible + Texano in there tagging with Averno and Mephisto as a full-blown unit. Turns out the main event of this card was La Sombra, Mistico & Volador Jr. vs. Averno, Ephesto & Mephisto and that sounds pretty tasty too.

Edited January 14, 2023 by John E. Dynamite

[supremebve]

I don't mean to interrupt, but I was wondering if anyone is interested in this random idea I had the other day.  It's essentially YouTube PPV.  You have a 3 hour block to put together a wrestling show with nothing but matches available on YouTube.  The trick is there needs to be some limitations to stop you from just putting your five favorite matches in a row and calling it a PPV.  This is where I'm looking for some input.  I think at the very least there needs to be one women's match, one tag match, and one world title match.  No wrestler can be in more than one match.  No title can be defended in more than one match. 

This is a card I put together before I thought of the YouTube limitation, so one of these matches is available on NJPW World, which I know everyone doesn't have, but you'll be the idea.  Let me know if anyone is interested in exchanging and discussing imaginary PPVs.

Juventud Guerrera vs. Blitzkreig

Kairi Hojo(NXT's Kairi Sane) Vs Konami

Jushin Liger vs. Great Sasuke  from J Cup 94(Not on YouTube)

Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama vs. Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue (AJPW 12/6/96)

Kota Ibushi vs. El Generico - ROH 2008 | FULL MATCH

Stan Hansen vs Kenta Kobashi - July 29, 1993

Bryan Danielson vs KENTA from ROH Glory By Honor V (Night 2) 9-6-06

 

[Curt McGirt]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ptggp8FOGEg

@Execproducer

Boy, board is not wanting to work tonight. Anywho, RIP to Tarzan Goto and to Mr. Severn, you did good. 

EDIT: If I gave this to somebody else already, Matt please tell me and I'll pick something else. We should probably do like Halloween Havoc and make a list of previously selected matches for this project. 

Edited January 15, 2023 by Curt McGirt

[Sammo~!]

13 hours ago, porksweats said:

For you Sammo~!

 

I give you the latest in the AprEW collection, Lucha Libre Jungle Boy!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XktBeRMLo8w

 

I just want to say I adore AprEW as a concept, so here's some right back at you, although I guess these days Lio Rush is ApostEW

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgedY3lI4xc

[Gordi the former AEW fan]

22 hours ago, DEAN said:

MEANWHILE!  I have been WAITING to be paired with @Gordlow so I can unleash THIS!  So beautiful.....

 

Yeah. It really is beautiful. Thank you, Dean.

If I were to rank all the professional wrestlers I have ever watched in order of how much joy I experienced while watching them, Survival Tobita would rank very high. And that is kind of how I rank professional wrestlers, personally. So it's reasonable to say that Survival Tobita is one of my top 20 all time "wrestlers I have never seen live." I'm pretty sure - but not 100% sure, that I have not only seen the guy "playing" Bauxite Medium live, but have met him, spoken to him, and been drinking with him.

The same way I kinda rank wrestlers by "how much joy they spark in me" I tend to personally rank matches by "how much pro wrestling love and individual creative expression are shining forth." But not exclusively. Everything from Nifty Moves to Realistic Striking can count, as well. Also, I like when they tell a little story. 

This particular match doesn't rank very high in terms of Nifty Moves or Realistic Striking. It ranks EXTREMELY high in terms of Love, Creativity, and Storytelling.

Beautiful. 

Incredibly, this is the first time I have seen this particular Survival Tobita match! I think I might have skipped over it before because I thought it was the Tobita vs "Automatic Warrior" match. It is not! This match is FAR superior!

I genuinely enjoy thinking about Survival Tobita. I find it amazing that (assuming I can count DEAN as someone I "know") I know at least TWO people who own Survival Tobita t-shirts. Like with Ebessan vs Kuishinbo Kamen, or Choco Pro, or Invisible Man vs Invisible Stan, or even Les Kellett matches, it's such a highly specific idea that I find it rather amazing that it caught on and found an appreciative audience... And I also feel MUCH less alone in the world because it has.

The first Mokujin Ken match, which was the first Tobita match I saw, plays out in front of a handful of people inside a tiny gym. The re-match, which has an absolutely brilliant twist that I will not spoil here, takes place in front of a large and noisy crowd in an actual arena! 

The Bauxite Medium match takes place in, it seems, the same small gym as Tobita vs Ken One, but there are WAY more people there and they are VERY excited for this match.

Bauxite is the rock that is the world's main source of aluminium. Tobita's foe appears to be some kind of aluminium robot monster. At first, the monster declines to engage with Tobita, and Tobita sits down and drinks a beer. When he finishes his beer and tosses the aluminium can away carelessly, that ENGAGES Bauxite Medium. BM batters ST mercilessly with his massive box-shaped aluminium hands (which look like empty industrial-sized containers of cooking oil). It's a massive beat-down! Bauxite Medium wanders into the crowd and they flee like he's Bruiser Brody swinging his chain.

Tobita finally gains the advantage by dismantling the bare mats and using them to detach the monster's boxy hands. He then hits a nice FISHERMAN'S BUSTER and covers Bauxite with mats before climbing atop the pile to earn a hard-fought pinfall victory. It reminded me, very much, of the ending to the Panamanian Giant match that Matt gave me to review.

The tossed-away-beer-can psychology, in my opinion, was something approaching pure genius. This match sparked SO MUCH joy in my heart.

Edited January 15, 2023 by Gordlow

[Sammo~!]

On 1/14/2023 at 9:14 AM, porksweats said:

For you Sammo~!

 

I give you the latest in the AprEW collection, Lucha Libre Jungle Boy!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XktBeRMLo8w

 

This was a fun little 8-man tag. I'm pretty familiar with the Japan squad. I think this was right around the time that Zeus was making his run towards the Triple Crown and so he was the big showcase hot tag. Douki takes most of the heat for the Japanese squad. I remember Vinnie Massaro being a competent job guy in Lucha Underground. Jungle Boy was more of a Jungle Toddler here. He got a small amount of offense in and a dive at the end but was largely a non-factor. But even then you can see that he's got that intangible star quality to him (read: he's very attractive) and obviously he's going to go on to bigger things. Things break down in the middle. Eventually Zeus gets the hot tag and runs wild. Jun Akiyama gets tagged in after some more chaos and hits the exploder 1-2-3.

Some highlights:

• Vinnie Massaro's basic fat guy offense and big ol' "VIVA ITALO!" before he drops the elbow.
• Zeus' hot tag being 4 scoop slams. Eat your heart out CM Punk.
• When I reviewed the Combat Toyoda/Megumi Kudo match earlier for Secret Santo I wondered why no one does that Argentine Backbreaker like Toyoda any more and then Jungle Boy busted out a totally rad looking single shoulder version of that. Thanks for listening to me 4-years-ago Jack Perry! Does he still do this move at all? 

But let's talk about what I enjoyed the most about this match: The cinematography. The whole match is shot with one handheld ringside on the apron facing the entrance ramp, but it's not a fancam? Like clearly they could only afford the one camera/camera man. Or maybe this is just the one camera's feed? Anyway. One shot, no cuts, one angle. It's a weird way to do it and I kind of love it? Truly this is the Cinematic Match. When stuff starts to break down or get chaotic the camera man is panning around trying to catch all of the action. He'll pan left and you just see Zeus get sent into the guardrail with no idea of who sent him there. You hear commotion in the ring and the camera pans back to the right, on your way to see what happens mid-pan you spot Jungle Boy going over the top rope and when the camera man finally turns to see what happened, we're just treated to the aftermath, Vinnie Massaro standing over Jun Akiyama and you have no idea how. The entire thing has a wonderful chaos to it. It's almost like Found Footage wrestling. Blair Witch Lucha. I don't know if I'd want to watch a whole show in this style but it was a cool way to view what might have otherwise been a by-the-numbers 8-man. It was fun to see future AEW up-and-comers Jungle Boy and Jun Akiyama work Mexico before either man hit it big. Thanks for sharing this match @porksweats!

Edited January 16, 2023 by Sammo~!

[Execproducer]

@Curt McGirt You mentioned needing to see mor Ronnie Garvin so how about a pre-WWF cage match with Randy Savage?

 

[The Natural]

On 1/14/2023 at 4:57 PM, porksweats said:

 

 

 

Get ready for a true Secret Santo~~~! Mega-Posto~~~! as I play catch up on the 3 weeks I didn't review!

First things first;

Secret Santo Week 3 Review: Cactus Jack Smack Attack - Jeff Jarrett vs Scott Steiner

This is actually a first time watch! My TNA watching was off and on weekly NWATNA PPVs and some Impacts! through Angle's debut and a little past. By 09, I wasn't watching much of wrestling at all, but Steiner in TNA. That I know was a big deal, Steiner Math and the ilk. Love how many weapons are ringside, it's a truly excessive amount here. Jeff Jarrett's theme song is timeless, dig the baby blue gear he's got here. I imagine it's going to be soaked in blood by matchend. Jarrett opens the match with some kendo shots and clotheslines Scott outside, can Steiner overcome? Oh he hit him with a walker! Oh the fan's sign is actually a street sign! Smart! Foley looks dapper in a suit on commentary. Oh the pogo stick! great to have context. A mailbox now? And a santa as a weapon! Real variety of weapons, spectacular. Steiner in 09 is definitely a slower more lumbering beast than Steiner a decade prior but he can take a real beating.  Jarrett's not holding back with those headshots. Goddamn, Jarrett really works to get out of that Steiner Recliner, climbing to his feet keeping Steiner on his shoulders. Impressed. El Kabong! Stroke! Over! 

That's exactly what I'd want from a Cactus Jack Smack Attack match. Thank you John E, really great start to this review. Sad there was no blood but what can you do?

Second things second;

Secret Santo Week 4 Review: Butch Reed & The Barbarian vs Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham

Love me some Barbarian, can't say I've seen much of his team with Butch Reed but I did like Doom as well! Execproducer, did you choose this one with Jack on commentary because of the Jarrett/Steiner match the week before having Jack on commentary? I like when we get themes going unintentionally (or if it was intentional, still cool.) Rhodes and Barbarian start it off, but Barry's in just as quick from a tag and the Twin Texan Tag Towers clear the ring. Alot of quick tags here, Reed's in, Rhodes back in. Holy crap, Dustin goes for a shoulder ram to Reed in the corner and Reed dodges, Rhodes FLIES out to the concrete through the second and third ropes. Good lord. Oh now he's just getting pummeled by Reed and Barb. Majority of this match now is just Rhodes getting broke apart, the crowd is going to go insane when Barry gets in. Double clothesline! Rhodes reaches Windham before Reed can get Barb! Barry's in and he's hot! Superplex to Barb! No! Don't focus on Reed, he's not the legal man! Barry and Dustin dropkick Reed to the outside but Windham turns around and loses his face to a Barb Big Boot and its done.

Good tag match, Barb/Reed didn't really mesh all that well but I imagine Reed is at the end of career here as I can't think of anything he did post Doom and here we are.  Barry and Dustin were in sync but as a rule, Faces are Dumb and that's their downfall.

 

Last but not least, we've got The Natural's pick for me! Also, to your question Natural, you are sadly incorrect, I'm not a Brit. I'm really glad you liked the match I chose for you though! Wanted a nice quick watch to show you.

Secret Santo Week 5 Review: Kensuke Sasaki/Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Kenta Kobashi/Go Shiozaki

This is another blindspot I've got to be filling, NOAH Tag matches. I normally stick to Singles matches when I'm watching any Puro, don't know why but I've got to break that habit. All men in this match I'm familiar with, so that's cool. Not so much NOAH Kenta honestly though.

This match starts off with Go/Nakajima in a sprint, but they're evenly matched. Kenta asks for the tag in, same with Sasaki and now its the vets turn to show off. Really dig Kenta's post orange tights, the black and purple is nice. A Chop each and they hold the second back, opting for a good ol' greco roman knuckle lock test of strength. Up, Down, Up, Down, they're even! Kenta gets the suplex and another staredown. Shiozaki tags in, and that doesn't seem to be a good choice here. Sasaki just overpowers him, Go goes for a flurry of chops but Sasaki just shrugs it all off. Couple of headbutts and he tags Nakajima back in to maintain the beatdown. Reversal of fortune with Go hitting a beautiful dropkick and gets Nakajima back to the corner tagging in Kenta. Kenta then proceeds to hit two really sick chops fully charged. I can feel it through the screen. Oh good god there's more. Go's back in and gets Nakajima up in a surfboard (one of my favorite moves) and while the ref is distracted from Kensuke, Kenta comes in and chops the full surfed Nakajima... incredible. We're about a third through the match and I'm the edge of my seat. The vets are back in the ring and they're a clubberin and a tusslin' and a choppin' and a choppin' and still a choppin, that's at least 2 minutes of chopping. Kenta finally comes out on top and stumbles to the corner, falling and getting the tag. In spite of all that, Shiozaki goes at Sasaki guns a blazing but even after the minutes of chops, Sasaki stands strong and fends off Go. Nakajima gets back in and keeps the beat going, and in turn Sasaki catches his breath but also steps back in. He traps Go with big lariats on both sides of the body, ending with a decapitation. I thought that was it, but no! We've still got half the runtime left! Sasaki steps to the corner and we catch the first real glimpse of his chest, he's going full Burger. Sasaki charges Go as soon as he gets up and launches him into the opposing corner, Nakajima's back in and doesn't let up. At 19:46, he goes for another corner to corner irish whip and Go just collapses as his legs give out from underneath. He struggles to get back up to his feet, falls down again as he gets up and when he does, he gets no quarter eating a dropkick and a rejuvenated Sasaki tags in. Kensuke goes for the suplex but Go won't go! He stands strong and WOW! Deadlifts and reverses it! He gets Kenta in!!! Kenta shoves him into the corner and it's chop city between the two of them. 124 chops between the two of them in a matter of two minutes and then its a pair of half and half suplexes to Kensuke! Nakajima runs in and hits a german to Kenta! Go's in with a Back Suplex to Nakajima and last but not least Kensuke with a Dragon to Go, everyone's down. Everyone's hurt. Kenta's up first to go for Kensuke but he's been scouted getting thrown over and locked into a Strangle Hold Gamma! It's not enough, Kenta's leg reaches the rope. Kenta eats a real neck landed powerslam and Nakajima's back with sick kicks! Kenta won't feel defeat from the feet though, chopping and stopping Go's dropkick! Go's locked in a Texas Cloverleaf! Kensuke runs in and tries to kick Kenta to release it, but Go catches him and holds him back when he whips off the ropes, Nakajima's got nowhere to go! It's not over yet though, he reaches the ropes! Kenta tags in Go, let's see if that's enough here. Fisherman Buster! No! Go goes up top, but gets a wheel kick! Nakajima with a beautiful bridge to sell us the fans as he hits the german but Kenta breaks it up! Now we got the vets on the outside chopping and the rookies scrambling in ring! Holy shit a German into the corner turnbuckle, a second german! Nakajima kicks out??? Go with a moonsault but KNEES ARE UP! Chops! Kicks! The vets want in! The rookies are down! Sasaki's in! No Lariat, Go's going the distance! Fending him off! Oh no he eats a lariat of his own! Kenta in the nick of time saves Go, but Sasaki throws a charging Nakajima into Kenta and they both are outside! Go's still not up! Tornado Bomb's gotta end it but at 2.999, we got another kickout! Off the ropes and one of the most incredible Lariats I've seen in 2023 beheads Go. Yeah, that stops Go. Wow, what a quick half hour.

Great shit, I understand why that's one of your all time favorite tag matches Natural, I truly appreciate you sharing that with me. That was incredible in every sense of the word.

I wasn't sure what to pick for you. Glad it's one you've been meaning to do, Pro-Wrestling NOAH tag team matches. Really chuffed you raved over Kensuke Sasaki/Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Kenta Kobashi/Go Shiozaki, Pro-Wrestling NOAH. When picking it for you, I said it's the second best tag team match I've ever seen, I'd go further still. It's in my top twenty Greatest Wrestling Matches of All Time sitting only just outside the top 10. A ***** classic.

[The Natural]

Smellington, I'll get a match to you ASAP when I get my tablet up and running again. Easier to post things on that than my phone. Pictures, tweets and videos are proving difficult on the latter.

[Matt D]

On 1/14/2023 at 12:36 PM, John E. Dynamite said:

The Barons (Jeff Kaye & Ian Gilmour) vs. "Tough Guy" Steve Logan & Mick McManus  - 5/5/1973 Wembley
https://youtu.be/J-l6Dt60S0Q?t=1803

A primo slice of British tag action. The greatness of Mick McManus was known going in but oh boy are the Barons some wonderful sleazeball babyfaces. Everybody's a jerk in this one and the crowd are with them all the way. Dare I call this southern?

It's been a while since I watched a 70s WoS tag. We have a 70 or 71 Kaye/Gilmour vs the Celts (Jean Corne/Michel Falempin) match in the French footage and that's a pure babyface match, Scots vs Bretons, and I wouldn't necessarily say they were jerks here, so much as they gave Logan and especially McManus what they had coming. One thing I remember from the French match was Kaye having a lot of sort of jutting slip outs of holds, and he did this to start out of a headlock, followed by a cartwheel, but it was met with an inside shot and that's basically the rest of the match, a lot of cheapshots by Logan/McManus, really picking their spots/calling their shots, and then big moments of comeuppance, less about elaborate spots or miscommunication bits and more about a solid thumping, an energetic rush across the ring to get a shot in, or working over McManus' ears, which, in case you didn't know, he hates. One thing I've heard from people that have delved deep into the French footage is that it's a little hard to go back to the UK footage afterwards, because things are so much more elaborate in France and I can't really argue with that here. You would have gotten a very similar match to this over there, but with ten minutes more of holds and reversals to start and a bunch of celebratory stuff towards the end before the banana peel. It's not necessarily good or bad; in a lot of ways this was more primal and direct. It's just different. I loved the commentary just making up phrases. The first fall ends with a simple bodyslam and kneeling pin. This is the literal call: "The first trudgehold of the match. It's a follow down with a reverse double knee by Logan." McManus' punches at the end were definitely Memphis worthy. That much I'll say. McManus is a guy I really need to have a better mastery of. As villains go, I understand Breaks or Rudge or Roach or Finlay. Thanks for this. It was a good contrast point to what I've been watching over the last year or two.

[John E. Dynamite]

On 1/14/2023 at 9:48 AM, Matt D said:

@John E. Dynamite

Double posting but I've got one for you immediately. Turn of the century lucha. Monterrey. Hijo Del Santo vs Blue Panther 4/9/00.

And if you want a youtube version here for ease of access but with dodgier VQ here you go.

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

I like that it's vs. Blue Panther. I like that it's for a title. I like that it's in Monterrey, because I get the idea that Blue Panther might be able to win this one. I wouldn't call him a favorite, but it's feasible. 

You can really see the slow creep of MMA happening with some of the matwork in the primera. The classic, convoluted llaves are set up by omoplatas, hand-fighting for grip, Santo's utilization of the guard, etc. And all that's nifty, but things also go pretty well when they're working a surfboard. And just as the submission-centered pot stars a healthy simmer, the whole thing boils over and the primera ends in a quick flash of silky smooth stuff, monkey flip->frankensteiner->sunset flip and Santo takes the fall, establishing himself as the main Dude of Dudes who will just outright beat you if you take your eye off the ball for one second. They continue to stick to the matwork in the very short segunda - which I really appreciate, because there just isn't enough of a obvious face/heel dynamic to warrant a Blue Panther beatdown and you know he's gonna take this. These two are really, really good at feeding the right limb at the right time to keep things looking realistic and move things along at the right pace. Of the permutations of a three-fall lucha match, this one is definitely following the version where the first two falls exist as shine segments where each guy gets to make a more-or-less uninterrupted statement as to why they're the better competitor, and we rush ahead to the drama of the tercera. They stay on the mat and get bendy. From the little Spanish I know, I understand that "llave" translates to "wrench" or "crank" and the submission attempts here seem a good bit more visceral and crank-ish than your standard lucha applications. No intricate leg laces into loose hammerlocks followed by shaking around your wrist tassles here. You get the idea that Santito believes himself to be God's gift to man and that there's no way he can't out-submission Blue Panther so he busts out a bunch of cranks n crabs to prove his point. But Santo dooms himself when he can't decide if he should stick to the subs or start busting out topes. And then the finish gets super fucky because this is Monterrey and I realize I have no idea who the rudo or tecnico was actually supposed to be, if there was some heel ref angle I was missing, if Santo keeping the Caballo on was supposed to be a heel move... ugh. Argh. I'm really not a clean finish die-hard but I just can't tell what they were communicating. Cause they make all the rope-break shenanigans look natural, and it completely plays into the finish, I just don't know why given how the match had been playing out.  But Panther wins! So at least I get to feel smart. And two really really good guys did cool mat stuff and made each other look better. This is a style and pace of lucha that as far as I know might be a dying art so it sure does scratch an itch. Panther is a sneaky good base. Santo sold the arm good.

Edited January 21, 2023 by John E. Dynamite

[John E. Dynamite]

edit: fxxx

Edited January 21, 2023 by John E. Dynamite