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Tatsumi Fujinami vs. El Canek (6/12/83)


Phil Schneider

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Opening had some good old school mat work but the second and beginning of the third falls struggled to hold my attention.  The figure four rolled to the outside was cool and it held perfeclty and Fujinami's comeback back in the ring was really good, with him selling the knee as he beat down Canek.  Ending was alright and Canek's dive felt like a big deal.  Post match brawl is cool, especially Canek holding onto Fujinami's hair to take him out of the ring with him; poor Fujinami, DQed and then taken to school in the post match brawl by his unscrupulous vainqueur.

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Another  match that starts with a firm mat base.  Canek went for a bow and arrow which was a neat variation and different from the last match but Fujinami wasn’t game so he turned it into a pin attempt. Canek then does this odd hold where he has the legs grapevine and his hands are interlocked under Fujinami’s righ armpit.  Fuji pushes the pace with some dropkicks.  Canek does two really cool diving elbows including one to the back of the head of a standing Fujinami which is a variation I have never seen before to win the first fall.  So far Canek has been a lot more lively to me in this match than the previous one.  Second fall starts off with Canek hot as he hits the flying elbow.  He does a weird sell job out of this though that I didn’t quite get and Fuji takes over with an enzuguri and floatover suplex. Backdrop suplex evens it up and this second fall felt a lot like the brief second falls we see in CMLL today. Fuji starts the third fall by attacking Caneks leg and peppering it away.  Canek hooks in an abdominal stretch.  One thing I have liked about this match as a soon as a match starts to feel a little boring, Fuji will escape and pick up the pace.  The tone of the third fall is more vicious to even within the confines of wrestling holds like their arm drags.  Butterfly suplex and fisherman suplex are both busted out by Canek.  Fuji now locks in his own bow and arrow and ab stretch as payback spots.  Canek comes back with a figure four and they do the roll to the outside  with the hold still applied spot which seemed very revolutionary in 1983.  Canek suplexes him back in and Fuji selling of the leg is majestic.  Fuji accidently dropkicks the ref and Cnaek sends him to the outside.  Awesome looking tope from Canek responds that feels built up to.  Finish is pretty blah with the ref just declaring Canek the winner but we do get a fairly heated brawl and exchange on the outside to what I can only guess would continue this feud.  I liked this better than the previous match based on the fact that I thought Canek was a lot better in this match.

B+ (***3/4)

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I've never really commented on matches before and I'm not too good at write-ups like soup23 above but I just wanted to add a note about this match.

 

The structure of this match and matches like it are pretty much my favourite type of wrestling.  I like matches with a solid wrestling baseline and then some form of escalation, in this instance from the mat to the suplexes to the dives and then a bit of brawling.

 

Soup mentions the viciousness within the confines of wrestling holds, thats exactly what makes this match.

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Lucha 1.5
Tatsumi Fujinami vs. El Canek (6/12/83)

This ref didn't get the memo about the diagonal stripes. Matwork in the first fall felt like it drifted. I honestly don't think El Canek is a very compelling matworker. Too tentative for too long this first fall. Abdominal stretch by Canek. "He has it hooked in real good too" [/Monsoon] Dull, dull, dull this stuff by Canek.

Fujinami hits a slam and a dropkick. Misses a second and Canek gets an elbow for 2. Two AMAZING elbows from Canek gets the 3 for the first fall. Well that was awesome but the 10 minutes before it were like watching paint dry.

Second fall and early on Fujinami hits an inzuguri. High vertical suplex ("Brainbuster! brainbuster!"). Back suplex gets 3. That was short.

Third fall and my expectation now is that we don't get a change up in the gears. Last two matches had no discernable change of pace for the third fall or move from matwork to strikes and throws. Let's see. Test of strength to start. Canek starts with the armwork. Butterfly suplex! Gets a weak 2. Fisherman suplex! Gets a two. He didn't bridge into the pin a la Hennig but rolled over to a lateral press. Head scissors from Canek now.

I may need to retrain myself. I want to see progression from matwork to strikes to throws, but they don't work like that. He just did two suplexes which got two nearfalls went right back to the matwork.

Deep abdominal stretch by Fujinami now. Reverse chinlock. I still want them to pick things up a bit in this stage in the match. Figure-four by Canek. Fujinami quickly makes the ropes. Big vertical suplex by Canek. Fujinami is still selling the leg from the figure four. He starts busting out the strikes now. Hits a one-legged dropkick. Canek blocks him to the outside. Dives after him.

Just as the match gets going, it slows down again. This is a bit too stop-start. What happened there? Canek wins? Why? Fujinami must have been DQed but for what?

This one meanadered too much for me. Canek's matwork is average at best although he does some cool suplexes and those elbows were awesome. Honestly a bit confused by the finish.

C+
 

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So I'm glad there isn't more Canek to come on this set. Like the last match this isn't terrible but this isn't terribly compelling either. Everything was executed well and Fujinami looked pretty good when he was in control. The execution of that missed dropkick that hit the ref instead was pretty great. I didn't see that coming. Eh, too bad the finish was shit too. This is probably going to stay pretty low on my ballot.

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This is definitely a lower half of ballot type of match. Some good segments, and the ref bump and brawling at the end did really work as being out of control, but the match never flowed. Some very slow segments that quickly spead up then just as inexplicably went back to nothing.

 

I've never really commented on matches before and I'm not too good at write-ups like soup23 above but I just wanted to add a note about this match.

 

The structure of this match and matches like it are pretty much my favourite type of wrestling.  I like matches with a solid wrestling baseline and then some form of escalation, in this instance from the mat to the suplexes to the dives and then a bit of brawling.

 

Soup mentions the viciousness within the confines of wrestling holds, thats exactly what makes this match.

 

 

Don't let brevity stop you from posting. I am interested in reading lots of opinions on this set, no matter how brief.

 

That said, I really felt like the last Canek match was far better at making each hold seem violent and demanding. Not that this match looked soft, but the start-stop rythm of it made some of the holds seem much more like rest holds than a guy going for a submission.

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I have a hard time calling any match on any of these sets "bad".  I think they're all at least pretty good and worth watching.  

 

That's kinda where this one falls for me.  Nothing offensive, but nothing that makes me say, "Wow!" either.  

 

I really dig matwork when it's done well.  These two are both very good at it, and it's nice to watch.  Like Nomad up there, I like these sort of "Let's have a nice wrestling match, now I'm starting to get a little pissed, FUCK YOU, IT'S ON!" matches.  I'm more of a fan of the old hate-filled brawl, but I'm not going to penalize a match for not being what I want it to be.  They went out there to work this type of match and did a nice job of it.  Again, glad I watched this, but it won't be terribly high.

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UWA World Heavyweight Title: Canek © vs. Tatsumi Fujinami (6/12/83)Very sharp back and forth matwork to start the match here as both men looked great working in and out of holds. Canek using a barrage of elbows to take the 1st fall was fun even the one in the back of Fujinami's head. Like most lucha matches the 2nd fall doesn't go long as it's the revenge fall and Fujinami would make a comeback putting Canek down with a backdrop suplex. The 3rd fall saw Canek get back in control working over Fujinami's left arm but Fujinami would comeback getting a Bow & Arrow then following it up with a neck crank. Canek to his credit got free and locked on a figure-four leglock which Fujinami would roll and roll forcing them to go to the floor where Canek maintained the hold. It takes a while but they finally get Canek to break the hold and Fujinami is selling the shit out of his leg. Canek would suplex Fujinami back in the ring and got a nearfall before Fujinami made a fiery comeback which saw him give Canek an enzuigiri before dropkicking the referee by mistake. Canek would send him to the floor and hit a tope suicida which took out Fujinami and the referee who got back in the ring after the others did and awarded the match to Canek by DQ. Fujinami was upset and threw Canek to the floor where they brawled for a bit. I dug this match a lot.

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As a big time Fujinami fan, I was looking forward to this. Unfortunately, I can't say I cared for this much. I enjoyed the opening matwork and the end of the match/postmatch brawl, but everything else was just kind of there. The only thing that stood out to me was Fujinami's selling of the leg.

 

Not a Canek fan at all after the last two matches as everything he doesn't that isn't on the mat just looks akward to me.

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When compared against the previous Canek match, this felt like an actual struggle and I really enjoyed it. The first fall was a real feeling out process, with Canek and Fujinami trying to gauge the skills and speed of the other. The finish came somewhat out of nowhere, but I did like how Canek just had to throw 'bows in order to take Fujinami down, as even with his size advantage he couldn't best him on the mat. Second fall was super quick but I liked that Fujinami struck back with some bombs of his own. I'm not sure if there was some kind of back story to this match that would lead to bad blood, but in the third fall Canek just says "fuck this guy" and trips Fujinami, chokes him out, and once he locks on the figure four he won't let go even when they fall out of the ring to the floor! I actually loved the finish as it is as if Fujinami realizes Canek ain't having any of it and tried to pull the ref in front of his dive. Really left me wanting to see a rematch that had a clean finish, as all of the pieces were put into place for a great match. As it is, I think this is a solid middle of the ballot match.

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Was never a big fan of Canek and never believed the hype that he used to actually be good in his younger days. Thus far no match on this set has changed my already formed opinions. A totally average match. Better than the match with Don Corleone but nothing that really got me engaged. Canek didn't wrestle like Canek should with the power moves. He was fine on the mat but didn't do much of anything else. The finishing stuff was atrocious and typical Canek nonsense. The crowd reaction was kind of funny since they were so into it and popped huge for Canek's being hand raised. Fast forward a few years of this finish being done weekly and you can see why El Toreo was down to hundreds of people with nothing else to do on a Sunday... and Canek still kept doing the same finish.

 

Definitely going to finish real low on my ballot.

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They started with some boring matwork that killed off any pre-match excitement in short order. It picked up once Canek started flying about. The tercera had an awkward spot where the wrestlers got caught up in a figure-four on the floor. Fujinami was selling it big time afterwards, but rather than build on it they went straight to a HSF. Ugh. Bottom quarter of the ballot I would expect.

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Canek seems to have a real problem pushing an advantage in his matches. The first fall was fine, and even if the finish was quick, which you expect, the senton-elbow was at least something somewhat new to me as a move and looked effective enough. The second was shorter, and if Canek "hurts" himself on the cross-chop, allowing Fujinami to take over, I'd want him to be more expressive in his selling. He just lay there. It's a fine spot, he needed only hold his neck, arm, leg, whatever he hurt on landing. But then in the third Fujinami wants to keep the pressure on to start (which makes sense) only for Canek to grab him into the corner, clean break, and go into a knucklelock. Fujinami gets an opening in the next sequence, starts kicking the leg, we know where he's going, only for Canek to take him down and hold him in a near-choke? He seems to get the idea with a couple of nice suplexes, and the submissions until the figure-four-on-the-floor were sold as potential match enders rather than rest holds... but then, after suplexing Fujinami back into the ring, covering for a near fall, Canek just rolls towards the ropes and lays there? Fujinami was selling the leg, gave Canek a good thirty seconds to do something to him... and nothing? Fujinami had no choice but to go on offence. The finishing sequence was fine (and pulling the ref to block a tope should be lifted by a smarmy heel), but for all the nice little elements and spots we had here, there were too many moments were my reaction was "what the fuck" to put it ahead of the Corleone match (which I had problems with but came together better) and, other than the Andre match, which really wasn't a match, this is the worst match on the set so far for me.    

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This was a weird match. It wasn’t worked like a traditional lucha title match or at least any lucha title match I’ve ever seen. Of course, that is probably to be expected with Fujinami in this match. The early mat work was strong. I thought Fujinami outclassed Canek all over the place here. Fujinami was tighter and more focused with his mat work than Canek was. It’s similar to the last match with Corleone smoking Canek at the same thing. Canek’s offense is lacking in execution too much for me. It’s a lot of moves that don’t really have a definition. He just throws his body around with weird looking elbows and shit. The second fall is totally bizarre with Fujinami throwing out a ton of his signature offense for near falls before finally getting the win with a back suplex. It was a strange one-sided fall. The third fall was solid. I liked Fujinami’s selling after the figure four a lot. And, the finishing run was really hot even though the finish sucked. I think this is a really strange match that is pretty clearly a Fujinami carry job. It’s a good match but nothing in this strikes me as great.

I’ll give this between two and three stars. Two and a half I’m thinking. C would be its letter grade. Canek was far behind Fujinami in this and didn’t hold his own too well in this at all. Plus, it was a strange, strange match.

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I liked this match a lot. Barely lucha, but I'm not going to complain about two guys working a physical wrestling match with lots of matwork. Canek did look much better here and I really liked how he just kept calm and went back to working over Fujinami with wrestling holds in the 3rd fall. His comeback catching a kick and taking Fujinami down felt like something Tamon Honda would do. Fujinami did look very good trying to escalate the match with his strikes, but in the end skill prevailed, even though Canek may have actually been the less skilled wrestler. Weird finish for such a good finishing run.

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This was just getting going good when it ended in the crappy DQ finish. Other than that marring it, it was a really good match with some nice escalation between the falls. Canek was much better here than in the previous match. Wish it had gone longer and had a clean finish, but aside from the DQ this was quite enjoyable.

 

C+ or ***

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Tatsumi Fujinami vs. El Canek (6/12/83)

 

I have this match fourth on the set so far, and it was a tough call against the three above it but I liked all of those matches quite a bit. The third fall was better here but other than the finishes and the awesome spot where they rolled to the floor in the figure four, this was not as strong as the other three matches. Far above the Andre match of course.

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  • 1 month later...

My views on this match were pretty similar to some of those already expressed.  Fujinami pretty much carried this.  Because I liked Fujinami and his big hair, I liked this better than the Corleone match.  I liked the Hamada matches better than the Canek matches, though.  Fujinami's enzugiris seemed a bit light.

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  • 2 months later...

Pretty pimping ringwear for both guys to start, with the Aztec influence for Canek and the awesome Gothic font "TF" on Fujinami's robe*. As a big Fujinami fan I can watch him do matwork all day no matter the participant. Everything he does always looks snug and intense. Unfortunately he's working with Canek, who sells a forearm-contact "tope" like he got KO'd and certainly doesn't want any part of a real Fujinami enzuigiri or back suplex. Again we get him acting like a dick with not breaking the figure four outside of the ring for an interminable amount of time. Then after the ref bump he takes advantage? THIS is your Mexican super-face champion? Fuck that nonsense. To add insult to injury they brawl out of the ring and of course, Canek gets the advantage. Some pretty clear Hogan comparisons are here, though at least Canek can work on the mat. Not as disappointing as the Corleone match, due to Fujinami showing up, but close.

 

* I hate to preface so many of these matches with references to what they're wearing but there is such wild gear on the participants that I can't help but mention it -- lucha aesthetic is a big part of the appeal to me.

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  • 5 months later...

First fall had some nice back and forth exchanges but felt like the ending was rather abrubt. El Canek's elbow to the back of Fujinami's head DID look nasty so I'm willing to forgive it. Fujinami gets up still selling it which helps.

Didn't like the 2nd fall. El Canek starts off hot and has a flurry until deciding it's time to lay down and sell so Fujinami can take control and get the 2nd fall over with in a hurry. I missed what was supposed to happen that hurt Canek when he came off the ropes and hit Fujinami.

Third fall really picked up and was fun. I really thought they were going to finish with a double countout in the figure four. The finish was kind of bullshit though and this is the least of the 5 matches so far for me.
 

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