Secret Santo in July

[Casey]

10 hours ago, Curt McGirt said:

I'm pretty sure I've seen that, but happy to watch it again! 

Since you put '80s NJPW on your list and because I've been re-reading Phil's book again, here's this. Short and nasty. 

 

Brawling outside the ring during the ring entrance for Choshu, I love it already. This might be a hot take, but Fujiwara looks and and strikes more like a murder grandpa than Minoru Suzuki does. Goddamn, Choshu is already busted open, presumably from these repeated headbutts than Fujiwara is laying in. That's one thing I'm not a huge fan of in pro wrestling. Immediately after I type that, though, Fujiwara does one of my actual favorite things: a piledriver. And breaks the pinfall on his own. I take it he's the heel in this match, then. (Haha) Fujiwara just choking the life out of Choshu, and then goes for an armbar, and stomps the FUCK outta Choshu's head. Jesus christ. The crowd is fucking HOT for Choshu just kicking him in the stomach and punching him in the corner. Random observation but the referee for this match is more buff than Fujiwara or Choshu. I love a good backdrop driver! Fujiwara gets to the ropes during a Sharpshooter attempt, and Choshu just lays the stomps on heavy. Brainbuster from Choshu reversed into an armbar, I liked that a lot. Fujiwara pushes him into the corner and works over the arm - something I don't think I've seen before, a headbutt to the arm! Granted I haven't seen a ton of puroresu in my fandom, but I also don't think I've ever seen the removal of the turnbuckle pad thing here (and using the turnbuckle pad as a weapon???). NASTY lariat, and Choshu goes for another one but it's reversed into yet another armbar. Gee, it's almost like this guy is famous for armbars or something. Whoa, Fujiwara is busted open pretty bad. Nothing immediate stood out as to what caused it, guess it was something on the outside they did that the cameras didn't pick up since they don't follow them outside the ring like. God, he's bleeding buckets, and Choshu kicks him right in the fucking face and then gives him two more nasty lariats. Match ends by referee stoppage, and... I don't know, that ending feels a little anticlimatic but this was just a straight up fight. Barely any "pro wrestling" moves, besides that one backdrop suplex. I would love to know the context behind this match and why it felt like this was a fight instead of a match. The crowd was super hot for it too, even the finish.

This was a fun little match - if you can even call it a match, geez! It's a full on fight from the moment Choshu makes his entrance up to the very end of the match. Shit, Choshu even gets in one last kick to the head after the referee calls for the stoppage. Whatever the context for the match was, it was obviously over as fuck since the fans didn't even mind that it wasn't a pinfall - from my limited puroresu knowledge and viewing, they hardly ever even do DQ/count outs, so I would assume this is also a rare occasion where a match doesn't end in submission or pinfall. 

I think I'm left wanting to see more Riki Choshu matches. Dude is on the shorter-ish side, stocky, and is obviously pretty hard hitting. Fujiwara is alright, and gives me skinny Suzuki vibes, but I definitely want more Choshu. 

Edited July 5, 2021 by Casey
spelling

[Guest Jimbo_Tsuruta]

2 hours ago, Casey said:

Fujiwara is alright, and gives me skinny Suzuki vibes, but I definitely want more Chosu. 

Choshu v Hashimoto 8/2/96

Fujiwara v Takada 10/25/90

Edited July 5, 2021 by Jimbo_Tsuruta

[Curt McGirt]

Fujiwara took I think three post shots on the outside when all the crew was obscuring the view. One of his big spots is headbutting the post by himself and it not affecting him because his head is apparently as hard as a Samoan or a black person in pro wrestling psychology, so Choshu really had to blast him. A lot of his actual headbutts are really safe though if you look at them -- he has the big wind-up with the stomp. Not to say he never laid them in though, which is more apparent in his UWF work. As far as context goes both guys had jumped ship from NJPW to UWF (Fujiwara) and AJPW (Choshu) but somehow Choshu was put in the role of the homecoming champion? It's weird, and I don't get it, especially considering Choshu was I think first to jump and even took his entire crew with him, but that's how Inoki booked it. Fujiwara was also the first New Japan dojo graduate and Inoki's bodyguard (!) so that makes it twice as perplexing, for him to be in the heel role. 

Since you want more Choshu I would suggest pretty much any tag he did in All Japan after he jumped to there. Fujiwara... well, I will just recommend anything he ever did. 

And then there's this, which is super awesome. Choshu has just left New Japan for All Japan (this "JWP" match is for all intents and purposes an AJPW match) and gets in an immediate feud with one of their best prospects, and it is HOT. 

Oh, and ref Peter Takahashi was indeed one of those guys who could probably hold his own, haha.

[Casey]

Good god, Choshu is over as fuck in that match. It doesn't have the same chaos energy as that Fujiwara match, but I'm liking Tenryu... not exactly being/seeming "technically solid", he just kind of picks you up and dumps the dude on the ground. That powerbomb spot almost looks like the Ganso bomb. I'm still really diggin' Choshu's constant lariats, too. And look at this, just as soon as I mention how rare it seemingly is that matches in Japan don't end in anything other than pinfall or submission... second match in a row I've watched where a pinfall or submission isn't involved!

Next up I'm watching two matches that @Jimbo_Tsuruta suggested, in Hashimoto vs Choshu, and Jumbo Tsuruta/Genichiro Tenryu vs Riki Choshu/Yoshiaki Yatsu. I know it's not required viewing, but I'm bored and I'm really digging Riki Choshu (and on the fence about Tenryu, leaning towards liking him).

Going forward for this project, I think I might just request everyone gives me 80s/90s/early 00s puroresu stuff honestly. I'm vibin' with this shit.

[Curt McGirt]

I need to watch both of his recommends too, in fact I think I've only seen Hash/Choshu and if so a looooooong time ago. Promise I'll get to yours in the next couple hours though! Today has been... long. Phew...

Oh and something you should probably know, '80s Puro had a lot of screwy finishes. It wasn't until the mid-late '90s that AJ and NJ started doing clean ones. It kind of makes sense in retrospect because they had to protect these enormous stars. If you are expecting AEW, Tony Khan "everyone gets a pinfall", that ain't happening. The shoot-style feds were actually better at that. 

[SirSmUgly]

Tiger Mask II and Toshiaki Kawada vs. Yoshiaki Yatsu and Hiromichi Fuyuki

• I typically do not get AJPW, especially the '80s/early '90s tags, which almost always feel like they have no flow. I'm interested to see how this ends up working (or not working) for me. 

 

• Fuyuki and Kawada start out and have a nice reversal chain into a Fuyuki Side Russian Leg Sweep. I have hope for the pace of this match - I love, love, love fast-paced tag matches. Yatsu tags in and the pace slows a bit. Kawada tackles into...a tag to Tiger Mask. This is what I'm saying about my experience watching AJPW tags. That was a weird tag. We started out hot, but with no real transition, we got slow. There's another tag from Yatsu to Fuyuki that feels kind of random? I genuinely wish I understood the flow of these tags. 

 

• That's not to say the match is bad. I am really into Fuyuki. He throws nice elbowdrops and in general I enjoy watching his offense. Tiger Mask and Kawada have a nice double-dropkick. Hell, Yatsu hits a sweet side slam. This is all in the first few minutes. The work is really crisp. That's not a problem at all. 

 

• The disconnect is that in the middle of the work, tags continue to be weird. Like, Fuyuki works Kawada nearly into a pinning position, but instead of rolling him over on the crucifix, he, uh, tags out for some reason instead of going for a pinfall. 

 

• This is a match of moments  for those first minutes. Kawada stiffly kicking the fuck out of Fuyuki's hamstrings = cool. Fuyuki firing back with a hard clothesline = cool. Yatsu repeatedly headbutting Tiger Mask like a crazed man = cool. I like all these guys, I think! I mean, I've seen Tiger Mask and Kawada multiple times before, so I already knew that I'd enjoy them, but yeah. 

 

• So the match gets better with the long heel control segment as Yatsu and Fuyuki just headbutt the shit out of Tiger Mask and toss him around and stiffly kick him and look like kings, generally. These guys are whipping his ass so much that he definitely feels like he's in danger. I mean, they are fucking this dude uppppppp.  

 

• So, Kawada's had enough and he comes in to confront Yatsu. Tiger Mask takes the chance to kick Yatsu in the back of the head. He's still kicking Yatsu as Kawada helps him take off the mask that Yatsu and Kawada have been ripping at. Tiger Mask rips that shit off and everything goes haywire. He beats some ass outside of the ring. Then he comes in the ring and tags Kawada in (nice top-rope dropkick on Kawada's part here).  Tiger Mask is back in and he's completely lost it, throwing back kicks and choking dudes while Kawada tosses kicks from outside. 

 

• Kawada dumps Yatsu on his neck with a nasty powerbomb, and then Fuyuki's back in after a tag, but now he's getting his ass beat and, oh now he's in a stiff slapfest with Kawada. OK, Fuyuki is the shit. I like this dude. He's on his own for now because his partner is rolling around outside, still hurt. Back in the ring, Kawada gets a tag and Tiger Mask hits a top-rope dropkick.

 

• The thing is, the work is definitely still fun, but the pace is so slow. Tiger Mask goes nuts and rips his mask off, but the action doesn't really pick up after that. After a couple of minutes, they're back to working a tag match that feels really disjointed, like a series of enjoyable spots with no flow. Maybe I'm just too culturally endeared to the typical early face control -> heels cheat to get control -> multiple cutoffs of FIP by heels -> hot tag -> into whatever finish is going to happen structure of tag match.

 

• Eventually, Tiger Mask gets the win with a German Suplex and a bridge on Fuyuki. I didn't dislike this despite my negative criticism. I ultimately enjoyed the match. It was a fun exhibition of moves and Fuyuki is pretty great. I just do not understand AJPW tag match structure. I don't think that I'll ever get it, really. If I come into these matches in the future, I'll probably come in for the MOVEZ~ rather than for whatever narrative the match is telling. 

 

• This did lead me down the path of watching a shitload of Tiger Mask II, though, so for that and for convincing me to watch more Fuyuki this summer, I'm super-glad that I watched this!

 

[DangerMark]

5 hours ago, Curt McGirt said:

Fujiwara was also the first New Japan dojo graduate and Inoki's bodyguard (!) so that makes it twice as perplexing, for him to be in the heel role.

You raise a valid point, but on the other hand Fujiwara has a top tier villainous face and they shouldn't waste that by casting him as the good guy unless absolutely necessary.

[Matt D]

On 7/3/2021 at 4:09 PM, Zimbra said:

OK, @Matt D, here's some good Battlarts:

 

A sentimental favorite because this was the first BatBat tape I bought.  I won't say too much about it until after you watch it but what makes the match for me is that it takes the worst part of Battlarts, the perfunctory feeling-out matwork section, and makes it both interesting and build to the bigger story of the match.

This is the main event of a good card that includes Orihara being very unprofessional with Mohammed Yone, Fujiwara vs Ikuto Hidaka, and a Minoru Tanaka vs Tajiri match that's more lucharesu than shootstyle but still has a bunch of cool kicks and submissions in it.

Shootstyle reminds me of being a kid and watching wrestling in my first year of following it and knowing it was fake but just wondering how they could memorize entire matches and different ones every week. As Jimmy Garvin put it: "We just talked to each other in there and no one knew!" I get that the secret to shootstyle is that they feed limbs to their opponents but it is fun to watch, both to look for the strings and to be impressed when you can't find them. One thing I've learned about wrestling over the last ten years is that if you watch enough of any one style, you do start to see the patterns, the structural ebb and flow repeated again and again. For me, that's been true with lucha, with 50-60s French wrestling, with 1989 AJPW heavyweight tags. I'm pretty sure it'd be true with almost anything, even things that don't make a lot of logical sense as an output because the wrestlers still would have patterns in their input. I don't have that sort of mastery with shootstyle in general and definitely not with Battlarts in specific, where I feel like maybe you get just a bit more pro wrestling in with your shootitness.

Here, Otsuka married the two fairly perfectly, between the somersault into the ring at the start and the flashy pink ring-gear with holes, and what he actually did in there: a running 'rana, the suplexes, the headbutts, the dropkicks, the bonkers shoot giant swing that somehow worked. The physics are a little different. Ishikawa eats the dropkicks, pained, more than bumping for them. The 'rana is to set up a choke and not a pin, and so on. I've seen my share of Ishikawa but usually older. I'm not actually sure I have the toolkit to talk about some of the more intricate elements of his work. "He moved in and out of holds well" isn't particularly useful really. Not when that's so much of the style in the first place. It's like watching a Lawler match and noting "Boy he had really good punches." Here though, I'm not really experienced enough to tell who was leading who, but I did like the small things, a little punch to help switch from one hold to another, or Ishikawa going for an ear for leverage out of a hold since Otsuka had no hair to pull. 

I'm not saying that the first half is meaningless in any way. There's the sense that these matches can end at any point, which helps. I thought there might have been some limit on rope breaks, which makes every little win of an exchange matter and every frustrated and desperate reach for a rope matter, but I didn't actually get the sense of that as the match went on. Rules matter but only insomuch as they inform the narrative; that's one of the big stumbling blocks people have with lucha, but knowing the rules would have helped here probably. Really, everything builds to Ishikawa's assault on the arm in the last third and then it becomes a cascading exercise in each wrestler hanging on or, alternatively, each wrestler not being able to put away the other. Ishikawa can't quite put away Otsuka with the arm submissions, which lets Otsuka start firing away with the suplexes. Otsuka can't finish Ishikawa with the first few suplexes, which gives Ishikawa another shot at the arm, etc. It's a style that eschews dramatic bumping for layered, realistic selling, which is more down my alley anyway.

I can't tell you how this compares to other Otsuka or Battlarts but I liked the chemistry of what they were going for relative to either more conservative UWF or more elaborate modern indy grapplefuck.

[Curt McGirt]

5 hours ago, DangerMark said:

You raise a valid point, but on the other hand Fujiwara has a top tier villainous face and they shouldn't waste that by casting him as the good guy unless absolutely necessary.

Very good point, and that's one of the great things about any Fujiwara match: his facial expressions. In this one alone we got about four or five great ones. The smug sneer at the beginning when he's kicking Choshu's ass, the look of shock when he goes up for the back suplex, the defiant anger as Choshu punches him, the sick look of joy when he drops into the armbar. Even with the imperfect video transfer you can catch all of those. Fujiwara rules.

[Curt McGirt]

8 hours ago, SirSmellingtonofCascadia said:

Tiger Mask goes nuts and rips his mask off

Yeah, that was the match where Misawa dropped the gimmick for good, so a bit of historical importance there.

[Zimbra]

6 hours ago, Matt D said:

I can't tell you how this compares to other Otsuka or Battlarts but I liked the chemistry of what they were going for relative to either more conservative UWF or more elaborate modern indy grapplefuck.

I think you hit the nail on the head with what makes Battlarts so special, which is that when they're good they hit the exact right balance between the "shoot" and the "style."  They give the suddenness and violence you want from your shooty stuff while still doing the kind of match-long storytelling you don't always get from your UWFs or your RINGS where the five minutes of trading kneebars never really leads to anything.

So one of the reasons I chose this match is that Ishikawa and Otsuka use that time to set up a story: that Ishikawa can get the better of Otsuka on the mat but he uses ring positioning and athleticism to force breaks, while Otsuka tries to wear down the older Ishikawa so he can suplex him into oblivion.  Ishikawa then spends the meat of the mat trying to get Otsuka tied up the middle of the ring, and we get a rule of threes with his submissions: an octopus stretch that he goes for too early and can't quite lock in, the kimura where he fights desperately to keep himself between Otsuka and the corner, and the straight armbar for the finish.  It won't make you forget peak AJPW, but it works.

I also enjoyed how Otsuka holds his own by using his flashy pro stuff to set up more brutal offense, like using the rana to drop punches from the mount and grab a triangle,  or the kneedrop on a dazed Ishikawa after the giant swing.  My big knock against him in this match is some inconsistent selling and not really holding his own in the strikes department outside of a pretty nasty dropkick.

[Spontaneous]

On 7/3/2021 at 1:45 PM, Morganti said:

this should be interesting!  Hopefully you enjoy this match!

 

 

This is from 2019, Orange Cassidy vs Homicide. I'm not familiar with this promotion, it appears non existent since the pandemic hit. It plays out about how you would imagine what feels like a house show match between these two would go. Cassidy is the better wrestler here, Homicide has not really impressed me in ring the last few years. He was my favorite wrestler in the 00's. Homicide turns it into a brawl to regain control. Back in the ring it is back and forth until Homicide hits a big lariat for the win. This was fun, Homicide still has it personality wise in ring. It reminded me of his feud with Cabana, where the antics set him off. Thank you for the pick Morganti.

 

[Curt McGirt]

Mayumi Ozaki & Saori Anou vs. Aja Kong & Hiroyo Matsumoto (Super Plasma Blast Death Match, Blast Queen Title Match -- ZERO1 -- 24.02.2020)

So, very familiar with Oz and Aja, know absolutely nothing about Anou and Matsumoto. Also seen this one because DEAN or somebody posted it back when it came out but it's been quite awhile. By the way, that is one inspired title for a match. Strange seeing joshi wrestlers in Zero1 as well, but then with the cross-pollination of all puro feds in the last couple of years it shouldn't be surprising. 

Oz is finally looking her age. Maybe it's the Karen haircut. She would be one evil villain in a reboot of Weeds. Aja is looking heavier too but you have to think, both of these gals have been around FOR-EV-ER.  Oh and we have Police as a second! Talk about a blast from the past. And speaking of blasts the gimmick here is there is a barbed-wire baseball bat on a big power cord that you have to hit a giant button in the corner to activate, a klaxon starts whirring and sounding, and it makes the bat explode when you hit someone with it. I'm pretty sure this is a recent Onita invention for his indie death matches. The Oz Academy take over with their expected chain- and chair-fu. Anou even slings the chain directly in Aja's face at one point which is pretty cold. We then get one of my least favorite tropes in wrestling of somebody getting handcuffed but it serves a purpose as Oz goes for the bat but it keeps getting shut off due to interference which is a nice way to build suspense for the spot. And damn, that is one big explosion! Afterwards Anou and Aja finally get some time together and Aja is moving real slow but she will still wing a chair or trashcan at your head or punch you directly in the face. She also pulls off a neat assist where she jumps on Matsumoto's back and Matsumoto drops knees-first directly onto a prone Oz's ribs which looked like it really really hurt. We get a second explosion and there are a massive amount of sparks that blow all over. I neglected to mention there is one more construction project in this match: one corner has fencing outside the ropes that is laced with explosives. Oz gets powerbombed in that corner and Matsumoto hits the button blowing up the fence and it actually catches fire! That's a suitable spot to end the match so I guess Hiroyo is now the Blast Queen, winning Oz's belt and a trophy. 

Pretty weird and entertaining 20 minutes. Oz still has some pep in her step, Aja should probably start training instead of doing in-ring, but everyone still took the time to stiff the shit out of each other and put on a good show. Zero1 also gets bonus points for their quote "LOCK ON THE FUTURE'S ONE" painted on the ring apron which is a delicious piece of broken English. 

Edited July 6, 2021 by Curt McGirt

[twiztor]

Steel Cage Match: Masakatsu Funaki  vs  Minoru Suzuki, AJPW 3/21/2010:

recommended by @Gordberg. and what a recommendation it is. This match is Inoki's wet dream. It is the closest to an MMA fight i have ever seen in a pro wrestling ring, and whatever is second place isn't even close. I was going to try to do a play by play review, but got too wrapped up in the match. instead, i'll point out some of my favorite moments (and try to limit them to a reasonable amount).

I like how it started slow, with both men wary of their opponent's legendary technical proficiency. 

This is the realest grappling i've ever seen in a pro wrestling match. they're really cinching the holds in and using actual escapes and transitions.

Funaki lands a gnarly knee to the head when Suzuki rushes in for a takedown, leading to some ground and pound fists and headbutts that busts Suzuki open hardway.

Suzuki returns the favor and sacrifices Funaki's forehead to the blood gods by repeatedly ramming him into the cage and scraping his face against it. 

Lots of really great stuff here, and they really nail the little things. Funaki delivers two belly-to-back suplexes and is setting up for the third, but Suzuki crashes to the mat, so Funaki reacts, pivots, and locks on a sleeper/rear naked choke. 

they get into a "kick to the face" battle, and then a slapping battle. i would say these guys are really laying it in, but that would totally be a disservice to just how f'ing hard they're hitting each other. The fighting spirit trade off leads to a double knockdown. They both get back up, only to get into an even harder hitting fighting spirit trade off. holy shit.

in the end, one man's spirit perseveres but his body gives out. i won't even spoil the ending, because anybody that hasn't seen this absolutely needs to check it out. 

A+ recommendation, @Gordberg!

[DJ Hero Morganti]

On 7/3/2021 at 6:52 AM, Spontaneous said:

@Morganti, this is a little over 21 minutes long so I can pick something shorter if you'd prefer. Yuji Okabayashi vs Takuya Nomura from BJW for the BJW Strong championship. Present vs Future. If you have seen it or it is too long, just let me know!

 

The crowd claps politely during the first entrance.
And even less clapping during the second entrance.

There are two tunnels!... and the champ looks like a beefy boi
The challenger is less girthy in comparison.
Official declarations are something i really enjoy about Puro... it adds some gravitas and heft to the meat slappin that is about to happen

The champ keeps his shirt on... The challenger is bare chested.. and we get streamers thrown by girls from outside the ring

Then the champ removes his shirt and he is thicccc ass hell.
The challenger is slightly less thicc, only 2 c's not 4.
The bell rings as they stare and circle.. the Champ is patient, making Nomura come to him as they lock up.  Arm ringers exchanged and we are starting with a very hesitant feeling out process.
Vey game of human chess going on in the opening moments before a headlock take over head scissors spot that gets some more polite applause

Nomura slaps Okabayashi and then gets his chest caved in... They exchange strikes but the big man's chops have more power than anything Nomura throws
Bigg Bodyslam, big elbow drop and it gets 1
Nerve hold is broken up by the ropes and the big man is just lighting Nomura up wiht chops and slaps.
Very Kobashi offense.  A Nomura drop kick stops Okabayashi, then a cravate, snap mare, kick... repeat and get your chest caved in, but the chop isn't as strong and Nomura gets some round kicks and a drop kick Then he grounds and pounds like a mother fucker... and the champ is in trouble

Big Dick Energy with the back kicks and Okabayashi's wrigglin his fingers... looks like a hurt arm (its taped up so maybe coming into the match with a target)

The chops aren't having as big an effect and Nomura is absorbing them but they are starting to take their toll.
Speaking of Kobashi... we get some fully automatic but not quite machine gun chops before an attempted power slam is countered into a triangle into a short arm scissors

Nomura works that hold and Okabayashi gets to the ropes... Nomura with an arm wringer and then various strikes to the hurt arm
Okabayashi has really good facials and keeps gripping his hurt arm.  The Ref has a fucked up ass hair line and should just shave it all off
Okabayashi with some kicks to a charging Nomura but then gets his Spear stuffed with a knee to the chest and then an ARM BAR! (#989) but Okabayashi gets the ropes... He is hurtin

Nomura arm bar attempt is countered with a sweet ass side slam and a sweet as fuck suplex and both men are down 10 mins in to the match
Okabayashi calls for somethin... its a torture rack into a firemens carry that gets countered into a swank stretch submission of sorts then is transitioned into an octopus hold by Nomura who gets dumped out to the apron on the rope break

More arm damage but the third attempt is countered into a sleeper that is countered with BITING (heel tactics!)

They trade some strikes and Okabayashi has a flash of hope before getting two clotheslines in the corner... then Okabayashi sets Nomura on the top turnbuckle... Still fighting even as he is set up for the super plex 
Okabayashi gets the BIGGGGGGGG superplex and both men are down, Nomura is actually in better shape health bar wise... but Okabayashi is getting some breathing room, and the crowd is starting to come alive

Lariat missed... they trade chops and round kicks and with Okabayashi getting the better of it and hitting two big lariats then a BRAINBUSTAHHHHHHHH but it only gets 2 and the big man is pumped.. body slam and superfly splash... straight to the knees!

Triangle choke applied but not super deep and Okabayashi is tryna fight out, but can't and falls into the cross arm breaker, and right into the ropes for the break.

Then he slaps the shit out of Nomura and the hate is starting to come out..
Release German is rolled through by Okabayashi then the bridging one gets 2
Nomura tries a dragon but the big man is just to meaty... sliding PK is blocked and Okabayashi is just slaping the shit out of Nomura before he gets caught in a fire mans carry roll into a triangle, that gets countered with a sloppy buckle bomb

Our fighters are down, our crowd is getting hot, the Japanese girls are screaming for their girthy hero.

The wrestlers are on there knees with a strike exchange that elevators them back to their feet and holy shit Nomura is literally dripping sweat.
Now we have a good ole slap fest that sets up a big lariat attempt.  Okabayashi hits a thunderous power bomb but can't follow up!
He points to the corner and we gonna have some air beef!
Big Splash gets the Win for the champ

This was a fun match.. very basic puro fighting spirit , but well executed and honestly a big beefy boi winnin with a big splash is always a plus in my book.

I wanna see Okabayashi go up against someone who out girths him now, coz I like a good meat festival 

[Curt McGirt]

3 hours ago, twiztor said:

Steel Cage Match: Masakatsu Funaki  vs  Minoru Suzuki, AJPW 3/21/2010

Putting this in the Blood thread for anyone who wants to watch. 

[Super Ape]

Shit, is it possible to add me or is it too late?

[Matt D]

2 minutes ago, Super Ape said:

Shit, is it possible to add me or is it too late?

You and @Jimbo_Tsurutaare in the mix for next week. You want to match up with each other this week, be my guest.

[Guest Jimbo_Tsuruta]

@Super Apegive me your preferences and I'll dig up a match for you. For me anything except deathmatches.

[Eivion]

On 7/5/2021 at 8:02 PM, Curt McGirt said:

Strange seeing joshi wrestlers in Zero1 as well, but then with the cross-pollination of all puro feds in the last couple of years it shouldn't be surprising. 

Z1 actually had a joshi promotion called SUN from 06-09. Want to say they have had joshi talents works shows occasionally since. They are actually trying to train some new joshi wrestlers now. Megumi Kudo is in charge of their training.

Edited July 7, 2021 by Eivion

[Spontaneous]

9 hours ago, Morganti said:

I wanna see Okabayashi go up against someone who out girths him now, coz I like a good meat festival 

Ask and you shall receive. The highlights at least. 

[Matt D]

Week 2

Adding Super Ape and Jimbo (didn't quite work mid-week, but that's fine as long as you guys are ready and jump on it this week). Everyone did a great job last week. You know the deal. Get your partner something ASAP. I had some formatting issues below but it should be clear enough. If someone needs to jump off this week, let us know ASAP and we'll twist it up.

@twiztor
@SirSmellingtonofCascadia
 

@Gordberg
@Morganti

@Spontaneous
@Zimbra

@Super Ape
@moribund

@Casey
Matt D
 

@Curt McGirt
@Jimbo_Tsuruta

[Matt D]

@Casey

We're all at risk from pulling too much from Phil's book and if you wanted more Choshu or 89-90 AJPW, I've got a lot of that under my belt recently,  but, as I don't want to rely on that too much and you got some Choshu last week, I'm going to go another direction with it

Gino Hernandez has been on people's minds lately, so here's one of my favorite singles matches of his. Big heat. Triumphant finish. It gives you some sense of what he meant in Houston when he was lead heel anchoring the town. A real sense of culmination that we can only sort of tap into forty years later.

I'm ok with whatever. If you give me modern women's wrestling, make it real good. Ironclad. I need to watch a lot of Hokuto and Kandori in the years to come so getting a jump on that isn't a bad thing. But I'm ok with whatever. I'm sure there's something you've wanted to force upon me over the years.

Edited July 10, 2021 by Matt D

[Gordi the former AEW fan]

@Morganti: Have you seen this one before? I set it aside just in case we got matched up here. I'd have to imagine it's Jim Cornette's least favourite match of all time. 

 

Edited July 10, 2021 by Gordberg

[Casey]

@Matt D

SWEET REVENGE. Here’s a one hour Seth Rollins match from RAW…

Nah, I won’t do that to you. But it was inevitable that I would make someone watch a Bull Nakano match, and since you mentioned Shinobu Kandori… here’s my second joshi deathmatch contribution! Gee, that’s becoming a bit of a crutch for me, isn’t it?

Today is my birthday, so I’ll get to reviewing your match suggestion later today. I might be drunk when I watch it, though