Matt D

This is why I ask both questions.

Are GYV good? Will I like them?

Mercedes is easy to talk about. I (like the rest of the crowd) gave way too long of a standing ovation in 2002 to Mercedes vs Sumie Sakai at NECW and I cringe thinking back to it but I was young and dumb and on the internet too much. But I feel fortunate I saw that match live then and Mercedes has been a favorite of the last few years, most especially her feud with Serena Deeb but not just. She has great presence in the moment, which, past the ability to structure matches in a logical and compelling way (which she has as well) is probably the most important thing for me when it comes to a wrestler. Regal talked about how it wasn't selling but reacting and if you get two classically trained and experienced wrestlers in there, they can just react to one another. She's great at reacting. She's one of the most emotive wrestlers going. You can always see what she's thinking (as a character) in any moment. Kylie baffles me a bit. I get what she's going for and it's obviously over but it's much more artificial and plastic than other comparable examples like babyface Bayley and Willow. She's doing these staged poses and smiley faces and has the gear and the nickname (and the pokemon song!) and it's all way too in your face and obvious. But it works with the crowd which seems to desperately want to make it work so that they can feel better about themselves. To me, there's much more of an 80s vibe to her, and... I'm trying to express what I want to compare it to. It feels a bit Von Erich-y when it comes to the relationship with the crowd and how badly they want something to believe in and how thoroughly she can provide it but they were so natural in their own jocky bufoonish way. It feels kind of like... babyface Brutus Beefcake, who was, let me remind you, basically the #3 babyface in WWF in 1989 and a guy who could main event B shows and tag with Hogan as the main event of PPVs. He absolutely had a connection with the crowd but it felt like someone who didn't actually get it and just had read a book how to do it and there was nothing genuine about it necessarily. But it was 1989 so it worked. She somehow makes it 1989 again. And I appreciate that level of being able to work people, I guess? Of being able to manipulate people, even if maybe they're vulnerable people in the first place in a sort of less toxic hyper positive Amanda Palmer sort of way? I don't know enough about her to really go deeper down this path in a way that I feel comfortable and good with. I'll just say it sure feels like working and since no one works these days, I appreciate it. As for the match itself, it was good! I didn't love the two big transition spots of Mercedes going into a post. The second was better than the first. I would have had them play just a little more with the no-ropes gimmick. I liked Henry vs Priest a bit more in how they used it maybe? More teases of falling to doom. More inability to get rope breaks. Kylie at a disadvantage because she can't rope run? I have more respect for the Brass City Sleeper now but I get that maybe in 2019 it wasn't as big a deal. In general I loved how Mercedes filled time not with spots but with consistent and opportunistic violence in the moment. She just does damage and then milks it for all that it's worth as she interacts with the ref and the crowd and the wrestler and reality. Kylie is talented at what she does and what she does best is to reward the crowd when they chant for her with smart timing. Even if she's going to get cut off. She makes them feel like they matter in the match, like they have agency in helping her. Finish was neat with the la mistica set up and was bolstered by the commentary talking up the crossface throughout the match which covered for the fact she didn't really tease it or try for it at any point. I would have maybe had Mercedes try to make it to ropes that weren't there to help protect her in the finish? I don't know. I just find Kylie unsettling to watch on some level, like an uncanny valley sort of thing, but I also have to kind of respect it. Just like watching 89 Beefcake, which you won't get but someone else reading this will.

My personal issue is that the only potential matches I am looking forward to at all out of the angle are Jack Perry ones, so…..

It’s too bad that Copeland is stuck with Black still. The first match, to me, seems to new Elite vs Cope/FTR and someone else.

The biggest thing wrong with pro wrestling is that everyone is happy that they “let Chuck say shit” instead of being moved that he was so upset that they couldn’t stop him from doing it.

7/17/87: Nakano/Anjo vs Funaki/Nogami: This was pro shot with commentary so it was a great way to really see these guys who I tend to only see in blurry HHs. I more or less figured out who was who (Nogami had white shoes; Nakano had kickpads; Anjo had a funnier head maybe?). These guys were very good at what they were trying to do. It was a bit unfocused but very gritty and they were smacking and kicking and twisting and flying in off the edge of the screen. It was just sort of formless and I couldn't really differentiate between any of these guys, even just the UWF rookies vs NJPW ones. I need some sort of contrast here and I wasn't seeing it in this one. If these guys end up in the mix more I'll get a better sense of them. 7/17/87: Bigelow vs Maeda 2: Bigelow had snuck out a roll up last time. This is only five or six minutes. Bigelow overpowers him early. Maeda comes back with a belly to back out of nowhere and they get real sprinty for a little bit and it's great for about thirty seconds before they spill to the floor and Bigelow accidentally sends him tumbling over the rail for the DQ. 7/31/87: Bigelow vs Maeda 3: This felt a little like Maeda's second chance at an epic Andre match though of course Bigelow brings totally different things to the table. It was quite back and forth. Bigelow would grind him down and Maeda would do something impressive to fight back and bigelow would continue to grind (even with some mat dominance like slapping on a headscissors). Everything built to Maeda tossing Bigelow off the top and hitting a belly to back. He then hit the spin wheel kick and Bigelow didn't go over the top like he was supposed to but still rolled out and almost immediately hefted Meada over the rail in desperation. It was progression but this probably should have been the end of it and it wasn't. They never face each other again.

I watched Kylie vs Yamashita when I came in for ZSJ vs Makabe and I had not seen much Kylie and have some questions now so this will be illuminating. Also a big fan of Mercedes but I'll talk about that. Will catch it over the next few days. Thanks.

I liked the main event quite a bit. One of my favorite Swerve matches ever. It was ok that he took so much of it because it was due to him capitalizing on opportunities (some of which he was able to create) and because you want your new chant to win definitively. It wasn't enough for him to win; he had to Beat Joe and he did.

My take on the big match: http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2024/04/aew-five-fingers-of-death-415-421.html?m=1

Going back through ep 5 with the 11 year old. Did people notice the Watcher in the stars before everything went down?

@Casey As always I'm trying not to give you the most, most famous thing so not the Dibiase vs Duggan tuxedo match for Mid-South. Instead Duggan vs Buzz Sawyer. I don't think it was on youtube so I tossed it on a burner.

Tony looks like the dad in an 80s sitcom where a lovable Soviet soldier accidentally lands in America and befriends the kids of a suburban family and they have to hide him from the nosy neighbors.

Deep breath and back to NJPW. 7/7/87: Dangerous Violent Warlord vs Lukewarm George Takano: Warlord was so, so green. At times, he'd have good instincts when it came to when to give and when not to. There was a funny bit early where he just ate Takano's stuff and Takano had a surprised look on his face before Warlord crushed him. At other times, he went over too easy. Or he'd do a straight knee instead of a pressing one to the gut "kitchen sink" (hate that phrase but you'll know what I mean) style. Or he'd let Takano bodyslam too early into the match when it didn't mean anything. Lots of stuff like that. Finish was him pushing Takano away to dodge an axe handle off the top, press slamming him throat first onto the top rope, and hitting a huge jumping clothesline. Then instead of pinning him he hits a weak dumb elbow smash and then pins him. Super imposing looking though. 7/7/87: Bigelow/Buzz Sawyer vs Muto/Fujinami: I thought Muto goes to NOW as the token young guy at some point? Their Taue? Guess not yet. This was pretty awesome, let me tell you. Sawyer's a nut and he brings out the nuttiness in Bigelow. And Muto feels like the perfect opponent for him in some ways. At one point, he cartwheeled over Muto's prone body and dropkicked him. Then Muto went for the handspring into the corner and Bigelow just tossed him and chucked him over his head. Glorious stuff. Heels worked well together too, drawing the ref so illegal stuff could happen on the outside. Eventually Fujinami came in hot. But they eventually got the advantage again. Finish was Bigelow press slamming Muto to the floor and then helping Sawyer pile drive Fujinami. At that point they shoved the ref and got dqed and then started tearing up chairs and what not. Good stuff. 7/12/87: Takada/Fujiwara vs Choshu/Kobayashi: It's Kobayashi not Koyabashi. I just have to say that 100 times. I need a device to remember that. Kobayashi has a b before y; b is for better, as in better than Cobra/George Takano. This was a HH and kind of hard to see. I guess that the NEW/NOW thing hadn't gotten to house shows yet? What we could see was pretty awesome though! Choshu and Fujiwara continued warring. Kobayashi (better than Cobra) was just a really bright flash of excitement. He could do all of the Tiger Mask era stuff but make it work with the UWF guys because he made it look credible. It's hard to talk about specifics because it was hard to see but they were able to get some heat on Fujiwara until he pressed up and did his flip over escape to get a tag. They got some on Takada and then on Fujiwara again until he headbutted his way out of it. Choshu and Kobayashi did some of the Ishin Gundan double teams you'd expect like the Slaughter Cannon. Finish was very good as Takada spinkicked Kobayashi into his own corner and Choshu came in hot. Fujiwara broke up the Scorpion but Kobayashi got him out of the way so Choshu could hit the lariat. Good stuff but I wish we had this one proshot or even a better quality HH. Glad we have it at all though.

I'm glad that they put RVD in a spotty 4-way elimination match instead of tying him to the HOOK stuff by "giving" us Jericho vs RVD in 2024 as a rematch from their match that Jericho got pissy about on the internet all those years ago for people not liking it as much as he thought they should. Also, Emi vs Yuka on Rampage should be delightful.

They taped Manders/Tankman/BEEF vs Mogul Embassy last night.

The Bloodsport Bushido card is wild.

… what if Chuck hugs Shane?

What if he hugs Taylor instead?

Cassidy vs Taylor should be great fun. Hopefully Trent causes Cassidy to lose since Taylor could use the win.

4/4 fin

I mean I wouldn't have necessarily booked it but more power to those crazy Deadlock people.

I can discount a couple (1, 6, 9) but in general, it's tough to decide. I did consolidate all the reviews if that helps: http://deathvalleydriver.com/forum/index.php?/topic/8657-matt-watches-1989-ajpw1986-njpw-on-a-treadmill/&do=findComment&comment=1366422

Doing a quick doublepost as I moved all the Bock vs Jumbo matches into here so I have them in one place.

4/4 con't