Read more

1001 MATCHES: Akira Taue

(by PHIL RIPPA) Akira Taue is clearly the most underappreciated of the All Japan Big 4. Heck – the Big 5 if you expanded to include Jun Akiyama. Lord – it would take awhile before you went through the 90s AJ roster before you found someone that Taue was overappreciated (yes – I am making […]

Read more

DEATH VALLEY DRIVER VIDEO REVIEW – ISSUE #27

MISAWA! CAT BURGLER! KOBASHI! MARK THE SHARK SHRADER! KANEMOTO! RECKLESS YOUTH! PSICOSIS! and other stuff I saw and heard this week! Howdy! Welcome to DEATH VALLEY DRIVER VIDEO REVIEW #27! It’s been a big week of tape watching as I began it intending to have a full blown Lucha Fest 97, since I had 9 […]

Read more

1001 MATCHES: Vader

(by PHIL RIPPA) I hadn’t been planning on spotlighting Big Van Vader as he has been represented decently so far over the first 800 matches. But then one of my all time favorites up and died. And now I am sad and just watching him over and over. So, in what should be your quest […]

Read more

DEATH VALLEY DRIVER VIDEO REVIEW – ISSUE #25

TAJIRI! Ohtani! YAKUSHIJI! Jaguar Yokota! GREAT SASUKE! TAKA MOTHERFUCKING MICHINOKU! and other stuff I saw this week! Howdy! Welcome to DEATH VALLEY DRIVER VIDEO REVIEW #25! I gotta another tape from the kind and benevolent Glenn In Japan (the Mother Theresa of wrestling fans) and GOD did it rock! WOO-HOO! ~!~ The coolest match on […]

Read more

1001 MATCHES: EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE

(by PHIL RIPPA) When working on this project the one??? biggest??? rule I have followed was one instituted in DVDVR #100 and that was “no repeat” matches. (IE: only pick one match between two guys). I have skirted that a few times already for a variety of reasons. Here I just blatantly ignore it because […]

Read more

1001 MATCHES – WHAT TOOK ME SO LONG

(by PHIL RIPPA) The title of this theme could be referring to this piece or the meta of how long it takes me to actually finish any projects but life… ya know… Anyway – I go through this list (and the DVDVR #100) way more than any sane person should. Or really any insane person […]

Read more

DEATH VALLEY DRIVER VIDEO REVIEW – ISSUE #12

KAWADA! MISAWA! AKIRA TAUE! AKIYAMA! All Japan Carnival 95 and that’s about all I’ve seen so far this week. Howdy! Welcome to DEATH VALLEY DRIVER VIDEO REVIEW #12! This will be pretty much all about All Japan Carnival 95 since I got it Monday and I had birthing classes on Tuesday and I watched all […]

Read more

DEATH VALLEY DRIVER VIDEO REVIEW – ISSUE #167

WELCOME TO DEATH VALLEY DRIVER VIDEO REVIEW #167! (The cover to the beloved DVDVR 167 is by the lovely and talented Bay Area artist Andrea Schneider.) EXCUSES FOR THIS BEING SO LATE: I could explain why it’s been like eight months between DVDVRs but I thought it would be fun to put all my excuses […]

Read more

1001 MATCHES: Handheld

(by PHIL RIPPA) All these matches are handhelds. Some of them have better quality than others (and some might have eventually have shown up in a more professional shoot). Yet – this is the way a lot of us cut our wrestling viewing teeth. 701) BRAZO DE ORO vs. EL HIJO DEL SANTO – UWA […]

Read more

DEATH VALLEY DRIVER VIDEO REVIEW – ISSUE #11

KANDORI! YAMADA! CHIGUSA! KOBASHI! KROFFAT! AKIYAMA! WILLIAMS! BENNETT! and other stuff I saw and heard this week! Howdy! Welcome to Death Valley Driver Video Review #11!!! I’m a ONE MAN BANDWIDTH SLAUGHTERHOUSE this weekend, what with batches of tapes from benevolent Scott, Dams the Man, and Paul the Stud with it All (sorry!) to yammer […]