AJPW New Years Wars 2014 - Night 1 (01/02/14)

Kotaro Suzuki & Masao Inoue vs Osamu Nishimura & Ryuji Hijikata

The match is rediculously clipped so there is not much to comment on. Kotaro Suzuki looked pretty good. He had some nice junior moves like a 619 attempt and he sold the leg from being in the figure four.

Hikaru Sato vs Kento Miyahara
Sato has an MMA background and uses a ground attack with some kicks, while Miyahara on the other hand is more of a typical junior wrestler. Sato seemed to be leaning towards a ground based offense of grapevining the leg. He controlled the first portion before Miyahara exploded with some forearms.  Miyahara's nice strikes, killing Sato on the floor with a DDT, and muscling up Sato for a suplex were all impressive. First time seeing either man wrestle and Miyahara performance was more impactful, though I would certainly like to see what Sato can do given a little more time and offense which his offense is more suited for.

Jon Bolen, SUSHI & Tyson Dux vs Team Dream Futures (Ishii, Irie & Takao)
Bolen and Dux are well traveled gaijin from PA and NB respecively. Both do relatively nothing in the match. The one highspot from the duo was a swinging powerslam from Bolen. Irie and his green mohawk was the most impressive wrestler of the match. When he tagged in he was a house of fire straight through to the end.

Go Shiozaki vs KENSO
KENSO is apart of Dark Kingdom while Shiozaki rolls with Xceed. This match was more middle of the road for me. I do not believe KENSO, who has two tag title reigns in his decade plus career, will beat a former GHC heavyweight champion. KENSO brought an Americanized feel to the match by doing some brawling in the crowd and especially throwing the referee over the top rope. This is the first AJPW show I have seen in a year so it is quite possible that Dark Kingdom is a poor mans Bullet Club. KENSO is a scrappy fighter but poses little threat to Shiozaki who finishes the match with the Go Flasher.

AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Title

Ultimo Dragon© vs Atsushi Aoki [***]

At the end of 2013 the 47 year old Ultimo Dragon won the AJPW World Junior Heavyweight title from Kanemaru and this is his first defense. Aoki is a NOAH transplant and spends a large part of the match working in the arm of Dragon. My favorite piece of armwork is the Kamura after a pin attempt, which if done with supreme intensity, can be very effective. Sadly intensity is the main element missing from this match and drags the match from great to good. I appreciate Dragon selling the arm well after the match was over but he did little to move the match any higher. The ending was La Magistral cradle which was reversed twice, and thanks to the WWE I have completely soured on any finish involving a roll up. I was hoping for a lot more but sadly this is not worth going out of your way to see.

Akebono, Suwama & Taiyo Kea vs Burning & Takao Omori

I really like the phrase 'They had a match' Bryan Alvarez uses when reviewing wrestling describing a match that was neither good nor bad yet nothing particularly stood out. The little Kanemaru, though heel, is able to draw some sympathy from me for having to tangle with his three oversized opponents. Suwama hit a lariat on Kanemaru that turned him inside out. Good booking rears its ugly head in the ending where Omori, who is challenging for the Triple Crown title the next night, pins the champion Akebono. Omori sold this as a big accomplishment and sells me on their match to come.

17 Man Battle Royal

This event could have easily been called 'Night of Omori' as he takes the win in the main event too. I expected the Battle Royal to be a comedic playground for Fuchi and in some ways it was and I was very disappointed when he was eliminated. Eliminations come can come by pinfall and a lot of the early portion of the match was everyone standing around until two competitors were prone in a submission or pinning combination then they all covered both for the double elimination. There was a fun moment near the end where Omori went to make a handshake alliance with SUSHI, but SUSHI made the alliance with the other four men in the match as they all turned again Omori. The final two were SUSHI and Omori. I almost lost it when SUSHI got a close near fall but Omori finishes SUSHI in short order to complete a super push towards the title match tomorrow night.

WWE Monday Night RAW 01/20/14

-The Authority come out to introduce Batista, but Orton comes out pissed. Stephanie lights into him for attacking John Cena's father when the most eyes were on the WWE. Steph threatens to fire him if he cannot come under control and respect the rules of the WWE. Orton whines about being put in the rematch with Cena and the return of Lesnar and Batista. The Authority believes in Orton but they believe he has lost faith in himself. Triple H is giving Orton chances to right some wrongs by facing Kofi Kingston and showing where Cena will come into the arena, but he will have to do it along. Now this whole thing has taken place while chants of Batista have broken out, when his music finally hits the crowd erupts. Batista kisses the ring and gives everyone a hug because everyone (even The Authority) is happy Batista is back except Randy Orton. Batista is back to headline Wrestlemania, Randy Orton is not happy.

Cody Rhodes, Goldust & Big E Langston vs The Shield

It is not possible for the Brothers Rhodes and Shield to have a bad match, throw in Big E and this was fantastic. Cohere were some neat moments in this match like Cody holding Rollins in a high hanging vertical Suplex position before face planting him into the mat. Big E had a moment where he was breaking out Ultimate Warrior moves. Roman nailed Cody with a vicious right cross in mid air on his second disaster kick attempt, after the first kick sent Reigns into a daze. The Shield won with Seth Rollins curb stomp. This is a TV MOTY canidate, great stuff!

-Daniel Bryan is out to say he had a plan when he joined the Wyatt's and has exposed them. Bryan then says he and Bray Wyatt have signed for a match at the Royal Rumble. Bray shows up on screen with another creepy promo telling Bryan to kiss his mother because all the pain he will feel is his fault for being a traitor.

Fandango vs Xavier Woods

These two have a completely pointless match that Fandango won in about a minute with a top rope leg drop. The only thing this seemingly did was to foreshadow a possible Emma/Summer Rae/Fandango feud as she is shown in the crowd with her #EMMAtaining sign following the Fandango win.

-The always amazing Brad Maddox is in his office with Kane taking credit for bringing Batista back. Steph excuses Maddox and verbally blasts Kane for chokeslamming CM Punk last Friday on Smackdown. She knew promoting him was a risk but he needs to get ahold of himself. He can no longer put his hands on wrestlers and needs to apologize to CM Punk, to which Kane was not happy about.

-Kane is out to apologize to Punk. Punk claims he cannot hear so Kane repeats himself in a slow condescending manner. Punk hears his apology then apologizes himself with FORARMS TO THE FACE!! Maddox stops Kane from retaliating as Punk will have an official match with one of the the New Age Outlaws.

CM Punk vs 'The One' Billy Gunn

Instead of calling Billy Gunn 'Mr A' Michael Cole should call him 'The One' which was his moniker as a singles wrestler. Punk and Gunn go out and have a good TV match. It is amazing how good Billy Gunn is, he may have aged but his game hasn't. The NAO are in a perfect position at this point in their careers. They are fun to watch and are competent in the ring, that is all I ask. Punk jumping the announce table to attack Road Dog mid match got a huge reaction. Punk gets the victory with the GTS.

-Maddox comes out but Kane interferes and says Punk is the #1 entrant into the Rumble. I love The Authority storyline. Kane is finally getting how to get back at an enemy in a corporate setting, not by force but by making life difficult for him. In return Punk garners much sympathy making him a better babyface.

-The old Scott Keith jokes work here: Brock Lesnar IS HERE, and Brock Lesnar IS WALKING!!

Rey Mysterio Jr vs Alberto Del Rio

At one point in this match I thought it was the end of Rey, Del Rio was just destroying him top to bottom. Maybe it is a credit to both men in this match but while Rey's comeback wasn't what I call epic, it came from being farther down than normal. He already came into the match with an injured arm and there was a little attention put on it. Del Rio blocked a 619 and Mysterio kicked out of a pin after a superkick. These two know each other so well, but Rey makes a mistake off the top and Del Rio counters to the cross armbreaker and that was that. Pretty good match between these two.

-Batista comes out post match and powerbombs Del Rio who has been talking about Batista in weeks leading up to tonight's show.

-Big Show comes out and makes fun of Paul Heyman before the Lesnar confrontation. Brock comes ringside but motions that Show isn't worth it and walks to the back laughing. Lesnar comes back and has the nose to nose showdown with Show. They put over Show's size and strength in that Brock cannot manhandle him like other opponents. Show tosses him out with ease which stuns and angers Brock who throws a tantrum and grabs a chair to which Show steps on to end that attempt. They jaw back and forth as Lesnar backs down the ramp. This match has a fantastic build with something we have not seen with the new Lesnar. He has never been put in a situation where he is not the biggest or strongest in the ring. Should be an interesting fight Sunday.

AJ Lee & Tamina vs The Funadactyles

Naomi is tagged in and has some fantastic offense but eats a boot from Tamina. AJ is tagged in and immediately rolled up for the pin. Horrible finish, just lacks creativity and the WWE does it all the time.

The Usos vs The Wyatt Family

The Usos and Wyatts wrestle this big slobberknocker of a match. It was a pretty good brawl nothing more. Daniel Bryan runs interference while the Usos roll up Harper for the win.

Randy Orton vs Kofi Kingston
Kofi comes into this with a little confidence from last week's win and a drive from comments that his win was a fluke. Kingston was a house of fire until crafty Orton took over on the outside. John Cena arrives right at 11pm which must mean he is apart of the crew taking down the ring or he would have shown up during the actual show. Orton has a choice of being Kingston or fighting Cena and he takes Cena giving Kofi the DQ win.

-Post match Cena and Orton fight into the crowd with Orton ultimately jumping into a waiting SUV and escaping any more damage from a fight he was obviously losing.

OVERALL THOUGHTS
This was a good show with a great match, a pretty good match and segments that built towards the Royal Rumble. That is all I ask of a wrestling show.

WWE Monday Night Raw 11/25/13

Honestly I miss wrestling and have been out of touch since just after SummerSlam. Time to get back into it.

-Episode 1070 starts with Randy Orton, the WWE Champion who claims he is owed an apology from those who think he would lose the WWE Title at Survivor Series. He brings out Triple H and Stephanie who are pleased Orton is still the champion. Orton is upset that Triple H and Stephanie came down at SS and ran interference in his match. Orton then cuts a promo about being the greatest champion in the 50+ year history of the company. It is a pretty good heel promo but out comes World Champion John Cena and if this feud they have ends in an undisputed title I am all for it. Cena goes on a tirade about the fans loving Daniel Bryan because they are tired for the administrative BS of the Helmsleys. He then wants an undisputed champion which I popped for. There are some underlying aspects of this segment which suggests a future Cena heel turn. The relationship between Orton and the Helmsleys is far from smooth and Orton mention Cena talking with the Helmsleys of this title unification idea. HHH announces a title unification ladder match between Orton and Cena.

The Shield vs Cody Rhodes, Goldust and Rey Misterio Jr.

Even with the rise of Roman Reigns I am still a big Dean Ambrose fan. He had a lot of wacky selling in this one which adds an entertainment aspect to his wrestling. The match is acceptable but a large portion of the heat segment is during the commercial. Reigns counters a 619 with a massive spear. Ambrose gets the pin on Rhodes with his unnamed bulldog like maneuver, which is odd because usually the WWE will give finishers a name.

-MizTV is next *groan* and his guest is Michael Strahan or should I say Titus O'Neal who is parodying Strahan to put himself over. First of all everyone knows who it is so he gains nothing by this. Maybe treating the WWE as a sport leads me to be frustrated by things like this. Strahan is out to announce a match and this crowd does not care though his comparing Kelly Rippa as tougher than Miz got a good reaction including a Kelly Rippa chant. Miz does drop an insider term saying Strahan was stiff when the hip toss did not go as planned. I miss the NWA.

Ryback and Curtis Axel vs Big E Langston and Mark Henry

This was a complete squash with Heny delivering the Worlds Strongest Slam for the pin. Curtis Axel's stock seems to slipped rather quickly.

7 on 7 Survivor Series Divas Elimination Match

I am not a fan of many of the Divas as they have no wrestling ability save for AJ, Katlyn and Natalya. Of course the Bellas and Eva Marie are the winners. There is a teased AJ/Natalya feud which has possibilities. Fans were solidly behind AJ because she has both personality and wrestling ability, a combination which none of the have. Like many of the Divas matches have become this was an extended ad for the Total Divas show.

Damien Sandow vs Dolph Ziggler - Hamptons Hardcore Match

Sandow and Ziggler keep things energetic and make this a fun match. Of course this is a total PG street fight, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. The Sandow win surprises me but I haven't been keeping track of what has transpired in the feud thus far. Sandow got the pin with a slam through a trash can.

Strahan and Santino are in the back in a comedy sketch with THE WYATTS of all people. A yes chant breaks out for Strahan to put the sheep mask on, which he does.

Punk takes some time to make points with Daniel Bryan shouting YES to every point. The team name seems to have become The Beard and The Best. Punk references the Ring Crew Express which got a pop from me. Punk addresses The Authority putting those they hate in handicap matches hoping it will fix the problem but they are not scared of the Wyatts.

The Beard & The Best vs The Wyatt Family

I love B&B and the Wyatt's character however the Wyatt's can be a little on the boring side in the ring. Punk played a great face in peril and Daniel Bryan is as firey a babyface as you can find but the match lacked a lot. This can also be attributed to it being a rematch to further the feud. The Wyatt's get disqualified by not clearing the ring. The Wyatt's kidnap Bryan and Roman Reigns spears Punk from out of nowhere. The Shield triple powerbombs Punk as a message from The Authority.

Kofi Kingston vs The Miz

Kofi has lost a lot of muscle and it shows. These two had a match I really didn't pay much attention to. Miz wins with another version of a rollup (in this case a crucifix) which are set in a way that his victories appear as flukes. I am not a huge fan as either but Miz is worlds better as a heel and would fit well if he was added to The Authority.

Xavier Woods vs Heath Slater

I like Slater a lot he is selfless and seemingly enjoys his role as a man the WWE trusts with newcomers and legends. This is Woods debut and he is paired with R-Truth and the Funkadaklyles for reasons unknown. He wins the match with Gail Kim's Eat Defeat and looked pretty good in doing so. I wouldn't say it was the most impressive debut I have ever seen but the man has potential.

-I can't lie this was the best of Strahan's appearances where he signs footballs for The Bellas who are Eagles fans, the Funkadaklyles who are fantastic. The red headed chick lets him know she is there and Goldust is just awesome.

Randy Orton & Alberto Del Rio vs John Cena & Big Show

The match was just a match until the angle with Show's concussion kicked in. He lost by being kicked in the head the previous night and then was kicked in the head twice during the match. The doctor temporarily stopped the match but that did not last long as Orton started back on the attack. Show got in a spear on instinct, made the tag and was on the outside for the rest of the match. That was ok as Super Cena was here to take care of business and won with the STF. After the match Orton blasted Cena with the World Title, fade to black.

Overall it was a decent show moving things somewhat along but nothing groundbreaking. Ziggler/Sandow was match of the night by a good margin.

WWE Monday Night RAW 08/19/13

First off this show comes on the heels of one of the most important PPV's of the year. SummerSlam saw Daniel Bryan pin John Cena clean in the middle of the ring in a ****1/2 technical wrestling clinic, however Triple H turned on Bryan and allowed Randy Orton to cash in the Money in the Bank contract to win the title. This was a well thought out, well planned angle that will give Daniel Bryan a lot of motivation to chase Orton and his title. I have high hopes the WWE does right with this angle, but I had high hopes for "The Summer of Punk" in 2011 and they dropped the ball with it. Speaking of Punk he lost an incredible ****3/4 match to Brock Lesnar due to his inability to keep his focus off of Paul Heyman. This could prove to be an important episode of RAW, though we will see if the events of last night give the company some new legs.

Live from Anaheim, CA

-John Cena comes out for some mic time basically giving a farewell to the fans while putting over Daniel Bryan as the better man. He shows the massive ball of fluid on his elbow, which is the result of a torn tricep and it looked disgusting, and will keep out 4-6 months. In an odd moment Cena calls out Bryan only to shake his hand, give him the mic and leave. No banter no nothing, which is unlike Cena. I guess he said his peace and is gone until he heals. Stephanie McMahon comes out to put the corporate spin on recent events. Daniel Bryan says that no one can take his passion away and if he is going to be fired he is going to go out with a bang. Stephanie comes back saying they don't want to fire him but not everyone is championship material and calls him a B+. This obviously pisses Bryan off and he knocks the mic from her hand and out of the ring. She grabs another from ringside and starts talking down to Bryan almost like a child and calls security to haul him away. Stephanie was awesome here as the bitchy executive. When Bryan turned around after being lead away to lead a No chant as an act of defiance, she gave an awesome facial. This entire thing was amazing.

Damien Sandow vs Cody Rhodes

These two proceed to have a match. I like Sandow better than Rhodes but neither are lighting the world on fire. Sandow blocked the Cross Rhodes that beat him last night but lost to, of all things, a sunset flip. I guess the story is that Rhodes has Sandow's number. After the match Rhodes claims he should be the #1 Contender because he beat a Money in the Bank holder twice, which is rediculous on a number of levels. First Rhodes is still not over enough to challenge for the title, he really needs more grooming. Second, when does beating the MITB holder make you a contender? Ziggler lost all the time while holding the case and no one got a title shot as a result. This claim was absurd.

-Brad Maddox was sheepishly smiling backstage and announced that due to Dolph Ziggler's tweet where he criticized HHH, Ziggler will be wrestling a 3 on 1 handicap match against The Shield tonight. One interesting part of this show will be who aligns themselves with whom. So far Maddox is in the HHH camp to keep his GM job, and obviously Stephanie sides with her husband. On the other side we have Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler. At this point I am not sure if The Shield sides with HHH or are just pawns in the story.

-Paul Hayman is in the ring as we come back from break. He cuts a disingenuous promo about forgiving Punk and wanting to be the best in the world with him. He wants to end the family feud and help Punk gets to the main event of Wrestlemania. If only Punk apologizes to him.

-The Bellas tell the Funkadaktles they hope their match is more interesting then their involvement on Total Divas. Cameron completely annoys me.

The Funkadaklyles vs Layla & AJ Lee

AJ and Naomi have an okay match then Layla tags in and immediately gets rolled up for the pin. Then gives the worst shocked face I have ever seen. Just bad, I expect better from Layla.

Dolph Ziggler vs The Shield

We get a more competitive match than this had any right to be considering the odds. Ziggler was overwhelmed and lost to an awesome Reins spear. After the match all three dismantle Ziggler and do a triple powerbomb which might have been a good strategy during the match to end it faster. All's well that ends well for The Shield I guess.

Alberto Del Rio vs Sin Cara

This was complete angle and didn't last more than a minute. Sin Cara went for a dive and "landed on his wrist". In the replay he does not land in such a way to hurt anything. As soon as he landed he signaled to the ref for help. Just an odd waste of time. After the match he cuts another promo about being the representative for the Latino community. He actually gets cheers for this even though it seems very backhanded and halfhearted. Ricardo comes out to a nice pop and says Del Rio is a hero to no one. Ricardo is still a manager now managing Rob Van Dam. RVD sprints in and destroys the World Champion and is in position for the 5-star frog splash when Del Rio bails. RVD and Ricardo are an odd paring but I like Ricardo so more Ricardo is good.

The Real Americans vs Prime Time Players

Zeb Colter's pre-match promo included saying the best thing about America is seeing LAX fade away from the plane. We The People is the most over heel catchphrase in the company. The Prime Time Players picked up a huge win that may give them a shot at the tag titles. Darrin Young got the pin with a gut buster named (of all things) The Gut Check. Take that TNA! Match was pretty good as any match with the Real Americans would be. 

-Big show is interviewed backstage, and confirms he and Mark Henry will go after the tag titles. Sleezy Brad Maddox interrupts as apparently Big Show made some Negative remarks about the COO Triple H and Show will be wrestling The Shield in a handicap match with all three members of The Shield being legal. Show awesomely states "Are you sure you want to do that to The Shield". This confirms that The Shield lies on the corporate end of things. Big Show and by proxy Mark Henry are on the face side. So far this angle is building well.

-To show just how far Zack Ryder and Justin Gabriel have fallen their involvement on this show consists of listening to a Foot Locker rep explain the rules of a contest and then leave. Fandango dances in asks about dancing in sneakers. He says "I like this Foot Locker" then dances away. He SO sounded like Steven Segal here.

-The great bully Ryback proceeds to tell a jobber to do something then ask him why he is doing that. The jobbers bag ends up in the shower where he slaps the hell out of him before making him flood his bag. I actually want to see Ryback get killed for these segments, so I assume they work.

Big Show vs The Shield

As far as handicap matches go, this was pretty good. The Shield needed teamwork to get the win due to Show's size. Seth Rollins looked to have hurt his knee as he held it several times during the match. Reins got a nice spear on Showand the triple powerbomb finished Show off. I am dissapointed that Big Show didn't try to knock some one or two of The Shield out. You would think that would be a great strategy but the WMD was never used.

-CM Punk comes out to respond to Heyman and it was golden. After last night Punk has a major badass rep that the WWE is apparently,wetting run wild. Very very early in the promo one guy dares to boo Punk and gets kitty up verbally from him. Punk was starting up a slower methodic promo when this guy started booing. His boos could be heard on television and Punk's response to "the fat guy in the front row" really put over how pissed off Punk is and how much little things get to him moreso now than ever before. No idea if this was a shoot or work but it included Punk saying balls and bitch which were edited for TV but got MAJOR pops. Punk wants the Wrestlemania main event and the title then Heyman comes out with Curtis Axel. Punk wishes he could have taken Heyman's arm home with him. Heyman responded with appologizing for what is about to happen to Punk. Axel is going to fight Punk after the commercial break. This segment was amazing......just amazing

CM Punk vs Curtis Axel - Unsanctioned Street Fight

This was a good fight. JBL put over how hurt Punk is from last night and shouldn't be wrestling at all. Punk kept going towards Heyman but never paid for it like he did in the last month. Axel hurts Punks leg and almost Pillmanizes him. Punk gets the "win" after a GTS using the stairs instead of his knee.

Bray Wyatt vs R-Truth

This was a complete squash to show off Wyatt to the RAW audience. Nothing of note happens but Wyatt finishes Truth off with his finisher.

The Usos vs 3MB

These two teams wrestled a good match. The Usos got the win after a top rope splash. This match includes a tag from a plancha and an awesome one legged hoping enzaguri. 3MB even got a chant from the crowd. Was not sure if this was from boredom (which it shouldn't have been) or that maybe 3MB has gotten over with a segment of the crowd. It was a true dueling Usos/3MB chant.

The Miz vs Wade Barrett

Poor Barrett is in a bad spot as he seemingly jobs for everyone. Losing to Daniel Bryan in a great Smackdown match was one thing but losing to Tbe Miz is a different animal. This is a needless match with 15 minutes left in the show's timeslot. A pointless match that Fandango interferes in to get Barrett disqualified. No point.

-Backstage Maddox informs Stephanie that security has informed him that Daniel Bryan is back in the building which got a monster pop.

-Stephanie and Vince are in the ring when we come back and every WWE superstar is on the stage, with TripleH coming down the aisle. Triple H's promo was a little rambling but the gist is that HHH didn't want to do the turn last night but it was good for business and ensuring the legacy of the WEE for generations to come. An overachieving B+ Bryan was not as good a champion as A+ Orton. HHH described Orton as a lump of coal turned into a diamond. I should note that The Shield was standing ringside guarding the aisle way. Orton hugs the McMahons and thanks them. HHH invites Bryan to come down. The Shield attacks Bryan as he comes down. HHH lets Bryan crawl into the ring, even mentioning Fighting Spirit, and as he gets in Orton RKO's Bryan. 

RAW was good and the WWE is building something great but they certainly did not give Bryan a platform at the end. He was utterly dominated by the numbers (8-1) and never had a chance. The WWE has a direction that feels fresh with Cena on the sidelines and Bryan/Punk taking over the too two spots while going in completely different directions. It is nice to be excited about the WWE product again.

Why I Love Professional Wrestling 4

Eddie Gilbert & Tommy Rich: The Tag Team of the Year (Memphis 1984)

We get a great capsule of The Eddie Gilbert and Tommy Rich feud. First we see the ceremony for Rich and Gilbert to receive the Tag Team of the Year award, sadly the team is no more and they have a bloody brawl in the studio after Gilbert is too good for the local Memohis fans after he has won the International title and is elsewhere defending it. After the initial brawl Gilbert makes up with Rich then attacks him. Just a crazy angle not to be repeated in today's wrestling environment. Next we get a clip of Gilbert running in to cost Rich a match behind the referee's back. This looked like a crazy feud that I wish I was able to see the blowoff of. It is stuff like this that made Memphis so awesome.

Sergio El Hermoso, Bello Greco & Rudy Reyna vs Solar I, Ultraman, Super Astros (UWA 2/84)

I can't say I know much about Lucha Libre, fact is it usually confuses me to the point of giving up on it completely. I have done enough research to understand The different components of Lucha but can never seem to put it together when watching matches. The wrestlers in this match give a fantastic performance while delivering a good story. Los Exoticos (El Hermoso/Greco/Reyna) are extremely flamboyant characters facing lichadors, who are the embodiment of everything good in Mexico. This match has everything from great ground grappling to comedy to dives into the crowd. The Luchadors win in an extremely entertaining match that has me wanting to watch more Lucha.

Jerry Blackwell vs Blackjack Mulligan (JCP 1978)

Though I have seen very little of either of these wrestlers, I know Jerry Blackwell is a big fat monster and Mulligan is a big Texan. Jerry Blackwell breaks the boring slow big man stereotype by going out and dominating Mulligan with interesting offense. Blackwell threw some stiff forearms to take a quick advantage. Jerry's greatest offensive weapon is his size which he used for a bulk of the match, he even broke out a splash from the bottom rope. Mulligan got the win with his great claw finisher that just wore down and finally outlasted Blackwell. This was a fantastic television match.

Roddy Piper Interviews (Al Tomko's All-Star Wrestling 1979?)

This was four interviews Piper had in the Vancouver and, as expected, all are top notch but I was to focus in on the last interview. Piper is hyping a future cage match between he and Rick Martel against the Sheephearders. To hype the match he takes an unopened beer bottle and smashes it over his head then gives an emotion driven promo while blood and beer roll down his face. His line about the $45,000 difference between winning and losing was a highlight. Piper is much more than what we got in WWF and WCW and his 70s and early 80s stuff is worth tracking down.

Why I Love Professional Wrestling 3

Buddy Landel: Smooth Operator (JCP 1985)

If this isn't a reason to love pro wrestling, nothing is. The segment is about JJ Dillon prepping Buddy Landel for his match with Ric Flair by analyzing tape on Flair. JJ even says "He is not infallible", Landel shrugs all of it off in his overconfidence. This is when the awesomeness explodes. Smooth Operator starts playing, and much to JJ's dismay, Landell goes on the town with two ladies. JJ follows him and just shakes his head. It is a harmless fun segment that I wish were still around in wrestling today. I do not know where this was leading but based on the time period I wonder if this leads to JJ turning on Landel to manage Flair and start The Four Horsemen. However, that is just speculation on my part.

The Year That Was 1996 - Part 4

Please note that with this part I will start rating all matches shown in full.

Tommy Rich & Doug Gilbert + PG-13 Feud Recap (USWA 1/6/96)
We start with clips of PG-13 winning a Texas Death Match with The Rock and Roll Express. Jessie James Armstrong. and Tracy Smothers attack PG-13 after the match. Tommy Rich and Doug Gilbert have words with PG-13 after Rich was inadvertently punched by Wolfie D and this brings about some wild southern brawling. The USWA sets up a round robin tag tournament with the winner facing WWF Tag champs The Smoking Gunns. There is also some prior history between Rich/Gilbert and PG-13. This involves the teams trading wins (Rich/Gilbert through cheating and PG-13 stealing a win with a schoolboy rollup), in the rubber match Rich and Gilbert cheat to win the tag belts. I must mention these two teams had a great brawl all over the studio, something that is missing in today's wrestling. Rich/Gilbert spray a chemical in Wolfie D's eye and PG-13 retaliates by hitting Rich's left arm with a baseball bat. There is so much here, what a feud they have built. There's more, Rich beats Wolfie D in a hair vs hair match by having Gilbert run in with an ether soaked towel to know out D. Wolfie D does a complete Jimmy Valiant with his facial expressions during the shaving. PG-13 them win the tag titles from Gilbert and Rich in a cage match only to be piledriven through a table. I will also mention that the cage they had this match in surrounds the ringside area ala Hell in a Cell, Vince steals ideas from everyone. Fast forward to the current date and they confront each other over their past and another wild brawl ensues.

Tommy Rich & Eddie Gilbert vs. PG-13 - USWA Tag Team Championship (USWA 1/6/96) [**3/4]
We get a good TV match that had a good flow but lacked the psychology I love. There wasn't a lot of wrestling here but more along the lines of southern brawling. PG-13 wins the titles after Gilbert mistimes a punch with a chain wrapped fist and nails his partner. The story got across that Doug Gilbert isn't all in with Rich and there is some developing friction between the two.

HBK Press Conference (RAW 1/8/96)
Against doctors orders Shawn declares his intent to enter the Royal Rumble. He claims he will win the title at Wrestlemania and be the champion to being the WWF into the new millennium. How wrong he would be as he would be temporarily out of wrestling in a little over 2 years. Scheme Gene says that he has another name entering the Rumble but you will have to call the hotline to find out who it is. Jim Ross goads the information out of him and Gene says its Vader Time. The Scheme Gene stuff was actually good here, not as offensive as it would later become.

Brother Love Show: Steve Austin & Ted DiBiase (RAW 1/8/96)
This was the Ringmaster, where he states his intentions to win the Rumble, and go on to win the title. The gimmick isn't horrible but it is not suited for Austin. He is pretty much in Stunning form here as opposed to the Stone Cold he would be by May. Besides being officially crowned the million dollar champion, there wasn't much of substance here.

Billionaire Ted Skit (RAW 1/8/96)
This is where we start really getting some underhandedness from these skits. What is inferred here is that the WCW wrestlers do not undergo drug tests and are roided freaks. They attack WCW's brad of wrastlin' as not believable and these skits are horrible on many levels.