More IWRG. There are twenty days left in February. Oh Jesus.
Solar, Ultraman y Super Astro vs Negro Navarro, Black Terry y Signo, March 21st
I watched a couple of these matches from 2009, and they were good stuff, but this one seemed a step above those. The match is predicably built around Solar and Navarro, their first section is long but, at times, breathtakingly quick, and it seems like they deliberately stepped it up to elevate their exchanges above the first two pairings. They only had one fall to work with, so they switch partners. Terry, while less spectacular had different, yet equally compelling exchanges with each of the three opponents. I get the impression he leads the way with Ultraman, bumps like crazy for Astro and works equally on the mat with Solar. It really builds up to a crescendo - and a fitting one, with Navarro and Solar left in the ring for one more dazzling series of exchanges.
Black Terry, Dr. Cerebro y H. del Signo vs Pantera, H. del Pantera y Zatura, February 11th
The Cerebro-Zatura matwork in this was really nice - both guys are fast and slick and I could have watched more. Terry vs. Pantera was the focus here, and their interactions, especially their brawling, was top notch. Pantera sold a beating and his comebacks like a trooper (who, as the simile suggests, are notoriously good at selling beatings) and I guess they were playing off the fact Terry had just lost his hair a few days before and wasn't interested in playing games. It is really an all-out performance by him. There's a moment in the third caida where Terry gives a look and physically readjusts before going back into battle again. It's those little performance details that set him apart.
Black Terry y Doctor Cerebro vs Hijo del Diablo y Gringo Loco, February 7th
What I found, watching this match soon after the January match, is that cage contains and focuses the violence of the first brawl. I remember reading that once about the Magnum TA vs. Tully Blanchard I Quit match from 1985. That's not to say this match has the exact same feeling as that one - no-one here is Tully Blanchard, trying to get away from his predicament - but it's pretty intense all the same. The Gringos team do what they need to do, beat up the smaller Mexicans and bump around for their comebacks, but its the selling . I loved Gringo Loco faking out on a dive and escaping the cage - very no-honour-amongst-thieves.
Black Terry, Negro Navarro and Villano IV vs Ultimo Dragon, Blue Panther and Olimpico, April 24th
Tremendous match. Blue Panther vs. Navarro is obviously the banner matchup here, and it's as good as you might imagine. I've got to say that, strictly in pure matwork terms, I thought Panther was better. I'm aware that this really like comparing sticks and stone (when the task at hand is breaking bones), but there are just moments when Panther looks so effortless as he moves around the floor or rolls into a new hold in an improbable way that no-one else can do. Terry vs. Olimpico was also a really nice matchup - it's a different sort of long matwork section which is heavier on the takedowns and tussle, and lighter on and I also liked Villano IV as a chunky, slap-you-down counterpoint to the intricate beauty of Navarro/Panther. Dragon didn't actively offend me, although there must be a hundred other guys I wish had been in there. In his defence, most of those guys would probably be professional wrestlers.
Trauma I vs Hijo del Pirata Morgan, August 4th
I had high hopes for this, because I like a Trauma and I like pirates. As it turns out, it was all very OK, but I wasn't blown away. The first fall was all trading submissions, which was nice, but it wasn't the most exciting matwork I've seen in IWRG this year. I also quite liked the stiffness of their around-ring brawling, and both guys are not afraid to give a kick to the head, nor take one in return. Maybe it was that it sort of lost steam nearer the end, but I just didn't love it.
Showing posts with label bunch of. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bunch of. Show all posts
Monday, 7 February 2011
Wednesday, 2 February 2011
A Bunch Of: Black Terry Junior Handhelds (part one)
So, IWRG seems like the place to see the wrestlers who should be occupying the top spots of a list of best wrestlers in 2010. The good news is that I have already watched some IWRG. I've copied in some old reviews from boards and drafts and things into this post, then I'll put new stuff later tonight.
Los Traumas I/II vs. Suicida/Zatura, (IWRG January 14th) - from an old and unnecessarily long review in my draft folder
One thing I really like about Trauma II is his long mat sections: watching him always feels like he's improvising holds as he goes along. I'm sure if you properly broke it down, they would all be variations on a theme, but a lot of his stuff actively feels like he's coming up with new things to do every few seconds. I really liked his, well, ah, the problem with his stuff is there aren't names for these submissions, so all I'm left with is redundant sentences like, "I really liked his submission hold where he bent Suicida in a number of uncomfortable directions". What I did not expect from a Trauma II opening mat section was that he's learned that the best counter to most unlikely lucha submissions is to punch his opponent in the face. There's a couple of sections where the Suicida-Trauma II mat sections break down into brawling, which made this feel like something a bit different. From there it descends, in a really good way, into just a brutal beating. Trauma II completely no-sells when Zatura misses a dropkick from behind and immediately slaps him on the floor. Trauma I blocks a Zatura tope by kicking him in the chest, then after Suicida was pinned both Trauma smack him all around the outside area. Trauma II has some great worked punches, even with a close up handheld they look great, and he mixes them up with audibly violent wild swinging slaps. This first fall was really great. After that, I felt a little disappointed with the next two falls. Both are short, but the way the first fall was set up, it felt like this should have been worked as a mismatch, with Zatura and Suicida only getting back into it by fluke. To me, aside from the opening minute of the second fall when Trauma I gets all knee-happy with Suicida, it seemed like they almost reset after the awesome beating of the primera. Anyway, I don't want to stray into fantasy booking, but the second two falls undercut the first fall, and the end result fell flat. Still, given that two third of the match was the first fall, the overall result is still a good match.
Black Terry/Dr. Cerebro v. Gringo Loco/El Hijo Del Diablo (IWRG, January 24th)
Tremendous brawl. Terry, in particular, eats an awful beating then comes back with one of his own, but all four guys were great throughout. Super-hot way to kick off the feud.
Negro Navarro/Black Terry/Dr Cerebro vs. Solar/Zatura/Suicida (IWRG, January 28th)
This match is absolutely dominated by the first fall, nearly 20 minutes long and packed full of some of the best wrestling of the year (which I have seen). Each pairing brought something new. The Solar/Navarro sequence was packed full of a selection of familiar exchanges and new things. I liked how, as it went on, the number of counters increased, as neither man was happy to be bested. There's something pleasing about one guy rolling away from a submission, only for the other guy to catch a stray leg and keep a sequence going. Terry vs. Zatura may have been even better for long, organic series of counters. This sort of matchup plays to Terry's ability to work with younger guys and adapt to them. It's one of the areas he clearly has the edge over Navarro. Unlike the 50:50 split of control in Solar vs. Navarro, all of these exchanges felt like the veteran in control, only to be one-upped by the younger technico. Terry seems to enjoy the sport of it, visibly smiling to himself at times. Finally, Suicida and Cerebro put an exclamation point on the matwork with an exhilirating minute of rope-running and an awesome tope.
And despite their shortness, I appreciated the second and third falls. They played off the themes set up at the beginning, and it makes sense that they should not be lengthy, given the mini-epic that was the first fall. That said, the climax really felt like it had been reached at the end of the first fall.
Negro Navarro/Trauma I vs. Pirata Morgan/Hijo del Pirata Morgan (IWRG, January 31st)
Pirata Morgan is, in his old age, as out of shape looking as Navarro is in great condition, yet he still moves with a surprising grace. His matwork isn't elaborate, but he works little things. I loved the section with him controlling Trauma on the mat through working on his leg, building up to the big enziguri. It was simple stuff, but done really compellingly. The younger Pirata matches up well with Navarro, he's a step behind and doesn't have as much ingenuity on the mat but he earns his handshake at the end. In fact, this match really highlighted the younger guys, first having them match up against the parents, then having them go for each other once they older two are eliminated. This leads to a really great, dramatic, hard-fought finishing stretch. I loved the visual of the two dads watching from the sides.
Hijo del Diablo vs. Dr. Cerebro (IWRG, January 31st)
Just a really well put together match. I was struck by how relatively simple all the individual parts were, yet it comes together as a fantastic whole. It sort of has the title match structure, but with elements of a grudge match thrown in (for fun, etc.). First fall is all on the mat, both guys working pretty straight. I think the relative simplicity of this mat section, compared to the more elaborate things Navarro and Solar might do, held allow the match a sense of gradual build, especially as the out-of-ring elements of the match kicked in. The second fall has Cerebro down, only to fight back. Again, nothing here was particularly complicated. Cerebro's blood certainly added to the drama of his comeback, as did the crowd heat. The third fall is where they bring out everything - topes, dives, top rope moves, seconds getting involved and a screwy crowd-pleaser of a finish. Cerebro's selling throughout is great - he really conveyed the stoic determination of a outsized champion whilst still showing the effects of the battle.
Black Terry and Shu El Guererro v. Negro Navarro and El Signo (HH, February 14th)
Shu vs. Navarro have a fantastic long mat section, packed full of nice reversals and intricate takedowns. Loved Navarro rolling away, with Shu catching him by the leg and pulling him into the next hold. The mount position stuff was really nice as well - the camera picks up Navarro scouting out his way in. Maybe as good as most Solar vs. Navarro mat sections. Signo vs. Terry is a less impressive mat section, but a tremendous brawl, Signo absolutely unleashes on Terry at the end of the first fall, opening him up (hardway?). This builds through the second fall with loads of violent looking stuff until the final showdowns, which are completely epic, Terry and Navarro slugging it out and looking exhausted. Plus the setting, which has been noted ad infinitum.
Sangre Chicana, Black Terry and Negro Navarro vs Solar I, Rocky Santana and Olimpico (UWE, February 13th)
This was some tremendous Solar vs. Navarro, really complicated and fast and several new things (to these eyes). But it's hard not to love Sangre Chicana as the sleazy counterpoint to the elegance of Solar and Navarro. It must say something not good about me, but I think I may have loved the three or four really amazing Chicana face punches as much as ten minutes of Solar vs. Navarro. Terry is playing third fiddle here, which is a bit of a shame. His matwork section with Santana was pretty nice, but it served as more of a warm up to the main event.
So, overall, Terry, Trauma I and II, Solar, Dr Cerebro and Negro Navarro are all top 15 candidates. Need to go back over other things to sort out the rankings, and watch more IWRG. Zatura and Suicida are top 40 guys, at a guess. Shu, Pirata Morgan, Signo and Chicana will make the list based on these single performances, probably midway down. I daresay I will find space for Gringo Loco and Hijo Del Diablo by the end - they were lucky to be matched up against the best guys in the world several months, but neither are slouches when it comes to brawls and general slimy rudoism.
Los Traumas I/II vs. Suicida/Zatura, (IWRG January 14th) - from an old and unnecessarily long review in my draft folder
One thing I really like about Trauma II is his long mat sections: watching him always feels like he's improvising holds as he goes along. I'm sure if you properly broke it down, they would all be variations on a theme, but a lot of his stuff actively feels like he's coming up with new things to do every few seconds. I really liked his, well, ah, the problem with his stuff is there aren't names for these submissions, so all I'm left with is redundant sentences like, "I really liked his submission hold where he bent Suicida in a number of uncomfortable directions". What I did not expect from a Trauma II opening mat section was that he's learned that the best counter to most unlikely lucha submissions is to punch his opponent in the face. There's a couple of sections where the Suicida-Trauma II mat sections break down into brawling, which made this feel like something a bit different. From there it descends, in a really good way, into just a brutal beating. Trauma II completely no-sells when Zatura misses a dropkick from behind and immediately slaps him on the floor. Trauma I blocks a Zatura tope by kicking him in the chest, then after Suicida was pinned both Trauma smack him all around the outside area. Trauma II has some great worked punches, even with a close up handheld they look great, and he mixes them up with audibly violent wild swinging slaps. This first fall was really great. After that, I felt a little disappointed with the next two falls. Both are short, but the way the first fall was set up, it felt like this should have been worked as a mismatch, with Zatura and Suicida only getting back into it by fluke. To me, aside from the opening minute of the second fall when Trauma I gets all knee-happy with Suicida, it seemed like they almost reset after the awesome beating of the primera. Anyway, I don't want to stray into fantasy booking, but the second two falls undercut the first fall, and the end result fell flat. Still, given that two third of the match was the first fall, the overall result is still a good match.
Black Terry/Dr. Cerebro v. Gringo Loco/El Hijo Del Diablo (IWRG, January 24th)
Tremendous brawl. Terry, in particular, eats an awful beating then comes back with one of his own, but all four guys were great throughout. Super-hot way to kick off the feud.
Negro Navarro/Black Terry/Dr Cerebro vs. Solar/Zatura/Suicida (IWRG, January 28th)
This match is absolutely dominated by the first fall, nearly 20 minutes long and packed full of some of the best wrestling of the year (which I have seen). Each pairing brought something new. The Solar/Navarro sequence was packed full of a selection of familiar exchanges and new things. I liked how, as it went on, the number of counters increased, as neither man was happy to be bested. There's something pleasing about one guy rolling away from a submission, only for the other guy to catch a stray leg and keep a sequence going. Terry vs. Zatura may have been even better for long, organic series of counters. This sort of matchup plays to Terry's ability to work with younger guys and adapt to them. It's one of the areas he clearly has the edge over Navarro. Unlike the 50:50 split of control in Solar vs. Navarro, all of these exchanges felt like the veteran in control, only to be one-upped by the younger technico. Terry seems to enjoy the sport of it, visibly smiling to himself at times. Finally, Suicida and Cerebro put an exclamation point on the matwork with an exhilirating minute of rope-running and an awesome tope.
And despite their shortness, I appreciated the second and third falls. They played off the themes set up at the beginning, and it makes sense that they should not be lengthy, given the mini-epic that was the first fall. That said, the climax really felt like it had been reached at the end of the first fall.
Negro Navarro/Trauma I vs. Pirata Morgan/Hijo del Pirata Morgan (IWRG, January 31st)
Pirata Morgan is, in his old age, as out of shape looking as Navarro is in great condition, yet he still moves with a surprising grace. His matwork isn't elaborate, but he works little things. I loved the section with him controlling Trauma on the mat through working on his leg, building up to the big enziguri. It was simple stuff, but done really compellingly. The younger Pirata matches up well with Navarro, he's a step behind and doesn't have as much ingenuity on the mat but he earns his handshake at the end. In fact, this match really highlighted the younger guys, first having them match up against the parents, then having them go for each other once they older two are eliminated. This leads to a really great, dramatic, hard-fought finishing stretch. I loved the visual of the two dads watching from the sides.
Hijo del Diablo vs. Dr. Cerebro (IWRG, January 31st)
Just a really well put together match. I was struck by how relatively simple all the individual parts were, yet it comes together as a fantastic whole. It sort of has the title match structure, but with elements of a grudge match thrown in (for fun, etc.). First fall is all on the mat, both guys working pretty straight. I think the relative simplicity of this mat section, compared to the more elaborate things Navarro and Solar might do, held allow the match a sense of gradual build, especially as the out-of-ring elements of the match kicked in. The second fall has Cerebro down, only to fight back. Again, nothing here was particularly complicated. Cerebro's blood certainly added to the drama of his comeback, as did the crowd heat. The third fall is where they bring out everything - topes, dives, top rope moves, seconds getting involved and a screwy crowd-pleaser of a finish. Cerebro's selling throughout is great - he really conveyed the stoic determination of a outsized champion whilst still showing the effects of the battle.
Black Terry and Shu El Guererro v. Negro Navarro and El Signo (HH, February 14th)
Shu vs. Navarro have a fantastic long mat section, packed full of nice reversals and intricate takedowns. Loved Navarro rolling away, with Shu catching him by the leg and pulling him into the next hold. The mount position stuff was really nice as well - the camera picks up Navarro scouting out his way in. Maybe as good as most Solar vs. Navarro mat sections. Signo vs. Terry is a less impressive mat section, but a tremendous brawl, Signo absolutely unleashes on Terry at the end of the first fall, opening him up (hardway?). This builds through the second fall with loads of violent looking stuff until the final showdowns, which are completely epic, Terry and Navarro slugging it out and looking exhausted. Plus the setting, which has been noted ad infinitum.
Sangre Chicana, Black Terry and Negro Navarro vs Solar I, Rocky Santana and Olimpico (UWE, February 13th)
This was some tremendous Solar vs. Navarro, really complicated and fast and several new things (to these eyes). But it's hard not to love Sangre Chicana as the sleazy counterpoint to the elegance of Solar and Navarro. It must say something not good about me, but I think I may have loved the three or four really amazing Chicana face punches as much as ten minutes of Solar vs. Navarro. Terry is playing third fiddle here, which is a bit of a shame. His matwork section with Santana was pretty nice, but it served as more of a warm up to the main event.
So, overall, Terry, Trauma I and II, Solar, Dr Cerebro and Negro Navarro are all top 15 candidates. Need to go back over other things to sort out the rankings, and watch more IWRG. Zatura and Suicida are top 40 guys, at a guess. Shu, Pirata Morgan, Signo and Chicana will make the list based on these single performances, probably midway down. I daresay I will find space for Gringo Loco and Hijo Del Diablo by the end - they were lucky to be matched up against the best guys in the world several months, but neither are slouches when it comes to brawls and general slimy rudoism.
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
A Bunch of: 2010 Japan Indie Title Matches (part one)
What with Shuji Ishikawa and Daisuke Sekimoto's KO-D title runs and several other big title matches and switches over the year so far, I thought work through them in addition to all the Big Japan, Michinoku Pro, Battlarts and K-Dojo shows I'll be reviewing in full. That way, I actually might have seen enough stuff to justify submitting a 2010 Japanese ballot at DVDVR.
Shuji Ishikawa vs. Yoshihito Sasaki, Union Pro, 24th January 2010
First half of this was about Ishikawa taking away Sasaki's lariat and chopping arm and Sasaki taking away Ishikawa's knee strikes and kicking leg. The second half of this was about both guys unloading their heavy weaponry, which included Sasaki's lariat and chops and Ishikawa's knee strikes. So, you can see, this match is problematic. Hard-hitting, perhaps even well-paced, but problematic. Yoshihito Sasaki is also not a guy averse to taking dangerous head drops, nor to completely no-selling them, which given I was already feeling ill-disposed towards the match already really did no it no favours.
Dick Togo vs. Billy Ken Kid, Osaka Pro, 11th February 2010
Tremendous Togo performance. Last year, I thought some of his face-in-peril work was the best in Japan, this year it's a rudo performance that impresses. The match is divided into a series of heat sections with brief comebacks, and Togo finds new and interesting things to do each time, whilst letting BKK to bring a few highspots. The mask theft stuff was great: not a DQ in Japan, but completely disabling as he tries to obscure his face. My biggest problem is that BKK's final comeback - the one where he got his mask back - was disappointing and lacklustre. It really should have been "OK, I've taken 30 minutes of this crap, ENOUGH", but amounted to some weak strikes and the feeling like he almost didn't know what to do next, leaving Togo to take the offence back right where it should have built to the satisfying payoff. Frustrating finish to a great solo performance.
Shuji Ishikawa vs. Daisuke Sekimoto, Union Pro 28th February 2010
I liked this much more that the Sasaki match, and the odd thing about saying that is that, as a match, its much less ambitious. The leg vs. arm story in the Sasaki match is much more interesting, but the execution is weak, which is really such a widespread thing in Japanese wrestling it gets a little depressing. Here, it's very much a case of keeping things simple, leading to a fun power match. Sekimoto is much more worthwhile when against a bigger guy. His power stuff becomes impressive and he doesn't go into finisher overdrive. He's someone I have learned to enjoy in his own way (like in these sort of matches and in tags) - can't expect anything particularly smart, but in certain circumstances his angry-faces and running-around and sort-of-topes have a familiar charm.
Shuji Ishikawa vs. Yoshihito Sasaki, Union Pro, 24th January 2010
First half of this was about Ishikawa taking away Sasaki's lariat and chopping arm and Sasaki taking away Ishikawa's knee strikes and kicking leg. The second half of this was about both guys unloading their heavy weaponry, which included Sasaki's lariat and chops and Ishikawa's knee strikes. So, you can see, this match is problematic. Hard-hitting, perhaps even well-paced, but problematic. Yoshihito Sasaki is also not a guy averse to taking dangerous head drops, nor to completely no-selling them, which given I was already feeling ill-disposed towards the match already really did no it no favours.
Dick Togo vs. Billy Ken Kid, Osaka Pro, 11th February 2010
Tremendous Togo performance. Last year, I thought some of his face-in-peril work was the best in Japan, this year it's a rudo performance that impresses. The match is divided into a series of heat sections with brief comebacks, and Togo finds new and interesting things to do each time, whilst letting BKK to bring a few highspots. The mask theft stuff was great: not a DQ in Japan, but completely disabling as he tries to obscure his face. My biggest problem is that BKK's final comeback - the one where he got his mask back - was disappointing and lacklustre. It really should have been "OK, I've taken 30 minutes of this crap, ENOUGH", but amounted to some weak strikes and the feeling like he almost didn't know what to do next, leaving Togo to take the offence back right where it should have built to the satisfying payoff. Frustrating finish to a great solo performance.
Shuji Ishikawa vs. Daisuke Sekimoto, Union Pro 28th February 2010
I liked this much more that the Sasaki match, and the odd thing about saying that is that, as a match, its much less ambitious. The leg vs. arm story in the Sasaki match is much more interesting, but the execution is weak, which is really such a widespread thing in Japanese wrestling it gets a little depressing. Here, it's very much a case of keeping things simple, leading to a fun power match. Sekimoto is much more worthwhile when against a bigger guy. His power stuff becomes impressive and he doesn't go into finisher overdrive. He's someone I have learned to enjoy in his own way (like in these sort of matches and in tags) - can't expect anything particularly smart, but in certain circumstances his angry-faces and running-around and sort-of-topes have a familiar charm.
Sunday, 11 April 2010
A Bunch of: 1993 Michinoku Pro Commerical Tapes (part two)
A few more (near-complete) matches from some DVDs. First up, a trios from August 19th, pitting Sasuke, SATO and TAKA against Super Delfin, Gran Naniwa and Jinsei Shinzaki. This had a nice opening exchange between Naniwa and SATO - they match up well, especially where Naniwa is taking impressive looking bumps off of SATO really quick takedowns. There was a short rudo section and I've got to say that TAKA isn't really impressing me in that role, and his selling of the beating is lacklustre at best. They do some comedy - the arm-wringer spot and the fake defection by Naniwa - and everyones trademark dives. I was hoping for a little more Sasuke vs. Shinzaki, but they just skirmished early on.
The August 20th show had a title match between Sasuke vs. Shinigami. This was very by numbers. The opening few minutes stuck to the mat - there's a definite distinction between workers like SATO, whose opening sequences are usually quick, more lucha-inspired and based around takedowns and kipups, and workers like Sasuke whose matwork is slower, more technical and based around submissions or holds. Delfin adapts well to both styles. They blow that off soon enough and, probably due to some clipping, the match felt rather like one of those 'The best ten moves of Sasuke' YouTube videos, and Shinigami, whoever he is, did not come off as a threat.
Finally, there were two SATO and partners vs. Delfin and Super Boy tags, the first from August 11th with Gran Hamada, and the second from August 20th with Piloto Suicida. I've seen SATO and Super Boy match up a few times now, and they have some really fun spots. I particularly like the monkey flip spot where SATO lands on his feet - Super Boy looks away, only for Delfin to tell him to look back, where upon he does this completely over-the-top sell of his surprise where he falls over into the ropes. It's much as if SATO didn't just land on his feet, but in the process, he also morphed into Rikidozan.
Weird thing about these two matches was I liked Hamada a lot more than Piloto, who is a second-rate luchadore at best and whose moveset mainly seems to consist of raising his arms in triumph, but the Piloto match was probably better (or at least, more enjoyable), as it gets a lot more time to build up. I guess it felt like a houseshow match as it was heavily into crowd pleasing, with a few short rudo sections. The Hamada match did have just some really slick matwork at the beginning. Above I mentioned the different types of opening exchanges within the promotion - Hamada is definitely a technical holds kind of a guy, but he moves more interestingly from holds and exploits little bits of leverage in a way only old Mexicans do. Final point, I don't want to undersell how much I've been enjoying Delfin during this time-period, but it is Super Boy who is the most fun to watch bounce around the ring. Consider me a fan.
The August 20th show had a title match between Sasuke vs. Shinigami. This was very by numbers. The opening few minutes stuck to the mat - there's a definite distinction between workers like SATO, whose opening sequences are usually quick, more lucha-inspired and based around takedowns and kipups, and workers like Sasuke whose matwork is slower, more technical and based around submissions or holds. Delfin adapts well to both styles. They blow that off soon enough and, probably due to some clipping, the match felt rather like one of those 'The best ten moves of Sasuke' YouTube videos, and Shinigami, whoever he is, did not come off as a threat.
Finally, there were two SATO and partners vs. Delfin and Super Boy tags, the first from August 11th with Gran Hamada, and the second from August 20th with Piloto Suicida. I've seen SATO and Super Boy match up a few times now, and they have some really fun spots. I particularly like the monkey flip spot where SATO lands on his feet - Super Boy looks away, only for Delfin to tell him to look back, where upon he does this completely over-the-top sell of his surprise where he falls over into the ropes. It's much as if SATO didn't just land on his feet, but in the process, he also morphed into Rikidozan.
Weird thing about these two matches was I liked Hamada a lot more than Piloto, who is a second-rate luchadore at best and whose moveset mainly seems to consist of raising his arms in triumph, but the Piloto match was probably better (or at least, more enjoyable), as it gets a lot more time to build up. I guess it felt like a houseshow match as it was heavily into crowd pleasing, with a few short rudo sections. The Hamada match did have just some really slick matwork at the beginning. Above I mentioned the different types of opening exchanges within the promotion - Hamada is definitely a technical holds kind of a guy, but he moves more interestingly from holds and exploits little bits of leverage in a way only old Mexicans do. Final point, I don't want to undersell how much I've been enjoying Delfin during this time-period, but it is Super Boy who is the most fun to watch bounce around the ring. Consider me a fan.
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
A Bunch of: M-Pro 1993 Commercial Tapes (part one)
I have four commercial releases from 1993 that I thought I'd put together in one post. First one has matches from July. I enjoyed the clips from Shiryu vs. Terry Boy. One of the things I've been enjoying most about Terry is the styles he brings together. Obviously there's the lucha-inspired offence, but he also drops in several American spots, like a long side headlock sequence or inside cradles off the ropes. The finish to this is Terry doing Flair's corner bump then coming off the other turnbuckle with a crossbody. Other thing I've enjoyed is the body language. The DVD I'm watching is fairly bad quality, yet his mannerisms - like the bemused turn of the head after Shiryu flips onto his feet off of some takedown - tell me what look I could expect to see on his face if I could see that much detail. It's interesting to be essentially watching like someone in the cheap seats on a DVD, yet reveals which guys really know how to convey a story to the whole crowd. Shiryu has a great tope.
Main event tag was Delfin and Naniwa against SATO and Sasuke. This was entertaining stuff, they paired off to start and switched after two sets of exchanges, so we got some opening mat work and typical lucharesu stuff, followed by the rope-running sequences. Delfin was in fine form, kicking Sasuke in the face after his does his backflip corner attack, then teasing a dive before blowing it off due to crowd cheers. SATO was a little off on a couple of his highspots, but he's still impressive to watch. Sasuke was doing his usual spots so that was completely fine by me. Naniwa is the only one I don't have much sense of as a wrestler. They do the comedy spot where Delfin does over-the-shoulder armbreakers without looking at whose arm is given to him, leading to the inevitable switch where he gets Naniwa's arm by mistake, while Sasuke and SATO cheer him on. They finish with some dives and Sasuke wins with his in-ring quebrada on Naniwa. Nothing exceptional, and I got the impression they mistimed a couple of things (like the breakup of the Delfin Clutch), but even by-numbers M-Pro from this period is fun to watch.
Second show is the commercial release of the July Champ Forum show I reviewed before, with clips from a few other matches. One thing I realise between my first and second watch is that Sasuke's in-ring quebrada press was pretty much his finish, which adds to the finish because he after Delfin kicks out of that at two, he tries a top-rope version (again for a two-count) then the pinning rana for the win. I'm always a fan of super-finishers in big matches, especially when convential weaponry has failed.
Main event tag was Delfin and Naniwa against SATO and Sasuke. This was entertaining stuff, they paired off to start and switched after two sets of exchanges, so we got some opening mat work and typical lucharesu stuff, followed by the rope-running sequences. Delfin was in fine form, kicking Sasuke in the face after his does his backflip corner attack, then teasing a dive before blowing it off due to crowd cheers. SATO was a little off on a couple of his highspots, but he's still impressive to watch. Sasuke was doing his usual spots so that was completely fine by me. Naniwa is the only one I don't have much sense of as a wrestler. They do the comedy spot where Delfin does over-the-shoulder armbreakers without looking at whose arm is given to him, leading to the inevitable switch where he gets Naniwa's arm by mistake, while Sasuke and SATO cheer him on. They finish with some dives and Sasuke wins with his in-ring quebrada on Naniwa. Nothing exceptional, and I got the impression they mistimed a couple of things (like the breakup of the Delfin Clutch), but even by-numbers M-Pro from this period is fun to watch.
Second show is the commercial release of the July Champ Forum show I reviewed before, with clips from a few other matches. One thing I realise between my first and second watch is that Sasuke's in-ring quebrada press was pretty much his finish, which adds to the finish because he after Delfin kicks out of that at two, he tries a top-rope version (again for a two-count) then the pinning rana for the win. I'm always a fan of super-finishers in big matches, especially when convential weaponry has failed.
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
A Bunch Of: Yoshihiro Takayama
Been catching up on All Japan. Takayama is a guy I really like. If you read this blog a lot, you'll notice I often talk more about things like selling and facials more than moves and spots. The essence of enjoying Takayama is in his facials. He has a fairly gnarly face to start with, but he conveys a an awful lot of discomfort and hurting with just the curl of a lip. Also, I like that he's lumbering. He's one of the biggest guys in Japanese pro-wrestling, so I find it credible that a physically limited guy is still such a threat.
The story of a good Takayama match is all about how his oppenents combat the size. The Takayama-Muto match from April is a great example of this. Muto has his established, repetitive moveset, which targets the legs of his opponent. Against Takayama, such a moveset makes a lot of sense, and with really great selling, you get a simple match based around Muto's relentlessly targetting the legs whilst Takayama, perversely, fights from below before his legs finally give out. You could argue that the match lacks a certain drama, and I wouldn't outright disagree. It still remains a well executed and coherent story.
First thing I watched was the Suzuki and Takayama vs. Suwama and Kono from 26th of July. This tag was part of the build towards Suwama's title shot in August. I didn't really like this. Firstly, the opening half is predominantly Suzuki and Kono trading leg locks in the ring, whilst Takayama and Suwama brawl a little lethargically around Korakuen. I wasn't really feeling the animosity that the build to a showdown should generate. In the latter stages it almost felt like Suzuki and Takayama were doing all they could to make Suwama's strikes and lariats look deadly, which is commendable. Suwama could just hit harder though.
This led to the title match from August 30th. The start to this is slow, and not in a good way (feeling out, looking for an opening) but like they were going at two thirds speed. There's some sloppy work early on as well - the back body drop looked awful. It got better when Takayama took control - his knee strikes, low drop kicks and apron strike combos looked good. I don't like how Takayama's selling was almost too much for the relative weakness of much of Suwama's early stuff, while Suwama does by Takayama's significantly stiffer offence. The last six or seven minutes were great, however, filled with some nice spots (the suplex off the the top that almost landed Takayama on his head) and of course the massively violent final exchange - both guys punching each other in the face, and a headbutt that sounded like two concrete blocks slamming together. A little disturbing, given the hardway bleeding and Takayama's own medical history, but for sheer violence, it was quite amazing. At the same time, the finish felt like they went 'right, now we go', which while great self-contained, actually serves to emphasise how underwhelming the first twenty minutes are. The biggest problem with the middle was that Suwama was working as an equal in terms of power and impact, without the moveset or the epic heavyweight fatigue selling a twenty five minute match of that style should involve,
Takayama vs. Kojima from September 26th was so much better. Takayama's got a cockiness early on - the bit where he carefully lines up the chest slap so he could pull back on the armbreaker was great. His face said 'I can hit you whenever I'm ready'. Simple psychology with Koji targetting the head, either because of the historic injury, or the end of the Suwama match. The finish isn't brutal like the Suwama match, nor is it the most creative thing you've ever seen, but it works well enough, with Kojima sticking with his lariat until it gets three. Kojima selling an self-inflicted injured arm as a result was a nice touch. I loved Takayama's facial reaction of disbelief to the kickout of the German. Sense of cumulative damage was well done here, and the crowd, especially after the German kickout, were really into the idea of a title change and made this feel like an Event. Much shorter, more consistently impactful, and a well told story make this a success.
The story of a good Takayama match is all about how his oppenents combat the size. The Takayama-Muto match from April is a great example of this. Muto has his established, repetitive moveset, which targets the legs of his opponent. Against Takayama, such a moveset makes a lot of sense, and with really great selling, you get a simple match based around Muto's relentlessly targetting the legs whilst Takayama, perversely, fights from below before his legs finally give out. You could argue that the match lacks a certain drama, and I wouldn't outright disagree. It still remains a well executed and coherent story.
First thing I watched was the Suzuki and Takayama vs. Suwama and Kono from 26th of July. This tag was part of the build towards Suwama's title shot in August. I didn't really like this. Firstly, the opening half is predominantly Suzuki and Kono trading leg locks in the ring, whilst Takayama and Suwama brawl a little lethargically around Korakuen. I wasn't really feeling the animosity that the build to a showdown should generate. In the latter stages it almost felt like Suzuki and Takayama were doing all they could to make Suwama's strikes and lariats look deadly, which is commendable. Suwama could just hit harder though.
This led to the title match from August 30th. The start to this is slow, and not in a good way (feeling out, looking for an opening) but like they were going at two thirds speed. There's some sloppy work early on as well - the back body drop looked awful. It got better when Takayama took control - his knee strikes, low drop kicks and apron strike combos looked good. I don't like how Takayama's selling was almost too much for the relative weakness of much of Suwama's early stuff, while Suwama does by Takayama's significantly stiffer offence. The last six or seven minutes were great, however, filled with some nice spots (the suplex off the the top that almost landed Takayama on his head) and of course the massively violent final exchange - both guys punching each other in the face, and a headbutt that sounded like two concrete blocks slamming together. A little disturbing, given the hardway bleeding and Takayama's own medical history, but for sheer violence, it was quite amazing. At the same time, the finish felt like they went 'right, now we go', which while great self-contained, actually serves to emphasise how underwhelming the first twenty minutes are. The biggest problem with the middle was that Suwama was working as an equal in terms of power and impact, without the moveset or the epic heavyweight fatigue selling a twenty five minute match of that style should involve,
Takayama vs. Kojima from September 26th was so much better. Takayama's got a cockiness early on - the bit where he carefully lines up the chest slap so he could pull back on the armbreaker was great. His face said 'I can hit you whenever I'm ready'. Simple psychology with Koji targetting the head, either because of the historic injury, or the end of the Suwama match. The finish isn't brutal like the Suwama match, nor is it the most creative thing you've ever seen, but it works well enough, with Kojima sticking with his lariat until it gets three. Kojima selling an self-inflicted injured arm as a result was a nice touch. I loved Takayama's facial reaction of disbelief to the kickout of the German. Sense of cumulative damage was well done here, and the crowd, especially after the German kickout, were really into the idea of a title change and made this feel like an Event. Much shorter, more consistently impactful, and a well told story make this a success.
Saturday, 10 October 2009
A Bunch Of: Black Terry
It's coming towards the end of the year, and I'm catching up with some matches for some guys who'll appear near the top of my WKO 100 ballot. This one is all Black Terry.
First up, the trios between Cerebro Terribles and the team of Zatura and the two Traumas, from June 15th. This had a great matwork first fall. Zatura and Cerebro Negro had a nice long section with nice matstuff and armdrags. Trauma II looks really useful matching up against Dr Cerebro - I like flowing matwork where it looks like the moves between holds seem to involve some work, or leverage. Trauma I isn't quite as good, but he's in there with Terry, who leads him through some nice sequences. There's a great reaction by Dr Cerebro near the end of the fall after Trauma I gets Terry in a leglock straight out of his father's playbook. The technicos take the fall. The rest of this match is a little odd, as the Cerebros take the second fall and dominate most of the third falls, without much of a technico comeback. Terry works on Trauma I's arm for large parts of this, and Trauma does a good job selling his arm, although it doesn't matter for much for the match. There was a couple of time Terry seemed to be missing punches to Trauma, before I realised he was punching him in the arm, not the chin. Cerebro Negro seems to legitimately injure himself, leading to medical attention, which seems to throw everyone off. Overall, solid but not that special.
Moving forward to August 10th, and we have a Cerebros trios not involving Navarro or his offspring. Almost as good though, because this was the pirates. Who doesn't love pirates? I really liked this. It has a great opening - Terry ends up in los Piratas corner, and fights off all three with elbow, before Hijo del Pirata Morgan ends up in the same position, and does the same, and they have a huge standoff, and I thought it was glorious. Really long matwork fall to start. Terry and Hijo seem to really be working hard in their section, fighting for each hold. There's some cool stuff in there too - Terry stands on Hijo's hand to move behind him. Loved the faceoff with Barba Roja on the apron. I'm never sure who I like more out of Dr Cerebro and Cerebro Negro. Dr Cerebro does a lot more arm-drag type stuff (although there was a lovely long sequence in the middle with at one point the Doctor leveraging Morgan Jr over with a complicated looking leg entwinement), while Negro does a lot more holding on to limbs, moving between numerous holds in one sequence. I don't really have a strong preference either way, especially as their sequences always look good and they are working slightly different roles within the trio. The matwork breaks down with another Piratas breakup of a submission, and soon after a short rope running exchange between Morgan Jr and Dr Cerebro, the Cerebros take the fall with two submissions and a pinfall, all simultaneously. Very much a classic fall, with a classic finish.
The second fall breaks out of the matwork pairing, and moves into more intense brawling sections around the ring, with the rudos taking control. Los Piratas looked like a great unit here, during the triple teams. This ends with the Dr Cerebro and Negro getting back into the fall sending two of the Piratas to the outside, followed up with great topes (Dr Cerebro's is a real head first suicidal) before Hijo del Pirata Morgan throws his mask at Terry. Terry's reactions here are delightful, slowly working out what the mask in his hand means, then his protests to the referee as he was disqualified.
The final fall begins with the rudos in charge, but this switches over and then the Cerebros get to control with their triple teams, which are very slick. Cerebro Negro does a nasty looking double foot stop over the rope to the apron. I really liked the pacing of this match, especially the way brawling and triple team work was used as a basis to build upon towards the finishes. Each falls felt like a seperate encounter with an real sense of momentum and control. It was interesting to see the Cerebros working crowd favourites here, but also to see Terry win with a low blow - both equalising the cheating in the second fall, and a nod to old rudo habits. I wish the revancha the following week had been aired, because this is one of my favourite lucha trios of the year.
Finally, I've got Black Terry, Cerebro Negro and Fantasma de la Opera vs Dinastia Navarro (this is from IWRG on 9th July). This had an inauspicious start, as they break straight into brawling. I didn't think it was particularly bad, like ohtani's jacket did, just not very interesting. There is a point in the second caida, however, where Navarro gets really intense and starts fighting back, throwing great punches, which Terry takes exactly like he always does, rocking about yet still standing up. I love this sort of brawling - so often you see one person punching another, and the other running away, so it looks very weak. Here, Terry and Navarro are right up against each other, and it looks great. The fall ends with Navarro staring out the referee, and he looks like the biggest badass on the planet. The third fall is good, with a sequence of submissions and breakups, before the dives leave Terry and Navarro alone for the finish, which is exactly what you want. Good stuff.
First up, the trios between Cerebro Terribles and the team of Zatura and the two Traumas, from June 15th. This had a great matwork first fall. Zatura and Cerebro Negro had a nice long section with nice matstuff and armdrags. Trauma II looks really useful matching up against Dr Cerebro - I like flowing matwork where it looks like the moves between holds seem to involve some work, or leverage. Trauma I isn't quite as good, but he's in there with Terry, who leads him through some nice sequences. There's a great reaction by Dr Cerebro near the end of the fall after Trauma I gets Terry in a leglock straight out of his father's playbook. The technicos take the fall. The rest of this match is a little odd, as the Cerebros take the second fall and dominate most of the third falls, without much of a technico comeback. Terry works on Trauma I's arm for large parts of this, and Trauma does a good job selling his arm, although it doesn't matter for much for the match. There was a couple of time Terry seemed to be missing punches to Trauma, before I realised he was punching him in the arm, not the chin. Cerebro Negro seems to legitimately injure himself, leading to medical attention, which seems to throw everyone off. Overall, solid but not that special.
Moving forward to August 10th, and we have a Cerebros trios not involving Navarro or his offspring. Almost as good though, because this was the pirates. Who doesn't love pirates? I really liked this. It has a great opening - Terry ends up in los Piratas corner, and fights off all three with elbow, before Hijo del Pirata Morgan ends up in the same position, and does the same, and they have a huge standoff, and I thought it was glorious. Really long matwork fall to start. Terry and Hijo seem to really be working hard in their section, fighting for each hold. There's some cool stuff in there too - Terry stands on Hijo's hand to move behind him. Loved the faceoff with Barba Roja on the apron. I'm never sure who I like more out of Dr Cerebro and Cerebro Negro. Dr Cerebro does a lot more arm-drag type stuff (although there was a lovely long sequence in the middle with at one point the Doctor leveraging Morgan Jr over with a complicated looking leg entwinement), while Negro does a lot more holding on to limbs, moving between numerous holds in one sequence. I don't really have a strong preference either way, especially as their sequences always look good and they are working slightly different roles within the trio. The matwork breaks down with another Piratas breakup of a submission, and soon after a short rope running exchange between Morgan Jr and Dr Cerebro, the Cerebros take the fall with two submissions and a pinfall, all simultaneously. Very much a classic fall, with a classic finish.
The second fall breaks out of the matwork pairing, and moves into more intense brawling sections around the ring, with the rudos taking control. Los Piratas looked like a great unit here, during the triple teams. This ends with the Dr Cerebro and Negro getting back into the fall sending two of the Piratas to the outside, followed up with great topes (Dr Cerebro's is a real head first suicidal) before Hijo del Pirata Morgan throws his mask at Terry. Terry's reactions here are delightful, slowly working out what the mask in his hand means, then his protests to the referee as he was disqualified.
The final fall begins with the rudos in charge, but this switches over and then the Cerebros get to control with their triple teams, which are very slick. Cerebro Negro does a nasty looking double foot stop over the rope to the apron. I really liked the pacing of this match, especially the way brawling and triple team work was used as a basis to build upon towards the finishes. Each falls felt like a seperate encounter with an real sense of momentum and control. It was interesting to see the Cerebros working crowd favourites here, but also to see Terry win with a low blow - both equalising the cheating in the second fall, and a nod to old rudo habits. I wish the revancha the following week had been aired, because this is one of my favourite lucha trios of the year.
Finally, I've got Black Terry, Cerebro Negro and Fantasma de la Opera vs Dinastia Navarro (this is from IWRG on 9th July). This had an inauspicious start, as they break straight into brawling. I didn't think it was particularly bad, like ohtani's jacket did, just not very interesting. There is a point in the second caida, however, where Navarro gets really intense and starts fighting back, throwing great punches, which Terry takes exactly like he always does, rocking about yet still standing up. I love this sort of brawling - so often you see one person punching another, and the other running away, so it looks very weak. Here, Terry and Navarro are right up against each other, and it looks great. The fall ends with Navarro staring out the referee, and he looks like the biggest badass on the planet. The third fall is good, with a sequence of submissions and breakups, before the dives leave Terry and Navarro alone for the finish, which is exactly what you want. Good stuff.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)