Whats the last wrestling match you watched?

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

RE: Whats the last wrestling match you watched?

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

Neo Stage 2004

Semi Finals
Kyoko Inoue vs Etsuko Mita

What would have been a cracker in their primes,this was a short mess and quite poor display from both the girls.Etsuko started the match by piledriving Kyoko through a table, then in the ring it suffered slowely,some clotheslines and a couple of double armed suplxes but Kyoko barely mustered much.Etsuko dominated and won the match after Kyoko botched a leap in the corner then mita hooking her over into a jacknife pin for the victory.Not a great night in the legendary Kyoko Inoues Career thats for sure.Poor.

Tag team match
Michiko Omukai/Kyoko Ichiki vs Yuka Hakamura/Chiharu

The Heel to kicked the living daylights out of Chiharu.Nothing much apart from the usual stuff,the drop kicks, the top rope dives onto the 2 members of the other team ect.Omukai put away Chiharu with a big kick to the head.A nothing match.The girls seem pretty tired
so this is has been quite a poor show in general.

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

Neo Stage 2004

Final round match
Momoe Nakanishi vs Etsuko Mita
Main event of a pretty average show.Both girls did ok,Momoe showing her impressive skills as a highflyer and submission specialist with a moonsault and leg lock variations,Mita dominated with some power moves,a top rope electric chair drop,jumping piledriver and death valley a few times.Nakanishi scored the pin afater a jumping round house spinning kick to the head of Mita.Short match,could have been better but fun enough.Momoe is fast becoming one of my faverates to watch!

Man In Black · Anime Mod

AJPW "PRO-WRESTLING LOVE IN RYOGOKU VOL. 4" - 01.03.2008

Jr Heavyweight Title Match: Katsuhiko Nakajima (c) vs Silver King

Forgive me but I feel Silver King a little large to be a Jr. I'd certainly place him as a heavyweight. Nakajima had a lot of fire in his offense but it was mostly kicks a few German suplexes. King hit some nice power moves like a sick DVD which seemed to be playing up to the size/weight differential which makes me question King's validity in this match. It was okay for what it was but not as outstanding as some of Nakajima's other matches. The crowd was quite into it though. Pre and post match, King removed his mask.

AJPW Triple Crown match - Kensuke Sasaki (c) vs Satoshi Kojima

Weird match this. After all the heated build up between the two (Kojima tunring on Kensuke, injuring Nakajima and beating up his wife Akira Hokuto), they started out with some mat work?!? Shouldn't they have torn the hell out of each other? Then we get the VDM vs Team Kensuke brawl on the outside which lead to a lame chair attack from Kojima. A bit further into the match and Kensuke hit a Northern Lights Bomb on the outside which kojima kicked out of after Kensuke realised Kojima was never going to answer the ref count (duh!) and rolled him back into the ring. Then they had a lariat battle with each man continuously blocking the other man's lariat attempt. Surely if it didn't work the first few times why try it a dozen more times? Kensuke got a nice pop for his win and the match was okay but too slow at best and very weirdly booked.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

And the rest of the show....

AJPW "PRO-WRESTLING LOVE IN RYOGOKU VOL. 4" - 01.03.2008

Seiya Sanada & Hajime Suruga vs. Manabu Soya & CJ Otis

Fairly basic but solid tag match to open with. Otis still screams Indy jobber even though he tied his long hair back and wore purple trunks with his name on them this time. His work seemed a bit forced to me. The others were good and showed a lot of promise. Sanada and Suruga need to bulk up while the latter needs to work on his offensive strikes. Soya looks like he has a bright future ahead of him.

T28, Hiroshi Yamato & KAI vs. NOSAWA Rongai, MAZADA & TAKEMURA

This reminded me of a CTU 6 man from New Japan in the way it was laid out. T28 could be a really impressive junior in a few years and KAI has a good look and presence about him. I think what put me off Yamato was his yellow headband but he showed some promise too. NOSAWA doesn't do much for me but TAKEMURA and MAZADA came across as too cool kick ass guys. Fun match overall.

Joe Doering, Kaz Hayashi & Ryuji Hijikata vs. Zodiac, Shuji Kondo & Naoki Tanisaki

Another formulaic 6 man with some good action as long as Zodiac was kept out of the ring. This gimmick seems to accentuate his weakness rather than hide them - with the exception of his leap to the top rope. I hate to say this but I've finally realised that Kondo reminds me of Tatanka with his tassels and red mohawk! Match was a lot of fun though with Hayashi carrying the load for his team. Rather strangely, Hijikata had issues with Kaz after the match and left the ring without celebrating with his team.

Kohei Suwama vs. TARU

Dull, dull dull. Basically this was TARU kicking and stomping on Suwama then throwing him outside to the other VDM members. Lather, rinse repeat. After about 4 hours of this (okay it was about 7 minutes but it felt longer) TARU splashed Suwama through a table then handcuffed him and smashed a bottle over his head. For some reason this rejuvenated Suwama who no sold it, broke the handcuffs and hit a sloppy Powerbomb for the win. Why Suwama is getting a push I have no idea because he seems to make no effort in his work and has no conviction in his strikes and moves. Waste of time.

Keiji Muto & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Toshiaki Kawada & Taiyo Kea

This was great. Tanahashi got the most heat of anyone on the show yet was probably the best worker overall. His exchanges with Kawada were heated and very stiff. A singles match surely beckons. I haven't really been that impressed with Kea before but he was good here and didn't look out of place. Mutoh hit a load of Shining Wizards as usual but Tanahashi was the star here.

Dory Funk Jr. & Osamu Nishimura vs. Genichiro Tenryu & Masanobu Fuchi

Well, this was never going to be a technical classic but in the spirit of the match's intention it didn't have to be. Dory may be old and is slower than Hogan yet he can still work a watchable match. You could tell that Fuchi and Tenryu were going easy on Dory (well Fuchi was) but it didn't matter. I think Nishimura knew he was a supporting player here and took that role in his stride. The post match celebration was very well done and was a classy affair all round. Enjoy your retirement Dory!

Overall, aside from the TARU vs Suwama match and the odd booking of the main event, I enjoyed this show a lot. I think All Japan have really turned a corner over the past few months and with the growing talent they have in their rookies, the only way is up.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

2/03/08 - GHC Title Match: Mitsuharu Misawa vs Takeshi Morishima

Slightly better than their previous match with Morishima really taking it to Misawa. You got the impression this time that Misawa was fighting to save his title rather than sleepwalking through this defence like he has done in recent matches. The absence of mat work was rather noticeable but I guess that fitted in more with Morishima's style of bulldozing his opponents. A few nice spots here and there although I didn't care for Misawa no selling a backdrop on the ramp. At least the heated finish gave way to the right result and hopefully NOAH started to build a new top line to move on with.

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

I have to see that match between Morshima and Misawa,2 of my fave puro guys.
Last matches i saw were..

AJW 1995
Kyoko Inoue vs Tomoko Watanabe
Nice little match,a lot of lariats,counters and such,a nasty looking powerbomb by inoue on
tomoko got her the win,very short match but very good.Inoue was the best female wrestler in the world i feel in the early 90s,great charisma and look,before she became pregnant just a little while back, sadly she was a huge shadow of her former self,slow and plodding but an awesome wrestler back in her day.

Takako Inoue vs Mariko Yoshia
A young Mariko yoshida,again quite short but these matches are part of a big tournement
during that time i believe so it probably suffered from the short time limits or whatever.Great stuff again,Takako Inoue isnt one of the more popular wrestlers but she taught Yoshida quite a lesson in this match.Mariko one with a crosspowerbomb at the end.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

Here you go Totty:

Misawa vs Morishima

http://www.sendspace.com/file/7fqmw1

It would open up a new window (hopefully) and the link is at the bottom marked 2N.avi.

Enjoy!

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

Cheers mib ^-^

Man In Black · Anime Mod

2/03/08 - GHC Tag Team Title: Naomichi Marufuji & Takashi Sugiura vs Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe

I don't know why but when I see the Briscoes with their shaven heads, tattoos and grim facial expressions I can't help but think "Neo Nazi"... hmm

This was a well paced match with some great work from all four guys. my only complaint would be the excessive use of the Superkick; there must have been about a dozen used in this match (not all by Marufuji) and most of them weren't sold. In one scary spot, one of the Briscoes slipped while attempting a Lionsault and landed on his back just rolling slightly back onto his neck. So what does Marufuji do? Whack him in the back of the neck anyway! There were some cool spots from Suguira where he would set up one of the Briscoes for a move then swerve and knock the other off the apron! The near falls were very well done while the finish spot was amazing, very well timed. Great match - probably my favourite of the year so far!

-- Edited by Man In Black at 10:40, 2008-03-04

Man In Black · Anime Mod

21/02/08 - Takeshi Morishima, Naomichi Marufuji & Takashi Sugiura vs Kenta Kobashi, Tamon Honda & Shuhei Taniguchi

For some reason, Team Morishima decided it was open season on Kobashi: Suguira jumped him before the bell, Marufuji kept taking pot shots at him throughout the match and Morishima beat the snot out of him on the floor. Yet the man kept coming back at them! Honda wasn't as active in this match as the other two while Taniguchi - who has a load of potential - played the face in peril/job boy here which I'm sure Go Shiozaki would have done if he were present. After a solid start the match eventually broke down into the usual 6 man chaos with some great near falls on both sides until Taniguchi ate a vicious Pole Shift. Good match with a heated finish and strong performances all round.

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

GAEA 2002 GPANIC show November 10th

Ran Yu Yu/Carlos Amano vs Mayumi Ozaki/Karou

Crazy tag match. Yu Yu and Amano were the fan faverates while karou and Ozaki were cursing at the crowd.Fun little match,but not in the much of wrestling,more of a hardcore match with Karou and Ozakiu decemating Ran with chair shots,chains and Wooden boards.
A little ref bump in the middle enabled Amano to enter only to get battered to.A swift spinning TKO and a Roll up by Amano to Karou won the match.Bonkers but fun.Quite sad Gaea isnt around anymore.

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

GAEA 2002

Lioness Aska/Devil Masami vs Sugar Sato/Chigusa Nagoya

Very good tag team match up,Started with a pure wrestling exchange by the former crush girls followed by brutality by Masami on Sato who took a beating all the way though this match.I had a huge crush on sugar and was her biggest fan for a long time until she retired to marry,lucky sod.She reminds me a lot of Yuki Miyazaki,big girl but very agile and a good in ring wrestler,very underrated.Going to go through some newer stuff soon :).

Man In Black · Anime Mod

Continuing with the trend that it's just me and Totty who still watch wrestling these days...

AJPW 26/07/05 - Kaz Hayashi vs. Taiji Ishimori

Neat fast paced junior's match with some solid mat work to open before they opened up the big moves. It's nice to see high flying Kaz again since he hasn't done so much of that lately while Ishimori seems to be doing the same thing 2 1/2 years later. He also blew a couple of spots, most notably slipping off the top rope while going for a Springboard move and landed face first in front of a bemused Hayashi. There were some great near falls and reversals before Kaz took the fall. Fun match.

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

Neo 2007

Yuki Miyazaki/Genki Misae vs Chikayo Nagashima/Dynamite Kansai

Nice hard hitting tag match,Miyazaki with her game face this time with some funny moments of comedy.Pretty much as you would expect, Kansai and Misae with the power based offence,lots of stiff kicks and blows,powerbombs ect,Nagashima with her quick skills on yuki and yuki infliucting her deadly splitting legs submission thing on the floor with Chikayo! Kansai scored the pinfall on Yuki (boooo...) with a horrible looking senton from the top turnbuckle.

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

Neo 2008

Yuki miyazaki vs Kyoko Kimura
First time i saw the 2 wrestle together,very fun little match, a lot of comedy from Miyazaki and the usual chain swining antics by kimura,near falls,fast suplexs,Miyazaki lost sadly to my dismay :(..

Tanny Mouse vs Yoshiko Tamura
A good match, Tannys most impressive match for a while but Tamura took her with a big elbow to the jaw after some nice fast paced action.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

Dragon Gate 20/03/08 - GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Shingo Takagi & BxB Hulk (c) vs KENTA & Taiji Ishimori

Back on November 24th 2007 the duo of Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino from the Dragon Gate promotion shocked everyone when they defeated Kotaro Suzuki & Ricky Marvin for NOAH's GHC Jr Tag Titles. On Januray 15th 2008 they dropped the belts to another DG team of Takagi & BxB Hulk, the first time NOAH's titles had changed hands in another promotion. KENTA and Ishimori entered DG to bring the belts home to NOAH in this match.

And what a match it was. I've not seen much DG save for a PPV I downloaded about 2 years ago, but the home team really impressed me. I don't know what heat there was between KENTA and Takagi but their exchanges were very stiff. Ishimori provided his usually flippy stuff and Hulk was there to match him. At one point Hulk got spiked with a cradle DDT although I'm not sure if it was legit, yet he did seem a little behind the beat afterwards (but not much). The closing minutes were insane with tons of near falls and some cool moves being busted out (and the obligatory no selling - most notably KENTA getting straight up from a DVD off the top) before KENTA literally kicked the holy hell out of Takagi to reclaim the belts for NOAH after 23 minutes of non-stop action. Great heated match and probably my new favourite for 2008 thus far.

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

just watched some other stuff..A mix of old and new ;)

WOW 2000
Asian invasion vs Slam Dunk
2 gorgeous asian women wrestlers booked like utter jobbers and sterotypical oriental
women, both gave a good effort but alas to no avail to the most awful of womens wrestlers iv ever seen in my life in Slam Dunk.Her choke slam is a joke and thus was this match to.
No wonder this company went down after a short while with jokes like her as top stars.

Neo 2006
Genki Misae vs Ayako Hamada
Pretty decent match up,Ayako was decent but in the middle of a decline period where she was slightly mover heavier then she had been previously.Misae is one scary lady and brutalized Hamada with huge kicks and clotheslines.Somehow Ayakao pulled out the win in it
with an impressive moonsault.

Chickfight
Cheerleader Melissa vs Daizie Haize
A heck of a match from the girls and ended in a time limit draw,great effort from both girls
who to be honest i dont watch a lot of but great stuff, a bit sloppy with some moves at times
but very fun and very exciting to watch.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

DRAGON GATE 3.20.2008 Open the Dream Gate Title Match - CIMA (c) vs Masato Yoshino

I have to say I'm not sure what I thought of this match. I was expecting a 100MPH spot fest as I have seen previously from DG but instead this opened up with some basic mat then each man working on each others arms for a prolonged length of time which initially seem to go nowhere. Then the fast spots broke out before things slowed down again for some more arm work. Then we entered the "Land of the 1000 finishers" which is where I got a little jaded because both men where kicking out of some monumental moves - including CIMA hitting a Celtic Cross off the top rope which only got a two count. I don't mind it when they build up the near falls with each move getting bigger but at least slow the pace down to make it more dramatic and believable; this was just one big move after another. Eventually the arm work from earlier did prove its worth as CIMA locked in a nice triangle choke variation which saw the towel being thrown in on Yoshjino's behalf - a move that killed the crowd heat instantly.

Perhaps DG is an acquired like most Puro is when one first discovers it but I found the pacing and the structure of the match very jarring leaving me more bewildered than entertained. I'm sure regular DG followers will get it more than I did and enjoy it more.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

New Japan Pro Wrestling 2001 G-1 Climax Final - Keiji Muto vs Yuji Nagata

Started off very slow with loads of leg submissions by both men yet the crowd were totally into it all the way. Muto then controlled the next part continuing the attack on Nagata's legs which of course was quickly shrugged off when Nagata mounted his comeback. Despite being in charge for most of the match Muto tapped to a Crossface to give Nagata a very popular win.

Despite this being submission based with the more action packed moments appearing intermittently, this was solid match between an old master and the rising star.

-- Edited by Man In Black at 21:50, 2008-03-21

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

a couple more

Neo
34 person battle Royal
Crazy old Neo with its always comical battle royals,more wild elimantions and crazy costumed girls include several smaller Kyoko Inoues, girls dressed like aliens, 2 samurai warriors,school girls ect ect..All very cute but naturally the winnter of the battle royal just had to be Kyoko Inoue.Funny and great stuff.

Ironman title
Yuki Miyzaki vs various people
Setting up for a match with Tanny against Ueematsu/Ran Yu Yu, she was bashed with a bucket by another joshi girl who pinned her then the chase began over the building.After the match she found the girl, hit her and pinned her in the locker room only for Tanny to accidently bump her in the head with a door,prompting the girl to pin her again and another chase around the arena!

LPWA
The beast vs Malia Hosaka
Nothing but a squash.Poor Malia, the beast was a dreadful wrestler.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

Iron MAN title? Shouldn't that be Iron Woman title?

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

Well i believe its called the ironman title and it doesnt matter really since anyone can win it,its quite an odd championship which winners include small girls,men to a dog who pinned a ladder to claim the belt..I think anyway! Its a comedy title belt i guess.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

Ah...sounds a bit like the DDT hardcore title that was won by a stepladder...

Man In Black · Anime Mod

14/04/01 - Keiji Muto vs. Toshiaki Kawada

Muto was still an interloper at this point and Kawada was having none of it. Fairly medium paced affair with Muto doing his usual stuff and Kawada kicking the bejesus out of him in return. Despite Kawada having the overwhelming support of the fans, Muto's win got a big pop. I also noticed that the Shining Wizard was more of a stiff knee to the head here whereas nowadays Muto is satisfied if his legs are anywhere in the general vicinity of his opponents head. Solid match.

08/06/01 Triple Crown Match - Genichiro Tenryu (c) vs Keiji Muto

This version has about 8 minutes clipped from it but what was left was great. Again Muto was an All Japan part timer here and Tenryu was the grumpy veteran defending the home turf's top prize. Muto stuck to his familiar game plan of targeting Tenryu's legs and wearing it down, but Tenryu turns it around and repays Muto with a taste of his own medicine. Muto throws everything he has at Tenryu but it does nothing but rile the TC Champ up. Muto finally scores the big win with two Shining Wizards. Great heated match. Would like to see the complete version one day.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

AJPW, Champions Carnival 2007 Day 1 26/03/2007

Champion Carnival - Block B: Satoshi Kojima vs. TAJIRI

This obviously pre-VM Kojima as evident by his then red hair. Fun little match with Tajiri playing the sneaky but congenial heel and Kojima the smart babyface. After all else failed Tajiri had to resort the green mist and settle for a double count out.

Champion Carnival - Block A: Taiyo Kea vs. Kohei Suwama

Surprisingly the best match on the show. I've not been much of a Kea fan but he worked very hard here while Suwama was his usual sluggish self. I dont know what it is about Suwama but he just does not show any conviction in what he does. Kea sold for him and put in a great performance as the "never say die" hero. The near falls were well done and the crowd were into it until the time limit expired. Good stuff.

Kensuke Sasaki, Katsuhiko Nakajima & Raimu Mishima vs. TARU, Shuji Kondo & "brother" YASSHI

Standard VM vs Kesnuke office 6 man with the heels beating up the junior member of the opposition (Mishima) then Kensuke comes in and cleans house. Even Mrs. Sasaki got in on the action in a kendo stick duel with TARU. Okay for what it was; nothing spectacular.

Champion Carnival - Block B: Minoru Suzuki vs. RO'Z

Horrible match that was thankfully kept short. Suzuki won via Submission.

Champion Carnival - Block A: Keiji Muto vs. Toru Owashi

Another by the numbers Muto match as he worked over the legs of Owashi, took a few power moves (including the worst chokeslam ever) the scored the win with three Shining Wizards. I don't know much about Owashi other than he was probably the only guy to rival Suwama for the "Sluggish Performance Of The Night" award. Meh.

And a real blast from the past:

15/04/1995 Champion Carnival Final Mitsuhura Misawa vs. Akira Taue

It's no secret I've never really "got" Taue but even I cannot deny the effort he put into making this a great bout. Clearly going in as the underdog, Taue fought like a man who had something to prove not just to the fans and the nay-sayers but also to himself. And he did just that. Misawa was great as usual and did everything to put Taue over as a threat and potential victor. The big guy eventually fell to two Tiger Suplexes but he took a lot more in the process and gave a lot more too. This match is another great example of everything that wrestling should be!

-- Edited by Man In Black at 14:56, 2008-03-23

Symphony Of Destruction · Metal Mod

John Cena & Randy Orton Vs All of Raw's midcard/jobbers.

It was entertaining, kind of in the same way watching the Superman films, it's entertaining. Because you know that in real life there would be no chance of it actually happening.

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

WOW
Jungle Girl vs Lotus
Squash match, Jungle getting the pin with a weak superfly splash from the top ropes.

Oz Academy 2007
Mayumi Ozaki vs Carlos Amano
Good match, a little short but pretty fun, lots of brutal kicks, stiff forums,suplexs, some good wrestling but nothing different from the usual stuff they do.Amano actually won with a pretty nasty looking headbutt.

Neo 2007
Yoshiko Tamura vs Genki Misae
Strong match between the 2, Genki and Yoshiko didnt hold back, strong blows, great wrestling, Tamura prooving why she is the best by beating Genki with a running elbow to her
head.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

20/04/91 - Jumbo Tsuruta, Masanobu Fuchi & Akira Taue vs. Mitsuharu Misawa, Toshiaki Kawada & Kenta Kobashi

Awesome 6 man as one would expect from the performers involved. 48mins 30 secs of non-stop hard hitting action with great crowd heat. The fans obviously couldn't pick favourites so they chanted for everybody here. Not sure what the heat was between Taue and Kawada but they kept going at each other even when they were not legally in the match. Just great stuff all round.

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

WCW 1997

Toshie Ueematsu vs Meiko Satamura
Cruiserweight tourne match, short but fun and nice to see the crowd respect both girls who
both played babyfaces in the match.Just wish they had more time to use, and the splash by toshie to get the pinfall was amazing.

Sanako Kato vs Karou
Another good match but again short and awrful commentating didnt help the matters.Its amazing that Kato looks totally different to how she did then.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

AJPW Triple Crown Match 24/05/96 - Mitsuharu Misawa (c) vs Akira Taue

Not as epic as their CC final match a year earlier but a good match all the same. Misawa seemed to have had Taue scouted by now and did not appear to underestimate the big man. Taue also knew what Misawa was going to do and did his best to counter and block every move. After throwing everything they had at each other, Taue sneaked the big win by catching Misawa coming off the top with a Chokeslam to claim the coveted Triple Crown, which he would drop to Kobashi two months later. Great stuff as always.

-- Edited by Man In Black at 10:09, 2008-03-26

Man In Black · Anime Mod

NJPW 23-03-08 New Japan Cup Semi Final - Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Togi Makabe

Tanahasi was the clear favourite here. He started out by dominating with some wrestling which Makabe soon got tired of and took Tanahashi out into the stands for a brawl. Back in the ring fellow GBH members Honma and Ishii interfered liberally to sustain Makabe's control allowing him to bring his trusted chain into play. Tanahashi's eventual comeback finally woke the crowd up and he got the win after the High Fly flow. So so match, carried by Tanahashi who is fast becoming my favourite wrestler of the moment.

NJPW 23-03-08 New Japan Cup Final - Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Giant Bernard

Much more heated match that the previous I still can't get into Bernard (formerly Albert in WWE) despite his improved work rate since being in Japan. He actually tried some chain wrestling at the start of this match but Tanahashi's outmanoeuvring forced him to stick to his power based offence. The last few minutes were really good as Tanahashi threw everything at Bernard - including two Sling Blades and two High Fly Flows - and the big man still wouldn't stay down. Eventually it was a simple Schoolboy that secured the win for Tanahashi. Good match although Nakamura - who was at ringside - seemed unimpressed at having to face his former tag partner again.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

SEM 25/02/08 - Kotaro Suzuki & Ippei Ota vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima & Ryuji Yamaguchi

Match had about 3 minutes clipped from it early on. Yamaguchi has traded in his Kensuke Office ring gear for an orange ensemble and opens up against Ota who wears all yellow. Quite the visual contrast there. One can tell that Yamaguchi has modelled himself on Kensuke Sasaki with his look and in the way he works. Nakajima was in fine kicking form here while Suzuki was almost redundant here, leaving Ota to do most of the work. Surprisingly it was Nakajima who took the brunt of the offence in the final stretch with the near falls. A stiff German Suplex from Nakajima on Ota ended this fine if slightly by the numbers junior encounter.

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

WWE
Deuce and Domino vs Wang Yang/Shannon Moore

decent match,im a big fan of wang yang and Shannoon moore, i wish they would be given some kind of chance to make an impression in the E.Im curious about Cherry,shes actually quite attractive and cute,but in a few diva segements she seems to be on the virge of a face turn? i could be wrong.

AJW 1993
Aja Kong vs Manami Toyota
Clipped version of this match, i have the full version of it but its a fantastic battle between 2 of the best female wrestlers to ever lace up the boots.Iv seen a few of their matchs and they are all fantastic.Excellent battle.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

AJPW Junior Tag League 12/03/08 - Ryuji Hijikata & Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Shuji Kondo & Silver King

This version was clipped by about 3 minutes. Kondo and King jumped Nakajima and Hijikata before the bell depriving us of some nice opening exchanges to set the tone of the match. Things picked up when Hijikata made his comeback and Nakajima tagged in. Both guys have a lot going for them but need to expand their repertoires to beyond just kicks. King tried everything to hold Hijikata down but he wouldn't play ball and pulled a Cross Arm breaker out of nowhere for the win. I thought was okay but I guess I expected a lot more from these two teams.

NEO "Climb Over" 3/02/08 NWA Women's Pacific Title & NEO Singles Title: Haruka Matsuo (c) vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto

This was a match of two halves. For the first half, Matsuo -who I thought had great potential - just didn't seem bothered to be there despite being the champ. She made no effort in her moves or strikes and made even less effort in her selling (or lack thereof). Her facial expression when being stomped in the corner by Matsumoto or even trapped in a Boston Crab was total indifference and even boredom and not one of pain or determination. It wasn't until Matsumoto had Matsuo in a back breaker into a Samoan Drop on the floor that Matsuo began to pull her weight. Both girls tried to redeem themselves but it was a little too late. The nearfalls were a bit too contived and failed to excite the dead crowd leading to a couple of botched spots. Matsuo eventually won with a Dragon Suplex. Post match Kyoko Inoue came out and it looks like she will face Matsuo for the titles at a future show. I hope she forces Matsuo to bring her working boots.

-- Edited by Man In Black at 23:07, 2008-03-27

Man In Black · Anime Mod

AJPW 2/04/82 PWF Heavyweight Title - Giant Baba (c) vs Stan Hansen

I know that Baba was never a bulky man but he positively anorexic here. Hansen was on fine form but seemed to be working a little light on Baba, whose facial expressions seemed to register laughter more then pain. Hansen tried his rough house tactics on Baba but was brought down by some basic wrestling. Stan got to hit his Lariat which sent Baba to the outside where a brawl ensued and ref Joe Higuchi ended up getting clobbered for the (apparent) DQ. Hansen then went on a typical rampage, hitting anyone who got in his way. Fun match for what it was.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

AJPW Champion Carnival Day One 5/04/08 - Seiya Sanada, KAI & Hiroshi Yamato vs Kaz Hayashi, Nobutaka Araya & Nobukazu Hirai

Solid 6 man with the rookies out to impress. Kaz seemed to work well with them rather than play the established star and just beating the snot out of them. I'd like to see Araya play a more serious role. Impressive show of strength by Sanada getting big man Araya into that German Suplex for the pin. Fun match.

TARU, Shuji Kondo & Silver King vs Ryuji Hijikata, Katsuhiko Nakajima & T28

Slightly disappointing considering the talent of the face team. VM controlled too much of this match with TARU doing the lion's share of the work. Things picked up towards the end but it was a while getting there and quite sloppy in places along the way.

Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tetsuya Naito vs Suwama & Manabu Soya

Good tag match but not as heated as one would hope. Tanahashi was milking all the attention for all it was worth and seemed to be enjoying himself. As negative as I have been towards Suwama, he is getting over and seems to at last be making an effort. His chops, suplexes and lariats have improved but his strikes still look week. Soya took the brunt of the New Japan offence with Suwama clearing up at the end. Tanahashi and Naito make a good team.

Champion Carnival Tournament Match - Block B: Kensuke Sasaki vs. Osamu Nishimura

Another disappointing match to be frank. Nishimura often brings the best out of his opponents and makes them work his style but well Kensuke did more than just chops and lariats, it wasn't enough and Nishimura resorted to loads of holds, mainly working the leg. Then about a minute to go, completely out of nowhere, things went nuts and it was sprint city until the time limit expired. Dull with almost no crowd heat until the end.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

AJW Queendom III 26/03/95 WWWA Title Match - Aja Kong (c) vs Manami Toyota

A rather vicious match with Kong dominating most of it, working over the incredibly limber Toyota's back. Yet it all seemed in vain as Toyota would have no trouble executing her bridged German Suplexes or Moonsaults in her (too?) spirited comebacks. That is probably my biggest critique of Toyota's matches: she is great at selling the moves and holds but not the effects of them, jumping up with too much gusto and energy. Kong seems to not be a subscriber to protecting her opponent when hitting a Piledriver as witnessed when she hit the move through a table, opening her legs at the last second do Toyota's head hit the wood upon impact. I don't know if Toyota's collapse after the match was a work or not but it was quite a sight to see her receiving her title belt and trophies while being held up by two other women. Still, a great match as one would expect from these two.

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

Man i love that match, havent seen it in a long while but Aja and Manami always have cracking matches together.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

AJPW Champion Carnival 7/4/2008 - Toshiaki Kawada vs. Taiyo Kea

Kea's game plan was clear from the start: to show the grizzled veteran he was no push over. He gave Kawada everything and nearly rattled him but it seemed that the more damage Kea inflicted, the more annoyed Kawada became. The bloody nose was the last straw and it was downhill from their for Kea despite kicking out of some big moves. He certainly didn't look weak in defeat.

AJPW Champion Carnival 7/4/2008 - Minoru Suzuki vs. Suwama

If anything this match, for me, saw Suwama finally wake up and show some fire. That was mostly due to Suzuki doing what he does best: getting under the skin of his opponent. Suwmwa did come back with a nasty looking backdrop driver that seemed to temporarily stun Suzuki. But not for long as Suwama soon had a valid reason for being asleep in the ring.

AJPW Champion Carnival 7/4/2008 - Keiji Muto vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

It was interesting to note that the crowd were chanting for Tanahashi throughout the match yet still gave Mutoh pops for his signature moves. Speaking of which, at the start of the match it looked like we were seeing a different Mutoh until a little later into the match when the usual run of dropkicks to the leg, Dragon Screw whips and figure four came into play. However Tanahashi was not shy in throwing them back at Mutoh almost beating him at his own game. I would like to have seen a bit more selling of the leg work rather than both men bouncing back too quickly but I'm used to that in Puro now. The final sequence was hot and it could have gone either way until the time limit expired. Real good match though and as already opined elsewhere, Mutoh's best since the Suzuki TCC match last year.

-- Edited by Man In Black at 21:12, 2008-04-21

Man In Black · Anime Mod

NJPW 30/03/08 IWGP Title Match - Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi

I forgot I hadn't watched this. I have to say I loved this match and I don't get the indifference towards it from some people. I felt both men worked hard and delivered a Dome worthy or at least a Sumo Hall worthy main event match to a Korakuen crowd. My only complaint is once again how the vicious leg work by Tanahashi was soon forgotten about by Nakamura but that is the norm in Japan it would seem. I liked the exchange of submission holds near the end with the triangle choke type hold being reversed into a Texas Cloverleaf. The near falls were great bringing the crowd to fever pitch before Tanahashi tapped out. I think I probably enjoyed this more than the Dome match to be honest. Great stuff.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

NJPW 27-04-08 IWGP Title Match - Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Keiji Mutoh

Good crowd on hand for this title match. Nakamura was largely dominant in the opening mat work segments working on Mutoh's arms although Mutoh was no slouch during this exchange. It was after the Shining Wizard and Dragon Screw on the guardrail that Mutoh gained full control, then broke out his usual leg attack offence. Nakamura fired back with some neat submission work, at one point seemingly making Mutoh tap although that was just him slapping the mat to rally himself. The near falls started coming and after a series of Shining Wizards, Mutoh went to the top, hit the Moonsault and bagged himself another IWGP Title reign. It's a shame that Nakamura's run was only four months as he's had some great title matches thus far in 2008 and this was definitely one of them. Great match, worth checking out.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

Just watched my MOTY:

SEM/Kensuke Office 8/17/08 - 4 vs. 4 Survival Tag Match: Kenta Kobashi, KENTA, Atsushi Aoki & Akihiko Ito vs. Kensuke Sasaki, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Takashi Okita & Kento Miyahara

Mere words cannot do it justice. Download it, watch it and remember why you love wrestling.