Coffin Surfer

I would have liked to have wrote against: Edwin-His strike heavy style would have mixed very well with mine. Frost-I would have liked to have faced him in the SWF without any gimmicks. Much like TNT, an old school power wrestler like Frost would have mixed very well with my style, maybe even more so since he has alot more credible strikes I could work with. Thugg-Another big power wrestler that I could have worked well with. I don't like to write against: High flying spot crazy heels. No offense, but it just doesn't work. Most of the time, heels have to control the bulk of the match, and you can't fill the body of a match with continous spots(that's why it's the body of the match).

Ash Ketchum Training Day (Act 2) -Very funny stuff that might be forgotten considering how long ago it was.

I hate to do this...but what the hell. I'm scared that the novelity of the Iron Man match may attract more attention than it deserves, so I'd like to remind the voters of Williams/Drazon SWF Battleground which I feel is superior to it in every way. The story of the match has been told many times before, most notably by Hokuto and Kandori. However what makes the match unique from anything that's ever been done in not only the SWF, but real life(as far as I know) is the unique way it's constructed. It's about a 30 minute traditionally built Pro Style match that uses nothing but strikes and one submission hold. The only thing even close to that is maybe Hansen/Kawada 93 Excite Series, but even in that match they use Boston Crabs, Chinlocks, Powerbombs, and Suplexes. It's the only match I ever wrote that I was completely satisfied with, and I think it's a worthy MOTYC. Sorry for the ego trip, I will nominate a match that I didn't write when I get the time to narrow down my picks.

Ugh..... You asked the regulars(that are left) what they thought of your purchase. Obviously the majority thinks it was a bad buy, so why argue? If you feel Scott Keith is a great puro reviewer who is excellent at recommending tapes to new viewers, than why bother asking us if your just gonna ignore our opinion and defend SK? I'm out of here.

Judge Mental vs. Charlie Show(In his debut) -Not sure the exact show, but of all the matches I reviewed this year, this one struck me as the smartest and least flawed of the bunch. In many ways it struck me as the type of matches that Jumbo used to work during the early 90s. Mental did an excellent job of making himself look dominate throughout the duration of the match, while also putting Charlie over as a threat. Best show opener ever.

The 93 tape is loaded with some good All Japan stuff. -Misawa/Kawada vs. Gordy/Williams is an excellent match. -Kawada vs. Akiyama is a disturbingly stiff ass kicking. -The Excite Series has got the classic Kawada/Hansen brawl which features some of the best selling you'll ever see(from both guys). It also has Taue/Misawa's best pre95 match together. -The 93 Carnie is excellent, featuring Misawa/Kobashi when they knew how to sell and put over moves. Kawada/Kobashi in a very fast paced sprint that foreshadows 12/93. Misawa/Gordy is a great match as is the Kawada/Taue match. -If remember right Summer Action Series is that weird ass elmination tag thingy. Not essential viewing. -Misawa/Hansen is a great match, but some noobs might be confused by the limb working during the build. -The Tag League has a very intresting match between Kawada/Taue and Bossman/Dr. Death and of course one of the greatest matches off all time 12/3/93. 6/9/95 is arguably the greatest men's tag match off all time(though I think 12/6/96 is better), and after watching 12/3/93, you will really get sucked into the story and find yourself rooting for Kawada.

He's admitted that. His reviews, are for people like me, who are out of the loop and simply wish to know who the players are, and what puro is like in general Which is why you shouldn't listen to him, hell, he doesn't even understand American wrestling. Best of 2002 is a horrid introduction into puro) . Whatever you do, don't pass judgement on puro in general and the wrestlers based on this tape alone. If you want a good introduction to the juniors check out JCup 94 as others have said, for the All Japan heavies check out Apri-Julyl 93 televion tape at Highspots, and while I'm by no means an expert on Joshi I would recommened Dreamrush 11/92 as a good buy.

Tag Titles #1 Contendersip Match Dante Crane and Crow vs. the Unholy Trinity (Dace Night and Va'aiga) -Trinity No-DQ Handicap Match Double Jeopardy vs. Nathaniel Kibagami -Double Jeopardy ICTV Title Match Mak "The Franchise" Francis v. Jay Dawg - Francis Hardcore Title Match WildChild © v. "The Sinner" John Duran -DURAN DURAN! Losers' Bracket Final Match Special Guest Commentator: "The King of Nightmares" Michael Craven Apostle vs. "The Judge" William Hearford -Da Judge. World Title "I Quit" Match "The Superior One" Tom Flesher vs. The Boston Strangler - Flesher

How much All Japan have you seen, because you can make a very good argument that there are at least five better All Japan matches.....Kobashi vs. Hansen 7/31/93, Kawada/Taue vs. Kobashi/Misawa 12/3/93, Misawa vs. Kawada 6/3/94, Kawada/Taue vs. Misawa/Kobashi 6/9/95, and Kawada/Taue vs. Misawa/Akiyama 12/6/96. I personally would also argue that their were several other better singles matches in the companies history. And the best crowd comment is ludacrious when you compare it to how well timed their chants were in 6/3/94 or how insane the crowd heat was in All Japan during early 90s.

Yes, keep the awards show. I've been looking forward to it all summer. And last's year system seemed o.k. to me.

Thanks to Craven for working the angle in, I really appreciate it. Yes, I no showed, but I made sure the other guys were writing first, and I did inform Grand Slam around due time. I simply don't have the time to write at the moment, but I'll be back in a couple of weeks.

Bah, I've got two matches mixed up in my head. The match I was actually thinking of was Kobashi/Misawa where the Dropkick to the back gets called an Enzui Dropkick, and now that I think of it was pretty high, and probably hit the back of his head in theory. I stand corrected. Enzui=just back of the head. I don't have the best of the Budokan tape, but I probably have all those matches anyway. Sounds like a great tape, though the dates can be decieving(might be their later meetings). You need to see Kobashi/Kawada 4/93 though, probably their best meeting with the possible exception of the 98 Triple Crown match, sadly the rest of the fued drops several notches below those matches.

I'm gonna be double picky and say.. and enzuigiri is ANY kick to the back of the head enzui (to the back of the head) giri (kick) When Cole says enzuigiri to the back of the head that's a fine example of tautology A roundhouse enzuigiri would be an enzuinowashigiri if K-1 announcer Will Vanders' call of roundhouse kicks is right (which I think it is, but that's still no excuse for him screaming KNOCKDOOOOOOOOOWN like Jonathon Pearce on speed) If you want to get even more techincal an Enzui is usually called on any attack to the back(not just the head). I've seen Dropkicks to the Lowerback be called EnzuiDropkick!(see Kobashi/Kawada 4/93 for reference and because it's a great match too).

Not to be picky, but you can't hit someone in the face with Enzuigiri, since Enzuigiri by definition is a jumping Roundhouse Kick to the back of the head. I believe the phrase your looking for is a Gamengiri.

8/5/82 DK/TM is really the only Tiger Mask match that I would say would be an essential that can stand the test of time. From what I've seen it's probably one of the best built and structured junior matches from that era, not to mention it's so damn fast, while still doing a great job of touching upon their previous matches and furthering their story, giving alot of their lighting quick counters meanings rather than just pointless flash. A few other DK matches(most notably "2/3 falls"), and some of the Kobayashi matches hold up well, due to their story telling over flash approach, but I wouldn't put them on the same level as alot of the better junior matches of the 90s. I would be the first to admit that my viewing of 80s junior work is rather lacking, and as I see more maybe my opinion on TM will change(either for the better or the worse). Though I haven't seen much of him, I've heard the Cobra was very underrated and was actually better than Sayama. I have seen some of his stuff, and I am very impressed by him, most notably his work with DK in Stampede and his very good match against the British Bulldog 2/7/84. He wasn't much of a seller, but than again neither was Tiger Mask.

I think their better than the 85 matches against Tiger Mask II, but their not as good as the best of the DK series. Also note that I used the word "most". Before somebody further misinterupts, this there's nothing wrong with having your best matches against the same guy, but if it's obvious the other guy is the mastermind behind the matches. This is like putting Gary Albright as an all time great because of his matches with Takada and Kawada. Sure he did his part, but the other two guys where the ones putting the matches together, and were specifically doing their best to put over the new guy and make him look good.

Tiger Mask's best matches are said to be against Dynamite Kid from 81 to 83. That basically means that his most acclaimed matches were all against the same guy, who was proven in Stampede as an excellent carrier, not to mention that his job in those matches was to get the new star (Tiger Mask) over and make him look good at all costs. TM had great chemistry with the Kid (thanks in large part to wrestling him numerous times before going Mask), but in the end, DK was the one pacing, anchoring, and controling the match(if you doubt that watch the transition sequences when both men are down). Now HBK's best matches on the otherhand were against a variety of opponents, and he was usually calling the shots in most of those matches. So HBK is proven as somebody who can put together a decent match with different opponents, while TM was never prove as somebody he could string together good matches with alot of different people.

I'm so sick of this Taue is overrated shit. So once again, I'll go through all these points, and see if someone pays attention this time. 1. Taue was better than Kobashi from 95 to 97, and was operatating at the same level as Misawa, and in a few instances was better than him. And when I say Taue was better than Kobashi, I don't mean he was slighty better, I mean that they weren't in the same fucking league. Compare, Misawa/Taue 9/95 to Kobashi/Misawa 10/95 if you want proof. So Misawa obviously wasn't doing better stuff with the other three at the time. Misawa/Kobashi had a good match in the 95 Carnies, but it can't touch the finals with Taue. 2. Around mid 95, Taue passed Kobashi in the tag work department. In 96 when Taue was doing his best tag work, Kobashi wasn't even in the fucking equation, not particpating in any of the classic 96 tag matches, and the ones he did particpate in can't touch Taue's work. 2. No, Taue wasn't being carried when he went on his awesome run. At times, he was calling most of the shots as in 9/10/95, when Misawa set back and let Taue run the match. That match is arguably better than their previous match at 95 CC finals, in which Misawa was controlling the match(though it wasn't a carry job). 3. Aside from Misawa, Taue also had two great matches with Kawada in the 95 and 96 Carnies that blow away the Misawa/Kobashi matches from the same years. And no, Kawada wasn't carrying Taue. In 96, Taue carried a rusty and out of synch Steven Williams to a very good match that is actually better than HBK/Mandkind from the same year. 4. Taue wasn't horrible in pre 95 either, though it was obvious he wasn't operating at the same level as his peers. Still, he knew his role, and allowed himself to be carried to some excellent matches, which is something a 95 Kobashi couldn't do. 5. The whole weak offense thing is fucking bullshit! The Dynamic Bomb, Dynamic Kick, Throwing Backdrop, Dangerous German(one of the nastiest in the business), and even his Nodowa were all very brutal moves that could stand toe to toe with anything Misawa, Kawada, Hansen, Kobashi, or Jumbo could dish out. Hell, Taue's German could be even more sicker than Steven Williams' Backdrop Driver. My advice, WATCH THE DAMN MATCHES! And yes, his Nodowa was very bad ass when he had guys like Kawada and Kobashi bumping for it. Hell, Kawada would often come close to taking it on his head, and Kobashi would come damn close to going through the ring. I think alot of people just confuse his choke toss, with his actual Nodowa Otoshi. He did have a pretty weak Nodowa around 92 or so, but that was before All Japan were having stiff matches regulary(they still had them though). Overall, Taue was a good wrestler who had a peak that kicks the ass of anything that Ric Flair, HBK, or Bret Hart ever did. He wasn't as good as Misawa, Kawada, Jumbo, Hansen, or Kobashi during their peaks, but he is still worthy of being labeld one of the best Heavyweights of the 90s. Sure he had only one or two truely great years, but than again so did Kobashi(93 and 97). One a side note, I prefer Taue's matches with Misawa over Kobash's bloated bumpfests with Misawa. They were more focused, and had better selling and structure to them.

HBK has more of a right to be on the list than fucking Tiger Mask. And I will never understand why Dynamite Kid get's so much praise as being the greatest, when his best work can't touch the best work of guys like Eddy, Benoit, Lyger, or even Ohtani during his 96 run. Sure he influenced alot of the juniors, but that doesn't make him better than them. Tenyru influenced Kawada, but I don't see anybody saying he was better because of it. Sure you can make an argument about Dynamite Kid not being surrounded by the same talent as the 90's guys or if he could wrestle in the 90s he would be just as good...etc. But I would rather judge him on the work he actually did, which doesn't hold up. The style advanced and went on to produce better matches after his time.

So far I've only read Quiz/Francis, and it was pretty decent. The role playing and use of characters was very well done, especially Quiz as a cunning sneaky heel which is how I envisioned him in my first match with him on a hunch, and luckly it's turned out to be direction he's taking the character. At first I was rolling my eyes on the leg spot because I was thinking I was going to read a reinactment of Test's shitty trick on Raw(which no one should have bought as being in real, guys with real leg injuries don't do bad Ricky Steamboat impersonations). But than you threw the swerve when Show came out and interfered, which was pretty innovative. The actual ring work was a little troublesome in spots, esepcially the meaningless counter stuff. Still a nice effort, it's not an all time classic, but I get the feeling it wasn't intended to be.

Damn this a big thread, but I'd like to take a moment to address this statement. Before he lost his fucking mind, Misawa was a great seller. He wasn't flashy or "This is the worst pain ever" dramatic, but he was very smart and knew how to put over some one's offense while still going over them. In the 95 CC Finals with Taue, Misawa managed to properly put over all of Taue's bombs while still pulling off a credible epic comeback, not an easy thing to do. Kobashi had some brillant moments, especially in the early 90s, but by 95 his selling degenerated in pop ups, goofy staggering, and all that nonsense. He still had a few moments of greatness, especially in 1/97 against Misawa. On a side note, Jumbo, Hansen, and Taue were all better sellers than Misawa and Kobashi as far 90s All Japan goes.

I pray your not calling Vadar a broom stick. Truth be told, when Vadar was motivated, he was a better carrier than Shawn Micheals. In the same year(96), Vadar took a broken down and washed up Inoki and carried the old bastard to one of the best heavyweight New Japan matches of all time, and probably the best match of Inoki's career. Now I haven't seen Vadar/Shawn in a long time for a very good reason, I remember it being terribly average, and never felt the need to watch it again. Considering that Shawn in 96 was a better worker than Inoki, you would expect something better than what they produced. Than again, I doubt Shawn was willing to follow Vadar's lead like Inoki was. And if Vadar/Shawn is ****1/4 than Vadar/Inoki is ******+.

I hope your not saying that isn't fair to compare Hokuto/Kandori to non Joshi matches, because of it's style. If your gonna preach that bull shit, you might as well say you can't compare Hokuto/Kandori to other Joshi matches, because let's face it, Hokuto/Kandori is worked differently than most All Japan Women singles matches. Pro style is pro sytle, while there are different variations it's more like comparing red apples to green apples. Your still rating matches by the same standards(I hope) of story telling, selling, pacing, match construction...etc. Apples to oranges would be like Pro Style and Shoot Style, though you can still compare them if you want you. Just because one style is more advanced is no reason to not compare it to it's more simpler counter parts, though let's face it most of the bottom top 50 All Japan stuff is still better than most of the best U.S. matches. Take for example Kawada/Kobashi 4/93 which isn't even considered top 20 All Japan, but truth be told, kicks the ass of anything Ric Flair ever did.

Smarks Board Name: Coffin Surfer Wrestlers Name: Danny Williams Height: 5'10" Weight: 243 lbs. Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky Age: 22 Face/Heel: Face Stable: Unholy Trinity(leader) Ring Escort: None Weapon(s): None Quote: None Looks: Williams is a tan Caucasian. His thick light brown hair is shoulder length, and parted in the middle with very long bangs hanging down over his eyes. He is short, bulky, and wide. Most of his body weight is in his chest, shoulders, and arms. He is ripped like a professional body builder(obvious roid abuser) except his abs are rather undefined when compared to the rest of his body. Williams wears black boxer/short style tights, with matching black knee pads. However, his boots and wrist tape are white. Also, a black elbow pad protects his right arm. Ring Entrance: The gentle melodies of In Flame’s “Jester’s Dance” dances it's way out of the loud speakers, igniting the cheers of the crowd. The vocal members of the audience begin to chant "DAN-E! DAN-E! DAN-E!" as Williams pushes his way through the heavy curtains draping from the locker room entrance, and slowly makes his way out to the platform. With his head held high, Williams confidenlty marches down the aisle. Stats: Strength:6-can pull most of his big moves off on anyone under or around 265. Speed:3-very athletic but not very quick. Vitality:8-never no sells, but can take nasty bumps and is hard as hell to keep down. Charisma:3-relies on in ring work and emotion to get over. Style: Power Wrestler. However, Danny is very versatile, capable of brawling, high flying, and working the mat with the best of them. Signature moves: La Magistral Cradle Dangerous German Suplex-Rick Steineresque in it's brutality, distance, and power. Belly to Belly Suplex-normal, not overhead. Top Rope Elbow Drop-Randy Savage style Rolling Elbow Diving Elbow-top rope flying elbow smash to standing victim. Elbow Suicida-tope w/elbow smash. Running Elbow Jumping Elbow Smash(running or sling shot off 2nd rope) Common moves: Sleeperhold(standing or doushime) Neckbreaker Drop-falling, hooking western lariat. Dropkick Lariat(enzui, running, or standing) Reverse Elbow Smash(spinning, standing, or running) Mule Kick(jumping, or normal)-back kick. Elevated Half Crab-likes to stand on victim’s head. Abdominal Stretch w/Facelock Knee Drops and Elbow Drops Cowboy Kicks-Stiff kicks to seated, kneeling or laying victim. STIFF Elbow Smashes basics: Vertical Suplex, Backdrop Suplex, Scoop Slam, Headlocks....etc. Rare moves Throwing Piledriver-Lou Thesz’s Ganso Bomb, differs from Kawada’s in that it doesn’t use the knee drop. Victim is lifted up for the Powerbomb, but instead of mounting them on his shoulders, Danny leans back and throws them straight down on the top of the their head. A desperaton move in a must win situation. Powerbomb from apron, top rope, or into turnbuckles-Uses whenever opportunity arises. Finishers: Powerbomb Pin(Benoit’s Wild Bomb Pin)-A particularly nasty Powerbomb where Williams lifts the victim high over his shoulders, and than in one fluid motion quickly doubles over deep, slamming the victim hard into the mat. Williams always folds the victim up after impact, and slides for the pin. Mostly saves it for big matches. Buffalo Sleeperhold-rear chinlock/armbar combo. Can be used as a submission or highly effective wear down hold. Notes: Williams is often cold, focused, intense, and all business. However in big matches, he can be rather passonate and emotional. Game Plan: Depends on his opponent, really. On average, Williams likes to soften his opponent up with his strikes, dives, and wear down holds. Sometimes he will build towards the Dangerous German, which like his elbow variants can be a weaker finisher or a set up for the Powerbomb, his primary go to finisher in big matches. Bio: -an amateur wrestler in high school. -never made it to the college level, because of steriod abuse. -was trained in puroresu dojos in Japan. -joins SJL, where he moves up to heavyweight division. -Williams was undefeated as SJL World Champion in a long winning streak that includes a major victory over Frost. SWF -joins M7 -participates in the first ever SWF War Games -becomes 2 time U.S. Champion -1 time ICTV Champion -Forms Unholy Trinity with Dace and Va'aiga.

Edwin has just explained my own match better than I could. I'm glad you caught the Surfboard spot foreshadowing the overall winner of the match. The final run of Burning Lariat/Half Nelson Suplex/Dynamic Bomb and Rolling Elbow/German Suplex/Powerbomb was indeed meant to show their similariites and to get off that they were matching each other move for move. I really should have brought that up better in the commentary. And what the hell, I'm gonna attempt to review Frost/Flesher tommorrow. I need some time to do it justice though.