EL DANDY~!

I REALLY dug Chi-Town over BOTH of these matches. It's truly something funny, and it's something Flair said. "People say that either the matches Steamboat and I had on TV were some of the best of all time. Truth is, we probably had 100 or 200 matches better that nobody saw because only the people in the arena were able to see them." Chi-Town had this awesome pace to it. It was speed vs. cunningness, and even though Clash VI was so great because it had the 55 minutes and 18 seconds behind, I felt kinda cheated when Flair didn't sell much of ANYTHING that Steamer did aside from his back. WrestleWar had the same problem, as Flair didn't sell the arm. Looking back, both matches are stupendous...but if I look at other matches...I think I might end up putting Rey/Eddy, Benoit/Hart, and Owen/Bret ahead of those matches, just because after watching these extensively, I have a better feeling as to what to look for.

Who's big idea was that to put JUSTIN CREDIBLE AND JAMAL IN THE FINALS? Oh, Mutoh? Geez...we go from Taue/Kawada vs. Kobashi/Misawa to this in ten years...

When NOAH was created, it tried to push the new stars. Akiyama and Co. were doing good for themselves. Misawa, Kobashi, and Taue were all shells of their former selves, blah blah blah. So somebody PLEASE tell me how these two turned back the time machines to 97 All Japan and put out my Japanese match of the year for 2003? Kobashi has the coolest robe ever. It's probably the greatest non Ric Flair/Greg Valentine robe I've ever seen. Misawa has his usual windbreaker. This match was gonna be different from the get go. After the gymnastics display in the beginning, Kobashi gets DRILLED with a Backdrop Driver...only 4 minutes in. At that point, I'm fucking drooling at this aspect that two guys, over the hill, in their 40s, are gonna put on a match with THIS kinda pace. Well, after Misawa cut himself hardway when he missed an elbow off the apron, I was in for the long haul. Kobashi then went half nelson crazy. Suplex after suplex, including one on the floor. Misawa went suplex crazy. German, Tiger, Tiger '85. Kobashi hit a backdrop driver and then a Tequila Sunrise. So now, this is starting to look A LOT like 1/20/97. Then...Misawa gives Kobashi the bump of the year...the Tiger Suplex off the ramp. And it's the greatest camera angle ever, as you can see Kobashi land SQUARE on the back of his neck. Then the ending, which might be one of the coolest endings I've seen in a while. They hit simultaneously with an elbow and a lariat, and then when they try again, Kobashi ducks the elbow and still hits him with the lariat. Great visual. Misawa then comes back with the Emerald Frosion, and it only gets 2. At that point, we all know what he's looking for to finish...the Tiger Driver '91. He tries like five times, but Kobashi powers out. Kobashi then comes back and hits a brainbuster (which I'm guessing is the substitute here for the Orange Crush), and then... he does something weird. He hits the Burning Hammer...but doesn't do the Avalanche part. That might answer the question about it being necessary for the avalanche to be a part of the Burning Hammer. Of course, that gets the victory and the belt. Remember two years when people were touting Mutoh/Tenryu as MOTY back in 2001? This surpasses it in every way imaginable. I don't think I've ever heard the crowd more fired up in a NOAH event before in my life. These two were able to reach back and pull out everything they had to put out one more classic. ****3/4 because it's not better than the 1/20/97 match, but my god, this was an absolutely superb superb match.

I can't believe people still post on this topic! Much better review is coming, by the way...

The greatest part of that match is when Kawada goes for a German Suplex Hold, but only gets 1 because his knee buckles. That right there is just...fucking awesome. It MAKES the match, for me.

Not exactly WWE, but: Yoshinobu Kanemaru=Steve Corino I'm so serious, too...

OK. Arn Anderson's promo on the nWo before the WarGames match is one of the greatest promos I've ever heard when it came to intensity. Anybody have either a video or a transcript of that promo?

Birthday wishes and salutations, and may God bring you Stacy's ass on your lap somehow, someway...

Someone needs to call Vince and tell him it's no longer 1985, Blondie is no longer at the top of the charts, and that it's all about the small people who bring the wrassling as opposed to the acting. Oh, and something DID work. That I got to read this and skip SmackDown! Yes, yes it works.

He isn't called Asskicking Elvis for nothing. Hash is a hard kicker who is very good when it comes to mixing it up with somebody. He can also drop you on your head really hard. I think that if you wanna see what Hash embodies, that you start with his match with Tenryu in 98, which is just an asswhooping on both sides, with Tenryu being a young and spry 48 years young in that match. But Hash isn't what the NJ style is all about, so like Dangerous A said, it's much better to start with people like Chono and Mutoh, and kinda pick and choose your Hash matches. You might find some diamonds in the rough if you look hard enough.

Well since Mutoh took over last year, people have been stating that it has gone downhill since then, and sadly, they are mostly right. The only good thing that has come out of Mutoh's reign is that he brought Zero-One into the mix and we got to see Hash and Ohtani and Tanaka and all that. Also, Toshiaki Kawada is the TC champ right now, and if all goes well, he SHOULD hold on to that belt for a VERY long time.

I talked to a buddy of mine at Babbage's the other day, and he told me that Nintendo has no intention of bringing the Mother 1 and 2 combo for the GBA over from Japan. In Japan, that game is one of the better selling games overall, and if I remember correctly, is only getting beat in the GBA category by Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Once again, Nintendo drops the ball on what could be a sleeper classic big time hit for the GBA...

Malibu Greek Olives. Nuff said. And the olives are ripe, too.

Who did Tommy Dreamer face on an All Japan Show in 1995?

Anybody else getting tired of Coey taking his stupid little potshots at us if we get some little piece of info wrong? I know he likes correcting people because it's his way of showing that he's the all powerful mind of wrestling and all that, but in all reality, isn't it getting childish? I mean, for a guy as smart as he is, he sure acts like he's a stupid little kid. Just go over to his boards one time and see how he just talks shit about everyone here. He's made me the target of his little quips on more than one occasion, so I'd just like to say the he can sit in his fuckin puroresu filled tower and whack off to all the LCO he fuckin wants, and I personally believe that knowledge should be shared, instead of ridiculing those who might not have as much. I don't doubt his knowledge about wrestling, I never said I did. I just wish that a man of his intelligence would have the decency to keep his trap shut and correct somebody politely.

All I can say is that Jack Black has ARRIVED, tender comrades. That movie was the shit, and I LOVED his "shoot," if you wanna call it, on "The Man." That alone is worth the price of admission. That and all the songs kicked ass. The Math Song is a thing of beauty.

Surfer, great noob list, man, I'd recommend just about the same list, although you COULD put in 7/23/93 in there just because it doesn't really have too much story behind it. Just that Kobashi is young and spunky, Hansen is big, ugly, and nasty, and there you go. My list: 1)6/5/95-Kawada/Taue vs. Misawa/Kobashi 2)4/2/93-Kandori vs. Hokuto 3)6/3/94-Kawada vs. Misawa 4)12/6/96-Kawada/Taue vs. Misawa/Akiyama 5)tie (just because I couldn't pick)-6/8/90-Misawa vs. Tsuruta and 6/11/76-Funk vs. Tsuruta Jumbo is REQUIRED VIEWING for all.

They need to show at leat Chi-Town and Clash VI in their entireties. Those are must see Flair matches...and the Royal Rumble...and the Windham Worldwide Classic. All of those should be on there...oh, and the I Quit match with Funk at Clash IX.

I didn't see that part because I was out on the town with the LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADIES, but I do know that they got outplayed in the extra innings, and I know that Chavez made the play of the playoffs, even moreso than Shannon Stewart, IMO, because without that play, the A's would have been down at least a run, and I think that even if Manny was going with the hit...he still wouldn't have made it, he's not THAT fast...

Well, he went from using it once every three years to doing it more commonly as the headdropping became more common. It almost became a regular move when he faced Kobashi...

That he did, Curry man. Also, after '97, Misawa developed the Emerald Frosion as his end all finisher of choice.

It's not that hard, get a picture of Osamu Nishimura, who works that into every match he does, and you're fine.

Good, now watch the next couple of tag matches between Kawada/Taue and Kobashi/Misawa, and then the Champions Carnival 95 where Misawa breaks the orbital bone and such, and Taue kicks ass, and then watch 6/9/95 and watch it all come together in an absolute MASTERPIECE of a tag match.

I LOVED the Vengeance 2003 Triple Threat, even if the ending WAS a bit anit-climatic. Awesome spots in that match, and Brock Lesnar is a fucking KING for the bladejob and the running powerbomb on the Big Show. Absolutely incredible. But the best one was Mysterio/Angle/Benoit where Angle and Benoit wrestled and Rey ran around, let them chase, and then went to town on both with high spots. Man, that whole night ruled, with the Edge/Eddy No DQ match and all...

^doesn't want to be banned... but probably will anyways...