3 questions thread

[Guest DragonflyKid]

Inspired by a few threads from other folders I decided to start a puro-related one of the same type. Three questions will be posed, the next poster will then answer them and come up with three questions of their own and so on. Answers should contain opinions and not just a one word answer.

 

Example:

 

1. Favorite part of a wrestling match?

 

2. Guilty pleasure?

 

3. Most disliked big name wrestler?

 

 

 

1. Favorite part of a wrestling match? -I love the strike sequences from AJ, some like elaborate matwork or high flying moves but I love stiff exchanges especially Misawa's elbows, Kawada's kicks and Kobashi's elbows and so on. I like watching them hit each other back and forth until one gives in to the punishment, I like when they avoid or block their opponent's strike and hit their own, I like the wide away of hard-hitting strikes and the counters to them.

 

2. Guilty pleasure? -I like the occasional no-sell, I can do without the no-selling of a body part that has been worked over(I don't mind all that much when Toyota or Kobashi do it though.) but I like when strikes and power moves are no sold here and there. I have always marked out for Kobashi's hulking up routine and basically mark out for no-selling if it's a wrestler I'm a fan of.

 

3. Most disliked big name wrestler? -I have never liked the Great Muta, sometimes I see something I like when watching him only to get frustrated at his stalling, complacency and use of weapons. I've found the majority of his matches boring, maybe there are matches of his that I might enjoy but I'm so soured on his work that I have no desire to look out for them.

 

 

1. Misawa, Kobashi or Kawada, who do you like best?

 

2. Favorite strike?

 

3. Most underrated match?

[Guest Jubuki]

1. Kawada is the best storyteller of the three. Misawa and Kobashi are better athletes, but Kawada sucks me in to what he's doing.

 

2. Would Jumbo's lariat count? He's hit a few that are just tremendous. There's one part in his match against Kawada (10/91) where they hit each other at the same time. Now, Kawada's no slouch in throwing a lariat - hits almost as hard as Kobashi does. But Jumbo just clobbers him and shrugs off the one Kawada dishes. It's this enormous, "Fuck you, kid - you can't lace my boots yet" moment. If I had to pick one individual strike that's of the "Shot Heard Round the World" variety, it'd either be Hokuto decking Kandori at the start of their classic or Hansen hitting the best Western Lariat of all time on Kobashi in the 1993 Carny match.

 

3. Well, I've never heard anyone say anything at all about the great TLTB 92 finals, so that's a strong candidate. On the other hand, Tamura/Kohsaka is maybe the best example of wrestling I'm ever going to see, and it's just not pimped enough by anyone, even those in the know. And, outside of the little bit Tyner wrote for it last year, I haven't seen anyone say something about it that really hits home. Either one works for me.

 

Now, answer these 5 questions

 

Three questions, sir!

 

...Three questions as best you can...

 

1. Michiko Ohmukai: lesbian, or just in need of the right man?

 

2a) Better worker in 1996 - Mitsuharu Misawa or Shinjiro Ohtani?

2b) Better worker in 1993 - Akira Hokuto or Kenta Kobashi?

 

3. Do I look fat in these jeans?

[Guest wolverine]

I'm not playing along, just wanted to note that the answers to 2a and 2b are Misawa and Hokuto respectively.

 

Thanks.

 

EDIT: I said in the past that Kobashi's '93 was the best year I had ever seen a wrestler have. And I still believe that. But when it comes to top flight performances, nothing he did that year comes close to what Hokuto did on 4/2 or what Kawada did on 12/3. You just can't top performances that are as transcendent as those. Sure, the Hansen match on 7/29 was fantastic, but to me, it was Stan who stole the show that night, putting on his career best performance. Also, Kobashi's goofy no-selling at the end of the Williams match on 8/31 certainly doesn't help his cause. So as a "worker" I'd rank him below both Hokuto and Kawada, who were far superior storytellers. But that goes without saying.

[Guest cynicalprofit]

I can try, but im not a super puro head.....so if my questions or answers are lame, sorry.

 

1. Michiko Ohmukai: lesbian, or just in need of the right man?

Honestly I have no idea since Ive never seen her, but according to chris jericho joshi chicks are lez...but thats the best I can do.

 

2a) Better worker in 1996 - Mitsuharu Misawa or Shinjiro Ohtani?

From what little Ive seen, I have to go with Misawa. He was just a more solid worker in my eyes and he could go. Ohtani was great, but just couldnt pace himself as well as Misawa.

 

2b) Better worker in 1993 - Akira Hokuto or Kenta Kobashi?

I didnt really see Akira in 93 cept for 1 match, so I cant really say, but Kobashi 93 wasnt that intresting to me, So I have to give the nod to Akira, but very weakly. Also Akira dragged a good match out of WCW's Madusa so that alone makes me think shes an amazing worker.

 

3. Do I look fat in these jeans?

No, its the fat that makes you look fat.

 

1.Which Mutoh is better, Great Muta(mist spraying psycho, not the new one) or Keiji Muto, the ground worker?

2.Whats your fav puro match that has an american in it that you didnt expect to be good because the american wrestler was known to suck? No Hulk Hogan though.

3.If you were in a fight, which puro wrestler would you want backing you up?

[Guest J*ingus]

1. In terms of workrate alone, plain ol' Keiji way outshines Muta, who relies more on gimmicks and brawling.

 

2. Dammit, I was gonna say Muta vs. Hogan. OK then, keeping with the same thread, Mutoh vs. Steve Williams, for the TC title in summer of '01. It had been a looooong time since Dr. Death had put out a match that good.

 

3. Technically, Kazushi Sakuraba counts as a pro worker, right?

 

Okay, my three:

 

1. What was the match that surprised you the most with how good it was? (You know, the one that even you're not sure why you didn't fast-forward through it, but it ended up being awesome.)

 

2. Who would you most rather have back in good health, Kenta Kobashi or Ultimo Dragon?

 

3. What's the best match you've ever seen between a Japanese and an American wrestler, where the American wasn't a Puro regular (i.e., no Benoit, Hansen, etc)?

[Guest Black Tiger]

1. What was the match that surprised you the most with how good it was? (You know, the one that even you're not sure why you didn't fast-forward through it, but it ended up being awesome.)

 

Keiji Mutoh/Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Shinya Hashimoto/Akira Nogami from the NJ 11/22/92 show (Ten years ago today).

 

2. Who would you most rather have back in good health, Kenta Kobashi or Ultimo Dragon?

 

Ultimo Dragon, he had to cut his career short because of a surgical mistake, not by his own actions.

 

3. What's the best match you've ever seen between a Japanese and an American wrestler, where the American wasn't a Puro regular (i.e., no Benoit, Hansen, etc)? Little Guido vs. Yoshiro Tajiri vs. Jerry Lynn, ECW Anarchy Rulz 1999

 

 

 

 

1. What is the worst match you've seen out of a great wrestler?

 

2. Have you ever seen a card that got ripped to shreds, but when you watched it you thought it wasn't too bad?

 

3. Which wrestler would you most want to see come out of retirement for one last match before calling it quits for good?

[Guest DragonflyKid]

1. What is the worst match you've seen out of a great wrestler? -1/4/92 Yamada vs. Toyota, great wrestlers who went 20 minutes too long after a good first half and got sloppy and put on an awful 2nd half.

 

2. Have you ever seen a card that got ripped to shreds, but when you watched it you thought it wasn't too bad? -I started my puroresu collection with mostly comps so I don't have many shows, those I do have have never been ripped in reviews and even if a show was ripped in a review chances are I wouldn't look into getting it.

 

3. Which wrestler would you most want to see come out of retirement for one last match before calling it quits for good? -Hard question since I can't think of any. Wrestlers rarely go out at the top of their game so a comeback match will probably be for nostalgic purposes only. I haven't seen Hokuto near her retirement so don't know how her work was then but I'm sure her being in the ring one last time would have it's positives on some level.

 

 

1. Most Beautiful/sexy Joshi wrestler?

 

2. Favorite Gaijin?

 

3A. 6/9/95 or 12/6/96? 3B. Hokuto/Kandori DS1 or 11/26/92 Toyota/Yamada vs. Ozaki/Dynamite? 3C. Benoit vs. Sasuke Super J '94 or U. Dragon vs. Ohtani '96 J*Crown?

[Guest Jubuki]

1. 1992-96 Toyota for pure aesthetics (though she's too icy for me to actively like her), Hokuto or Yoshida for attitude (Hokuto's got a killer voice, too), Shimoda for the whole package.

 

2. Stan the Mother Fucking Man Hansen. Brody has nothing on him, ever.

 

3a. Tag League

b. Dream Slam

c. J*Crown, though J-Cup might just be a better, deeper match. It's just not one I like.

 

1. Who is more underappreciated in his own time: Giant Baba, Akira Taue, or El Samurai, and why?

 

2. Who is/was more deserving of a title shot or run on top that they never got: Tomoko Watanabe or Kazuo Yamazaki (in UWFi), and why?

 

3. Most impressive worker of the three: Vader in his prime for being so big, Dynamite Kid in his prime for intensity and innovation, or Kobashi in his prime for splitting the difference?

[EL DANDY~! 0]

1. Baba, which is a shame really, as it took people a really long time to realize what a great performer and wrestler he really was.

 

2. I'm not big on UWFi, but I'm gonna say Yamazaki because it sounds like people favored him more over Watanabe.

 

3. When you say prime, that's not fair, because Dynamite never found his prime. I'm gonna say Vader, just because he legitamately scared me when I was younger.

 

1. 6/8/01 (Mutoh beats Tenryu for the TC) or 12/21/00 (Nagata/Iizuka vs. Fuchi/Kawada goes 30 minute draw)?

 

2. Who is more innovative, Lyger or Kobashi?

 

3. I'm not big on Joshi because I haven't seen any. Gimme a match to get me started.

[Guest Jubuki]

Please never take part in this thread again.

[Guest DragonflyKid]

Who is more underappreciated in his own time: Giant Baba, Akira Taue, or El Samurai, and why? -I have only seen one Baba in his prime match in full so I can't judge him but from that match I can't see him as a great wrestler. Taue does get criticized more than he should, I enjoyed his early 90's work. His work was far below that of MM,KK and Kawada but I don't think he dragged down the matches considerably because I felt he was decent, his part in the six mans was great as he played Tsuruta's protege very well. From what I've seen of El Samurai I haven't been overly impressed, then again I haven't seen his highly acclaimed matches with Liger('92) and Kanemoto('97).

 

I'm not big on Joshi because I haven't seen any. Gimme a match to get me started. -Start with the Toyota/Yamada vs. Kansai/Ozaki matches, I have seen two and will see the third soon as I just received Dreamslam 2. There isn't much backstory that one needs to know because this was the first interpromotional match between the two. The matches are all excitment. The Hokuto/Kandori DS match shouldn't be a starting point but should be seen. Their fued was great, I'd start with the Hokuto/Shimoda/Mita vs. Sawai/Saito//Handa 1/24/93 match, then watch the DS match, then Kandori/Hokuto 12/6/93(Which I liked slightly more than their 1st match.) and finally Hokuto/Kandori vs. Kong/Nakano 3/27/94. There are probably other matches in the fued that I need to pick up.

 

Who would you most rather have back in good health, Kenta Kobashi or Ultimo Dragon? -Kobashi, I always seem to end up going back to Kobashi as my favorite wrestler. I have always loved Kobashi's work and his passion is unparalleled, I'm also a big fan of U. Dragon but would rather watch Kobashi.

 

Most impressive worker of the three: Vader in his prime for being so big, Dynamite Kid in his prime for intensity and innovation, or Kobashi in his prime for splitting the difference? -I'm stumped, all three brought great things to the table. I wouldn't put Vader because I have grown to like Hansen moreso than Vader, I have seen a little of his early 90's NJ work and it didn't blow me away, his WCW work was great but I think his high-end matches consistently were under ****1/2, his late 90's AJ stuff produced good matches but I didn't think any of the ones I've seen were great. I haven't seen DK's Stampede work which I hear was great but the Japan stuff I've seen of him was great but not on the level some have said. Kobashi gets my vote, excellent performances over the last 10+ years and a level of emotion I've never seen. Had amazing athleticism for a man his size and would put his body on the line over and over, his moveset was also the best I've seen.

 

 

 

1. Greater worker Tsuruta or Kawada and why?

 

2. Favorite singles matches of the following wrestlers and why:

2A. Toyota

2B. Steve Williams

2C. Ohtani

 

3. * rate the following matches:

3A. Hokuto/Kandori 12/6/93

3B. MM/KK 10/31/98

3C. MM/Kawada 7/24/95

4D. Kanemoto/Ohtani 8/31/97

4E. Kong/Nakano 11/14/90

[Guest wolverine]

1. Tsuruta. That he had a MOTDC in the 70's, 80's and 90's is pretty amazing. From a pure wrestling standpoint, he should be right at the top of any list compiled. Kawada was the best storyteller I'll ever see, but he wasn't the athlete that Jumbo was, although his versatility at being able to work a different style and carry Gary Albright to the best match of his career was remarkable. But Jumbo was obviously a natural to be able to transition from being a great basketball player, to going to the Olympics as an amateur wrestler, then to become a main event pro shortly after debuting. I'd say he was in all likelihood the greatest wrestler I've had the privilege of watching, and I can't wait to see even more matches from him, especially from the 70's.

 

2A. Kong vs. Toyota 11/20/94 is my favorite Toyota singles match since it was the one that got me hooked to Joshi. I'll never forget when I first watched it, since it was one of those matches that leaves you speechless since it's so dramatic and heartbreaking at the same time. The brutality is incredible, the moves are breathtaking, the heat during the stretch run is off-the-charts, with the 42,500 people pulling for the upset that wasn't coming. Just an incredible spectacle.

 

My second favorite is the Hokuto vs. Toyota 8/21/93 match. Hokuto's work was just fabulous here and Toyota played her part really well. Wild, wild heat towards the end, with super moves and near falls. The building was rocking, and so did the match.

 

2B. Certainly not the ridiculously overrated, stupid ass matches against Kobashi, with all of the no-selling and goofiness. Williams' best singles match was against Kawada on 4/16/94. It was a slow builder, but Kawada's selling and psych were both awesome, with Williams toning down the nonsensical antics he often displayed. The end result was a classic match that doesn't get nearly the praise it deserves.

 

2C. 3/17/96 vs. Liger. Both men impressed the hell out of me the last time I watched, with Liger's surliness being really cool to see. Though I should probably rewatch some of Ohtani's other top singles matches to make sure it still holds up as my fav.

 

3B. It's 10/31/98 and I rate it ***1/2

3C. ****3/4

[Guest RickyChosyu]

I'm not playing along for this one, but just a note:

 

From what I've seen of El Samurai I haven't been overly impressed, then again I haven't seen his highly acclaimed matches with Liger('92) and Kanemoto('97).

 

The 1/21/96 is the match you want to see for Samurai being a top tier worker and putting on a fantastic performance in one of the best juniors matches I've ever seen. It's up there with Ohtani/Dragon, Benoit/Sasuke, and Liger/Samurai. Speaking of which, that last one is also a phenominal match, but is more legendary for Liger's one-man performance, even though Samurai followed along really well. Personally, I think Sammy's performance is still worth mentioning, as he was up for everything Liger threw his way, and he played his role in the match to complete perfection, going super dick heel on Liger one instant and then taking huge amounts of punishment the next.

 

Those two matches made me a Sammy fan. The BOTSJ '97 finals has some crazy spots, blistering pace, but once you get beyond that, there's little else driving the match, to me, at least.

[Guest DragonflyKid]

1. 5 desert island matches and a quick why?

 

2A. Favorite aerial move performed by which wrestler?

2B. Favorite Power move or Suplex and who's version?

2C. Favorite move(or sequence) that ended a particular match?

2D. Most annoying move(The Rolling Cradle is not an option as most cannot grasp it's true greatness thus attack it out of ignorance!).

 

Wrestler one would liked to have seen have a run in a different promotion. (I read someone's opinion that Hashimoto would have been a good fit in AJ.)

[Guest Jubuki]

1.

 

Hokuto/Kandori 4/93 - best match I'm gonna see.

Tamura/Kohsaka 6/98 - best worked shoot I'm gonna see.

RWTL 1996 finals - best tag I'm gonna see.

Kikuchi/Kobashi vs. Can-Ams 5/92 - best crowd I'm gonna see.

Misawa/Kawada 6/94 - two great workers having a career top 5 performance on the same night

 

2.

 

Ohtani's swandive spin kick

Hokuto's Northern Lights Bomb on Mariko Yoshida from the 6/27/95 trios match

The Western Lariat to end the Hansen/Kobashi 93 Carny match

The blown finish to Dream Rush

 

3. Either Hash or Mutoh in AJ, or Anjoh as a top guy in BattlARTS, before he got fat and lazy

 

I'll put some questions in later...

[Guest wolverine]

My 5 Desert Island matches would probably be:

 

Misawa/Kobashi vs. Kawada/Taue 12/3/93 - Kawada's God-like performance #1

Kawada vs. Albright 10/25/95 - Kawada's God-like performance #2

Misawa/Akiyama vs. Kawada/Taue 12/6/96 - The best match in All Japan history

Tamura vs. Kohsaka 6/27/98 - The best pro wrestling match of all-time

Ito vs. Momoe 9/16/01 - My current favorite wrestler's best performance thus far (Momoe)

[Guest DragonflyKid]

1.

 

Hokuto/Kandori 4/93 - best match I'm gonna see.

Tamura/Kohsaka 6/98 - best worked shoot I'm gonna see.

RWTL 1996 finals - best tag I'm gonna see.

Kikuchi/Kobashi vs. Can-Ams 5/92 - best crowd I'm gonna see.

Misawa/Kawada 6/94 - two great workers having a career top 5 performance on the same night

 

Misawa/Kobashi vs. Kawada/Taue 12/3/93

Kawada vs. Albright 10/25/95

Misawa/Akiyama vs. Kawada/Taue 12/6/96

Tamura vs. Kohsaka 6/27/98

Ito vs. Momoe 9/16/01

 

I liked the Kandori/Hokuto rematch better than 4/93, I still think 4/93 is great it's just not my preferred style of match.

 

I'm going to have to check out that Tamura/Kohsaka match, I don't know if it'll be a good intro to RINGS or if I should acclimated to the style first as to fully apreciate it.

 

I liked 6/95 slightly more than 12/96 but it's a close call and I have both a *****.

 

5/92 had a perfect formula going, the rematch also had a ton of heat and was also good but not on 5/92's level. This is where Kobashi's emotion is a plus, Kawada/Kikuchi vs. the Can-Am express lacked what both KK/Kikuchi vs. Can-Ams matches had, the other three played their roles perfectly along with the fans but Kobashi was still the star, Kawada was solid but didn't provide the spark KK did.

 

6/94 was classic, I just enjoy 7/95 slightly more especially as a stand alone match.

 

12/3/93 was super-great, one of my top 10 matches ever.

 

I thought Kawada's performance in the Albright match was world-class but I still didn't think the match was great. I have only watched it once since it's the last match on an 8-hour tape but I have been making some comps from some long TV blocks and should get to watching it again in the next few weeks.

 

I should get to seeing the Ito/Momoe match in the next few days.

 

2.

 

Ohtani's swandive spin kick

Hokuto's Northern Lights Bomb on Mariko Yoshida from the 6/27/95 trios match

The Western Lariat to end the Hansen/Kobashi 93 Carny match

The blown finish to Dream Rush

 

I love Ohtani's Springboard moves, his Swandive spin kick is great not only visually but he incorporates it into his matches at the right times so well.

 

Hokuto killed Yoshida with that NLB from Best*One, normally when taking the NLB one would be driven on the head/neck then onto their shoulders where most of the impact would be taken much like the TD '91 to end the 6/94 MM/Kawada match. In the 6/27/95 match Yoshida got driven on her head at such an angle where her momentum was coming back towards Hokuto so the impact was solely on her head.

 

Hansen's Western lariat speaks for itself, I also loved Kobashi's sell job of it. I know KK/MM tried to recreate it in one of their later matches which I liked.

 

The Dreamrush finish did look bad, at first I didn't know if it was the planned finish as a way to protect Kansai/Ozaki or if it was just blown by the ref.

[Guest wolverine]

I'm going to have to check out that Tamura/Kohsaka match, I don't know if it'll be a good intro to RINGS or if I should acclimated to the style first as to fully apreciate it.

 

Watch everything there is to see in top pro-style work before getting this. It's not something that you're going to get into right now - I'm pretty sure of that judging by your tastes in wrestling at this point.

 

I thought Kawada's performance in the Albright match was world-class but I still didn't think the match was great.

 

You need to see some UWFI shows to realize this match's greatness. It still boggles my mind that Kawada had a better match with Gary than the master himself, Nobuhiko Takada.

[Guest DragonflyKid]

You need to see some UWFI shows to realize this match's greatness. It still boggles my mind that Kawada had a better match with Gary than the master himself, Nobuhiko Takada.

 

Would the following tape be a good choice?, I've been contemplating getting it for a while now:

 

Quality: EX

Length: 7.75

 

 

TABE'S BEST OF NOBUHIKO TAKADA VOL 1: THE RIVALRIES

 

NOBUHIKO TAKADA VS VADER, 12/5/93

NOBUHIKO TAKADA VS VADER, 8/18/94 (Vader wins UWFI title)

NOBUHIKO TAKADA VS VADER, 4/20/95

NOBUHIKO TAKADA VS SHIRO KOSHINAKA, 8/5/86 (clipped)

NOBUHIKO TAKADA VS SHIRO KOSHINAKA, 9/19/86 (JIP - Koshinaka wins IWGP jr title)

NOBUHIKO TAKADA VS SHIRO KOSHINAKA, 2/5/87

Nobuhiko Takada vs Shiro Koshinaka, 3/1/96

Nobuhiko Takada vs Gary Albright, 5/8/92 (Albright wins UWFI title)

Nobuhiko Takada vs Gary Albright, 9/21/92

NOBUHIKO TAKADA VS GARY ALBRIGHT, 6/10/94

Nobuhiko Takada vs Gary Albright, 11/30/94

Nobuhiko Takada vs Kazuo Yamazaki, 8/17/86 (***3/4)

Nobuhiko Takada vs Kazuo Yamazaki, 8/20/87

Nobuhiko Takada vs Kazuo Yamazaki, 2/9/90

Nobuhiko Takada vs Kazuo Yamazaki, 10/6/91 (***3/4)

Nobuhiko Takada vs Kazuo Yamazaki, 4/10/93

Nobuhiko Takada vs Kazuo Yamazaki, 4/3/94

Nobuhiko Takada vs Kazuo Yamazaki, 2/18/95

Nobuhiko Takada vs Akira Maeda, 7/17/85

Nobuhiko Takada vs Akira Maeda, 8/29/85

NOBUHIKO TAKADA VS AKIRA MAEDA, 6/11/88

NOBUHIKO TAKADA VS AKIRA MAEDA, 11/14/88

NOBUHIKO TAKADA VS AKIRA MAEDA, 1/10/89

Nobuhiko Takada vs Akira Maeda, 6/14/89

Nobuhiko Takada vs Akira Maeda, 1/16/90

Nobuhiko Takada vs Akira Maeda, 6/21/90

Nobuhiko Takada vs Akira Maeda, 9/13/90

[Guest wolverine]

The Takada-Vader 8/94 match is fun, and so are some of the Koshinaka and Yamazaki matches. Maeda bores the shit out of me though, since he's so goddamn slow on the mat compared to some other workers I've seen.

[Guest Jubuki]

That Takada tape isn't going to help you understand what Gary was doing or why the Kawada match is as good as it is. You're better off getting about half a dozen of the UWFi shows from 91-95 to see Gary working with a wider variety of opponents. The first three Takada/Albright matches are worth getting...but I would go after some of the matches with Albright working Tamura, Yamazaki, Anjo, and Co. as well. It's easier to do that and understand Gary's suplex psych than it would be by just seeing what he was doing with Takada.

[Guest Jubuki]

Time to BRING BACK THE GOOFINESS:

 

1. Less appropriate theme song: Masa Fuchi's "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins, or Akira Hokuto's porno-ish "Oro de Ley"?

 

2. Put the crybabies in order: Shinjiro Ohtani, Kenta Kobashi, Manami Toyota

 

3. Kumiko Maekawa & Yoji Anjo - are they A) secretly birthed from the same parents, or are they B) the breeding match that needs to happen to create the perfect sneering shootstyle hellspawn?

[Guest RickyChosyu]

1. Danger Zone for Fuchi, deffinately. The synthesizers definately don't compliment Hokuto's scary demoness entrence garb, but it matches her arrogant swagger pretty well. Plus, I mean, it's Kenny Loggins. And Masa Fuchi.

 

2. (from most over the top to least): Kobashi, Toyota, Ohtani (Toyota seems more apt to cry and whine, but Kobashi's "passionate" act in 6/95 had me rolling my eyes despite the sentimentalism).

 

3. B: they'll breed to form sneering, dickish shooter children. If those two ever traided fluids, we might witness a conception uglier than the rug rats that Laurer and Waltman could be churning out pretty soon. Yeesh.

 

1. Your favorite heel to watch, and why.

 

2. Who, is the best wreslter alive right now?

 

3. More endeering psychopath: Shimoda or Ozaki? Why?

[Guest Jubuki]

1. Fuchi from 89-92 OR Ozaki from 92-93 OR Hokuto from 92-93 OR Shimoda from 97 OR Yoji Anjo from UWF 2.0 OR Tully Blanchard from 85-87. One of these things is not like the other...

 

2. Dick Beyer is still alive. So is Hokuto. Neither is active, but they're 1 and 1a, and then there's pretty much everyone else after them (maybe Yokota as a distant 2 and then Liger/Kawada are somewhere back there too).

 

3. If you hadn't included 'endearing' in that, it goes to Shimoda hands down because it's pretty clear she's manic and likely a sociopath. But if I'm supposed to go, "Aww, she's such a darlin' li'l hatemonger," then it's Oz. Or it was Oz, back when she was really good. But Mima definitely doesn't fit the bill.

 

1. Who would (in theory only - let's hope these breedings don't happen) have kids and end up with less talented future workers: Laurer and Waltman, or...KAORU and Akitoshi Saito?

 

2. Better yet, who has the (ostensibly) worse mounting face (I'm hoping no one actually knows this for certain): Akitoshi Saito or...LAURER?!? HAHAHA

 

3. Pick 'Em: Pale, screamy, face-painty Mita, or Orange Goblin, Death Valley Bombin', Knee-Sellin' Mita?

[Guest RickyChosyu]

Note: I ment to put "best active wrestler alive today" but didn't proof read enough.

 

1. Waltman and Laurer. Aside from the fact that it would probably be the uggliest offspring in the history of man, Waltman's "masturbatory bumping" genes would be canceled out by Laurer's "inability to take any bump correctly" genes to form quite the business-exposing child. Saito and Kauru's conception would probably by ugly, but not THAT ugly.

 

2. I refuse to ponder this question on the grounds that it would render me impotent for the rest of my existence.

 

3. There was a non-stoic, pale version of Mita? This I have to see.

 

1. Who is the best active wreslter in the world today and a brief why.

 

2. Favorite gimick match ever.

 

3. Who scares the everloving crap out of YOU more? Aja Kong or Bull Nakano?

[Guest Jubuki]

Yeah, Mita didn't turn Orange Gobliness until about 96 or 97. She was all about the high-pitched screaming just before doling out the Blazing Chops - she'd stare at her hands like they were blessed with some sort of super power and yell and then THWACK. She was fun back then.

[Guest DragonflyKid]

What did happen to Mita?, I thought he was cute back in the early-mid 90's, I then watch some '99-'01 LCO matches and it looked like she had started sleeping in a tanning booth, not a good look.

 

1. -I'll pass on this since I'm currently trying to catching up on the great matches from the 90's before getting newer stuff.

 

2. Favorite gimick match ever. -I thought the Kong/Nakano Cage match from '90 was overrated as well as the Ozaki/Kansai streetfight from '95. The Thunderqueen '93 60:00 match is one of my all time favs so it easily gets my vote.

 

3. Who scares the everloving crap out of YOU more? Aja Kong or Bull Nakano? -Easily Aja Kong, Nakano just doesn't seem to have that monster aura about her the smae way Aja does. She has the size but never seemed to work as stiff as Kong either or show a killer instinct like Aja. I do need to see Nakano's late 80's work but from what she displayed in the matches I have seen her in Kong was truly more scary.

 

 

1. Who is the best active wreslter in the world today and a brief why.

 

2. Would you rather take an Aja Kong Uraken, a Misawa Elbow smash, a Kobashi Rolling chop or a Kawada jumping high kick?

 

3A. Most underrated match?

3B. Most overrated match?

3C. Most underrated wrestler?

3D. Most overrated wrestler?

 

 

BTW, from watching the 2001 Joshi comps I have some move questions: 1. What is the Michinoku Driver-type move Takahashi uses, is it the Nana Racker/Rocker I have read in bios and reviews? What is the Fisherman's Buster-type move Toyota uses? What is the submission move Tamura uses?, it's hard to describe as it looks complicated but maybe she uses it frequently enough to put away opponents that someone will know what I'm talking about.

[Guest Tim Cooke]

I join in late as ever on this decent little thread.

 

1. Who is the best active wreslter in the world today and a brief why.

 

Easy, Chris Benoit. Not even really close. Does everything perfectly, can carry anyone who is willing to at least move around and try to participate in the ring. Angle and Eddy are still worlds behind him. Kojima, Tenyru, Tenzan, Nagata are all behind him. American Dragon keeps developing really well and may get to Benoit's level at some point but for now is below.

 

2. Favorite gimmick match ever.

 

Wargames. The version that is done correctly mind you. Thunderqueen was a fun match but didn't really strike me as being better than Wargames 1992. The rules of the gimmick though are very intriguing to be used again.

 

3. Who scares the everloving crap out of YOU more? Aja Kong or Bull Nakano?

 

They both do. Aja kicking the crap out of Toyota at BEU made me feel sorry for Toyota. That was a shit kicking. But Nakano always had a scary look to her. Always looked like she was on the edge of blowing up.

 

Tim

[Guest wolverine]

"3A. Most underrated match?"

 

Mariko Yoshida vs. Mika Akino, Arsion, 1/17/99

 

"3B. Most overrated match?"

 

Manami Toyota vs. Akira Hokuto, AJW, 9/2/95

 

"3C. Most underrated wrestler?"

 

Tomoko Watanabe

 

"3D. Most overrated wrestler?"

 

Keiji Mutoh (who else?)

[Guest Jubuki]

Yeah, that's the Nana Rack.

 

Toyota doesn't do a fisherman buster. She does an armhold version of the Northern Lights Bomb, though, called the Japanese Ocean Queen Bee Bomb.

 

Tamura's submission is nutty...I think it's a crossface chickenwing while she uses her legs to tie up the other arm, a la the Rings of Saturn, and she does it out of a weird position. But, I haven't watched that Shimoda match or the YuYu match in a while to remember exactly what it is.