Michinoku ponder

[Guest dr deaf]

I'm just getting into the puro high flyers and I'm curious if there's any definitive tape that would give you a good introduction into the particular league?  

 

I've been considering 'These Days', 'Best of Mpro Vol 1 (95-97)' or possibley 'Mpro vs. KDX'  

 

Can anyone shed any light on any of these tapes?  any reviews for the matches or recommendations for better ways to start, it would be greatly appreciated.

[Guest Jubuki]

For my money, the Heartbreak tape, covering Sept-Dec. '96, is it.  The 11/12 trios and the 12/16 10-man are two of the best Trios+ matches I've ever seen.

[Guest Tim Cooke]

That is a killer tape but they needed to show the full 12/9 Elimination match that aired 90% on TV.

 

With all these Mpro questions, here is a list of the best matches to order from Lynch on a Custom if you are about that type of thing.

 

Or of course, you could wait 5 weeks and over Spring Break I will dub these since I have them all in SP from Lynch.

 

11/12/96 6 man (from Sept-Dec Comml)

12/1/96 10 man from Samurai TV debut

12/9/96 10 Man Elimination (get the TV version, Comml version airs 8 minutes)

12/16/96 10 man (Comml Sept-Dec)

1/14/97 6 man (TV - Togo pins Sasuke for KDX's first win over Sasuke......this leads to......)

3/1/97 5 v 5 series (Samurai TV- get the whole 2 hr show)

3/16/97 10 man (the last 10 men with some semblence of the original KDX)

 

After that, you may want to add the 1/21/97 BattlArts 8 man and the 5/3/97 NJPW/MPro 10 man mix for fun.

 

Other than that, unless your a completionist, that gives you the very best of MPro at its work rate height.  I got every match I could before I realized that Spot Fu doesn't hold up so well and there are other matches but they are almost a step down from the ones listed, but still fun.

 

Also, two 1999 matches I would recommend would be the 8/22/99 6 man and the 12/21/99 6 man with Cima/Curry Man/Super Boy v Fujita/Shiryu II/Jody Fleish.  The best all out spotfest that I have ever seen.  There is nothing in the way of storytelling or even logical progression of the moves, but the moves and how the do them so fast without blowing anything is something to be seen.

 

Tim

[Guest dr deaf]

that's what I figured.  Growing up with WWF you get accustomed to spots being blown constantly, it'll be nice to see some class.  Do you know anything about the toryumon?  I'm curious about the Crazy Max vs. M2K or the best of CIMA collection?

[Guest Tim Cooke]

For Toryumon, get the following and you will have seen the majority of what is "fun" and "good".

 

Toryumon TV Blocks #1 and #2 (the 2 debut shows) are a good place to start to see where the wrestlers are coming from.

 

Then I would hit up Lynch for a Custom quickie (2 hrs - SP) for the 9/24 Horiguchi v Mochizaki(sp), the 9/00 Dragon Kid v SUWA, the 12/16/00 6 man with Genki/Tokyo/DK v Cima/Dandy/SUWA and then get the 8/01 3 way 6 man tag match.  

 

Add the 7/01 PPV and the 9/01 and 12/01 TV Specials (3 hrs ea) and you should be set.  Everything in between is either not so good or the same stuff you have on all the other tapes.

 

Tim