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JvK reviews pimped matches from late 90s-10s


JerryvonKramer

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There is also the story of Necro brutalizing two ROH trainees in a Chikara King of Trios and Joe being the big brother looking for revenge. I love this match, but I think Necro v. Ki and Necro v. Super Dragon are even better, Necro is the greatest indy dream match wrestler of all time, they almost always delivered.

 

I was about to mention this. Joe on a previous show cut a very brief, very intense promo about that situation to set the first Necro match up. Joe generally cut this kind of calm and collected "I'm the man" cadence on promos at this time, and here he was just screaming about how Necro was fucking dead for what he had done. It wasn't some lengthy intricate storyline, but I appreciated them going the extra mile to give context for a dream match that could've easily gotten away without it.

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That match is nuts. I thought Dragon broke his femur at one point on a bump across the edge of the stage (I think that was it anyway, it's been a couple year since I watched it), and the double stomp on Necro's face was fucking disgusting. That's one of the nastier things I've ever seen Necro take, and that is a sky high bar.

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That's the type of match where from an archetypical standpoint, you think of what a match between those guys could be like and they do basically everything you'd think they'd do. Both guys are nuts, both guys lay it in, both guys have inventive and ridiculous spots, both guys know how to make it seem like a fight as opposed to a wrestling match. Just fucking insane. A feather in both guys' caps.

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Nothing else to say about Dragon-Necro that hasn't already been said, except that I'm sad that neither of them has ever faced Cena.

 

I don't know why that I have the masochistic desire to see JvK eviscerate one of my favorite-ever matches in the Hardy-'Taker ladder match from '02, but I kind of want him to review it. I'm signing my own warrant here.

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  • 2 weeks later...

AAA When World's Collide (11/6/94)

 

Checking this out after hearing them talk about it on BTS #16. Mike Tenay and Crispy Cruise are our commentators.

 

Mascarita Sagrada and Octagoncito vs. Espectrito and Jerrito Estrada

 

Was tempted to skip this just to wind Grimmas up. 5ft is too tall to be a mini in my view. Not a lot to talk about here.

 

**

 

Fuerza Guerrera, Madonna's Boyfriend, and Psicosis vs. Rey Mysterio, Jr., Heavy Metal, and Latin Lover

 

Madonna's boyfriend is such a ridiculous gimmick. Also had to laugh when Cruise claimed that this was the most anticipated event in Mexico since the 1986 World Cup. Ha ha. Just a lot of spots and, even with English language commentary, I can't get into stuff like this. Madonna's boyfriend was appropriately goofy. Rey dazzled and it was his show. Very abrupt finish.

 

**1/2

 

The Pegasus Kid, 2 Cold Scorpio, and Tito Santana vs. Jerry Estrada, La Parka, and Blue Panther

 

I love the route 1 thinking that must have gone into Tito being booked for this show, but from the point of view of the average American fan sitting at home it makes perfect sense from a kayfabe perspective. This felt more of a showcase type match all about the various different pairings. I think perhaps Cruise and Tenay went on about Tito being a potential weak link a bit too much on commentary. I can imagine American fans at the time being excited at some of the Benoit and 2 Cold sequences here. Entertaining, but very disjointed and less than the sum of its parts.

 

***

 

Octagón and El Hijo del Santo vs. La Pareja del Terror (Art Barr and Eddie Guerrero)

 

To win each fall, they need to pin both partners. So every fall is like a mini-survivor series. I was watching this from a WWE 24/7 upload which kept fast forwarding the action, so I went to find the full thing. So I watched short version 1.5 times and full one once before this review. There was around eight minutes missing from WWE version.

 

Heels take the first fall in short order after a Frankensteiner from the top rope off the shoulders on Santo by Eddie and a frog splash on Octagon by Love Machine. Art Barr and Guerrero are very effective heels jawing at the crowd and so on. I've always loved some of Eddie's standard spots, like the crawling on knees into the eye poke.

 

Second fall also short as babyfaces bounce back after a double dive swings the momentum. But then Santo is eliminated after a straight Frankensteiner by Eddie. Weird, Santo has been made to look super weak in this match so far. Eliminated first switch and now Octagon has had to save his bacon to make it 1-1. Santo goes over and embraces him for the save. I'd have liked the sense of jeopardy to be teased and dwelt on a little bit more. This has been one of my little issues with Lucha stuff seems to happy too quickly and abruptly to digest. And I've watched these first two falls THREE times now. They could afford to linger a little more on the drama. They don't need the John Cena-like pregnant pauses and internal monologues, just slow down a little bit so we can feel the poignancy and sense of danger. It all happens too quickly.

 

Anyway, now moving into the footage fast forwarded by WWE. Barr puts Octagon away with an illegal tombstone piledriver while the ref's back is turned. So it is Santo, two vs. one going into this final fall. Nice contemptuous slap by Barr to show Octagon is out cold. He's stretchered out. Superplex on Santo. Frog splash. Kick out. Santo dive to the outside onto Guerrero. Piledriver by Blue Panther -- who is there as a second for the faces -- on Love Machine. Crowd erupts. It's going to be Eddie vs. Santo one vs. one.

 

Belly to belly from the top by Eddie. Cover gets two. Frankensteiner from the top by Eddie. Cover gets two. Full Nelson suplex by Eddie. Cover gets two. He tried it again but Samto slips into a sunset flip for three to win the match.

 

The storytelling here was layered and compelling. And both of the babyfaces got to be the hero, Octagon in the second fall and Santo in the third. Heels were fantastic on offense, and being general douchebags. This is a very good match, but for my tastes, it all feels a bit rushed. I really would have liked this to go another 10-15 mins to flesh out those first two falls. It all seems a bit truncated for the drama involved. It might seem like a strange gripe, but it's one that stops this being ranked among the all-time classics to me.

 

****1/2

 

Perro Aguayo vs. Konnan

 

I honestly thought this was as good as it possibly could have been. Aguayo's juice job here is something, and he is great as a grizzled veteran who is never going to say die here. At least as good as Jose Lothario was in Houston in 1979. They used the cage well. Sufficiently brutal. And worked logically. Double boot stomp from Aguayo was cool. Everything involving him had heft to it. And "lack of heft" is one of my typical Lucha bug bears. Eddie and Madonna's boyfriend run out. Eddie throws Coke in Perro's face, throws Konan a pair of brass knucks. The old man is out. Powerbomb! Oh my god this blood. This is up there for juice jobs.

 

The LA fans are getting restless. Aguayo is absolutely covered in blood. Streaming down his face. Jesus Christ! Kicks by Konan. This goes on for some time. Music hits and Cien Caras and his crew run out to deal with Eddie's shenanigans. Samoan drop by Aguayo. Double boot from the top. He escapes the cage to win. Crowd goes absolutely apeshit and this felt huge.

 

Honestly, even taking in the run ins and all the rest of it, I thought this was awesome. Gets a star for the blood levels alone and the feel good moment of he win. I bet back in the day Meltzer and the smart community rated both the six mans over this. If they did, I disagree.

 

****

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