Jump to content
Pro Wrestling Only

TonyPulis'Cap

Members
  • Posts

    481
  • Joined

  • Last visited

1 Follower

Profile Information

  • Location
    London, UK

Recent Profile Visitors

1299 profile views

TonyPulis'Cap's Achievements

Rookie

Rookie (2/14)

  • First Post
  • Collaborator
  • Conversation Starter Rare
  • Week One Done
  • One Month Later

Recent Badges

  1. Guerrero is Amazing Red, in the persona that he was using in MLW. This is taking place in a nightclub in Orlando, but its a fun looking venue for wrestling with the balconies at the side. Very much appreciated the match not starting with the standard early 2000s crusierweight standoff, with Hidaka looking really smooth. Guerrero does a good job at keeping Hidaka off balance with his evasive spots, but as soon as Hidaka catches him and wheelbarrows him into the barricades, he's in charge. With his ability to kick as well as fly, Guerrero (Red) at this point was a really fun combination of Tajiri and Super Crazy. The match loses its way a bit when Hidaka tries to work on the leg, but they do get things back on track with a series of creative sequences. Guerrero gets a rana off the top, followed by a red star press. At this stage he was getting a good push with the company. It felt a bit choreographed at times, but lots of energy and the two guys matched up well. (** 3/4)
  2. This is for Kojima's MLW World Title that he had won towards the end of 2002, and is a cool title defence for Kojima back in his home promotion. Unfortunately this was clipped for MLW's Underground TV show, so its hard to get a complete sense of the match, but from what we do see, Kojima is really good on offence - explosive in his strikes and he has such great in ring charisma. Smith does show resilience to dig in after taking a lot of punishment in the sequences we see, and does get a couple of decent(ish) nearfalls of a lariat and a sit down powerbomb. While technically proficient, it does feel though that Smith doesn't have the weapons that Kojima does. In the closing stretch there is a great nearfall where Smith blocks the lariat and counters to a backslide that the crowd bites on, but almost straight after that he falls victim on a second attempt of the lariat. Hard to rate without seeing the full match, but from what we do see its a solid little encounter with the novelty of seeing Kojima defend a US promotions belt in AJPW.
  3. Another match that was part of Jonny and Jody's US excursion in the summer of 2002. This time, they are team mates rather than opponents. A couple of days before Spanky had beaten Storm in a singles match, also for the HWA. This tells a classic 'highflyers vs. technicians' story, with the Brits getting plenty of shine early on. Spanky and Collyer are both good bases, and them just sticking to the basics helps to keep the match flowing. In the initial exchanges, Storm and Fleisch's speed keeps their opponents on the defensive, until a cheap shot turns the tide. That then leads to a decent, if unremarkable heat segment on Jody. Fleisch is always a decent FIP where every move looks like its breaking him in half, while at the same time timing his hope spots well to keep the crowd invested. The match does break down a bit following Storm's hot tag, but the guys manage to pull things together again for an exciting closing stretch, with the crowd loving Jody's 720 DDT and shooting star press to the outside. The finish is nice with Collyer able to catch the high flyer woth a technical pin, going back to his own strengths to win the match, rather than trying to risk playing into his opponents style. This is a nice little tag match, with Fleisch and Storm winning over another US indie crowd who would not have been familiar with them coming in. (***)
  4. Can't say to be an expert on wrestling in 2022 having not watched a ton, but from what I have seen, and from a mainstream perspective you'd be hard pressed to look past Jon Moxley, who has been super consistent both on weekly TV and PPV and who has had to carry the AEW main event scene given everything that has gone on. I've enjoyed Danielson a lot at times - loved the Hangman Page matches - but between some injuries and times when he just seemed to be doing very little, I think Moxley has been more consistent.
  5. I would say something only being a couple of years behind the cultural zeitgeist is pretty decent for wrestling... As far as Raven goes, he's always been guilty pleasure territory for me. He was someone that was able to create compelling garbagy brawls during the late 90s when that was the 'in thing' with lots of smoke and mirrors type stuff, but history has probably not been kind to his promos which were always pretty rambling and nonsensical. From memory they just sounded like he'd looked up a few words in a dictionary that day and decided he would try and shoehorn them into a promo. Despite all of that, as I say, I always enjoyed him - he was fun in WCW and then liked him in TNA between 2003-05 when he got into decent shape.
  6. Kendrick's ability to be more technical means Storm is less 'go-go-go' than would be his normal approach at the time, and allows him to work in some of his technical/British counters, which is something he's always been super underrated with. Jonny is in babyface mode here compared to the touring matches he's been doing with Jody Fleisch where he'd been the heel in those. Spanky is much more methodical than a lot of the other indie names at the time, and it helps Storm to slow down, sell and build sympathy. As things progress, Kendrick gets frustrated by Storm's ability to hang with him and ups the violence with a top rope stun gun. But as the pace picks up, this now plays into Jonny's strengths and he scores with a double jump somersault plancha which gets a great reaction from the crowd. Down the stretch the match does slip into becoming a bit spotty, but the fans are now properly won over by Jonny who hits a series of his signature big moves for a series of nearfalls. Spanky is just trying desperately to hang in there for the last few mins, shocked he's on the verge of defeat when he's on home turf, until he gets that slight opening and kicks the ref into the ropes when Storm was up top. He then counters a rewind rana into a power bomb to eek out a win after hanging in there during a really impressive Storm flurry of offence. (** 3/4)
  7. This is part of the American tour that Jody and Jonny were on in the summer of 2002 and just a day after they had torn the house down at CZW Best of the Best the previous night in one of the best spotfest matches you will ever see. This was the classic UK indie matchup at the time that the two were now doing as a touring match. After the adulation of the CZW fans the night before, this is something of a comedown (and the less said about the very loud "you're a f*g" chant aimed at Jonny before the match the better). As I say, this is their touring match, but they do vary up some of their standard sequences. Jody is so good with his high flying at the beginning, nailing all his big spots including the springboard shooting star press to the outside. Storm for his part is good at providing an effective base early on. As ever, they are just so smooth in their exchanges, and the rapid countering of each others offences making sense given their level of familiarity. Storm is actually a lot more vicious than in some of their other matches and we also get some brawling on the outside which includes a disgusting chair shot from Storm to Fleisch. As we hit the closing stretch, Storm nails a killer sit down power bomb to counter a leaping rana, and actually kicks out of Jody's 720 DDT before nailing a rewind rana from the top for the win. At the end, both guys have won over the crowd - it's non stop action, but that's what you want from these guys. (*** 1/2)
  8. No collar and elbow tie up to start this one - La Parka just fires a chair at Sabu to say "let's f***ing go!" But after a gentlemen's agreement they both put down the chairs and start to feel each other out, but there's an aura to these guys to where you feel the madness can erupt at any time. While there is some mat wrestling at the beginning, the match always feels on a knife edge. Sabu is the first to go to the air, sensing he is overmatched on the mat. While there are some nice exchanges, the crowd seems distracted until the tables and weapons come out - very much a post ECW crowd vibe going on. Perhaps sensing that, they take it to the outside and we get some crowd brawling, but the two guys intensity and brutality makes it compelling, highlighted by the mental table spot that La Parka takes to the outside. You can now tell things are going to the next level - and on that note Sabu just goes to town on La Parka's head with a pair of scissors, resulting in a badly mangled mask and even more mangled face. La Parka's head is a bloody mess. Sabu is like the shark smelling blood just brutalising Parka and hitting him with all his big triple jump spots. The crowd is now firmly invested and on his side. Down the stretch there are nasty kicks and punches from both guys as we enter the 'war' stage of the contest. With his tattered mask, skeleton gear and all the blood, La Parka is like a character from a horror movie and Sabu can't put him away until a final triple jump moonsault does the trick. The blood and intensity in the exchanges puts this next level, where the violence between the two lives up to the mayhem that it promises. (****)
  9. The word you keep see coming up in all the tributes is 'enthusiasm', which was undoubtedly true - it was infectious when you listened to him, and it was great to hear an announcer genuinely enthused in what he was watching. But on top of that, I thought he became a genuinely great announcer. When you get into late 2004 and into 2005 with the start of TNA's 3 hour PPVs, he and Tenay have formed into a proper commentary team that plays off each other brilliantly. They were a huge part of those PPVs and unlike so much modern wrestling commentary which detracts from what you are watching, they enhanced it - just made you happy listening to them. As others have said as well - just seems to have been a great bloke that everyone has had kind words to say about.
  10. This is from St Louis, and while only just under 7 mins, is an absolute blast. We all know the feud coming in and that translates perfectly to the frenzied sprint we get here. As you would expect, there isn't much 'wrestling' in this, but there is just pure energy, chaos and intensity. There is lots of brawling on the outside and the hate the two guys have translates perfectly to the type of match they are having. I say a match, but its very much a fight. There is also that sense of both occasion, but also that a regular official wouldn't be able to handle the match, by having Lou Thesz as the special referree. He doesn't do much, but adds gravitas without overshadowing the two guys in the match. When Thesz is knocked down, Piper steals his belt - a great example of a 'weapon' finding its way logically into a match without it being planted under the ring. Snuka wins by countout (you were never getting a 'decision' in this one), but that's an ending that leaves you wanting more rather than disappointed (*** 1/4).
  11. Hulk Hogan defends the WWF World Heavyweight Title This is just pure spectacle, and pro wrestling when it is at its best - when it can capture the 'big fight feel' or real sports but fuses it perfectly with entertainment and theatrics. Its got the setting, the venue, the crowd that enhances the two guys perfectly, and both Hogan and Piper come across as megastars. Both have the big special entrance - Piper with the marching band, Hogan with Cyndi Lauper. You get the extra celebrity tie in with Mr T at ringside (and Bob Costas as ring announcer). Is the match a 'technical classic'? No, but it doesn't need to be - its pure emotion and intensity and has a terrific pace throughout. Piper in particular is fantastic here, managing to balance right on the line of being underhand enough to preserve heel status and show that Hogan is superman, without straying into being a chickenshit that wouldn't be able to live with the champ. On the one hand, you would want it to go longer, but on the other, it didn't need rest holds and padding out time - it works for being an intense sprint that never lets up, with the brawling fitting the frantic nature of the occasion and the hatred going in. It doesn't have a finish, but ultimately it sets up the first Wrestlemania main event and it wants you leaving more. Just great stuff (*** 1/2).
  12. Thankfully (Devon) Storm is going by the name 'Salem' here, otherwise this was going to get tricky... his gimmick here is a fairly low rent cult leader. Storm meanwhile was getting a decent push in XPW, which would be the only US run he would get in his career, so it's a shame - for him - that the company would only limp on for another month. Early on Salem tries to use his strength and size advantage, which is a simple story to tell, but given this is 2003, they can't help but crowbar (if you excuse the pun) in some typical indie reversal and standoff sequences. Once they've got that out of the way, Salem does start to dominate. Storm sells for large parts, which in front of a normal crowd would hopefully have elicited good sympathy but in front of a rather indifferent XPW crowd in a weird dirtbike/skate park doesn't really get much of a reaction. The brutal looking wheelbarrow he takes into a guardrail deserved more. Given the environment the match goes to the outside and that allows Storm to get a great rana off the entrance way. Everytime he tries to get that momentum however, Salem is able to take over with a big move. Storm takes some nasty bumps which does manage to drag the crowd into being invested, although is off his game offensively. A through line of the match is that Storm doesn't have the power to take Salem over with his usual array of ranas and keeps getting caught, but despite that Salem can't put him away. Because of this, Salem calls for his follower Altar Boy Luke to interfere, but he botches that to cost him the win despite dominating most of the match. There's some decent action here - I've always like Devon Storm/Crowbar - but they seem to run out of ideas midway through. (Jonny) Storm wasn't presented as much of a threat, which is odd given that in his other XPW appearances he'd been pushed well, so his win here comes across as a fluke rather than him being resilient and battling out a victory. (** 1/2)
  13. Storm had beaten Jerry Lynn the previous night to get a shot at Kaos' XPW TV Title. He looks great early on, getting lots of shine and flustering Kaos. Given he had only had a couple of appearances in the company (and a only a few in the US) Storm is really over with the crowd. Kaos is athletic and can hit big spots, but feels like a rich man's backyarder whenever I've seen him - he doesn't really do transitions, and also doesn't act too well as a base here, meaning that some of the sequences come off looking a little rough. As was the way with Kaos matches at the time there is way too much outside interference (think the RVD/Bill Alfonso dynamic with the volume turned up) from GQ Money (the future NXT producer Ryan Katz). Speaking of which, Bill Alfonso is actually the 'trouble shooting ref' on the outside here to try and counter that interference, however it just ends up being another factor that overwhelms the match. As you would imagine, there's lots of early 2000s indie style exchanges, and not at the top end of that style either, with no real rhyme or reason behind what they are doing. Storm is a better technical wrestler than just the highflying he gets to do here, but Kaos doesn't show much appetite to want to do anything other than a spotfest. Although to his credit, he does hit all his big spots well. Down the stretch there is a good nearfall off a Storm top rope DDT, but then the match ends rather abruptly with Kaos hitting a piledriver for the win. If they had just gone pure spotfest then this probably would've been more exciting, but with all the stuff on the outside, there was just too much going on. (** 1/4)
  14. And apparently its all down to the 'unforeseen' circumstances of the Queen's Jubilee, which apparently is creating issues for the live events industry. Personally, I'm not sure I can think of anything the Queen would rather do on her big weekend than head up to Nottingham (a traditionally Royalist city if you know your British history) and see the Artist FKA Nia Jax in action. Didn't they always say that the Royal Family were big fans of World of Sport back in the day?
  15. Really enjoyed this match - its not spectacular in terms of a juniors match, but has great interactions, and a fantastic performance from Liger full of little touches and subtle moments. He plays such a good prick heel here, being really antagonistic but also letting his partner do a lot of the heavy lifting. The 'invaders' jumping the faces from the get go really sets the tone, and all Liger's underhand moves builds the crowd anticipation for when his opponents take it to him. The first time Kikuchi gets to light him up is brilliant. In also really enjoyed a moment midway through where you can see Liger keeping wanting to come in for a cheapshot but fearful of doing so while it looks like Kikuchi has any chance of responding. While Kanemaru had some nice sequences, I actually found him the least compelling of all the guys and didn't like the moments when he hit a low blow or tried to use the ropes for a pin. As others have highlighted, the low blow in particular popped the crowd, and I guess you can use the 'all fair in love and war' narrative, but twice it took me out of the match when I was trying to get into the home town guys taking it to the invaders. Lots to like in this though, with the bonus of a great post match brawl that leads you to wanting more in the feud. (****)
×
×
  • Create New...