Matches of the month

[Vinnie B]

November:

1) Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Akira Taue (AJPW 11/29/91) **** ¾

2) Arn Anderson & Larry Zbyszko vs. Ricky Steamboat & Dustin Rhodes (Clash 11/19/91) **** ¼

3) Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada vs. Stan Hansen & Dan Spivey (AJPW 11/16/91) **** ¼

4) Sting vs. Cactus Jack (Submit or Surrender) (Power Hour 11/23/91) **** ¼

5) Octagon vs. Fuerza Guerrera (CMLL 11/1/91) **** ¼

6) Dynamite Kansai vs. Harley Saito (JWP 11/2/91) ****

7) Ric Flair vs. Bret Hart (New Haven 11/11/91) ****

8) Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada vs. Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi (AJPW 11/21/91) ****

9) Los Brazos vs. MS-1, Pirata Morgan & Satanico (CMLL 11/22/91) *** ¾

10) Yoji Anjoh & Jim Boss vs. Yuko Miyato & Kiyoshi Tamura (UWFI 11/7/91) *** ¾

11) Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan (MSG 11/30/91) *** ½

12) Keiji Muto & Hiroshi Hase vs. Rick Steiner & Scott Norton (NJPW 11/5/91) *** ½

13) Toshiyo Yamada & Kyoko Inoue vs. Akira Hokuto & Manami Toyota (AJW 11/15/91) *** ½

14) MS-1, El Satanico & Pirata Morgan vs. Konnan, El Dandy & Rayo de Jalisco Jr (CMLL 11/29/91) *** ¼

15) Riki Choshu vs. Shinya Hashimoto (NJPW 11/5/91) *** ¼

16) Eric Embry vs. Tom Pritchard (USWA 11/9/91) *** ¼

17) Los Brazos vs. Pirata Morgan, Emilio Charles Jr & MS-1 (WWA 1991) *** ¼

18) Jerry Flynn vs. Wellington Wilkins Jr. (PWFG 11/3/91) ***

19) Dustin Rhodes, Tom Zenk & Big Josh vs. Terry Taylor, Ricky Morton & Tommy Rich (Main Event 11/10/91) ***

20) Dustin Rhodes, Tom Zenk & Big Josh vs. Terry Taylor, Ricky Morton & Tommy Rich (Main Event 11/3/91) ***

21) Nobuhiko Takada vs. Bob Backlund (UWFI 11/7/91) ***

22) Genichiro Tenryu vs. Ashura Hara (SWS 11/10/91) ***

23) Dustin Rhodes, Big Josh & Tom Zenk vs. Ricky Morton, Terry Taylor & Tommy Rich (No DQ Cage Match) (Pro 11/16/91) ***

 

November may have been, in a ratio of quality to length of time (it was a relatively short month), my favourite month of any yearbook so far. WCW is really picking up again with the beginning of the Dangerous Alliance, the WWF has some strong angles with Roberts/Savage/Flair/Undertaker. AJPW had a really great RWTL, which, to my surprise, had my favourite AJ match of 1991. Everything seems to be setting in place for the rest of the 1990s, and it’s very enjoyable.

[Vinnie B]

December:

 

1) Brian Pillman vs. Jushin Liger (Meadowlands 12/27/91) **** ¼

2) El Hijo del Santo & Black Shadow Jr vs. Fuerza Guerrera & Octagon (12/15/91) **** ¼

3) Bull Nakano & Akira Hokuto vs. Aja Kong & Bison Kimura (AJW 12/9/91) **** ¼

4) Toshiyo Yamada & Kyoko Inoue vs. Aja Kong & Bison Kimura (AJW 12/9/91) ****

5) Ricky Steamboat vs. Bobby Eaton (WCWSN 12/14/91) *** ¾

6) Trio Fantasia vs. Los Thundercats (12/8/91) *** ¾

7) El Satanico vs. El Dandy (Hair vs. Hair) (CMLL 12/6/91) *** ¾

8) Keiji Muto & Hiroshi Hase vs. Shinya Hashimoto & Scott Norton (NJPW 12/16/91) *** ¾

9) Lightning Kid vs. Jerry Lynn (Piledriver vs. Sleeper, 2/3 Falls) (GWF 12/27/91) *** ¾

10) Hiroshi Hase vs. Tiger Jeet Singh (Island Death Match) (JIP) (NJPW 12/8/91) *** ½

11) Hulk Hogan vs. Genichiro Tenryu (SWS 12/12/91) *** ½

12) Akira Maeda vs. Volk Han (RINGS 12/7/91) *** ½

13) Steve Austin vs. Ricky Steamboat (WCWSN 12/21/91) *** ½

14) Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada vs. Steve Williams & Terry Gordy (AJPW 12/6/91) *** ½

15) Stan Hansen & Dan Spivey vs. Steve Williams & Terry Gordy (AJPW 12/4/91) *** ½

16) Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels (Corpus Christi 12/2/91) *** ¼

17) Bret Hart vs. Ted DiBiase (MSG 12/29/91) *** ¼

18) Arn Anderson, Larry Zbyszko & Bobby Eaton vs. Ricky Steamboat, Brian Pillman & Dustin Rhodes (Pro 12/21/91) ***

19) Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan (MSG 12/29/91) ***

20) Eddie Gilbert vs. Terry Garvin (No DQ, 2/3 falls) (GWF 12/27/91) ** ¾

 

And so ends another yearbook. The endurance test that was Wrestlemania (and that weekend in general) frazzled me a bit for wrestling, and so December was a struggle. The good thing about this month was that there was something for everyone, however that also means that sometimes, we get quite a bit that does not appeal, so whilst I enjoyed the Joshi and WCW, some of the Lucha and men’s puroresu disappointed me. Still, to reiterate, there was great variety. Importantly, the main US promotions have set themselves up well for strong angles in 1992, and the rest of the world also look to be preparing for a stellar next year. That Liger/Pillman match pretty much shot to being one of the most enjoyable matches I’ve ever seen, and caps off a great 1991 for both wrestlers.

 

Part of the reason for me watching the yearbooks and making these lists is to help me discover what I like in wrestling, not as a child, not as a smarky teenager, but as a fully-grown person (let’s avoid the scary word of ‘adult’!) I think it’s shown me that I don’t really know what I think constitutes a 5-star match, as that would connote ‘perfection’, and I can’t, in my years of watching professional wrestling, point to my perfect match. I’ve loved plenty of matches from different time periods and promotions, but not anything I could call ‘perfect’. Maybe I will find it with later yearbooks, or maybe wrestling matches for me will remain a Persian carpet, always a missed stitch.

 

Of course, if anyone is still reading this, you may believe I’m over-thinking this entirely, and I agree I’m trying to quantify the unquantifiable in how much I enjoy a wrestling match. However, since I started watching the 1991 yearbook I’ve undergone some serious personal changes and struggled with my mental health, and this yearbook has been a wonderful anchor to return to, so I think to think deeply about these things.

 

Anyway, I edited Wargames, and I think at this stage, my top 5 for the year would look like this:

 

1) Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Akira Taue (AJPW 11/29/91) **** ¾

2) War Games (Wrestle War 2/24/91) **** ¾

3) Mitsuharu Misawa, Toshiaki Kawada & Kenta Kobashi vs. Jumbo Tsuruta, Akira Taue & Masa Fuchi (AJPW 4/20/91) **** ¾

4) Masa Chono vs. Shinya Hashimoto (NJPW 8/9/91) **** 1/2

5) Aja Kong & Bison Kimura vs. Manami Toyota & Esther Moreno (AJW 4/29/91) **** ½

 

After that, it would begin to get a bit messy, and obviously any list could change depending on how I am feeling.

 

Overall, and this might be me acclimatising to the yearbook format, but I actually liked 1991 more than 1990. It may not have hit the high notes as regularly, but it certainly had quite a few, and was consistently enjoyable.

 

Whilst it might look like I have taken absolutely ages to finish this (nearly two years!), it feels like I have breezed through this, and I think the majority of it was watched in a total of about 12 weeks at my family home, and I am very much looking forward to 1992. Last thing to say is a thank you to Goodhelmet and everyone else involved for putting it together, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this!

[Zenjo]

You can definitely finish the 90's Yearbooks at some point during the 20's Vinnie! But hey, the past isn't going anywhere.

 

I've watched/rewatched over 7.5 years in my 90's project and the only two matches I'd describe as perfection came in 93 and 96. I think 91 was an excellent year for wrestling, but 92 is one of the greatest years in history. The best is yet to come.

[JKWebb]

Jan. of 1991 turned out be one of my favorite month's in wrestling.

My top 5:
1. Toshiaki Kawada vs. Akira Taue (AJPW 01/15/1991)
2. El Hijo del Santo vs. Brazo de Oro (UWA 01/13/1991)
3. The Rockers vs. The Orient Express (WWF 01/19/991)
4. Misawa, Kawada, Kikuchi vs. Jumbo, Fuchi, and Taue (AJPW 01/27/1991)
5. Jeff Jarrett vs. Eddie Gilbert (USWA 01/05/1991)

Memphis, with the return of the Fabs, was my favorite promotion to watch as a whole. I loved the angle and promos. I'm about half of the way through Feb. now, and it's slowed down a little bit. But, I'm loving 1991 thus far. It's so great watching this stuff in a linear fashion. Kawada vs. Taue was an awesome war that I'll continuously go back to, I loved the emotion from the Santo match, and the creativity in the Rockers.

Feb. 1991 slipped in terms of "classics," but I still enjoyed it quite a bit.

My top 3:
1. War Games 1991 - Pillman is incredible, and it's probably my second favorite War Games ever. 2/24/91 - ****3/4
2. Barry Windham and Arn Anderson vs. Brad Armstrong and Tim Horner - 2/2/91 - Arn was so damn good in this. This is one of the better one-sided tag matches I've seen (Arn and Barry dominated so much of the match, and it was fantastic). If Horner had shown more fire, could have been near or at the classic level.
3. I think Hansen and Vader would probably be my third choice... I know it was short, but it was still really good while it lasted... personally, I was really entertained. 2/24/91

The Piper/Virgil segment was cool thanks to Piper, and I loved the El Santo Feature from 02/08/91. Memphis continues to be my favorite television, but I'm enjoying the build to Warrior/Savage. I've seen the match a million times, but it I haven't watched the entire build like this since it happened. I'm even not sure I even saw all the segments in order back then.

March of 1991 is highlighted by WrestleMania VII. I've thought about this a lot over the years, and although it's typically not hyped as the greatest mania of all time, I think VII is my personal favorite. I watched all of them in order about 4 years ago, and 7 was so refreshing when I watched them like that. It was the first one in years with solid or clean finishes in the undercard. I love Haku and Barbarian vs. The Rockers as the opener. I'll list my favorite matches from the month. I'll add I thought Liger looked really good this month as well. Also, I've stated this many times, but Sherri Martel is incredible. People always talk about Jimmy Hart, Jim Cornette, and the Brain as the greatest MGR's of all time. Sherri is in the top 3 or 4 easy. Also, I'll add Willie Nelson is my favorite opening musical performance for a Mania.

Favorites of March 1991:
1. Randy Savage vs. Ultimate Warrior - 03/24/1991 - *****
2. Hogan/Slaughter @ 7
3. The Rockers vs. Haku & Barbarian - 03/24/1991
4. Hulk Hogan & Tenryu vs. LOD - 03/30/1991
5. Sting vs. Larry Z - 03/10/1991
6. Misawa/Kobashi/Kikuchi vs. Jumbo/Taue/Fuchi - 03/23/1991

 

I think what stood out the most about April of 1991 were two great cards (one from All Japan and one from New Japan). All Japan really had an amazing month. That Championship Carnival show from 04/18/1991 was something special. It wasn't on the same level, but I also really enjoyed the New Japan show from 04/30/1991 a lot.

 

Favorites from April 1991:

1. Misawa, Kawada, & Kobashi vs. Tsuruta, Taue, & Fuchi - 04/20/1991 - *****

2. Hansen & Spivey vs. Williams & Gordy - 04/18/1991

3. Kawada vs. Taue - 04/18/1991

4. Jumbo vs. Misawa - 04/18/1991

5. Flair vs. Pillman - 04/13/1991

6. Liger vs. Honaga - 04/30/1991

7. Bret Hart vs. Ted DiBiase - 04/27/1991

 

Also, an honorable mention goes out to Choshu/Fujinami vs. vs. Hase/Sasaki from 04/30/1991. I really enjoyed that match and the dynamic of the experienced seasoned wrestlers vs. the young guys. They were hitting hard and put a fun a show.

 

What blew me away the most from May was the Santo/Casas match from 05/17/1991. I was unable to find it online when I went through the list Loss made for the Top 500 Matches of the 90's, so it caught me by surprise watching through the set. It is easily my favorite discovery from the set so far. I'm tossing around ****1/2 to ****3/4 area. Probably ****1/2.

 

Top Matches of May 1991:

1. El Hijo del Santo vs. Negro Casas - 05/17/1991

2. Jushin Liger vs. Norio Honaga - 05/31/1991

3. Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Kenta Kobashi - 05/24/1991

4. Eddie Gilbert & Brian Christopher vs. Tom Prichard & Dirty White Boy - 05/18/1991

 

I also really enjoyed the taped fist match between Windham and Pillman. I realized that the Flair/Fujinami match from Superbrawl is pretty underrated. I also enjoyed the Shamrock/Sano match for what it was. Lastly, the old fan favorite of the Steiners vs. Luger & Sting isn't the classic match that some may say, but is still really fun and holds great nostalgia.

 

So far, my least favorite things about 1991 are PN News and Desperados ha.

 

Favorite matches of June 1991:

1. Misawa & Kawada vs. Hansen & Spivey - 06/07/1991 (great Hansen performance)

2. Hulk Hogan vs. Sgt. Slaughter - 06/03/1991 - (one of my favorite all-time Hogan matches)

3. Steve Williams vs. Bam Bam Bigelow - 06/09/1991 - (awesome clash of the BIG guys)

4. Ric Flair vs. Bobby Eaton - 06/14/1991 - (I feel it's a tad underrated because of the history known that it had to be rushed, if that weren't known, you might notice it as much - still some botches, and at times, bad timing, but it's still pretty great)

 

PN News is a top three least favorite of all-time contender.

 

You have to love the Liz/Randy proposal that kicks off the WWF in July. It's such a great and memorable moment. Savage/Piper/Vince are all pretty funny there. That being said, New Japan was the highlight. I believe July of 1991 to be the weakest month of the year to this point. My favorite match was Vader vs. Hash from 07/19/1991. The tags involving Bam Bam and Vader were pretty fun too, and I also still enjoyed what we got from All Japan. To this point, I've been kind of disappointed with Lucha. Lucha really blew me away in 1990, but in 1991 I'm struggling to connect for the most part. Of course, there have been two great matches this year, but I'm kind of bored with the Brazos tags.

 

Well, I spoke too soon on Lucha, because August of 1991 quickly turned things around with lots of great Lucha content. In fact, August of 1991 is one of the best months in wrestling history as far as I can tell. There were so many really good to great matches throughout the month, and some really fun/classic moments too. The G-1 tournament was incredible, and Summerlsam 1991 is a really fun show (topped off with a wedding). This month also begins Bobby H discussing Ric Flair, the real world champion, coming to the WWF. All Japan has a really strong 6-man (per usual, but Jumbo really shined in it... well per usual again). Really the only promotion that took a turn for the worse during this month was Memphis. It was goofy enough to laugh at though. Also, just to put the icing on the cake, Ultimate Warrior gets bit in the face by a cobra and Randy Savage has a bachelor party! The cobra at the reception is one of the best WWF heel moments ever...

 

Here are my top matches from August of 1991:

1. Masa Chono vs. Shinya Hashimoto - 08/09/1991 (NJPW)

2. Vader vs. Keiji Muto - 08/10/1991 (NJPW)

3. Masa Chono vs. Keiji Muto - 08/11/1991 (NJPW)

4. Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect - Summerslam 1991

5. Atlantis vs. Blue Panther - 08/09/1991 (CMLL)

 

All Japan started off the month of September with bang! Two of the best matches of the year on the same card of 09/04/1991. Also, Ric Flair debuts in the WWF on Prime Time! Robin Hood even teams with the Ninja Turtles. Going through this month, and seeing the great Randy Savage promo from his home, I was actually thinking Savage might end up the MVP of 1991... and he's been retired for half the year to this point. But, he's been incredible in everything he's done.

 

Here are my top matches from September of 1991, but I'll point out the Savage interview from 9/15/91 was probably my favorite moment.

 

1. Stan Hansen vs. Kenta Kobashi - 09/04/1991

2. Taue & Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Misawa & Kawada - 09/04/1991

 

In October, Ric Flair made his MSG debut vs. Roddy Piper, and I thought it was super entertaining. The build to the match was really good as well. I also thought Memphis had a great episode where BJT demolishes the newly autographed (by country music stars) guitar of Jerry Lawler. Lawler in turn bashes the windows out of the BJT's car. I think it was on of the more memorable episodes of the entire year for Memphis.

 

Here are my favorite matches from October:

 

1. Misawa, Kawada, & Kikuchi vs. Jumbo, Taue, & Fuchi - 10/15/1991

2. Steve Austin vs. Dustin Rhodes - 10/27/1991

3. Ric Flair vs. Roddy Piper - 10/28/1991

 

Honorable mention goes out to Yatsu & Tenryu 10/29/1991. It's not a great match, but I just really enjoyed these two going at it at this stage in Yatsu's career. It appears he's on the back end, and it was nice to see him go as hard as he could here. The finish was fun.

 

I don't even know where to start with November. I thought Jan. was one my favorite months, but November topped it. WWF is on fire at this point with the Macho Man and Jake Roberts feud. You have one of the most famous WWF segments ever with the King Cobra attacking Savage, and man does it hold up. The performance from Savage is off the charts, on another level, amazing. Then, in WCW you have one of the best Clash of the Champions of ever. You get the amazing Tag with Dustin/Steamboat vs. The Enforcers, and I love the injured Sting returning from the hospital to face Rick Rude angle. It's one of the best performances of Sting's career. Hogan and Flair finally face off with a promo, and it's super intense. You also get their first meeting at MSG. The RWTL in AJ is really good, and Tenryu is having good matches as well. Throw in some good lucha, and you have one excellent month of wrestling.

 

My favorite matches in November:

 

1. The Enforcers vs. Steamboat and Dustin Rhodes - 11/19/1991

2. Misawa & Kawada vs. Taue and Jumbo - 11/29/1991

3. Misawa & Kawada vs. Hansen & Spivey - 11/16/1991

4. Sting vs. Rick Rude - 11/19/1991

5. Tenryu vs. Ashura Hara - 11/10/1991

6. Octagon vs. Fuerza Guerrera - 11/01/1991

 

You can really feel WCW picking up steam with the Dangerous Alliance angle.

[JKWebb]

Well, that's a wrap for 1991! I was a little surprised to find that I enjoyed 1991 more than 1990. But, since I started it in May and I'm already finished, I guess that would be an understatement.

 

With December, my favorite match and moment was Jake Roberts vs. Macho Man at Tuesday in Texas. I'm including the match, the Liz angle, and the promos. I hadn't seen all that in full, or chronologically in so long. I was pretty floored by the whole thing. It's my feud of the year easy. So, my favorites from December look like this:

 

1. Randy Savage vs. Jake Roberts - 12/03/1991

2. El Hijo del Santo & Black Shadow Jr. vs. Fuerza Guerrera & Octagon - 12/15/1991

3. Hulk Hogan vs. Tenryu - 12/12/1991

4. Jushin Liger vs. Brian Pillman - 12/27/1991

5. Ricky Steamboat vs. Steve Austin - 12/21/1991

 

Match of the Year: Randy Savage vs. Ultimate Warrior - 03/24/1991

MVP of 1991: Randy Savage

 

My Top 10 favorite matches of 1991:

 

1. Randy Savage vs. Ultimate Warrior @ 7 (The entire moment)

2. Misawa, Kawada, & Kobashi vs. Jumbo, Taue, & Fuchi - 04/20/1991

3. The Enforcers vs. Dustin Rhodes & Ricky Steamboat - 11/19/1991

4. War Games 1991

5. Taue vs. Kawada 01/15/1991

6. El Hijo del Santo vs. Negro Casas - 05/17/1991

7. Stan Hansen vs. Kenta Kobashi - 09/04/1991

8. Masa Chono vs. Shinya Hashimoto - 08/09/1991

9. Vader vs. Keiji Muto - 08/10/1991

10. Chono vs. Muto - 08/11/1991

 

It's hard to rank the Roberts/Savage match from Tuesday in Texas. But, I think that's the most memorable and favorite match/angle for me. I'd have to think about where I'd put it in the top 10. I think it would edge some of those out because the performances are so good.

 

Shout out to Rockers vs. The Orient Express, as that will always be a personal favorite of mine that I've loved since childhood. And, shout out to Savage and Roberts for cutting the best promos of the year. 1991 is packed with the goods. I know there is a discussion about WWF taking a darker turn in 1991, and I can see that. For me, it really worked. I'd give the nod to WWF as my favorite promotion of the year. Really, all the reasons why I talked about as I went through each month. I really can't wait to get to 1992 now. The DA build has me amped. I'm going to take a break from the 90's and dive into Mid-South a bit at this point. But, I'll be going to 1992 soon. I think the biggest drop off for me was Memphis. It had it's moments that reminded me of the 80's and 1990, but there were times it just wasn't as good to me. There was also less lucha knocking it out of the park for this year. I wasn't a huge fan of the Brazos tags. But, damn I loved that Casas match. All Japan and New Japan were both great.

[WingedEagle]

Always fun to watch someone make their way through a year and see their thoughts. Love the recaps and looking forward to '92.

[Vinnie B]

I think I would agree that I preferred 1991 to 1990. I think the think the lack of well-recognised 5-star classics disguises the breadth and depth of great angles and matches. WWF and USWA, and towards the end of the year WCW provided great stories whilst NJ, AJ and to an certain extent Joshi and WCW had strong years in-ring.

 

You should enjoy 1992. Not halfway through yet and I think it has already exceeded 1990 and 1991 in numbers of great matches!

[JKWebb]

Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it! In my head, I had always just thought it was one of the better years. Looking forward to really diving in.