In an effort to broaden my wrestling tastes and knowledge, and as part of the ProWrestlingOnly Greatest Wrestler Ever poll (iykyk), I'm in the process of watching a whole bunch of wrestling, much of it international, that I've never seen before. Here's some reviews...
L.A. Park vs El Hijo del Santo (2001): Santo wins the first fall with a submission. He’s just dominating this match. LA Park’s bumping into the post looks horrific. Loved Santo’s dive that sent Park into the stands. Great transition to change gears. When Park goes on offense, he does not hold back. I’m not sure at what point Santo gets opened up, but he is bleeding like a stuck pig. This is one of the gnarliest matches I’ve ever seen. If El Hijo del Santo didn’t have a mask on, this would be too gruesome to watch. We actually get a little bit of wrestling - or at least some actual manuevers- towards the end of the second fall when Park applies a surfboard and then gets the cover with a hurricanrana, but the match has been mostly a violent brawl. Santo’s comeback is great during the third fall. They actually sell a potential countout in the third fall too, which seems crazy in context. The only thing I didn’t really like about this match was the craziness towards the end as we got a screwy finish involving crooked referees (there were two in the match). Maybe if I understood the context it would’ve worked for me, but it felt disappointing that it ended this way considering how incredible the rest of the match was. (4/5)
L.A. Park vs El Mesias (AAA, 12/11/2010): What’s cool about La Parka is that he’s an insane brawler like Terry Funk, but then can also deliver a heel kick that looks as devastating as when he’s ramming your head into a chair. I love La Parka’s kicks. Mesias doesn’t do much for me, but he’s more impressive here than he came off in the TNA matches I’ve seen of him. Great dive from Mesias that sends La Parka into the barricade. La Parka’s bumping and selling in this match is incredible. He takes a crossbody to the floor that looks like it could’ve killed him. This wasn’t as good the match against El Hijo del Santo, but was still quite good. (3.5/5)
LA Park vs. Super Calo (2/19/98): This is a sub-5 minute match and I might be more impressed by Super Calo than I am La Parka in this one, though its not like La Parka is bad. Super Calo is on top for most of this and his offense is quite good at times. This is perfectly fine, though I wish it went longer for what it was as a match designed to fill time on Thunder. (2.5/5)
La Parka vs. Juventud Guerrera (Nitro, November 1996): This is La Parka’s WCW debut. Definitely some sloppy and awkward moments in this as well as noticeable moments of cooperation between the combatants. Some very lazy covers at times and I didn’t like that this match started hot and then slowed down towards the end. There were some bright spots, though - La Parka’s plancha off the top to the floor looks great, as did his suicide dive, and Juventud Guerrera had some sharp offense as well. Still, a bit of a letdown considering what both guys are capable of. (2/5)
La Parka vs. Lex Luger (WCW Saturday Night, February 1997): This was basically a squash, but La Parka did get some offense in. I kinda wish they had had more “fun” in this match, but Luger never struck me as a guy who wanted to have creative/unique matches and was more than happy just doing a formula bout. La Parka does get to hit a suicide dive and his finisher. For what it was, this was fine, but certainly not a hidden gem or anything. (2/5)
La Parka vs. Chris Jericho (WCW Worldwide, July 1997): A solid match from early in Jericho’s WCW days (La Parka’s too). Jericho was the Cruiserweight Champion when this match aired (and when the commentary was dubbed), but he doesn’t have the title with him so I’m guessing this was filmed before he beat Syxx for it. Jericho had none of his signature moves as part of his arsenal, but he has good enough chemistry with La Parka to make this work. I really liked La Parka’s use of submissions. Not anything super special, but not bad at all. (2.5/5)
Shinya Hashimoto vs Victor Zangiev (NJPW, 4/24/1989): For a match that goes under 9 minutes, this is terrific and really shows incredible efficiency in telling a story. This is the kind of match that you watch and wonder if it might’ve been more shoot than work. Everything they do is earned. Zangiev’s throws look like he legitimately has to use every muscle in his body to force Hashimoto over his head while all of Hashimoto’s strikes look not the least bit pulled. Loved Hashimoto spitting in Zangiev’s face towards the end. Definitely must-see and certainly one of the most epic non-epic matches I’ve ever seen. (4.5/5)
Kintaro Kanemura vs. Shinya Hashimoto (5/5/03): This is a barbwire exploding death match. There’s a story here that is lost on me as I don’t know the history of these two men or the wrestler they were honoring (Kodo Fuyuki). I still thought this was an incredible showing from Hashimoto, who obliterates Kanemura. I didn’t like that despite the barbwire around the ring and Kanemura using a barbwire bat at some point, neither guy ends up with any “color.” I don’t have a bloodlust but I would’ve expected even a little bit of incidental blood. Hashimoto is super stiff and again I’m wondering if he was legitimately knocking his opponents out with his strikes. (3.5/5)
Shinya Hashimoto vs. Genichiro Tenryu (8/1/98): Crazy strike exchange to start, both men painting each other with big chops. It’s interesting to see Hashimoto actually selling after only having seen two other matches where he was so dominant. With how hard these guys are striking each other, you totally get why they are exhausted by minute 7 and spend so much of the time selling the damage. Watching this, I also got to see that Hashimoto does have some signature offense - the spinning heel kick, the DDT, etc. that I maybe didn’t catch in the previous two matches as being staples of his arsenal. Tenryu has tremendous struggle getting Hashimoto up for a powerbomb, but he eventually lands it and then follows it up with an elbow drop from the top for another 2 count. I love Hashimoto’s comeback after this, though, as he lays into Tenryu with super stiff kicks in the corner, tosses the ref aside to deliver more, and then connects with a DDT off the top rope, a move you just don’t ever see. Tenryu fights back for one last minute, but Hashimoto wins with a DDT - a somewhat anticlimactic ending, if you ask me. (3.5/5)
Jushin Liger vs Naoki Sano (NJPW, 1/31/1990): Love the way this one starts off with Liger and Sano going right at each other with absolutely no respect being shown. This is a personal match being fought between two longtime rivals and you get that feeling right from the very start. Sano gains the upperhand and goes after Liger’s head, tearing his mask and busting him open. Sano can’t get the win yet so he delivers an expect superplex for another nearfall and then even something resembling a pedigree. I dislike matches that are too “my turn/your turn,” but I could’ve gone for some hope spots thrown in here as Liger has been selling for about 8 minutes straight by this point. When Liger does make his comeback, it springs a bit too out of nowhere for me as he’s moving and flying around the ring and delivers a ridiculous somersault splash onto Sano on the outside (and looks like he nearly cripples himself as part of his body lands on the guardrail/table). Sano escapes a surfboard by scratching Liger’s bloody face. Brilliant way for the heel to regain control. Sano hits some suplexes, including a great-looking full nelson one, and applies a Boston Crab, but Liger won’t quit. Some “iffy” moments in the second half as Liger can’t quite get Sano over the top rope with a clothesline and then what is seemingly a miscommunication when Liger goes for a heel kick of some kind and Sano looks out-of-place. Some brilliant nearfalls towards the end and a bit of a shocking moment as Sano kicks out of a Liger Bomb. Liger ends up hitting a Shooting Star Press to get the win, though, which, in 1990, seems like a move that had not yet made it to the US. This was very good, though I came out of it thinking Sano may have actually put on the better, more impressive performance. Reading others’ reviews, many of which would call this match an absolute 5-star masterpiece, I definitely feel like I’m missing something in terms of context. (4/5)
Jushin Liger vs. El Samurai (7/6/97): Liger comes in swinging with strikes, but Samurai lands a suicide dive to change the tide of the match early. El Samurai controls the next few minutes, but Liger gets to make a comeback after he misses a senton. Liger misses a somersault splash of his own, though, this one from the top rope all the way to the arena floor. Crazy, crazy spot. The ridiculously awesome spots continue over the course of the match, including a brainbuster from the top rope by Liger and El Samurai hitting a reverse DDT off the top too. This isn’t as personal as the Liger/Sano match I watched before it, but this almost feels more evenly matched because it is more back-and-forth. El Samurai’s bomb-throwing at the end makes the finish feel 100% earned and doesn’t take away anything from Liger. Excellent match. (4/5)
Jushin Liger vs. Fit Finlay (5/26/94): Hard-fought match between two beloved workers. Liger and Finlay both play to the crowd early. I always love how Fit utilizes the ring apron, the guardrail, and anything else he can. Very brutal and highly-influential stuff for 94'. 30 years later, people using "the hardest part of the ring" to their advantage has become a trope, but I don't know of many US workers who were doing it back then. Anyway...I liked Liger's initial comeback, but wish he would've kept the pressure on. I've been watching some more of his work recently and I'm not always a fan of how start/stop he can be when it comes to working his offense. That's not to say his offense doesn't look good - in terms of execution, he makes it almost look too effortless at times - but Finlay is so intense that it's a little jarring to see Liger not necessarily try to match that intensity. I didn't like that Finlay's work on Liger's knee didn't lead anywhere, but I loved the final few minutes as Finlay dropkicked Liger off the top rope, whipped him into the rail, and then suplexed him back in the ring before missing a splash, which gave JTL one last chance to win the match. At least one surprising near fall towards the end before a pretty decisive finish. Not an all-time classic or anything, but still good and recommended if you're at all a fan of Finlay. I mean, has this dude ever had a bad match? (3/5)
Keiji Mutoh vs. Shinya Hashimoto (Final G1 Climax, 8/15/1995): As I’m not super knowledgeable about Japanese wrestling, I came into this match a little bit cold. I knew Keiji Mutoh also wrestled as The Great Muta and I’d seen a handful of Hashimoto matches (and was super impressed), but I’d heard this one was an all-timer and I was not disappointed. The crowd is hot for this. Who said Japanese crowds were respectful and quiet? Hashimoto and Mutoh start things off a bit slow by trading submissions as Mutoh targets Hashimoto’s leg and Hashimoto works on Mutoh’s arm. You’d think this would make for a boring first 7-8 minutes, but the facial expressions and selling make it work. There are also nifty moments like Hashimoto catching a Mutoh kick and then bringing him straight down to the mat. Mutoh’s first big offensive run is great as he hits a series of strikes, the handspring back elbow, and then a bulldog, but can’t deliver a German Suplex and has to settle for a stretch. Then it’s Hashimoto’s turn to strike - uh-oh. Mutoh just gets clobbered with kicks and chops, but he won’t stay down, even after a Hashimoto DDT. Great counter from Mutoh when Hashimoto goes for a fisherman. Hurricanrana by Mutoh, but he can’t hit the moonsault. This is an absolute WAR. We get a mini-strike exchange and it actually feels earned and organic and not overly cinematic like the ones we see constantly in AEW 30 years later. Mutoh’s ability to withstand Hashimoto’s offense is incredible and almost reminds me of the best of the Sting/Vader feud as Hashimoto has such a clear size advantage but Mutoh is all heart. Hashimoto hits another DDT and Mutoh is busted open (he’d been wearing a bandage over his forehead throughout the match). Cool visual as Mutoh has to finish the match with blood streaming down his face. I really liked Hashimoto delivering a brainbuster but Mutoh twisting his body just enough to make it a bit of a head-meets-head collision instead and both guys are suffering from the impact. Hashimoto is forced to go up top, somewhere a guy his size shouldn’t be going (but he’s out of options at this point). He misses the splash and Mutoh puts him down with two moonsaults, using his last bit of energy to connect with his two big signature moves. As someone who hasn’t seen most of what are considered the best of 90s Japanese wrestling, I may be going a bit high on this match…but, at the same time, after reading others’ reviews, it does seem like most agree that this is an incredible match that delivers what it needs to considering these two were both massive stars in 95’. (4/5)
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