Jimmy "Bunkhouse Buck" Golden vs. Randy Savage (07/08/1995, WCW): This is the opening match on an episode of Saturday Night, so you kinda know you're going to get a glorified squash. Savage hits some punches and a back elbow right off the bat and then just mauls him, raking his face, choking him on the top rope, etc. Bunkhouse throws him to the ropes but Savage maintains control until he goes out of the ring to mess with Colonel Parker, allowing Buck to regroup in the ring. When Savage comes in, Buck gets a little bit of offense in but Savage clotheslines him over the top rope and to the floor. A loud "Macho" chant starts up as Fuller tries to help his client on the floor. Savage goes to the top and Buck brings him down with a punch to the gut. Buck tosses Savage through the ropes and onto the floor. Savage gets sent into the post and Buck then bodyslams him on the floor before applying a headlock in the ring. Savage punches his way back into the match - not much of a real transition there - and fights him into the corner. Press slam from the top rope by Savage and then he hits the elbow for the win. For a Saturday Night TV match, this was fine, though it ended just as it was getting good and the lack of a real transition into the closing stretch was noticeable. (2/5)
The Great Kabuki vs. Tiger Mask II (Mitsuharu Misawa) (01/28/1986, AJPW): Tradtional hold-trading to start before Kabuki controls with a wrist-lock, really working on Tiger Mask's left shoulder. Tiger Mask attempts a crossbody but gets caught and Kabuki drops him for a backbreaker before re-applying the arm bar. Once again Misawa escapes with an elbow to the face and tries to use his speed and agility to gain the upperhand but gets cut-off and put back onto the mat with an arm bar. Kabuki slaps at Misawa's shoulder and the back of the head with the hold applied, clearly losing his cool. Another escape, shoulder block, and cut-off (the third of the match) as we went minute 10. Kabuki almost gets himself pinned a couple times with the submission he's working, a wristlock applied via grapevine. Misawa escapes with some slaps but gets his eyes raked. Some rope running leads to a big dropkick by Misawa and then a swinging neckbreaker for 1. Kabuki takes a great bump to the outside from a back body drop and Misawa follows him out with a huge crossbody to the floor! Misawa waffles him with a chair, just bashing at his head three times! Dang. Kabuki is a bloody mess as he returns to the ring to meet some boots and fists. Misawa with a body slam and attempts a splash but Kabuki gets his knees up. Kabuki with a swinging neckbreaker of his own and then a series of big uppercut thrusts. Ref bump! Kabuki with a fist drop and gets the visual pin but there's no ref to make the count! Misawa with a back suplex and then a german suplex but it gets broken up by one of the ring boys/rookies (who I later learned was Hiromichi Fuyuki). It turns into a threeway fight inside and outside of the ring as the bell gets rung, signaling that the match has been thrown out. Some people might find the opening stretch boring, but I didn't mind it as much "in the moment," fully expecting the second half to become more of a fight. The match did start to cook once Tiger Mask made his initial comeback and we got to the good stuff on the floor. Unfortunately, the ref bump and interference finish was a total letdown and didn't pay-off anything from the first half of the match. (1.5/5)
Kazuchika Okada vs. Mark Briscoe (06/18/2025, AEW): From Arena Mexico for AEW's annual Grand Slam event (a special episode of Dynamite). A bit too slow for me, though I know that has become the most common and pedestrian of takes when it comes to Okada in AEW. Psychology-wise, it makes sense that Briscoe would want to accelerate things and go for bigger and bigger moves, quickening the pace, while Okada worked a more deliberate pace. It didn't make for a very engaging contest, though, as I found myself sorta waiting for when the "real" action would start. (1.5/5)
MJF vs. Mistico (06/18/2025, AEW): Mistico's entrance was the most special thing about this match, though I do enjoy watching MJF do his full-blown heel shtick in front of an audience that absolutely wanted to tear him apart. This match was really carried by the hot crowd, though the action itself wasn't bad either. Mistico is not as dazzling a performer as he once was, but he can still be counted on for a big crossbody off the top rope or a good-looking Spanish Fly. A good-not-great TV match with an upsetting finish seemingly designed to protect both guys by having neither one pin the other, though I think they could've had Mistico win with how much MJF was showboating and, at times, straight-up ignoring his opponent so he could jaw with the crowd. (3/5)
Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs. Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue (12/09/1995, AJPW): This is the Real World Tag League Final match from the Budokan. Kobashi and Kawada start things off just by staring across the ring from each other. If this were modern WWE/AEW, you'd get a "This Is Awesome" chant before they even touch each other because that is definitely the vibe. Kawada strikes first with a huge back suplex and then takes out Misawa too with a kick! As Kawada goes to work, Taue boots Misawa off the apron and into the guardrail. Misawa comes back in to break up the 2-on-1 and we are off to the races with Misawa throwing forearms and the babyfaces cleaning house. Kobashi with a series of chops and a big boot and German Suplex of his own! I was expecting a slow start to this match and we're already seeing suplexes and a powerbomb by Kobashi! Kobashi applies a full nelson and then a headlock as Misawa and Taue go at it. Misawa gets dropped to the floor and Taue breaks up the submission and hits a chokeslam on Kobashi! Armbar by Kawada but he can't hold onto it because Misawa comes in. Kawada nails him with a jumping kick right to the face! Man, that looked like it caught him right in the eye. Taue with a big boot to Misawa on the apron. Kawada lifts up Misawa in an electric chair position and Taue comes off the apron with a chokeslam on the floor! Wow. That was great. Misawa looks dead and Kenta is all alone in the ring. Taue comes in and Kenta eats some boots on the aprons and then gets pulled down from the apron into the guardrail by Taue! The camera doesn't catch it, but the sound is enough to know it was a hard landing. Taue stalks Kobashi on the outside and runs him shoulder-first into the rail before rolling him back into the ring. Taue wrenches the arm before tagging Kawada back in as Misawa is still out on the floor. Knee drop on the arm by Kawada as Misawa slowly gets to his feet. Kawada with another arm wrench and then a series of kicks to the damaged arm of Kobashi before tagging in Taue. Taue applies a deep arm bar on the mat before booting Misawa again, keeping him from getting involved. Kawada comes in and applies a submission of his own but Kobashi powers out of it with an insane bit of strength, powerbombing him! Wow. Kawada is up first and once again Misawa gets kicked off the apron. Taue with an awesome release atomic drop! Taue goes back to work on the arm of Kobashi, who has yet to make a tag. Kobashi rallies with some kicks to the back of the thigh but Taue drops him with a heel kick. Kobashi reaches for the tag but Taue pulls him over and hits him with a DDT. Kawada comes in and drops some knees on Kobashi's shoulder before trying to re-apply the leg-assisted armbar (?). Kobashi fights it, though, and in comes Misawa to help his partner! Release German by Misawa onto Kawada! Misawa goes into the corner and desperately wants the tag and gets it. Misawa with a series of forearms and then a Tiger Driver! Misawa goes to the top rope and lands the frog splash for 2. Misawa applies a submission but Taue breaks it up. Forearms by Misawa put Taue down and Misawa applies his face lock, a move I'm not a huge fan of as it just looks so loose. Taue breaks it up and comes into the match, booting Misawa in the face and attempting a chokeslam. Taue rams him into the post with serious force and hoists him up to the top rope. Misawa fights back and hits him with a dropkick! Misawa goes back to the top and hits another! Misawa attempts a Tiger Driver but can't get Taue up. Taue attempts a lariat, Misawa evades it, but Taue lands a chokeslam for 2 instead. Kawada comes in and hits a running boot. Kawada goes for a powerbomb but Kobashi breaks it up. Kobashi gets sent to the outside and its 2-on-1. Back Suplex/Chokeslam combo by the heels for 2! Kawada attempts a powerbomb but Misawa counters it with a head scissors. Kawada off the ropes with another big boot and, after some struggle, lands the powerbomb for 2. The final 15 minutes see a flurry of action, including a Taue powerbomb, more work on Kobashi's arm, Kobashi landing two awesome moonsaults, and a devastating Tiger Driver on the floor by Misawa to Kawada that essentially seals the heels' fate. I was very surprised to see that this match was not highly-regarded at ProWrestlingOnly, though it does have a fairly high rating over at Cagematch. If you're super familiar with the Four Pillars of AJPW and their extensive work with each other, maybe this would be disappointing, but if you're anything like me and just seeing this stuff for the first time, this was terrific. I loved that the match began with huge "bombs," something you don't always get in these sorts of affairs. I thought the story of the heels cutting off Misawa for the first 10 minutes was great, simple storytelling executed very well. My only real complaints would be that Misawa's hot tag in the middle of the match is a bit underwhelming because he basically cleaned house right before making it and that, because of how much action they pack into the first half of the match, the second half almost seems repetitive. Aside from that, though, this was great stuff. (4/5)
Hulk Hogan vs. Nick Bockwinkel (04/24/1983, AWA): This is for Bockwinkel's AWA World Championship. "Mean" Gene is the announcer, Heenan is managing Bockwinkel, and Hogan's got his hand behind his ear so this feels every bit like a "Hulkamania" era match and its no wonder that McMahon would take so many of these people within the next couple years. Bockwinkel tries his best to avoid the Hulkster early on, ducking out of the ring to "regroup" a few times in the opening minutes. Hogan eventually pulls him in and drops him with a huge shoulder block that Bock sells like a gunshot! More stalling from Bockwinkel before he gets sent into the corner with great force and then we finally get a lock-up and a headlock by the champ that leads to another shoulderblock and Bock regrouping in the corner. They repeat the same thing, but why not? The crowd is loving it. Another lock-up and this time Bockwinkel delivers some knees, but Hogan is quick to take back over with a big kick and then a series of huge knees of his own that lead to Bockwinkel dropping face-first on the mat! Double stomp by the Hulkster! Backbreaker for 2! Running shoulderblock in the corner and then a stiff kick to a fallen man. Wow. I wouldn't consider this to be a master class of technical wizardy but its more movement, viciousness, and non-standard offense from Hogan than in 90% of his other matches. Bockwinkel manages to apply a front facelock and mixes it up with a some great-looking knees to the shoulder and chest. A piledriver attempt is countered into a back body drop by the challenger but Bockwinkel comes back with a headbutt to the midsection. Bockwinkel with a whip to the corner but Hogan meets him with a huge boot to the face. Another great Bockwinkel bump! And then another few off of some right hands by Hogan! Big clothesline by Hogan for 2. Shoulderbreaker by the Hulkster but Bockwinkel gets his foot on the rope. Bockwinkel fights back with some rights and lefts of his own once they're on their feet. Hogan slugs him back and lays in another knee. Falling body slam by the challenger for 2.5! Snap mare into a leg drop but Bockwinkel evades it! Bockwinkel with a clubbing blow to the back and then an axehandle in the corner. Bockwinkel with a series of headbutts to the gut and then another big axehandle to the back. Bockwinkel tries a bodyslam but falls back and Hogan gets another nearfall. Bockwinkel telegraphs an axehandle and Hogan boots him in the stomach. Hogan with a kick off the ropes and then a forearm off the ropes and an elbow drop and we get a really horrible bit of refereeing/miscommunication/camerawork as Hogan seems to get a full 3 count but the referee doesn't make the full count. Bockwinkel goes for a sleeper and ends up on Hogan's back! Hogan basically pulls him over by his hair and everyone collapses, including the ref. Sleeper by Bockwinkel again as the ref oversells in the corner. Hogan and Bockwinkel fall back into the corner, crushing the referee. Bockwinkel reapplies the sleeper but Hogan goes to the ropes and Bockwinkel falls over the top rope to the floor! Hogan tries to help the ref and then suplexes Bockwinkel back into the ring. Leg Drop! 1, 2, 3! He got it this time! Hogan hoists up the title as "Eye of the Tiger" blares! However, the victory gets reversed because Hogan "tossed" Bockwinkel over the top rope, which was a disqualification back in the day. Garbage is tossed into the ring, which wouldn't be the last time that happened at the end of a Hogan match. I thought this was pretty good and an interesting match to watch from a historical perspective, plus, Bockwinkel is just so fun to watch because of his ridiculous bumping and selling and how intense, focused, and physical he worked. (3.5/5)
Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs. Akira Taue and Toshiaki Kawada (12/3/93, AJPW): Well, now I sorta get why the match from December 95' is considered "lesser" because this match is absolutely great. It starts out maybe a touch slower than the one I reviewed yesterday (see above), but not that much slower. Kawada delivers an all-time great selling performance, to the point that I actually felt a little sorry for the guy as Misawa and Kobashi did everything possible to destroy his neck and shoulders (let alone all the selling he did of his damaged foot/ankle that actually made up the bulk of the match). Some of the suplexes they delivered in the final minutes were just insane. I also really liked Akira Taue lawn-darting Misawa into the turnbuckle and Kobashi onto the top rope. Some of Misawa's forearms throughout the match were brutal too. Kobashi's moonsaults are a thing of beauty. Great attention to detail with the psychology and the escalation of violence. This had it all. An all-time classic, no doubt, but I think you have to be a super AJPW fan - aware of all the context and history between these four and even what was to come in the future with them - to consider this the Greatest Match of All Time, which at least a few critics have called it in the past. (4.5/5)
The Rockers vs. The Brainbusters (01/23/1989, WWE): This is a match from Madison Square Garden. Very classic tag team style match with the babyfaces get a lengthy shine. Some really cool spots here too - I particularly liked when the Brainbusters went for a double suplex on Marty, Shawn caught him, and they hit stereo superkicks. Nobody really jumps out as the MVP, though Arn Anderson's spinebuster (which the commentator calls a belly-to-belly suplex but is not that) is devastating and crisp enough to maybe give him the honor, but that's kinda the point. This was two teams, the crafty veterans vs. the young, spunky babyfaces, and the fun was seeing that the Rockers had some clever tricks of their own that they could get away with because Hebner was so focused on keeping the Brainbusters in line. I wouldn't consider this "must see" as it is just a really fun, well-executed match, but if you're a fan of either team, this one is worth checking out. (3.5/5)
The Steiner Brothers vs. Terry Gordy and Steve Williams (09/15/1992, WCW): Scott and Gordy start things off but it doesn't take long before all four men are in the ring with the Steiners getting the upperhand. This isn't a technical showcase, but its fun for what it is. Highlights include a cool moment when Williams goes for a shoulder block but eats a lariat by the Dog-Faced Gremlin, some awesome Dr. Death elbow drops to Scotty's lower back. There's a miscommunication around minute 9 before Williams applies a half-crab and then another bit of unfortunate poor timing after Steiner's hot tag, but we get a cool finish with Rick Steiner hitting a german suplex on Gordy and Williams hitting one on Scott (with the ref making the three count for the Steiners). Some of this match was lost to a commercial break so its hard to judge as a whole, but for a TV match, this was sloppy but fine. (2/5)
Ranger Ross vs. The Great Muta (05/28/1989, WCW): A squash match featuring one of my favorite jobbers of the era. There's an awkward moment when Ross goes for a crossbody and Muta counters it by taking a back bump before there's any impact. JR covers it up on commentary, but it looks bad. There's another miscommunication towards the end too when Muta grabs hold of Ross' leg and kicks his other foot out from under him. A "Muta" chant starts up at one point, which is odd considering that he's clearly the heel based on being managed by Gary Hart. Muta misses the front flip back elbow and takes a spill to the outside when he misses a chop on the ropes, but lands the moonsault to get the win. Too short to be considered good and too sloppy to be considered even a good squash match. (1.5/5)
Genichiro Tenryu vs. Jumbo Tsuruta (04/20/1989, AJPW): A battle between two stubborn, hard-hitting bastards. Highlights inlude - Tenryu slapping the taste out of Jumbo's face after an intense staredown, the struggle and eventual snap of Tsuruta's belly-to-back suplex, Tenryu's chest chops looking like they could fell a tree, an awesome dive into the guardrail, Tsuruta's big boots connecting with Tenryu's jaw. Things drag a bit when they go to the mat, but mostly because, with these two, you want to see them stiffing the shit out of each other and not necessarily working a lengthy headlock segment, no matter snug Tsuruta makes it look. The final minutes are terrific - as one would expect - and the way Tsuruta gets tied up in the ropes looks particularly nasty. Tsuruta's finishing powerbomb looks like it could've legitimately paralyzed Tenryu and I'm not entirely sure if he's selling it or if he can't feel his legs afterwards. Absolutely brutal finish. Reading up on it, it seems like they ended the match early because Tenryu was knocked out by the powerbomb. I had their match from a few months later at 4-stars and this wasn't quite as great, but was still well-above average. (3.5/5)
HARASHIMA vs. Konosuke Takeshita (11/03/2019, DDT): I've really only seen Konosuke Takeshita in AEW, so I wanted to expand my viewing as he is a "lock" for my GWE 100 ballot (despite being among the least-watched on my list). This is the first time I've seen HARASHIMA in action, but he has a stellar reputation. This is Title vs. Title. Ground-based grappling to start before things start getting a bit more physical with a big shoulder tackle and boot from Takeshita before he launches himself over the top with a crossbody to the floor. HARASHIMA whips Takeshita into the post and he takes an awesome bump. Dishing it out as good as he can take it, Takeshita rams HARASHIMA into the table (causing him to let out an agonized groan) and then back body drops him into the ring apron. Back in the ring, Takeshita delivers a sick backbreaker for 2 and then continues to target the lower back for the next few minutes, including hitting a splash from the top rope onto it. Like the focus there. Takeshita attempts a crab but HARASHIMA hits him with a heel kick and then a bunch of double-knees in the corner. Cool move. HARASHIMA gets a superplex-into-a-falcon arrow (ala Seth Rollins), gets 2, and then hoists Takeshita up into a fireman's carry but Takeshita counters it into his spinning powerbomb for 2. Big forearm exchange and HARASHIMA just levels Takeshita with one that sends him to the mat. Takeshita hits a few of his own and then eats a pair of nasty kicks. Headbutt by Takeshita and then a release german! Lariat off the ropes! 2.5! Takeshita with a straight-jacket backbreaker! Haven't seen that one before. He applies a deep Boston Crab, but HARA won't quit and Takeshita gets distracted by some dudes on the outside and releases the hold. Another strike exchange on the apron and then we get a Boston Crab through the ropes, which looks extra brutal. The referee breaks it up. Takeshita pulls him up to his feet. Great-looking spin kick by Harashima and then a Meteora on the apron! They both spill out to the floor and Takeshita stumbles as he tries to get back into the ring. He beats the count but meets another stiff kick from HARA. HARA nails him with another one and then even more. These are Hashimoto-level in their accuracy and strength. HARA goes for a reverse-rana but Takeshita counters it. HARA with a roll-up and then a Meteora to the back of the head. HARA goes for another Meteora but Takeshita counters it into a Boston Crab! Maybe a touch too choreographed for my liking, but unquestionably inventive. Takeshita hoists him up and drops him with a huge powerbomb. The referee makes the count, but looks a bit flabbergasted and isn't really in position for it, allowing HARA to kickout only to get put back into the Boston Crab. HARA's cornermen are going crazy and he reaches the ropes. Takeshita hoists him up to the top rope and meets him up, possibly for a superplex of his own, but HARA fights back and we get a reverse-rana from the top rope that sends Takeshita flying! Great bump there. HARA hits a springboard Meteora but can't make the cover! He finally rolls over, but Takeshita kicks out at 2 and 7/8ths. HARA goes for a piledriver but doesn't have the strength and Takeshita reverses it into his jumping package piledriver! Damn! He only gets 2! Takeshita re-applies the straightjacket, HARA turns around, Meteora! But Takeshita somehow rolls through, bounces right up and hits a ridiculous running knee! Takeshita goes off the ropes, HARA meets him with a kick, and then hits one final Meteora out of the corner to put this one to bed. I could see some people criticizing them for doing too much, but everything looked so good and hard-hitting and, if you're going to go for a "fireworks show," this had enough crazy spots and bumps to succeed at delivering that. Plus, because it was Title vs. Title, and, based on my reading, the culmination of a lengthy feud/rivalry, this level of action and subsequent false finishes makes sense. (4/5)
Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Nick Bockwinkel (02/04/1982, AJPW/AWA): This one is for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship held by Nick Bockwinkel, but is being fought in Tokyo, Japan. Scientific opening with Bock and Jumbo trading body slams to little effect but then chain wrestling to the mat and back up. Tsuruta works on the arm but its no mere resthold and Bockwinkel's explosive counters and bumping is terrific before they slow things back down. Jumbo applies a double wristlock that Bockwinkel struggles to reverse, nearly doing so but eventually escaping by backing Jumbo into the ropes. Another test of strength in the middle of the ring with Bockwinkel winning this one and bringing Jumbo to his knees until the challenger counters it into an abdominal stretch. Bockwinkel sells the hell out of the hold and I love Jumbo really wrenching him. Bockwinkel escapes but is in serious trouble, selling on the bottom rope and trying to buy time. Bockwinkel manages to get the upperhand and Jumbo goes to the outside. Bockwinkel suplexes him back in off the apron and applies a snug headlock after a 2 count. Bockwinkel with a whip to the corner and then another sleeper that brings Jumbo to the mat. Jumping knee by Tsuruta after he breaks free! Big underhook suplex by Tsuruta but he only gets a 1 count. Uppercut by Jumbo and then another and then the third drops Bockwinkel to the mat. Jumbo applies a Boston Crab but Bock won't quit. Bockwinkel eventually breaks the hold but Jumbo continues to attack his lower back with huge stomps, much to the delight of the crowd. Jumbo goes for a clutch but can only get one arm draped over a knee and Bockwinkel makes it to the rope rather quickly. After trading some blows, Jumbo delivers a backbreaker for another 1 count. Bock gets some punches in to the gut and continues to work the body between bashing Jumbo's into the turnbuckles. Bockwinkel goes for a body slam but his lower back gives out. Jumbo hits some boots in the corner and then whips him into the opposite one before applying another abdominal stretch. Jumbo with an airplane spin moments later and both men go tumbling to the floor. Jumbo hoists him up again and we're getting an airplane spin all around the ring! Jumbo dumps him on the floor and climbs back into the ring as Bockwinkel sells on the floor. The ref is calling it! What a lame finish. After the match, Bock and Jumbo trade blows again with Jumbo knocking Bockwinkel out to appease the Tokyo crowd. I really liked the first 3/4ths of this match, but then when it was about to escalate, they started repeating some of their offense and slowing things down. The finish was really anticlimactic too, enough to make this unrecommendable. Above-average because Bockwinkel is almost always above-average, but only just a little bit. (3/5)
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