Aja Kong vs. Chaparita Asari (12/11/1995, WWE): This was, according to the WWE Vault, Aja Kong's only singles match in the WWE. I've never heard of Asari, but she's super impressive here with backsprings and impressive flying. Kong shuts her down quickly, though, punishing her with snap mares and stiff kicks to the back (and front). Kong hits her with a big vertical suplex but pulls her up before she can get the 3 and then delivers a spinning package piledriver! She covers her but pulls her up once more to deliver more punishment. Kong nails her with another stiff kick to the chest, a splash, and then decides not to take the win a third time. The crowd absolutely hates this. Kong lets Asari strike off but waves off her dropkick and then does a little mocking dance. Asari slaps her a bunch but Kong feels none of it and nails her with a bodyslam. She goes for a splash but misses it. Asari misses a ridiculous corkscrew splash! Kong brings her to her feet and hits the Uraken to get the win. The match went less than 5 minutes but it was a fun squash. (3/5)
Genichiro Tenryu vs. Akira Taue (04/16/1990, AJPW): This is a "fan cam" match and a relatively brief one considering the participants. Taue attacks before the bell and hits a dropkick. They go to the floor and Taue whips Tenryu into the rail before rolling him back into the ring. Taue hits a vertical suplex for 1. Taue with a release bodyslam and then an elbow drop, but Tenryu rolls out of the way. Tenryu tries for a heel kick but Taue catches him in a single leg crab. Tenryu gets to the rope but Taue never really releases the hold, turning it into a "legbar." Taue gets back to his feet and stomps on Tenryu, targeting his knee. Tenryu manages to get back to his feet to hit an enziguiri and then hits Taue with some boots to the face and a stiff kick to the back. Tenryu with a stomp to the head and then a big chop. He whips Taue into the ropes and hits him with a lariat for 2. A strike exchange ensues with Tenryu getting the better of it and dropping an elbow for 2. Tenryu with a body slam and then a falling elbow from the top for another nearfall. The fight goes to the floor and Taue gets whipped into the rail. Tenryu rolls back into the ring and allows Taue to re-enter. Tenryu applies an abdominal stretch, slowing the match down considerably after a pretty hot opening stretch. Tenryu with a back body drop and another kick to the back. He drops an elbow for another nearfall and Taue looks totally spent. Tenryu goes for a suplex but Taue lands on him for 2. Taue hits a not-so-hot chokeslam off the ropes for 2 and then a bodyslam and an elbow from the top for another 2. Taue goes back up to the top rope but Tenryu press slams off of it. Tenryu with some chops against the ropes, wailing on him. He runs into a big boot, though, and Taue lands a nasty lariat! Taue gets him up for a fireman's carry drop for another 2 count. Tenryu reverses an irish whip and hits a forearm off the ropes. He goes for a powerbomb but settles for an enziguiri! Powerbomb by Tenryu to end it! This is what one would call a "sprint" because it is pretty much non-stop action, something I wasn't necessarily expecting out of these two. Good stuff. (3/5)
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ricochet (11/16/2017, WSW): Some good mat wrestling to start this match, as expected, with Sabre and Rico trading submissions and jockeying for position. Ricochet being able to go hold-for-hold with Sabre was a bit surprising considering he's known for more his high-flying. Sabre caught him with a pair of uppercuts to raise the temperature of the match but Rico came back with one of his own before Sabre took him back to the mat with a headlock. Ricochet kipped up from a headbutt to the stomach and a snap mare and delivered an impressive head scissors and dropkick, showcasing his incredible agility and forcing Sabre to take a powder. Ricochet caught him coming back into the ring with some boots and an elbow to the back of the head. After some uppercuts in the corner, Ricochet caught him in a nifty submission and then a spinning drop onto his shoulder. Ricochet continued to target the back of the shoulder but couldn't get more than a 2. They exchanged some strikes and Sabre was able to regain the advantage when he grabbed hold of Ricochet's leg off of an attempted leapfrog. Sabre applied a submission and got a 2 count before going for some joint manipulation. Stomp on the hyperextended elbow! Love that spot. Sabre went after Ricochet's hand in the corner but let him up to his feet. Ricochet caught him with an uppercut but Sabre grabbed hold of his leg and then cranked on his arm once again with his legs. Sabre applied a wristlock but Ricochet fought out with slaps to the face and eventually a series of uppercuts. Ricochet went for a handspring off the ropes but Sabre caught him with a dropkick to the head. That was cool. Ricochet rallied, though, hitting a springboard back elbow, a rolling front dropkick, and then a running standing moonsault. Junior cut him off with a tarantula, though, and got 2 from a roll-up. After a pin sequence, Sabre applied a series of nasty stretches but Ricochet made it to the ropes. Sabre mocked Ricochet with a few light brushes of his boot but then got absolutely destroyed by a Ricochet chop and then another. Sabre went for an ankleock and a release German Suplex but Ricochet flipped out of it. Nasty kick by Sabre but Ricochet sprung up once again and landed a huge clothesline! Both guys sold the exhaustion on the mat and ended up in opposite corners. Another brilliant sequence ensued with neither guy able to lock in anything for long or land a death blow. Sabre was in trouble, on his knees, and got hit by some kicks but managed to get a sneaky pin attempt in. Ricochet hit a weird-looking release fireman's carry-into-a-heel kick thing-a-maroo for 2. Ricochet went to the top for a shooting star press but landed in a Triangle Choke! Ricochet got to his feet and powerbombed his way out of it. He grazed him with a reverse heel stomp and then hit a reverse Rock Bottom-type move and the shooting star press for 3! A very good match, but not necessarily "must see." As much as I like Ricochet and am amazed by his high-flying and smooth in-ring ability, his matches suffer a little bit from being "spot heavy" to the point that the psychology tends to fall apart by the end. Sabre Jr. has become one of my favorites to watch, though, and he's great in this. (3.5/5)
Akira Hokuto vs. Suzuka Minami (04/29/1991, AJW): This is for the All-Pacific Title held by Minami. This is a rough, physical contest with everything worked snug. I dug Minami targeting Hokuto's ankle early on with an elbow drop and then a series of painful-looking submissions. Its terrific stuff for stretch where it lasts and Hokuto is actually selling the damage, but, unfortunately, after a powder on the outside, we don't get a real transition and Hokuto immediately applies a Sharpshooter with seemingly no struggle. She follows it up with a series of beautiful dropkicks and a bridging suplex, pausing only briefly to show any lingering damage to her ankle. Minami applies a surfboard and Hokuto goes back to selling, making the disjointed storytelling even more obvious to me. As much as I love the execution and the selling, the "my turn/your turn" shifts are hard to ignore. Minami hits two awesome knees off the top, the kind of move that somebody should really steal for their finish, but Hokuto hits a German suplex and a scoop slam. She goes for a splash off the top but misses and Minami delivers a powerbomb and then another. Damn. Those had to hurt. Minami gets a 2 count with a fisherman's suplex and then another with a straightjacket suplex that dumps Hokuto on her head. She goes for another powerbomb by Hokuto counters it into a pin attempt and then hits a double-underhook DDT. For 91', this is about as "movesy" as it gets. Hokuto goes to the corner but Minami meets her up there and brings her down with a double-underhook suplex for 2. Minami goes for a splash, misses, and gets German suplexed for 2. Hokuto goes for another scoop slam but gets pinned for 2. After a series of reversals and counters, Hokuto hits a front-flip splash to the outside! Hokuto rolls back into the ring as Minami needs help to get back to her feet. Hokuto goes back to the top and hits a ridiculous front dropkick right to Minami's face! Holy cow. She delivers another! She goes up for a third and connects! She goes back up and hits a front-flip splash and then a cradle driver for the definitive victory. This was an imperfect match and the longterm selling was really lacking, but the finishing sequence was really strong and the overall action was brilliant at times. (3.5/5)
Toshiaki Kawada vs. Bam Bam Bigelow (06/08/1998, AJPW): This match picks up with the Bammer already in control and Kawada reeling. For a guy known for his incredible toughness, Kawada sells a hell of a beating. He fights his way out of a headlock and nails Bigelow with an enziguiri and then a dropkick and a baseball slide that sends him to the floor. Kawada goes for a crossbody but Bigelow catches him and pulverizes him into the floor with a falling slam. There's no way that didn't hurt a little. Kawada comes back in and the Bammer targets his lower back, delivering a vertical suplex for 2 and then a few more headbutts to the lower spine. Kawada rolls to the floor to recover but then gets knees to the back once he re-enters the ring. Kawada tries some strikes but gets cut off and Bigelow hits yet another falling headbutt to the back and then one to the front for another nearfall. The repetitiveness of Bigelow's attack gets a bit stale, but I get the psychology and it does make Kawada's hope spots and comeback feel well-earned. Kawada is able to use his speed to get some offense going but gets snap suplexed when he tries to lift the Bammer. Bam Bam misses a headbutt and Kawada catches him in an inside cradle for 2 and then delivers an enziguiri. He tries for a crossbody, gets slammed, and then gets smushed with a splash off the ropes to end things. I was surprised by the ending as I assumed Kawada would be protected a bit more in the loss. Acceptable match, but too brief to be considered great. (2.5/5)
Tully Blanchard vs. Brad Armstrong (05/09/1987, NWA): The NWA Television Championship, held by Blanchard, was on the line in this match. Armstrong is in tremendous shape and shows great fire during the "shine" segment, running Tully to the floor with a dropkick. Back in the ring, Armstrong maintains control, whipping Tully over the top rope in the corner. They lock back up, Armstrong applies a headlock, hits some big right hands (I love Tully's staggered selling) and a snap mare, gets a 2 count, and then grabs an armbar. Tully gets a boot on the rope to break things off. Armstrong applies a leglock and goes after Tully's knee with an elbow drop. Tully applies a chinlock and rakes Armstrong's eyes, but the challenger will not let go of the hold. Tully manages to turn it into a crucifix pin/body scissors but Armstrong fights out of it and reapplies the leglock. Tully fights out with right hands and Armstrong drives his knee into the back of Tully's thigh and then does it again, refusing to allow Tully to escape to the outside. Another elbow to the inside of the leg by Armstrong before he reapplies the leglock. Tully pulls on Armstrong's hair and right arm but Armstrong won't release the hold. Tully manages to escape and nearly gets a cheap roll-up pin with the tights in his hands but Armstrong kicks out and retakes control. Armstrong drops an elbow and hits a dropkick but Blanchard gets his foot on the rope. Tully comes back with some strikes but misses a knee in the corner. Armstrong goes for the cover but Tully gets the foot on the rope again. Armstrong goes back to the leg and Tully is in agony. I'm not a fan of the repetitive nature here, though they work the hold very well. Blanchard makes it out of the ring but Armstrong follows him out and hits him with an atomic drop. Blanchard rolls back in and Armstrong catches him with a crossbody for 2! Armstrong whips him into the ropes and Blanchard clocks him in the chest with a kick. Tully hits some rights and lefts in the corner. Armstrong retaliates with his own. Blanchard whips him out of the ring by his tights, sending him to the floor. Armstrong goes for the sunset flip pin, but Blanchard sits down on his shoulders and (with help from JJ Dillon) gets the 3 count! This was a weird match that eschewed the classic "shine/heat/double-down/comeback" story as it was pretty much all babyface shine for Armstrong with Tully eventually finding a way to cheat to retain his championship. I didn't necessarily love the layout because, well, as much fire as Armstrong showed in the early going, things got "samey" as he continuously went back to the knee work. (2/5)
Will Ospreay vs. Pete Dunne (09/28/2017, TNT Extreme Wrestling): Fun match between two rising stars in the UK/International wrestling scene with Ospreay a few years away from being heralded as one of the best wrestlers on the planet and while Dunne held the WWE United Kingdom Championship, was a top prospect for the company, and had not yet been relegated to being a fixture on the barely-watched Main Event show as a tag worker and working as an agent/producer. This starts off with a good amount of comedy - arguably too much - built around Will Ospreay's cat ears headband. I'm not sure if that was a regular part of his character/gear or if he just wore it here to add something silly to the match, but the crowd was very into it and it gave Dunne lots to play off of. Once the match gets more serious, we get both guys' greatest hits as Dunne lives up to his Bruiserweight persona with joint manipulation and stiff strikes and Ospreay delivers the good in terms of high-flying. It's a very good match, but not a great one, partially due to a ring that seems to be considerably smaller than what either guy is used to and partially because of how much it feels like an exhibition at times, a showcase match featuring some incredibly intricate sequences rather than an actual fight. (3/5)
Bobby Eaton vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. (12/16/1996, WCW): I was hoping for a hidden gem here as I'm a big fan of both guys, but it's clear that they lacked chemistry and that Eaton didn't really know Mysterio's style and signature spots super well. There's a clunky bit on their way back into the ring after some good work on the outside and it never really clicks from that point on. Even the way Eaton takes the hurricanrana is "off" because he flips to the side rather than straight onto his back. (1.5/5)
Akira Hokuto and Sakie Hasegawa vs. Bull Nakano and Bat Yoshinaga (05/26/1991, AJW): Another awesome match, but who would be surprised considering it involves Hokuto and Nakano? I loved the way this started with Nakano getting the quick pin on Hasegawa after a devastating powerbomb and then Hokuto evening the score by pinning Yoshinaga a few minutes later. This basically turned the match - which was 2-out-of-3 falls - into a single pinfall match, basically negating the stipulation entirely and just letting these two teams do battle. I also liked how having Hokuto and Nakano get quick, rather decisive pins really made it clear who the bosses of the respective teams were. Lots of cool highlights - Nakano's powerbombs and suplexes are nasty, Hokuto's front-flip splash off the top was awesome, Hasegawa's crossbody to the floor was cool...yeah, this is just great stuff. I could see the argument that the amount of head drops and the reckless-looking splashes would be considered unsafe and even poorly executed by today's standards, but I was plenty entertained from beginning to end. I'm not sure what the post-match "4th fall" was all about because I don't speak Japanese, but whatever it was, it came across to me - an admittedly ignorant viewer who doesn't know the full context of this match - that Hasegawa was almost a danger to herself with how much punishment she was willing to take to prove herself (which makes the post-match moment between her Nakano and Bat even cooler because they do end up showing her respect). As others have written, I'm not sure this falls into "must see"/"classic" territory, but its a match that is very easy to enjoy even if you don't know much about the competitors. (3.5/5)
Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (01/30/2016, Limitless Wrestling): Reading about some of the other Hero/Sabre Jr. matches from over the years, I wasn't necessarily surprised to read that this is considered one of their "lesser" bouts. It's not that any of this is bad or even slow or non-impactful - there are great strikes to be found, I love Sabre's submission-based offense and selling, I think they do a nice job of highlighting Hero's size advantage and the differences in style - but it took awhile for things to get to that "next level" and when you wanted the match to go even beyond that "second gear," it didn't get there. I'm not sure if it was the rundown setting (it looks to be an Elks Lodge that seats under 200) or Hero not being in the best shape, but there was something "off" or flat about this match. I think a hotter crowd and better commentary would've helped the presentation of this somewhat underwhelming match. (2.5/5)
Riki Choshu vs. Shinya Hashimoto (08/10/1991, NJPW): This isn't a great match in a traditional sense - it's a great match in terms of telling a story without making it too cute or trying to expand it beyond what it should be. Choshu comes out swinging, attacking Hashimoto right at the sound of the bell and overwhelming him at first. And then things turn and Hashimoto just levels him with kick after kick and his patented DDT. The referee is constantly checking on Choshu, who barely musters any sort of defense in this very brief encounter. Eventually, someone in Choshu's corner throws in the towel but Choshu defiantly throws it back - only to get rocked once more and beaten cleanly. This feels more like an "angle" than a match, but its a great angle. (3/5)
Devil Masami vs. Mayumi Ozaki (06/16/1991, AJW): Masami is probably going to end up somewhere on my Greatest Wrestler Ever list despite maybe not having the same "hype" as Aja Kong or Bull Nakano or Manami Toyota or whoever. Anyway, they have a match in 1992 that has some high acclaim and I look forward to seeing it. This is a "fan cam" recording I found on YouTube. Its a short match with a runtime under 15 minutes but it's a fun one and Masami's powerbomb is a deadly thing of beauty. I'm not surprised this one isn't on Cagematch and hasn't been reviewed on ProWrestlingOnly (2.5/5)
