Random Matches

Manami Toyota and Toshiyo Yamada vs. Dynamite Kansai and Mayumi Ozaki (11/26/1992, AJW): After I reviewed the Akira Hokuto/Kyoko Inoue match from earlier in this show (which I gave a perfect 5/5 score), I saw on ProWrestlingOnly that this match was even more beloved and was called, by more than one commenter, the greatest wrestling match ever....so, I figured I better check it out. It's a 2-out-of-3 falls bout for the WWWA World Tag Team Championships. From the lengthy introductions to the pre-match handshake, this one has "epic," "big fight" feel before the first strike is thrown - and the first couple strikes are brutal as Yamada basically punches Kansai full force in the face repeatedly. In comes Ozaki and Toyota, who takes the advantage with a big dropkick and then some boots on the bottom rope. Ozaki hits a flying clothesline and then tags in Kansai, who lands a kick and then a suplex before applying a dragon sleeper. She headbutts Toyota in the stomach to maintain control and Ozaki comes in and strikes her in the gut. Kansai unloads a bunch more stiff kicks to the back of Toyota after dropping her neck-first on the top rope and tags out. Ozaki applies a nasty STF and then a brutal-looking camel clutch. Holding Toyota up, Ozaki stretches her so that Kansai can come in and kick her full force in the chest! Oh god. In comes Yamada to try to break things up, kicking Ozaki in the jaw. In comes Kansai again to drive Toyota head-first into the mat. Kansai whips Toyota into the ropes and she comes back with a nifty dropkick before tagging in Yamada, who brutalizes Kansai with some hellacious kicks. Whoo. Yamada sits on Kansai's back and applies a headlock, cranking on Dynamite's neck. After a side suplex, Yamada applies a dragon sleeper. Yamada tags in Toyota, who comes in with a dropkick. Ozaki comes in and Toyota hits her with a dropkick but Ozaki evades the second one and lands a forearm and then a vertical suplex. Ozaki applies a half-crab, but Toyota won't give up. Ozaki switches gears to a bow-and-arrow but can't secure it. In comes Kansai, who takes out Toyota with a series of kicks and then a clothesline off the ropes. Kansai applies a half-crab of her own before pulling Toyota up by her hair and waffling her with a forearm to the back. In comes Ozaki with an axehandle and another ultra-painful-looking chinlock. Toyota manages to make a tag (it helps that Yamada is already in the ring) and Ozaki eats some kicks, a running clothesline in the corner, and a snappy DDT for 2. Yamada hits a side suplex and then its stereo time with a double dropkick and double atomic throw. Ozaki counters another attempted double-team with a headlock and then, again, with a pin attempt, and Ozaki and Kansai manage to hit a double stungun on Yamada and then a pair of topes to the floor. Back in the ring, Kansai hits a tombstone piledriver and then her and Ozaki come down with double headbutts from the top rope. Toyota prevents the pinfall but is sent to the outside corner by the ref. Kansai tries a powerbomb but Toyota breaks it up. German by Yamada and then, after a tag, another by Toyota! Toyota misses the moonsault, though, and eats a huge lariat from Kansai, but, again, the pinfall is broken up. Toyota hits a pretty weak DDT but gets hit by a dropkick from Ozaki off the top and then powerbombed by Kansai to end the first fall. Kansai and Ozaki do a small bit of celebrating while Toyota recovers, looking totally rocked. The bell sounds and the champs go right back on attack with Kansai attempting another powerbomb by Toyota countering it in a pin attempt. In comes Yamada, who hits a series of nasty suplexes onto Kansai, dropping her right on the side of her head repeatedly. Toyota hits a dropkick and then its another suplex by Yamada! Yamada hits a jumping kick from the top rope and takes out Ozaki with a clothesline. Yamada then hits a ridiculous move I'm not sure I've seen before, hooking Kansai's arms, turning her upside, and then dropping her neck-first with the impact of a powerbomb. Holy cow. That ends the second fall, tying things up. This time, when the bell rings, its Yamada who comes firing out of the corner with stiff kicks, but Kansai fights back and goes for a quick pin. Ozaki comes in and applies an armbar on the mat and will not let go, transitioning into an even harsher wristlock and then repeatedly stomping on Yamada's arm. Ozaki whips her into the ropes but eats a kick and in comes Toyota, who hits a beautiful series of dropkicks! One of them looks like it almost takes Ozaki's head off of her shoulders. Toyota hits a suplex but Kansai breaks up the pin. Toyota grapevines the leg and falls back repeatedly to wrench it. Indian deathlock time into a bow-and-arrow by Toyota! Snap piledriver into an odd submission by Toyota. Yamada comes back in and applies a Stretch Muffler. Kansai breaks it up with stiff kicks. Ozaki recovers, though, landing a german suplex of her own and then making a tag. Kansai with some clotheslines in the corner and then a Northern Lights suplex for 2. Kansai applies the Sharpshooter/cloverleaf, which brings Toyota out from the corner. Kansai maintains the hold, though, and Yamada is forced to try to reach for the ropes. Kansai gives up the move and sends Yamada to the outside to get tortured by Ozaki. A wild brawl ensues with Ozaki and Yamada both getting slammed onto the floor. Back in the ring, Kansai is kicking and stomping and kneeing Yamada llike nobody's business. She applies a modified bow-and-arrow before slamming Yamada to the mat so that Ozaki can hit her with a beautiful front flip senton. Ozaki follows it up with an awesome jumping powerbomb! Wow. Toyota breaks up the cover, though, so Ozaki applies another leg submission. To the floor they go, where Kansai smashes a chair over Yamada's head and into her back. Ozaki comes to lend support but then Toyota joins the fray with a chair in hand. Yamada gets rolled back into the ring and Ozaki applies another rear headlock/stretch before holding her up for a Kansai dropkick. In comes Toyota, but she eats a lariat too and then a high angle back suplex. And another! And a third! Yamada breaks up the pin attempt! Kansai applies a Sharpshooter, but Toyota reaches the ropes to break the hold. Kansai with a scoop slam and Ozaki hits a beautiful twisting splash for 2. Toyota hit a dropkick off the ropes, though, and then a series of diving tackles before landing a moonsault for 2. Toyota's momentum shift here was a bit jarring, but also very much "of the genre." Yamada comes in and nails a leg drop for 2. She sends Ozaki into the corner and in comes Kansai and these two go to war once more, stiffing each other with strikes and kicks. At one point, the ref even checks on Yamada because Kansai looks like she might legit knock her out with one of her kicks to the head. Brutal stuff. Kansai misses a spinning heel kick so Yamada lays in a series of kicks of her own, including one off the rope and another to the back of the head that puts Kansai out for 2. Yamada makes the tag and Toyota delivers a bunch more german suplexes for more nearfalls. Toyota goes off the ropes but Kansai catches her with a suplex and then tags in Ozaki, who hits a bridging suplex of her own and then a sit-out powerbomb for 2! Goddamn, that looked nasty. Ozaki hits a dropkick off the ropes and evades an attempt at one by Toyota. In comes Kansai, who brings Toyota to the mat, holding her down so that Ozaki can hit some stomps. Kansai applies a figure four and then Ozaki joins in with an armbar! Nice work, ref. Kansai maintains the hold after Ozaki returns to the corner. Toyota reaches for the ropes but Ozaki stomps on her foot! Eventually, she reaches the ropes anyway so Kansai releases the hold and repeatedly kicks her in the leg. Toyota rolls out of the ring and Ozaki whips her into the rail. Yamada makes the save, bringing Ozaki all the way into the stands. Yamada hits some big strikes on Kansai but Ozaki is back and the melee continues. Back in the ring, Ozaki applies a front facelock on Toyota and then transitions into a body scissors. Toyota slaps her way out of it, running on pure emotion. Toyota makes the tag and Yamada rallies, hitting Kansai with a big side suplex and then a few more kicks to the head off the ropes for another near fall. Toyota tries a tornado DDT from the top but Kansai catches her and suplexes her to the mat for 2. Toyota counters another suplex attempt into a rolling pin and gets another 2.8! A double clothesline attempt is thwarted and the champs hit stereo Germans with Kansai getting another very close nearfall. In comes Ozaki, who hits a back suplex with a bridge for 2. Yamada springs up, though, elbowing Ozaki in the face and then trying a backslide pin. Ozaki goes ot the top but Toyota grabs her by the hair and Yamada meets her up there, hitting a release belly-to-belly off the top! Pin broken up by Kansai! Toyota and Yamada hit double diving headbutts but it only gets 2! Ozaki hits a german on Toyota and then splashes Yamada on the floor. Kansai tries a suicide dive but crashes into Ozaki. Springboard moonsault to the floor by Toyota! She rolls Ozaki in the ring for a 2-on-1 double tilt-a-whirl slam! Scoop by slam by Yamada and a moonsault by Toyota...1...2...2.9! Toyota lifts her by her hair and whips her into the ropes. She catches her with a big body block for 2. Back on their feet, Toyota whips Ozaki into the ropes but Ozaki uses the momentum to boot Yamada off the apron. Kansai comes in and its 2-on-1 with Kansai hitting a scoop slam and Ozaki attempting another splash, but Toyota rolls out of the way! Yamada is back in the ring to take out Kansai! German suplex by Toyota...1...2...3! Everyone, including Yamada, looks shocked at the finish. At well over 30 minutes, this was an absolute epic and full of great moments and incredible spots. They absolutely loaded this up with action and I loved the dynamics at play with Yamada and Kansai serving as the big badass strikers and Ozaki and Toyota delivering the goods in terms of high-risk maneuvers. The amount of suplexes thrown in this match would make Brock Lesnar blush. That being said, there was a lot of repetition throughout the match and, like many other joshi matches, to enjoy this one has to not mind the blatant lack of extended selling and the bad refereeing. Pyschology-wise, this was 40 minutes of bomb-throwing but, knowing that this was an interpromotional "dream match" of sorts, that can be understood to a degree and, clearly, the audience loved every minute of it. This wouldn't rank in my personal top 10, but it was undoubtedly a great match and worth checking out if you're a fan of this style. (4/5)

Lex Luger, Sting, and Barry Windham vs. Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, and Arn Anderson (03/31/1988, NWA): While I think the 8.38 (!) rating on Cagematch is a bit much for a "clipped" match from a random episode of NWA Main Event, if you're a fan of NWA wrestling, this is about as fun and spirited a 6-man as you'll likely find. They don't reinvent the wheel at all, delivering a straightforward match that gives everyone a chance to shine. The babyfaces control early before Luger plays the face-in-peril. The crowd is super hot for this, as one would expect giving the setting (Spartanburg, South Carolina). The wrestlin itself is nothing super special, but the pace is frenetic and we do get a bunch of "greatest hits" moments without it feeling like they're checking off a list (highlights include Sting press-slamming Flair off the top and Barry taking his signature bump over the top rope). Inessential viewing, but that doesn't mean its not good. (3/5)

Cibernetico/Fishman/Psicosis/Pentagon vs. Konnan/La Parka/Ultimo Dragon/Octagon (03/06/1996, AAA): This was a bit confusing at times, so I'm guessing that knowing the context would have helped me enjoy this more. That being said, La Parka is always a pleasure to watch. I felt like this lacked the big dives and high spots that I've grown to expect out of a Psicosis match in the mid-90s. The Pentagon/Octagon stuff is fun until Pentagon suffers an injury off of a back body drop and needs to be taken out of the match. I'm not sure if that was legit or an angle and I couldn't find much about it online. I was hoping this would be a funner watch. (2/5)

Akira Nogami and Shinya Hashimoto vs. Masahito Kakihara and Tatsuaki Nakano (10/28/1995, UWFi): Hashimoto is clearly the most over guy of the bunch as, anytime he does anything, it gets a loud reaction compared to the others. This wasn't as action-packed as I was hoping, which I probably should've expected considering this was UWFi match (which means that it was going to be more "shoot-based," emphasizing realism over theatrics and storytelling). Not my cup of tea. (1.5/5)

Randy Savage vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler (03/10/1984, CWA): This was a TV match that was clearly designed to whet the appetite of fans and build up the rivalry rather than deliver any sort of conclusion. In that end, it is effective, but there's really not much to sink into. The match itself goes about 10 minutes and ends with Angelo Poffo getting involved to cause the DQ. Not much to really say about this. (2/5)

Aja Kong and Akira Hokuto vs. Eagle Sawai and Shinobu Kandori (04/11/1993, AJW): This was an interpromotional battle between AJW's best - Kong and Hokuto - and Hokuto's nemesis Kandori and Eagle Sawai from the LLPW promotion but the real drama here is between Hokuto and Kandori, who had put on a classic match just nine days earlier (I gave it an ultra-rare 5/5 score on this very blog some time ago). There's plenty to love in this match as everyone gives a terrific performance, the crowd is hot, and the pre- and post-match promos by Kong, while given in a language I don't understand, came across as especially angry and passionate. Highlights included the ridiculous powerbombs Kandori delivered, Aja Kong hitting an Uranake out of nowhere to the back of Kandori's skull, Kong assisting Hokuro for one of her signature front-flip splashes to the floor early on, some seriously stiff kicks out of Kong, and an all-time great finish that only works because the intensity and "shoot" feel of the match was played to the hilt from beginning to end. Another great match that shows why at least 3-out-of-4 of these women are in the GOAT conversation for women. (3.5/5)

Shawn Michaels vs. Buddy Landell (08/04/1995, SMW): I checked out this Smoky Mountain Wrestling match as I saw it name-checked a few times on ProWrestlingOnly and have always found Buddy Landell to be an interesting and entertaining worker (albeit an inconsistent one). This isn't great and because the production value is low, it's not an easy match to get lost in. The story here is that Landell had turned a corner in SMW, denounced his old hard-living ways, and was trying to prove himself as a babyface despite still being managed by Jim Cornette (who he explicitly told not to interfere on his behalf). Because of this story, it's not so much a babyface Landell vs. heel Michaels match with Michaels as the centerpiece, which is what most would imagine this would be considering HBK's status even in 95' (a good 8 months before he'd finally win "the big one" at WrestleMania XII). I liked the story they told with the finish as Cornette ends up costing Landell the match against Buddy's wishes. (2.5/5)

Zach Sabre Jr. vs. Blake Christian (03/02/2023, ROH): This was for Sabre's NJPW Television Championship but took place on a Ring of Honor broadcast. The commentators play up the fact that there is a 15-minute time limit and that Sabre is well-equipped to go the distance, noting that William Regal used a similar formula to hold onto the TV Championship in WCW for months on end in the early 90s. This match didn't go the full 15, but it was almost got there as Christian put up a strong fight. Sabre got to show off his technical expertise early on and also his counter game. This fell well short of "must watch" territory, but was fine for what it was and did feature at least a few neat moments including Sabre countering a Fosbury Flop into a cravat and a whole bunch of unique submissions. (2.5/5)

Devil Masami and Jumbo Hori vs. Dump Matsumoto and Desiree Petersen (??/??/1984, AJW): I couldn't find much of anything about this match online, though I didn't exactly scour every website ever. Based on what I could find, Desiree Petersen worked in Japan in 1984 but was back stateside in 1985. This is a rough watch because the crowd noise and original commentary is dubbed over by what I believe to be an Italian announcer. This mostly a brawl but there is the occasional wrestling hold thrown in there from Masami. Speaking of Masami, her segments with Matsumoto are the better parts of the match which is a good thing because they also make up the lion's share of the in-ring action anyway. Bull Nakano makes a cameo as she was part of Matsumoto's crew. Pretty unremarkable but I could see superfans of this era and this style thinking this is terrific. (2/5)

Billy Kidman vs. Psicosis (09/27/1999, WCW): This was a Hair vs. Mask match. I forget if it was Bischoff in charge or Vince Russo at this point, but WCW seemed hell-bent on unmasking all of their luchadores to make their more "marketable," which was a very dumb strategy as, had they actually shown some initiative, they probably could've sold a ton of Mysterio, Juventud, Psicosis, and La Parka masks. Anyway...this wasn't as good as I was hoping for as a Psicosis fan and someone who looks back on the cruiserweight division with fondness. They do some cool moves, of course, but this suffers from a questionable heel/face dynamic. On one hand, Psicosis having Chavo Guerrero and Juventud Guerrera interfere on his behalf clearly makes Psicosis the villain and Kidman overcoming the odds is a classic babyface formula...but why are we rooting for the luchadores to lose their masks again? Kidman's motivation is never made clear so his determination to take away the legacy and cultural touchstone of Psicosis (and the rest of the luchadores) is off-putting. The weight of the stipulation hurts more than it helps an otherwise solid outing. (2.5/5)

Nick Gage vs. La Parka (11/23/2018, AIW): This match happened just a few miles from my house and, looking at the card, I definitely missed out as this show also featured Eddie Kingston, Danhausen, MJF (against Hornswoggle!), and Laredo Kid. Gage and La Parka have the kind of chair-filled brawl one would expect with Parka delivering an awesome suicide dive towards the end to show that he could still leave his feet when he needed to. I was surprised that we didn't get much "color" but I could also understand Gage and La Parka not wanting to go all-out with a true death match on a relatively small show like this. Inessential viewing, but not bad at all. (2.5/5) 

Kyoko Inoue vs. Manami Toyota (08/18/1991, AJW): This was the semi-finals of the Japan Grand Prix tournament so the winner would have to compete again, which explains why this is wrestled as a "sprint" and goes under 12 minutes. Still, within those dozen minutes we see a whole bunch of nifty submissions and Toyota deliver an insane springboard moonsault from to the floor. Inoue would likely be my older brother's favorite wrestler (if he knew who she was as a kid) because her submission game is ridiculous. Meltzer nearly gave this 5 stars in the Observer, which seems a little high for such a short match, but this is wrestled at a ridiculous pace at a time when this sort of match was not common at all in the US. (3/5)