Shinya Hashimoto vs. Takoa Omori (12/23/2000, NOAH): An interesting match in the sense that it offers a story that American fans unfamiliar with NOAH can understand, but far from "must see." Omori comes in with some confidence and gets a big entrance, but Hashimoto basically decimates him in under 10 minutes in what I believe was Hash's NOAH debut. Immediately after the match, he starts calling out Misawa, building to a 1-on-1 match that I don't think ever happened. Reading the reviews on Cagematch, I was a bit surprised that this match is known for its lack of cooperation as I just thought it was another day in the office for Hashimoto and his usual stiff chops and kicks (plus, the finish, a huge brainbuster, is not the type of move you want to dead-weight somebody on). I can see why some people really like this match, but I guess I was expecting something a bit "meatier." (2/5)
Ted Dibiase vs. Jumbo Tsuruta (03/14/1978, AJPW): A bit boring unless you're super into "human game of chess"-type matches that are all about leverage and technical proficiency. DiBiase looks to be about 19 years old in this match (he was closer to 24) and Jumbo is also in his mid-20s. I haven't seen a ton of 70s wrestling from Japan or really anywhere, but I've seen more thrilling and entertaining stuff than this. Not my cup of tea. (1.5/5)
Yumiko Hotta vs. Reggie Bennett (09/02/1995, AJW): Reggie Bennett shows how tough and resilient she is in this losing effort to Hotta, who actually reins in some of her unprofessional/overly stiff tendencies in this match. This is not a mat classic, though there are some actual submissions applied and suplexes and what not. As Bennett says in her post-match interview, she's a barroom brawler and a pro-wrestler, differentiating herself from Hotta's martial arts background, and this match does play like a clash of wrestling styles (as well as a squint-and-you'll-see-it David vs. Goliath match with Bennett being the powerhouse). Inessential viewing. (2.5/5)
Dave "Fit" Finlay vs. Batista (12/02/2006, WWE): Not as good as I wish it was considering I'm a fan of Finlay and not a Batista hater. With Finlay, you always get stuff that makes logical sense and is rooted in psychology, but what may hurt the match more than anything Finlay and Batista actually do is the production around it. Michael Cole and JBL are insufferable on commentary, leaning way, way too far into an antagonistic dynamic full of petty slights and jabs that detract from the match. (To be fair, JBL had only become a regular commentary on SmackDown about 6 months before this.) I didn't love the "schmoz" finish, but understand it was done to build up to the Armageddon main event (which saw Batista team with Cena to take on Booker T and Finlay). (2/5)
Eddie Kingston vs. Naomichi Marufuji (08/28/2022, House of Glory): As someone that is very new to seeing Marufuji, I must admit to being a bit underwhelmed at times and was not impressed by what he and Kingston did here. The match goes under 8 minutes and is mostly just chest chops and slaps (and a notable Sliced Bread from Marufuji). With them focusing so much on strikes, you would think both guys would really lay them in, but after the first couple, nothing really lands and the closing stretch is especially weak. Even the commentators seemed to be expecting something a bit more epic than this, though I did read one review that mentioned Marufuji may have come into this match injured. A disappointment. Steer clear even if you're a fan of both guys. (1.5/5)
Roddy Piper vs. Jimmy Snuka (07/15/1984, WWE): This was a fun one with lots of energetic bumping and selling out of Piper and Snuka getting to be the badass face in front of a rabid crowd that wants to see him murder his opponent. Oops, probably shouldn't mention murder and Snuka in the same sentence. Anyways, the finish is inconclusive, but the action leading up to it is plenty exciting (though it does ebb-and-flow a bit between really cool moments and just sorta commonplace brawling and theatrics you've seen a dozen times before). Snuka hits a hell of a dive towards the end that is really fun to see. Not a match I'd consider "must see" personally, but I totally get why fans of this era, of this style, and of Piper especially would consider this to be a hidden gem. (3/5)
Aja Kong and Kyoko Inoue vs. Etsuko Mita and Mima Shimoda (08/09/1997, AJW): Another incredible match out of Kyoko Inoue (and Aja Kong for that matter). This is a hellacious tag team brawl that, if it isn't officially a "No DQ," is wrestled like one as we get chairs and crowd-brawling from the very start. Lots of lots of really stick strikes and slams and powerbombs and I loved when Inoue and Aja Kong applied stereo submissions (and did Kyoko's signature dance together). Mita and Shimoda came across as super tough and determined challengers but took a hell of a beating throughout. A fire extinguisher came into play at one point and I don't think it was "gigged" as the chemicals it puts into the air really do seem to cause respiratory issues for the fans, announcers, and even the wrestlers themselves. Kong's splashes look painful as all hell. Some of the maneuvers performed on chairs laying in the ring were considerably ahead of their time. The finish is definitive and earned, though maybe a touch underwhelming after all the hell the two teams put eachother through. An absolute joy to watch if you're into joshi brawls or are looking for a place to start. (4/5)
Manami Toyota Gaunlet Match (12/25/1995, AJW): As someone else wrote on Cagematch, I didn't understand this at all - what the rules were, why it was happening, anything about it...but there is some fun in seeing Manami Toyota, an absolute legend in Japan, take on nineteen different opponents for roughly 90-120 seconds each. She pins some, she gets pinned by some, some just float in and out of the "match" when another competitor takes a powder - it's unclear what exactly is happening aside from Toyota just working her way through an incredible test of endurance and toughness. Kyoko Inoue and Aja Kong were the most recognizable challengers, though some of the other wrestlers like Mita and Shimoda were familiar too. It's hard to rate something like this because it is such a different type of match than anything I'd seen before, but there were enough really cool moments to make it work for me as a viewer. (3/5)
Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Naomichi Marufuji (12/10/2006, NOAH): This one started off a bit slow to me with Misawa looking his age a bit, but then got more exciting as Marufuji started to "throw bombs" and the drama behind the story - the New Wave vs. the Old Guard - ramped up. At 44, Misawa takes some nasty bumps to prove he was still capable and willing to deliver what was needed to make for a memorable, hard-hitting match, but it's also clear that he is not the same Misawa of 5 years earlier, let alone 10 (Misawa would pass away in 2009). I wouldn't go as far as to call this a "carry job" because that implies Misawa doesn't take a whole ton of punishment, including some on the arena floor, or even deliver some good offense himself - his suicide dive is still a thing of beauty - but this is Marufuji keeping things at a pace that works for the veteran and building things slowly until we get to the big spots in the latter half of the match. This is good enough and interesting enough and wrestled in front of a hot enough crowd for it to be "above average," but its not the most comfortable watch and it does take a minute to kick into a higher gear. (3/5)
Genichiro Tenryu and Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Takeshi Morishima and Masao Inoue (05/11/2013, NOAH): A fun match for its comedic elements - Masao Inoue and Morishima's interplay, in particular - but this nothing I'd go out of my way to see. Tenryu looks and works his age. Ogawa does most of the heavy lifting for his team, but I expected a "bigger" performance out of him too. (2/5)
Nick Bockwinkel and Ray Stevens vs. Red Bastien and Billy Robinson (11/06/1973, AWA): I'd always heard how great Billy Robinson was and I saw some of it here, though I imagine that this was not even the most representative match of his style as it was a 2-out-of-3 falls "studio" tag match. His agility is spectacular. This is an action-packed match and the crowd is into it, though it didn't hook me the same as some of the posters on Cagematch who called this an all-timer. Going into this match being more familiar with the rivalry and context probably would've helped. (3/5)
Kyoko Inoue and Aja Kong vs. Manami Toyota and Blizzard Yuki (04/02/1995, AJW): I enjoyed the heck out of this one, just as I suspected I would considering that 3-out-of-4 of the competitors are among my current favorite wrestlers, male or female. Blizzard Yuki holds her own, but the other three are why one should check this match out. Kong and Inoue's teamwork is funner in the 1997 match, but both have great chemistry with Toyota, who is excellent in this match. Some great nearfalls in the closing stretch and all the big signature spots one would expect from Kong, Kyoko, and Toyota. Maybe just a hair short of "must see," but very strong. (3.5/5)
Shinya Hashimoto and Toshiaki Kawada vs. Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman (03/07/2004, HUSTLE): Doing some reading about HUSTLE, I was surprised to learn that the promotion had a reputation for being wacky and very, very different from the more serious puro resu wrestling promotions of the time because this match felt plenty serious and "shoot-based" to me. Coleman and Randleman were renowned MMA fighters (Coleman being the subject of The Smashing Machine) and bring their legitimate wrestling style to this match, while Hashimoto and Kawada are obviously known for their striking (specifically kicks). The clash of techniques and unpredictability of Coleman and Randleman, who were relative newcomers to the world of pro-wrestling, makes for an interesting watch. Loved Kawada's running boot in the corner to Coleman, which had to hurt. I didn't like the finish, an out-of-nowhere TKO victory for Randleman on Hashimoto, as it seemed like it was designed to prevent anybody from taking a pin or submitting (without just going with a more overt DQ). (2.5/5)
Mayumi Ozaki vs. Dynamite Kansai (03/17/1995, JWP): Kickass, bloody, violent street fight - more like a chain match, to be honest - with Ozaki looking almost gleeful as she uses every weapon she can find to punish Kansai. Kansai had the size disadvantage, but Ozaki brings a level of craziness to her hardcore matches that makes her incredibly dangerous (at one point she even starts biting Kansai's head wound!). Heated, wild brawling at its best and thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end. This is not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but fans of ECW at its most hardcore will recognize and appreciate what these two did. (4/5)
Kensuke Sasaki, Katsuhiko Nakajima, and Takeshi Morishima vs. Genichiro Tenryu, Yoshinari Ogawa, and Kotaro Suzuki (09/27/2009, NOAH): This was a hoot of a match thanks to the great work of Morishima, Sasaki, Ogawa, and an aged-but-still-game Tenryu. There were multiple Misawa tribute spots that I caught, but the crowd probably picked up on even more. This seemed like a match that Misawa himself would've dug because of the layers of story involved with Tenryu and Ogawa having history with Misawa dating back to the 80s and Kotaro Suzuki being one of his proteges in NOAH. I also really liked that they sprinkled some comedy into the match as Ogawa is always good at doing the little chickenshit heel stuff and there was a funny spot when Suzuki attempted a Tiger Drive on the monstrous Morishima. I read one review of this match that criticized the lack of story, but the story seemed pretty clear to me with the babyfaces - a team comprised of two legends (well, Ogawa is a legend to me) and Misawa's protege Suzuki - taking on a powerful team of brash, disrespectful heels in tribute to the ultimate babyface of Japanese wrestling, their fallen friend. There was a bit of a lull in the middle of the match, but this was mostly action-packed and good. (3/5)
Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Jun Akiyama (04/07/2002, NOAH): This has to be up there as one of the biggest upsets in pro-wrestling history, not just in NOAH or Japan or of the decade. Jun Akiyama was built up as something of a "5th Pillar," though obviously of a generation after Misawa, Kawada, Taue, and Kobashi. His reign as the GHC Champion had lasted over 250 days by this point and he had defeated his mentor Misawa to capture the title. Akiyama was very much "The Man" while Ogawa had, to my knowledge, always been booked and presented as a weaker, less serious competitor who had skill, but also could be cowardly and fight dirty. Akiyama comes into the match with a ton of confidence, but ends up getting cradled for a shocking pinfall loss in under 5 minutes. As a booking choice, the finish has considerable criticisms but it is a great, surprising "moment" in a main event match that I'm sure most fans expected to not only go longer but also have a very, very different ending. Its hard to rate a match like this as must-see because it doesn't really have much to it, but they did do a lot in the little bit of time they had and there is no downplaying how surprising the finish was. (3/5)
Manami Toyota and Toshiyo Yamada vs. Yumiko Hotta and Kyoko Inoue (02/18/1994, AJW): This received a very high 4.5 stars from Meltzer in the Observer and while I won't go nearly that high in my rating, I can see why, at the time, this would've been considered great. Toyota is incredible in this, a real master of pacing her matches to spread out the big crowd-pleasing signature spots without it ever feeling like a formula. She takes a ton of punishment throughout, including being hooked up in a camel clutch by Inoue which leaves her vulnerable to a brutal kick to the chest by Hotta. I dug Indian Deathlock-esque submission that Toyota applied early. I liked when Toyota went for one of her trademark dropkicks but got caught by Inoue, who then spun her around for the airplane spin, though it's far from an original spot. Still cool. Another good match featuring the ultra-reliable Toyota and Inoue. (3/5)
Jeff Hardy vs. Jushin Thunder Liger (08/27/2016, NEW): More of a "curio" than a truly great match, this happening in 2016 means that both guys are well, well past their prime and we don't get nearly the amount of big signature high spots that we would've gotten had these done battle a decade or, better even, 15 years prior. Liger hits a frog splash late for a good nearfall, but eventually Hardy gets the W because he was the bigger star in America. This was pretty heatless too because while Hardy was perpetually over, Liger also had his fair share of supporters and didn't "heel it up" enough to add tension or conflict to what was basically a Legend vs. Legend match. The highlight was Hardy taking a nasty back bump onto one of those stiff, thick plastic tables at ringside. Weirdly enough, after watching several of Hardy's matches in TNA from 5-6 years earlier, he looked to be more motivated here than he did when he was considerably younger and was being pushed at the top of the card. (2.5/5)
Hector Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero vs. Ted DiBiase and Steve Williams (07/26/1985, Houston Wrestling): This was a cage match for the Mid-South Tag Team Championships held by DiBiase and Williams. I've now watched more than a few Ted DiBiase matches from pre-WWE and I still don't see an "all-time great worker," though he'll probably still make my Greatest Wrestler Ever list just based on his reliability and heel work as the Million Dollar Man. "Dr. Death" is usually a funner watch too but there was a shortage of big power moves in this one. The Guerreros didn't impress me much either here. We get blood and the crowd is certainly hot for this, but the ref turning heel for the finish made the whole thing seem pointlessly long. You know something isn't great when you check the runtime and feel like it went 4-5 minutes longer (this match was barely 12). (1.5/5)
Akira Taue vs. Big Bubba (Big Bossman) (07/29/1993, AJPW): According to Cagematch (I had to look it up), Ray Traylor had left the WWE in the late winter/early spring of 93', did a few one-offs for the USWA and in Australia (where he faced Nailz of all people), and then did a tour in Japan, which is what led to this match. My first thought was that its crazy how relatively "small" Taue looks in the ring against Bubba, especially as Taue was sort of known for being one of the larger heavyweights of the AJPW scene in the 80s and 90s. Not a bad match, but nothing super special to see. I'm not sure how familiar these two guys were with each other, but they seemed to know each other's signature moves well enough. (2.5/5)
KENTA vs. Kenta Kobashi (10/09/2004, NOAH): You don't need to know much "story" here aside from Kobashi being the veteran/legend and KENTA being the young rising star. KENTA comes out of the gates trying to use his speed and strikes, but Kobashi's chops cannot be matched. I still thought Kobashi did a great job of selling KENTA as a legitimate threat despite the clear size difference. When Kobashi takes over, KENTA pays for his confidence for an extended period but KENTA does get in some excellent offense of his own, including a brilliant tease of the Burning Hammer (he ends up delivering a GTS to the back of Kobashi's skull that doesn't look too great instead). Not every piece of offense looked too good, but most of it - especially Kobashi's powerbombs - were jaw-dropping. I didn't love this match as much as others on Cagematch - where it is hovering above an 8 - but if you're into super stiff chops and kicks, this will be right up your alley. (3.5/5)
Manami Toyota vs. Kyoko Inoue (05/07/1995, AJW): One of the most controversial matches to ever get named Match of the Year int The Observer, this match has so much going for it - a tremendous opening stretch, lots and lots of insane head drops and falling back elbow drops and dropkicks galore and nifty submissions - but also so many things that work against it. The match is best described as a near hour-long sprint (on YouTube the match is only about 50-52 minutes so I'm not sure if I watched a "clipped" version or what, but it didn't seem to be) as Toyota and Inoue go to war with countless nearfalls - many of which have such an overdramatic count by the ref that they actually deter from the match. We get some crowd brawling and a table spot and it is undoubtedly a remarkable show of endurance by both women to fight for so long...but the time limit draw finish is a total letdown. The crowd was into this way more than I was despite having such an excellent start. (2/5)
Kota Ibushi vs. Claudio Castagnoli (04/12/2008, NOAH): Considering the reputation and abilities of both men, I was expecting to like this match considerably more than I did. I'm not sure if Claudio intentionally wanted to slow things down a bit and work a match that wasn't super spot-heavy, but this was not the "fireworks show" I expected. Perfectly fine match, but Claudio has become a much, much more interesting worker since this one (and the same can be said for Ibushi, I guess). I really liked Ibushi's devastating back-flip double knee-drop off the guardrail. (2.5/5)
Kenny Omega vs. Pentagon Jr. (09/01/2018): Billed as the "Biggest Independent Wrestling Show Ever," the first ever All In show was the precursor to the formation of All Elite Wrestling and this was the main event. The crowd was red hot for this and it did have "big match feel"...but, watching this years later without all the "buzz" of the event itself and only being able to take in the atmosphere secondhand, the match isn't much more than a Greatest Hits set. Of course, with some of those hits being brutal V-Triggers and a package piledriver on the apron, this isn't a bad thing at all, but it does mean the match doesn't really offer anything new beyond seeing two icons of independent wrestling/lucha libre going move-for-move. At one point, Omega dropped Pentagon Jr. on what looked like the top of his head, but somehow the match didn't end there. Undeniably good, understandably great to many, but this isn't a match I think has that "must see" quality that separates it from the pack. (3/5)
Yoshinari Ogawa/Zack Sabre Jr./Hitoshi Kumano vs. Taichi/El Desperado/Taka Michinoku (1/??/2015, NOAH): According to Cagematch, these two teams had 3 matches in 2015 and all were fairly similar so I wasn't able to determine which one this was. Even their runtimes - a little under 11 minutes - were near identical. Anyway...I love me some Ogawa and he was the highlight for me here while Sabre Jr. didn't really seem to get much offense in and was just sorta there. Haven't seen any of Taka Michinoku post-WWE, it was also kinda cool to see him as the veteran heel here. Not bad stuff, but not really anything great. (2.5/5)
Jon Moxley and Claudio Castignoli vs. Hechicero and Konosuke Takeshita (03/11/2026, AEW): Caught this on Dynamite and was maybe hoping for something a bit more fun, but this was fine for what it us. Its a booking decision/question but, with Okada being on the show later, I would've had him involved in this match as Takeshita's partner not only to continue the long-simmering Takeshita/Okada rivalry but also because they have a much more interesting dynamic together period. Moxley and Castignoli are a good pairing, but they also aren't each other's best teammates. And so, in the end, this felt more like a tag team match involving 4 singles wrestlers rather than a tag team match between actual partners. The action was good and Takeshita and Moxley got big responses for their interactions - a good sign for their upcoming bout at Revolution - but I didn't find this to be anything above average as a whole. (2.5/5)
Kyle Fletcher vs. "Speedball" Mike Bailey (03/11/2026, AEW): This match got 5 stars in The Observer, but because Meltzer blew up his own rating scale, that doesn't mean the same thing as it once did. I wasn't as huge a fan of this, though it was very good. Kyle Fletcher is a fantastic worker and Bailey is really fun to watch but this was a bit predictable to me. You knew you were going to a fireworks show with lots of fast-paced sequences and high-flying and that's what you got. You knew the match was going to go close to the time limit and would either end in a draw or in some screwy way to protect Bailey and they went with a (relatively weak-looking) belt shot/interference. You knew what Callis would add to the commentary and that's what he added. That doesn't mean any of this was bad or dull or that the match lacked specific highlights - again, with Bailey and Fletcher being such great performers and being so willing to throw themselves into every bump and bust out full-force offense, you're guaranteed to see some awesome stuff - but that it never exceeded or subverted expectations. I wouldn't call it a "Good Match for Good Match's Sake" because there was at least some storyline development here and Bailey got to look like a potential singles champion, but I wouldn't consider this more "must see" than any other great match you'd get on Dynamite. (3/5)
Kyle Fletcher vs. Blake Christian (03/27/2024, ROH): This match was for Fletcher's Ring of Honor Television Championship and ran about 10 minutes. I was surprised that Christian kicked out of the running boot-into-the-brainbuster and kinda wish that would've been the finish because of how well it looked and how often the wrestlers in AEW (and ROH, by extension) do unnecessary finisher kick-outs in matches like this where its not really needed. Before that, the action was very good, but watching this roughly 2 years later, its clear how much Fletcher stepped up in 2025. At this point, you do get some of the cocky, brash character work, but not nearly as much as you get out of him today. Good enough TV match. (2.5/5)
Mitsuharu Misawa and Toshiaki Kawada vs. Yoshinari Ogawa and Jumbo Tsuruta (07/06/1991, AJPW): This was "clipped" at the start, but I'm not sure we missed much as everyone seemed pretty fresh at this point. Highlights included Ogawa's top rope stomp on Misawa and, later on, his use of "Kawada Kicks" on the man that made them famous (great heeling there), Jumbo's signature stuff all looking super crisp and painful, and some really great lariats. I don't think this ever comes close to reaching "must see" level but there's enough good in it to at least consider it average. (2.5/5)
Kenta Kobashi and KENTA vs. Mitsuharu Misawa and Naomichi Marufuji (01/26/2003, NOAH): This was good-not-great, with KENTA and Marufuji working a much faster, much more "junior heavyweight" style while Kobashi and Misawa do their heavyweight stuff, which kinda makes for an awkward start. Things pick up after an initial (rare) botch by Kobashi and Misawa on a dragon suplex attempt and we get to Marufuji taking a ton of offense from the Kentas. Kobashi eventually got the win with a series of nasty clotheslines. Solid. (3/5)
Manami Toyota and Sakie Hasegawa vs. Kyoko Inoue and Takako Inoeu (08/30/1995, AJW): Another Toyota/Inoue encounter that went a touch too long for me to really love. One reviewer on PWO noted that these four put on a much better match in January (not sure if he meant 95' or 96'), but I can't compare it to much else aside from the lengthy and unlovable near-hour-long match that Toyota and Inoue had a few months before this. There are some really cool spots at times, the usual high-flying from Toyota and submissions from Kyoko Inoue, but this didn't have me at the edge of my seat from beginning to end the way their better matches have. I also thought that, once again, the referee did an awful job of maintaining a consistent count by pausing before the should-be 3 in order to add drama. (3/5)
Manami Toyota vs. Yumiko Hotta (01/22/1996, AJW): I have no idea why Yumiko Hotta was even allowed anywhere near Manami Toyota after this match as she blatantly kicks her in the head and face, full force, multiple times to the point that it is shocking Toyota is even able to finish the bout. Speaking of the finish, it was fairly sloppy and anti-climactic as it ended with a bit of a "your turn/my turn" exchange with Hotta attempting some powerbombs, not executing them, and then eating one from Toyota to end the match without being really worn down and "set up" for that to be the deathblow. Some how, despite getting kicked in the face throughout the match, its Hotta that is opened up in the early going. Of the things I did like in this match, there was a great moment when Toyota took the trophy they were fighting over and tried to crush Hotta's face with it on the ringside table. Maybe I've seen too many Toyota matches in too short of time to be blown away by her the way I was when I first started watching joshi, but this was almost too stiff and violent with too little selling to make me consider it great. (2.5/5)
Fit Finlay vs. Super Calo (01/28/1999, WCW): 1999 is bit of a strange time for WCW. By this point, the WWE was fully on top of the Monday Night Wars and WCW was desperately trying to stay relevant, but were still mired in the same nWo drama that they'd been in since at the late summer of 96', with much of the commentary during this match revolving around Eric Bischoff and Ric Flair's feud over control of the company. Meanwhile, in the ring, Finlay and Calo put on a good, physical back and forth with some fine offense out of Finlay and some good "fighting from underneath" heart out of Calo. Nothing super special here, but a decent TV match that probably would've been better if it had a real reason for happening or commentary played up that the winner would be "moving up the ranks." Just kinda there. (2/5)
Stan Hansen vs. Akira Taue (04/14/1993, AJPW): The YouTube video of this match is "clipped," but even in slightly abbreviated form, this is a solid hoss battle with Hansen and Taue both delivering all sorts of big lariats and even some dropkicks and a DDT on the floor out of Taue over the course of 10 minutes or so. Having now seen more of Stan Hansen over the past few years, I will say that while he may not mix it up 100% with his offense or anything, he was a more dynamic performer in his prime than I think I gave him credit for growing up. He has no problem taking bumps to the floor and on the floor and selling against Taue here and the match moves a good pace because of that effort. Far from must-see, but pretty solid. (3/5)
Swerve Strickland and Trevor Lee vs. The Young Bucks (01/23/2015, IWF): This was a fun tag bout - nothing super special - but interesting in the sense that it features Swerve before he was Swerve, when he was a bit more of a run-of-the-mill "spot guy," matching agility spots with the Jacksons here. Trevor Lee also showcased noticeably less character work than he would in TNA and NXT (as Cameron Grimes). The match goes about 15 minutes and is a really fun one, but the production is definitely "indie" and the venue is pretty darkly lit (which I don't actually mind). The Bucks are the Bucks - quick tandem offense, lots of energy, superkicks and flips - and it is no surprise why they were so over with the independent wrestling audience throughout the country at the time. Not must-see, but solid for sure. (3/5)
Akira Hokuto vs. Harley Saito (08/05/1983, AJW): Hokuto controls much of the early going of this match, which is not a bad thing at all when your offense is a good as hers is. Reading up on this, the match layout makes a ton of sense as Hokuto was a main event killer and Saito was not near her level on the card. Saito's offense isn't enough across the stretch of the match, but there are moments when she catches Hokuto with a big kick that establish her as a valiant fighter. Over on Cagematch, this has a surprisingly high score because, while it isn't an "epic," it tells its story effectively and Hokuto's charisma is undeniable. That's not enough to make it "must see" for me but it's certainly above your typical match. (3/5)
