Showing posts with label five star match. Show all posts
Showing posts with label five star match. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Match of the Day - The Hokuto/Kandori Dreamslam showdown!

Akira Hokuto vs. Shinobu Kandori - AJW Dreamslam I (1993)


Since it's Women's History Month, I've decided to feature one of my favorite female pro wrestling matches: Akira Hokuto versus Shinobu Kandori at All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling's first Dreamslam event as "Match of the Month". This is a brutal bout at my favorite speed for a wrestling match - out of control speed!

Just in the opening minutes of the match, LLPW's Shinobu Kandori, a judo expert with a bad attitude, target's Akira Hokuto's arm in hopes of twisting it right off. Kandori works on the arm until it is clearly out of commission. Hokuto's arm puts her in such a disadvantage that the chance of this match being a technical wrestling showcase goes right out the window. Instead, the match turns into a legit-looking fight. These two scrap it out with each other like two kids in the schoolyard... It's brutal, it's bitter, and it's far from pretty.

Once the match spills out into the ringside area, Kandori counters Hokuto's attempt at a piledriver on the announcers' table and tombstone piledrives Hokuto's head straight into the table leaving Hokuto donning the crimson mask. Not often does one see such brutality and blood in a women's wrestling match, especially not here in America, but this match brings it at full force. This match is a must-watch spectacle that clearly I can not give the justice it deserves just by using words. The only way to experience the power of this match is by watching it.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Match of the Day - The Shibata/Ishii G1 stiff fest

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW G1 Climax 23 Day Night 4 (2013)

If there was one bit of hype that I read on the internet that I did believe this year, it was the hype for New Japan Pro Wrestling. With an incredible good match to match ratio, exciting wrestlers, and outstanding events, I think it's safe to say that NJPW was the best wrestling promotion of 2013.


One outstanding event NJPW put on this year was the 23 annual G1 Climax, a super tournament featuring 20 of the top wrestlers in Japan that took place over the course of 9 days. That's right, a 9 day event that NJPW streamed lived every day featuring pretty much only good matches. One match in particular that got mega attention over the course of the 9 days is the Shibata/Ishii match from Night 4.

Tomohiro Ishii versus "The Wrestler" Katsuyori Shibata is an adrenaline rush of stiff strikes and Japanese fighting spirit (which would be called no-selling in America). There's no feeling out process in the beginning, no rest holds, and absolutely no slowing down. There is a story to it however and that story is: who can look the most legit.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Match of the Day - The Unbreakable Triple Threat match

A.J. Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels - 3-Way Dance for the X Division title - TNA Unbreakable (2005)


Some people call this TNA's best match. Some people call this the best triple threat match of all time. What ever it is, it is a whole hell of a lot of fun. That's right! TNA and fun almost in the same sentence...

It's hard to believe that all three men in this thrilling 3-way for the X Division title, a title that was heavily contested at this time and a big deal, are still employed by TNA as minor characters that aren't related to Hulk Hogan. Don't get me wrong, Chris Daniels, along with his tag team partner, Kazarian are probably the best tag team that TNA has got right now and the two blend phenomenally, but AJ and his sulking biker  gimmick and all around lack of Samoa Joe in the Impact Zone is a sad comparison to what these guys were dishing out every match like they were at Unbreakable in 2005.

Rumor has that the current X Division title will soon be contested via triple threat match-ups only which means that TNA will either we introducing us to some new talent or they are just going to be having this match played at every PPV in place of the X Division title match for now on.

Honestly though, that's really not that bad of an idea at this point in TNA's life.