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Post by marc91 on Aug 25, 2024 15:00:24 GMT 1
#0257 WWF International Heavyweight Title Match Tatsumi Fujinami (c) vs Riki Choshu (NJPW 03.04.1983) This felt like a big deal, even though it wasn't for the IWGP Title. Their previous fights came into place here, as they affected their strategies, especially Choshu's: the challenger tried to weaken Fujinami even before the match and then to submit him, but Fujinami proved to be more resilient and more ground based than Choshu to give up at any point. Choshu had to resort back to the lariat, which worked because Fujinami's damaged knee got bent at one time and exposed him to the move. This was a really good spectacle, very solid at the beginning and with the right explosions towards the end, it also told a good story
**** |
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Post by marc91 on Aug 26, 2024 21:55:17 GMT 1
#0258 British Lightweight Title Steve Grey (c) vs Jim Breaks (JOINT PROMOTIONS 07.04.1983)
This was clipped and footage started from the third round onwards. Usual good match between these two, Breaks' antics never get old and here they got even better when he started to go after Grey's older fans, as their cheering got under the challenger's skin. His armwork was also very good, while Grey looked very solid when he was selling. I can't call it a flaw, but this match was a bit too similar to their good 1982 bout, so it seemed like a bit of a dejà-vu at times. I also liked the finish, consistent and logical, but I wish the would have used the fans drama more to make this more dramatic
***1/4 |
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Post by marc91 on Aug 27, 2024 21:16:01 GMT 1
#0259 Terry Funk vs Stan Hansen (AJPW 14.04.1983)
Famous great match, one that still holds up today. All time great Funk performance, he fought Hansen with all of his strength and his selling was incredible, enhanced by the smart use of the blood. High quality brawl between the two, it made sense to see Funk working on his opponent's leg to take him down, only to face the desperate blows from Hansen, who wanted to avoid a mat confrontation on purpose. The intense fight led to a non-finish after a good segment through the crowd, but the end was still very suggestive because Hansen tried to kill Terry until Dory Jr. desperately saved his brother. Add a finish to this (and a bit more of leg selling on Hansen's part) and this is a contender to best match ever
**** |
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Post by marc91 on Aug 28, 2024 21:54:15 GMT 1
#0260 Dory Funk Jr. & Terry Funk vs Stan Hansen & Bruiser Brody (AJPW 20.04.1983)
Another really strong bout between these two teams, even though it was not their best one. Obviously, Terry and Hansen continued some segments from their recent match and their interactions ruled. Brody was okay in his selling, better than usual at least, while Dory proved to be a very reliable support for his brother and the match improved when he was the babyface in peril. Terry was great when he received the hot tag and when he stopped Hansen from hitting the lariat on Dory, which was also a dejà vu. They repeated the wild brawl outside the ring and the non-finish, which was a bit disappointing this time around, as there was other 2 competitors left in the ring to do a finish with
***1/2 |
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Post by marc91 on Aug 29, 2024 21:22:01 GMT 1
#0261 WWF Junior Heavyweight Title Match Tiger Mask vs Dynamite Kid (NJPW 21.04.1983) This was really tough to rate, I even watched it twice. It wasn't bad, not at all, but it ended up being too disjointed and overbooked for my taste. Mask showed a lot of fire and they also indulged in some matwork with an incredibly quick pace, but they stopped selling the leg very quickly and so none of that mattered. The heat was there anyway and the mask rip segment ruled, like a good chunk of the first part of the match. I didn't really mind the restart angle, not even when it happened twice, but what annoyed me was the way they no sold the tombstones on the floor. How is one supposed to care about any other spot after that?
***
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Post by marc91 on Aug 30, 2024 12:46:24 GMT 1
#0262 WWF International Heavyweight Title Match Riki Choshu (c) vs Tatsumi Fujinami (NJPW 21.04.1983) Very strong rematch, that played on a lot of dynamics that were built in their previous encounter. Fujinami ducked the initial lariat this time and was proactive with the legwork early on, but his own leg was heavily taped and this only delayed Choshu's dominion over the challenger. This lost a bit of steam in the middle, but generally Choshu did well and Fujinami was great at selling his pain, but he never gave up. I wish Fujinami would have had more chances for a comeback later on, but the story was all about him selling the leg and still refusing to quit; in that sense, the countout finish was a good one, as Choshu did retain but without the exclamation point
***1/2 |
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Post by marc91 on Aug 30, 2024 16:33:25 GMT 1
#0263 AWA World Heavyweight Title Match Nick Bockwinkel (c) vs Hulk Hogan (AWA 24.04.1983) Pretty good match, despite them using smoke and mirrors here and stalling a little bit at the beginning. Bock was good, he played the part of the coward heel and bumped around for Hogan like he was supposed to do. I always heard how Hogan was safe in the ring and managed to get reaction out of little things and this match was a good example of that, despite not being great or anything. Still, this lacked major drama or good focus segments and it's a shame, because Hogan was over enough to pull off a powerful comeback. The finish was a bit of a let-down, even with a 2024 mindset, as Hogan got screwed again despite being the clear winner here
*** |
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Post by marc91 on Aug 31, 2024 19:17:27 GMT 1
#0264 Verne Gagne & Mad Dog Vachon vs Adnan Al-Kassie & Jerry Blackwell (AWA 24.04.1983)
This was alright, I guess, but it was not my cup of tea. Vachon's revenge on the Sheiks got Gagne back in the ring for another hurrah and the crowd seemed into it, at least. Blackwell was once again very generous with his selling, but sadly this featured the babyfaces destroying Kassie for the most part (which kind of made sense). It was fun to see Gagne and Vachon winning this, but the match was flat and even the finish didn't accomplish much
**1/4 |
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Post by marc91 on Aug 31, 2024 22:22:27 GMT 1
#0265 Stretcher Match Stan Lane & Steve Keirn vs Moondog Rex & Moondog Spot (CWA 02.05.1983) This was a fun sub 10 minutes brawl. The Fabs were very over and sold big time for the Moondogs, who managed to cut the ring and isolate them really effectively. This was short enough to have a rapid bout and leaving no space to downtime. It got dirty and even the babyfaces fought that way, giving the idea of a grudge feud. The finish was quite original, especially if you're used to the "modern" notion of the stretcher match (or if you listened to Gordon Solie on commentary), but it worked well thanks to the drama while poor Keirn was being viciously choked between the ropes
***1/4 |
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Post by marc91 on Sept 1, 2024 15:27:10 GMT 1
#0266 Iceman Parsons, David von Erich & Kevin von Erich vs Buddy Roberts, Michael Hayes & Terry Gordy (WCCW 13.05.1983) Fun TV match, even though it wasn't surely as good as some of the best chapters of the feud. Featuring Parsons was a step back from Kerry, of course, but he was over as well and held his own ground quite well here. This stalled a bit at the beginning and then worked a good match anyway, thanks to the Freebirds getting a lot of heat on David in the middle part. I liked the blind tag sequence, as the crowd was furious about it. The cheap finish was well done and moved the feud towards the right direction
*** |
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