Best of the Velocity matches #1

 

Tajiri vs. Billy Kidman, Velocity 5/21/2002

 

Really freaking good Tajiri performance, who may be one of the all time great TV workers. He just did it all here, busting out cool holds, viciously cutting off Kidman, timing some excellent spots, kicking the crap out of Kidmans shoulder. Kidman was good as your cookie cutter flyer selling an arm injury but Tajiri was the man in this. Loved all the unique spots like the Tarantula getting denied and then turned into an armbreaker, Tajiris awesome handspring right into a Kidman dropkick etc. I didn‘t love the distraction but I guess at least they didn‘t go the obvious route ending it on a roll up right there.

Hardcore Holly vs. Val Venis, Velocity 5/21/2002

This was a four and a half minutes heavyweight sprint! And these two work a nice heavyweight sprint but damn, would it have killed them to stretch out 2 or 3 more minutes and let things breathe and work the crowd a bit? But damn, for two early 2000s WWE muscle heads they do a nice job working like a pair of joshis. Really nice opening with both guys working some fast trips and snug headlocks, before they really leather each other with some hard chops and clotheslines. Venis doesn‘t even do any sexy man spots, he‘s all business hitting snug elbow drops and knee drops! And he busts out a lot of high end offense against Holly, even dropping him with a big Blue Thunder Driver! I loved that move in WWF No Mercy. Holly evades the Money Shot and he nails Venis with a dropkick in the face and pins him. Yeah, Holly won a match with a standing dropkick and that rules.

Hugh Morrus vs. Albert, Velocity 5/28/2002

Hugh Morrus was working WWE TV in 2002?! And of course Morrus is game to work hard in a 4 minute big boy clash! Really fun work with Morrus clashing into the bigger Albert trying to take him down. Morrus hits a nice powerslom, but then dives right into Alberts big boot in a really cool big man spot! I‘d expect Morrus to job but he refuses too, he hits a huge german suplex on Albert and then goes for the kill with a huge moonsault off the top!!! That misses! Good try. Albert takes a hard chest bump into the corner for no reason before winning with the Baldo bomb. This was a heap of fun.

Val Venis vs. Reverend D-Von Dudley, Velocity 5/28/2002

Val Venis, 2002 Velocity workrate matchine? This was the main event and they work an epic 7 minute match with narrow kickouts and everything! It‘s fun to see how two guys like these two would work that kind of match and this had some nice moments. D-Von is aggressive to start but Venis comes back with his snug offense. Venis works the legs for a minute, even getting the tap with a cool reverse figure 4 but the hilarious Deacon Batista has the referee distracted. D-Von works the back, including doing a Fuchi-ish turnbuckle assisted stretch and Venis is selling really nice and makes a nice comeback. Venis hits the Blue Thunder Driver, which Devon again kicks out and Venis sells it huge, full Taker/HBK Wrestlemania Shocked Face! Venis goes to the top but Devon catches him with a second rope neckbreaker in a really nice moment. Devon takes a really nice bump on a missed diving headbutt but the ref ends up getting bumped and Venis eats the COLLECTORS BOX from Batista! What a match.

EMLL in 1990 #5 - 2/4/1990

 

Watch

Tauro Jr. & Octagon & Rafaga Azul vs. Zorro de Oro & Panico & Canelo Casas

This started out with some promising matwork that the rudos kept interrupting. Really liked how Tauro Jr. Swept Casas to the mat from an armbar attempt. The technicos got their shine in a second segment doing rope running exchanges and tricking the rudos. The match kind of fizzled after that with a not very good rudo beatdown (Canelo uncharacteristically botching some things) and a 3rd fall that took a bit to get going before some admittedly nice oddly coordinated multimant sequences. Not the best opening match.

Remo Banda & Mogur & Chamaco Valaguez vs. Fuerza Guerrera & Hijo de Gladiador & Comando Ruso

Similiar to the first match. This had a better first fall, as all the technicos looked really good. Really liked Chamaco Valaguez for his energy and crazy finishing hold. Enjoyed Banda getting trolled by Comando Ruso and repaying him by clocking him with a big forearm while he was standing on the apron. Rudos were a bit more vicious than in the previous match, but nothing outstanding. Banda threw some nice punch combos, but the technicos got snuffed in the 3rd fall without much addo. Really would‘ve been a pretty good match if they didn‘t go so awfully long, and poor Remo just can‘t seem to get into a match where he gets to look as good as he seems to be.

Espectro Jr/Herodes/Emilio Charles Jr vs Ringo Mendoza/Kung Fu/Popitekus

This was like how you want every random trios to be. You had Mendoza and Charles doing some classy lucha exchanges, Espectro Jr. Bumping for Popitekus beastly size in fun ways, and Kung Fu and Herodes doing some entertaining comedy built around martial arts bullshit and Herodes being a bumbling fool. They mix up the pairings in the second fall and we get some more good exchanges. I really would have liked to see more of Herodes punching and headbutting Popitekus during the rudo beatdown. 3Rd fall was short and had some more fun stuff including a star spot, plus a surprising ending with Herodes busting out a big dive and the rudos winning. Fun trios.

Brazo & Brazo de Oro & Brazo de Plata vs. Ulises & Gran Markus Jr. & Pierroth Jr.

First fall had some wonderful stumpy legged highflying from the Brazos. Brazo de Platas light footedness was especially impressive, he threw a really nice dropkick, leapfrog, big silla off the top… the rudos quickly took over in the second fall and bloodied their opponents, which was unexpected. Gran Markus Jr. Goes from a bumbling big idiot to a goon punching people hard in their cut and getting blood all over himself really well. It seemed Brazo was knocked out or something as his Brazos had to stage their comeback without him, but the rudos soon took back over and ended the match. Feels kinda weird to run this as a main event as it basically turned into a squash and was merely a set up for further matches between these teams.

 

The Library

80s Europe #10

 Mike Bennett vs. Dan Collins, England 2/12/1985

This was really freaking great, honestly blows my mind nobody except OJ talks this match up much because it was a borderline 30 minute old school masterpiece worked at a relentless pace. Most of that was due to Mike Bennett, who looked like an old time grappling master doing a vicious heel act, in the same vein as Terry Rudge or Jim Breaks but with a bit more of a stone faced psycho vibe to him. You could write a book on how to wrestle just by observing what Bennet was doing here. He was tearing up young Dan Collins like no other in this bout. Loved the constant nelsons, shoulder stretches, the mean grovits, the facelocks and constantly pressuring Collins throat with his elbow or knee. At one point he did a jiu jitsu like guard sweep into an armbar which he used to strangle Collins with his foot on his throat. That is some truely next level stuff. It was the kind of stretching that was up there with the best of Fuchi or Jim Breaks and it was awe inspiring. Also, the way Bennett initially wouldn‘t give Collins much, denying his basic reversal attempts and gradually building the match towards bigger and bigger comebacks from Collins was nothing short of masterful. Bennett also kept escalating the violence in interesting ways, for example by topping off their first strike exchange by viciously kneeing a downed Collins in the face. Collins did pretty good for a 17 year old kid in this bout, he mostly stuck to retaliating against Bennetts tactics and never got lost which is very commendable. Still, safe to say Bennett was touched by the wrestling gods that night and running the show. When Bennett had enough and just busted up Collins nose and then kept hitting him in his bleeding face I felt this was Top 10 all time level. It build to great last two rounds with some real fireworks bumping from Bennett and a number of false finishes that would trick almost anyone watching. True to many European bouts, the actual ending underdelivers slightly, but everything up to that point was a honest to god wrestling masterclass.

Jim Breaks vs. Dan Collins, England 4/26/1984.

This was the more loud, boisterous version of the Bennett match. I preferred Bennetts performance but this was a near classic in it‘s own right. The workmanship of a guy like Breaks, who could‘ve just coasted doing his bread and butter stuff in a match against a kid but instead decided to up the ante and work some neat details fascinates me. Here we got some nice Breaks grappling, the usual Breaks heat seeking and joing dislocating arm work, and then something entirely new as Breaks started to wrench the hell out of Collins face and busted him up. The face stuff was nasty as hell, although Breaks didn‘t build to Collins getting some kind of epic payback. Instead we got a unique moment where Collins bursted out of Breaks hold headbutting him in the jaw, which Breaks sold in amazing fashion. Really, all the dangerous bumps and canadian destroyers in the world can‘t measure up to how Breaks sold that jaw headbutt. Collins got nowhere near as much offense as in the Bennett match, but he got that headbutt, plus he busted Breaks eye open with a nasty elbow. That eye thing may have been an accident but the way the camera cut away made me think Breaks actually bladed his brow there, fucker sure was crazy enough to do that. The finish was another fluke but at least it was a straight pin. I‘ll leave it to you to decide which was better, although I prefer the more overarching brilliance of the Bennett match. Both these matches are good as hell in their own right, that is for sure.

 

80s Europe Master List

Takeshi Ono Documentation Project #22

 Takeshi Ono vs. Takashi Okamura, PWFG 8/12/1995 - FUN

Okamura is the guy with the craziest mullet from Kitao Dojo, and he is a fun opponent for Ono. This was a straight shootstyle 4 minute match than the hybrid craziness this match would have been in 1997 or 1998, but it was good. Okamura works this as a bigger guy with some crazy kick variations, and Ono has to slip past that to try and tap him out. Onos slickness is great, he would lock in a submission and then he would counter Okamuras counter attempt into another submission. Really nice finish too with the crazy belt throw. 

Takeshi Ono & Daisuke Ikeda vs. Hikaru Sato & Kengo Mashimo, Futen 1/22/2012 - EPIC

Another FUTEN main event, another 20 minute round of 4 lunatics just beating the life out of each other. This had a great build, as we start with some cautious Ono/Sato exchanges where neither guy wanted to make a mistake, before Ikeda tags in. Sato and Mashimo immediately take to isolating Ikeda and just slapping the dogshit out of him, which sets up the crazy frenzy that would be the second half of the match kicked off by Ikeda running and punting Mashimo in the face. Sato was just being introduced to the crazy world of FUTEN here, but he did good bringing the violence. He'd punch and palm Ikeda really hard, and finally they engaged in some brink of survival-level headbutt exchange topped by Sato kicking Ikeda in the face hard. After that gruelling caveman slugfest we get the much finer but still extremely violent Mashimo/Ono ending section. Really almost any Ono ending section in a quasi-shootstyle match is gonna be really great and these two looked awesome killing each other, this is just the coolest pro wrestling on earth. Mashimo looked really great too, big deadlift suplex, whiping out Onos leg with a badass sweep, I can only imagine how good their singles matches were. Ono is as great as you want him to be, throwing awesome punches and kneese, a crazy flying headscissor plus almost ripping Mashimo in half with the Octopus Stretch. On top of all that you get the trademark brutal partner saving spots. Really dug the moment where Mashimo went for the brainbuster only for Ikeda to take his leg out, still causing Ono to take a nasty bump. Finish was excellent stuff. Says a lot that this might be the least of FUTEN main events, because it was still an insanely great match.

Takeshi Ono Documentation

The Regal vs. Eaton Series

 What do you do when you have two workers as talented as 1996-1997 William Regal and Bobby Eaton with nothing to do? You book them into a bunch of under 5 minute TV matches, of course!!

William Regal vs. Bobby Eaton, WCW 3/7/1995

Regal is sleazy as hell here, strutting about the ring as if he was gonna apply to the Ministry of Silly Walks. They lock up and we get Regal doing about 5 cool things in 30 seconds outgrappling Eaton. Regal talks trash, Eaton gets fired up and soon Regal eats like 6 beautiful punches in a row and a neckbreaker. Eaton signals for the Alabama Jam but Regal scurries away and gets on the mic. After some profuse apologizing Regal offers Eaton to team up with him and Eaton is just all befuddled and accepts. I guess Eaton had nothing better to do. And this is how the Blue Bloods were born!

William Regal vs. Bobby Eaton, WCW 10/30/1996

And just like that, the Blue Bloods are no more! How much can you achieve in a 3 minute match? We start this with Regal working an armlock and Eaton goes for a god damn flying headscissor hold, but Regal uses the ropes to throw him off in one of those cool things seemingly only Regal does. Eaton with an armwringer and Regal bumps in his head into the turnbuckle, resulting in some fun cranky Regal neck selling. Eaton starts uncorking punches with Dusty putting them over as lethal and gets some nice nearfalls for a punch combo and a swinging neckbreaker, with Regal just barely getting the foot to the ropes on the neckbreaker. Eaton continues to go to town on Regal with the punches but Regal shoves the refree, decks Eaton with a punch and pin him with the feet on the ropes. This was sweet.

William Regal vs. Bobby Eaton, WCW 11/29/1996

Another 3 minute match! Will they ever get 4 minutes on WCW TV? They throw a lot of punches in this one, with Regal going for his palm strikes right away and Eaton clocking him with a great looking right. They work a test of strength/monkey flip spot for a minute which is really cool, then go back to punches. Eaton goes for a suplex and Regal cradles him as he gets up which was a neat finish. I think this went slightly under 3 minutes.

William Regal vs. Bobby Eaton, WCW 2/16/1997(?)

Finally, a 4 and a half minute match between them! And it‘s a very mysterious match too, because it‘s not even listed on Cagematch! Maybe it‘s actually their April match. Same start as the preceding match, with Regal going for palms in the corner and eating a big Eaton punch. God damn Regal has about a dozen ways to just keep running into Eatons amazing looking punches in this. We get a heat segment for a minute where Eaton takes a facebump on the floor and smashed into the stairs, but soon enough Regal is back to eating punches and selling them like a cartoon cat getting caught in a mousetrap. Another easy flash rollup win for Regal here, will they develop this theme?

William Regal vs. Bobby Eaton, WCW 6/24/1997

Most vicious Regal performance so far, as he kicks the hell out of Eatons arm here and kneedrops his face. Joey Maggs for some reason comes out and Dusty promptly buries him on commentary saying he needs to watch and learn because he hasn‘t been winning matches. Eaton gets a brief comemback and Regal does the British style bounce off the turnbuckle into taking a backdrop bump. REALLY neat moment where Eaton tries to climb out the ring and Regal catches his leg and drives it into the buckle. Regal puts the Regal Stretch on Eaton, and Eaton fights it really hard trying to turn out of it, but Regal lands some open hands and headbutt until he can turn Eaton on his belly to get the tap. I guess this conclusive finish ends their series. Surprising how much neat stuff you can do in throwaway 4 minute matches.

French Catch-Catch-Up

Petit Prince & Jean Corne & Alain Mitchell vs. Daniel Noced & Jacky Richard & Guy Renault, France 2/9/1974

Really cool French take on a lucha trios. Like those matches, you had a lengthy technico shine, a rudo beatdown building to a hot 3rd fall with plenty of comeuppance. And you had a real money match up to carry the whole thing, and that was Petit Prince vs. Daniel Noced. Holy fuck the Prince is an absolute trip to watch, just the fastest trickiest wrestler ever, and Noced looked great both bumping for his crazy arm drags as well as trying to kick the Princes chest in. Everyone else was good too and I especially enjoy Jacky Richards stooging who is Infernales level when it comes to eating technical offense. It wasn't a deep match and the fact that Cornes initial absence barely played a role was a bit weird but it was a rousing good time in total.

18/01/1973 Rene Ben Chemoul & Walter Bordes vs. Anton Tejero & Inca Viracocha

Another week of French TV, another 30 minutes of stupidly high end pro wrestling. It‘s quite fascinating how closely these matches mimic the layout of a lucha trios. You get about 10 minutes of fun one up manship exchanges, followed by 10 minutes of a rudo beatdown and then 10 minutes of high quality back and forth. Everything executed with ridiculous tighntess and perfection. There are so many little things here that make these exchanges great – the technicians cranking up the viciousness just a little bit more than your typical friendly babyface shine segment, the way these guys will sell a basic shoulder block just being thrown back only to get up immediately and into a rope running segment, the way these guys will not kid around with their european uppercuts and body punches etc. Some of the technical moves were just blindingly fast. Beatdown segment was good with the faces taking lots of bumps flying to the outside, and the ending section was fun and unpredictable. I‘ve learned that big finishing runs centered around heels stooging and trying to throw inside shots with the faces bowling the heels into eachother are way more entertaining than back and forth 2.99999s. Ref has some heel antics but never gets into derailing the match. The French crew is starting to rise in my estimation to be up there with the Michinoku Pro or BattlARTS guys where you could throw any permutation of them into a tag match and it would be MOTY if it happened now. And they did just that week in week out.

 

Georges Cohen vs. Chico de Oro (2/23/74)

1 fall match going about 25 minutes. Chico de Oro is announced as a Spanish champion. If Spain still had workers that good around in 1974, it’s pretty sad that Spanish wrestling died around that time. This was a technical match up with a fast pace. Both man engaged in some intricate wrestling and fast rope running. Chico de Oro played nice and sportsmanlike, but the French crowd was firmly on the side of their boy Cohen. It almost annoyed me a little how they kept siding with Cohen even when he kept kicking Chico de Oros ass. The Spanish champ ended up taking a few bumps to the outside and fought back valiantly, even throwing out some flying headbutts, but he had no chance winning that crowd over. There was also some weird controversy with the referee where he gave Cohen a public warning for breaking out of a pinfall. All that said, it was a very good match.

 

Underground Wrestling EXIT 1/29/2012

Fugofugo Yumeji vs. MASAKI

I think MASAKI is a Nightmare guy or something. At least I recall seeing his name on those shows 10 years earlier. Weird how these guys keep popping in and out of random scum indies over the years. Masaki has nice kicks and knees and is not afraid to get slapped in the face hard, and this starts out as pretty decent BattlARTS scrap on a paper tin mat placed on a wooden floor. Soon enough Fugo cranks up the violence to Kurisu-ish levels by hitting some pretty crazy stomps and kicks to MASAKIs head. Masaki doesn‘t give up yet but is soon toast as Yumeji cracks his head open with an ungodly headbutt. Pretty short, primitive and fun.

Nyudo vs. Ghost Face

Ghost Face is a masked guy who looks really buff and kind of old, like he is an undercarder from the 90s, maybe Rikio Ito. This was pretty basic rookie punishment stuff, Nyudo throws forearms and the big guy blows him off etc. Standard staff made a little rougher by the EXIT setting since that mat really seems to provide almost no protection.

Keita Yano & THE KABUKI vs. Kikujiro Umezawa & Kenji Takeshima

Yano was a workhorse in this, hitting the mat with Takeshima and bumping his ass off on that thin mat. He even seemed to be doing a Mighty Inoue tribute act, perhaps inspired by him teaming with the son of the Great Kabuki. Yano does an airplane spin and some flip sentons. The first Umezawa vs. Kabuki Jr. section was great, they start by basically ramming into each other and do a bunch of uncooperative looking grappling. Still I wanted BUKI to do some neck chops and superkicks, but he just didn‘t tag in again for some reason. Still Umezawa is super gritty in this environment and Keita was well worth watching.

 

The Library