Phil Schneider

This was the Cage of Death finale of the ROH v. CZW feud and was one of the best "loads of booking" matches I have ever seen. This was a match loaded with storylines, and was a War Games match which didn't follow the formula, and usually both things are recipes for disaster. I mean on paper the match layout reads like Vince Russoism, insider smark joke (J.J. Dillon winning the coin toss), in match heel turn (American Dragon jumping Joe), multiple surprise entries (Kingston, Homicide), in match face turn (Homicide), feuding tag partners (Hero and Kingston), random rule change (allowing Homicide in), then a post match heel turn (Cornette) complete with insider smark joke (Low-Ki being mentioned without any intention of him coming in.) I mean there is no way this should have been anything but a clusterfuck disaster. However it worked, the booking of the match actually led to a great high point with Homicide coming in, and never felt like it distracted from the match, and the match was just filled with excellent performances. Your seconds were great, Cornette was super getting furious at Danielson when he turned, and he owned the final angle, it is too bad that Homicide v. Cornette angle fell apart because it started great. Julius Smokes was his usual great self, I especially loved his furious attempt to get into the cage when Cide was being jumped. However J.J. Dillon, was the king second, just incredible, his awesome ring jacket, his look of disgust when CZW was winning, his backing away from Homicide when he came into the cage, and his rubbing his hands together in glee when Cornette called him in to whip Homicide. ROH really needs to find a regular role for J.J. Dillon, he is the fucking man. The ROH team was pretty fun, Samoa Joe was awesome as you unstoppable face monster, wasting Claudio in the opening and coming off like a superstar. I enjoyed Ace Steel running in with the cow bell and just acting like a complete nutter, and of course Homicide came off as a total superstar. Rocking the old school JAPW deathmatch gear, pulling forks out, and just killing everyone, this was his match and he stepped up. I had no problems with Pearce, he was fine and kind of a non entity. Whitmer took some bumps, but he was the one guy in this match who made me groan, he would be throwing around shitty exploders when they weren't needed, everyone else was beating the shit out each other, and Whitmer would throw crappy elbows to the stomach or his fake Misawa elbow exchanges. They should have just gotten the Carnage Crew for those two rolls. The CZW team however were the stars of this show. Nate Webb shows he is a complete fucking loon as he wins a bumpathon match with Necro Butcher in it. Kingston and Claudio were both fun, if a little in the backround. I especially loved all of Kingston's goofy facial selling. Necro also comes off like a huge star, this wasn't really a Necro showcase match, although his couple of big spots (running through the tacks, getting suplexed on the chair) were amazing, I would have liked to see a little more Necro offense though. Chris Hero may have been the MVP of this match he is such a hateble little prick, that you just want him to get killed. The crowd taunting cravates, his little speech in the middle of the match, running away, probably the match of his career.

These two matched up earlier in the year, in a match that was pretty fun but kind of one sided, with Ki just killing Necro. Here it was way more even, as both guys brought sick amounts of asskicking. This was worked under KO or submission rules and it actually reminded me a lot of the classic Yuki Ishikawa v. Daisuke Ikeda matches. Similar pacing with Ki unloading brutal kicks to the face and body, and Necro fighting back with headbutts and punches. Necro's punches were great, he just wastes Ki with some of the best bodyshots I have ever seen in wrestling, I almost expected Ki to spit blood, he also throws a great lead left hook. This had more chair stuff then those matches had, but with the pacing and brutality this really was the closest to classic BattlArts we had in 2006. I have seen a bunch of Necro over the years, and he has done some horrific things to his body, so it is pretty amazing that he can still shock you. The Ki double stomp with Necro's chest laid on the top of the chair, was a top 10 Necro Butcher bump, and think about what the implies. Plus Ki throwing a stiff chop to the balls was nastier then a thousand light tube shots. Necro's selling was spectacular too, at one point he sells a kick to the face by lying on the mat and swatting at imaginary flies. He does a ton of little things well too, shaking his head, opening and closing his hand to get blood flowing, gripping his elbow and shaking his arm after getting bealed on a chair, leaning over and breathing deeply to sell exhaustion. Ki was fun in this too, he takes a bigger beating then he often does, and I love the little Abby screams he has added before his big moves, still this was a Necro show, and he really looks a step above Ki. The finish is what keeps this out of the top 10. This was worked KO or submission, so it was fine that Ki won with the flying triangle, but if you are going to end a match like this on a submission, you really should tease submissions more. All the near falls in the match were worked around 9 counts, at no point did anyone even try for a submission outside of the finish. Also I had just got done watching a bunch of WEC and when KI put on the triangle I kept thinking he needed to move his leg underneath his own knee and pull Necro's head down to cut off the blood. I just came off like a flat finish for such an awesome match. Still this was another match to add to the amazing resume Necro put together in 2006.

I started Fuchi Fridays over at Segunda Caida, so he is guy I am excited to revisit. You have to remember he was part of a couple of great Memphis matches along with his great All Japan 80's and 90s stuff along with fun later super grumpy old man stuff. I could see him higher on my list then some of the more highly esteemed All Japan guys

I am not even sure Jarrett has as good a case as Brian Christopher and Jamie Dundee for you 90's generation Memphis guys

I rated quite a few Regal matches as EPIC's and haven't reviewed all of his great ones

Here is my C+A for Regal http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2011/05/complete-and-accurate-regal.html

I think you would totally have to be a stuck in the 90's dinosaur to even consider him. I don't even think I would put him above Super Dragon

I don't see Pillman, he didn't have a particularly long wrong as a great wrestler, had some good charisma, but I can't see an argument for him over someone like Jimmy Jacobs, and Jacobs isn't sniffing my top 100

I don't buy Lawler as not physically skilled, he is still throwing a dropkick in his 60's and is a really athletic bumper, he isn't AR Fox or someone, but he has plenty of physical skill

Here is C+A Dick Togo, lots of match links in here besides the reviews http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2010/09/complete-and-accurate-dick-togo.html

Here is my Complete and Accurate Fujiwara which has links to a crap ton of matches http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2009/08/complete-and-accurate-list-of-all-of.html

I agree that Santo's case is super helped by being able to see him live, I have seen him every where from Arena Mexico to an Arena in Atlanta to the aforementioned Queens dance club and his presence is something truly special. Him and Hashimoto are neck in neck for the most electric live performers I have ever seen

I have really similar thought as Anthony. I loved old man Jumbo, but 80's ace Jumbo bored me, I imagine he will make my list somewhere, but it wouldn't shock me if I found 100 guys I like better

I don't see it, he has had some fun matches but crazy popular but artistically pretty weak shouldn't get you on a list. Journey wouldn't make a top 100 bands list

Here is a link to my complete and accurate Lawler which has 40 or so reviews http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2011/03/complete-and-accurate-jerry-king-lawler.html

Only about five minutes and it needed another two minutes or so to push over the to the GREAT category, but man alive what we got of this match was pretty awesome. Bulldog Rains is a perfectly serviceable bald goateed guy with big arms and a gut, but holy shit did Billy Joe Travis look amazing when he was in the ring. Travis and Dundee just unload on each other with Travis's uppercuts vs. Superstars short hooks, BJ also takes one of his in the lights high backdrops. Memphis studio wrestling at its most energetic, Lawler looked good, although this style was always more suited to Dundee who shined. Mainly though this match made me want to do a BJ Travis Complete and Accurate.

Oh good, for a second I thought Eduardo went nuts, and that would have been a total bummer

My first real Fujiwara experience was that stink bomb with Kawada, so I thought he was a sucky old guy who didn't sell. Now he is my all time favorite wrestler, so that is a big 180

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/09/01/man-without-mask Cassandro gets another long magazine profile, this time in the New Yorker of all places. Pretty cool he gets so much press, although I wish it would translate into him wrestling somewhere I could see

Different Danny Davis

Pretty Cool Ronda Rousey article from the New Yorker of all places http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/07/28/mean-girl

It has been a couple of years since we did a podcast, but Eric and I chopped it up for about an hour. We answered some reader mail and SC requests, and talked about a whole bunch of stuff which is only slightly related to wrestling. http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=94470&cmd=tc

Busik vs. Gulak from CZW is even better, here is the Segunda Caida review of it http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2014/06/2014-ongoing-match-of-year-list_27.html

Face Nikita was a pretty great hot tag guy, watch him tear it up in those DA alliance six mans

Same thing happened to me. I was driving to a pub quiz night with my wife and we saw the bus. The bar is near the Verizon center, and I went "shit RAW is in town, parking is going to suck"