cactus

Inspired by the great Cultaholic's podcast series, id figured it'll be interesting to see what matches you would all pick if you could only watch three matches to try and keep you sane on a desert island. Adding a bit of backstory on how/when/where you first saw your matches is encouraged, in true Cultaholic fashion. My picks: Kobashi/Misawa vs Kawada/Taue (AJPW 6/9/95) I'll always have fond memories of when I discovered puro about eight years back and I remember being blown away by this match in particular. My entry point into Japanese wrestling was 90's AJPW. I'd just search out Big Dave's star ratings and try to get through all his highly rated matches. I turned into total non-WWE wrestling hipster because of quality matches like this one. To this day, this is still my pick for greatest ever match and I don't want to be stranded on island without seeing something from the Four Pillars of AJPW. Royal Rumble Match (WWF Royal Rumble 2001) This is a massively sentimental pick for me as this was the first ever Rumble match I saw and I still think it's the best (Sorry '92!). You get a look at 30 (plus an interfering Triple H) stars of the Attitude Era. This one takes me right back to my childhood and it's a fun way to kill an hour. John Cena vs Brock Lesnar (WWE Extreme Rules 2012) This felt like nothing else WWE were putting out at the time. Lesnar felt dangerous and seeing Cena bleed buckets made this feel like nothing I'd ever thought I would see in PG WWE world. I watched this multiple times after it aired and I was blown away every time. Lesnar been the best thing about modern WWE, so I'd hate to never see a match of his again.

Savage vs HBK has always been considered a dream match, but it did happen a few times during WWF's European tour in April 1992. Sure, it's not prime Savage and Michaels isn't quite at the level that he would eventually reach, but it's still worth going out your way to see. I could watch Michaels bump off the ring post and turnbuckle all day. This being his first big singles match, he goes all out to get himself over. There's a spot where he counters a hip toss by using the momentum to land on his feet and you can see few faces in the crowd stare in awe. Sherri might just be my favourite manager of all time. She's a heat magnet and works well with whoever she's paired with. She gets involved in this throughout the match and is taken out the match when Elizabeth shoves her over the ropes. Savage, outside of a few big dives, is working this in house show mode. It's understandable, but it doesn't put a damper on the match too much. I'm glad this match happened, but I'd loved to see what these guys could do with each other if they worked a full program. ★★★¾

Ladder matches are total spotfests now, so whilst this is lacking in big ladder spots, this was a refreshing change of pace. Sherri keeps getting involved and she's great. Shawn bumps big for the spots that we do get. The ladder looks super unstable and I worry for the wrestlers. Michaels takes a nasty fall crotch-first onto the ropes from the ladder and Bret wins. This was a fun Coliseum exclusive, but they still need to tweak the ladder match formula before it's ready for it's PPV debut. ★★★

Sid is the ultimate guilty pleasure wrestler. He can't work his way out of a paper bag, but his charisma and mic skills makes him impossible to hate. The video package they showed of him destroying jobbers and trashing Brutus' barber shop (somehow he gets a face full of shaving cream, it's never shown how this happened) is golden. Big Dave gave this a negative rating and I think that's a bit harsh, it's not even the worst match on the show. It's your standard Hogan affair. No frills, just a big test of strength and a long rest hold, but the crowd love every second of it. Papa Shango misses his run and it causes for a crap finish, but Warrior returning to clean house and to celebrate with Hogan was a cool moment. It's better than the stinker that Sid had with Undertaker at Wrestlemania 13, that's for sure. ★★½

Skinner spits his tobacco at Owen at the start and lays him out with his reverse DDT finish. Owen kicks out and lands a roll-up to win this match. This went less than a minute. I question to why they even threw this on the card as Skinner was a jobber at this point and they didn't do anything with Owen until years later, unless you want to count that dreadful tag team they threw him in with Koko B Ware. At least this was quick. ★½

The crowd are still worn out after throwing all their energy into the World title match. Poor Earthquake works his ass trying to get them to care by laying both of Money Inc. out after a barrage of lariats, but it's clear they are just waiting for Sid vs Hogan. Dibiase is a great worker, but he's taking it easy tonight. His best performances are behind him at this point. Money Inc. soon decide they've had enough and hightail it out of there, leading to the second consecutive countout finish for the tag titles on PPV. ★½

Tatanka made his TV debut at the start of the year and it's obvious that they have big things planned for him. A Native American tribe perform a dance in the ring before the match and it's clear as day who's winning this. Much like many of the other undercard matches on this show, this wasn't anything special from a workrate perspective, but I found the ending to be completely baffling. Tatanka, who has been booked as a total powerhouse who crushes the opposition with ease, lands a lucky crossbody for the finish. Rick Martel, who played his role well, was winding down his career and could of afforded a jobber-like lose to their new star. The crowd did not care for this and the commentators were still talking about the result of the Savage/Flair match before this. ★½

Flair is now with Perfect as a manager and he finally feels like he's finally settled in the WWF. The first ten minutes of this felt like both Flair and Savage were on autopilot. Thankfully, it's Flair and Savage so even with them phoning it in, they're still better than most. Once Flair gets colour this match starts getting real good. Flair attacks Savage's leg and Savage never stops selling it. I forgotten what a sublime seller Savage was. Elizabeth comes down to the ring to support Savage. She's swarmed by officials trying to get her to go the back. Savage's lucky roll-up (with a handful of tights) nets him the title and the post-match brawl and celebration, along with the rabid crowd, make this match feel like incredibly special. It's a damn shame they didn't carry on this feud. ★★★★

Ray Combs is here to be the guest ring announcer. He insults the heel team with some solid family-friendly level burns and the heel team freak out at him. The reason he's really here is to promote the WBF vs WWF special edition of Family Feud. I had no idea Ray Combs died, as I could of sworn that he was still alive until I googled to see what he's been up to after seeing this match. This is was okay for what it was. Nasty Boys Knobbs screws up by not breaking a pin in time. This went six minutes and the action moved fast enough to not bore me, even if said action was pretty unspectacular. ★★

Bumping up my rating on my rewatch. This was pro wrestling storytelling at it's best. Watching these two babyfaces flirt with being a heel in order to win the IC strap was captivating. The story of Bret secretly blading and avoiding having to pay the blood fine by acting like he colour the hard way shows what a pro in the ring he was. I wish Piper had more matches that matches his GOAT level promo skills. ★★★★½

Jake Roberts cuts a promo backstage before the match and it's amazing stuff. They runs down an angle where Roberts attacks Undertaker and lays out Paul Bearer. He comes across as a sick killer and it's a damn shame that I know that the match isn't going to be anywhere near the quality of his promo. Undertaker has spent the last year working as a heel who doesn't sell anything. Now a face, he still doesn't show much emotion and it hurts the quality of his matches, but the crowd are enamoured by him. Roberts even lands two DDTs and Undertaker sits right back up after a few seconds. Undertaker wins by landing a Tombstone on the outside and throwing Roberts back in the ring to get the three count. This was short enough not to drag and the crowd lapped everything, but the match isn't anything special. Check out the promo, skip the match. ★★

I thought this was a great way to open up the show. Tito has always been a reliable worker and Shawn is starting to come into his own. Michaels, having turned on his tag partner at the start of the year, is now paired with Sherri Martel. He has taken to his new heel character like a fish to water. This has a slow start, with headlocks and a fair bit of stalling, but they kept it entertaining. Tito even manages to get a few convincing nearfalls by pinning Shawn when he's locked in Tito's headlock. Shawn's bumping might be over the top and cartoony for any other wrestling promotion, but it works well for the product WWF were putting out in 1992. I particularity love his bump to the outside, as he launches himself when Tito lands his Flying Jalapeno forearm strike. Shawn manages to get a semi-decisive win as Tito collapses trying to scoop Michaels up. I predict big things for that Michaels kid! ★★★¼

I still think this is a good match, but there's been plenty of Rumbles better than this one (2001 has always been my favourite). Like most of the early Rumble matches, the 2 minute interval between entrants causes some of the action to drag. Bobby Heenan's commentary here might be some of his best ever. Flair, Piper and Roberts were the standout performances. Sarge gets a shoutout for doing his still-amazing turnbuckle spot to eliminate himself after being whipped by Sid. ★★★½

This felt like Flair/Steamboat when compared to the previous match, even though it was still a mediocre match. This was exactly what you would expect out of these four. Hawk and Earthquake both throwing dropkicks was quite the sight. After all four big men brawl outside, one of the Disasters sneaks back into the win and gets the win. The Legion of Doom were the champions, so the heels don't win the belts. This was a crap finish, especially seeing as the Natural Disasters/L.O.D program ended after this match. ★½

This was absolutely dreadful. I can't bring myself to skip matches when I watch old PPVs, but I wish I did for this. This went FIFTEEN minutes. Some of the crowd pop for the Bushwacker's shtick, but it's not long before you can hear audible chants of boring. I'm not usually a fan of these kind of chants as they are disrespectful, but they deserved them here. They stunk the place out. They didn't much of anything. There's little to no spots to speak of. The Beverly Brothers have to be one of the worst tag teams that WWE have ever created. They have little gimmick to speak of and without being able to use their brutal finisher, they have little else to bring to the table. The only thing saving this from reaching DUD territory is Bobby the Brain's amusing commentary and attacks on Jameson. ¼★

Either to cover up Piper's weakness as a worker or to save his energy for his appearance in the Rumble match, this only goes a few minutes, but I had a massive smile etched across my face whilst watching this. Piper comes across as a complete star toying with Mountie. Mountie does the 'skin-the-cat' spot years before Shawn Michaels perfected it. Piper very rarely got a clean win on PPV and this being his first ever title win, created a feel good moment that the crowd ate up. ★★½

Much like the previous year's Royal Rumble, this show opens up with an Orient Express match that gets the crowd pumped. The combination of Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart have nowhere near the level of chemistry of the Rockers, who faced the Orient Express on the same show last year, but they fit the roles of babyface well enough. Owen is a great face-in-peril and this might just be Neidhart's best performance. He laughs like a maniac and clears house once Owen is finally able to get the hot tag. He power-based offence complements Owen's quicker wrestling style. After a cane shot from Fuji, the Orient Express work down Owen and they do a good job of keeping me entertained while they organically build towards the hot tag. Owen even takes Bret's sternum-first buckle bump. Monsoon and Heenan avoid mentioning that Owen is Bret's brother during this match, I wonder if that was intentional. ★★★¼

I thought it was a real hit and miss show personally. That ladder match was objectively bad, but I got a kick out of it. Similar to the battle royal on the first ever AEW show last year, this was a mess with a few big spots making it worth the watch. I don't mind Orange Cassidy's gimmick, but he didn't need to be in this match. Keep him in lowercard comedy matches and I'll have no problem with him. MJF/Jungle Boy was fantastic. Best match on the card by far. MJF proved he can work as well as he can speak. Jungle Boy is a great mid-level babyface. He can sell well and has a likeable aura. Archer and Cody started and ended strong, but went on way too long. Trim five minutes of this and I'll have it at the same level as MJF/Jungleboy. Archer looked like a monster and Cody continues to feel like a main event player by cleanly getting a win. Didn't pay much attention to the next two matches. I'm hoping Dustin gets a shot at Cody's belt next. The world title matches were low points for me. Shida/Rose was deathly dull and Mox/Lee wasn't much better. I liked the stage spot in Mox/Lee, but them brawling throughout the arena made the stipulation on the last match look utterly pointless. I loved the Stadium Stampede, no shame. I wasn't feeling it when the match started, but by the time Adam Page entered the stadium on a horse, I knew this would deliver. Matt Hardy changing his gimmick was a spot that was utterly stupid, but I adored it. This was comedy in wrestling done well.

This felt like a breath of fresh air for someone who has felt AEW's in-ring product hasn't been up to snuff. Whilst some of the bigger moments featured big spots that wouldn't feel out of place in a PWG spotfest, they make those big moments count by consistent selling and a clear-cut face/heel dynamic. After a neat technical exchange that caught me off guard, MJF sets his sights on damaging Jungle Boy's arm to set up for his submission. This was the best match of the PPV, and this shows that MJF's ring work can reach the level of his mic work when he wants it to. ★★★½

Thought Smackdown had three good matches on this week (Styles/Nakamura, Bayley/Charlotte & Sheamus/Hardy), but I could not find myself caring about anything. That Miz/Morrison segment was embarrassing. Not only was it typical WWE 'comedy' that exists only to pop Vince, but I don't think there's every been a segment where a heel mocks a face using comedy that worked. Heels are meant to be laughed at, not laughed with. Despite being one of the few defenders of the angle, the Otis/Rose storyline has ran it's course. Sheamus was a bright spot on the show. He was constantly trash talking the commentators and Jeff Hardy during his match. I hope they have big things planned for him. I've always wondered if Sheamus would of been a bigger star if he didn't have the name/look of a cartoon character. Guy could be a top level hoss.

This has been a horrible week for wrestling. I don't follow modern joshi, so I can't say I know of her, but 22 is no age. RIP.

So this was the first Dynamite I watched since the one of with the Cody cage match on it. I thought it was decent, with some issues. It's probably be mentioned before, but AEW do the whole 'empty arena' thing better than WWE. The talent surrounding the ring does wonders to make the show sound lively. I don't buy Brodie Lee's gimmick. He's well-spoken, but his delivery of his promo felt forced and like he was reading of a script and not speaking from his heart. The Dark Order crap has always been bad, so there's no change there. That being said, Moxley backed up his side of the feud and looked brilliant. His match with 10 did what it needed to do and wasn't too back-and-forth yet it wasn't a total squash either. AEW struggles big time with finding this balance for TV matches featuring midcard guys fighting their top stars. I'm sure Lee/Moxley will be a hell of a match. I thought the MJF match was the strongest match on the show despite being a squash for the most part. I think Dynamite need more matches like this. He toyed with Stunt and looked like a right prick. MJF/Jungle Boy is another match I am looking forward to at Double Or Nothing. As previously mentioned, the interview segments worked. It was great seeing Jake and Arn cut a promo, but it would of been nice to see Archer or Cody hype up their match some more. The Pac, Spears and Allin vignettes did a decent job of building them up without having a match. Yeah, didn't care for the women's match. Their women's division is easily the worst part about AEW. Shida's decent, but I doubt she can get something worthwhile out of Rose. Hardy/Guevara was good, and the post match stuff at the stadium left me intrigued for the match at DoN. It could be awful, but I reckon I'll get a kick out of it. Thanks to Bucks, Omega, Private Party and Best Friends not wrestling on the show, I wasn't burnt out on the overly long matches as much as I was when I followed Dynamite weekly at the end of the year. No random midcard TV match should go over 10 minutes, in my opinion. The constant spotfests on AEW TV burnt me out and I stopped watching at the end of the year despite the main event stuff still being compelling. I honestly think Dynamite would improve significantly if they had to made it a one hour show.

Terrible news. Looking at Twitter, Cryme Tyme meant a lot to the younger fans who started watching WWE in 2006-2010. They made their questionable gimmick work. Seems like Shad was a guy that no one had a bad word to say about him.

This is the match where Regal gets ribbed by having his Real Man's Man theme played as he walking to the ring. Bryan, Regal and the smattering of fans that got the reference are all laughing their asses offat this. Proof that you don't need to shit in people's things to create a good rib. This being on Superstars, they're given a decent amount of time to create something worthwhile. I don't need to go into detail and tell you how the technical exchanges of Daniel Bryan and William Regal are brilliant. Bryan gets pissed off as he can't gain an advantage and gives Regal a shove and they start getting more scrappy with each other. Regal gives Bryan a brutal half nelson suplex. Bryan goes after Regal's leg and there's a great bit where a grounded Regal is frantically trying to kick Bryan back, but Bryan keeps running back. This is the kind of match that made Superstars worth watching back in the day. ★★★½

I remember him getting quite emotional on his podcast the week Eddie Marlin died. It was long after Harley Race passed and Corny audibly starts tearing up when he talks about how the guys from the territory days aren't going to be around that much longer. It was quite sad seeing someone so mad and bitter as Cornette get emotional like that.