Ditch
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Everything posted by Ditch
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I think Baba clearly didn't like submission finishes. And if it's not going to finish, the wrestlers are going to give it less focus. The comparison to New Japan is stark there.
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Without a doubt. In context of how All Japan was booked after 1992 when it came to submissions, those guys are lucky they ever got heat off them. Hell, the most notable wins for Kawada with the stretch plum are him pinning guys after wearing them down with it, and that's the most famous All Japan '90s submission (at least when Misawa turned the facelock into a resthold). So if Baba actually had guys tapping out once or twice a year, imagine how much mileage they could have gotten with the occasional submission spot taking up 30-60 seconds in a given finishing run. Kobashi vs Misawa 1/20/97 is a blueprint they should have re-used.
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I've seen a lot of 30 minute shoot-style matches, especially ones Tabe liked. Most were in UWFi and I think this utterly obliterates them for quality. What's so important to keep in mind is that a typical Han match went 8-12 minutes, so this is over double that while being done in the same style and promotion. Avoiding repetition and keeping the energy up for that long is an amazing accomplishment, compared to say a 30 minute All Japan match. Han, Tamura and TK get referenced as RINGS greats. I'd slot Yamamoto ahead of TK, based on preferring Yamamoto/Tamura to TK/Tamura. You get to judge that for yourself in future yearbooks!
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In my experience "within a grid around a central train station in a big Japanese city" narrows it down to about 10^7 restaurants. But my experience is somewhat limited.
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This and Kobashi/Akiyama aired in full on satellite. Can't find the listing at the moment but I'm pretty sure I have the DVD.
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Yeah but Japan also has around 2 restaurants per capita, especially in the cities. So, unless Dave was eating right next to the venue (which is possible), finding him would seem rather difficult. Unless Dave had told Terry something like what hotel he was staying at.
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For as much as Dave would stand out in Japan given his build and being foreign that's still mindboggling.
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Taz is the first guy I can remember where WWE gave him a big push and then a quick, deliberate de-push with the "see how he does when de-pushed" rationale. The Taz vs Bossman and Albert feud was garbage and made Taz look both tiny and ineffective. In the end, Taz was going to retire soon because of his neck, but still... WWF could have done a lot more with him considering how hot he was in early 2000.
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The reason why this paragraph makes no sense has nothing to do with English being your second language. It has everything to do with Logic being Vince Russo's second language.
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Battlarts had some of the worst crowds, even when there were sellouts. Inexplicable.
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They had 4 title matches in the following 3 years, two of which were on Jan 4 Tokyo Dome cards, and Kanemoto won one of those to set up a long reign. So...
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It does in October, in a match that isn't on this level and isn't on the set.
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I like me some Portishead but "Over" isn't really a good fit for wrestling DVD menu music...
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Oh man, I remember this so clearly, and it was exactly the sort of BS that if it works and you're trying to hook them, you're only screwing yourself. Because that line implies a big WWF guy jumping ship, and anything short of that becomes a screwjob, let alone a very standard storyline *with someone who has only ever been in WCW*. I mean, the line is literally true, but still.
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He didn't just spend it all, he spent it all and racked up huge debt.
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I don't think Eddy hit his big peak until the 2002 WWE return. Wasn't spectacular in New Japan during the '90s despite a ton of talent around him, a couple great matches in WCW but not *that* many, and some good stuff in the initial WWF run but nothing mindblowing. Then can three straight years of gold.
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It's clear to me that Mrs. Suzuki was the key there.
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No. Even when TNA does something generally considered good the ratings don't budge (which goes for WWE as well...)
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All the stuff with Lothario felt so forced. He wasn't generally known by the audience, and right away gets laid out as part of Shawn/Sid. "We're supposed to care?" was my reaction as well.
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Random suited security goons working for the evil corporate owner ran in, stopped the main event, and then the set was taken down and fans were hurried out. edit: Darn.
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I wonder how cheaply WWE can buy their library when it finally collapses.
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I was about to comment on how utterly lacking in self-control Flair is (spending money like it's 1986, parade of wives/girlfriends, massive debt), but then I saw Andy Dick's Wikipedia page and realized that Flair is actually a model of restraint compared to some people.