Shamelessly stealing the idea from Chad's thread, because that and Loss' post on the Joshi greatest hits made me realise that this is what I need for certain people that I want to cover my bases with.

 

So for the following guys I'm asking for 5-10 of their best or most necessary matches to watch. Nothing is too obvious. I have seen things from all of them and liked them, but I don't really have a handle on what their greatest hits are, so it's hard to really get a sense of them overall or know where to place my focus down the home stretch. A sentence of context a la Loss would be marvellous.

 

Jun Akiyama

Shinya Hashimoto

Shinjiro Ohtani

El Satanico

Negro Casas

Pirata Morgan

Fuerza Guerrera

Blue Panther

Rick Martel

Harley Race

Bill Dundee (non Lawler division)

 

 

 

Satanico

 

Espectro Jr., Satanico y MS-1 vs. Mocho Cota, Sangre Chicana y La Fiera (9/30/83)

Lizmark vs. El Satanico (April 1984)

Satanico vs. Shiro Koshinaka (Hair vs. Hair) (7/30/84)

Gran Cochise vs. Satanico (9/14/84)

Satanico vs. Super Astro (10/26/84)

Sangre Chicana vs. Satanico (5/26/89)

Atlantis y Satanico vs. MS-1 y Tierra Viento y Fuego (Hair/Mask vs. Hair/Mask) (9/22/89)

El Dandy vs Satanico (12/14/90)

 

Fuerza Guerrera

I think Fuerza approaches every match by asking himself the question, "What's the least amount of credibility I can retain and still have a good match?" I love the guy.

 

Here's what I'd recommend off the top of my head as far as singles matches go. There are more than this though.

 

Fuerza Guerrera vs El Pantera (05/04/90)

Fuerza Guerrera vs Octagon (11/01/91)

Fuerza Guerrera vs Misterioso (12/08/91)

Fuerza Guerrera vs Octagon (01/31/92)

 

Shinya Hashimoto

 

Singles (I'll leave the tags, specifically the NJ vs. WAR matches, to someone else)

 

11/1/90 vs. Choshu

8/9/91 vs. Choshu

2/17/94 vs. Tenyru

2/24/94 vs. Liger

8/15/95 vs. Mutoh

4/12/96 vs. Takada

8/2/96 vs. Choshu

 

 

Rick Martel

 

Grimmas did a podcast on Martel.

Keep in mind, when I did this I was aiming more for variety than absolute best, but you'll get a good sense of the man:

 

Shinya Hashimoto

Shinya Hashimoto vs. Big Van Vader (7/19/91)

Shinya Hashimoto & Riki Choshu vs. Genichiro Tenryu & Takashi Ishikawa (4/2/93)

Shinya Hashimoto vs. Genichiro Tenryu (2/17/94)

Shinya Hashimoto vs. Jushin Liger (2/24/94)

Shinya Hashimoto vs. Hiroshi Hase (12/11/94)

Shinya Hashimoto vs. Keiji Mutoh (8/15/95)

Shinya Hashimoto vs. Nobuhiko Takada (4/20/96)

Shinya Hashimoto & Junji Hirata vs. Kazuo Yamazaki & Takashi Iizuka (6/12/96)

Shinya Hashimoto vs. Riki Choshu (8/2/96)

Shinya Hashimoto vs. Kazuo Yamazaki (2/16/97)

Shinjiro Ohtani

 

Ohtani/Wild Pegasus vs. Black Tiger/Great Sasuke 10/18/1994

vs. El Samurai 1/21/1996

vs. Jushin Liger 3/17/1996

vs. Ultimo Dragon 8/5/1996

vs. Jushin Liger 2/9/1997

 

Jun Akiyama

 

Akiyama/Misawa vs. Kawada/Taue 1996 feud

vs. Kobashi 7/24/1998

vs. Ogawa 9/11/1998

vs. Misawa 2/27/2000

vs. Tenzan 8/17/2003

vs. Kobashi 7/10/2004

vs Masao Inoue 4/23/2006

vs. Marufuji 9/9/2006

vs. Suwara 10/23/2011

vs. Kai 4/29/2013

Negro Casas:

 

Vs. Santo 1987

Vs. El Dandy 7/3/92

Vs. Ultimo Dragon 3/19/93

vs. Santo 9/1997

vs. Blue Panther 3/1/12

Negro Casas:

 

Vs. Santo 1987

Vs. El Dandy 7/3/92

Vs. Ultimo Dragon 3/19/93

vs. Santo 9/1997

vs. Blue Panther 3/1/12

 

That's a Negro Casas who would make my top 30 but not my top 3.

I wanted to recommend some Otani, but the truth is that I'm only really familiar with the junior heavyweight phase of his career, and he's been a heavyweight in Zero One much longer now than he was ever a junior. So making New Japan recommendations only represents a very narrow swath of his overall career.

To Casas one could add about three hundred different tag matches, but easy to get into stuff would include Casas-Liger from '90 (Casas wearing Felino's gear) and Casas-Santo from the Peace Festival in '96. Fast paced, fun, weird matches that are under 15 mins if memory serves.

The Casas/Fiera and Satanico/Morgan hair matches from 93 are both pretty incredible.

R.e Martel:

I know it been mentioned that Grimmas did a podcast on Martel (and it was a really good one too), but he's someone I've been watching a great deal of recently after being pretty unfamiliar with his pre WWF stuff until a few years ago.

The Rose/Wikowski vs Piper/Martel tag from Portland (1979 or 1980 I think?) rapidly became one of my favourite tags ever after seeing it a few months ago. It also contains one of the best instances of teasing a hot tag I can recall in any match I've ever watched. Its also worth checking out the Islanders vs Strike Force feud that the Tag Teams Back Again lads have been chronicling on their podcast the last few episodes - in some ways I think Martel's famed babyface fire works even better in a tag setting, whereby he's able to milk each and every exchange and leave the audience craving more of the same, but the Islanders feud contains a solo outing against Tama as well which is worth a look.

His bout against Jumbo on 31/7/84 is pretty damn fine too, but as I say I'm still watching more of his stuff myself.

On the subject of Akiyama, I rewatched his debut against Kobashi earlier today and fuck me if he wasn't pretty awesome straight off the bat. He's a guy I've almost seen TOO much of though, in the sense that he's had so many matches I've loved that I often completely forget the dates/events they took place at... does this happen to anyone else?

The Hashimoto and Ohtani lists provided above are both spot on I'd say.

Thanks everyone for the boot camp help. This post isn't about that, but since I have my own vanity thread here already, I might as well use it for my own random thoughts.

 

As I start to actually make a list I'm having trouble separating certain people. Not separating as in deciding who is above who (although that too), but in the sense that I can't help but group them together, and I can't separate them from each other or put anyone in between them on the list. It's not really a problem, I think it just makes me twitch in a finicky, anal list-making way, that I have groups of pairs instead of something that looks, to me, more balanced.

 

Guys that I pair together like this include:

 

Punk & Bryan

Misawa & Kobashi

Han & Tamura

Aja Kong & Kansai

Matt & Jeff Hardy

Tenryu & Jumbo

Santo & Casas

 

Anyone else have guys that they can't help but group together on the list?

Misawa & Kawada

Bull & Aja

 

In both cases the former is clearly above the latter for me, but barely so.

Bob Orton Jr & Adrian Adonis

Solar and Negro Navarro.

Pirata Morgan:

 

 

vs. El Dandy (9/23/1988) - on the Lucha 80s set

vs. El Faraon (11/16/1990)

vs. Brazo de Oro (11/18/1989)

vs. Volador (1990-1992?)

vs. Satanico (11/19 or 11/26/1993)

w Hombre Bala/Jerry Estrada vs Rayo De Jalisco/Atlantis/Alfonso Dantes (1987)

w Herodes/Gran Markus Jr. vs. Solomon Grundy/Ringo Mendoza/Atlantis (3/4/1990)

w Electroshock/Bestia Salvaje vs. Negro Casas/Felino/Heavy Metal (6/17/2000)

w Antifaz del Norte/Charly Manson vs. Sangre Chicana/Vampiro/Alebrije (5/21/2006)

w Barba Roja/Hijo del Pirata Morgan vs. Negro Navarro/Trauma I/II (4/14/2011)

 

There's also a Complete & Accurate for Pirata here:

http://segundacaida.blogspot.de/search?q=Pirata+Morgan

 

Blue Panther:

 

 

 

vs. Atlantis 8/9/1991

vs. El Mariachi (10/30/1994)

vs. Atlantis (12/5/1997)

w Fishman vs. Lizmark/Atlantis (1/24/1998)

vs. Charles Lucero (5/9/2004)

vs. Villano V (12/9/2008)

w Negro Navarro vs. Satanico/Solar (3/5/2011)

vs. Negro Casas (3/2/2012)

vs. Virus (5/12/2013)

w Negro Casas/Atlantis vs. Black Terry/Negro Navarro/Solar (8/16/2013)

 

Didn't know where else to put this, so here will do since this is kind of a one-day boot camp.

 

Today is my "research day", and yes I should be doing work, but I wrote two books last year so the university can leave me alone for a while. Instead I am going to spend it watching wrestling until I fall asleep tonight.

 

Today is probably the last day of proper footage watching I have before finalising my list. Chad and I are set to record next Wed, and my list will be finished by then. I'll be away for most of the rest of March.

 

On the docket:

 

- Finish up Fujinami vs. Ishin Gundan feud from NJPW 80s, make final rating on Fujinami, the last serious top 5 contender

- Selected Regal, 90s WCW, 00s WWE.

 

And ...

 

- I can do some spot reviews of ANYTHING on request (provided they are *serious* GWE candidates) in any gaps, so will take any requests here, preferably nothing over 20 mins

 

This is going to be a marathon today. It's last chance saloon time.

Fritz von Erich vs Giant Baba from 1966 is on YouTube, and is well worth a look (though it strikes me as a match you may have seen before). Both are guys I see as serious candidates.

In light of Garvin's imminent doom, I suggest that you watch Garvin/Valentine '89 pronto.

Its over 20 minutes but take this for a spin if you can.

 

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x26n828_hiroshi-tanahashi-vs-minoru-suzuki-njpw-king-of-pro-wrestling-10-08-2012_sport

The finals of the 96 tag league

That one has been reviewed Dylan on AJ Excite series. Not yet uploaded but in the can.

And ...

 

- I can do some spot reviews of ANYTHING on request (provided they are *serious* GWE candidates) in any gaps, so will take any requests here, preferably nothing over 20 mins

 

This is going to be a marathon today. It's last chance saloon time.

 

Things I would recommend (apologies if you already reviewed it):

 

Everything with 1984 El Satanico

Hokuto vs. Kandori feud (importantly Dreamslam and the Queendom tag)

Liger vs. Sasuke 4/94 and vs. Ohtani 2/97

Fujinami vs. Maeda 6/86

Santo vs. Dandy/Casas Feud 96 and 97

Have you been watching Buddy Rose at all, Parv?

You really should watch the two Lawler v. Dundee LLT matches and the highlights of the UWF v. NJ feud

Have you been watching Buddy Rose at all, Parv?

I've actually seen a good deal of Rose, just not reviewed any. I really dig the Portland setting and lose myself looking at the assorted skinny shouting old men in it. There is something about that style and setting that leaves me loathe to want to leave star ratings. It seems curiously reductive to do so. I'm thinking about stuff like that match with Boyd as the ref. How can you drop stars on it without crushing the beauty of the thing?

 

I'm on board with Rose, don't worry. I like him a good bit, but probably not to the point where I see him as a top five guy like some of you. I do love the unique dynamic he has with that crowd though, it's almost like they get a real kick out of trolling him, it's just a lot of fun I think. Lovely little promotion with a vibe I feel very relaxed about. I've probably watched all the pimped matches at some point or other. Definitely ones vs. Youngblood, Adonis, Martel and Piper.