Posted June 11, 200817 yr comment_5432176 Tiger Mask vs. Dynamite Kid (4/23/81) - You don't have to like DK and Sayama but there is no doubt that there is a clear distinction between what they were doing and what was going on before them at the Jr. level. The speed and precision in which they were executing their moves is even more pronounced after watching 40+ hours of 70s All Japan and early NJ. Even with the pretty sequences, there is still enough nastiness to make this interesting. DK is natural at being an asshole and plays the role with stiff shots, tearing at the mask and ramming TM into the rail outside. I don't like the fact that 1981 NJ is full of contact-light dropkicks that send a guy flying over the top rope. Give it a rest already. The match was less than ten minutes but they packed enough in to make this a nomination. (NJC 101)
May 28, 200916 yr comment_5439986 Tiger Mask vs. Dynamite Kid (4/23/81) This is the show that had the live band playing the themes for the wrestlers and that already makes this awesome and the match that made these guys top stars in Japan. I agree with Will here in that these guys were so innovative for their time which made them legendary and you have to take that in consideration when you watch their matches even if you don’t think they are as good as they were hailed back then. Both men were coming into their own as wrestlers and their fluidity in the ring blew everything else in Japan away then. There were some botched spots here but the fans were blown away by what they saw so they didn't mind it. DK showed some of skills as a cocksucker here throwing TM into the rails twice in a hard fashion and just roughed him up. I also agree with Will regarding that dropkick on DK going over the top rope being quite the whiff but it led to TM kicking the piss out of DK before he countered with an enzuigiri. TM would hit a nice German Suplex hold for the win in a short but action filled match. This of course moves forward.
June 20, 200916 yr comment_5440936 This was one of their tighter, less stupid matches. Dynamite was good in the dickish, ass kicker role. Sayama was a little sloppy per usual, but some of his flashy hold-exchange stuff looked pretty neat. I agree with Will about the oversold phantom dropkick, but that's a quibble. I have no problem with this moving forward. If we put, say, three of their matches on the set, this would be one of my three.
June 20, 200916 yr Author comment_5440953 WE don't have to put three on there if there aren't three good enough matches. My contention is that the matches are good enough to hold up on their own.
June 20, 200916 yr comment_5440960 No, I know. I was just throwing out a number. I do think we want to give people a decent sampling of this series because of its fame. And I was just saying that this match should be part of said sampling. I actually enjoyed it.
August 28, 200916 yr comment_5443419 I didn't love the finish, but this had less stupid shit then their matches normally have. This should make the set and I could see this finishing highest of their matches on my set.
