There Must Be A Fallen Angel (Playing With My Heart)

Christopher Daniels (c) VS Danny Dominion - WCW Light Heavyweight Championship Lumberjack Match 5/7/1994

JJZ: When I saw that this match took place in '94 it blew my mind that Daniels has been wrestling for 25 years. I had a lot to consider before I decided to play this forward. First, CD and Jeremy Borash are doing an audio recap over the original commentary. Which means you can't hear the crowd at all. Second, I didn't want to leave you with limited options playing Danny Dominion forward. However. I enjoyed everything about this match so much and knew this is what we are all about over here at PIF. This was from Windy City Wrestling and what I'm guessing was their biggest show of the year, that was a huge venue for an Indy promotion in '94. It was a lumberjack match and unless I missed it they do not mention that at all. Dominion was a really solid heel who worked very well with this PUB (Plucky Underdog Babyface) as you like to say. Hope you enjoy baby cakes.

CJD: This match made me giddy just at the sight of it. I have a Best of Christopher Daniels VHS buried in my parents' basement somewhere that very well may have this match on it. It definitely has one of his ECW matches and other stuff from very early on. But I kind of doubt it has this with just how early in his career it is. That's not to say I'm the biggest Daniels mark in the world but this just speaks to the spirit of discovering the unknown that got us so hooked on this silly hobby in the first place. And that still carries on to PIF decades and decades later! Danny Dominion is a fantastic heel, his stable plays their role perfectly too, although I have to say, Daniels could have been a bit pluckier for my tastes. For what indy wrestling was in 1994 this match was really something. Way ahead of its time while still sticking to strong fundamentals. Now to deep dive into some DD for next week!

Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe

Christopher Daniels (c) VS Samoa Joe - TNA X Division Championship Match 4/13/2006

CJD: It's amusing to cross a 2006 TNA match off your bucket list, but that's what I'm doing by playing this match forward. Joe had been in TNA for almost a year at this point, and even reasonable fans who wouldn't watch TNA otherwise had seen a good amount of his highly touted matches with Styles and Daniels. This match on the other hand got a few great reviews from people who were willing to watch Impact! weekly, but in that era there was no easy way to watch after the fact. I tried to hunt the match for years but digging up hidden TNA gems was a futile task. Until this modern era of infinite possibility we live in.

This match didn't disappoint. Except for the god awful, what in the fuck were they thinking, as TNA as possible decision to join the match in progress after two or three key moments had already taken place. At first I was so frustrated that I finally found a version of this match but it wasn't complete. Then I immediately realized "oh wait, this is TNA." Otherwise, this match is spectacularly crisp, fast, violent, and smart. Especially when you consider the careers these two have continued to have years and years and years later. If this match was complete and people had actually watched it it probably would have been in talks a contender for one of the best of the year.

JJZ: Look at you with the JIP. Hot ass start. Joe looks fantastic, like a true monster. I've always been curious how many gems of Joe's I missed from TNA. Daniels' selling is so good in this match. I can't believe this wasn't the main event, the heat was insane. I was biting on every false finish and popped like a bottle of champagne at the end. Great match.

Keep On Workin' Like The Workin' Man Do

Briscoe Bros vs Samoa Joe/Homicide - ROH Falls Count Anywhere Street Fight 10/7/2006

JJZ: I tried to avoid playing this match forward, I'm pretty sure we've both seen it before. BUT! Every match I watched besides this one didn't give me that "I would rewatch this right now" feeling. This ROH era is your cup of green tea and I knew you wouldn't mind rewatching it if so. These four rip into each other like they have hate in their hearts and lead in their hands. It's funny watching the Briscoes not all tatted with long hair. Joe looked like a baby too and Homicide looked like Homicide. Love this era of wrestling.

CJD: I actually don't think I've seen this one before because the way they messed with the audio would stick with me. I thought that was a bit lame but otherwise I loved this match! Joe somehow looks younger than he did two years previous. Homicide is sporting one of my favorite gear combos as far as he goes. I love Joe's dynamic in tag matches in this era, with Lethal it's a very Misawa/Akiyama situation, with 'Cide it's much more like teaming with Kobashi. This felt very organic and nasty by the end. The build was surprisingly deliberate given the stipulation, but when all was said and done it delivered carnage and then some. And now I have all the options I could ever want laid out in front of me!

Rattled By The Rush

Briscoe Bros VS Rush/Dragon Lee - ROH 6/29/2019

CJD: We've featured some wild tag matches here at PIF, FMW in LA with Santo and Casas, Dan Spivey in All Japan taking on Misawa and Kawada, well I'd say this one stacks up with the best of them. Great crowd for a ROH TV taping. I was shocked to hear it was the ECW Arena. They really have transformed that place, it looks great. I thought these two teams brought the heat, cut a great pace, and wrestled one hell of a match!

JJZ: Right off the bat this match feels like a golden era ROH tag match that we've been in attendance for so many times. You know I love me some Briscoes and I'm a big fan of Lee. I forgot you haven't been to the new ECW Arena (2300 Arena), it really is fantastic. This match is a one hell of a banger. Bodies flying every which way, so many holy shit moments. The psychology is just go go go. Loved it. I got a world of options in front of me right now. Side note, CC is awful on color.

CJD: Ha. They both were driving me nuts. So many times I leave out comments I meant to include and then you hit on them for me, this definitely gave me deja vu to big attraction ROH tags we saw many times over. Side side note, I had no time to research this week and this one fell right into my lap. The Wrestling Gods giveth!

JJZ: YEAH they do. The amount of matches I got to pick from now are insane.