Forever Forward Fridays

La Parka II/Garza Jr/Bengala VS Damian 666/Bestia 666/Nicho el Millonario - AAA 7/3/2016

CJD: I wanted to highlight Bestia 666's deathmatch roots this week, but just couldn't find a match up for streaming that scratched the right itch. There's a fun match VS Supreme (RIP) that falls apart badly but is worth a watch. Anyway, this scratched a different type of itch, which is a team of bad ass rudos running through a highly entertaining trios match. I really loved the 666 boys and Psicosis playing off the tecnicos shtick in this one. The match isn't objectively one of the better we've played recently. I honestly don't know if La Parka II was ever very good but towards the end of his career here (RIP) let's just say he was the weak link. Garza Jr, I know he's in WWE now, he's the spitting image of his uncle Hector who I always enjoyed (RIP), but I'm not terribly familiar with him either. Boy did the ladies love him! I dug what he brought to the match. The high flyer I've honestly never even heard of but he was good too. This was a "throw it on and see what we get" kind of match so my expectations were low but I was into it. Really liked the finish as well. And I thought our boy Bestia was low key the workhorse of the whole thing. One fall to a finish!

JJZ: Alright, so I will say this about this Lucha six man. It was entertaining. I definitely enjoyed the show they put on. But I ain't gonna lie. I didn't know what was going on a lot of the time during this one. I took it back a few times to see if I missed something and maybe I did but I didn't understand some what I saw. The build up to Bestia being the surprise partner was well done (even though I didn't understand what was being said). It gave off such a radiant energy. But man oh man. Garza Jr was hella over! That was fun to see such a ridiculous reaction to someone taking their gear off. I think this was the kinda match that played better in person. Rudos got some fucking killer heat. I also liked that finish my friend. Curious where I'm going next!

Hot, Top, Flight, Boy Outta Sight

Matt Sydal VS Dante Martin - AEW 6/24/2021

CJD: This wasn't my first choice for the type of Martin match to play forward. But damn AEW makes it super hard on YouTube at least to find anything other than 3 minute clips of their young wrestlers or a Dark or Elevation match here and there. And I'm not even talking I want more full AEW matches up there. I just don't want their content to overwhelm the search algorithm WWE style so it's so hard to find more from the wrestler's career. I digress, I'll still take any chance to watch Matt Sydal do Matt Sydal things, and I really liked the Sunday Morning Superstars dynamic here where Martin got so little, but made it count big when he did. So many cool roll ups, reversals, and submissions in this match. Not a ton of flying but I was fine with that. And now I'm setting myself up for more Matt Sydal in the future so I'm going to call this a win/win!

JJZ: This match was totally different than I expected it to be. I imagine when talking about the match Sydal was the one pitching to build everything for the big pop. It's funny because when you're young you get all the attention with big flashy spots but with age and wisdom you learn to place them when they are needed. So when a match up like this happens it's so good for the greenie. This was good man. Nothing over the top but just a solid well executed match. I like knowing this wasn't a one off either. Seeing they had at least three helped me understand the mindset of this match.

The Rose That Grew From Concrete

Sonny Kiss VS Dante Martin - F1RST Wrestling 7/10/2021

JJZ: Oh shit!!!! That's how this match made me feel. I've watched a lot of Sonny Kiss this week. And non of the matches were bad but no match made me feel like this. It's just like YES! Junk food all the way my man. In this short match they delivered more than expected eye popping spots. I'm a fan of Martin. He still needs some polish but baby can he fly. So high. In the sky. I've learned in all the Kiss matches I've watched that Sonny can really build and work a good match. This one shows the ability to wow the crowd while the last Sonny match was more building a complete story. Hope you enjoy CJD.

CJD: The one thing I'd say above all else about this match is they knew how to read the room. These two knew their audience and gave them exactly what they wanted in the exact quantity they wanted it. It was nice to see Kiss leading a match and she did a great job of feeding Martin and building to his spots. Also for someone that does a lot of flexibility/gymnastic highspots, she really packs some pop in her strikes when she needs to. Good shit. Dante I'm not super familiar with but I'm excited to learn more. I haven't watched anything from F1RST in a while so this was quite the tasty little snack while you've got junk food on my mind.

Bitter Friends, Stiffer Frienemies

Joey Janela VS Sonny Kiss - WrestlePro 11/27/2021

CJD: Last time around with Janela and Kiss we talked about how they'd fit right in sharing a 40 and a smoke outside of Fun Rama in West Philly on a Sunday afternoon. Well we know those types of friends and we know the falling outs can be dramatic. So this feud made a lot of sense to me. That said I honestly wanted to go a different direction with Joey this week. I didn't want to rehash ground we already covered with him. But when you think about what we've featured on the blog, his super memorable match VS Orange Cassidy, a fun TV tag with Kiss, VS Scott Norton of all people, and now a heated longer singles match in a feud with his former partner... the man is a swiss army knife. Plug him in wherever you need him and you'll get good results. And I absolutely loved this match. The crowd was electric, Kiss gave the best performance I've seen from her, tremendous selling and fire, and the match built to and delivered some amazing highspots. I'm so glad I went this direction after exploring other options. This was such a great example of what I love about pro wrestling, maybe a little more of a Friday match on a Tuesday, but you gotta keep them guessing!

JJZ: Love the shot of a cannon start! I popped big time for that rana! I thought this was a really different style for Joey than what we've shared. Yourrecap of his PIF journey really showed his depth as a worker. The story and the build with this match had me hooked. And with independent wrestling you're telling a tale that some people in that audience might not be familiar with history of. Rocky showing up in a suit in Rocky 3 doesn't have the same impact if you didn't see Rocky 1 and 2. But it still all came across in this match loud and clear. That home stretch kept me guessing. I couldn't figure out when they were taking it home. And I'll agree this was the best Kiss match I've seen to date. Really nice pick baby cakes!

Forever Forward Fridays

Black Taurus VS Rey Horus - Black Label Pro 8/24/2019

CJD: I know Black Taurus has had some high profile singles matches, but I've really only seen him in tag and multiman settings. So this was new to me and I really enjoyed it. I hate playing forward wrestlers to you that I'm not crazy about. I know with how little time we both have to devote to this silly hobby, every match is precious. But sometimes getting out of your comfort zone makes you find great stuff, and this was one of those weeks for me. Hopefully you can do the same with Horus. He definitely has some great spots. Maybe I'm being too hard on him. ANYWAY, this is the goofiest I've heard Dave Prazak in a long time, and I enjoyed hearing that joy in his voice. He and Sarah Shockey also called this one beautifully while cracking each other up. The fans really put this over the top for me and I loved the sign of respect after the match. I felt like they came close to going off the rails a few times and BT brought it back home like your neighbor landing the plane in Top Gun on NES while you watch on in amazement.

JJZ: Man this was a fun match. This match truly reminds me of a '90s Japanese juniors match. Quick flash start. The baby working from under for the body of the match. Explosive jaw dropping back and forth for the head and shoulders. And finally a finish that doesn't overstay its welcome that makes sense. I like Horus more than you but I'd definitely put him as a B list high flyer. Imma disagree about this almost coming off the rails. I think both guys kept this one on the road nicely. Fantastic pick fam.

He'll Save Every One Of Us

Scott Norton VS Joey Janela - AIW 3/24/2017

JJZ: Fuck it, let's see what happens. I've watched some underwhelming Scott Norton matches before finding this. Janela really works his ass off for Flash Norton in this one. I mean he really makes the match to be honest. Scott's limited offense is executed nicely though. Everything he hits looks good and tight. But Double J really over sells to make the point and to make it seem like Scotty is still a fucking monster. Which he kinda is. Dude is twice the size of most humans. I know how much you love AIW and this venue in particular so I know you'll also probably love this.

CJD: I'll say this about Norton's performance in this match. What he can't do physically, he more than makes up for with the little things. His body language, his selling when necessary for Janela, how engaged he is in this match. We've both seen vets, especially with a physical mismatch like this, just take a payday and mail the effort in. That wasn't this match at all. Now the match was still more of a novelty than anything great, but that was kind of Janela's MO against aging stars around this time, the guys he grew up idolizing. I've seen a few of those matches and I'd say this is one of the better ones. It's simple, both guys are really in the moment, and it's fun. Everything I could have asked for given the circumstance.

Forever Forward Fridays

Rey Fenix/Laredo Kid VS Abismo Negro Jr/Black Taurus - AAA 2/7/2021

JJZ: Let's flip flop and fly my guy. This scratched an itch for me at the moment I needed it to. This contest had some beautiful artwork of ariel offense. All four guys really went for it when they had the chance. I feel like Play It Forward finally made me a major fan of lucha libre. Now i know this definitely has a modern twist to it but I feel like it still holds some roots. This was a blast to watch. Hope you got your popcorn ready for this action baybay!!

CJD: One fall to a finish and I've got that popcorn ready. Fenix really has that star presence, it's one of those things you have a hard time quantifying but you know it when you see him. I thought the rudos held this one together nicely, especially after Laredo Kid seemed to get his bell rung. Which made the finish of the match all that much more impressive. Black Taurus blows my mind how he moves around like that in that gear with that much man meat on his meat hocks. He's low key the MVP of every one of these car crash matches I see him in. This had a bit more substance than a total spotfest too and as far as post-pandemic presentation goes I really dig how AAA adjusted.

Stampede Is Coming, Mastadon Infantry

Big Van Vader VS Scott Norton - NJPW 9/23/1991

CJD: I was really in the mood with Vader to see something different. I went on a journey like the PIF days of old, watching matches VS Ospreay, Gary Albright, and tagging with Hansen VS Misawa/Ogawa. All three good matches for what they were, I'd struggle to even say this match is firmly better than any of them (well maybe better than the tag). But it is different and that's what I was feeling. Scott Norton is insanely strong. He was never great at pro wrestling but I do still enjoy watching his work. I hate the way NJ World cuts away at the end but beggars can't be choosers with free internet uploads. I could have done with a few less lariats and straps coming down and up but for a hoss fight of the highest order I think this delivered. What says you??

JJZ: That fucking "Oh shit!" belly to back suplex was sick! Made me say JESUS CHRIST very loudly. Well what a hoss boss battle this was. Beefy meat slapping at its finest my southern brother. I mean this with no insult but this was exactly what I thought it would be. Just two thick jawns banging into eachother to see who would fold first. Not gonna lie. I'm jealous you found this match and not me. When I first got New Japan World I went on a Scott Norton tour and was disappointed with the views if you're picking up what I'm laying down. Loved this and love you. Excited to watch more Flash!

I Love To Swing The Lariat

Stan Hansen (c) VS Leon White - AWA World Championship 3/13/1986

JJZ: I don't have any memory of seeing this match. I'm a little nervous that your response is that you've shown me this before. This was interesting. Definitely not their wildness we're used to from these two. I loved the psychology. Baby bull working that head lock and Stan the man like a pit bull on a bone with that hand. I fucking loved the count out tease. In the 80s we got so used to that in Japan that I just assumed it was the finish in this one. Really curious about this show on a whole since it was in Vegas. Hope it's new to you my friend.

CJD: I haven't shown you this match before but it is #774 in my binder full of matches to play for you and the gang, and now I can cross it off! AWA actually ran Vegas regularly from '85-'90, it was the main taping location for their ESPN television. The crowds were notoriously bad and this is one of the earlier "borrrinngg" chants I can remember hearing. That said, this match was pretty awesome. I love seeing the differences in how Hansen handles two totally different young stud challengers with very different skillsets. Vader is nowhere near where Hennig was last week but that makes Hansen's performance in this one all that much more impressive. I will say White's selling was better than I remembered and he really held his own for how green he was. I love Lord James Blears claiming he was a first round draft pick (the Rams took him in the 3rd which is still damn impressive). Also major points for a great 80s finish (including the countout tease), that's always a pleasant surprise. Great pick!

Forever Forward Fridays

Bandido VS Laredo Kid - NEW 6/10/2022

CJD: You know me JJZ, and you know I'll take substance over style if I have to choose. But when I saw these two in a very recent match I thought to myself "I don't care if this match is good or not. I want to watch it." These are two of the most spectacular wrestlers going today and I wouldn't say either is lacking in substance by any means. I just expected this to be a fireworks explosion. Now there are a few jaw dropping moments. And this is some indy 5000 presentation. The commentary, the ref, the post match celebration. This one is uniquely indy wrestling. But at the end of the day this is just a damn good match above all else. I would love to watch these two go at it again. I really enjoyed how important the momentum shifts felt (just about the only worthwhile observation the commentators made). And I thought the finish came at the right time, no overkill but very satisfying. I know we've already featured a lot of Laredo Kid on FFFridays but it's the perfect place to give a great young wrestler like him his flowers.

JJZ: Excited for this one baybay. Feel like the commentators undersold Bandido a little bit. Bandido is a top indy name these days. I've been in the mood for a high flying spectacle. Interesting crowd set up with the chairs. This is a perfect junk food match. The kinda match you'd love to watch with four friends at 1 in the morning. You couldn't blink for a second in this one. Laredo Kid performed better than I expected. I'm not trying to be negative on him but he never super impressed. But in this one he over delivered. Bandido did what Bandido does. Fun jawn.

Nobody's Perfect, But You're Perfect For Me

Stan Hansen (c) VS Curt Hennig - AWA World Championship 5/31/1986

CJD: To paraphrase Bryan Danielson. There's a time to wrestle, and there's a time to fight. This was fight time and these two guys knew it. This match has a bit of a reputation as one of the under the radar greats in AWA history and rightfully so. If I'm making a top 10 of Hennig's career this is on there because it's such an interesting side of him. The bumping and selling are still huge but much more understated by his standards. He's great at sticking and moving and making you think he's got a chance against "Tough Cookie" Stan Hansen. And the most impressive thing about this match might be Hansen's performance as the dominant but vulnerable Champion. Pro wrestling is a hobby that I'll keep coming back to because it's always there to give me a glimpse into something fantastical and larger than life when my mind needs it most. I'd seen this match before but that's how I felt watching it again today and hopefully you do too.

JJZ: The energy from the jump is off the charts. It was a fucking fist fight to say the least baby. Curt Henning could sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves. Jesus he makes everything look so painful. Wild. This match in one word is wild. I felt like it could've ended with any fall. Let's talk about the fact that these two didn't take a second to rest at all. It was bedlam in a squared circle. The only negative was the they were both wearing black trunks. Crazy fun ass ride that I could watch over again right now my beautiful long haired friend.

Forever Forward Fridays

Alex Shelley (c) VS Bandido - Prestige Wrestling Championship 5/29/2022

JJZ: Fucking dream match my guy. Great clash of styles in this one baby cakes. Shelley was always great at selling the mouth. Such a little thing but so smart. In my opinion Chris. Shelley had a great game plan with working on the leg to slow down the flippy dippy. He really was out smarting Bandido in the beginning of the match. Bandido had some amazing explosive offense in the second half of the match that had me on the edge of my seat. The back and forth was insane. Really couldn't tell what was gonna happen. Loved this one.

CJD: Unpredictable is a great way to describe this match. Like I legitimately couldn't tell if Bandido was hurt after that dragon screw and I don't want to know. What I do know is they worked the match masterfully from that point on to make you believe anything could happen. The early portion was beautiful, poetry in motion even by Shelley's standards. Bandido really hung in there and brought a great energy as the challenger. The fans bought him to pull off the upset and if this was the opener (did I hear that right?) this must have been one hell of a show live. Also great job on the commentary, Veda Scott in particular was making points literally as I was thinking them. I'm sad to say goodbye to Alex after 4 tremendous matches. It's safe to say there's never too much Shelley for this belly!

Forever Forward Fridays

Alex Shelley VS Trey Miguel - IMPACT Wrestling 5/13/2022

CJD: Alright we've only done this once before but fuck it. Let's hold up our imaginary title and go with the same guys back to back. If these two had 10 matches online I'd watch all 10 of them. This one had the hammer down a bit more, a bit less consistent with the selling. And we know the finish if we were listening to the commentary to our previous match. But these two are so masterful that they still had me guessing the finish late. Miguel had fire in this one that I think surpassed his great performance in your match. And I liked seeing the similarities and differences between how they worked the different settings. I hope this isn't the last time I've seen these two wrestle.

JJZ: I'm a huge fan of Tom Phillips fyi. Very excited you picked this match. I love when we finish a sentence that the other person started. Goddammit Alex Shelley is so fucking smooth. And Trey is so raw and fresh. It really makes for a perfect match up. When you watch Shelley wrestle you can see his layers of experience. It's like visual scar tissue in his movements. Miguel has such freedom and energy in his offense. Kind of a perfect paring. The thing that is great about both of these matches is that they aren't over the top like most matches these days. They kept you on the edge of your seat but didn't overstay their welcome.

Green Onions

Booker T (c) VS Curt Hennig - WCW TV Championship 4/29/1999

JJZ: Alright so let's start with the obvious Chris. That finish was disappointing. My first thought was fucking shit. I can't play this forward now. But the match stayed with me on a whole. I kept thinking to myself, man for the end of his career Hennig can fucking go. And Book looked like he the was right there at his feet. The potential was radiating off of him. This match was a showcase of what will become and what made someone great. I honestly don't know if either ever reached their full potential but I loved both of these careers.

CJD: I would say these are two of the  prime examples of never hit their ceiling in wrestling history. I bet some would disagree on Booker T, that if anything he overachieved. I think watching him in this time period though and you can see ACE written all over him and he only briefly got to hit that level. Listen to how he's got that crowd in the palm of his hand. These are two guys who understood the broad strokes of American heavyweight wrestling so well while bringing an explosive athletic style. They're similar in a lot of ways when you think about it, great characters yet largely forgettable promos (outside of King Bookah). And they worked together exceptionally well in this match! I get why this match stuck with you because I'm a sucker for this style when it's done well. This is Sting, Dustin Rhodes, Steve Austin, Barry Windham, etc. Good mechanics, great fire, compelling face/heel dynamic. I'll forgive the crap finish. This match was a hum dinger!

Don't Wanna Be An American Idiot

Christian/Lance Storm (c) VS Booker T/Goldust - WWF Tag Team Championship 7/30/2002

CJD: This is an era that you know I was totally checked out of wrestling. For example I didn't even know the Unamericans were a thing so I couldn't figure out the jingoistic slant to the commentary other than "oh well it's WWE" for the first few minutes. Then I realized the tired heel dynamic. Regardless, the heels in this are very effective in the ring. Goldust is a terrific face in peril and always has great chemistry with every different type of wrestler you can imagine. The finish is the same crap we still complain about to this day but they lay this match out beautifully otherwise. We've featured a lot of matches like this over the years at PIF, 10 minutes or so of fundamental tag team goodness. This isn't going to go down as one of the best we've covered but for four guys we've barely touched on up until now I was feeling this one. I love that they got this kind of platform on one of the big 4 PPVs.

JJZ: Damn baby, this match was so much fun. In a ten minutes I was highly impressed with how good the tag team psychology was. Shit you don't see any more, cutting off of the ring and actually having to tag. The energy from the crowd was so good. Everyone one was hitting on everything. That Dustin bump over the top was crazy. And can we talk about Booker? He looks like he is built out of stone. Not gonna lie. I popped for the spin a roni. Probably spelled it wrong. Also popped when I heard Fink on the mic. Great pick my guy.

Forever Forward Fridays

Alex Shelley VS Trey Miguel - The Wrestling Revolver 6/11/2022

JJZ: I don't think I've seen Trey Miguel before but who fucking knows. I'm happy that I was able to shoot you back a really recent Shelley bout since your jawn was greener then goose shit Alex. And with that said my boy is still smooth and silk. I'm sitting here trying to think of what 90s wrestlers I can compare him too. Maybe Dean? Both are fantastic workers but never that top level talent? Also I always wanted both of them to get bigger pushes. Also really liked Trey in this match. I was worried that because Shelley is such a vet he would dominate the offense and Miguel would be working from under most of the match. But he was not, and he was going for it. That dude wanted this match to be talked about. Some really great spots with a ton of BDE in this match.

CJD: I have no idea why Impact uploaded this match other than the history these two have there as well. But god damn am I glad they did. John no lie I enjoyed this as much as any match we've ever played forward. I am familiar with Trey Miguel but this is the most recent I've seen him and needless to say he's leveled up. I think I used this word for the Shocker match too but I'll say it again. Chemistry. This match had it off the charts. The style these two worked together, technical, fast paced, snug, smart, exciting. They were feeling that Big Deano Energy for sure. They had me hooked beginning to end, and the only time my mind wandered they brought things right back to Shelley's arm like they were in my head. The crowd was great, the commentary even better. What a fucking match!

Where Are The Lionhearts

Chris Jericho VS Lance Storm - WAR 12/8/1995

JJZ: We may have seen this before but I don't care. I know these two have such a tremendous history that Lance going over to Japan for the first time will be a fun wild ass match. It's a JIP and also a few clips happen. But I didn't think it took away from the match. A car crash is what I expect and it's what I got. And it's what the crowd wanted. They were into this stuff. Everything was hit pretty perfect and with the intention to wow the audience. I was also more of a fan of Lance than Jericho but I think in this match they both hold their own. With a lot of oh shit moves plus some nice technical work in between. I'm sure they worked this match a bunch and I'd like to believe they said nothing to each other the whole time. They both just had it down.

CJD: I love Storm cutting a very earnest promo highlighting their history together and Jericho totally big timing him and cutting Generic Gaijin Promo For Japanese Media 101. Sets the stage for the dynamic between these two during the match and they both delivered big time. I don't think this match was hurt any from the missing 7 minutes or whatever but I also don't think they left all rest holds on the cutting room floor. Especially based on those crowd reactions. It seems like these two had a very solid 17 minute touring match in them that like you said, they could do in their sleep. I loved how vocal they both were, and how they timed some of those kickouts until the last possible second. Storm is someone I've always had a soft spot for. I hope I can find something just as good for next week but you set the bar high with this one.

Forever Forward Fridays

Shocker VS Alex Shelley - TNA Slammiversary 6/19/2005

CJD: So this match immediately caught my attention but I decided to gloss over it and try a few other Shocker outings. He's not looking so hot these days unfortunately. I was going to dig into his classic stuff when I decided, why not go with PIF favorite Alex Shelley?? He can take us across many bridges thematic with our Friday journey. I might have even seen this match before as it's the night Joe debuted. But I sure didn't pay attention to it like I did this time around if so. This match exceeded all my expectations. Shelley is so young, Shocker is so seasoned, and they meld their styles beautifully. Both guys really shine in this contest of one upsmanship. There are little touches that let the match breathe and pace it out nicely that I didn't expect from this kind of match in TNA at this time at all. This one was a discovery for me, I hope it is for you as well!

JJZ: Expectations blown away man. This was fantastic. Honestly CJD I thought you played forward the best of a bad bunch. I'm going to remember this match for a long time. God man, Shelley is so smooth. He applies his moves so effortlessly. Like breathing for him. I know I didn't do you any favors with Shocker but this is why Play it Forward is beautiful baby. I loved this beyond any of my expectations. I'm not lying this match just changed my mood for the day. The finish was a great short story ending for this psychology. Now with Shelley I got an endless wonderful amount of opportunity for greatness my guy.

DDT Did A Job On Me

Arn Anderson VS Chris Jericho - WCW 9/30/1996

CJD: I feel a little bad playing this one forward, I know I could find a hundred better Arn matches. But when I saw this match happened I popped big time. Our IRL circle of wrestling friends recently debated which one of these two was a better in ring performer. And I think that ties right in with you picking AA to play forward a few weeks back. So why not feature him VS Jericho this week?? This match is honestly better than a lot of guys could do in this position, being buried by all the focus on the red hot new nWo angle. They kept it simple, built the young babyface up big, and ended the match at its highest point. The more I think about this match, I watched it a few days ago and a lot stuck with me. Heenan putting Jericho over even though he was probably a few (or more) into his night and often could be less than complimentary to a young babyface in this position. Woman adding a lot running interference on the outside. Miss Elizabeth solemnly watching pro wrestling in the back. And that finish. There was a lot packed into this kind of throwaway match. I'm really glad these were the two guys tossed out there to kill a little time.

JJZ: Ms. Elizabeth has a bad case of turnaround disease. She just keeps going in circles, it was fucking gold! So after intros this was actually a six minute match and man did they not waste a second. Talk about everything having meaning. I just wish it meant more to the announcers. I couldn't care less about Bischoff going to the hotel! Why are you taking about several other story lines during a 6 minute match? I would've killed to just have Bobby's color. At least he made me laugh. That finish man. The split second stall that said, this shit is over, was a fantastic touch. This match reminded me of a young pup bouncing all around and trying to tire out the older dog but in the end the young pup gets slapped down. Fun match. AA all day, everyday.

Back Next Week

Hey gang, life's getting in the way this week.  We've got matches in the pipeline and we'll be back next Tuesday and Friday! Everyone enjoy their Indigenous Peoples Day and we'll see you real soon.

Forever Forward Fridays

Shocker (c) VS Dr Wagner Jr - CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship 3/26/2002

JJZ: So, I'm not super familiar with Shocker. I know the name and recognize the face but couldn't tell you specifically what matches I've seen him in. Hell he may have been on some PIF jawns at some point. Figured this was a good time to mindfully check him out. Dr Wags I do know more of but wouldn't mind exploring him more. This was a very different match than I expected man. I Ioved the back and forth chess match for the first fall. Jr attacking the weak point like a dog on a bone after the rest period was fantastic. The crowd is white fucking hot throughout this one. Camera work for this match is some slop for real though. I'm always impressed how luchadors bump. For example Wagner takes a bump to the outside from a big boot but through the middle and bottom rope. And it was so smooth! Good match with good psychology. Enjoy my guy.

CJD: Shocker popped up on a ton of comps when I first started watching lucha and he never stood out to me much one way or another. I remember him having a random run in TNA. And not much else. Regardless, this match ruled! Beautiful simplicity. Each fall made perfect sense, the mat work was tight, the big moments popped big time. I loved how little separation there was during the hold for hold. The body language from both guys selling the big beats. The main word I'd use to describe this match was satisfying. Great find and a real blasty blast of a FFFriday trip to Mexico City!

Oh When This Kid Hits Alabama Jam

Bobby Eaton VS Arn Anderson - WCW Worldwide 1/26/1991

JJZ: Right off the bat I wasn't happy with the finish of this match. But that is literally the only thing wrong with this. I know the finish is a big part of a match but this one told such a great story and had so much aggressiveness to it I had to share this with you. Thinking back on it a heel vs heel match kinda works with this ending but I dunno. Maybe I'm just trying to talk myself into the ending because I loved the journey so much. Getting to watch so much Eaton while finding this match I can confidently say he knows when to get a spot in to pop the crowd and how to throw a punch. Man does he got some hands. Not sure if you knew this about me Chris but I'm kinda a fan of Mr. Anderson. Arn did what Arn does in this match. I had a blast watching this one baby, hope you do to.

CJD: Ha Ha Barry Windham, domestic violence is funny! I guess he was a heel and all was fair game in the name of getting heat back then. Credit to Tony for playing it straight. He really sounded like he enjoyed calling this match. Handshake to start was unexpected. Was this heel vs heel? It felt like Eaton was getting a face push which I don't remember at all. But he definitely worked this one like a blue eye. It was a different facet for him than I'm used to and I was happy to see it. Arn was terrific here. Great back and forth action and besides the finish really good stuff all around.

Smoking On A Yacht, Call Me Ricky Steamboat

Ricky Steamboat VS Bobby Eaton - WCW Main Event 1/12/1992

CJD: This "first time ever on TBS" match is a rematch of their match on TBS the month before on Saturday Night. And part of a bigger feud between Steamer, Dustin, Windham and the Dangerous Alliance. This one starts off hot and heavy as Eaton has been sneak attacking the faces with belts, chairs, etc. So Steamboat returns the favor. I can be critical of heel in peril but given where they're at in the feud an playing to the strengths of both guys, I think it works well for the early portion here. Bobby Eaton is someone who I've seen plenty of but still don't know if I really have a well rounded opinion on. Like I feel much more confident telling you how I feel about Dennis Condrey (good) or Stan Lane (bad) than if I put Bobby on the same pedestal a lot of people do.i honestly thought he was pretty weak in the previous match I watched leading up to this. But here he might have outworked Ricky, and this is peak Ricky Steamboat stuff right here. Also, wow Miss Hyatt. Wow.

JJZ: Wow is right Missy. Jesus Christ. Anyway. This was a fantastic TV match my guy. Let's talk selling. This match had it in spades. Ricky's wobbling after those lines. Bobby hiding those closed fist punches is  a lost art my friend. And one more thing. Why don't more people do a head scissors like Steamboat? We agree how good Ricky is but I think singles Bobby Eaton is very underrated. He never really took off the way he should have imo. Bobby was always such a great TV wrestler. He always made the most of his minutes and told a complete story in limited time.

CJD: That style headscissors, which coincidentally the RnR Express used against Eaton to great affect, is by far my favorite lost move in professional wrestling. Kids in training, bring that sucker back!!

Forever Forward Fridays

El Samurai/Kendo Kashin VS Dr Wagner Jr/Silver King- NJPW 4/19/2001

CJD: Play It Forward, the only thing than can get me to watch a Kendo Kashin match. I'm not going to lie, after Silver King totally shit cans Dragon Soldier B I actually enjoyed his antics for the remainder of the match. We're straying from our FFF theme a bit here but of all my El Samurai options this felt like the most in the spirit of diversity and representation. I love the connection between Japanese and Mexican wrestling. Two cultures that couldn't be more different but meld beautifully when you put on a pair of tights. I've seen Sammy tag as the 1B to someone like Liger a good amount, or as the vet to an up and comer partner, but I haven't seen a lot of him as The Guy in his team. I thought he was great, the glue that kept this match from almost going off the rails more than once. It's not quite a trainwreck but it's not exactly a four star affair, but either way I thought this was fun as hell. And Dr Wagner Jr screams "motherfucker!!" at one point so there's that.

JJZ: This has Best of (insert junior weight wrestler name here) VHS tape match written all over it. Man this was a fantastic tag team match. A little clunkie at times but so many "Oh shit!" spots. The pacing of the match was super 90s Japanese junior heavyweights. Slow back and forth build to an all out sprint in the end. I thought everyone killed it in this match. Sometimes you can find yourself saying so and so was fine. But not in this one. Everyone brought the A game. Fun shit my guy.

Tiger In Your Tank

Ricky Steamboat (c) VS Tiger Mask II - AJPW NWA World Heavyweight Championship 3/8/1989 

JJZ: I have no fucking memory of ever seeing this before. But if you watch this and go JJZ, I played this his for you in 2007 after we drove to Edison NJ for an ROH show I wouldn't be shocked. This is a little stiffer than I expected. Ricky and Misawa are really laying it in.  I honestly can't remember the Dragon wrestling in Japan that much so this was a welcome surprise. The crowd was white fucking hot. I mean popping for everything.  Great finshing stretch imo. Hope this is new to you!

CJD: This one is new to me and a real curiosity indeed. Misawa got an NWA Title shot?? Hot damn. Steamboat is another guy who doesn't have a great reputation for his stuff translating in Japan, like DiBiase last week, but this match made me interested to see him in this kind of role over there more. There was a good amount of working holds but they meant something and built a good pace. There's something about Ricky that is a little like Terry Funk, where some of his mannerisms or ideas are a bit too goofy, but the sum of the parts is such a great pro wrestler that you just roll with it. Or at least I do. I really love how much he'll extend his entire body on certain bumps or spots. There's a controlled grace to his body language. I will say he had one pretty bad no sell, but no selling piledrivers in Japan is a thing to do so I guess let's just forget about that one. Also the match was really heating up at that point and the crowd wanted them to keep the pedal down. Misawa as TMII was interesting. I honestly think he was better in the gimmick than a lot of people realize. He wasn't a natural under a mask but there's something about the no nonsense way he approaches a cartoonish gimmick that built his credibility beautifully. Like I used to buy the narrative that the fans knew who he was, knew how talented he was, and were just dying to see him take it off and show what he could really do. And yeah that's all probably true but it's matches like these last two that built his lore. Where you can feel the crowd investing in him more and more. I really liked looking at this portion of his career a little closer baby! Now where to go with the Dragon next week?

Forever Forward Fridays

Black Tiger II VS El Samurai - NJPW 3/20/1994

JJZ: I'm pretty sure this match was filmed by the same guy who filmed that IWA triple threat match! Being honest Black Tiger Eddie is probably my least watched Eddie. Not on purpose or anything. I just never found myself going out of my way to watch his BT stuff. Which is fucking stupid now thinking back on it. This match was so interesting with the fan cam and this crowd was really different for a 90s Japanese crowd. I've always had a soft spot for El Samurai for some reason. I feel like I always rooted for him to be better than he was. Don't get me wrong he has had some great matches but I don't think he was ever able to work his way to the A team. This was a really good match. Great spots and a finish I never saw coming baybay!!!

CJD: Fun fact, this match happened the same day as Wrestlemania X. Man, I love 90s Japanese juniors matches, even if they can be a little aimless at times. But what I hate is that everyone has these slap ass entrance songs that if you're lucky enough to even have them on the tape, the wrestlers run light speed to the ring so you only hear like 12 seconds of the jam!! These guys could learn a thing or two from CM Punk. Or the Colony in CHIKARA. or IWAMS Chris Hero. This was a great find, and many thanks to Matt D from Segunda Caida for uploading it. It was a little stop and start, but it had a good sense of struggle to make up for the lack of rhythm. And plenty of awesome little moments and touches. I know what you mean about El Samurai but the fact he probably smoked a few too many packs and stayed up a little too late with the boys on the back of the bus helped set him apart too. He just had a vibe about him that made him engaging compared to the other juniors at the time. And Black Tiger Eddie is a treat, like with Misawa Tiger Mask it was never the most natural fit, but there's some real goodness to be found there. Case in point!

Forever Forward Fridays

CM Punk (c) VS Colt Cabana VS Eddie Guerrero - IWAMS Heavyweight Championship 4/19/2002

CJD: So I guess this fits the Forever Forward Friday mantra of celebrating indie wrestling. And obviously Eddie being Latino, and Colt being Jewish. But really I just wanted to watch this match. Part of me thought maybe I had years back, I've seen a bit of Eddie's indie work on this little tune up run. But watching it now I think this is new to me and many thanks to Colt for uploading it. What a piece of wrestling history in Dayton Ohio in front of 56 fans!! These guys absolutely went for it, even in a 3 way where it would be easy to phone it in a bit. Eddie's chemistry with these young stallions is remarkable. The raw youthful energy and determination Punk and Colt had was infectious. Prazak raising hell, an obligatory 5 minutes of Ian Rotten speeches at the end, this has everything you want or expect. And a blast of a triple threat match while we're at it!

JJZ: So I'm pretty sure this was played for us before but after watching it I can't remember any of it so maybe I'm wrong. Either way, I'll say that I thought this match was solid. There were some really nicely timed spots that were executed smoothly. But it had some awkward spots too that felt a little clunky. For 56 people the crowd was great in my opinion. Even with Eddie being there they were so behind Colt. With Eddie being in the match it would've been easy to forget about Colt but I felt like that never happened. The finishing stretch was my favorite part of this match. I couldn't remember who won so I really was popping for them falsies.

CJD: So we figured out after the fact why we both thought we'd seen this one before. We were thinking of the also very good IWAMS 3 way between Eddie, Punk, and Rey! So enjoy this vaguely familiar match that was totally new to both of us even though we weren't sure as we watched lol.

Slingshot Blanchas Forever

Tiger Mask II/Great Kabuki VS Ted DiBiase/Pete Roberts - AJPW 4/23/1987

CJD: Well I bet this isn't where you thought our holiday in the UK would branch off to next! Here we have four great talents who maybe wouldn't get a lot of hype in this setting. Roberts and DiBiase both have a reputation of being fairly boring in Japan. Misawa as TMII is rarely celebrated, and Kabuki I feel like only gets credit for his historical significance rather than his work. Well I thought the gaijin made a very solid team here and Ted was particularly cooking. Man he was huge for a guy you rarely think about his size. Misawa did an excellent job heating this match up when it needed it. And I have such a soft spot for Kabuki. I legitimately think he's very underrated, he's not going to pump out 4 star matches, but I'm always so happy to watch him work. This match is mostly a fun novelty but I really have no complaints for what we got. There are some brutal bumps snuck in there and a couple of nice spots. I really liked watching these 4 together even though I'd never have imagined watching these particular pairings.

JJZ: I did not expect this. Two thing I think you nailed. DiBiase always surprises me with his height when I see him. I'm always like "damn he's big." Also very low key big bumps in this one. I love when a guy takes a bump like the slingshot blancha (I'm sure this is spelled wrong but fuck it) to the outside when Tiger Mask II just flat backed it. So sick. This was an above average tag match for this promotion and time frame. Peter is really fucking good. I know I said this before but I didn't even know how much he influenced some of my favorite wrestlers until now.

Forever Forward Fridays

Colt Cabana VS Shockwave the Robot - DREAMWAVE Wrestling 4/13/2013

JJZ: So I understand that going back to Colt so soon is weird BUT! If I had to list a top 10 most influential over the past decade, Colt would be on the list. The Young Bucks are on record saying that Colt taught them how to make money on the merchant side. I'm team Colt on the Punk vs Colt debate. So honestly, I was disappointed that you weren't crazy about my Swoggle vs Colt match. This isn't anything over the top. Just a fun comedy match that I hope beings a smile to your face. Both guys really work in this one. Enjoy my friend.

CJD: I'm so intrigued by Shockwave the Robot. Was it the same wrestler over the years? Are there multiple Shockwaves?? What was the end goal with such a gimmick, especially in the era they started when the indies were nowhere near as fleshed out? Did they ever hold a title anywhere?? Fascinating. The way the robot switches to normal wrestler mode in this match is a fun wrinkle. This was very entertaining. Colt was a bit prickish at times but it really worked well. I thought the obvious move for the spot after the match was to use an AED but it's probably wishful thinking that an indie in 2013 would have one ringside. But I digress, I liked this match. I wouldn't buy a Best of Shockwave the Robot or anything but I did thoroughly enjoy this sampling of their work... if this is the same robot as last week and not a totally different model, that is!

Your Favorite Wrestler's Favorite Wrestler

Terry Rudge VS Pete Roberts - Joint Promotions 3/21/1983

JJZ: So I specifically searched out a Pete Roberts match because I remember Regal talking about him in podcasts. I tried to let his matches come to me organically but I've been waiting for years and I figured this is a great time against a great opponent. A little joined in progress action ain't hurting nobody. This match is much more aggressive than the previous British matches we've been watching. Rudge looks like he would be a down and dirty wrestler and proves it this match. I know Roberts worked in Japan a lot so I assumed he was a little less fancy than the other workers we've been watching. But I didn't expect this. This has shades of UWF. I can really see that Regal took a lot from Pete. I really enjoyed this contest man. I can see so much that Bryan, Hero and Claudio took a lot from these two guys too.

CJD: I've honestly never seen a Pete Roberts match where his reputation matches his ability. Until now! This wasn't exactly Foreman VS Lyle but it was two beefy heavyweights throwing technically sound bombs. I loved it. British heavyweight wrestling can mean so many things but I think it's safe to say this is when it's at its finest. And man everything Terry Rudge does is glorious. He might be the most logical wrestler I've ever seen. I've never been so happy for a little JIP action my friend!

Forever Forward Fridays

Swoggle VS Shockwave the Robot - Beyond Wrestling 9/16/2018

CJD: Now I know what you're thinking John. But don't worry, Shockwave the Robot has had surprisingly prolific career, debuting in 1998, wrestling across the east coast, making it all the way over Japan, and even competing in the 2011 Super 8. So I think you'll have options for your next match. This match is as silly as wrestling gets, I could easily see it being a hard no for some fans. It does have the secret sauce of Bryce Remsburg who could sell sand in the desert. And I was in the mood for a match that got in, hit its spots and got out such as this. I'm not going to lie, part of me wonders if Swoggle dreams of having 40 minute King's Road style layered epics as he falls asleep at night. But if you're going to wrestle a murderous robot in the hot sun you've got to play the hand you're dealt!

JJZ: Loved the Colt crossover in this one. Would that be considered an easter egg? Swoggle and Shockwave kill it in this match. But Bryce is the star. Even his selling was the best in the match. Imo just like the last match this would have been a great match to see live. Who ever Shockwave is, he or she does a fucking great job. Totally believe they were a robot. That street fest looked awesome. I only remember seeing one show outside and it was a blast. Loved this man!

Marty! You've Gotta Come Back With Me!

Marty Jones VS Terry Rudge - Joint Promotions 11/30/1976

CJD: So we went from the latest Marty Jones match I've seen in 1987 to the earliest I've seen in 1976. Unless you want to throw some of your Back To The Future time traveling Marties theories out there since you apparently thought Jones was a bright eyed babe last week. And I feel like this match has been in my future waiting for me, either possibly because of Regal specifically mentioning it on podcasts (which the 40k views would indicate), or because I'm watching a lot of these types of guys for research in my quest to find the 100 Greatest Wrestlers Ever. Either way, I kind of knew a match like this was in the horizon this week. And I wasn't really in the mood for a long form epic like this. It took a few tries. But man did this match win me over whether I wanted it to or not. It's maybe the finest piece of escalation within the rounds system I've ever seen. So physical, so technical, and so captivating. We've talked about how important weight classes are in Britain, and with almost a 2 stone difference (2 stone John!!) this really feels like something special by the end. Enjoy baby! Just make sure you have some time to sink your teeth into this one.

JJZ: Oldest I've ever seen Marty Jones fyi. I don't know why but I keep thinking that I heard before that Rudge worked under a hood before. Different name of course. I'll agree with you that this match took me several start and stops to finish it. Parenthood interruptions, I know you know the struggle. The boston crab work was fantastic baby. One time I had to pause it and when I restarted it I went back to the start of the crab spot. I was getting major feels that this was gonna end like the Bate VS A-Kid match I played for you recently. Hmm, I think it's safe to say at this point, I've become pretty obsessed with British wrestling. This run we have been on has been probably my favorite we've ever done. All these matches have over delivered imo. Even the Big D!!!!! I ain't getting off this train yet my beautiful southern bell.

Forever Forward Fridays

Colt Cabana VS Swoggle - Zelo Pro 10/25/2018

JJZ: Colt Cabana has wrestled everyone. So my choices for this were endless. I scrolled through a lot of stuff and when I saw this Swoggle match I thought, well I don't think CJD would expect to ever watch this. The match is a silly back and forth with a lot of "OHH!" moments. I think it played good on camera but this would've been a joy to be live for. I totally popped when Swoggle came out for under the ring. Didn't see that coming at all. Hope this bout makes you smile like it did for me. For the people who think Funny don't make money I think you're wrong and I think matches like these add so much to full cards.

CJD: I do think funny can equal money, to an extent. I was really curious about this match on paper, which I'm sure is why you picked it with all those options. And Swoggle in a very unique way does fit our Forever Forward Friday theme. And I liked some of this match and laughed a few times. I didn't love this one overall though. Colt strikes me as someone who feels natural when he's actually improvising, but when he tries to sell something he has planned as off the cuff ("it's so far from it!") it comes off forced. That's probably confusing to read and I may be way off but it's the main thing I felt about this match. It felt too much like a badly written sketch and not enough like a funny wrestling match. All of that said, I have a soft spot for Swoggle because of AIW, and I did enjoy some of the exchanges. I'm kind of glad you sent this one over even if it wasn't my jam.

Forever Forward Fridays

Sammy Guevara VS Colt Cabana - Wrestle Circus 12/17/2016

CJD: Getting back to the indy focus of FFFridays. Although I did enjoy our roadside detour into Auto Luchas. I'll admit I didn't like Sammy the first few times I saw him. His charisma and bumping were undeniable but I thought he particularly suffered from a lack of guys on the indies at the time to learn and grow under. Well I know people have a variety of opinions on him in the ring but I do think Colt Cabana is a good learning tree to sit under and I thought both guys came out of this looking better for it. Funny at times but not a Colt comedy routine match, with Sammy showing personality but also playing a good straight man at times. Mostly this match gives you that living breathing indy atmosphere that's hard to capture on camera and man it makes me want to get out to a show.

JJZ: Baby boy this match was a joy! Getting to watch Colt really use his experience to school Sammy was a lot of fun. And then Sammy's athleticism to get his shit in made for one hell of a match man. You know I am a mark for Colt. Everything he has done for the independent wresting scene is incredible. I'm always rooting for him and in this match it was so easy to get his back. Sammy plays such a great little piece of shit. So when Colt shows him up I get a real kick out of it. I was highly entertained by this one mate.

I Go And Get The Big Daddy

Big Daddy/Marty Jones VS King Kong Kirk/The Samurai - Joint Promotions 1/8/1987

JJZ: I picked this match simply for the God damn ambiance. That ring! That venue! The weasel! Also within the first few secondS I liked how much energy the Big D had. This is the youngest Marty Jones match I can remember seeing also. So this match is pretty similar to your's but I did think Big Daddy had more spunk In this one. I watch a good amount of Big Daddy and I will say he has his routine and he sticks to it. Can't blame him. He was wildy successful. The heels were good in this one. Nothing over the top but they played good dickheads. Jones did a solid job. I didn't think he showed the potential of what he did become because it was so different. He got good heat on him and went to Daddy O for the pop. Entertaining 11 minutes.

CJD: This match was a lot of fun for what it was. It's funny that you say this is the youngest you've seen Marty Jones because I'm pretty sure it's the oldest I've seen him. He was the glue of this match for certain and the main reason it was as watchable as it was. I have no idea what the deal with the Samurai was. It reminds me of PY Chu Hi in Texas. Did anyone think these big fat hairy old white guys were actually Asian?? I guess before the internet anything was possible. I also get a kick out of this match because Big Daddy supposedly really disliked kids in real life. What a slice of British wrestling history right here! Very sad what would happen to Kirk shortly after this match but he was still an excellent heel as you said right up until the end.

And They Call Him Mr Wonderful

Bobby Barnes/Sid Cooper VS Big Daddy/Danny Collins - Joint Promotions 7/14/1984

CJD: I know what you're thinking John. But listen to this crowd. Watch the masterful heel performances from Cyanide Sid and Mr Wonderful Bobby Barnes (what's Paula going to have to say about that??). Watch Danny Boy Collins play his super rookie role so well. And watch Big Daddy... be Big Daddy. I honestly think I've seen one Big Daddy match previously, but this is exactly how everyone describes every Daddy match. It's predictable, it's simple, but man the crowd LOVES it. And I'm not going to lie, I popped a few times too. Barnes and Cooper are so good milking that heat for all it's worth. This is the epitome of a match we'd never have imagined playing forward 4 years ago. And you might not be as charmed by it as I was tonight. But this caught me at the right time and was too ridiculous not share with you.

JJZ: Well, this was a match I did not expect to be reviewing. Ever. This is my first Big Daddy match and your right this is everything I heard it would be. Regal talked about being in Collins' position before and how it was a good spot but he couldn't grow in it. Big Daddy had Hulk Hogan love going on for him. After the match I thought about when Colt Cabana had Truth Martini on his podcast and they both joked about not bumping in their match together. Big Daddy didn't bump once of even get punched or kicked. But yet the match had great energy. Danny, Bobby and Sid did a great job of making 11 minutes a complete story. I came out of this liking Collins, Barnes and Cooper a lot and I'm on the hunt for a more competitive Big Daddy match!!!

Flat In The Affect

Jon Cortez VS Bobby Barnes - Joint Promotions 4/11/1981

JJZ: Cigar, check. Lager, check. Finally having time to watch this match, check. I have no clue who Bobby Barnes is. But this motherfucker is smooth as silk. And if I could describe this match in one word it would be smooth. My beautiful wife who is sitting next to me me says this match feels flat in the affect. She isn't sure if the crowd is in amazement or numb to it. Just wanted to add her outsider's opinion. This match has a lot of reversals to reversals in it which leads me to believe this isn't the first time Jon and Bobby have danced in the squared circle. Love how after the first fall the aggressiveness picked up. The Bad Boy wasn't playing around in the later rounds, really trying to out tough Cortez. Really enjoyed this one baby. Hope you do also.

CJD: The original Bad Boy! Joey, eat your heart out! I also am totally ignorant of Bobby Barnes but I am instantly a fan. He is like a great character actor out of a Scorcese movie. He looks highly annoyed to have to actually wrestle, unathletic, full of himself, and dangerous all at the same time. After watching a good bit of Cortez these two weeks I'll admit, I really don't like his body contortion reversals and one upsmanship very much. However his natural babyface instincts are great otherwise, he has an uncanny knack for slow selling that builds over the course of the match. He's also great at switching momentum when you least expect it. This match was a lot of fun, it had slow chunks that I didn't love but they built meaningfully to a very satisfying conclusion. I'll agree with AZ in that I don't think this crowd is riveted but I do think they're along for the ride by the end. Now where is Quadruple B going to take me next??

Forever Forward Fridays

Myzteziz Jr VS Puma King VS Sammy Guevara - AAA 6/16/2019

JJZ: Get your popcorn ready CJD! This is one action packed contest and if you blink you're gonna miss something. I'm super familiar with all three of these gentlemen so when I saw this I said out loud, here we fucking go. This match really showed that all three are at the top of the high flying game. Puma was such a nice add to bring a little something unique to the floppy dips. The control that the wrestlers have in their aerial attack is really impressive. They make it seem effortless. This would be a prefect match to throw on to impress a non wrestling fan.

CJD: I'm not super familiar with Puma King or Myzteziz Jr, and after these two weeks of matches I'm going to keep an eye on our current FFF Champion for certain. We throw a lot of lesser known high flyers up on the blog and some stick with me more than others. Myzteziz Jr isn't the most polished but he has something about when he pops spots off perfectly that has a wow factor a lot of other high flyers are missing. I enjoyed how different this 3 way was than last week's even though they're both quick car crash style matches. Sammy's very American antics brought a different energy that was a lot of fun. He's very good at positioning everyone in busy matches like this. I didn't love the selfie spot. But I'll admit that my thought immediately was "if he can post a reel or a story while the match is still going that's super fucking impressive." I don't think he did but that has to be a spot that's happened in a match before, right? Next thing you know wrestlers will be on Zooms in the middle of matches. Has anyone ever recorded a podcast while they wrestled?? I need to get on the phone with Conrad Thompson ASAP.

Forever Forward Fridays

Myzteziz Jr VS Argenis VS La Parka Negra - AAA 10/17/2020

CJD: So my options with Parka Negra were limited. I feel like we say this a lot when backed into a corner but I really don't think it was his fault. He's probably the best person in this match for example. We started this AAA FFF rabbit hole with Auto Luchas and I doubt this is where it ends, but bring on more Auto Luchas!! This was paced well for a 3 way, had a few spots that popped me, and didn't do anything too dumb. That was about the best I could hope for this week. You know I'm not big on star ratings but this is **3/4 territory for me but the type of **3/4 you throw on a comp for the novelty of it.

JJZ: I had to stop and start this three times. Trying to watch a ten minute match while having family duties sometimes isn't as easy as you'd think. But the good thing is I got to rewatch that ridiculous Sasake Special into an insane moonsault like 10 times. So good. This match reminded me so much of an ECW THREE WAY DANCE!!!! A little sloppy, no real psychology, brutal spots and super fucking fun. This was just a fun junk food match that needs not to be over analyzed. It was enjoyable. Don't overthink anything about this one.

No Cracks, No Breaks

Jim Breaks VS Jon Cortez - Joint Promotions 2/2/1981

CJD: The tough thing about following that absolutely classic Grey/Breaks match was coming back with something that was different enough and not a total drop off in quality. I think this checks both boxes. Jon Cortez is one of the great classic British wrestlers that I'm far too ignorant of. Let's do something about that! I watched an earlier match between these two also which was yet another great Breaks heel performance, but this one was a bit more satisfying and special to me. Such a grinding, nasty match, with a methodical build and excellent timing with the falls. I hate the post match booking although everyone executes it in a way that's still entertaining. Joint Promotions gonna Joint Promote I suppose. I do believe Steve Grey is the greatest babyface in British wrestling history but man if this is a taste of what Cortez is capable of he might be a contender. This doesn't have the fireworks of the last two weeks of British matches we've featured but I love that about it. Three wonderful light heavyweight matches of a very specific style with three totally different approaches. These are some of the all-time greats indeed!

JJZ: I'll tell you what. Im'ma whoretez for Cortez my guy. This match was delightful. I was also excited to see that the ref for this one was our dear friend Mr H's favorite official. Dude. I loved the finish and the aftermath. Jimbo could not get that pinfall without some underhanded tactics. But I Ioved the announcer getting involved at the end. But for the body of the match (and what a body am I right?!?) this was such a entertaining story. Move for move spot for spot. This was beautiful. I'd highly recommend this to anyone. I can't remember seeing Cortez before but I'm so excited to burn through a few more of his matches. Jim Breaks is a top level heel. Was he the top heel in British wrestling at one time? And if he wasn't he should have been. Love it all baby.

Grey Area

Steve Grey VS Jim Breaks - Joint Promotions 4/19/1978

JJZ: Every one of these matches I always assume you've seen before. I know I'm probably wrong so I need to just play forward what I want to watch. I'm a fan of Jim Breaks so I figured let's check this out. The finish is the only thing I wasn't crazy about but it didn't matter because the rest of this match was incredible. The arm work by Breaks was surgical. The falls in this match, I loved. Grey's fall in particular was so smart and believable. Coming off a face/face match and being able to see the difference in psychology Grey used for this match was wonderful. Dying to hear you thoughts on this bad boy.

CJD: I have NOT seen this before! The greatest face in British wrestling history VS the greatest heel with a shot at Johnny Saint's title on the line. Man this was terrific. I loved the added wrinkle of Grey going for the Breaks Special early and often, as opposed to later day wrestling where stealing your opponent's finisher became something for a late match nearfall pop. You could feel the animosity build and build in this one. The finish is the only knock against it but is typical for the time period. What a two match showing for our current MDTSOCWWKD Champion Steve Grey. And while I don't seek out Jim Breaks as much after the awful way his life has concluded, I know he's the hub for so many wrestler's greatest matches and rivalries, so I am looking forward to see what great stuff he opens the door to next.

Forever Forward Fridays

El Hijo Del Fantasma (c) VS La Parka Negra - AAA Latin America Championship 3/25/2018

JJZ: This match says 12 minutes but in my opinion it played like a 20 minute TV main event. Lucha Libre announcers could make the worst match feel like the match of the year. I felt like this one was a really fun junkfood match. Just what I wanted to watch after your Saint VS Grey match. A lot less technical and a lot more highspots. Those missile suicide dives are fucking crazy man. No pull-up what so ever. This had a great back and forth for the home stretch. I felt like it could have gone either way. I'm really loving the difference between Tuesdays and Fridays right now. Curious were we are going next.

CJD: I kept checking the run time of this match in disbelief. They didn't go balls to the wall with spots or anything, but I agree completely that it felt like 20 minutes of television main event title match pro wrestling. "WOW!!" Great babyface highlight match for Fantasma, who I'd only really seen work heel up until a few weeks ago. He's a hell of a talent. La Parka Negra I'm totally ignorant of and he certainly doesn't have the physical charisma of LA Park but he does play a good foil to the red hot babyface here. I'm curious to learn more about him leading into next week. This was good fun man, not a lot to say but no complaints. Great way to spend 12 minutes!

Well Ya Wanna Catch A Saint

Johnny Saint VS Steve Grey - Joint Promotions 2/11/1981

CJD: Well if this match had been on my first ever Johnny Saint comp I'd have been in absolute heaven. This great generation of light heavyweights had lots of these fast paced, super athletic types of bouts. You'd get a different energy with a Rocco or a Breaks in there but a lot of the spots were very similar. Even if you've seen a bunch of this kind of match I still think this was something special. The way these guys are both able to improvise and adjust so flawlessly even within intricate sequences is mind blowing. And I think the psychology was sound too, with Saint trying to use leverage and grind the faster more explosive Grey, but still dancing with him step by step when the time was right. And even with a finish you could see coming a mile away they still had me biting and second guessing what would happen next. "How can there be a loser??" indeed, Kent Walton.

JJZ: This was an insane match buddy. The mastery Johnny and Steve display during this bout is ridiculous. The smoothness left you just saying to yourself, "In what world can they flow from move to move like this??" Flawless. I'm sure I've seen one fall British matches from this era before but I got excited when the ring announcer laid out the rules. Also, was it just me or did that ring give you Rocky 1 feels? I'm also pretty sure I've seen Bryan, Hero, Quackenbush and/or Claudio do almost all those moves before. It's amazing to think that those guys really helped bring this style back to life. I don't think I could ever get bored watching these matches.

CJD: It's funny you say that, because I've heard Regal say before that the highly technical British lightweight style evolved out of necessity due to them basically wrestling in tiny boxing rings. So big or physical bumps were few and far between. And I always love that about this style, how flat back bumps are treated like a big deal, and could believably knock the wind out for a 10 count. Glad you loved this one as much as I did!

Forever Forward Fridays

El Hijo Del Fantasma VS Texano Jr - AAA Mascara VS Cabellera 3/4/2018

CJD: Modern AAA reminds me of how I felt when I first started watching lucha. In other words, I have no idea what the hell is going on half the time. I watched a good bit of this feud to finally arrive at this match and I still can't really tell you who all the bit players are except for Fantasma's family and Vampiro for whatever reason. And this match isn't exactly great but after investing a ton of time into watching Texano Jr matches the past week I was happy to finally land on something I felt very comfortable recommending to you. There's a lot of gaga before, during, and after this match, but it is mask VS hair after all. The execution isn't always great but the face/heel character work from both guys is very good. There are some great moments, a good bit of blood, and Santos Escobar is someone I've really enjoyed in NXT so I'm curious to see what you come back with. I know we're getting into some strange territory as far as our Friday themes go here but I'm sure we'll find our way back to something more on brand eventually. In the meantime enjoy a lot of noise makers and overdubbed stock music my friend!

JJZ: Fuck man. This was like watching Telenovela. I didn't know what they were saying but when the wrestlers started coming down the ramp in my mind it was, No I'm the father! Not even sure if that makes sense but I got a kick out of all the bells in this one. I think you undersold this a little. I enjoyed the slower build mixed in with the more brutal offense. I didn't read your review or even the match description before starting so that was a nice little twist at the end for me. The leaping elbow over the table that the one dude hit on the other dude was a Bluechew stiff ass shot if I ever saw one. Shot out to Bluechew. Use promo code Playitforward for 20 percent off. J/K fun match my beautiful friend.

Your Kiss Is On My List

Fit Finlay VS Johnny Saint - Joint Promotions 1/5/1988

JJZ:  I've watched several Fit Finlay matches that weren't bad but I was left disappointed. Matches against Jackie Turpin, Doink the Clown and Eddie Guerrero. All of them very different but each ended with me saying to myself I can play forward something better than this. After watching Johnny versus Fit I said, I can't wait to play this forward. Listen baby. This was pure entertainment. Saint and Finaly really play their roles to a level that needs to be studied. Fit and Paula have a tremendous little soap opera going on between rounds that actually had me laughing to myself. Johnny is so good man. I really never know what he is gonna do. Really hope you enjoy this one.

CJD: Man, that collection of Finlay matches you watched sounds like a trip. That's fun research even if you didn't unearth anything amazing. This match was actually one of the first Saint matches I ever saw, on a comp of his I got to better educate myself on 80s British wrestling. I was disappointed with this match at the time but I think it was because I didn't understand what a big deal catchweight matches were in the territory and what a disadvantage it was seen as. I also hadn't seen a lot of Finlay's more dastardly heel work and was hoping for more of the Bellfast Bruiser. Watching it again decades later I actually much prefer this version of Finlay's heel schtick to begging off, crossing his heart Dave Finlay. Princess Paula is fantastic here. This match accomplishes a lot without doing too too much. It endears Saint to the fans even more (when the one older woman helps pick him up is such classic British wrestling), it gets some of Finlay's offense over huge, and it really builds anticipation for what happens next for both guys. They didn't run a lot of angles or story driven feuds but this does leave you with a sense of "what now??" Really effective pro wrestling that I was just not quite ready for when I first watched. But I just might have some technical wizardry more along the lines of what I was expecting up the sleeve of my robe for you next week!

More Schumann Than Schumann

Fit Finlay VS Franz Schumann - CWA 1992?

CJD: I wasn't sure which way to go with all the options you laid out for me with that Hase tag. I started watching some Finlay tags, some good stuff, but they didn't feel like they covered any new ground after your dream match. Then I stumbled upon this bad boy. And I'll gladly hold up the MDTSOCWWKD Championship for a week and let you decide who's the better man between these two meat slappers. Because make no mistake this is clubberin' of the highest order. I've been impressed with Schumann in the past but I've never seen this level of babyface performance from him before. This was a match that I put on with no expectations and proceeded to go through all the Vince meme facial expressions while Stacey Kiebler danced on his desk. Also no matter how hard I tried I can't seem to nail down the date.

JJZ: Love love love that Vince/Kiebler visual. This was a tremendous match my friend. So entertaining to watch. Franz Schumann is a goddamn beast man. That over the top dive totally took me by surprise. Wish Fit sold it a little better but that doesn't take anything away from it. I enjoyed the working from under psychology for Franz. Finlay is such a fucking dick in the ring that is was a perfect idea to work the match this was. I loved the home stretch and the finish totally caught me off guard. The feel and venues for these last couple matches were so fucking cool. It made watching the matches so much more enjoyable.

Forever Forward Fridays

Octagon Jr VS Texano Jr - AAA 10/17/2020

JJZ: Lucha Libre is fun man. These announcers are great. It's almost better I don't know what they are saying. The way the sound is and the energy from the announcers, it being a drive in show doesn't even matter! Great back and forth in this one, just a fun match honestly. The ambiance of this one is off the charts. This would be a fantastic 2AM match to share with you. A ton of sick ass dives through out the match. With it being Lucha Libre it's not stiff or anything but they definitely keep it snugg the whole match. Didn't love the finish but the rest of the match makes this something I want to share.

CJD: First of all I want to make it clear I really enjoyed watching this. Second of all, I can't believe I didn't realize this in the match VS Laredo Kid. Octagon Jr is not very good! He is carried by an excellent flyer in the previous match (even after jacking up his teeth) and a very good base here but man, there is not a lot of connective tissue between his big spots. Texano though really impressed me, reminding me very much of his dad who I always liked tagging with Silver King. Texano brings character to this match, he brings structure, and he drags Octagon Jr to something fun (as you said) despite the fact that Dollar General Sasuke Jr looks like he's there for a dance recital. That he didn't practice for. I'm excited to see where this takes me next and I'm glad to watch it even if I had some criticisms.

Forever Forward Fridays

Laredo Kid (c) VS Octagon Jr - AAA Cruiserweight Championship 10/4/2020

CJD: When AIW introduced me to Laredo Kid I thought it was cool they were giving him a platform. I now realize years later they were getting access to a world class talent before everyone else had caught on. This match is a war of attrition, you can tell there are some injuries and some spots that don't go quite right, but these two young tough high flying bastards aren't going to let it slow them down. Also this is one fall for the record. This match had the potential to go off the rails or become a mindless spotfest but I think they delivered something highly satisfying. What do you think JJZ?? I would skip the clip package before the match that gives away everything that's going to happen. Odd choice from the production team. Auto Luchas!!

JJZ: Not gonna lie. I like the drive in wrestling show concept. Pretty fucking cool. I think about some of the shows we drove to and how fun they would've been if it was a drive in. Not saying it wasn't a blast but I just thought this was inventive. As for the match. It was awful. J/k. Super fun spotfest here. To continue my honesty, I choose to review this match over the other match you have waiting for me because I'm more in a junk food kinda match mood. And this totally delivered. Side note, I'm assuming it's 22 degrees celsius. Which means it 71.6 degrees fahrenheit. Great wrestling weather. The x and o's of this one are simple. Great spots. Unique atmosphere. Fun falsies and a good finish. Good match you rudo son of a bitch.

Two Hearts

Fit Finlay/Franz Schumann VS Hiroshi Hase/Jushin Liger - NJPW 2/14/1991

JJZ: First off, I'm drunk. So this will be a fun review. This was such a unique match to watch. Is it the greatest match ever? No. But it's a fun little jawn to drink a lager to. This match has a lot of little one off spots that really pop. Getting to watch Liger and Finlay wrestle each other is a dream come true in my opinion. I think about what you would expect me to play back to you and I don't think you'd think about this match ever. And that's what I love about this story in our lives that we have created. This is a good match with solid psychology that I don't think we'd ever have seen if it wasn't for Play It Forward.

CJD: I wouldn't expect you to play this match back but boy howdy am I glad you did! This is the stuff that PIF is made of and man did I enjoy the heck out of it. Pro wrestling nirvana right here. So many different things coming together in a fairly straightforward, WCW Saturday Night style tag match, that doesn't overachieve but does everything you want it to. All 4 wrestlers shine at various points, both teams have good chemistry, and Liger throws in a surprise top rope elbow drop which is of course a thing of beauty. What a pair of tag matches for our MDTSOCWWKD Champion of the week Hiroshi Hase! And did you know he's a former Olympian?? I sure didn't until now! I really loved this match for its simple but extremely sound fundamentals, great execution, and once in a lifetime feel.

Forever Forward Fridays

Josh Alexander/Black Taurus/Ace Austin VS Michael Oku/Laredo Kid/Rey Horus - WrestleCon Mark Hitchcock Memorial Super Show 3/13/2022

JJZ: I don't know who the fuck Mark Hitchcock is fyi. But I do know this match will certainly give you a bunch of options for what to play next! What I find interesting is that if Oku was our Twosde Champion I would've went immediately to his match with Ospreay that has been getting amazing reviews which I haven't seen yet. BUT it ain't Twosde. It's Friday homie and we know what Fridays are all about here at PIF! Full disclosure while watching this I'm feeling my drink and smoking a fat ass stick so I wanted a junkfood match to pop me out of my seat. If you were in the supermarket you would find this match between the Herr's Cheese Curls and the Takis! If this jawn was a beer it be a Lager. Tastes great and goes down smooth at the end of a long work day. Enjoy my beautiful friend!

CJD: I love that review! I'm also coincidentally having a beer after a 10 hour graveyard as I watch this and this was indeed a smooth ride. Alexander and especially Taurus bring a great power dynamic to a car crash match and all the flippy doos get their shit in nicely. Good structure, good pace, there's not a lot to comment on but I really dug it. Normally I wouldn't want to share a bootleg upload like this but I know you had limited options with Oku and honestly as a Wrestlecon memorial show (I can't find who Mark Hitchcock is either) that had more high profile matches like Bandido/Speedball and the Briscoes/Rottweilers, I don't think giving them a little extra publicity with this great appetizer of a match is a bad thing at all. I'm guessing it'll get taken down sooner than later so watch while you can! I got a kick of Cary Silkin on commentary. Man does he get down with some Ace Austin. I get it, I almost played Ace forward previously, and this match is packed with talent and delivers on a lot of cool interactions and pairings. Good shit and I honestly would love to go with any of the other 5 guys next! Thinking, thinking...

Kick It!

Daisuke Ikeda/Tatsuo Nakano VS Hiroshi Hase/Kentaro Shiga - AJPW 8/22/1997

CJD: Will this derail our Shootstyle Sidequest? Or will it just bring us back closer to the vein? This is much more of a pro style match although there's some good grappling especially between Hase and Takano. This match is kind of an example of Ikeda not having the same special "something" in other settings but I still think the sums of its parts is pretty damn good. In the late 90s I thought Shiga was a super rookie and in retrospect watching him now it's amazing injuries didn't derail his career sooner. The effort is there in spades but he always looks like he's on the brink of a strong breeze ripping him in half. The main thing I'm curious about is how you feel about Hiroshi's performance? I always think of you as a Hase Hater although I don't know if that's fair. But I loved him in this brief AJPW run and thought this match was a great example of his versatility. This isn't where I imagined going with Ikeda at all but this is exactly the kind of match I was in the mood to watch to see Ikeda try to adapt to other settings.

JJZ: Man!! That transition Hase did to get a rear naked choke was amazing. I'm going to always remember the way he got that hold. I rewatched it four times. Anyway! Really good match baby. I wasn't sure if this was gonna be more focused on shoot style or more traditional wrestling. But I think they mixed the bag up really well. Loved the crowd and how much the top blew off that place when the slapping started. I was hoping they would've went back to the sharpshooter stuff because I was loving how much Hase was working to get that bitch on. Nice one CJD! 

Forever Forward Fridays

Michael Oku (c) VS "Speedball" Mike Bailey - RevPro Cruiserweight Championship 11/21/2021

CJD: Speedball is a 2x MDTSOCWWKD Champion and now our Forever Forward Champion (meaning this is our 6th match we've featured of his) and you and I are no strangers to his work in general. That said, I think between your match and this match I've seen more depth to Bailey's game than I ever knew he had previously. I went into this totally cold, a "let's see what this is all about" situation. As such my expectations were low and some criticisms I'd have with this otherwise were easier to look past. I left this match curious to see more from Oku but with a whole new level of respect for Bailey. This isn't on the level of Nigel holding Tyler Black's hand to a MOTYC back in ROH, but honestly it's not that far off. And it definitely gave off shades of that match. Life's been hectic lately and it's been hard to find time and motivation to watch wrestling. So this was a gamble to devote the time to and I don't regret it at all. In fact this was a treat. Curious to hear if you agree??

JJZ: I'm pretty sure this is my first Oku match too. Can't be certain if I've seen him in a random tag at some point or not. REGARDLESS! For a first impression this is crazy town. So much great leg work. Love the mindset of these wrestlers to not just have a spotfest. With that said, this had some amazing spots. I do think this is the kind of match that would win over our friends in an all night marathon viewing of wrestling. Just saying. Bailey also really showed a lot of depth I've never seen from him before. Not shitting on the karate kid. Fucking love me some Bailey. Great pick man!

Sho Can Go

Daisuke Ikeda VS Shoichi Funaki - BattlARTS 4/6/1996

JJZ: I knew right away I was going more shoot style Funaki. He really impressed me in his last match. So Ikeda, man I keep feeling like we've shared him recently but looking back we have not. He's another one that I know the name but I'm not sure of his stature in Japan. I'm wondering if we talked about him in regards to you other wreslting side project. So after watching two Funaki matches I've fully come to the conclusion that he ain't nuttin to fuck wit. Jesus baby, you can tell this motherfucker is the real deal. His transition game is legitimate. Now it's obvious that Ikeda is the vet in this match. I wouldn't say he is taking liberties but he is kinda laying into his shit. I do believe that Funaki looks great in his reversals and offensive holds. And I fucking loved the finish.

CJD: Ikeda was probably on your mind because I was talking to you off the record about how intertwined his career is with Ishikawa, but how Ishikawa is pretty much a slam dunk for my Greatest Wrestler Ever top 100 ballot as he translates to a lot of different settings. Meanwhile Ikeda's typically only great in shootstyle but man is he great at it. I honestly don't know if he'll make my ballot but I do know I loved this match! These guys didn't give each other an inch. The dueling limb work was awesome right through the end, just enough focus for a match like this but still with an organic fight feel. And you've gotta love mid 90s BattlARTS ambiance (what was the audio picking up in the background?? Ring springs squeaking mixed with a nearby concert?). Something I've really valued over the years with our friendship and our good buddy and occasional guest reviewer PB is I can always rely on both of your extensive BJJ  training to get feedback on if a match like this holds up to some scrutiny beyond a pro wrestling lens. So it's good to know that Funaki, who I never watched do this style until these past two weeks, looks as good to you as he does to me. He was always the least of Kaentai DX to me, perfectly fine as the 5th man, but now I kind of wish he had kept running with Ishikawa's crew instead. Speaking of PB, I reached out to see if he wanted to join us on our Shootstyle Sidequest this week! What do you say Phil, does Ikeda make your top 100 greatest wrestlers? Does Smackdown's #1 Announcer have what it takes to tap out JBL if he pooped in his bag?? Also what did you think of this match.

PB: Top 100? Not quite, but I see the argument. His 2005 match against Yuki Ishikawa from Futen would be enough to justify the consideration as far as I'm concerned. On the other hand, I think we could all agree that FunakiSmackdownNumberOne was never in the conversation. That being said, he more than carries his share of the heavy lifting here (pun semi-intended). You can tell from the first takedown that FSN1 has a formidable grappling background despite it's infrequent application at the height of his stateside popularity. The disparity in skill between the two is primarily in the striking, but this actually serves to magnify Sho's prowess on the ground to the point where I was convinced that he had a legitimate (albeit small) shot of winning if he could nullify Ikeda's kicks. That reminds me, without spoiling the ending I can confidently say that the first two syllables of the winner's theme music is the most apropos compliment to the finish of a match that I've seen/heard in recent memory.

A Malenko By Any Other Name

Carl Greco VS Shoichi Funaki - PWFG 5/12/1993

CJD: We're getting into the weeds with this Shootstyle Sidequest. The Greco options that don't have Ishikawa in them were really limited so I had to start combing through some uploads of entire PWFG shows like this one to see what caught my eye. I try to avoid sharing stuff like this because I don't want people to have to click around but it's the first match on the show 6 minutes in and you can see more of Kane warming up for his match later with Fujiwara (!) as an added bonus. This is the earliest match I've seen from Greco or Funaki and while this honestly pales in comparison to your match last week, for the opener of a fairly low key shootstyle show I thought this did a very nice job. The opening feeling out is organic and exciting. I did think it was a little dry in the middle stretch but both guys did a very good job fighting for ring position and stressing the importance of trying to finish things out of the reach of rope breaks. Which kind of plays off of your match even though it's 15 years in the future! The finish capped it off as a "yes, I'll play that forward" moment. This doesn't go big but it does get the crowd warmed up and ready and makes both young fighters look full of potential. And I'm not going to lie, I'm just grinning thinking about the transition the past month and half going from WALTER, to Ishikawa, to Kane, back to Ishikawa, to Greco, to Smackdown's #1 Announcer. Where are we taking this wild ride next??

JJZ: The joy that this match brings me just seeing the opening is something that only Play it Forward can do. How in the hell did we get here (thanks for that little recap). How great is this Chris! Funaki really impressed me in this one. He can go. This match is extremely well done on a  technical level. The reversals from hold to hold were so smooth. Both guys did an excellent job on the fundamentals of grappling that made the match feel so authentic. I do wish they had a limit on rope breaks though. I found myself at times thinking, "try a kimura! Go for a knee bar!" and the guys actually went for it. Loved that little touch. Great finish. I could've watched this for another 30 minutes!

Forever Forward Fridays

 
Club Tropicana VS Bird Law (Mike Bailey/Veda Scott) - Riptide Wrestling 10/5/2019

JJZ: Bringing a little gaga for the proud papa! Right off the bat I'm going to say this probably over stayed its welcome by a few minutes. But the thought of this match being on the blog at the same time as the shoot stuff we've been sharing made me laugh to myself. This bad boy gets weird. I'm totally unfamiliar with Club Tropicana but Sexsea and Aiden have this gimmick down. Total pros. I'd love to see them wrestle against Colt and Yone. Veda was really good in this, better than I expected. Bailey (who fucking killed it in this match) could've really covered up any warts with his insane highflying but everyone delivered on what they were trying to sell in this one. The production of the intros was excellent and the crowd was hot from the jump. Hope you enjoy.

CJD: This promotion definitely has some slick production. I was just talking about how indie wrestlers have so many hats to wear any given night and improv comedian is one they don't typically get many reps with unless it's their gimmick. As such I was also impressed with Bird Law in this, they did get some laughs out of me even if the overall timing of some jokes was off. This was a big old mixed bag with some stuff I liked ("no you put him down!"), some I could have done without (that HBK/Flair joke was a miss for me in particular), and a couple of great spots to keep things moving. It's a messy but fun end result that gives me some interesting options for next week.

MDTSOCWWKD Tuesday Favorites

As advertised here are our picks for our Top 5 favorite Tuesday posts from March 2021-March 2022! There are some absolute bangers mixed in here (so much so that we had three of the same picks!!), while our Friday Top 5 had one hell of an eclectic range of matches. Which is pretty on-brand for PIF but you never know when Tuesdays will go down a rabbit hole of Kane shootstyle exploits! We always keep them guessing.

CJD:

https://pifprowrestling.blogspot.com/2021/06/crazy-insane-kid-or-insane-crazy-kid.html?m=0

https://pifprowrestling.blogspot.com/2021/08/bad-lad-bad-boy.html?m=0

https://pifprowrestling.blogspot.com/2022/01/who-is-noah.html?m=0

https://pifprowrestling.blogspot.com/2022/01/do-that-voodoo-murders-that-you-do-so.html?m=0

https://pifprowrestling.blogspot.com/2022/01/destructive-power.html?m=0

JJZ:

Katsuhiko Nakajima (c) VS Go Shiozaki - NOAH GHC Heavyweight Championship 1/1/2022

Yoshihiro Takayama (c) VS Satoshi Kojima - AJPW Triple Crown Championship 9/26/2009

KENTA VS Eddie Edwards - NOAH 11/25/2007

Orange Cassidy (c) VS Joey Janela - ICW IWTV Championship 5/18/2019

Can-Am Express VS Toshiaki Kawada/Tsuyoshi Kikuchi - AJPW 8/27/1992