Forever Forward Fridays

Kyoko Inoue VS Reggie Bennett - AJW 8/4/1996

JJZ: Baby cakes, how you doing. I'm doing great after watching this delightful little banger of a match. Hope you like powerbombs my guy because this match is overflowing with them. And all of them are bluechew stiff. Promo code play_it_forward2023 for a free month, just five dollars for shipping. Speaking of stiff, I dunno why this stood out to me in this match but goddamn that ring looked brutal. I know the rings in the 90s were harder than the rings of today but that thing didn't move at all when Bennett and Inoue had to bump on it. Good hot little start then some good tech work. Really strong build to falsies. This one definitely had me saying FUCK a few times. Enjoy cutie pie.

CJD: FUCK indeed. This was such a complete match! Reggie has improved in leaps and bounds in 2 years since our match VS Hasegawa. She had me popping throughout the match. Kyoko rules. You and I have been talking behind the scenes about wrestlers PIF has totally changed our opinions of. Kyoko is one of those for me. I don't know why I sold her short for the longest time?? But I did, and i was wrong! Peak Inoue is as good as any joshi, or any pro wrestling, period. Thank you for this chance to watch her against such a fun opponent, who she had such instant chemistry with. Hats off to these ladies, this is a match I'd put on a mixtape comp without a moment's hesitation as a must-watch no matter what your tastes. Great way to close out the year!

Forever Forward Fridays

Sakie Hasegawa VS Reggie Bennett - AJW 10/9/1994

CJD: Reggie Bennett is one of those pro wrestling names you just know, even if you've never watched a match. I might not have as she seems like someone that would stick out in your memory. And I'll be honest, after this great joshi run we've been on, she's lacking in the polish that we've seen on Fridays lately. But considering she's a product of the American pro wrestling scene of the late 80s and was as good as she was at this point, you better believe I'm impressed. This match is simple, I picked it as more of a curiosity and a chance for you to have some different options for next week. But much like our Hercules/Savage match a few weeks back, I was pleasantly surprised by what we got here. This gave me flashbacks to watching gaijin like Bam Bam or Bossman come into AJPW and work against top stars. It's not quite everything you might hope for, but it's also a lot better than you might expect.

JJZ: I'm brand ass new to Reggie Bennett. She looks like she was married to Big John during this gimmick but thank god she wrestles better. This was a really well done match that got both Reggie and Sakie over. Reggie looked like a true powerhouse that could launch her opponent out of the ring whenever she wants. Sakie showed that fiery baby face spark. Loved all those back drops. Had me popping out my seat! Really good match baby!

Yo, I Don't Wanna Fight Cerberus

Jim Duggan VS Hercules Hernandez - Houston Wrestling Coal Miner's Glove Match 8/31/1984

JJZ: So you definitely have shown me a CMG match before and I remember loving it. Now what makes this match is the fucking crowd. No commentary, no spots, no psychology really. Just fists and elbows tbh, but the crowd was losing it so everything was meaningful to them. I really liked this one because it showcased that you don't need to do much to make the crowd buy in. Your just need that heat son. Both Hacksaw and Hernandez treated this like a fist fight. The energy to get the Coal Miner's Glove made it feel so special that you knew the match was over when someone got it.

CJD: God damn did Duggan have great punches in this era. I would agree with you that the strength of this match is how they build and build to the glove, and you know beyond the shadow of a doubt that once it's in play it's end game. I would, however, disagree that it's lacking in psychology, because that's brilliant psychology into and of itself that much modern wrestling could learn from! Now in terms of the give and take of this match, it is a bit messy, and not always in a chaotic fist fight kinda way. But it's so charming it doesn't really matter. Hacksaw is SUCH a good babyface. Cornette, who is really getting his moment in the sun with us lately, is SUCH a good heel! Hercules is fine! I loved his little celebration strut. You can tell he thought that flying clothesline he was throwing was hot shit. This match was so fucking fun JJZ. Beautiful pick you beautiful man, you.

Forever Forward Fridays

Mariko Yoshida (c) VS Sakie Hasegawa - AJW Championship 7/15/1992

JJZ: This match was wild brother. I want to call it a car crash of a match but usually those kinda matches have a sloppy element to them but this match was  pretty goddamn tight. Nothing whiffed, everything was hit pretty much dead on. Super fucking stiff. The fact that I had no knowledge of Sakie Hasegawa before this match honestly makes me sad. What makes me even more sad is that this is only the second match of Mariko Yoshida I've ever seen. Both these wrestlers brought the fire and violence that only seasoned workers usually have. So I know there are more gems out there that are waiting to be dug up! Get that shovel baby!

CJD: I'm also totally ignorant of Hasegawa. Which honestly made this match that much more special. What a fucking ride!! These women were bringing the heart and soul, the primary colors of pro wrestling, the desperation of the underdog challenger bum rushing the Champ, the injured valiant defender fighting with such passion, the struggle, the drama!! What a battle condensed into such a tight package. John. This made me so happy. This was the Yoshida I've always heard about. And I can't wait to discover more Hasegawa. Thank you!!