Blessed Be The Doctor, Blessed Be The Nurse

Steve Williams VS Akira Taue - AJPW Champions Carnival Finals 4/20/1996

JJZ: So. Chris. In my opinion this is an ace of a match. These two wrestlers busted so much ass. A true 50/50 match. Now. It's so hard to find matc5h in this era that I haven't seen before. In my heart I feel like I have never seen a singles match between Williams and Taue. Pretty much a hoss battle but very aggressive. AJPW during this time is just special Chris. We both know it without saying it. The fact that Dr. Death and Akira have a match of this quality that I have zero memory of blows my mind. Thank god for 90s AJPW.

CJD: 1996 Champions Carnival finals and I have to agree with you JJZ, I'm pretty sure neither one of us had ever seen this match. How is that possible?? I'm glad though, because this gave me those feelings some of the first All Japan we ever watched in the 90s gave me on grainy VHS tapes all over again. This was magic. From the opening moments to the ground shaking eruption of a finishing stretch. Both men gave an all-time performance. Any sloppiness is totally understandable with what an all out war this was. I knew Doc had major wins over Misawa and Kawada at this point so I knew this was a huge opportunity for Taue. Which is awesome after seeing him as an emerging star a few years earlier in our last match! What I didn't know was this was Doc's return after issues with drugs and depression that Giant Baba helped him through. Reading up a bit more, Doc called Baba a father figure in his life. I know he was to many, but for a gaijin like Williams and the significance his career in Japan had, that's pretty fucking cool. This match was Aces indeed my friend. Very nicely done.

Forever Forward Fridays

Jay Malachi VS Cheeseburger - DEADLOCK Pro Wrestling 4/16/2022

JJZ: Talk about indie wrestling. Overhead panel lighting. Local top talent versus incoming indie darling. Over the top commentators. Let's go! This was a super light, fun watch. Malachi played a shitty little heel really well. Made him and CB look great. And I'm not gonna lie. I didn't know the Cheesebuger had all that in his bag. The back and forth strikes were way stiffer than I expected. Enjoy this one baby cakes. FFF has really opened us up to some true gems that we probably would've never seen. I wouldn't have picked a Cheeseburger match normally. But this is what I love about putting ourselves on a one way street.

CJD: You nailed my feelings about this match. This is what's beautiful about indie wrestling, these guys are not exactly known quantities here. Malachi is early in his DEADLOCK run, I think they said his first singles match, and Cheeseburger making his debut? And they fucking knock it out of the park. A match that communicates everything you need to know whether you're 8 years old or have been watching pro wrestling for decades. Great physical action, creativity, a fun face/heel dynamic, good pace, just the right kind of finish. I never ever would have told you I'm a Cheeseburger fan before. I was wrong! Like you said I never gave the guy a chance and I'm so glad you gave me the opportunity to correct that. He was a gem here, bringing a seasoned veteran presence that only a true student of the game could. Who has put in the reps! And I loved this side of Malachi. What a find JJZ! I can't wait to watch more World Famous CB!!!

For Once In Your Life, Here's Your Miracle

Miracle Violence Connection VS Jumbo Tsuruta/Akira Taue - AJPW 8/22/1992

CJD: Every time we play forward a match with real length these days I feel like it's a big ask. But I really think this one is worth it. This doesn't have the reputation of the biggest AJPW tags (it only got a paltry ****1/4 from Meltz) but it is very notable. It's one of the first big tests for the Miracle Violence Connection as they are starting to tear through the division. Jumbo is returning from some time off, in storyline due to a leg injury. And Taue is on the rise but still emerging as Jumbo's protege. A lot of components to this match, a lot of smaller storylines that build over the course of it. Not everything builds to a payoff but there's so much to like here. So much meat slapped!! And a great sense of the stakes of what a win in a match like this means by the time we reach the finish. I had this one in my book to watch for a long while, thank you JJZ (and Terry Gordy!) for giving me an excuse to cross it off. Also a side note but crazy timing how this little run of Bam Bam matches coincided with his episode of Dark Side Of The Ring. Just weird pro wrestling fandom synergy.

JJZ: Smoking a cigar and drinking a Guinness. Let's fucking go. This is a back and forth hoss battle! Thank you for the history lesson to this gem. No matter what is on the line for this match all four of these guys fucking went for it. And it all built to an ending that was straight violence. Just four dogs fighting for a bone. So entertaining. And it didn't even feel that long! All Japan Pro Wrestling had the ability to make time stand still with the action in the ring during this era. Love it CJD.

Forever Forward Fridays

Myron Reed VS Jay Malachi - DEADLOCK Pro Wrestling 5/21/2023

CJD: We've watched a good amount of Myron Reed here at PIF, but I don't know if we've featured a match that's this much of a fireworks show. And if you want pop and sizzle this match won't disappoint. But the young GOAT also does a beautiful job of filling in the quiet moments between the explosions, and making things feel like they count. Malachai is totally new to me and I'm glad I took a chance on a name I wasn't familiar with. He has some great assets, I hope he keeps adding to his toolbox as he continues his career as Je'Von Evans in NXT. The chemistry between him and Reed had some extra spice and seasoning that made you want to keep coming back for more. I was digging this promotion too. Hot Fire continues to bring the FFFriday heat!

JJZ: RIP to one of my favorite nicknames ever. Hot Fire. Oh well. But this match was Hot Fire! Both wrestlers came out the shoot trying to one up each other and man oh man was it enjoyable to watch. This match was such an indie darling style that I felt like it was 2006 all over again. I could picture Dave Prazak calling some of those spots. Jay Malachi is brand new to me also. He has that young puppy energy that you can feel through the screen. Excited to really dive into more of his stuff. I know he is young but you can tell he has been working for years. Good shit!

Your Love Is Blind, Blind As A Bat

British Bulldogs VS Stan Hansen/Terry Gordy - AJPW 5/6/1989

JJZ: So my fear with any AJPW match that I watch is that I have seen it before and don't remember. I have zero memory of ever seeing the Bulldogs vs Hansen and Gordy. If I did and don't remember this banger shame on me. Goddammit this was spectacular. First the crowd was at a ten. Second the wrestlers were killing it. All four guys wanted to bring the house down. It's so wild to watch Davey Boy who is sweating steroids going shot for shot against Stan who looking like he just stepped off the bar stool. This is just a beef slapping hoss battle at its finest. Ain't no real psychology to it. Just four guys beating the shit out of eachother. Enjoy it.

CJD: You read my mind with that comment about Hansen/DBS. This match certainly had the big fight feels. The Bulldogs were limited but Stan and Terry made them look like a million bucks. Gordy really went above and beyond. The way he kept selling the press slam, like that was the reason Hansen tried to sneak in as the illegal man, was such a wonderful touch. And man, what a beautiful finish, as perfect as you could hope from a match like this. This was a dream match that delivered, and with the limitations you had from a barely mobile Dynanite and a walking science experiment in Davey, that's pretty damn impressive!

Forever Forward Fridays

Bryan Keith (c) VS Myron Reed - Freelance Legacy Championship 9/23/2022

JJZ: Bringing that hot fire this week! We got Forever Forward Friday veteran Myron Reed making his PIF return. Going against the Bounty Hunter! CJD, I love this gimmick for Bryan Keith. He has the perfect moveset and build for this kinda role. This match was so much fun. Really solid build to a really hot finish. Both guys didn't hold anything back and the crowd loved it. Fantastic energy and emotion in that building. Everything about this bout made it feel like it was the most important thing in the world at that moment. Coming out of the past few weeks I am now a big fan of the Bounty Hunter!

CJD: The thing I love about this match is that while neither one of these guys is the most physically imposing, they both bring that aura to this match that this title fight is larger than life. These are two guys that do the little things right, inside and outside of the ring. And while this is a very modern match, besides Hot Fire with that flashy offense, this is a match that feels busy without doing too much. Nothing overly complicated or cute. Just a good little barnburner, from two awesome talents, in a fun proportion, with good commentary, in front of a great crowd. That's some Friday goodness right there!!

Forever Forward Fridays

Masato Tanaka VS Bryan Keith - DEFY 10/13/2023

CJD: After a long and winding joshi journey on Fridays ever since our Yoneyama VS Sakura hair match we featured last August (!!), we came out of things with a brutal '90s deathmatch a few weeks back, and now an indie dream match from late last year. Pro wrestling man. It's about the journey, not the destination, right? We've seen Tanaka have this match in the US many times over the years, and it's not a perfect match in terms of selling or structure or whatever. But it's damn fun and the crowd loves it and I was totally along for the ride. Keith is relatively new to me and I was super impressed with how he carried himself in this match. If you want this style of Tanaka dream match, Dangan brings it at a high level too. Hats off to both of these guys for this one.

JJZ: Man I love DEFY. In my 20s I would have definitely set out to get a ton of DEFY DVDs. You did a fantastic job of getting back on track here baby cakes. Keith is brand new to me I think. Nothing is coming to mind. But I'll agree CJD, he really works like he's been there before and that the moment is not too big for him. Dude's got some good intensity and can bang. Now it blows my mind that Tanaka can still go to this level after all the death matches and chair shots and powerbombs and just sick spots he has taken. This match is 27 year after that death match we played. That's a lot of bumps man. Tip of the cap to his journey. Loved the finish. I think it really made Keith look strong without taking anything away from Tanaka.