You Can Call Me Al

Al Perez VS Brad Armstrong - NWA 8/12/1988

CJD: Speaking of never reaching your full potential, here we have Exhibit B to Al Perez' Exhibit A. Armstrong was supposedly one of the most well liked and funny guys backstage, but for whatever reason that never translated into how he presented in the ring. For Perez, I thought this run with Gary Hart was his best work by far, and you could hear with this crowd just how much potential these two guys were bursting with. These types of matches would come on when I was a kid channel surfing searching for pro wrestling or cartoons, and it felt like such a different world than WWF. So believable and athletic but still so entertaining. This match never hits that next gear unfortunately, but I loved what we got, and thought it was a very fitting MSDTOCWWKD Champion to follow the Latin Heartthrob!!

JJZ: Baby cakes! This match is such the classic 80s TV match. I could totally picture you sitting on the floor like a preztel watching this. So good. Perez never worked ECW to my knowledge. He seems like a perfect fit. Reading up on him he did do a number of tours of Japan but I'm having a hard time finding stuff besides the Akiyama match. Brad Armstrong. I really enjoy all the Armstrongs and feel like there are a bunch of their matches waiting for me one day. If I had to pick out one thing that I enjoyed the most it was the early chain wrestling. These guys really put on a show. Some ahead of their time moves. I could watch a whole series of matches between these two guys.

Rookie Of The Year

Jun Akiyama VS Al Perez - AJPW 1/15/1993

JJZ: I was really in the mood for some young Akiyama. I honestly can't remember the last time I've watched a singles match of his this early in his career. I knew even going against a gaijin in Al Perez that he'd be working from under but I wanted to see that dynamic. I haven't watched an Al Perez match in years. I remember always liking him but thinking he never reached his full potential. He did some really cool shit in this one. His strength took me by surprise a little bit. Perez threw Jun around like a little pup at times. Both guys showed a lot of good offense and took some brutal maneuvers from each other. The home stretch of this contest was the driving force of me playing it forward to you. Perez and Akiyama really showed out during it. Enjoy baby cakes.

CJD: Al Perez never reaching his full potential is very much his MO, I think even according to him, although maybe more for lack of opportunity. It's surprising after this match we didn't see more of Perez in AJPW. For that matter was he ever in ECW? It seems like a natural fit that Heyman would have found a great use for him when nobody else could. Either way he made the most of this opportunity with young prodigy Jun Akiyama. They put on one hell of an undercard match, with real struggle, peaks and valleys. I really enjoyed their chemistry and then that finishing stretch totally had me hooked. Great find I had no idea ever happened, my partner in crime!