I Keep Trying To Find A Better Way

Mitsuhara Misawa/Takeshi Rikio VS Naoya Ogawa/Kazunari Murakami - Zero One 4/18/2001

CJD: Sending this one over on your birthday my BFF and cofounder of PIF. This match is all ambiance with a little bit of extra spice and sizzle in the execution we do get. You and I were just talking shop about how early NOAH and Z1 was such a time and place in wrestling history, such a different vibe for the puro scene. It seemed like they might be onto something huge, but regardless of how it all played out, I love going back and revisiting this stuff. I could watch a 10 disc Best of NOAH/Zero 1 Max Crossovers comp. Does that exist? That really should exist. I feel like I should say more about this match. Our current MDTSOCWWKD Champ, Rikio, brings the heat once again!! And I swear we've featured the most random collection of Misawa matches PIF over the years for a legitimate GOAT candidate. Happy birthday my friend!

JJZ: Can't believe I'm gonna say this but these two PIF matches have really changed my opinion of Rikio. This match starts guns blazing with some of the meanest potatoes I've ever seen to Rikios body and head. I thought he was just gonna be getting the shit kicked out of him this match but hot damn I was wrong. He flipped the switch and started shooting right back. Let's call this match what it was CJD. It was a fight. Everyone laying it the fuck in. No one really selling til the finish. Which was so goddamn stiff. Yeah we need so many comps of this feud. This is a must watch match.

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?

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.