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!

I Heard Screamin' And Bull Whips Cracking

Stand Hansen/Bruiser Brody (c) VS Giant Baba/Dory Funk Jr - AJPW PWF Tag Team Championship 8/26/1984

CJD: I love that even in a match where Dory is playing the roll of Plucky Underdog Babyface, and doing a fucking fantastic job of it at that, Terry still finds a way to steal the show despite not even being in the match. We've had three straight matches of pure Funkin' lovin' on Tuesdays and I wouldn't have it any other way heading into Valentine's Day. This match rules. Everyone is so engaged, so dialed in. I don't even really want to say anything in its defense because if you watch this, you will understand pro wrestling is awesome, you too will be filled with pure Funkin' lovin', and you will be happy for it.

JJZ: This might be weird to say but my favorite time to watch older AJPW is at night with a drink. Preferably with cigar. It always feels like an event when I watch this type of match. At this moment, it 8:21 AM on a weekday and I'm drinking coffee in my underwear. I'm sure I will enjoy this just the same. The energy that Hansen and Brody come in with is fucking intense. So the "oooooooo" Baba got for running the ropes actually made me laugh out loud. It's so Terry Funk to completely leave an impression on you in a match that he isn't even in. Jesus Chris. This brawl is so wild and insane. Terry is a man that can make me fully believe that he is in a fight for his life. Now. The match before the craziness was really good. Baba actually looked pretty good man. Such a fun watch!

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!

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.

Sunrise Riders

Bruiser Brody/Stan Hansen VS Terry Funk/Dory Funk Jr - AJPW 4/22/1983

JJZ: Have you seen this match before? Probably. This was a fight with no wasted movement. The most interesting part of this match was the tags. There were no hot tags and no one team kept the offense on for an extended amount of time. It was a shot for a shot kinda match that I loved. Just great stuff.

CJD: I have NOT seen this match before! And it is right up my alley. I agree with you on the pace of this match completely. I love that it was a real change from the peaks and valleys of classic AJPW tags but it also wasn't bell to bell pandemonium like some Funks VS Evil Gaijin tags can be. I enjoyed the ways they tried to contain Brody in particular. This had the feel of a real sporting contest which didn't make for the most dynamic watch but I still enjoyed every minute of it. Can't wait to see where it takes me for my next pick. Oh and damn if that ring announcer didn't have some swag about him!

Best Friends, Stiffer Enemies

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7ret52

Stan Hansen/Dan Spivey (c) VS Mitsuharu Misawa/Toshiaki Kawada - AJPW Tag Team Championship 7/6/1991

CJD: This match is bonkers. You have three of the best wrestlers in the world at the time doing what they do best... and Dan Spivey. It's very fitting that Misawa is the first of the Four Pillars to hold the Mason Dixon Tri-State Outercontinental WWKD Championship. Will his former best friend turned bitter rival be the next in line?? Contemplate that question while you go on the journey this match will take you on. You once mentioned how AJPW is a vault of greatness that never ends. This is a perfect example, a match I would never look twice at normally, but I was very happy I made time for.

JJZ: You know me so you know how excited I would be for this. The way Hansen comes in and cleans house right away, followed by Kawada throwing the belts at him is such a tone setter. Nothing gets me as excited while watching wrestling as 90s AJPW. The story in this match is Kawada and Hansen trying to kill each other. The hate they are wrestling with I feel through the screen. Bonkers is a fantastic word for this match. It's a ride that I hope never ends but we both know it will. Shout out to my son Joey for watching this match with me and learning all about the 4 pillars and "The Lariat" Stan Hansen!