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.

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.

He's Middle Aged Crazy, Trying To Prove He Still Can

Sting/"Dr Death" Steve Williams VS Terry Funk/Terry Gordy - NWA 8/8/1989

CJD: I started watching WCW regularly around 1992 when I was 10 years old, but I caught glimpses of it here and there when I was younger. This reminds me so much of those earliest memories watching when it was transitioning from the NWA. The college sports influence, the serious presentation, the physical style, the larger than life personalities with an edge of realism. Singles stars mashed up in a special attraction tag match. The unsavory crowd, unflattering venue, and less than stellar production values. The shitty finish that still leaves you wanting to tune back in. I wish this match had another 10 minutes but I hope you enjoy what we got as much as I did.

JJZ: Holy crap this is great. Never thought I'd see these pairings. This is my personal favorite era of Funk. Interesting for me to see Dr. Death and Gordy not tagging together. Before I knew Gordy was a Freebird I knew him from the MVC. Great interaction and crowdplay with all four wrestlers. Matches like this are why Play It Forward exists. I never would have seen this match otherwise. Funk's selling is so spectacular that if I were a wrestler today I'd copy as much of it as possible. And this is a great match to build Funk/Flair, it showcases what a madman Terry is. Super fun stuff baby, I could have watched this for another 20 minutes!