It Was In The Bleak December

Raven VS AJ Styles - TNA NWA World Heavyweight #1 Contender's Match 3/12/2003

CJD: This match is so fucking TNA. The good, the bad, the ugly, the unintentionally hilarious. I love it. They packed a lot into not a ton of time, maybe a little too much, but I certainly didn't leave this one disappointed. Raven is an interesting figure in wrestling history. I never cared a ton about him in particular, but he was always involved in stuff I enjoyed. He brought a great creative energy with him, and clearly tried to elevate a lot of the younger guys along the way. I'm glad we spent a little time with Johnny Polo these past few weeks and I'm wondering if this is the first time we've ever featured the Phenomenal One?? Side note this AJ entrance song is such a guilty pleasure

JJZ: WHO WON! WHO WON! Lol wow. That was a lot of fun to watch babycakes. I fully agree that this match is so TNA. Raven was good in this match. I was never really a fan of him post WCW but he put together a good story and all of his moves actually looked pretty good. And not just because he was working AJ. Styles really could have a good match with a broom. I got a kick out of the commentary table and Double J's shirt. So fucking tight. The ending was what it was but I didn't even care. This was pure 2000s wrestling junk food in the best way.

Forever Forward Fridays

Lady Frost VS Vita VonStarr - CFU 3/12/2022

CJD: On the subject of different flavors for a FFFriday match, I present you with exhibit B. This match wouldn't particularly get any sort of star rating from me. But I really enjoyed the presentation, the slightly goofy backstage interviews, and the different setting for these wrestlers than I was expecting. I'm positive if I dug deeper I could find better matches from both ladies. But for what this was I was very entertained, and I bet you will be too. Variety is the spice of life, and I was pleasantly surprised by the extra seasoning and then the simplicity of how they wrapped this one up.

JJZ: Man do I wish they gave this more time. The production quality was great, I liked the little before match interviews. Loved the idea of rounds in a cagematch. Vita and Frost felt like they were building to something big before the suprise finish. Now we have both been live for a out of nowhere earlier than expected finish (Bryan Danielson vs Colt Cabana for example) that really built into a good longterm story line. So maybe that is what they are going for? I dunno. Either way I like the cut of CFU's jib and will look out for more of their stuff in the future.

Forever Forward Fridays

Lady Frost (c) VS Chelsea Green - Hurricane Pro Women's Championship

JJZ: OK, so I watched this match and loved how indy wrestling it was but felt it lacked enough that I said I'll find another match to play forward. I watched a couple Green matches but I kept thinking about this match with Lady Frost. The very patchy crowd that when someone yelled something you could hear and see them so clearly. The weird ring announcer at the start of the match. Chelsa basically committing a crime after crawling out from under the ring. The fake snowballs from Frost. Did they give her power? The beautifulness and weirdness of independent wrestling wrapped into twelve minutes. Super curious to read your review.

CJD: Well this was a different flavor for us, even on a FFFriday. I'd seen a little of Lady Frost before so I had an idea of what to expect there, but this side of the Hot Mess was totally new to me. And it was certainly a wild ride! It had to be so tough for young wrestlers learning their craft through the pandemic years. For so many reasons. But when they finally got the chance to try some of this stuff out in front of thriving crowds, it must've been so worth all the struggles. This match was goofy as hell but it also had a little extra pop and sizzle. They put some stank on it, and for any criticisms you can make, I won't ever forget this match! I for one applaud your choice to play it forward. And I loved your comments on what a beautiful package of indie wrestling this is.

Forever Forward Fridays

Pentagon Dark VS Reklusa - Lucha Underground 10/10/2018

CJD: I know I should be familiar with Chelsea Green. But I'm not, and that's the beauty of FFFridays. This match I never would've watched otherwise broadens my horizons with a very talented wrestler, in the early stages of her career, who I now have an entire world of possibilities for when I check out more of her work in the future. I can't wait to see what you come back with. Even 4 years into the business she brings so much life to this match, a must-see energy that you know Penta is going to match. As with most Lucha Underground they're trying to weave this into a larger storyline and I don't know if it's entirely necessary, but it's part of their charm. This was a wild ride for a match that I totally picked on a whim. I think you'll enjoy hopping on!

JJZ: I've been wanting to watch this match for a while. I honestly never checked the Tube for it because I've never had luck with Lucha Underground on that platform. Also I didn't know her name was Reklusa in LU. I should be calling her Chelsea Black and Blue after this match. (Sorry for the horrible joke) Man CJD, this was a blast. Lucha Underground is always such a joy to watch and matches like this are exactly why. Super stiff with a ton of "oh shit" spots. Reklusa went all out trying to have an even offensive output despite her size difference. Penta should teach a class on thigh slappies. Sounded so good. Really enjoyed the little theater we got treated to after the match. Honestly wouldn't put it past Lucha Underground to set Penta on fire!

Throw The Dice, Cold As Ice

Raven VS Dean Malenko - WCW 2/11/1998

JJZ: Threw this match on and didn't really know what to expect. Technically I always thought Raven was a little underrated and wanted to see if he'd be able to have a nice back and forth with Dean. That didn't happen at all! This was right in that ECW vein and both guys did a really nice job with a smash mouth match. I always enjoyed Raven's run in WCW. It was a good change of pace on the shows. I wouldn't call anything Malenko ever does sloppy so I will say that the execution of the moves were a little wild and more aggressive than normal. Even with the short run time the ending had me bitting a couple times. Just good TV overall. Enjoy homie.

CJD: Very fitting to watch this match right after the Raven documentary came out. I wouldn't be surprised if both of us watched this live with how dialed in we were in this era. And man this takes me back to how frustrating WCW was in this time period. Commentary a total trainwreck with Tenay trying desperately to keep it on the tracks. Enormously bloated roster shoehorned into every angle to try to justify having them all on the payroll. And buried beneath all of it, somehow still shining if you look hard enough, some shockingly good wrestling! These two worked so well together. And every time they pushed Malenko I was surprised how much he'd run with it, with consistently great crowd reactions. I do remember hating the "Raven loves pain" angle they were working at the time, although I could easily see that being his own invention. I'm curious if he ever mentioned it in any shoots. This match was not at all what I expected from you this week but it's such a fun detour. A perfect time capsule of the undercard of 1998 American TV pro wrestling, with all the highs and lows that came with it.

We'd Catch The Rainbow, Ride The Wind

Shinjiro Otani/El Samurai VS Black Tiger II/Dean Malenko - NJPW 9/24/1993

CJD: Huge shout out to the guys over at Segunda Caida for unearthing this fan cam on their Found Footage Fridays. Holy guacamole, you want to talk about white whales. This match speaks to our teenage tape trading fandom moby dick days. This was a dream come true. Now my bff, I'm warning you right away. There's some moments we miss out on, given the nature of how this was filmed. And there's some missed moments that are really heart breaking. I'm sorry in advance. But just remind yourself: we could so so easily live in a timeline where this match was lost to the sands of time. Yet here we are. I'm so glad this niche of a niche hobby brought me to this moment in time.

I'll say a few things about the actual match. After watching an all out war with Murakami where there was some filthy alley fighting legwork, it was fun to travel back to this heated technical clinic where Otani's still taking and giving and stuffing nasty leg picks and holds. And, god almighty, I love the energy that was in this arena. This crowd knew then what we know now. It's special that we got to bear witness to these kind of performers practicing their craft at this level with this kind of platform. I'm so glad you sent us on an Otani Odyssey!!!

JJZ: This match is a dream come true man. Like if we were booking a dream card from this era I would've booked this match. The fact it's a fan cam with a few hiccups makes it even more of a unicorn in my opinion. Hearing the crowd from this point of view is so cool and adds a little ambiance. Chris. Just watching all these guys hit their moves is like comfort food. I'm getting so much happiness from it. Watching this is reminding me why we hold these guys in such high regard.  It is funny though, because if we watched this match back in the day I wonder if we would have appreciated it. We were so knee deep in matches of these four back then. Finding something like this now though I know I don't take it for granted. Thank you my friend.

The Moonlight Coming

Shinjiro Otani VS Kazunari Murakami - Zero One 6/14/2001

JJZ: I'm pretty positive we've watched this together many many moons ago. I honestly just wanted to see some Otani. Shinjiro could be such a fucking prick that I knew this would be such a fun match to review. Both guys just throwing kicks and punches with bad intentions. Everything landing so hard that I would've believed for real some got knocked out. Just a wonderful stiff fight that I wouldn't disagree with anyone if they told me it was a shoot. I can't remember if they had a rematch or not? I would assume this built to a huge blow off but I couldn't find anything on YouTube. You followed this fued pretty close no?

CJD: They've had a bunch of matches I'm pretty sure! We watched some from years later, I don't think I've seen this one before though 😍

So if I'm not mistaken this is a rematch from a barnburner these two had on the very first Z1 show. That match gets talked about as an all-timer but in true PIF spirit, I think you've uncovered a real gem here John. This is such a beautiful spectacle. I love love loved Otani casually stepping on Murakami's leg and refusing to get off. And I'm loving this early Zero 1 kick we're on, I'd keep exploring these shows for months if they were easy to find online. This vision of pro wrestling speaks to me. I watched every minute of the post match promo having no idea what was being said. And not needing to.

Forever Forward Fridays

Mike Santana (c) VS Penta El Zero Miedo - HOG World Championship 3/2/2024

JJZ: So, while watching this match I got such strong ECW vibes. The energy from the crowd lead to Penta and Santana kinda wrestling to just pop the crowd with every spot. Which they did very well. No real psychology other than giving the paying customer what they wanted. Santana is an interesting wrestler. He doesn't look like he'd be as athletic as he is. I would assume a New Jack style from him but dude can go. Penta is always a treat to watch. My guy has such charisma in the ring. Not gonna lie I wasn't crazy about the finish but I left this match more satisfied than disappointed.

CJD: These two did a great job making this match and the promotion feel big. I'll agree with you on Santana and take it one step further, I never imagined he could be The Guy like he is in this match. But he is every bit the HOG Ace with a capital A here, you buy in completely and so do these fans. I know I'm in the minority but I'm not a big Penta fan. The one area I can't knock him is in that X factor, and this match brought that. This was highly entertaining, and for me the finish and post match was kind of a pleasant surprise. It felt like late 90s tv, maybe a little bit of an ECW vibe like you said. A little out of control and takes you on a ride. Everyone played their part really well and the crowd was rabid. I thought this was a great pick even if the match had aspects that left us both wanting. Not always a bad thing! Very curious where I want to go with Zero Miedo.

Forever Forward Fridays

Shelton Benjamin VS Mike Santana - Prestige Wrestling 7/12/2024

CJD: I wasn't sure if I was going to play this one forward. There's some awkward moments and I wish Prestige didn't telegraph that the finish of their uploads is just about to happen. I like everything else about their production, and I know it's for music rights. But still!! This match won out for me though because it had a really fun energy. In some ways it reminded me of a  2002 ROH undercard. Random pairings you don't know what to expect from that hit at least a couple of really memorable highlight kinda moments. And get you genuinely invested by the end to see who wins and how. So basically good bread and butter indies wrestling. Steaming hot rolls with a nice warm cup of soup on a crisp October morning. You get what I'm laying down JJZ?? I'm very tired this morning but I enjoyed this match with my thermos of coffee as a little pick me up and I think you'll enjoy it too.

JJZ: Man you are right. I could totally picture this at the Murphy Rec Center. Definitely a little clumpy at times but entertaining as fuck. The crowd wasn't packed but I got the feeling from them that they appreciated the effort Santana and Benjamin put forth. They did a good job of building to the big pop moments. Showing off good fundamental wrestling early. I've been a fan of Mike Santana since seeing him in AEW. Feel like be he always over performed when I didn't expect him to. Nice little yin and yang over these last couple matches.

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.