Forever Forward Fridays

Colt Cabana VS Swoggle - Zelo Pro 10/25/2018

JJZ: Colt Cabana has wrestled everyone. So my choices for this were endless. I scrolled through a lot of stuff and when I saw this Swoggle match I thought, well I don't think CJD would expect to ever watch this. The match is a silly back and forth with a lot of "OHH!" moments. I think it played good on camera but this would've been a joy to be live for. I totally popped when Swoggle came out for under the ring. Didn't see that coming at all. Hope this bout makes you smile like it did for me. For the people who think Funny don't make money I think you're wrong and I think matches like these add so much to full cards.

CJD: I do think funny can equal money, to an extent. I was really curious about this match on paper, which I'm sure is why you picked it with all those options. And Swoggle in a very unique way does fit our Forever Forward Friday theme. And I liked some of this match and laughed a few times. I didn't love this one overall though. Colt strikes me as someone who feels natural when he's actually improvising, but when he tries to sell something he has planned as off the cuff ("it's so far from it!") it comes off forced. That's probably confusing to read and I may be way off but it's the main thing I felt about this match. It felt too much like a badly written sketch and not enough like a funny wrestling match. All of that said, I have a soft spot for Swoggle because of AIW, and I did enjoy some of the exchanges. I'm kind of glad you sent this one over even if it wasn't my jam.

Forever Forward Fridays

Sammy Guevara VS Colt Cabana - Wrestle Circus 12/17/2016

CJD: Getting back to the indy focus of FFFridays. Although I did enjoy our roadside detour into Auto Luchas. I'll admit I didn't like Sammy the first few times I saw him. His charisma and bumping were undeniable but I thought he particularly suffered from a lack of guys on the indies at the time to learn and grow under. Well I know people have a variety of opinions on him in the ring but I do think Colt Cabana is a good learning tree to sit under and I thought both guys came out of this looking better for it. Funny at times but not a Colt comedy routine match, with Sammy showing personality but also playing a good straight man at times. Mostly this match gives you that living breathing indy atmosphere that's hard to capture on camera and man it makes me want to get out to a show.

JJZ: Baby boy this match was a joy! Getting to watch Colt really use his experience to school Sammy was a lot of fun. And then Sammy's athleticism to get his shit in made for one hell of a match man. You know I am a mark for Colt. Everything he has done for the independent wresting scene is incredible. I'm always rooting for him and in this match it was so easy to get his back. Sammy plays such a great little piece of shit. So when Colt shows him up I get a real kick out of it. I was highly entertained by this one mate.

I Go And Get The Big Daddy

Big Daddy/Marty Jones VS King Kong Kirk/The Samurai - Joint Promotions 1/8/1987

JJZ: I picked this match simply for the God damn ambiance. That ring! That venue! The weasel! Also within the first few secondS I liked how much energy the Big D had. This is the youngest Marty Jones match I can remember seeing also. So this match is pretty similar to your's but I did think Big Daddy had more spunk In this one. I watch a good amount of Big Daddy and I will say he has his routine and he sticks to it. Can't blame him. He was wildy successful. The heels were good in this one. Nothing over the top but they played good dickheads. Jones did a solid job. I didn't think he showed the potential of what he did become because it was so different. He got good heat on him and went to Daddy O for the pop. Entertaining 11 minutes.

CJD: This match was a lot of fun for what it was. It's funny that you say this is the youngest you've seen Marty Jones because I'm pretty sure it's the oldest I've seen him. He was the glue of this match for certain and the main reason it was as watchable as it was. I have no idea what the deal with the Samurai was. It reminds me of PY Chu Hi in Texas. Did anyone think these big fat hairy old white guys were actually Asian?? I guess before the internet anything was possible. I also get a kick out of this match because Big Daddy supposedly really disliked kids in real life. What a slice of British wrestling history right here! Very sad what would happen to Kirk shortly after this match but he was still an excellent heel as you said right up until the end.

And They Call Him Mr Wonderful

Bobby Barnes/Sid Cooper VS Big Daddy/Danny Collins - Joint Promotions 7/14/1984

CJD: I know what you're thinking John. But listen to this crowd. Watch the masterful heel performances from Cyanide Sid and Mr Wonderful Bobby Barnes (what's Paula going to have to say about that??). Watch Danny Boy Collins play his super rookie role so well. And watch Big Daddy... be Big Daddy. I honestly think I've seen one Big Daddy match previously, but this is exactly how everyone describes every Daddy match. It's predictable, it's simple, but man the crowd LOVES it. And I'm not going to lie, I popped a few times too. Barnes and Cooper are so good milking that heat for all it's worth. This is the epitome of a match we'd never have imagined playing forward 4 years ago. And you might not be as charmed by it as I was tonight. But this caught me at the right time and was too ridiculous not share with you.

JJZ: Well, this was a match I did not expect to be reviewing. Ever. This is my first Big Daddy match and your right this is everything I heard it would be. Regal talked about being in Collins' position before and how it was a good spot but he couldn't grow in it. Big Daddy had Hulk Hogan love going on for him. After the match I thought about when Colt Cabana had Truth Martini on his podcast and they both joked about not bumping in their match together. Big Daddy didn't bump once of even get punched or kicked. But yet the match had great energy. Danny, Bobby and Sid did a great job of making 11 minutes a complete story. I came out of this liking Collins, Barnes and Cooper a lot and I'm on the hunt for a more competitive Big Daddy match!!!

Flat In The Affect

Jon Cortez VS Bobby Barnes - Joint Promotions 4/11/1981

JJZ: Cigar, check. Lager, check. Finally having time to watch this match, check. I have no clue who Bobby Barnes is. But this motherfucker is smooth as silk. And if I could describe this match in one word it would be smooth. My beautiful wife who is sitting next to me me says this match feels flat in the affect. She isn't sure if the crowd is in amazement or numb to it. Just wanted to add her outsider's opinion. This match has a lot of reversals to reversals in it which leads me to believe this isn't the first time Jon and Bobby have danced in the squared circle. Love how after the first fall the aggressiveness picked up. The Bad Boy wasn't playing around in the later rounds, really trying to out tough Cortez. Really enjoyed this one baby. Hope you do also.

CJD: The original Bad Boy! Joey, eat your heart out! I also am totally ignorant of Bobby Barnes but I am instantly a fan. He is like a great character actor out of a Scorcese movie. He looks highly annoyed to have to actually wrestle, unathletic, full of himself, and dangerous all at the same time. After watching a good bit of Cortez these two weeks I'll admit, I really don't like his body contortion reversals and one upsmanship very much. However his natural babyface instincts are great otherwise, he has an uncanny knack for slow selling that builds over the course of the match. He's also great at switching momentum when you least expect it. This match was a lot of fun, it had slow chunks that I didn't love but they built meaningfully to a very satisfying conclusion. I'll agree with AZ in that I don't think this crowd is riveted but I do think they're along for the ride by the end. Now where is Quadruple B going to take me next??

Forever Forward Fridays

Myzteziz Jr VS Puma King VS Sammy Guevara - AAA 6/16/2019

JJZ: Get your popcorn ready CJD! This is one action packed contest and if you blink you're gonna miss something. I'm super familiar with all three of these gentlemen so when I saw this I said out loud, here we fucking go. This match really showed that all three are at the top of the high flying game. Puma was such a nice add to bring a little something unique to the floppy dips. The control that the wrestlers have in their aerial attack is really impressive. They make it seem effortless. This would be a prefect match to throw on to impress a non wrestling fan.

CJD: I'm not super familiar with Puma King or Myzteziz Jr, and after these two weeks of matches I'm going to keep an eye on our current FFF Champion for certain. We throw a lot of lesser known high flyers up on the blog and some stick with me more than others. Myzteziz Jr isn't the most polished but he has something about when he pops spots off perfectly that has a wow factor a lot of other high flyers are missing. I enjoyed how different this 3 way was than last week's even though they're both quick car crash style matches. Sammy's very American antics brought a different energy that was a lot of fun. He's very good at positioning everyone in busy matches like this. I didn't love the selfie spot. But I'll admit that my thought immediately was "if he can post a reel or a story while the match is still going that's super fucking impressive." I don't think he did but that has to be a spot that's happened in a match before, right? Next thing you know wrestlers will be on Zooms in the middle of matches. Has anyone ever recorded a podcast while they wrestled?? I need to get on the phone with Conrad Thompson ASAP.

Forever Forward Fridays

Myzteziz Jr VS Argenis VS La Parka Negra - AAA 10/17/2020

CJD: So my options with Parka Negra were limited. I feel like we say this a lot when backed into a corner but I really don't think it was his fault. He's probably the best person in this match for example. We started this AAA FFF rabbit hole with Auto Luchas and I doubt this is where it ends, but bring on more Auto Luchas!! This was paced well for a 3 way, had a few spots that popped me, and didn't do anything too dumb. That was about the best I could hope for this week. You know I'm not big on star ratings but this is **3/4 territory for me but the type of **3/4 you throw on a comp for the novelty of it.

JJZ: I had to stop and start this three times. Trying to watch a ten minute match while having family duties sometimes isn't as easy as you'd think. But the good thing is I got to rewatch that ridiculous Sasake Special into an insane moonsault like 10 times. So good. This match reminded me so much of an ECW THREE WAY DANCE!!!! A little sloppy, no real psychology, brutal spots and super fucking fun. This was just a fun junk food match that needs not to be over analyzed. It was enjoyable. Don't overthink anything about this one.

No Cracks, No Breaks

Jim Breaks VS Jon Cortez - Joint Promotions 2/2/1981

CJD: The tough thing about following that absolutely classic Grey/Breaks match was coming back with something that was different enough and not a total drop off in quality. I think this checks both boxes. Jon Cortez is one of the great classic British wrestlers that I'm far too ignorant of. Let's do something about that! I watched an earlier match between these two also which was yet another great Breaks heel performance, but this one was a bit more satisfying and special to me. Such a grinding, nasty match, with a methodical build and excellent timing with the falls. I hate the post match booking although everyone executes it in a way that's still entertaining. Joint Promotions gonna Joint Promote I suppose. I do believe Steve Grey is the greatest babyface in British wrestling history but man if this is a taste of what Cortez is capable of he might be a contender. This doesn't have the fireworks of the last two weeks of British matches we've featured but I love that about it. Three wonderful light heavyweight matches of a very specific style with three totally different approaches. These are some of the all-time greats indeed!

JJZ: I'll tell you what. Im'ma whoretez for Cortez my guy. This match was delightful. I was also excited to see that the ref for this one was our dear friend Mr H's favorite official. Dude. I loved the finish and the aftermath. Jimbo could not get that pinfall without some underhanded tactics. But I Ioved the announcer getting involved at the end. But for the body of the match (and what a body am I right?!?) this was such a entertaining story. Move for move spot for spot. This was beautiful. I'd highly recommend this to anyone. I can't remember seeing Cortez before but I'm so excited to burn through a few more of his matches. Jim Breaks is a top level heel. Was he the top heel in British wrestling at one time? And if he wasn't he should have been. Love it all baby.

Grey Area

Steve Grey VS Jim Breaks - Joint Promotions 4/19/1978

JJZ: Every one of these matches I always assume you've seen before. I know I'm probably wrong so I need to just play forward what I want to watch. I'm a fan of Jim Breaks so I figured let's check this out. The finish is the only thing I wasn't crazy about but it didn't matter because the rest of this match was incredible. The arm work by Breaks was surgical. The falls in this match, I loved. Grey's fall in particular was so smart and believable. Coming off a face/face match and being able to see the difference in psychology Grey used for this match was wonderful. Dying to hear you thoughts on this bad boy.

CJD: I have NOT seen this before! The greatest face in British wrestling history VS the greatest heel with a shot at Johnny Saint's title on the line. Man this was terrific. I loved the added wrinkle of Grey going for the Breaks Special early and often, as opposed to later day wrestling where stealing your opponent's finisher became something for a late match nearfall pop. You could feel the animosity build and build in this one. The finish is the only knock against it but is typical for the time period. What a two match showing for our current MDTSOCWWKD Champion Steve Grey. And while I don't seek out Jim Breaks as much after the awful way his life has concluded, I know he's the hub for so many wrestler's greatest matches and rivalries, so I am looking forward to see what great stuff he opens the door to next.

Forever Forward Fridays

El Hijo Del Fantasma (c) VS La Parka Negra - AAA Latin America Championship 3/25/2018

JJZ: This match says 12 minutes but in my opinion it played like a 20 minute TV main event. Lucha Libre announcers could make the worst match feel like the match of the year. I felt like this one was a really fun junkfood match. Just what I wanted to watch after your Saint VS Grey match. A lot less technical and a lot more highspots. Those missile suicide dives are fucking crazy man. No pull-up what so ever. This had a great back and forth for the home stretch. I felt like it could have gone either way. I'm really loving the difference between Tuesdays and Fridays right now. Curious were we are going next.

CJD: I kept checking the run time of this match in disbelief. They didn't go balls to the wall with spots or anything, but I agree completely that it felt like 20 minutes of television main event title match pro wrestling. "WOW!!" Great babyface highlight match for Fantasma, who I'd only really seen work heel up until a few weeks ago. He's a hell of a talent. La Parka Negra I'm totally ignorant of and he certainly doesn't have the physical charisma of LA Park but he does play a good foil to the red hot babyface here. I'm curious to learn more about him leading into next week. This was good fun man, not a lot to say but no complaints. Great way to spend 12 minutes!