Mason-Dixon Tri-state Outercontinental WWKD Champions #41-50

The new year was an interesting start for PIF indeed, with some of the youngest blood to hold the big gold imaginary belt yet, passing it to indy veterans of both genders, to deathmatch antics, to a strong run of puro greats. JJZ and myself had one of our biggest disagreements on a match played forward, and we crowned our 50th, that's right 50th Champion! That means this blog has been going strong for a year straight of weekly updates with no signs of slowing down!

41. Jake Something
42. "Hot Fire" Myron Reed
When PIF started I hadn't seen a match from either of these two. Reed's pair of matches featured during his run as Champ impressed me far more than the little I'd seen of him previously in the past year, and Something was a total revelation. These kids can go!

43. Matt Cross
44. Candice LeRae
Even though Candice is a west coast girl, her connection to the Ohio scene makes this a very logical transition in our title lineage. These two just feel right following each other.

45. Christina Von Eerie
46. Masada
To be in a relationship (at the time) and be willing to have the deathmatch these two had against each other is... interesting. Putting their lives outside the ring aside, they put on a hell of a show, and then Masada somehow upped the ante in an even more brutal deathmatch with the following Champ!

47. Jun Kasai
48. Minoru Suzuki
Now these two on the other hand make absolutely no sense following each other, and the match that bridged the gap from one to the other made absolutely no sense to JJZ as a choice to be featured on our blog! We're all about the positivity at PIF, but what's wrong with a little healthy disagreement about pro wrestling and sushi between grown men every now and then??

Interesting side note, with the aforementioned 6 person intergender Oz Academy match, Ryuji Ito becomes only the second wrestler in PIF history to be featured in more than one match but never hold the MDTSOCWWKD Championship. The other? Jushin Liger! Another logical pairing!

49. KENTA
50. Katsuhiko Nakajima
And then we got back on track to the meat and potatoes of the types of matches that we know and love oh so well. Including a very interesting oddball pairing tag match in ROH that's well worth putting some time aside to sit down to. Whew! Here's to another 50!

Crowning The 50th Mason-Dixon Tri-state Outercontinental WWKD Champion

Katsuhiko Nakajima VS Kaito Kiyomiya - NOAH Global League Finals 11/25/2018

JJZ: Nakajima is in my current top 5 wrestlers in the world so I'm jumping at the chance to play him forward and crown this historic MDTSOWWKD Champion. What we've got here is the grizzled 30 years old 16 year vet VS the hot new kid on the block Kaito Kiyomiya, in the finals of the Global League. Side note that Nakajima had to win a 3 way earlier in the night against Kenou and Kohei Sato to make it to the finals. Kaito has to earn every bit of offense he gets while the best kicker in the game tees the fuck off. Classic strong style match, and in my opinion one of the best matches from NOAH in 2018.

CJD: How the tables have turned, I remember when Nakajima was the pasty, overly serious, stocky youngster with the colorful green trunks. Now he's turned into a soulless grinning anime villain with straggly hair all but obscuring his eyes as he aims to literally kick Kiyomiya's head off. This match was everything I hoped it would be, and to crown our 50th Champ a nice bookend to ZSJ/Robbie Eagles that started us on this path. Different stakes and stage that these two are on, but still in the same spirit. I have a lot of positive things to say about Kiyomiya but I'll save most of them for the match I'll play forward to you next week. For now I'll just say he played his role in this one really, really well. I'd love to see a rematch.

KENTA!!

KENTA/Tyler Black VS Austin Aries/Katsuhiko Nakajima - ROH 4/4/2009

CJD: This is right around when both of us stopped paying attention to ROH so I'm hoping this match catches you by surprise as much as it did me. I don't think I've seen it before and it's pretty fantastic. It's during Aries' ultra sleazy heel run where he essentially stole Josh Abercrombie's gimmick so don't expect tons of fast paced combo offense from him. Do expect two high profile singles feuds combined into one tag match, which is a booking tactic I'm always a fan of. This feels like a Clash Of The Champions main event and I mean that in the best way possible.

JJZ: My boy Nak's looking like a baby! Aries looking like he'd give you an STI! The talent in this ring is impressive. A little awkward to start but the energy that comes into the building when Kenta and 'Jima get into the ring together is what makes live wrestling so great. Would've loved to have been in that crowd. Aries plays such a good sleazy POS, it gives perfect heat for the faces to feed off of. The importance of a good crowd is showcased in this match. The wrestlers aren't doing anything crazy to start but the crowd is hanging on every movement. Even without the announcers the story in the ring easily lets you know who is feuding with who. I must say though, Aries' tattoo is a little to big for his arm. As the match progresses you are dead on about this being a COC main event. Solid story telling, great crowd, good spots, good match. Great stuff baby.

Kaze Ni Nare

Minoru Suzuki VS KENTA - NOAH 8/27/2005

JJZ: This is total selfish pick. We've both seen it before. We both love it. I was itching for a match like this. KENTA getting his release gives me hope that he will go back to NOAH and be the Minoru Suzuki to the next big NOAH star that can bring them back to the top of the Puro scene. This match doesn't really need a breakdown. Read the wrestlers names and you know what this match is all about.

CJD: I'm sure I have seen this one before but I didn't remember much about it. I loved the way it started off, totally believable and had me popping. This was, as you said, exactly what you would expect from these two around this time, and that's not a bad thing at all. Also, I like that we've managed to put the belt on the two men on our banner at the top of the page before we hit our 50th Champ! Kind of a lay up but I'll be happy to sit down to some classic NOAH any given Tuesday.

You Say Chutoro, I Say Otoro, Let's Play The Whole Thing Forward

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x37bhs8

Aja Kong/Jun Kasai/Minoru Suzuki VS Mitsuhisa Sunabe/Ryuji Ito/Yumi - Oz Academy 8/23/2015

CJD: Usually a match being joined in progress is a violation for me. But sometimes playing it forward isn't about the match you want, it's about the match you need. And I'm on the tail end of two months of hellacious overnight shifts and this match put a smile on my face for every minute of what we got to see of it. I never knew I needed a trios team of Suzuki, Kong, and Kasai so badly, but they are god damn great together. I bet you didn't see this coming in response to two weeks of brutal deathmatches!

JJZ: To paint a little picture while I'm watching this match. I'm smoking a cigar and have had about 3... 3 1/3 drinks. Now Chris, you are my best friend. Behind my wife and my kids your opinion matters more than anyone else's in this world. So I take no joy in saying this, but this match sucked. This was a shitty RAW main event. It told no story, had not real big spots and it felt like all the wrestlers just kinda checked out by doing the most basic shit they have. Love you baby but no bueno mi amigo.

CJD: I'm going to call bullshit. There has never been a RAW intergender main event with personalities as big and diverse as Suzuki, Kong, and Kasai. That would be like Foley, Shamrock, and I don't know, Lita? In a main event together. Never happened! I get what you're trying to say, that they rely on their personalities to pop the crowd more than they do "stuff" in this match. But that's pro wrestling baby. All three of them have sacrificed enough that they've absolutely earned it. How many comedy matches have a grand story? Chris Candido has a towel in his ass and doesn't realize it for 15 minutes is like the Hamlet of comedy matches. I think you forgot your fourth drink of the night, which was a shaker pint of Haterade filled right to the brim!

JJZ: Comedy match? I didn't laugh once. I didn't even think it was a comedy match. And how dare you talk anything but positive of the greatest comedy match of all time. In all seriousness, yes they have earned the right to kinda take a night off in the ring but the greats usually don't. Did the match actually suck? Not as a standard wrestling match but as a match with those legends in it, it is disappointing. Usually when I'm drinking, smoking, and watching some rasslin' I'm loving everything put in front of me. Maybe it just wasn't what I was in the mood for, or maybe my expectations were too high. But I'll ask you this, if you were trying to introduce any of those wrestlers to someone would you pick this match?

CJD: Definitely not. Like I said, it's a match built on their well deserved reputations. As long time fans of all 3 I find that rewarding without needing it to be a good starting point for others.

JJZ: I guess looking at it from your point I was buying supermarket sushi and expecting 5 star restaurant taste.

CJD: I have supermarket sushi in the fridge right now! It's going to be delicious for dinner at work tonight!

JJZ: Haha. Got some spicy tuna?

CJD: Nah just veggie rolls, I knew it'd be a few days before I got to it.

Who Are Your Top 10 ATDMWR?

Masada VS Jun Kasai - FREEDOMS Pain Limit Finals 8/27/2012

JJZ: Both of these gentlemen are bleeding from the head before the match even starts. I always find it interesting when death matches start with wrist locks but but that doesn't last too long here. This match is brutal. Just some sick crazy stuff. Jun and Masada are a couple of death match legends so I wouldn't expect anything less. I'm loving that they have all these weapons under the turnbuckles. I can also honestly say there is shit I've never seen before in this match. It gets me thinking about where I'd place Masada and Jun in the all-time death match wrestler rankings. Or as I like to call it the ATDMWR. Jun would be top 10 for sure, with Masada not far behind. No matter where they rank this shit was fun.

CJD: God damn. I threw you probably the biggest curveball in PIF history and you squared it up and hit it right out of the park! This match is exactly what I'm talking about, an ultraviolent deathmatch done right. It builds logically, gets you invested in who wins and loses, and isn't just about the disgusting shit they put each other through. But make no mistake, these two are willing to do some of the most disgusting shit you'll see in any deathmatch. This is still a little above and beyond of what I usually prefer but I have to give it up to both guys, this match was awesome. If you didn't pull an Ace out of your deck with this one then at very least it's a King of Spades. I know to people who don't get it deathmatches seem like a snuff film, but to me they're almost therapeutic. When you're feeling down and out in life, just remember what Jun Kasai and Masada went through in the Pain Limit Finals in 2012. You won't feel so bad!

Infatuation, She's A Fatal Attraction

Christina Von Eerie VS Masada - CZW Fatal Attraction Match 2/2/2013

CJD: I was having some trouble finding a CVE match to play this week. I didn't want to pluck you right back out of the land of the ladies, I didn't want to play an intergender match, and I certainly didn't want to play an intergender deathmatch! You know I struggle with intergender matches to start with, especially anything that goes in the hardcore direction. But I'll be honest, what I've seen from Von Eerie has not exactly won me over, and I was desperate. This match kept popping up, and I gave in and watched it. This is, in my opinion, a very good, borderline great deathmatch.

You also know that I cut my teeth on 90s deathmatch wrestling, and have a love for the art of how to construct a match like this and not make it mindless. They absolutely captured that. There's some moments that aren't great, which I think any sane fan would expect, and the finish isn't great. There are some moments where I wanted to stop watching, but I'm glad I didn't. These are two professionals putting on a hell of a performance, and the last moment we see from them at the end of the video made me respect both of them that much more.

JJZ: Why in the hell is she working a death match in a sports bra? An intergender death match really evens the playing field and makes it believable that CVE can get a win here. I thought the match proved its point around the sixteen minute mark. After that I thought it was a little overkill. Crazy spots aplenty here. CVE was a fucking champion but she should have been throwing the hardware a little harder. Definitely the most cringe-worthy match in PIF history. I thought both wrestlers came out in the end looking great.

A funny point while watching was my 9-year-old son walked by during a moment when CVE was covered in blood. Before I could turn off the TV he looks at me and says "Boys can wrestle girls?!" Totally giving no fucks about the blood and barbed wire and mayhem.

Clap More, Chant Less

Candice LeRae VS Christina Von Eerie - Beyond Wrestling 11/15/2013

JJZ: So watching Candice matches for this week has made me realize she is a better technician than I thought. One of our many matches from Beyond, this takes place in what I'm guessing is their school. I've seen a good amount matches from this venue and I love the fans at this place. Never too chant heavy, always giving the wrestlers appreciation for what they're doing in the ring. After the last couple of matches we shared I wanted to play forward something that told a story in the ring, with a slow build to the highspots, and some good falsies. This match checked all those boxes. I've seen only a few CVE matches so I was pretty green going into this match and was impressed with her. I think you'll really enjoy this one.

CJD: I knew Candice was technically sound but this is definitely the most I've seen her act as a ring general previous to signing. It caught me by surprise as well. She did a great job pacing this match and connecting with the crowd. Speaking of the crowd, that guy in the Broncos sweater was LOVING this match! I get what you're saying completely about how they react, there's maybe what, 30-40 people there paid? And they're louder than some 205 Live shows (unfortunately). This match had almost the feeling of two training partners, there was a familiarity but at the same time a nastiness to it that I really liked. It switched gears from chain wrestling to stiff shots nicely and like you said had a good end run. This is maybe the fourth or fifth Von Eerie match I've seen and I still don't have a great read on her. Curious to see what I come back at you with next week.

Wrestling Is Forever

Matt Cross/Ivelisse VS World's Cutest Tag Team - Bar Wrestling 6/8/2017

CJD: Some weeks we put a lot of research into what match we decide to play forward, and sometimes something perfect falls right into your lap. This was the latter this week. World's Cutest Tag Team will probably go down as one of the more underrated tag teams ever. Legitimately a great babyface duo. I'm not that familiar with Ivelisse but Cross puts in a performance strong enough for both of them. And while I don't know which way you'll go (you certainly have lots of options), this at least gives you the choice if you want to take us back to some women's wrestling. Either way I think you're going to enjoy this one.

JJZ: I did not want to leave the land of the ladies so quickly but my hand was forced, so I'm super fucking stoked to be back so soon. Great crowd to start the match. Also loving the ceiling decorations. Bar Wrestling is such a fun promotion that I'm dying to hear the origin story of. Joey was one of the PWG Six but stopped working there and started his own promotion a few years back. Baldwin Park was like a teenager seeing a titty for the first because they were exploding when any action was happening. This was a super Indy spotfest that was so enjoyable to watch. Joey and Candice are so fun together that if intergender wrestling was a thing in WWE they would be signed together no doubt.

He's Hot Fire, Check It & See, He's Got A Fever Of 100.3

Myron Reed VS Matt Cross - Smash Wrestling 7/14/2018

JJZ: So I'm pretty familiar with Smash from watching a ton of Chris Hero there. The former backyard superstar Matt Cross I have always found very fun to watch and him versus Reed is just the kinda match I'm in the mood to watch right now. I'm surprised finding out from commentary that Cross put Smash on the map since they are a Canadian promotion and he's from Ohio. Kind of an odd combination. Both these guys can bump their asses off. The story that I'm reading from this match is a veteran high flyer trying to take a greenie high flyer to school. But at the end of the day it's pretty much a fun spot fest. Life is good and so is wrestling.

CJD: Strangely enough this is exactly the match I'm in the mood for right now as well. Such an easy watch and such a good performance from both guys. I have to disagree that it boils down to a spotfest, I think this is a match very much based on hierarchy and strong fundamentals. Cross calls the shots and Reed follows, with a few moments to shine, but even for a high flying match this is "less is more" which I'm always a fan of. This one flies by in the best way possible. Nice choice JJZ!