Forever Forward Fridays

Aussie Open VS Chuck Mambo/TK Cooper - Wrestling Resurgence 6/8/2019

CJD: When this match caught my eye, I expected two things. This match would get a little sloppy at times (especially with that indy as fuck tiny tiny ring), and the oddball pairing of these two teams would make for a really exciting dynamic. Well, check and mate. The future Sunshine Machine were so easy to root for. Credit to all 4 wrestlers for building a hot babyface struggle all match long. Aussie Open are clearly on their way to being stars. Chuck Mambo has put some real work into his craft over the years and I'm leaving these two weeks of matches a big fan. And all that said TK Cooper might have been my favorite guy in match. Everything he did had such a must see pop to it. I love how the crowd is so along for the ride, everything about the mom and pop feel to the presentation. This match feels so right for Forever Forward Fridays and gives you some real options playing forward from here!

JJZ: Jesus Chris, you're right, this match was made for Play It Forward. And baby. This might be the smallest ring I've ever seen. These four guys had such a fun match. Super independent wrestling match. Really exciting spots that popped the intimate but loud crowd. Delightful tag team moves that actually worked in the small ring. The bigger Aussie Open guy (his name is escaping me for some reason and I've watched so many of his matches) performed some good big man moves. CJD this bout was just entertaining. If we saw this at the Southhampton Armory everyone would have loved it. Good shit baby.

Matadors Chase The Bull In A China Shop

Tully Blanchard (c) VS Manny Fernandez - NWA Television Championship 2/9/1985

JJZ: So I read that Tully and Manny got into a brawl during one of the Crocket Cups. I wanted to see if they worked stiff together. Nothing really stood out to me, but this match is snug. I do hate that they are both wearing red tights fyi. Besides that, this was a good match. Manny does this thing were he makes simple moves feel so much more impactful. Like jumping as high as possible before landing an elbow to the thigh. It makes it seem so much more painful. Tully is such an amazing shitty little heel. I wanna reach through the screen and slap him. Good ending for the 80s. Thought they put a little curve ball in there. Enjoy homie!

CJD: Ha our constant pet peeve, matching tights on opposing sides! I knew you'd go there. When you and I talk legitimate sports, sometimes we bring up if a talented athlete who has the ability to win the big one, has the follow through to actually win it. Compete, killer instinct, whatever you want to call it. God damn did Tully Blanchard project having that quality as well as anyone ever did. He never got a ton of offense. But the way he would seize an opportunity, you could feel the momentum turn. Like when your favorite team is at home with a big lead but all of the sudden the away team makes a statement play. And you know in your gut the game is totally up in the air from that point on. That's the way I feel when Tully tosses Manny to the outside. These guys (and Baby Doll!) have great chemistry and this match was a blasty blast. Also extra points for putting the MDTSOCWWKD Championship on the Raging Bull VS the one member of the OG Horsemen not in our last Tuesday match!!

Forever Forward Fridays

Chuck Mambo (c) VS Flash Morgan Webster - Riot Cabaret Wrestling World Championship 10/18/2023

JJZ: So I have no clue what Riot Cabaret is, but it reminds me a little bit of BAR Wrestling which I loved. (Fuck you Joey Ryan) And Chuck Mambo is also brand new to me. I like the cut of his jib. Also digging Flash's shaggy looking beard. So right off the bat Mambo was a way better worker than I expected. His gimmick seemed to lend himself to more of a, pop in the beginning, working from under during the body, and then a babyface come back. Instead he was a grinder. Giving as good as he was getting. I really liked his moveset and the match had more depth to it than I expected. Flash was good in this match. Brought some attitude. I've always like his style and in this match I felt like he was adding a little zip to everything. Enjoy!

CJD: I'm right there with you on the cut of Chuck Mambo's jib. I was also totally unfamiliar coming in and he brought so much to the table. Really impressed! I will say my one criticism of this match, when they were trading some shots on the outside at one point, they could have added some pepper to that dry rub. Otherwise this match was everything I could have hoped for. I loved the way the brought it home. Very nice job by the commentators too. I had no idea Flash missed this much time, and while he's FFFChampion it's cool to feature such a significant match for him. I liked the way he looked a little hesitant first half, but was really cooking second half. I don't know if it was intentional, but it was very believable for someone who had just missed nearly a year. This match hit a lot of different notes and hit them beautifully.

The Horseman Turns, The Wound That Burns

Dusty Rhodes/Magnum TA/Manny Fernandez VS Ric Flair/Arn Anderson/Ole Anderson - NWA 12/28/1985

CJD: You want to talk about shine. I thought the sun was so blinding it was never gonna burn out in this one. It's so fun how matches like this give someone like Manny Fernandez a chance to show he's right there with these marquee names. Everyone brings something to the table in this match, although our MDTSOCWWKD Champion of the week AA (after a long layover) probably puts in the hardest shift of work making this well oiled machine hum. And boy is it singing. This match has a couple of cool moments you could break down, but more than anything it's a great watch and a great moment in time. Talk about building a feud with players. This was a lasagna of 80s NWA goodness!

JJZ: Damn homie. This match was wild. Especially that chair shot Arn cracked to the back of Manny's head. Wow. Really quality stuff here! The heels took an ass whooping two thirds of this match but got their licks in in the last third. This would've been a perfect match to watch with our other wrestling like-minded friends. I agree that I did come out of this really thinking Manny stood right with all of these guys. The crowd and the feel of this match made its way right through my TV screen. Great stuff!

Forever Forward Fridays

Angelico VS Flash Morgan Webster - WCPW World Cup 7/22/2017

CJD: This match is pretty straight forward. But after life got in the way of pro wrestling blogging for a month straight, easing back into things sounds about right. Hot start, hot finish, a couple of cool spots. FMW is someone I don't have a great read on. Pretty sure he's progressed leaps and bounds since this match. Very curious what you come back with from him. Angelico kept the focus on Webster which I appreciated, it was interesting to see him in the driver's seat a bit more. Baby steps getting back into our weekly routine baby cakes!

JJZ: So, this kinda match is the hardest to review in my opinion. It's a good match. Not great, just good. Nothing overall epic happens. The moves and spots are executed perfectly. The story is simple but on point and has a satisfying ending. So I'll add this. You aren't sure on Webster, I've never been over the moon on Angelico. I've always found him solid though. In this match with Morgan I think both guys were just trying to have a middle of the road match that entertained the crowd. What they delivered was fun and I left feeling satisfied.

Wipe Out!

Arn Anderson (c) VS Shane Douglas - WCW TV Title 2/15/1990

JJZ: Yes. Yes yes yes. This was a no brainer of a pick for me baby cakes. Holy hell. Talk about a perfect pairing to create such a fantastic story. Off the bat I wish the finish was stronger, but what a body on this hunk of a match. Sometimes you forget how athletic Douglas was during his first WCW run. I remember him jumping off the top rope in '97 during in ECW and sinking like a stone in a lake. Shane is flip flopping and flying all around that ring. AA. The Enforcer. You know that I know that you know I'm a mark for Arn. I feel like he is a timeless wrestler and really does no wrong in that ring. I wish I could clone him and have him wrestle during every era. I so enjoyed this. Hope you do too.

CJD: Is there a wrestler that was better at doing more with very little than Arn Anderson? I know there are some candidates, but he's definitely way up there. I was so irrationally excited for this match and it didn't disappoint. Maybe the first Dynamic Dudes era Shane match I've watched as an adult. I'm surprised you were wishing for a better finish, on first watch I assumed the unusual nature of the booking on the finish was part of what hooked you on this match! This was awesome, Douglas was game, but AA really went above and beyond to put everything you needed to make something memorable out of an opportunity that many would have seen as a night off.

Forever Forward Fridays

War Machine (c) VS Ricochet/Angelico - WCPW Tag Team Championship War Machine Rules 9/28/2017

JJZ: FYI, fast forward to about the 5 minute mark. Alright! We are going from. Meat slappy hoss battle to a speed VS power battle. This is an open challenge match so it was cool seeing the crowd's reaction to finding out the wrestlers. Just like the last FFF match this is No DQ, but this week's match is more fun and less heated than VS PBK. This was an entertaining spotfest. Perfect match to be live for. Hanson's always impressive with his agility being such a thick son of a bitch. Ricochet displayed quite a bit of power himself but man he can flip flop and fly.  Good match I'd love sharing with you homie.

CJD: I always like when we land on a match coincidentally when a wrestler is at a significant moment in their career. That's the case with Ricochet this Friday and this is a great showcase match for the One And Only. I thought he was the most impressive guy in there, and that's impressive in a match where everyone impressed! You mentioned the live energy of this match, which is what it was all about for me. The spontaneous booking, the open challenger reveals, and the seat of your pants style of match. This hit on a lot of fun indie cliches in a good way. Also I love any chance for some unexpected Angelico!

Bengal Can't Change Its Stripes

Brian Pillman VS Shane Douglas - WCW 10/17/1992 

CJD: Can you believe in 6 years we haven't featured a single Shane Douglas match? Or a single Pillman match before this run as our MDTSOCWWKD Champion! The wild thing about that to me is back when I was working on a print PIF zine in our early days (maybe in another 6 years...) I was writing a match review series chronicling the Steamboat/Douglas VS Hollywood Blonds feud. It's one of the series of matches that bridged the gap between my childhood fandom to obsessed teen smart mark. So in some ways it feels like this match was always here waiting for me! I've never seen it before, and babyface pre-ECW Douglas doesn't always hit the same way he did when I was 10/11 years old, but this match still has some great stuff going for it. Mainly Pillman who I think I under rate sometimes, a really satisfying build to a well done finish, with a great little post match angle. This is the prequel to one of my personal favorite minor feuds in pro wrestling history. And I'm so glad our blog lead me on the winding road to find it after all these years!! Now where did I leave that .txt file with the other match reviews...

JJZ: Man, I would've went for this match right away baby! I'm stoked for this one. I always get a kick out of watching babyface Douglas since I'm so used to his heel ECW run. I always appreciate watching older wrestling when things that should be sold bigger are. Like a dump out through the ropes or a dropkick to the outside. That ground don't have no give. Can't really learn how to fall on concrete. I remember talking to my wrestling teacher about bumping on the outside and he said you just gotta suck it up and take the pain. Shane is playing a great pup in this match and Pillman is such a good dickheaded heel. I fully agree the ending is well done too. Great match baby cakes!

Forever Forward Fridays

War Marchine VS Pretty Boy Killers - ROH No Rules Tag Match 11/4/2016

CJD: This is, for my money, a really good match that has a few extra factors that make it great. I can't say I've watched a lot of wrestling from Texas outside of the territory days, and there's an unique atmosphere here for ROH I was way into. This is the earliest I've seen Lee and Taylor and they exceeded my expectations going this far back. I especially liked watching our FFFriday Champion, the Limitless One, as more of a roleplayer this week. I thought he was awesome as the breakout "heavy" on the Pretty Boy Killers. And the last bit of extra pizazz this match had going was the way this feud was portrayed and the way these two teams carried it. They were larger than life in every sense, much more than just their stature. All that wrapped up in a damn good plunder blowoff kind of match made this choice an easy one. Dig into a meat platter this Friday my man!!

JJZ: Talk about a hoss battle. This match was big in every sense of the word. Big spots, big strikes, and big men. Big men doing things that they had no right doing. I got a ton of ECW feels (minus the blood). It was like they had a BOGO sale on tables at Home Depot. They went through them like tissues when you have a cold. Honestly I've never been a Shane Taylor fan, so this match is definitely the best one I've seen from him so far. Lee and War Machine did their expected ridiculousness that they always do. This was a great blowoff for a feud. I'm sure they had some other bangers a long the way too.

Strong-Arm Robberies, Flee With The Lottery

Brian Pillman VS Brad Armstrong - WCW 10/3/1992

JJZ: I've watched seven Brad Armstrong matches before finally landing on this one. All the matches were good. Any one of them would've been worth playing forward. But this match just had a little extra. And that was Armstrong working with much more fire. It was a nice change of pace. Pillman is the guy to bring it out of you. Brian plays such a good dickhead. I do wish this was longer but I think they told a great story in a short amount of time. I know we talked about finding a masterpiece Brad Armstrong match. This is not that, but this is really good and showcases the talent of both Brad and Brian. I would love to watch more from these two. Hope you enjoy it

CJD: I'll be honest, I don't think that masterpiece Brad Armstrong match exists on tape. At least not a singles that we've seen. But I totally get why this match spoke to you. They accomplished so much without very much to work with here. Even Larry was buying in hook line and sinker on commentary. So many classic TV match tropes were packed into this one and everything was done so well. Pillman was the more dynamic of the two but I loved what Brad brought to the table too. Great chemistry between these two, great choice!