For Boston, For Boston, Thy Glory Is Our Own

Kevin Sullivan VS Buzz Sawyer - GCW 4/5/1982

JJZ:  So we are staying in the same era for Sullivan so instead of the Prince of Darkness (even though it says it in the upload description) we have the Boston Battler. Again in this match Kevin showcases some real technical wrestling abilities combined with a two dollar steak level of toughness. I've never been too high or low on Buzz. He wrestles like a gritty legit hard nosed heel. Honestly he just looks like a real brick. Perfect bad guy for the 80s. I've had to watch a lot of Sullivan's matchs to get to this one and I'll say this period of his in ring career is definitely my favorite.  The ending left me a little disappointed, but it was 80s wrestling so I should see it coming. The beginning and middle had enough story that the finish didn't matter too much. Both guys really laid it in for the entire match and you know I'm all about the meat slappies. Hope you dig it brother.

CJD: I love this era of Sullivan, I wish he had incorporated more of this into the rest of his career. Although I do appreciate how far he pushed the envelope for his time. This match was as snug as it gets. Every transition was earned and logical, with bad intentions. Which is also impressive because, as you said with Kevin's work in these early days, there was some real technical work compared to what I'd expect. These two suspended my disbelief so thoroughly I went through a few Sullivan interview clips to see if there was a real issue there. And while he confirmed just about nobody "got along well" with Buzz, he said they actually had good working relationship. That makes me appreciate the level of give and take here that much more. And I didn't mind the very 80s finish at all, I'd love to see the next match they were setting up. I know you had to put in some work to land on this one babycakes and I appreciate that blue collar effort, much like the workmanship that went into this match!

Super Fabulous The Patterns Have Been Updated

Kevin Sullivan (c) VS Steve Keirn - GCW NWA TV Title 2/28/1981

CJD: You want to talk about suspending disbelief and exceeding expectations. This match right here is exhibit A. This is the earliest I've seen from either guy and it's definitely a novelty seeing this flavor of the Taskmaster compared to what he went on to become. The promos before and after the match are a nice bonus, nothing special but really help build that ambiance. The match would stand on its own merits either way. This is really a piece of kick ass pro wrestling especially by 1981 standards. It makes me want to watch every match Sullivan and Keirn ever had against each other. When I think about the craft of pro wrestling this is the kind of work I look for. These are clearly two students of the game and it shows. And I love that the tiny studio crowd is so along for the ride!

JJZ: Chris, this was delightful. Loved the before and after promos. And I fully agree. I want more of this feud. Also I got such a kick out of Gordon repeatly going back to the body building competition. Didn't know Kevin ever was that ripped up. He did look like a million bucks. The match itself was so good. I mean just a great feud building match. The mindset of the Taskmaster to milk the clock was such a smart heel move. First just slapping on headlocks and armbars. Then running away to push Keirn over the edge. Just great stuff.

Forever Forward Fridays

Tam Nakano (c) VS Megan Bayne - World of Stardom Championship Stardom 8/13/2023

JJZ: So I was curious to see how this speed VS size and power match up would be. We get a few minutes into the match between Megan and Tam and I'm considering turning it off because it is starting a little slow. Then the big oh fuck spot happens out of nowhere. I was like yeah we're good. Loved that real early big spot. Watching Nakano work from under and building to hope spots made for a edge of my seat watch. Bayne came through looking pretty comfortable in this monster role. I liked her moveset and thought she did a great job hitting harder when the time was right. Tam is a beast. Love her engery and plucky underdog mentality in this one.

CJD: This is why I love the different perspectives of our reviews. I thought the first 5 minutes of this match were the strongest! Bayne established herself perfectly. The rest was good too but man did they hook me big time early on. Both women had a really good sense of how to build suspense before delivering the big moments. Kind of a weird side note, why was the pretty hot crowd 100% dead after the great finish? Was that just a weird audio edit? That felt really surreal. Anyway, great match!! I'm totally green on Megan Bayne but can't wait to learn more. Tam was a treat these past few weeks!

Look High, It's My Last Hope

Chavo Guerrero VS Steve Keirn - Houston Wrestling Loser Painted Yellow Match 1/31/1986

JJZ: Love me an 80s gimmick match. As soon as I read loser gets painted yellow I said, I'm in! So the match itself is really just a bar fight in the ring. Steve and Chavo throwing potatoes and kicking the shit out of each other for 15 minutes was entertaining enough but the aftermath was wild. I thought they'd paint a couple stripes down the losers back but I was dead ass wrong. They were slinging the paint around the ring with no regard for the fans. Felt like I found a hidden gem on a VHS best of tape. Enjoy homie.

CJD: I'm going to admit baby. I'm a little hot. Because when I played the Mexican Death Match that follows this match up for you and the gang at one of our all night wrestling sessions... I got laughed out of the living room! And it's become an inside joke for years!! Tsk tsk. Tut tut. This match is a good grinding brawl. Not as good as the MDM (and the results of the DVDVR 80s set agrees!), but a really great heel performance from Keirn in particular. Like you mentioned some of those little shots they were throwing in between transitions were nasty as hell. And the post match angle is maybe even better than the match itself. I love this choice in all seriousness, because the Guerreros VS Fabulous Ones feud deserves its day in the sun! Well played JJZ.

RIP Sabu

Here are four Sabu matches we've shared over the years. They're all pretty great in different ways. There's a lot of feelings that I'm sure we're all going through as fans that I don't know how to put into words. RIP to as legendary of a performer as our generation ever had.

RIP Sa Fuckin Bu

I'm Your National Anthem, God, You're So Handsome

Gino Hernandez (c) VS Chavo Guerrero - Houston Wrestling NWA International Jr Heavyweight Championship 5/22/1981

CJD: John. This match right here. What a find. I wish I was sitting next to you discovering this match together. It's maybe not a MOTYC or what have you. Or maybe it is?? I don't know anymore. All I know is there's so much to love here. Before the match, in each fall, after the match. I'll say it right now. I was wrong about Gino. In these two matches I saw everything I ever heard about his insane potential and then some. He shined brighter than Chavo Classsic in this, and you know I love me some Chavo Guerrero! Houston in the late 70s and early 80s seems like a truly special territory based on the run we've been on lately my partner in crime!

JJZ: Right from the start of this match the feel of it was big. Bringing in the special ref is always a nice little twist. Wish he worked on his counts, come on Lou! Most wrestlers have a hard time slapping the mat for some reason. Im'ma start calling Gino the Furnace because he is a heat producer. He was born to be a heel. The front headlock work in the first fall was brilliant. It focused on the neck to lead up to the leg sweep. Classic second fall with Chavo getting a big burst of offense for a quick explosive pin. Beautiful back and forth leading to the third fall. Hot crowd with everything hitting on point and with purpose. The juice is definitely worth the squeeze in this one!

Forever Forward Fridays

Mayu Iwatani VS Tam Nakano - Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix 8/15/2023

CJD: I didn't know what direction I wanted to go with Mayu, except that I've seen her in a good amount of big title matches. And I wanted something different. Now I'm highly sleep deprived with a sick kid at home, so this shotgun style slamjam of a match was just what the doctor ordered! I've seen a little of Tam but I know I'm way more ignorant than I should be of her work. These ladies went for broke with this one and the crowd ate it up. They had me with a real rooting interest by the end which is a credit to the little touches they added. Everything wasn't perfect but that wasn't what this match was about. And I wouldn't change a thing!

JJZ: Watched this match on a park bench at the playground! Wow, this was so much more stiff than I was expecting. It felt like all the strikes landed with such force. The trading of blows and high intensity spots really made this feel like a slamjam of a match for certain.  My favorite spot of the match was the rolling German suplexes. The high angle drop point made me turn my head a little and say ooooooo. Tam and Mayu really impressed me in this match. Getting to dive deeper into Nakano's match bank is getting me pumped CJD!

You Know You Need A Tiger In Your Tank

Gino Hernandez VS Tiger Conway Jr - Houston Wrestling 11/30/1979

JJZ: So we got a quick little jawn right here. I don't recall seeing Gino Hernandez with the blonde locks before. Gotta say I prefer the dark hair, it goes better with his attitude. Gino and Tiger really sell the crap out of this match. It made everything feel so important. I especially liked how hard Conway had to work just get back in the ring. Also, swig of coffee for TCJ for taking fantastic bumps to the outside in both matches. He went through those ropes like a little kid jumping off his bed into a mountain of pillows. Tiger and Gino wrestled this match like a title was on the line. I actually had to go back and check that this was just a straight up match. Good stuff overall.

CJD: I've never seen the Handsome Halfbreed with the bleach job either. What a fantastic shithead heel he was in this match! Gino has that reputation of a great "What If?" that passed way too soon. I sometimes think that reputation exceeds his actual talents, at least in the ring. Not in this match, where he brought a little of everything, including his nastier side when he needed it. This match was rock solid. The structure was so sound and engaging. You could feel this was two younger guys who had some fresh ideas and energy for the time. This is a prime example of a match I enjoyed more than a star rating or what have you would indicate. This one will stick with me for a while.

Do What They're Paying You To Do, Break Legs, Break Legs

Greg Valentine VS Tiger Conway Jr - Houston Wrestling 5/18/1979

CJD: So I've got to be honest. I'm not familiar with Tiger Conway Jr or his dad. But reading up about them on wikipedia I'm blown away by what seemingly normal lives they lived as fixtures of the Texas wrestling scene for the better part of a century. Greg has two great matches with Jr that are online and I was torn which one to play. I think the other a month previous might actually be a little better?? So if you want to Tarantino me and go right back to it and hold up our imaginary title, by all means!! I have no idea what your Conway options are going to look like. I'm going with this match though because it felt so memorable. With the little bit of Gino hijinx, Paul Boesch rambling on about Greg's "brother" Johnny at ringside (who is his dad fyi, who had him wrestle as his younger brother so Johnny wouldn't seem as old, isn't pro wrestling great), to a couple of "oh shit!" spots by 1979 standards. These guys had great chemistry. Valentine had a bit more variety to his game than you might give him credit for. And I can say at least up against the Hammer, Conway Jr was no slouch himself!

JJZ: I've got to be honest in that I appreciate your honesty because honestly I have no fucking clue who TCJ is. Sip of Honest Tea for the honest CJD. I know you said you this match has some oh shit moments and I really popped for that first big spot onto the ringside table. I found this one going back and forth from a structured technical bout to a flst fight. Really solid match all around. It feels like the Hammer only ever brings his A game. These two had such great heat between the ropes. If I didn't know this shit was scripted I would've thought if given the opportunity, one of these guys would've broke an arm or a leg. Wonderful match.

Forever Forward Fridays

Mayu Iwatani (c) VS Sareee - Stardom IWGP Women's Championship 4/27/2024

JJZ: So this match was actually on my 2024 To Watch list. Iwatani I'm not familiar with but it sounds like she had a hell of a year. She popped up on a lot of matches to watch list last year. Chris. Fucking banger of a match. These ladies just go for broke. Great spots. Great physicality. Solid crowd. I really got lost in this match. I was so locked in that nothing else mattered in the world for 27 minutes. Both women trying to fucking end each other. Just a test of wills. Fantastic match.

CJD: So not to be that guy, but you HAVE seen Iwatani matches before! Our good joshi buddy PB I'm almost certain has played you some of her over the years. She's had quite the storied career and it was really cool seeing her as such a well established Ace here. You could tell from the very first lock up that she was going to have to weather Sareee's storm if she had any hope to win this match. That if Iwatani was going to retain she was going to have to be willing to dig deeper and sacrifice everything. It was a simple and effective story and both women played it perfectly. Sareee was vicious, I've become such a fan. Great balance with the physicality as you said, the bomb throwing, and the pacing. We make a point not to lean into these big main event style title matches too too often. PIF was created with our ever dwindling attention spans in mind. But this was an easy epic to get invested in. Well worth your time!