You Light My Morning Sky With Burning Love

Kenta Kobashi (c) VS Takeshi Rikio - NOAH GHC Heavyweight Championship 3/6/2004

JJZ: SPOILER ALERT. Just getting it out of the way but I can't rightfully review this match without spoiling the finish.

I wanna say that I bet this pick suprises you but I don't know if it would. I had so many options. I watched so many matches. I went with this match because I kept thinking about it days after I watched it.  Mainly because I thought it was the match that Rikio ended Kobashi's incredible GHC title reign. It wasn't. I've never seen that match before and I figured now is as good as a time as any. So when Kobashi repeatedly chopped and slapped the piss out of Rikio and then what can only be called a bicep punch to the face, got the three count I was like, Fuck. So Rikio challenged for the Global Crown twice. I'm sure I knew that at one time but I didn't know that when I watched this match. Kobashi made Rikio look like a goddamn star in this match. Don't get me wrong, Kobashi made Rikio earn everything but Rikio really looked like a guy who could have a successful title run that would help NOAH. That didn't happen. But for 27 minutes Kenta Kobashi and Takeshi Rikio put on a world title match that would make any wrestling fan fall in love with the sport just a little more.

CJD: As you said, everything about this match felt like Rikio's coming out party. A guy who's been punching that clock and packing that lunchbox for years and years finally gets his moment where he's the main character of everyone's story. Only, he never really was, but he sure as hell put in the performance that felt like it. He WORKED for this match. Kobashi played off him much more than the other way around, which surprised me. I'd also never seen this before despite watching most of Kobashi's reign. And other than the legwork, which was fine but not really what I wanted at that moment, there was nothing more or less I wanted from this match. I think this show also drew a huge crowd which makes sense in the rise and fall of the story of the Rikio experiment. It was probably more a result of Kobashi lighting the world on fire than the fans clamoring for Takeshi Rikio, but let's give the often forgotten half of Wild II his flowers. He took a hellacious beating in this match and made us all believe, at least for that one night, "should he be the guy??"

Forever Forward Fridays

Shelton Benjamin (c) VS MVP - WWE United States Championship 3/20/2009

JJZ: Babycakes. Finding an MVP match was so much harder than I thought it would be. The options were so few which kinda shocked me. I know WWE is not FFF material but highlighting Benjamin and MVP is totally worth playing a WWE match forward. This is definitely a shotgun of a match with high energy and a hot crowd. Both Shelton and MVP have insane athleticism and going at a frantic pace even for a short amount of time showcased that. I was impressed that they were able to get me with a couple falsies. Just a fun little watch homie.

CJD: The Hurt Business Implodes!!! I almost played a Shelton/Masters match forward to you weeks back, so I'm glad the Gold Standard is still getting his due. This match really brought it. They laid that shit in, but also showed nice restraint trying to get the most out of each moment. There were a few times where they could have brought the crowd up a little more but they kept it going to a steady climax in a short amount of time. JR and Taz is an odd couple duo but they did a good job getting this one over. I expected to like this one a lot, and it still exceeded my expectations. If you've got 10 minutes to burn and want to watch two guys lay it all out in a championship clash, this match is your huckleberry.

Super Generation Army Meets Takayamamania

Kenta Kobashi/Tsuyoshi Kikuchi VS Jun Akiyama/Yoshihiro Takayama - NOAH 9/16/2000

CJD: So this isn't my Kikuchi white whale I alluded to. And you want to know the damndest thing John? I saw it out on the internet seas. But that's the thing about white whales, isn't it? Sometimes you'd rather know they're out there waiting for you than actually catch them. I decided I wanted a different flavor of Kikuchi, and there's nothing quite like year one NOAH. File this under matches we might've seen before. But how the hell am I not going to play this forward?? This had me riveted. All four guys brought such a great dynamic. This is a match that sets the table more than it feasts, but I am so so okay with that. And I know you have time to sink your teeth into a main course with whatever you play back! This match made me think of you through and through my friend.

JJZ: Oh baby are you hitting me right in the heart with this one. I could watch early NOAH all day! I'm assuming this is building to the 12/23/2000 singles match between Akiyama and Kobashi. Just wanna say that Takayama's German to Kikuchi was RIDICULOUS. I'll totally agree this match was all about setting the table and they did it so fucking well. Something often missing from modern puro. The energy and excitement coming from the crowd of the new born promotion was felt through the screen. It is really impressive that even though Kikuchi is so under sized in this match he honestly makes the biggest impression. They way he puts his whole body into every movement makes him so easy to cheer for. Kobashi is the greatest of all time. Takayama is the standard for Japanese hoss wrestlers. And Akiyama. I don't know if he will ever be truly appreciated considering the shadows he had to come out from under. This match was wonderful.

Forever Forward Fridays

MVP VS Chris Masters - WWE RAW 7/27/2009

CJD: I've always had a soft spot for MVP, even before he became an elder statesman of pro wrestling counter culture. This match is even more simple than your Masters studio match, and one of the shortest we've ever featured. It has a bonus match snuck onto the end, with Kofi Kingston VS Brian Kendrick that's worth a watch as well! Masters and Montel are such giant men that everything they do here looks impressive. The booking was different and effective if a little anti climactic. We were just talking to each other about how we aren't always watching matches for the blog for their overall quality, and this is a good example. This is just an interesting piece of wrestling for a few reasons. And I'm looking forward to more Atonio Banks from you!

JJZ: Love the cameo by JTG after the match. That finish was soooo good. Really clever. So this was definitely simple but it was supposed to be simple. The  wrestling wasn't the star of the match it was the ambiance. Masters coming back, the ticking clock on the titantron. Knowing that there might not be  an actual pinfall or submission to end the match. Also loved the yoked up meat head using his brain to get the job done. 👍

RIP Jaka

The pro wrestling world lost another wrestler far too young. Jaka has passed away at 39 years old. The GoFundMe his brother had posted while he was in the ICU is still active and his family will certainly need support through this awful time.

Donate Here

Through the years here at PiF we only shared one Jaka match, but it's one of my favorites we've ever featured. It captures so many elements of what I love about pro wrestling. I'm going to watch it again this week and seek out more of Jaka's work in his memory. RIP to a talented man gone way too soon.

Homicide/Eddie Kingston VS Doom Patrol - Beyond Wrestling 11/25/2018

Forever Forward Fridays

Chris Adonis VS JTG - NWA Heavyweight Championship 7/6/2021

JJZ: I know studio wrestling has been back for a little bit but I haven't really watched it. Now the match itself is fine. Super basic, really clean and a simple story. I've never been a Chris Adonis (Masters) guy. He is like a modern Lex Luger. Honestly I'm not sharing this for the wrestling. I'm sharing this for the feel, the look. Watching this took me back to 7 year old JJZ. Just a little kid watching two jacked, oiled up guys throwing each other around. JTG and the Masterpiece made me feel nostalgic for 11 minutes.

CJD: So thanks to your match I learned two things about Chris Adonis. He's Jewish, and he saved his mother from a burning building in a 2013 arson attempt by ripping a 10 foot tree out of the ground so she could climb out of the window?! What the fuck! Anyway, this is a little off brand for FFFridays, but I'll allow it because I really want to watch more of this era of JTG. What is on brand for Adonis, is I got a quick workout in while I watched this. And it felt appropriate because this was a very workmanlike match. Clean and simple is a great way to sum it up baby. This match was like when you're in the zone at work and you're always 3 steps ahead of what you're currently doing. Everything came together nicely. The bad guy was easy to root against. The good guy was easy to root for. Everything made sense. They did some impressive shit. They finished on a logical beat that left you wanting to see more in a few different ways. As you said, this is an important flavor of pro wrestling storytelling, and a very good modern example of it!

You're Out Of Your Element, Robby

Tsuyoshi Kikuchi (c) VS Rob Van Dam - AJPW Junior Heavyweight Championship 10/12/1996

JJZ: Baby cakes. We've probably seen this before. We may have already reviewed this before but I don't care and just wanted to watch this. When I saw it pop up I was like oh hell yeah. Let's go. RVD does all the things people love about him in this one and none of the shit that might annoy you. He showcased his ridiculous acrobatics and mixed in some pretty stiff moves. Kikuchi is incredible. He is AJPW's version of Mikey Whipwreck. He puts his own little touches on the most basic moves while hitting shit that makes me say Jesus Christ! Hope you like this as much as me baby.

CJD: I have 100% never seen this before! Was Kikuchi the secret GOAT RVD opponent?? What great chemistry between these two. I loved the subtle comedy, the way Kikuchi would slow it down, and really built to the shock and awe of Van Dam's big spots. And RVD was dialed in for this era, vibrating at just the right frequency for this golden opportunity. 90s AJPW junior heavyweight matches in full are such a god damn treat. I feel like every VHS we got back then we were lucky if we got more than a few minutes of clips. And there's still a Kikuchi white whale match for me from back then that I've only seen clipped, so let's go hunting!

Like A Nightmare

Danny Davis/Rob Zakowski VS Chris Candido/Dong Cho Ming - USWA 6/22/1991

CJD: John. How am I not going to play this match forward. As two ECW teen fanboys from the 90s, how fucking cool is this?? Like what is even happening here, is Don Cho Ming a Mick Foley era backyarder?? I've never had less hesitation to go with a 4 minute match. This is a must watch. Thank you Danny Davis for bringing us here!!!

JJZ: Wow. Best 4 minute match ever? It just might be CJD. For 1992 this match showed some really ahead of its time stuff. RVD obviously looked like an emerging star with this match. Meng definitely could be a backyarder. Candido and Rob look like such babies also. Talk about white meat babyfaces. Not even sure who were the heels and the faces. You were 100 percent spot on to share this! Side note I thought Danny Davis was coming into the match with some color before realizing it was face paint.

CJD: Holy shit Don Cho Ming was baby Osamu Nishimura?!? I don't understand how, according to wikipedia and cagematch the dates don't match up. But I've seen that mentioned in multiple places.

JJZ: God damn. That would be crazy.

Forever Forward Fridays

Jacob Fatu (c) VS JTG - HOG World Championship 2/3/2023

CJD: When we came up with the concept for FFFridays, I bet you'd never guess we'd end up at Jacob Fatu VS JTG years later. But here we are!! This match probably isn't going to blow your socks off, but it was way better than I expected. JTG is really good working from under, the match loses momentum a bit when he's in the driver's seat. But his selling and emotion elevate the match a ton by the end. I really liked the extra mustard the ring announcer put on the intros. I bet if I dug deeper on Fatu I could find some real hidden gems, but I'm more than happy to land on Jay The GAWD and see what you come back with in return!

JJZ: Not gonna lie, I was always really impressed that Cryme Tyme was able to wrestle in Tims. Just saying. I thought this match was a solid wrestling contest. JTG was better than I expected. He really showcased his strength. Throwing Fatu around like I used to throw my son around. Honestly they worked this match like a WWE match. Big intro, slow start that builds to some big spots, and a big finish. I'll agree that it isn't the greatest thing we have ever shared but not everything can be. Sometimes we need to showcase just some good old wrestling. I feel like Fatu always does something that makes me say goddamn! That Samoan Drop was fantastic. JTG ain't no JT Fury but he put on a good match.

Your American Express, Oh That Great, Great American Excess

The Battens VS The Nightmares - CWA 12/29/1984

JJZ: I don't know where the hell we've gone CJD but I don't know who the Nightmares are either! With the Battens being twins but also faces, I was wondering if they would still do the switch a roo when the ref wasn't looking. They did! I like it. There's a finish in this match I've never seen before. It's easy to argue that it was unnecessary and the other Batten should've ran in but I think it legitimately gives and shows the ref's power in the ring. Great flow to the match with both teams showing off good offense. The Nightmares gave off such good sleazy 80s heel energy. All while looking like rec league softball players. These last few matches have been so much fun man. Love Debutting wrestlers to PIF.

CJD: Rec League Softball Players indeed baby. What a perfectly 80s territory tag team match. The Nightmares were a treat. Memphis is a huge blindspot for me, stylistically it's just not my bag, even if I'll always have a soft spot for matches like this. Matches that go to Fist City, if you know what I mean!! I'm so fascinated to see what I dig up with the Beer league boys, I can't imagine that's the more famous Danny Davis before he started ripping shit up at the gym. Maybe they did a tour of All Japan?!? Also yeah, that finish was an interesting one indeed. Just a fun oddball match in general my friend.