Danny Spivey [RF Video Shoot Interview]

The Good
The career of Danny Spivey seems to be a succession of bad luck that prevented him from ever reaching a pinnacle he could have. He had been a curtain-jerker in JCP even though Dusty liked him, so he couldn't move up the ladder there. He was too much like Hulk Hogan, so he could not get far in the WWF. He did well in Japan, but kept chasing opportunities in the States that never panned out and prevented him from becoming a top gaijin in All Japan. He had the size, look and ability to be a top heel in WCW, but they kept squandering him as he was still committed to Japan. He had a fantastic character in Waylon Mercy, but the WWF just did not get how to push him to the next level and gave up on him. In spite of all of this perceived failure, Danny Spivey had a respectable career and had some great experiences to share. While he was not bitter, he did seem frustrated that people like Ric Flair, Bret Hart and the Road Warriors used their stroke to hold him back. Sometimes, you hear a guy who had a career like Spivey's and it really seems like he was lacking something, but Spivey seemed to really have that untapped potential. His honesty about his stiff style, his drug use and his burn-out from being on the road, makes you think that he is a pretty straight-shooter. Enjoyable and informative as a good shoot should be.

The Bad
Danny Spivey's career included a fair amount of bouncing around and never quite living up to his potential. To listen to him, you'd think it was mostly poor booking, poor timing and bad luck that cost him superstardom. While there is truth to that, there is also the fact that he continually went back to WCW, despite the fact they misused him several times. If he had stayed in Japan, it might have shaved a few years off his career, but he would have had the chance to reach the echelon that Stan Hansen, Steve Williams and Terry Gordy reached. Danny Spivey might come across as bitter to some, but when comparing him to many of his colleagues, he seems pretty down-to-earth and content with his career.

The Rating: ****

Pride - Best of 2003

1. Dan Henderson vs. Shugo Oyama (Pride 25)
Henderson is coming off a very strong performance against the Pride champion, Antonio Nogueira, and Oyama is trying to become the native star that Pride is begging for. Both have pretty good rights and are ballsy fighters, but only one can win. Both go straight at one another for the first few minutes before taking it to the mat for a breather. The war continues and the winner is clear.
Rating: ***1/2 (Combo/Striking)

2. Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Elvis Schembri (Pride 25)
The ever-injured Saku and a high-end BJJ fighter. This seemed like a safe fight for Pride's top draw as Schembri isn't much of a striker and Saku has a slight size edge. He really dominates too with standup that has Elvis in major trouble and it almost seemed like Saku might score an unlikely KO. However Schembri scores this knee out of nowhere and follows it up with the strikes to get the job done. An amazing upset that had people calling for Sakuraba's retirement.
Rating: **3/4 (Standing/Striking)

- Vanderlei Silva and Quinton Jackson (Pride 25)
The confrontation that had the fight world buzzing. Following a convincing victory over Kevin Randleman, Jackson called out the champ and they had an intense meeting. We thought they'd meet in the near future, but we had to wait a while...they meet though and it's everything you'd expect.

3. Antonio Nogueira vs. Fedor Emelianenko (Heavyweight Championship) (Pride 25)
A big match here with two of the very best heavyweights you'll ever see. Nog is a submission wiz with good standup and Fedor is a GNP monster. When we look at common opponents: Kohsaka, Herring, Schilt and we get some interesting insight. Fedor lost to TK from a cut, beat Schilt in a snoozer and destroyed Herring; Nog drew TK in a majority draw that he had an edge in, beat Herring in a close decision and handily beat Schilt. Theoretically, Nogueira is the favorite here. Fedor changes all that with his devastating punches and he neutralizes the BJJ completely. Exciting parts, slow parts, but a major fight without question that sees Nog's first loss in Pride.
Rating: ***1/4 (Ground/Striking)

4. Anderson Silva vs. Daijyu Takase (Pride 26)
Silva is a heavy favorite in this one, coming off a win over Carlos Newton and Takase has been fighting on Pride's B-shows. Coming in with Saku-spoof shorts, Takase summons the MMA icon's skill here showing great submission knowledge. A huge upset here in what is the unusual match on this tape, but this is a really good one.
Rating: ***3/4 (Ground/Combo)

5. Quinton Jackson vs. Mikhail Illhoukhine (Pride 26)
Jackson takes on a skilled Russian Top Team Sambo practioner whose RINGS career is impressive and his losses are understandable and he holds wins over Couture, Kohsaka, Han, Vovchanchyn and others of strong skill. However people from RINGS often struggle with loose brawlers like Rampage. Mikhail really struggles with the striking and even half jumps out the ring to avoid it. Jackson shows the depth of his striking ability and he's developing into a war machine.
Rating: ***3/4 (Ground/Combo)

6. Fedor Emelienko vs. Kazuyuki Fujita (Pride 26) After a lengthy absence, Fujita returns to challenge the new champ in what is likely to be the Pride FOTY. Two good wrestlers here with different strengths: power to Fujita and balance to Fedor. Also how will Fujita's iron head work against Fedor's iron fists? This is really fun and shows that GNP fighters aren't all Mark Coleman. Fedor does a Terry Funk stagger that adds a funny spot you seldom see in MMA. Finish is sudden and decisive, but it is fitting of this barnburner. Quinton Jackson is on color too.
Rating: ****1/4 (Combo/Striking)

7. Mirko Crocop vs. Heath Herring (Pride 26) Crocop's first time under Pride rules and he's with a strong opponent. Herring is trying to get back in the mix after being slaughtered by Fedor. This is similar to Rodriguez-Sylvia as you can tell Herring realizes he's in trouble early and is just trying in vain to do anything. Crocop senses this and it is all a matter of time after that point. He's arrived in Pride and he wants the championship.
Rating: ***1/2 (Standing/Striking)

8. Mirko Crocop vs. Igor Vovchanchyn (Pride GP - Total Elimination) Another heavyweight coming off losses, who needs a big win to jump back in the fray. Herring and Vov were about even in a decision, but Herring won and Crocop destroyed him. So what becomes of the hard-hitting Ukrainian? This does not take long and this is even more decisive and we see what we never have before - Igor Vovchanchyn knocked out! Who's next?
Rating: *** (Standing/Striking)

9. Mirko Crocop vs. Dos Caras Jr. (Pride Bushido) Looking at Crocop's past opponents, each had a fighting chance. Dos Caras Jr., despite a 3-2 record is not exactly a world caliber MMA heavyweight. He does have the power of lucha libre on his side though. Dos Caras claims to be confident, despite taking this on two weeks notice, but really this is the fight that will make him an even bigger star. Convincing win though for Mirko and he wants the heavyweight title.
Rating: **3/4 (Standing/Striking)

10. Mirko Crocop vs. Antonio Noguiera (Interim Heavyweight Championship) (Pride GP - Final Conflict) After Fedor was injured a little while before this fight, Noguiera jumped in and we get this so-called "interim" fight. Nog, after looking great last year, has not had an important and decisive since Semmy Schilt (a year prior to this bout). His goal is simple - ground the Croatian killer and submit him. He gets Crocop in his guard early, but he does not get it done as Crocop is too fresh and fiesty. The remaining minutes of the round are spent trying to get things back to the ground and taking a lot of damage in the process and never having success. Then he gets a break in the second round and he ceases this opportunity in a great finale to a dramatic contest. The Crocop train is finally stopped and in a very fitting manner. While this is the best technical fight or even the most action-packed, this has a great story that is hauntingly similiar to Noguiera-Sapp from last year. A FOTYC for sure.
Rating: ***1/2 (Combo/Combo)

11. Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Kevin Randleman (Pride GP - Final Conflict) Kevin Randleman, after blowing a
lot of hot air about how great he will be manages to have a dull fight with Saku. "Donkey Kong," as they call him in Japan, is conquered by Super Mario here in what could be a considered an upset. I edit out the first and second rounds because, well, they're boring. But the entrances, flower presentation by Couture and armbar victory are all worth seeing. Basically, Randleman was poised to explode the whole fight and never did. I save the highlights though and you can get the jest of the rounds and get all of the third, which is really all you want to see of this. I'd probably rate this aborted version like ***, but I drop half a star for the fifteen minutes of Randleman's impression of his mentor Mark Coleman against Don Frye, i.e. having a snoozer with one of the most exciting fighters in the world.

12. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Akira Shoji (Pride Bushido) The Pride debut of "Shogun", younger brother of "Ninja," who are actually Brazilians. Here he takes on a Pride veteran who has turned into something of a stepping stone. Shogun is coming off his only loss thusfar to Renato "Babalu" and Shoji has done well since slimming down. A really fast and action-packed fight that was the best on the first Bushido show in my opinion.
Rating: **** (Combo/Striking)

13. Carlos Newton vs. Renzo Gracie (Pride Bushido)
The first fight in the 5-on-5 series of Gracies versus Japan. After Hayato Sakurai was injured, the Japanese-speaking Newton got into one of the biggest fights of his career. While most of the fights from this series are good and worth seeing, this one was perhaps the best and had the name fighters in it. Some might say it does not live up to its full potential, but it's good stuff.
Rating: ***1/4 (Ground/Combo)

14. Chuck Liddell vs. Alistair Overeem (Pride GP - Total Elimination)
Liddell's return to Pride where he hoping to meet the Middleweight chamipon, Vanderlei Silva. Furthermore, he's coming off a stunning loss to Randy Couture. Overeem looks good early and cuts Liddell, who comes back with knees on the ground and punches standing. A convincing win that eliminates the tournament's dark horse and makes one wonder why Liddell got him. A good brawl, while it lasts.
Rating: ***3/4 (Standing/Striking)

15. Quinton Jackson vs. Murillo Bustamante (Pride GP - Total Elimination)
After Arona was injured late, stablemate Bustamante jumped in and rest assured, he gives us a better fight. Jackson cuts the promos you expect, but you can sense a lack of something in what he says. Busta is smaller than Arona, but has better cardio and is better technically. This is the fight makes Rampage look very human as Busta counteracts much of his offense and nearly hooks some submissions along the way. A stoppage to pull up Jackson's shorts arguably saves him as he gets a valuable rest and it cuts off Bustamante's momentum. It comes down to a split decision that really could have gone either way, but Jackson gets the nod.
Rating: ***1/2 (Combo/Combo)

16. Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Hidehiko Yoshida (Pride GP - Total Elimination)
I'd dare say the two of most popular three or four fighters on the card meeting - this has to be heated. Tamura, sporting a new goatee, comes right at Yoshida and exposed his inability to deal with strikes. This is really one of those fights that many might not be into because of those involved, but the ramifications were huge and Tamura showed some real skill. Once he gets pulled into the gi game though he's in a new world. Great battle of styles and the heat is spectacular. I'm tempted to call this the best fight of the tournament.
Rating: **** (Standing/Combo)

17. Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Vanderlei Silva (Pride GP - Total Elimination)
The third meeting between these two and this has no controversy to it, though Saku's always banged up. Silva, coming off double knee surgery, looks like he has not missed a beat since his previous fight (nine months prior against Saku's former Kingdom mate - Hiromitsu Kanehara). This stays standing and Sakuraba is just not able to really do much. Jackson is on color here as well and he continues to hype a fight with Silva.
Rating: *** (Standing/Striking)

- Quinton Jackson and Chuck Liddell (UFC 44 - Undisputed)
Joe Rogan hypes the pending Rampage-Iceman battle from UFC 44, both men comment on the fight and this is a nice little deal rather than the unnecessary lengthy package Pride puts together. The fight is good, but all the hype they give it kills the thing in my opinion. Also Nobuhiko Takada is in the house and announces Sakuraba and Fujita will come to the UFC to represent Pride in 2004.

18. Quinton Jackson vs. Chuck Liddell (Pride GP - Final Conflict)
A nice battle of styles. Jackson is a better wrestler, Liddell is a better striker, however Jackson can strike and Liddell can wrestle. Basically it becomes a standup battle, where cardio makes all the difference. Liddell strays from his gameplan and gets pulled out of a quick, technical fight into a grinding brawl. It seems like a toss up, but Chuck is tired and they throw in the towel.
Rating: ***1/4 (Combo/Striking)

19. Vanderlei Silva vs. Hidehiko Yoshida (Pride GP - Final Conflict)
The match that convinced people that Yoshida's fights aren't worked. This is brutal and entertaining bout that sees a conflict in styles can provide super fights. Yoshida goes right at Silva and shows no fear. His strength is amazing and he gives the champ a tough challenge and you almost think he might actual score the upset a few times. Yoshida really controls the action much of the first round, but he does not in the second, in fact he's pulled into Silva's game, and that makes all the difference.
Rating: ***3/4 (Ground/Combo)

20. Vanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson (Pride GP - Final Conflict)
The fight that was hyped up in March for June finally comes true. Many thought the bracketing here was dangerous, but we get the finals that everyone wanted to see and it delivers...while it lasts. Both had tough prior fights, but Jackson is able to get things on the ground and you'd think he'd be able to GNP Silva significantly. Fatigue is a factor though and Wand just plays rope-a-dope on the mat it seems. Once it gets up standing Silva opens things up with knees, kicks and punches to get the win. A strong tournament finale that is so much better than Coleman's win in the first Grand Prix, mostly because he didn't fall on his head after like a jackass. Takada presents flowers and stuff in a nice closing ceremony.
Rating: ***1/4 (Combo/Striking) 

Terry Funk [RF Video Shoot Interview]

The Good
Conducted in 1998, not too long after Terry Funk's WWF run, Terry Funk delivers what was perhaps the best RF Video shoot at this point in time. He is a natural storyteller and this was at a great point in his career for him to look back. Before his autobiography, his numerous interviews and coverage in "Beyond the Mat," this was an amazing piece of pro-wrestling history. Several parts of this such as looking at Amarillo, his NWA Championship run and the early days of ECW were interesting, but have been covered in greater detail in various places (including in future shoots by Funk himself). I felt the highlights of this, which stand up are the details concerning his time with All Japan and relationship with FMW head Atsushi Onita. Stories of Japan are not uncommon in shoot interviews, but Terry Funk's experiences are distinctly different as he worked in the All Japan office, saw many changes and worked with many of the top wrestlers (like Onita) when they were "young boys." This is also back in the day of matches being integrated into RF Video shoots, so you can catch some great (and not-so-great) action from Terry Funk's career.

The Bad
Although this was the first Terry Funk shoot I heard and was, at the time, one of my favorites, this seemed so old and limited looking back. I don't think RF Video really started delivering quality shoot interviews for another five years, but they sure secured some great names, did longer interviews and had one of the only forums for shoot interviews. I've since heard Terry Funk partnered with all kinds of people from Harley Race and Bob Backlund to Shane Douglas and Steve Corino. I have to say, I've preferred those. His interaction with others and that necessarily limiting structure just work so well for a rambler who has seen so much. This "was" amazing nearly fifteen years ago, but it is not as great today.

The Rating: ****1/4

Icons of Wrestling: Abdullah the Butcher

Director: n/a
Distributor: TWC (The Wrestling Channel)
Released: 1/06
Featured Talent
Abdullah the Butcher, Jim Melby, Antonio Inoki, Martha Shreeve

The Good
The "Icons of Wrestling" series from TWC in Britain does some cool short documentaries on some legendary figures. This one of Abby is better than others I have seen because he is a more recent star, so they had more quality footage (including he and Hulk Hogan in New Japan, although they overplay the impact of that match). Seeing the house where he grew up, hearing from his mother and his restaurant in Atlanta made this unique. However, his views and stories about his family made this a real human story.

The Bad
At twenty-two minutes, it is difficult to really capture a career like Abdullah's. This has a long and unnecessary part about World War II, which adds something in other shows, but not this one. The lack of commentary from people keeps the scope of this narrow. The worst part however is when they call Bruiser Brody "Tug Taylor" and Carlos Colon "Calos Stalone." Despite these gross errors, they do not detract greatly from the story.

The Rating: ***

Bam Bam Bigelow [Wrestling Universe Shoot Interview]

The Good
One in the Wrestling Universe's series that is definitely a standout. Bam Bam Bigelow, who passed away in 2007, conducted this in 2002, so he was on the comeback trail after severe burns (from saving some kids from a fire) put him on the shelf. He seemed like such a friendly guy who had many good stories and a really good memory. Bigelow's tales of breaking in were about what you'd expect, but the parts about Japan (which started early on for him) were fascinating. Here is a guy who traveled over there many times and worked for four of the top companies and he had some thoughtful and honest comments. He had no problem burying Akira Maeda for his unprofessionalism, FMW for its second-rate status or Genichiro Tenryu for subpar booking decisions. At the same time, he put over the talent, the culture, the learning experience and the style. Puroresu fans should enjoy that aspect of this shoot. There was plenty of time talking about his runs in the WWF (2), WCW (3) and ECW (2), which were filled with great successes and some unfortunate situations. Bigelow seems to have everything in a proper perspective that he can address the good and bad of each. I've heard him put over strongly by Sid (as the greatest ring general he ever worked) and buried by Lanny Poffo (as someone that no one would ever pay to see), but I tend to think the majority of his peers liked him and respected his work. From this shoot interview, you can kind of understand why.

The Bad
Although I found Bigelow to be pretty straightforward, he was not as professionally self-effacing as I might have expected. While he never put himself over as strongly as many people do in shoot interviews (certainly not personally as he seemed quite humble and down-to-Earth), I expected him to perhaps reflect upon his unfulfilled potential, drug problems and inconsistent pushes over the years. He admitted to not being a complete package (good body, good interviews, good work), but felt he had the third category for sure. I wouldn't argue that point, but it seems like he might have been a little more reflective as to why someone of his in-ring ability never got the consistent shove that so many expected time and time again. He seems to blame injuries, politics and poor booking more than I care to believe. My other issue is his mellowness. Bam Bam Bigelow seems like an intense individual who would speak his mind and have no problem burying people, but here, he is relatively reserved in his comments on Big Van Vader, Andre the Giant and even the Kliq. He always seemed to temper a negative comment about someone being a "pain in the ass" or whatever by putting over their hard work, status or something. Regardless of those concerns, I felt this was a good look at pro-wrestling from 1985-2001 with some detailed inclusion of Japan and even Mexico.

The Rating: ****1/2

Straight Shootin with Jushin "Thunder" Liger

The Good
There have not been a large number of shoot interviews done with Japanese and Mexican stars because, by in large, their English is limited, they don't break kayfabe and it just would not work out logistically. Shocker (who is actually from the US), Keiji Muto and a couple others have done interviews for English-speaking media in some capacity, but the results have been mixed. Here, Gabe Sapolsky sits down with Jushin Liger and translator Simon Inoki to look at the career of one of New Japan's most recognizable stars, a junior heavyweight icon and simply one of the greatest workers ever. It is interesting to hear about his brief training in Mexico as well as his extensive training in the New Japan Dojo. He gets into a lot of interesting details about the numerous legends of New Japan and puroresu. Who knew El Samurai was a chain smoker? Or that Keiji Muto was as bizarre as his Great Muta character? Or that tough guy Yoshiaki Fujiwara was real laid-back when he was not beating the hell out of young boys? Jushin Liger gets into some neat details that you'd never hear otherwise, so this interview is worth checking out if you are a puroresu fan.

The Bad
Shoot interviews full of kayfabe can be intolerably bad and Liger gives many responses swimming in it. If this was not such a unique interview, I would certainly say that kills the quality of this. A major downside of this is the time spent translating back-and-fourth. I think, although it would have made this shorter (more like one hour as opposed to two), that dubbing this with subtitles would have been better all around. The documentary, Blood-Stained Memories, did this with Keiji Muto and it preserved a lot of the personality in his responses. It seems like not much ground was actually covered and the questions are pretty generic and dull.

The Rating: ***1/2

Stan Hansen [RF Video's "Behind Closed Doors" Shoot Interview]

The Good
RF Video's second shoot interview with Stan Hansen is not much different from the first. It is a little more scattered, but that can be okay. Stan Hansen has a variety of experiences in both the US and Japan that could be explored. Rob goes more into the Japanese experiences than I would have expected, but ultimately his ignorance of the culture, product and legacy of Stan Hansen limit the depth of discussion there. Hansen explains how he grew to enjoy Japan, why the preferred that style and some of his experiences with different people in and out of the ring. Overall, he seems to understand the nature of this interview better than previous outings, so he is a little more open. I found this enjoyable, but it was certainly not all I would have hoped for.

The Bad
A notorious kayfaber, Stan Hansen even says, "What's kayfabe?" when asked about it. Rob takes the bait and tries to explain it before realizing how stupid he is. Hansen sort of knows what the score is and answers a fair number of question with "that's what I've heard, so it must be true" and perpetuates old angles with a grin (i.e. breaking Bruno's neck with the Lariat). While he was not as bad as I've heard, it got aggravating at times as he did not give the straightforward answer you'd hope for. Overall, it seems that Rob's inability to develop a narrative, ask follow-up questions or carefully ask more prying questions really hindered this. If Stan Hansen wants to play the kayfabing game, you've got to be a better interviewer to get more out of them. People like Arn Anderson, Jimmy Valiant and Stan Hansen will always be worthwhile people to interview, but it takes a quality interviewer to get them to really shoot.

The Rating: ***1/2

Pure Dynamite: The Price You Pay for Wrestling Stardom
Author, Ghost Writer, Editor: Tom Billington, Alison Coleman
Publisher: Stewart House
Released: 8/01 

The Good
There's not a lot more one can want from an autobiography: funny road stories, pretty good insight, dirt on all the stars and a strong finale. While you might only demand one of those, so few wrestler's autobiographies deliver 3 of the 4 that it's sad. Billington's been in Europe, Canada, Japan and the States and he gives all the details. He lightens things up with funny stories and considering his apparent meanstreak it's necessary to have those parts. Puroresu fans should enjoy this more than just about anyone's books. Most compliment this book for its unbridaled honesty and he doesn't seem to pull punches and that's more a positive in wrestling than a negative...I think.


The Bad
Bitterness can be very off-putting. Billington's hatred of Davey Boy Smith and dislike of a number of people is kind of hard to overlook as he blasts so many people. He tends to give a negative along with a slight positive (like "he was an asshole, but he was good with ribs") and his "rating" system of tough guys is questionable. Many of them seem to be his drinking buddies. If you realize those few things, you should be able to get through this just fine without too many hang-ups. 

The Rating: ****1/4


  

Have a Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks

Author, Ghost Writer, Editor: Mick Foley
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Released: 10/00

The Good
This was the book that started it all. Realistically, the success of this well-written autobiography opened the flood gates as pro-wrestling fans had long been considered illiterate rednecks. This has the wit and wisdom to make it better than almost all the WWF/WWE books that have followed because it had a degree of freedom those books have not. Foley covers not only the bulk of his career in great detail, but much of his private life as well. Obviously it covers a longer stretch of time including his runs in Territories/Indies, Japan, WCW, ECW and his first two WWF years. That covers a lot with the best stories and probably a wider range of personalities.

The Bad
Mick Foley's private life has mixed ramifications. His youth gets tedious because you want a book to have a strong and interesting intro and his is not unlikely many of our own as life-long wrestling fans. Obviously late-coming fans will not enjoy this as much as fans who've liked Foley forever, but that's what his second book is for. Like most autobiographies he shows bias towards and against people that have undoubtedly altered fans views of notable stars. There's not many negatives I can point about this book.

The Rating: ****3/4

        

Gypsy Joe Shoot Interview [Highspots]

The Good
Gypsy Joe is more than just the oldest active pro-wrestler in history and the man who was assaulted by New Jack on an indy show, he is a man who has traveled the world and experienced a great number of things.  His tales of working around Tennessee, battling Rusher Kimura in Japan and getting screwed over time and time again make for some unique listening material.  While criticizing George Gulas, Shawn Michaels and Jerry Lawler is not unusual, Gypsy Joe actually knocks Harley Race and some other people that would surprise you.  He definitely had an distinct career that has led him to his distinct perspective on the business and his place in it.

The Bad
Generally, pro-wrestler's backstories are over-covered, bland or unimportant, but when Gypsy Joe's childhood and late start in the business are not really covered, I became intrigued.  Coming up as a Latin-American and trying to get a break seems like a hard luck story that you'd want to hear, but he does not really touch upon it.  Instead, he goes on about how he is so tough, worked on top everywhere and how innovative he was.  Without undermining his true accomplishments, Gypsy Joe needed to be much more honest for me to take him seriously.  Instead, he sounds like what "El Guapo" Bas Rutten would sound like if he really was Spanish with all the accented nonsense he spews.  He hints at bitterness, disappointment and anger, but all along puts himself over again and again.  Once New Jack's name is brought up, he gets all fired up and is never able to bring it back down.  These qualities really brought this down into the mediocre category.

The Rating: ***

The Greatest Feud of All-Time: Misawa vs. Kawada - Part 1 of 15

The pro-wrestling world was saddened last summer when Mitsuharu Misawa, heralded as one of the greatest performers that the sports has ever seen, died following injuries from a match.  He was not only one of the biggest stars of puroresu, one of the most influential personalities in pro-wrestling, but one of the most gifted pro-wrestlers of all-time.  Throughout his career, he wrestled many legendary names in legendary matches, but one name and one series stands out above all the others.

Toshiaki Kawada was a "kohai" (junior) of Misawa's for many years.  As amateur wrestlers and professional wrestlers, Kawada often walked a step or two behind Misawa.  2010 marks the twentieth anniversary of Misawa's ascension from Tiger Mask (II) to being his own man.  Appropriately, Kawada was his partner that summer night and the man who untied his mask, allowing Mitsuharu Misawa to explode onto the All Japan scene.  Before the year was through, Misawa had become locked in an epic feud with Jumbo Tsuruta, which propelled him into a top spot in All Japan Pro-Wrestling.  Kawada, again, was a few steps behind.




(this is the middle part of the match in which Misawa unmasked, at approximately the 4:20 mark.)

Kawada continued to fight his way up the ladder and in 1992, these two forces finally met one-on-one.  This match marked the beginning of a rivalry that is undoubtedly one of pro-wrestling's finest. From the athleticism and technical excellence to the intensity and natural storyline, this feud had it all.


Here is a collection of highlights from that first epic encounter with my review of the match itself below.







They hype this first big match between these two by showing their history, namely their win over the Miracle Violence Combo (Steve Williams & Terry Gordy) for the Double Tag titles and when Kawada unmasked Misawa. They also show the build for this particular match with Misawa winning his first Triple Crown by defeating Stan Hansen and Kawada defeating Akira Taue to get this shot.


1. Mitsuharu Misawa (c) vs. Toshiaki Kawada [Triple Crown Championship] (10/21/92)
The crowd is really hungry for this and knowing All Japan's undercards, I'm not surprised. The pacing is really slow as it's clear they have a great story to tell and you give the fans their money's worth by not making it a brief action flick. Kawada jump starts things with a great looking back suplex and that's really the only big move in the first 15 minutes. They use a lot of submissions, going back-and-fourth and throwing in a strike here and there to pop the crowd. The strikes are so well-timed and placed that it's ridiculous and the crowd pops for every one of them. It's not like throwing a few punches in there to stun people between moves, it is a pivotal part of the match and it's all building. Kawada enjoys much of the offense, which is logical because he's the challenger and that's how you do it. Misawa is the champion though and he's not going to be hope spotting his way through this. Their movesets are so well established and individualized that the crowd and announcer get really into a lot of it. This is fun to watch because they're able to do things so much better than we're used to seeing in the past few years, but there are still some rough patches that would be worked out. Kawada's selling is there, but it'd get much better as he became perhaps the greatest seller ever. The finish
is good and it seems appropriate for this stage of the feud. Simple post-match handshake that adds a nice dimension to it all.

The Rating: ****1/4

A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex

Author: Chris Jericho, Peter Thomas Fornatale
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Released: 10/07 


The Good
When it was revealed that Chris Jericho was releasing an autobiography at the age of 36, it seemed strange. Although he had so far had an impressive career, Jericho had never reached that top echelon that everyone thought he would when he jumped to the WWF in 1999. This book attempted to be not a memoir of a storied career, but rather a “dreams come true” story. In that sense, it fulfilled its goal. Jericho had many obstacles to overcome throughout his career and when made his highly touted debut in the WWF, his dream came true and that’s where this book ends. So, if you’re a WWF/WWE fan, you’re going to have to wait. This book talks about his world travels and does so in the most humorous and entertaining manner that a pro-wrestling autobiography has ever done. Jericho did not intend this to be solely for pro-wrestling fans and certainly not WWF/WWE fans, but it certainly helps the enjoyment if you are the former. He breaks it up into several parts: his childhood and years on the Canadian indies, Mexico, Germany, Smoky Mountain, Japan, ECW and WCW. This comprehensive career being captured makes this a great resource. And if you know people like Dr. Luther, Drew McDonald, El Dandy and Bruiser Bedlam, this book has a different level of enjoyment. Personally, this was very enjoyable. I grew up listening to the same music, loving hockey and, of course, marking out for all things pro-wrestling, so Jericho’s references to these in jokes made this a classic for me. This was a fast and addictive read that was well composed, well edited and well organized. This is inarguably a new must-have for pro-wrestling fans.


The Bad
Jericho’s decisions to omit his WWF/WWE run, leave in kind words and photos with Chris Benoit and seek out a non-WWE publisher could all be strikes against this. Ending at August 1999, leaves this open for a follow-up that could be published by the WWE, but the issue of his partnership/rivalry with Chris Benoit is a huge stumbling block to overcome if he decides to write that book. The jokes and references may not harm this, but it certainly caters to a small crowd. Although he has stated this is not just for pro-wrestling fans, it does not seem like a book that non-fans would necessarily enjoy. Perhaps, but this is definitely not as non-fan-friendly as other books. As with any autobiography, Chris Jericho could be knocked for having a big ego or being bitter about some things, but in comparison to some of his peers, he seems like Mr. Positive. Other than those few relatively mild knocks, this book is hard to fault.


The Rating: *****