What I'm Watching: Mitsuharu Misawa vs Kenta Kobashi

Misawa vs Kobashi: Just as fun as Misawa vs Kawada, but for entirely different reasons. 

Part of the fun of being a wrestling fan, at least for me, is watching EVERYTHING. Some stuff you watch once or twice and then get tired of except for something really transcendent (shoot-style fits this for me, with the transcendency exception being Volk Han.) And then, there is some stuff that you can watch again and again with no hesitancy whatsoever. The 4 Corners of Heaven era of All Japan is one of these eras for me. Kawada, Kobashi, Misawa, Taue. Those 4 names, and the endless iteration of matches they produced, are some of the best and most fun heavyweight matches I have ever seen. 

And quite frankly, while everyone talks about the Misawa-Kawada rivalry and how important it was, there is one I enjoy just as much, because it has a slightly different aesthetic to it. Misawa vs Kawada is largely a battle of two stoics, and while that is fun, it can get tiresome (the exception of course being 6-3-94, which is as perfect a match as anything that has happened anywhere.) Kobashi is a lot of things, but a stoic is not one of them. He bursts free with energy, excitement, and charisma. And with Misawa vs Kobashi, you get someone who seems to have no emotion versus someone who defines all of his successes on it. It's a fascinating counterpoint. What I am watching now is their best match together, a match so good that Jushin "Thunder" Liger and Shinjiro Ohtani patterned their own classic of February 9th, 1997 after it. 

This is one of the matches that young wrestlers should be watching, and studying. Don't just watch the MOVEZ~!, although those are plentiful. Watch how the crowd cares. You can make that work, people in wrestling school. Just try a little harder. 

My Personal White Whale: Revisiting The Best Way To Build A Light Heavyweight Division In The WWE

When i wrote this blogpost, I left it as it was. Namely, an idea for something cool that I thought you could do in the WWE if given enough time and inclination. But as I think about it more,  I realize that if I want a chance for younger fans to be dazzled by pro wrestling beyond what the 'E gives them I have to really sit down and try to make this work for both promotions. Because, if it's done right, what the WCW cruiserweight division meant to so many, and what Michinoku Pro and Dragon Gate mean to so many now, these two divisions can mean now if they're done right. That last sentence, though, is the important part. Because, for both the large company in Stamford, there are lots of things that need to be explained, and fixed, about the way that the juniors have been viewed during all of the previous times that they have tried this.

Now I know that this is my white whale, and i accept it. I am, if nothing else, a man who loves wrestling big and small, past and present, and I'd like very much to see something I know could work done the right way.

Bad Mood Championship Wrestling.

http://parkersbighead.tumblr.com/post/48208673428/ladies-and-gentlemen-my-name-is-richard

In 2014, a new wrestling promotion is going to appear out of the mind of the guy who ran Arena Door Bus Trips, and is currently running Taking Back Queens. I hope to have a role in this promotion in some way, even if it's something as simple as just providing them with free publicity here on the Majesty of Wrestling. Watch this space.

Why I stopped watching WWE, and why I am still a wrestling fan anyway

In the interest of full disclosure, I have not spent nearly as much time watching WWE or televised wrestling as so many of the people with whom i have some sense of kinship in the wrestling blogosphere with. But I'm still a wrestling fan regardless, and the reason for that is simple: Corporate wrestling no longer speaks to me.

To be sure, I'm not overly precious about this. I'm not saying that you should never watch Raw if that's what you like. I'm not saying that if you are enthralled by the majesty of the Undertaker, or captivated by every promo CM Punk has ever done, that you're a bad wrestling fan or a bad person. The first one doesn't really exist, and you'd have to do a whole hell of a lot worse than like the Undertaker or CM Punk to make you a bad person.

But what I am saying is that for me, WWE no longer gives me what I want. And rather than watching them with all of the love gone and nothing but hate in my heart, I think it's better for me to move on.

To be sure, there was a time when it did. I am still a Rockers completist, constantly looking for the matches they had that made me believe they were the team of the 1990's. Bret Hart was my gateway drug into all of that high-end, slick without seeming forced, technical wrestling that has grown to be the thing I absolutely love more than anything else. And Randy Savage was explosive and kinetic in a way that few wrestlers NOW could ever dream of being, much less when he was at his possibly cocaine-addled apex having great matches.

But those days are gone. Instead, I find the things I love in other places (with the exception of Randy Savage. He was as Sui Generis as any wrestler could ever be. There will never be another like him.)

If now I want to watch tag team artistry at its highest level, I can watch the Young Bucks ply their trade in PWG. I can also go in my DVD's from the not too recent past and see Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw, or watch the Colony or the Canadian Ninjas. Tag team work, of the kind perfected by the Midnight Express and the Rock N' Roll Express, is no longer practiced on your TV in the same way as it was during even the Monday Night Wars, much less that period when WWF Superstars and WCW Saturday Night was all that you got and you liked it.

Technical wrestling is a different matter. The trouble with technical wrestling now is that too many people Malenko-ize it. (Which is to say, nothing ever looks like it was particularly hard to get. Also, occasionally brainless.) The masters make slickness never seem forced. That old wrestling announcer cliche about how they never waste a move? That's what Mike Quackenbush does, and what Colt Cabana does, and what KANA does.

So to sum up, just because I no longer watch televised wrestling doesn't make me any less of a wrestling fan than someone who still does. it just means we're different.

The Indies and You: Why going to a smaller show is the best way to see the sport.

In the shadow of Wrestlemania, and the Raw after Wrestlemania, some of you might have been wondering where to go to see wrestling. I mean, big box corporate wrestling may or may not be coming to your town in the future. And even if it does, there's a very real chance that it's going to be in a crowded arena and you'll have the kind of seats that make you think you are watching two specks wrestle each other.

Instead, what I'm going to recommend instead for you to try is something that feels counter-intuitive. Don't go and see John Cena. Instead, go and see a smaller indy show in your town. The reasons to do this instead of putting your money in Vince McMahon's pockets are innumerable.

A: You see the stars before they become stars.

You know that guy CM Punk that people fawn over, and proclaim him to be the "Best in the World"? Well, before he was the WWE's big deal, he was wrestling on smaller shows. Same thing with Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio in Mexico, and look at how important they are to the WWE now. The indies are where kids, of both genders, fresh out of wrestling school refine their craft. Right now, at the show being held at your local armory or church, there may very well be someone who could be a big deal in a couple of years. And you're seeing him when he was just starting out, rife with potential. Does that honestly sound like something that you want to miss.

B: We are in a bumper crop right now.

With the Wrestling Is.... projects, the Dual Anarchies in St. Louis and Texas, PWG on the West Coast, AAW, Shimmer, AIW in the Midwest, Chikara traveling the country, and the south becoming a breeding ground for awesomeness, there's really no good reason for anyone to say with a straight face that they can't find an indy show that's good. But if you can't find something near you, or if you're the sort who needs to know what you're getting into before you head out, this should help you find what you're looking for.

Also, believe me when I say that the talent level is as good as it's been in a while. This is a generation of wrestlers schooled on all different styles. There are too many good wrestlers right now for me to name them all. But believe me when I tell you, they're out there. All you have to do is go find them.

C: You are a part of the Show.

It's a simple thing. Might not seem like much. But I can guarantee you: It is a lot harder to feel a part of the show in an arena packed to the brim with people with pyro and propane going off every 20 seconds than it is in a hotel ballroom with 1000 people. When you cheer or boo at one of those big-box corporate shows, the chances that the object of your words hears it? Pretty small. You become part of a low keen at that point.

But on an indy show? This can happen. So can this:

Go. Be entertained. Honestly.

And that's that. Thank you for reading, and go and support your local indy.

Shooting Star Presses: A Compendium

When you're a young wrestling fan, the things that boggle your mind sometimes feel embarrassing. Maybe, you were completely gobsmacked by the Ultimate Warrior, or Jake Roberts's DDT. For me though, it was one of my friends in junior high showed me this:



As you might understand, I was through. Jaw on the floor, mouth open, and everything.. As time has gone on, people have added variations to it, twists and planchas with it. But honestly, the simple act of heading to the top rope and hitting this maneuver proves you are, if not the king of the high-flyers, than someone not too far off.  It remains the true apex test of a high flyer, the one thing that separates someone who is billed that way by a lazy promotional structure (looking at you Kofi Kingston) and someone who actually has the go

With that in mind, here are the best Shooting Star Presses ever.



Paul London's bad-ass, and for my money the best, SSP.



And the new king on the throne, Matt Sydal\Evan Bourne

(Side note: You'll notice I didn't put any of the variations in here. The Shooting Star Presses i loved the most are the classics. Find the standing variations as you need to.) 

Stuff I'm Watching: Mitsuharu Misawa vs Steve Williams

(Editor's Note: Yes I know I said I was going to keep this blog active and didn't. I had a retail job from December to January that kept me from this blog, or doign anything other than sleeping. That changes now.)

A lot of times, especially on Twitter, the current big-box WWE corporate product draws grunts of annoyance over this bad booking decision, or that sophomoric promo by John Cena over there. It's understandable. I've done it myself too. The trick is, when you feel yourself starting to walk down that road of annoyance, crack open a DVD or turn on your Real Player or VLC Player and watch wrestling you know you enjoy. Wrestling that speaks to you. That is what this series is designed to do.It's the stuff I'm watching, the matches I turn to and download the second big-box wrestling gets under my skin.

Now, with that said, another small note before we get into this. This is what I, ME, am watching. Perhaps, once I show you these, something about the style here won't speak to you as it speaks to me. If that's the case, then by all means, you don't have to stay here. Delve into the magic of youtube, or Ditch's Wrestling Page and find something that you know you'll like more. The point here is not to enjoy what I enjoy, because I know some of you won't. The point is rather to find the things you enjoy.

Flyin' Brian: A Gushing Appreciation

Flyin' Brian: My Favorite Junior Heavyweight Ever.

If, by some minor fluke, you listened to this you may have discovered that I sincerely love 1992-era WCW. And above all else, there was one reason I enjoyed that era of WCW (shortly before Bill Watts came in and it all went to hell in a handbasket). It was Flyin' Brian. And believe me when i tell you, because this is the absolute truth, we are never going to see his like again. No matter how hard you may want it, no matter how good it may be for wrestling as a whole, the cold hard fact is that it will never happen.

Free Wrestling On The Internet: The Midnight Express

The best part about the internet, besides reading this fine blog, is the sheer preponderance of awesome wrestling from a variety of sources that you can find. All you need to know how to do, really, is look for what YOU like. I'm not asking you to enjoy what I enjoy, but that you enjoy something. 

What do I enjoy? The Midnight Express for one. Watching them do what they did was awesome. Admittedly, the Eaton-Condrey variant doesn't have nearly as much tape available. But from what you hear from people who were around during that time period, they were as good as it got. But the Eaton-Lane version? That's the fun stuff. 

Below are links to matches against the Fantastics, and the Rock N' Roll Express. You can find more. I recommend you do just that. 

The Dream Match To End All Dream Matches, Or Discussion Of Them

KANA. 1\2 of the greatest dream match ever.

(Full disclosure: I root passionately, unabashedly, and shamelessly for both KANA and her opponent in this match. I don't think that will change the way I write this match, but I needed to clear that up before I kept going in this piece.)

One of the beautiful things about this blog is that I get the chance to spitball ideas for this blog of mine on Twitter. For some reason, my mind and my heart has been drawing me to discuss dream matches. For whatever reason, they've always captivated me. The idea that 2 wrestlers who are clearly stars coming together to figure out which one of the 2 is the better has always interested me. And when I think about what dream matches are left, there's really one left. And it's so beautiful that I had to talk about it, write about it, and hopefully do my small part to make it happen.

Brian Pillman And Jushin Liger vs Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw: A Dream Match.

When I was a kid, as I was sure the case with a lot of people, I wanted to be a Pro Wrestler. The only problem was that, as I got older, the knowledge of my low pain threshold outweighed that desire. So what i decided to do instead was become a pro wrestling fan. And ever since I became a fan, I had 2 favorite wrestlers. One was Jushin "Thunder" Liger. I like him so much that I started a Daily Liger feature, which you may or may not have read on this very same blog. But the other favorite is a bit more complicated.

The other favorite hasn't been around nearly as long, and he is perhaps best known not for his workrate apex but rather for a persona. And this is a shame. Because make no mistake, if we didn't have Brian Pillman, we wouldn't have the 1-2-3 kid. And thus we wouldn't have Rey Misterio Jr.

So what do I do with my 2 favorite wrestlers you might be asking? Easy. I do what WCW did with them. Team them up.


Pillman & Liger vs Benoit & Wellington by Hook_Line_and_Sinker

But question: Who in the world do I team them up against? What team could I trust to do this junior heavyweight dream team justice?



That's easy. The team that is, for a lot of people, the junior heavyweight dream team of this decade. Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw. The former Campeonatos de Parejas of Chikara, and tag team specialists on par with any team in the world. But it isn't just that this dream team of the '00s was brought together to face the dream team of the 1990's because Quack's dream was to face Liger, and Jigsaw reminds me of a prime Flyin' Brian (although thankfully,without the bengal-print speedos.) It's also because Quackensaw is perhaps the tag team most suited to studying these 2 men, and finding a weakness. In fact, Mike Quackenbush was kind enough to submit to the Majesty of Wrestling what his strategy would have been. 


 Pillman is the weak link. His flying moves never had the precision that Liger's did. You just have to wait for him to make a mistake, even if you bait him a bit. Both those guys are stronger than Jig and I. In their primes, they were faster than us. But they were never really good teammates, and so you wait for a mistake and lay on the double teams. Smother them with double team moves. That's the way to win. 

LMQ

 

How would Liger and Pillman win this match? Use their experience, and extend the match. Because while Quack and Jigsaw are the equals, and perhaps superior, to Liger\Pillman in terms of tag team work their bodies might have trouble keeping a long and demanding pace. Quack's back and wrist problems are well-documented, as are Jigsaw's knee issues. If the Liger-Pillman tandem can cut the ring off and attack one of those weakened body parts, they might have a chance. 

Will we ever see this match? No. And that's a shame. But believe me when I tell you, if any promotion would ever put it on, it wouldn't be WWE or TNA. Curious to the promotion that would have the foresight to do it, and do it with the care and love that a match like this would require? Good. Because I am about to tell you.

Chikara. That is the company with the foresight to book a match of this quality, the respect to give it to you with a minimum of fluff, and the environment where that match means as much as it should. 

Thank you for reading this. I hope you enjoy the perspective I brought to this.

The Daily Liger: Open For Suggestions, And A Great Rivalry

I am running out of ideas for this really. So if anyone actually reads this blog or follows me on Twitter, please by all means let me know what you would like to see on this blog or even what you wouldn't. Now then, to the business of the Daily Liger.

This match I linked above is from the WCW\New Japan supershow of 1993, thus making this one of the rare times where WCW fans got to see Liger in his element which was in the Tokyo Dome. Also notable: The Blue and Red alternate liger outfit. Watch and enjoy. 

A love letter to my favorite style of wrestling, and my favorite promotion.

In this age of "pop" wrestling, where all anyone knows or cares to know is the WWE, finding and promoting really legitimately good indie wrestling is a bit more impossible than you might imagine it to be on first blush.

Wherever you might be reading this blog from, there's a realistic chance that there's an indy fed running shows sometime this weekend. Sure, you might not know all the names on the card, or even any of them, but that isn't the point of this. The point is that when you go out there to that armory, or highschool gym, or wherever else, you're going to get the chance to see stuff you won't see on TV.

But where is the best place to go? Where's the best place for your money?  The answer to this question is easy. Chikara Pro.