New Japan BOSJ 2010 Pt. 7

Tama Tonga v. AKIRA 6/5

This started with the ceremonial working of the leg. Both guys desultorily kicked at the knee a bit. I did like AKIRA stomping on the instep of Tonga's bare foot, but it was pretty meaningless. AKIRA has pretty good execution, but this match did nothing to engage me. I did like Tonga no selling the enzigiri because of his hard head, I hope he finally embracing his inner Samoan

Taiji Ishimori v. Nobuo Yoshihashi 6/5

I have to admit that these matches are starting to blend together a bit. It really hurts Yoshihashi's tough guy gimmick to lose a chop battle to a thai ladyboy. This was another work the leg match, Yoshihashi sold it fine, Ishimori did some ok stuff to it including a version of Trauma I's spinning leglock finisher. Of course that just made me wish I was watching IWRG, and got me bummed out about the Black Terry Jr. hiatus.

Davey Richards v. La Sombra 6/5

I was pretty surprised at how perfectly watchable I found this. It was a whole lot of cartwheels and backflips, but after watching all of these dull stomp the knee matches, I appreciated a little sizzle. Richards toned down his hamminess a little bit, it was kind of like watching Robin Williams doing a dramatic acting role, it isn't really good, you are not really excited to see it, but at least he won't ruin a serviceable script with dumb voices and shtick. Two cool dives, some flashy shit, went down OK.

Prince Devitt v. Jushin Thunder Liger 6/5

This tournament is my first long look at Prince Devitt and he kind of looks and wrestles like a Potatoe famine John Walters. Nothing offensively wrong with him, but pretty simple and dull. I have no beef with watching Liger work through four minutes or so of his basic juniors matwork, and I though Devitt was a competent antagonist for that. They run through a decent finish run, and Liger has gotten the Thez press over with me enough, that I kind of snorted in disgust when Devitt kicked out of it. Pretty much a textbook example of an average wrestling match.

BOSJ on Segunda Caida

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Black Terry Hits Like A Phillips Head Into My Brain

Monkey Magic Watika/El Hijo Del Santo/Villano III v. Black Terry/Solar/El Texano UWF 3/8/91 - GREAT

These UWF Japan matches are typically one fall lucha matches which are worked like three fall matches squished together. Not a lot of pauses, and contemplation, six guys going full bore. These are six pretty great guys to watch go at it. We get a bunch of different combinations of guys, Watika is incubatory Super Delfin and he successfully hangs with Solar on the mat, and he also avoids getting smoked in standing exchanges by Texano and Terry, he is clearly the least of the six, but acquits himself well. The stand out matchup was definitely Terry v. Santo, it isn't long but they move at breath taking speed, it looks like the first FF button on a DVR. Not long enough or substantive enough to truly be a classic, but a total blast to watch.

Black Terry v. Fantasma Del Opera IWRG 12/2/07-SKIPPABLE

These two had a bloody feud with a bunch of fun matches against each other around this time. This was a title match though, and never really came together. Terry working the mat is always going to have some cool moments, but Opera didn't seem comfortable, and outside of a nice knuckle lock sequence, nothing stood out. Third fall had some desultory brawling and ended with Terry's second (some All Japan rookie) nut shot Fantasma behind the refs back. I have seen Terry have some corkers with limited opposition, but this was not one of them.

Black Terry/Dr. Cerebro v. Gringo Loco/El Hijo Del Diablo IWRG 1/24/10- EPIC

PAS: This was a Super Libre match and an old fashioned bloody brawl. It reminded me of the kind of brawls we saw on the Memphis set. This is as basic as it gets, four guys beating the shit out of each other and painting the canvas red. Really cool start with Terry and Cerebro trying to rush the USA team in the aisle, but end up getting faked out and jumped from behind. The Gringos get the advantage and Cerebro and Terry are bloody, and they go back and forth, punching each other and slamming each other into things. Gringo Loco brings out his bag of cactus, that felt like a comedy spot other times we have seen it, here it had a real Abby feel as he drove a Cactus into Black Terry's bloody head.

TKG: This was a blast. Brawling asskicking Black Terry is awesome as he is always super tough and vulnerable at the same time. I saw Hijo Del Diablo working as a main event babyface teamed with Santito on one of the Juster shows. You watch this match and that just feels completely unbelievable. That scumbucket worked as a main event face? I’d recommend watching the handheld version. The HH misses some of the nasty hammerfists where Dr Cerebro and Hijo Del Diablo appear to be trying to break each other’s cheeks. And I think the wider TV shot of Diablo and Terry trying to bathe the audience in their blood is probably cooler, and there are a couple of other things you miss with the hand held. But you miss a ton with the TV. One of the things that lucha fans always have to explain to people is how much heat lucha matches can have and how poorly the television gets that across. I mean the TV never captures the heat of stuff in Arena Mexico as well as the handhelds capture the heat for this in Naucalpan.

COMPLETE AND ACCURATE BLACK TERRY

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