New Footage Friday: GORDY! HICKERSON! BLACKWELL! HANSEN! SASUKE! ATLANTIS! AMERICAN DRAGON! METAL MASTER!

Stan Hansen/Terry Gordy vs. Crusher Blackwell/Phil Hickerson AJPW 12/14/88

MD: Bizarrely giving Hansen performance. This is one of the most giving performances I've ever seen out of him, especially against someone who's not paying him. Was Blackwell bringing him in for shots in his Georgia Indy or something? Did he feel like he owed him for some favor done in 1978 Mid-Atlantic (if so you don't really see that bear out in their AWA stuff)? No idea, but this is a Hansen who's getting crushed by mass, beaten around the ring, and legitimately playing face-in-peril in a bear hug. When Hickerson is in there, he fights back a bit more, but then they just tag Blackwell back in. Remember, this is 89 Blackwell. He's huge, has great presence, and can still do an amazing elbow drop (and miss one for a transition too), but this isn't seven years earlier when he was missing top rope splashes and what not. And, of course, Gordy's on the apron playing clapping cheerleader. Eventually, he has enough, intervenes, survives charges into the corner long enough to get a foot up, and it's academic from there. I'm still filing this under "baffling."

PAS: Hansen was always very good at using his size to overwhelm, and it's cool to see him in the ring with two big motherfuckers who gives as good as they get. This was worn tread on the tires Blackwell, but he was still a quarter horse of a dude with great punches and good use of that girth. Hickerson is a mean asskicker in this to, and I love to watch two guys stand in the pocket with Hansen and not get blown out of the building. Gordy is fun in his exchanges as well, although he isn't in the match a ton. Finish was great, I love a Hansen lariat, and this was one of his nastier ones. He hooks it right under Hickerson's jaw and it looks like it's going to pop his head clean off.

ER: At minimum you knew this was going to be great just because how often do you get to see a tag match where Terry Gordy is the smallest man in the match? But how much does it rule that Blackwell and Hickerson took 90% of that match?? Stan Hansen is perhaps the most famous eater of men in pro wrestling history. Hansen can chew someone up more dominantly than anyone, and here he gets completely dominated by Crusher and Hickerson. Sure Hickerson takes some knocks to the head, gets smacked into a ringpost, but it's like Crusher and Hickerson were working the way Hansen and Gordy work every other team. Usually when Hansen takes a shot from someone, he's the one who shakes his head and then angrily walks through it. Blackwell is absolutely impenetrable here, just flattening and outfighting Hansen and Gordy. Blackwell isn't getting the same height on his jumping elbow drops, and he's not doing high dropkicks (or any dropkicks), but he's a tough fat guy with a low center of gravity who punches and headbutts Hansen in the face. 

Blackwell acts like and is treated like the toughest guy in the match, and I love it. His elbow drops look awesome, his missed elbow drops look awesome, his avalanches are delivered with glee, and he's a 5'9 man who convincingly bearhugs Stan Hansen. Two different times in the match he's working over Hansen in the corner, then stops Gordy's interference with one strike! Gordy charges in to save Hansen and Blackwell just turns around and punches him! Later, Gordy charged in and Blackwell just mule kicked Gordy away and ignored Gordy's forearm! Blackwell worked like the total star of the match, which is the most fun way the match could have been worked. Hickerson also appears to be having a blast on his only trip to Japan, a trip where he and Blackwell will be the team in the RWTL who wins no matches. Hickerson seems to really bathe in the new audience, and Blackwell holding Hansen and Gordy in the corner like he was Andre, so that Hickerson can fly across the ring with an avalanche, was a real moment of wrestling bliss. Hansen decides to shut things down the way he does. Hickerson goes back to the well on that avalanche and eats a boot, then the hardest possible Hansen running shoulderblock. Elbow pad adjusted, Hickerson whipped, lariat takes us out. Who could have guessed this would be a 10 minute Blackwell/Hickerson showcase? A great on paper match worked within an unexpected structure is a great treat. 

El Hijo de Anibal/Atlantis/Great Sasuke vs. Java Genjin/Tutankhamen VIII/Macho Pump MPRO 7/24/03

MD: Lost MPRO match that's a good use of fifteen minutes of your time. I haven't seen much Anibal, Jr., but he died of COVID earlier this year. I thought he looked pretty solid here actually, having a decent amount of size, only slight awkwardness because of it, a fearless dive or two, and a nice running elbow. It followed a pretty standard lucha structure despite being one fall. The tecnicos got to shine early, including everyone feeding for Sasuke and Atlantis getting to do some more tricked out one-vs-two spots than I usually remember him doing. When the rudos took over, it was primarily Jabagengi (Being Gran Apache, of all people, working a monkey man Neanderthal gimmick, of all things) directing traffic. It was solid but maybe lasted a little too long without enough motion. They worked for the comeback and went into bigger exchanges. Tutankhamen shined here more than in the rest of the match, including a double jump twisting senton bomb and a no hands dive over the top, but maybe he was a little too into celebrating after the fact. Macho Pump had some personality and got tossed by the head by Atlantis and I have nothing else to say about him. Finish maybe needed a little more zing, but the dives before it had plenty. Basically, the highs were high and lows were few and tolerable. Fun stuff.

PAS: I thought this was neat stuff, MPRO six mans are such a joyful formula style of match. Gran Apache in a monkey suit and Fantastik in King Tut hat do a great job of filling in the KDX rudo base role, and this is some of the better Macho Pump I have seen. They were especially great at basing and bumping for Atlantis, just flying around for all of his offense, I loved the height and distance Macho Pump got on the monkey flip, it was almost Eddieish. All of the dives looked great, we couldn't always see where they landed, but man does Sasuke fly out sight with recklessness and force, it is almost crazier when we don't see his running tope con hilo land. Fantastik hit a crazy flipping springboard senton in the ring, and a wild no hands tope con hilo on a prone Anibal, he was so good every time he showed up in Japan but never went anywhere in Mexico.

ER: 2000s MPRO is a fed ripe for discovery for me, a real blindspot outside of a few matches here and there. Before this, did I know that Gran Apache wore a Giant Gonzalez full body skin and fur suit with a Neanderthal mask? I had no idea, and the crowd had no real idea what to make of him. He has a large novelty club and looks like Bubba the Cave Duck, only with a big dark zipper up his back. He grunts and slaps chest and thighs and constantly tries to get the crowd to react to him, and they politely do, but not enthusiastically. I'm not sure I would have even known it was Apache, even though the slap punches were there and he was a strong base for the tecnicos. I adored Apache's backwards bumps to the floor, perfect backwards tumbles over the bottom rope while landing on his feet, a bump to the floor I don't really see in lucha. There's a classic luchador way of bumping rolling over the bottom rope to the floor, holding the rope and flinging your legs over, but this was like Apache tipping backwards into the water before scuba diving. I loved it. Sasuke had what appeared to be a huge Asai moonsault to the floor (tripod camera missed the landing but it got the loudest reaction of the match so it was surely typical Sasuke danger) and hit his big swan dive right at the finish. Anibal hits a great dive and a nice plancha to the floor, plus takes a wild monkey flip in ring that bounces him upside down off the ropes. But Fantastik really takes the cake, taking multiple high backdrop bumps to the floor (often at the hands of Apache by accident), hits a cool double jump springboard somersault senton, a gorgeous bullet tope, and then hits the dive of the match with a hands free senton to the floor, Super Calo style. I love this format, really need to dive more into mid 2000s MPRO. 

American Dragon vs. Metal Master Paris Japan Expo 7/6/08

PAS: Chad Collyer uploaded this, it was from a show in Paris and has a masked Bryan Danielson against a masked Collyer. What a treat, first section of this match saw Dragon working 80s heel, choking with a rope, doing a Ric Rude hip swivel, taking stooging bumps. He was as good doing John Tatum as he is doing souped up Chris Benoît stuff, as he was doing Ricky Morton shtick in WWE tags, what a talent. I thought all of the early over the top heel stuff really paid off at the end of the match, when they had more of a hot workrate finishing run. By then the crowd was fully behind Metal Master, and chagrined every time Dragon got a bit of an advantage. The execution on the finish had a bunch of cool little flourishes, including Dragon doing a super fast Saint escape of a waistlock into a back elbow. Video gets choppy at the end, but we still get almost the whole match and a great little snapshot at a small part of an all time greats career. 

MD: Absolutely tremendous. When I saw the word "expo," I half wondered what we were going to get. It hearkened back to some of those lucha performances at other "expos" that end up being as streamlined and straightforward as possible, in front of game but unfamiliar crowds. In that regard, this didn't disappoint. This is 2008 Collyer and Danielson, under hoods, wrestling their version of a high-energy 1989 American match. Danielson completely gives himself over to the role, complaining about the crowd not cheering for him at the start, bumping, stooging, feeding, clowning, and stalling throughout, taking over on an unclean break, playing hide the object with a rope from the turnbuckle, and yes, twice doing the Rick Rude hip swivel and probably having the time of his life in the process. Yet, they show that they understand what works and why it works. The crowd completely comes along with Collyer as he fights his way out of a chinlock. Danielson hits an axehandle off the second rope mid-way through to set up a bit transition as he leaps off the top into a Collyer dropkick later. They had to switch cameras towards the end and you got the sense that the person had technical difficulties and had to be selective in what was captured, but you get the broad idea of it. Towards the end, they cycle into Steamboat/Savage pin attempts, and some very believable 1989 power move near falls, before Danielson reverses a flying body press and grabbing the tights for the win. Full commitment, total patience and restraint, great understanding of what works and why. I'm sure they had a blast doing it. It's a great performance from both guys and another feather in Danielson's cap.

Read more!

Shinya Hashimoto is the Prettiest Thing I've Seen, But He Treats Me So Doggone Mean

Shogun/Samurai/PY Chu Hi vs. Jed Grundy/Brian Lee/Jim McPherson CWA 3/4/89 - FUN

PAS: Since it's a SC project we have to open up with something a little goofy. This has Hash managed by Tojo Yammamoto in Memphis teaming up with Phil Hickerson in yellow face and guy who instead of returning to New Japan stayed in Tennessee and opened a restaurant. They are teaming agains Jungle Jim McPhearson a black guy in loincloth with one nice dropkick and a couple of bad ones, Jed Grundy who is one of your lesser known 80s hillbilly gimmicks and a bleached blond blowjob babyface Brian Lee. Match is a classic Memphis TV expiration of time main event. Babyfaces bump around the heels a bit until Tojo clips Brian Lee with the Kendo stick. Then Hickerson and Hashimoto do a pretty nice job of banging on Lee's knee, including a nasty full weight Hashimoto smash on the ropes. Hot tag and ref distraction leads to Hashimoto smacking Jungle Jim with a spin kick for the finish. I really wish we had arena Shogun and Samurai matches because they are fun team.

ER: I love Memphis. Here you have Shinya Hashimoto - one month away from having an all time great match with Victor Zangiev - stooging around for Mike Shaw as a hillbilly and Brian Lee at his most Danny Spivey. But Shogun/Samurai are a simple, quality team, and I actually like Hickerson as PY, liked the low kicks to Lee's knee. Grundy disappears most of the match and McPherson pretty much does a leapfrog and three dropkicks (almost dumping himself on his head on the first one). Hashimoto takes a great bump into the corner, like a chubby guy Psicosis bump, hitting the top buckle with his butt while his legs were higher than the ropes, flipping himself over. The spinkick finish was big, and I loved the heels putting the boots to the faces post-match, and I love the sight of the heels fleeing when Tracy Smothers and John Paul storm the ring. This whole thing was pretty inconsequential, but I love this kind of stuff.

Shinya Hashimoto vs. Rick Rude NJPW 8/10/92 - GREAT

PAS: This was a G1 climax match and a fun chance to see Hashimoto work a Rick Rude match during the peak of Rude's powers. Early on Rude takes a big back drop and does his great clenched ass cheek sell. Hashimoto works over Rudes back with some spine kicks and backbreakers, which Rude sells awesomely. Rude fights back and actually bloodies Hashimoto's nose with a knee lift. Finish run was pretty great with Rude getting plastered with a DDT, but he gets his foot on the bottom rope. We get a Madusa ref distraction which lets Rude catch Hashimoto on the top rope and absolutely spike Hash with a top rope DDT, he then hits a big top rope knee for pin. Really neat to see Rude throw his big bombs and Hash throw big chops and kicks. Really nice chemistry between two guys matching up for the first time

ER: This is neat and kind of weird, as it's worked like a Rude WWF match, but he never had an opponent quite like Hashimoto to work off. I was expecting Rude adapting to a Hash match, but this felt more like a match called by Rude with Hash along for the ride. And Hash is a good guy to have along for a ride. Rude always took the best backdrops, and I think it's consensus opinion among wrestling fans that his buckled knees clenched cheeks atomic drop sell is the best in wrestling history.  Here he puts that selling style to good use selling his lower back while Hash kicks it, plants him with backbreakers, and drops knees on it. Rude transitions back to offense when Hash misses a huge spinkick in the corner, and it looks great with Rude ducking at the last minute and Hash bouncing off the buckles right above him. It's odd seeing Hash working American spots in Japan, like getting the boots up when Rude comes off the buckles, but Rude's back selling is convincing throughout. It really looks like Hash muscles a dead weight opponent over on a back suplex, and we get a great false finish when Rude gets his leg draped over the ropes at the last minute after a Hash spike DDT. The finish has probably the two wildest parts of the match, with Hashimoto taking a DDT off the top, which is a crazy spot for anyone, like taking a superplex but instead deciding to just drop straight down on your head. Insanity. And I always love Rude's top rope kneedrop. He always gets such great height and distance, it always looks majestic.


COMPLETE & ACCURATE SHINYA HASHIMOTO

Read more!

I Hope The King is Here to Stay

Jerry Lawler/Bill Dundee v. Phil Hickerson/Dennis Condrey CWA 3/78-FUN

Rare opportunity to see the Wrecking Crew of Hickerson and Condrey who are a legendary tag team (Cornette called them the best team he has seen), who have very little footage on tape. You get a sense of what made them great here, but for the most part this was pretty disjointed. This was a title change, but for the most part it was worked like a time killer studio match, Dundee has a bunch of fun flourishes he adds to studio match, for example he gets the hot tag to Lawler by skittering the length of the ring on his back like a worm, but Lawler always feels a little rote in studio matches, he is a big arena worker at heart. Hickerson and Condrey spend most of the match playing hide the boomerang which is just too big of a foreign object to be plausibly hidden. Would have loved to see what these two teams would do in Mid-South Coliseum, but this was a tease more then anything.

COMPLETE AND ACCURATE KING

Read more!