Wrestling fans! Welcome back to another Weekly Watchlist!
I know I said in a recent weekly watchlist “The discussion of "greatest wrestler of all time" comes up pretty often and the same few names get thrown around each time. (…) But for my money, there's no wrestler that will ever compare to Terry Funk” and I’d like to amend my previous statement.
While I do believe that Terry Funk is the greatest wrestler of all time, I also believe that Mitsuharu Misawa is the greatest wrestler of all time. Hell, while we’re at it, Bryan Danielson is the greatest wrestler of all time.
See, while I feel like this is a valid discussion to be had, I’ve never been someone who likes to put one great thing a notch above another great thing and call it “better.” The top matches on my bloated spreadsheet can change week to week, depending on what I’m feeling. What matters to me is “did these matches make me feel something? Do they stand out to me in a unique way?” If they fit that criteria, you’ve won me over!
It’s the same for wrestlers. While I have a very short list of those that I think are head and shoulders above the rest, I can’t convince myself to try and put them in order.
And honestly, why can’t there be multiple “greatest wrestlers of all time”? Who’s the authority that says we all need to have one? I say we buck the trend and have as many GOAT’s as we want!
Here’s my matches for this very light week;
Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada vs. The Miracle Violence Connection - AJPW Real World Tag League 1991 - Day 17 - 12/06/1991
 |
| What a beautiful sight. AJPW |
Now that we are onto match one for the week, it might make a bit more sense why I decided to make a change to a previous comment I made about the greatest of all time, because calling Misawa anything other than the greatest of all time is completely insane. I've been on a big All Japan kick lately and its been spearheaded by the Emerald Emperor himself, Mitsuharu Misawa. I watched Misawa and Kawada again on its 20th anniversary (06/03/1994) while enjoying some Taco Bell and an ice cold beer and let me tell you folks, if heaven is even half as good as that, I'm prepared to die anytime. Since then, I've been finding AJPW matches to enjoy whenever I want to enjoy something classic or just take a break from whatever I'm probably deep diving.
This week, I decided to see what these legendary rivals could do as a tag team against a pair of monster gaijin's in Terry Gordy and "Doctor Death" Steve Williams. Many people consider Kawada to be one of the greatest tag team wrestlers to ever live, having one of the greatest pairings in history with Akira Taue in the Holy Demon Army as well as finding success with anyone else he was paired with, including Misawa. Gordy and Williams, on the other hand, carved a path of violence through Japan in an aptly named team "The Miracle Violence Connection." I'm not exactly sure which one is the miracle and which one is the violence, and quite frankly I'm too scared to ask at this point.
The matchup starts with Misawa and Kawada coming to the ring, serenaded by chants of "Mi-sa-wa" and his brilliant theme song. Maybe I'm just misremembering but the lights for this show are really good, a very pretty show. Gordy and WIlliams come jogging down to the ring with a charging anthem named "I Love it Loud," what a fantastic song for these two behemoths. Japan really had a thing for finding the biggest gaijin's they could and booking them to be world beaters.
The two teams are introduced and the ring is absolutely filled with streamers. Its something I wasn't too sure of when I first started watching shows that encouraged fans to throw streamers but the more I watch, the more I think its one of the coolest visuals in the sport.
Kawada and Williams start the match off and they are coming at each other hot. Kawada tries to kick, Williams tries a takedown, but both men are too fresh and prepared for whats to come. Williams gets caught with a kick but rebounds quickly, crushing Kawada in the corner with forearms and a charging lariat. Misawa is tagged in now and they shoot Williams off the ropes and catch him with a double back elbow, but it's not enough to take him down.
With Gordy tagged in now, the pair circle the ring, sizing each other up before Misawa is driven into the corner. Gordy cracks Misawa with a few close forearms, not enough to do a lot of damage but enough to annoy, and Misawa responds with a few heavy strikes of his own before the referee separates the two.
Misawa comes out of the corner mad, ripping his elbow pad off and tossing it aside, the thin piece of fabric that once covered his deadliest weapon now an afterthought. Misawa wants to scrap, and Gordy is happy to oblige, locking up again as the pair trade massive forearm smashes back and forth.
 |
| I'm beyond certain you could feel the impact of these from the nosebleeds. AJPW |
Kawada is back in and is able to get Gordy down finally, attempting a pin until transitioning into a front facelock. Gordy is able to get back to his feet and force himself into the corner, reversing Kawada's corner whip attempt with one of his own and crashing in with a lariat. With Kawada stunned, Gordy pulls him over to his corner and tags in Williams, who delivers one of the sickest moves I've never seen before.
With Kawada standing in the corner, Williams climbs up behind him and positions his knee behind Kawada's head. Climbing up over the top rope now, he falls forward and crushes Kawada's head under his knee. From a guy as big as Williams, that's a disgusting move. Incredible, give me more.
 |
| Some super heavyweight needs to steal this move NOW. AJPW |
Williams starts to punish Kawada now, squeezing him in a rear chinlock as Kawada starts to rise to his feet and reverses a vertical suplex attempt by falling behind William's back and locking in a rear naked choke. Luckily, Williams falls close to Misawa in the corner, and when Williams is able to break the hold, Kawada immediately tags out to Misawa, who shoots Williams off for a dropkick under the chin.
At some point between first being tagged in and now, Misawa has his elbow pad back on. Did he bring a spare? Did someone bring him his discarded one from earlier? So many questions to be asked.
Misawa isn't in long as Kawada tags back in as Williams is being dragged to their corner, trapped in a standing facelock. Kawada sends Williams into the ropes and ties him into an abdominal stretch but Gordy steps in and cracks Kawada across the head to break the hold. This is all the opening Williams needed, cutting Kawada in half with a massive larait that sends him outside.
 |
| Red means stop. AJPW |
At this point, Williams and Gordy are wearing Kawada down, tying his legs up in brutal submissions and kicking the snot out of him. The pair are so confident, that they'll even lock Kawada in a vicious submission within reach of Misawa, keeping Kawada just far enough that he has no hope of tagging out. But that doesn't mean he wont try.
Eventually, Williams gets too confident while kicking Kawada in the leg and lets him rise to his feet, giving him enough of a n opening to knee Williams in the head over and over until finally leaping with an enziguri and falling back to tag Misawa as the crowd explodes.
Misawa charges in with a forearm and a flying clothesline, but gets forced to the opposing corner after a failed pinfall attempt. He keeps the pressure on Gordy, kicking him in the face and cracking him with forearms until he counters a suplex attempt with a dropkick that sends Gordy tumbling outside the ring. Wasting no time, Misawa hits the ropes and flies through the ropes like a javelin, smashing Gordy with his forearm.
 |
| Nothing scarier than a flying Misawa forearm. AJPW |
After the pair roll back in the ring, they tag out to their respective partners as WIlliams and Kawada go back and forth now. Kawada is dazed and stimbles back into the corner and Williams lines him up, dropping down in a 3 point stance to try and run through Kawada, but he's caught with a flying kick right in the face, dropping him.
Now its Williams who's trapped, as Misawa and Kawada tag in and out frequently, trying everything to wear the much larger man down. With Kawada holding Williams, Misawa is tagged in and flies from the top with a dropkick and a pinfall attempt for 2. Misawa takes Williams down again, this time climbing up for a top rope splash but still, only gets 2! This time, Misawa catches Williams as he is rising to his feel, flying from the top and connecting with a flying forearm smash but still, only 2!
Kawada is tagged back in now but Williams starts to get his second wind, hitting Kawada with a saito suplex and a variation of a northern lights suplex, going for a pin but Misawa runs in to break it up. Gordy is quick to react, climbing in the ring and assaulting Misawa, driving him into the corner and clobbering him with forearm after forearm. Williams joins him and throws Misawa outside, following Gordy down to pummel him more.
All four men are outside now but Kawada gets shoved aside as Gordy hoists Misawa up for a powerbomb and Williams assists, driving him into the floor outside the ring.
 |
| Not the softest of landings. AJPW |
Kawada is brought back inside the ring as Williams and Gordy start to go to work, barely giving him a chance to breathe. His strikes are reversed, his submission and pin attempts are broken up by the other man, it's not until Kawada is able to catch Williams with a punch to the back of the head that he's able to keep one of them down, squeezing the face of Gordy with a nasty crossface-type hold.
Gordy eventually works his way out but Kawada tries for the death nail, positioning him for a powerbomb and dropping him flat, folding him up for a pin but only gets 2! The crowd is in utter disbalief at this point, what is it gonna take?! A top rope elbow drop still can't put Gordy away and a second powerbomb is shoved over by Williams, just getting back to his feet.
With Kawada isolated again, Gordy hoists him up for another assisted powerbomb, folding him up as Williams turns his back, confident as ever that this was enough. But it's not! Misawa rises to his feet finally, diving back in and breaking the pin at the last moment! What a reaction!
 |
| Now THAT is a powerbomb. AJPW |
Gordy and Kawada are alone again as Williams and Misawa take the fight back outside, and Kawada tries a spinning kick on Williams who catches the leg and fucking drives Kawada down into a crushing pin, just brutal. Somehow, only 2. Pulling Kawada back to his feet, Gordy drops him with another powerbomb and lays on top of him, keeping him down for the decisive 3.
Good lord, these 2 teams were out to batter each other. Kawada and Misawa are two of the most dangerous strikers the business has ever seen and could knock your lights out with just about any move they feel like. Gordy and Williams are a complete force of nature, two walking hurricanes who want nothing more than to put an end to whatever stands across from them. It's a shame more people don't know about Miracle Violence Connection. I'm sure most know Gordy during his run with the Freebirds but I can't really say as though that run gave him the freedom to have this kind of match, where he truly shines. Doctor Death, on the other hand, is infamous for his participation in the Brawl For All, the pet project of Jim Ross that could have had a decent run in the WWF had he not got his lights knocked out by Bart Gunn. At least they've got these matches to hang their hat on.
Lucky Ali v Colby Corino - Title vs. Career Carolina Warfare - DPW You Already Know - 02/25/2023
 |
| Title vs Career. Everything is at stake. DPW |
Boy, this is the week of contradictions, isn't it?
Some of my more loyal readers will remember last weeks Weekly Watchlist where I talked about DPW Live 1, which featured Colby Corino vs Konosuke Takeshita as well as the main event of Lucky Ali vs SB Kento in a world title match. Somehow, from pure exhaustion, I fell asleep right around the end of the 3 way match and missed the beginning of the main event. I ran out of time last week so opted to finish Live 1 this week so I could start You Already Know this week.
In my review of Corino and Takeshita, I said the following; "I really hope Corino keeps getting the spotlight. I say this purely because I don't know what any of the shows look like between this one and the current product. Honestly, I'd love to seem him hold the national title or even their worlds championship. He more than deserves it."
Well, after the main event of Live 1, who comes down to the ring to challenge Lucky Ali to a title match? Colby fuckin Corino, of course he does. Not only that! He agreed to put his DPW contract on the line as well. Making this Carolina Warfare match (no DQ) a title vs career match. Oh boy. Lets fucking go.
The video package for this match does a really good job setting the scene, laying out how Corino has tried to make a name for himself that isn't just because of his last name and Ali claims that a match like this is beneath him.
Corino is out first, slow to part the curtain with a cart full of weapons, soaking in the reaction of the DPW faithful for what could be his last time. He jumps into the ring, barbed wire baseball bat in hand, as streamers already cascade down around him. He stands in the middle letting the rainbow of colours fall around and envelop him until kneeling down, collecting himself, and then spinning to collect as many of the streamers as possible, wrapping himself in the rainbow.
Lucky Ali is out next, taking his time coming down to the ring to cuss out fans in the front row as well as kick out the various weapons Corino threw into the ring as he was coming down. Carolina warfare or not, Ali has no patience for weapons.
The crowd is hot for this one, starting a "fuck you Lucky" chant as Corino takes a chance to embrace his son at ringside, wearing a baby sized verion of the "Austin 3:16" shirt. Hell yeah.
The bell rings and neither man makes the first move, with Ali throwing verbal barbs at Corino telling him that he should just try and wrestle him, but he can't beat Ali in a straight up wrestling match. Soon, they lock up, going from corner to corner, along the ropes and along the canvas, rolling back and forth and never once losing their grip on each other. Eventually, Corino backs Ali up to the corner and is forced to break when Ali pie faces Corino away.
This has got to be one of the hottest matches in DPW so far. I can think of a few others that were highly emotional or really had the crowd in a fever pitch, but this one has got a bonafide crowd favourite against someone that the crowd has hated since the very first show with a lot at stake and the action in the ring really fits the energy.
Corino and Ali take the match to the outside early and start whipping each other into the steel barricades, with Corino being able to send Ali over before catching him with a flying dropkick. Corino whips Ali into the front row and he crashes through dozens of chairs. Climbing out, he fights against Corino until finally picking Corino up for a neckbreaker against an open chair.
As if this match wasn't personal enough, Ali takes the chance to say hello to Corino's wife and child, getting right up close before eating a flying chair for his troubles.
They continue to fight in and out of the ring, with Ali sent back into the crowd as Corino rolls back in the ring and pounds the canvas for support. He takes off and hits the ropes, rebounding off and flying over ringside and into the crowd, sending both himself and Ali flying back a few rows.
 |
| A unique experience when in the crowd for a Deadlock show. DPW |
Corino starts to put the chairs he brought to the ring to use, assembling them ringside in am array of pain before climbing back up to the apron to try and send Ali into it. He's unsuccessful, however, as Ali powerbombs Corino from the apron down into the stack of chairs.
This match has no shortage of plunder and violence, and while I'd normally like to go over things in a bit more detail, but this one is an insane, violent brawl that really needs to be seen to enjoyed.
With a staple gun in play now, Corino starts to do some serious damage to Ali. First, stapling Ali in the foot when he goes behind for a waistlock sends Ali rolling away until he's able to counter with a sunset flip. Corino doesn't move, however, instead he stands over Ali and staples him a few times in the chest!
 |
| Gonna have some issues taking this shirt off later. DPW |
He takes Ali into the ropes and tries to staple a dollar bill to his head but Ali fights out. Corino pulls himself over to the corner for respite but Ali follows, staple gun and dollar bill in hand. This time, Ali decides to try and attach the bill not to his head, but to his tongue instead! Disgusting! I love it!
Corino crawls around in agony, dollar bill hanging from his mouth like a disfigured piece of his tongue until he's able to remove it.
Calling to the fans for chairs, Corino sets one up in the centre of the ring and takes Ali into the ropes, no doubt wanting to launch him off the ropes and into the upright chair but Ali turns it around on Corino, instead dropping him chest first on the top of the chair!
Ali brings a fuckin' door into the ring and sets it up in the corner and starts to manipulate the wounded Corino around and into position so he can send him through it. With Corino standing at the corner opposite to the door now, Ali shoots him off with a hard irish whip but Corino puts in the brakes at the last second. As he turns around, he's able to catch a charging Ali into a beautiful scoop powerslam through the door!
Corino once again calls to the fans for chairs, and after discarding a broken chair, he sets 2 of them up in the ring. First facing one another, in a way that makes it look like he just wants to sit down and have a little heart to heart with Ali, but then decides against that. Instead, Corino stacks the chairs on top of each other, seat to seat. The contraption falls apart once or twice, but stays together long enough for Ali to scoop Corino up for a bodyslam onto the chair stack!
 |
| The contraption worked! DPW |
These guys keep notching up the intensity with what they are doing to each other. You could argue the stapler was pretty insane, but the slams through and onto the various furniture have been far from kind.
Ali climbs to the top rope but gets sent to the outside, crashing hard against the barricade and floor. Corino nails Ali from the ring with a trashcan to the head, and when Ali rolls back inside, he's got colour. Now, the champ is on the backfoot, fighting to survive. He rolls to the other side of the ring to escape once again, but Corino dives out and catches him with a huge tornado DDT, spiking Ali into the concrete floor.
Now, Ali is back in the ring and begging Corino off. The blood is streaming down his face as he pleads with him, "I love your dad bruh." But Corino knows a liar when he sees one, so he answers back with a superkick, sending Ali into the corner before he crushes him with a lariat and a heavy forearm.
Positioning a chair in front of Ali, Corino runs and nails him with his own version of Whisper in the Wind before climbing up to the top rope behind Ali and pulling him down across the back of the chair with a disgusting bulldog. That did not look pretty, for Ali, that is.
 |
| Gonna put this move in the "definitely not fake" column. DPW |
Corino goes beneath the ring and digs out a weapon of his own, a door covered in barbed wire. He brings it in the ring and positions it against the middle rope. With Ali standing between the propped door and the corner, Corino climbs to the top to try and put Ali away once and for all, but Ali is quick enough to see disaster coming and press slams Corino through the door!
Corino is dazed now, as Ali whips him hard into the corner and takes off for the ropes himself. As Corino rebounds, so does Ali, cocking up a vicious Grime Line but Corino drops to his knees before the death nail finds its mark. Exhaustion is starting to set in now.
Corino finds his feet again and goes after Ali, who sends him out through the ropes as Ali looks to take flight, rebounding off the ropes and coming head first with a light tube, exploding in his face like a gunshot.
Corino climbs back in the ring, bringing a taped up bundle of light tubes with him and lays it in the centre of the ring as the pair fight overtop. Both men wanting to send the other into the glass bomb, but neither man wanting to end up on it themselves. Corino chops Ali hard and he jelly legs over the bundle, barely keeping on his feet as Corino snatches the bundle and swings for the fences, but Ali dives underneath.Turning back around now, Ali is too late to react as Corino whips the bundle of light tubes into the head of Ali, exploding on impact.
 |
| Strike! DPW |
Tying Ali up in abdominal stretch, he drives him down with the Sun Setter and pins for 3, but the referee gets charged right when he was supposed to hit three by Adam Brooks and BK Westbrook, Ali's stable mates in Up Next. The crowd is pretty upset about this, as the referee clearly had to stop the count to notice the others, who were just a few seconds ate to the run in.
But I'll be totally honest, the rest of the match makes you forget about the poorly timed run in.
With the numbers advantage now, Ali grabs the DPW worlds title while Westbrook and Brooks hold Corino up with a light tube across his head. Ali takes aim and charges, clattering the title against the light tube and into the head of Corino as he crumbles into a heap. He covers Corino for the pin and calls for the ref, stunned at ringside but thrown back in by Westbrook.
 |
| The good o'l light-tube-title-shot trick. Works every time! DPW |
The referee slowly counts 1, his hand makes contact for 2, and seconds before hitting 3, Corino kicks out. The crowd comes unglued. The heart of Corino refuses to give up.
With Ali and Corino trying to get to their feet, Brooks and Westbrook start helping the ring crew during the main event as they start tearing down the ring. They work their way around the apron, removing the ropes to let up the ring camvas, exposing the solid wooden boards hidden beneath. Westbrook brings a door in the ring again as LaBron Kozone and Jay Malachi come out to even the odds, taking out Brooks and Westbrook .
Ali and Corino are alone in the ring again, back on their feet and ready to fight once again. Corino tries to piledrive Ali onto the exposed boards but he fights out, picking Corino up for a nasty driver onto the exposed boards, skin splatting against lumber.
Corino and Ali fight in the corner now, powerbomb attempts countered into suplex attempts. Until Ali jumps onto the middle rope to evade Corino, who climbs up with him and russian leg sweeps him off the middle onto the wood with a spine rattling impact.
Corino digs back under the ring again, this time coming back up with a lighter and a bottle of lighter fluid. He starts to douse the door in fluid, not leaving an inch of the door dry as he lights it. Knowing his end will come in the corm of a flaming door, Ali responds within seconds, shoving Corino into the door as he bounces off the flames. Rolling around the boards to make sure he isn't on fire, he stumbles to his feet as Ali hits the ropes and crashes into the back of Corino's skull with a vicious Grime Line.
 |
| How do you like your Colby's cooked? I'm a medium well guy myself. DPW |
Ali makes the cover, and the referee counts 3. Ali retains, and Corino's DPW career is no more.
What a violent, bloody war this was. Years ago I was never a fan of these weapon heavy, "ECW type" matches. But as the years have gone on, I've found myself enjoying them more and more. Hell, my favourite match of 2023 (and maybe of the last 10 years) was Hangman and Swerve at Full Gear. Corino and Ali are two absolute stars and were willing to do whatever it took to keep the other man down. Corino usually excels in these types of matches, but Ali is just a bit more resourceful and opportunistic. Waiting for the exact right time to strike each and every time to make it count.
After the bell, Corino delivers a very heartfelt speech with his wife and son joining him in the ring at the end as the DPW faithful cheer him on. I won't attempt to summarize it here, check it out for yourself.
Well, there we have it folks, another weekly watchlist in the books! This was a super, super light week for wrestling for me. Ended up working a couple hours of overtime and got busy the other days so didn't have as much time to myself to watch what I was hoping to watch and catch up on my backlog. But, this weekend is a long weekend and I plan on finishing DPW YAK as well as finally watching Blood and Guts before I trek onwards.
As always, drop me a line if you've got anything to say. cliffmorganwstl@gmail.com One of you will have the distinct honour of being the first person to send me an email! Make of that what you will.
Until next time, take it easy.
Cliff Morgan
No comments:
Post a Comment