Yuki Ishikawa vs. Daisuke Ikeda (BattlARTS, 9/1/97)

This was a super cool match and another solid addition to the series. It kicks off with a couple of dope suplexes, Ishikawa trying to wrangle Ikeda on the mat, and Ikeda punching his way out of trouble. The contest is pretty even throughout the first part of the match, with them trading strikes and trying to find an opening on the mat. There is this great little spat exchange that ends in Ikeda lariating the shit out of Ishikawa. I thought Ishikawa was really good here, as far as his presence on the ground -- for example, when he has to use a rope break on the rear naked choke, he immediately grabs Ikeda’s arm after the break. Also, Ikeda works Ishikawa’s nose at one point, which rules. After he takes out Ishikawa’s knee with a dropkick, there’s some terrific selling from Ishikawa as he tries to stay in the corner. Just really good grunty groundwork and instinctive wrestling -- like when Ikeda struggles against the German suplex, Ishikawa just quickly grabs a choke instead. By the end of it, they’re both exhausted, a common trope of this series, and they clobber each other until Ikeda lariats the side of Ishikawa’s head and takes him back down with the choke sleeper for the submission.

Yuki Ishikawa vs. Daisuke Ikeda (BattlARTS, 4/15/97)

What a draw. These two continue to play their respective roles and early on, Ishikawa shows Ikeda that he can’t survive off kicks alone, taking him to the ropes…but then immediately afterward, Ikeda blasts him with a boot to the forehead. They transition from holds to strikes to suplexes, with Ishikawa utilizing some nifty counters. Then it sort of settles back down on the mat, with Ikeda mostly staying on the arm, occasionally straight punching Ishikawa in the face to set up an armbar. I really liked Ishikawa using the headbutts to get Ikeda off the ropes for the German suplex. And then, of course, Ikeda using the full nelson and almost deadlifting Ishikawa up into a dragon suplex. During the final minutes, they start with the big strikes to try and finish it, and you can tell they’re both completely exhausted, especially Ishikawa, who can’t manage much of anything on the mat. He hits a fisherman buster in desperation, trying to secure the arm, but Ikeda rolls to the ropes as the time limit expires. Great stuff.

Nick Bockwinkel vs. Billy Robinson (AJPW, 12/11/80)

This match felt like a swan song to the science of 1970’s mat-based wrestling, executed by two of the style’s greatest professors. My only grumble is the time limit draw, as it seemed like these two could go at it for another half hour. Bock sticks like glue to Robinson’s arm early on, and even after Billy is able to counter with an cobra twist and start in on the neck, Bock holds on with the hip toss attempt and re-gains control of the arm. As proficient as Robinson is here, Bock’s performance really elevates this match to the next level. I loved the extended headlock sequence, with Bock using various means to escape only to get caught again with the headlock. He brings a surliness to the match, the way he kinks around Billy’s ankle when he’s got him in a hold, or the heat behind the slap to Billy’s face. The bombs get bigger as Robinson tries putting Bock away but when he delivers the second backbreaker, he injures his knee and Nick smells the blood, attacking with the spinning toehold and figure-four leglock. When Billy tries to fight out with a bodyslam, his knee gives out and Bock nearly pins him with the cover. As the time limit expires, the two are still slugging it out, anxious to end it.  Great match.                               

Takuya Nomura vs. Yuya Aoki (BJW, 3/21/18)

What a little banger of a match. Bulked up Takuya Nomura has been doing his best to channel Akira Maeda, incorporating things like the capture and half hatch suplex, and the crossface chickenwing, in addition to his stiff kicks. Here, he comes out of the gate throwing kicks, catching Aoki upside the head with one of them. They scramble around the mat a bit, with Aoki more than holding his own. The strike exchanged were snug and fiery, and we get some of that signature bad boy attitude from Nomura. At one point, he has Aoki in a sleeper, doesn't immediately let go in the ropes, Aoki pops him in the forehead with a kick, and Nomura gets pissy with him. I thought Aoki did a good job of playing the underdog and getting in his moments to shine, including folding Nomura in turn with a release German. They heat up the final strike exchange before Nomura hits the headbutt and submits him with the cross armlock.

Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Ryuma Go (NJPW, 10/2/79)

This match combines the best of their previous encounters from 1978, incorporating the suave matwork, the fiery strikes, cool paybacks and callbacks, and a little extra somethin’ somethin’ from Ryuma Go. Fujinami heats up Go with a slap right out of the gate and Go’s beside himself, tossing Fujinami out of the ring. There’s a great sequence with Go grounding Fujinami with a vicious-looking cravate takedown and Fujinami bridging out to snapmare Go. Once again, Go tries slapping his way out of a leglock but only succeeds in pissing off Fujinami, a recurring theme, in which Fujinami lays into him with hard slaps and kicks. In general, Fujinami treats Go like he’s beneath him, at one point shoving him out of the ring while he’s running the ropes. Awesome strikes throughout, especially those headbutts from Go. After Go cuts Fujinami up top, dropkicking him out of the ring, he goes high-risk with a diving body press – only to be followed up shortly after by a plancha from Fujinami. Terrific false finish off of the German suplex, with Fujinami just barely getting a foot on the rope, before Go gets the upset victory with the backslide.

Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Billy Robinson (AJPW, 3/11/77)

The second in their March '77 trilogy and the longest, drawing at 60:00. Although it's not as cohesive or memorable as their 3/5 match, it's still as good as you'd expect. The build to Billy's double arm suplex is a fun little narrative that threads its way through the match. Robinson stays in control through much of the first fall, working the headlock, transitioning to the back with suplexes and stretches, finally switching to the leg before Jumbo pins Billy following his own double arm suplex! Jumbo stays on Billy's back during the second fall, whipping him into corners (sold brilliantly by Billy) and putting him in a crab hold -- but Billy spikes Jumbo with a killer cradle tombstone to even the score. In the final fall, Billy keeps targeting the neck with a neckbreaker and another tombstone, finally hitting the double arm suplex to no avail. Things break down toward the end, as they engage in back-and-forth spats and spill out of the ring often. The final stretch with a frustrating Jumbo trying everything to finish off Billy, including TWO double arm suplexes, was great, and even after the bell rings the draw, Jumbo's pissed and still attacking Billy. What a series so far.

Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Billy Robinson (AJPW, 3/5/77)

Billy Robinson’s a lot of fun to watch in the ring, whether he’s schooling someone on the canvas or playing defense, looking for a way out of a predicament. Seems like a rare feat to be able to make a seven minute headlock struggle captivating but Robinson is able to pull it off masterfully. I go back to this often but like any good novel, I appreciate the little attentions to detail. The movements, the strategy, the methods of approach that add a sense of intelligence to any pro-wrestling match. Little things like Billy’s hip attack to stun Jumbo before taking him over with the hip toss, or figuring out a way to escape a side headlock that is unique and effective, not doing the same flopping thing over and over again.

The 1970’s stuff feels animated at times, especially in some of Robinson’s more theatrical bumping around and selling, but it’s the matwork and counterwork that keeps me engaged, even if there’s no long-term continuity to it. During the first fall, Robinson is relentless with his attacking Jumbo’s neck, throwing his weight onto it, delivering a vicious neckbreaker. There’s an unstable nature to the match, to a lot of these early Japanese match-ups in general, with the teased strikes and suplexes, boiling up to an explosive third fall. 

After Jumbo wins the first fall following a pair of running bulldogs, he stays on Billy’s neck to start the second fall, leading to the prolonged headlock struggle with some really neat reversal attempts, like Robinson bridging with the chancery hold. Thesecond fall is a slow burn but it picks up, as Billy’s able to find his way out with a backdrop and evens the score with a backbreaker. He keeps after Jumbo’s back with a side suplex, a second backbreaker and a crab hold, and when that doesn’t get him to submit, Robinson begins chopping his neck out of frustration. Loved that. Jumbo fires off some suplexes but Robinson, who had managed to slink through much of this match, comes away with the victory after countering the O'Connor Roll. Awesome match, one of my very favorites from the 70's.

Billy Robinson vs. Giant Baba (AJPW, 7/24/76)

Billy Robinson is so awesome. Not to sell Baba short, he was great here too, but Robinson’s performance was fantastic. From the apprehension he conveys about locking up with Baba, maintaining a certain distance and treating him like a major threat throughout the match, to his movements, his takedowns, his quick snakebite strikes to the legs.  He tries to overwhelm Baba rather than get tangled up in his spindly limbs, chopping him down at the knees. I’ve said it a million times but it’s the little things that add up and Robinson is a master at incorporating them into his matches. The way he pushes his weight back onto Baba’s chinlock in order to pin his shoulders to the mat, or cranking Baba’s leg over his own head, using it as a battering ram to weaken the leg. When Baba realizes Billy’s not going to tie up with him, he starts slapping and chopping away, picking up the first fall after a backdrop.

Robinson sells Baba’s strikes so well, making them look extra painful, trying in vain to block them. He starts firing back on offense, hitting a gnarly neckbreaker, and when he’s unsuccessful with the double arm suplex attempts, Robinson takes out the leg and quickly submits Baba with a single leg crab to even the score. And he doesn’t let up, hitting leg enziguris at the start of the third fall, once again trying to submit him before Baba builds any momentum. At one point, Billy drapes Baba’s leg on the ropes and executes a tope onto the leg through the ropes, causing them both to tumble outside! By the end of this thing, Robinson is delivering everything he can in his arsenal to down the giant, including an impressive backbreaker, but when he runs into the neckbreaker drop, it’s game over, emphasizing once again the danger that is Baba and how every move could be the last.

Mil Máscaras vs. The Destroyer (AJPW, 7/25/74)

The first fall of this match is about fifteen of the most beautiful minutes of professional wrestling I’ve seen, combining Destroyer’s methodical old-school approach with the lucha elegante matwork of Máscaras. With Destroyer, every movement has significance, every strain or expression conveys meaning. The transitions, reversals, counters, evasions, and takedowns are all so masterfully executed, not only from Destroyer, but Máscaras as well, who seems more in his element on the canvas than pinballing around the ring. While "Woken Twitter" is quick to proclaim wrestling as an art form over an impressive but largely meaningless aerobatics display, the way these two seamlessly thread their exchanges together throughout the match is a testament to the thought and sensibility put into the telling of a clever, believable in-ring story. There’s something special about the way Destroyer rolls the audience around the palm of his hand like putty, whether it’s his comical “No-no-no-no-no-no”s during Mil’s standing surfboard or the fear he instills when he’s attacking the leg to set-up the figure-four leglock.

During the first fall, Máscaras seems as if he's in a perpetual state of change, the way he watches for variations in Destroyer’s step, reading his energy levels and transitioning accordingly if something isn’t working. The sequences are, again, a thing of beauty. As they head toward the finish of the first fall, Máscaras starts to build some momentum as his speed overwhelms Destroyer but when he slips up, Destroyer takes full advantage, driving him headfirst into the corner and following up with the knees to the neck to take the first fall. He lives up to his namesake by continuing to destroy Mil’s neck with elbows, knees, and a neckbreaker into the second fall, which didn't really work, out, as Mil ends up taking the second fall via a flying crossbody. The third fall brings back the fear of the figure-four as Destroyer goes after Mil’s leg a wild dog and when he finally locks it in, the arena freaks the fuck out. Destroyer built such a great atmosphere around it and this final fall features some of Máscaras best selling. Mil gets in plenty of offense with his flying around and his scoop-style suplexes, and the non-finish wasn’t ideal but it also kept in tune with the general unpredictability of the match.

Genichiro Tenryu & Hiromichi Fuyuki vs. Yoshiaki Yatsu & Shinichi Nakano (SWS, 7/26/91)

Yoshiaki Yatsu is such a heel here, it's terrific, and Shinichi Nakano shows a ton of fire, coming out of the gate against Hiromichi Fuyuki like he's got a lit bottle rocket up his ass. When Fuyuki's had it with him, he pummels him with pissy little headbutts. Tenryu gets in there and chops the hell out of him and when the kid smacks back at Tenryu, Tenryu promptly shuts him down in grumpy fashion. Loved how Nakano pounds away at Tenryu after he breaks the pin attempt. The hate between Yatsu and Tenryu is on full display. When Fuyuji heats up on offense and gets the big tag to Tenryu, Tenryu murder chops Nakano to set up the diving back elbow drop but Yatsu pulls Nakano out of the way to massive heat from the fans. Tenryu's still able to hit it a bit later but Yatsu breaks up the count. Then he brings out the chair, attacking Fuyuki and Tenryu. The fans are going nuts as Fuyuki sacrifices his body to protect Tenryu from the chairshots. Then Yatsu busts Fuyuki open with a headshit and the fans have had it, throwing garbage into the ring. But in the end, Tenryu is able to lariat Nakano and deliver the powerbomb to send the fans home happy.

Animal Hamaguchi vs. Mighty Inoue (IWA, 9/26/73)

While the slow burn of a 60:00 time limit draw can be a good way to settle into bed, perhaps a fast-paced 15:00 exhibition between two junior heavyweight hosses is a better way to start your day. At times, this felt like a 2017 “NOAH the Reborn” match, with the double stomps, somersault sentons, and the open-hand slaps exchanged. Hamaguchi plays the bastard grump to Inoue’s plucky protagonist, smacking and boxing Inoue’s ears, gouging his eyes, and at one point, tossing him clear out of the ring in frustration. Inoue has a lot of unique offense for a 1973 match and I liked his early neckwork with the springboard and headscissors takedowns, and that rolling necksnap. After he avoids a top rope legdrop from Hamaguchi, Inoue hits an atomic drop and a somersault senton but when he tries for a second, Animal has him scouted out. He tries to submit Mighty with the crab hold but Inoue is able to roll him up for the victory. Cool little match here.

Giant Baba vs. Destroyer (JWA, 12/11/72)

While not nearly on the same pedestal as their 1969 masterpiece, this match showed how the Destroyer can turn a prolonged headlock-dominated first fall into something entertaining. Baba isn’t the most engaging on the mat but Destroyer not only does a solid job selling Baba’s headlock but when the roles are reversed, Destroyer makes the headlock interesting. Whether it’s wrenching Baba’s head back and forth, using his knees to tenderize, or springboarding off the ropes with the takedown, Destroyer breathes life into an otherwise lackluster first fall. He’s jaw jacking to the fans, yelling at Baba “you get paid to lay down!”, but when he runs into the neckbreaker drop, it’s over. The second fall ends just as quickly when Destroyer gets Baba in the figure-four leglock. Baba’s selling in the third fall is tremendous. He hurts himself on the coconut crusher, his leg gives out on the single leg crab hold, but when Destroyer tries to take advantage of the injury, he keeps hurting himself, too! Baba wins the third fall and the match via countout. As always, Destroyer was a joy to watch in the ring and Baba really turned up the drama in the third fall.

Antonio Inoki vs. Jack Brisco (JWA, 8/5/71)

Slower pace got you down? Well, the intensity that these two go at it on the mat, the fervid energy, the way Brisco throws his body into a hold – this is exciting stuff. Brisco brings such a refreshing dynamism to this match. During the first fall, he goes after Inoki’s leg with some vicious stomps, forcing Inoki to reevaluate on the outside. Brisco hits a beautiful deadlift double arm suplex for a two count and out of frustration, he starts pounding Inoki’s head into the turnbuckle. After getting himself tangled in the ropes after Inoki’s attack, Brisco is able to counter the cobra twist with a lateral press for the first fall. Things slow down a bit during the second fall, as Inoki works the arm, utilizing a rolling armbar before firing off the sudden German suplex hold to tie it up. Brisco’s selling the effect of that German suplex was fantastic and Inoki takes advantage of it, dominating him throughout the third fall before submitting Brisco with the cobra twist to claim his victory. The good stuff.

BattlARTS Tag Grab Bag #1

For an upcoming episode of Fighting Network FRIENDS, we're gearing for another classic feud -- this time, between Yuki Ishikawa and Daisuke Ikeda, a feud that spanned almost two decades across the Japanese indie pro wres landscape. While they've met numerous times in singles competition, theu've also butted heads (literally) in tag team action.

Yuki Ishikawa & Alexander Otsuka vs. Daisuke Ikeda & Takeshi Ono (BattlARTS, 10/30/96)

Violent, chaotic, beautiful: welcome to BattlARTS. Takeshi Ono is such a little prick throughout this match, you just can't wait to see him get smashed. From the start, he's kicking and stomping Ishikawa from the apron, and whenever Ishikawa or Otsuka manages a submission hold, he's quick to interject himself and break it up with more shitty kicks. At one point later in the match, Otsuka delivers a Northern Lights suplex to Ikeda and tries to transition into the double wristlock...before Ono comes in and kicks his fucking hand while he's trying to apply the hold! No submission is safe. Ikeda is a dick, too. He manages to piss off Otsuka on the apron, who comes in and dumps Ikeda on his head with a gnarly suplex before the two are back-and-forth, trading headbutts. Ono continues pissing on everyone until Otsuka finally grabs him and gives him one of the best Giant Swings I've seen. Otsuka's also there to throw some dope suplexes, including a deadlift German to Ikeda. I loved Ikeda kicking his way out of Ishikawa's leg hold before it breaks down into them punching and smacking each other. Otsuka finally takes Ono out of the equation by German suplexing him in half, which allows Ishikawa to secure the Fujiwara armbar on Ikeda for the submission.

Daisuke Ikeda & Katsumi Usuda vs. Yuki Ishikawa & Takeshi Ono (BattlARTS, 1/21/97)

This time, that little shitbag Ono is on Ishikawa's team but he isn't quite as obnoxious. In fact, he and Usuda put on quite the mat show with their scrambling and reversals. Usuda is super stiff with his kicks, to both Ono and Ishikawa, and as expected, Ikeda and Ishikawa are trying to kill each other. Early on, Ikeda delivers this beautiful takedown and immediately kicks Ishikawa in the face but Ishikawa being the man still manages to snag the leg and send Ikeda to the ropes. Usuda's pretty much in the Ono role for this match, kicking Ikeda from the apron, being a dick. Ono kicks him in the face and tries for an armbar but Usuda slickly maneuvers into a kneebar, and then they slip-and-slide around the canvas looking for an advantage. Ono and Ishikawa try to destroy Ikeda's leg toward the end of the match, with Ono landing some big head kicks to Ikeda in the corner but still peppering the leg with low kicks. But in the end, Ikeda obliterates Ishikawa with a brutal clubbing lariat and Usuda comes in with the choke sleeper, picking up the submission. Great stuff.

Antonio Inoki vs. Dory Funk Jr. (JWA, 8/2/70)

As much as I enjoy the methodical groundwork and pacing of some of these early match-ups, the payoff can be somewhat of a letdown. That is, the mat-based stuff can be fun to watch but ultimately meaningless. Dory Funk Jr. is a guy I can appreciate as a minimalist wrestler but can easily find myself falling asleep to, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s like watching Bob Ross paint. But in this case, especially during the second fall, the match dragged and the structure felt odd. It didn’t help that this was a 60:00 draw -- it definitely felt every minute of that hour.  The wrestling itself was still top notch during the first fall, with plenty of smooth transitions and switcheroo limb work. Inoki had a good frenetic spirit about him --- the way he scrambles around the mat as Dory’s trying to get a hold of his leg was some smart maneuvering, and I liked his aggressive arm stomping and clubbing forearms.  Dory playing it a little dirtier was a lot fun, with him utilizing his baby brother Terry on the outside to heat the crowd up. They each pick up falls after using suplexes, Dory with the double arm and then Inoki with the German suplex hold. The third fall was clunky with more throwaway limbwork, slow counts, and outside interference. By the end of it, they’re both exhausted and Inoki continues teasing the Octous hold, which Dory is able to evade until the time limit expires.

Giant Baba vs. The Destroyer (JWA, 3/5/69)

Giant Baba is an interesting cat -- gangly, awkward and at times, clumsy, but he somehow makes it work. He may not be the stiffest worker but he’s one of the smartest, knowing his limitations and how to utilize those long limbs in effective ways. Even with his size and strange build, Baba’s early takedowns and reversals looked silky smooth. The Destroyer is about the best kind of heel you can ask for: dastardly, perfectly despicable, and a wrestling savant on the canvas. When he’s working Baba’s arm, he’s gnawing on the fingers, punching the hand, making the hold multifaceted and interesting. Baba’s limbwork isn’t nearly as enthralling but Destroyer makes the struggle and eventual escape really fun to watch. There’s a bit of a cat-and-mouse game between the two as Destroyer keeps getting caught with Baba’s leg scissors after each successful escape. At one point, Destroyer cackles in freedom, only to get trapped yet again. There’s an awesome moment where Destroyer tries to attack the arm again and Baba counters with the leg scissors.

The narrative throughout this first fall is clearly Baba thwarting Destroyer with those lanky scissors holds. Destroyer then starts playing dirty, rubbing shit in Baba’s eyes, busting him open with a loaded mask headbutt, using a “mystery weapon” from his trunks to bloody Baba even more. This only pisses Baba off and after coconut crushing him, Baba picks up the first fall by using his weight to counter the double leg cradle. Destroyer starts the second fall by biting Baba’s face! True heel! They keep teasing the figure-four leglock as Destroyer continually works over Baba’s leg and when he finally gets it on, Baba quickly submits. But everything falls apart in the end as Destroyer’s American cowboys get involved, resulting in the referee getting socked and Baba winning via DQ. Shit finish but Destroyer ruled this match and Baba more than held his own with those big ass leg scissors.

Inoki Festival 1995 (12/30/95)

The whole show is an easy recommendation and a breeze to watch at under two hours. Unfortunately, some of the matches are clipped, like the sweet Kakihara/Ikeda match, but everything delivers on some level, with original Tiger Mask showing off, Nakano/Hokuto trying to kill themselves, and fired up baby versions of Nagata and Nishimura. But, the two matches that really stood out, were the semi-main and the main events. 

Hiroshi Hase vs. Yoji Anjoh

It's Hiroshi Hase sans mustachio, not letting Yoji Anjoh get away with much -- really liked the tension build in the corner, which leads to them both slapping each other around. Hase is smooth as always, using a dope double leg takedown and working his way into an inverted STF. He hooks the leg when Anjoh tries to backdrop him, so that he lands on top when Anjoh still attempts it. Then we get a uranage and the giant swing, sold wonderfully by Anjoh, before eats a second uranage. Anjoh's able to fight out of the Northern Lights suplex attempt, delivering a nasty German, then following up with some great looking knee drops before finally stomping on Hase's face before he applies the leglock for the submission.  

Antonio Inoki & Nobuhiko Takada vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara & Kazuo Yamazaki

A two-out-of-three falls tag match and a total blast. Nobuhiko Takada was, more or less, there to collect a paycheck but whenever Antonio Inoki was in the ring, the match really lit up, whether it was ground aggression with Yoshiaki Fujiwara, or pissy exchanges with Kazuo Yamazaki. Inoki and Fujiwara do the old man matwork better than most half their age and here, Fujiwara got to show off with some slick takedowns and at one point, really catches Inoki in the chin with one of his sig headbutts. When Yamazaki comes in, he tries to get crazy with Inoki but Inoku quickly gets hold of the reins and pins Yamazaki. During the second fall, Yamazaki calls out Inoki and when Inoki gets the tag, it's his turn to go nuts on Yamazaki but Yamazaki evens the score by kicking Inoki in the head. Yamazaki's still peppering Inoki with punches and kicks during the third fall but Fujiwara starts prepping Inoki's arm for his patented armbar. The finish to the third fall was...uh, strange. Takada breaks up the Fujiwara armbar by kicking Fujiwara in the fucking face, Fujiwara is loopy, Yamazaki injures himself flying into the ring to retaliate, completely missing his spinning wheel kick attempt. And then Inoki puts on the octopus hold to win it. 

Masahiro Chono vs. Keiji Mutoh (NJPW, 8/11/91)

I'm sure there are other early examples but this match, to me, felt like the blueprint for the epic NJPW G1 Climax style that still persists today, full of nearfalls and one-upmanship. They work through the early minutes of the match trying to establish dominance, with Mutoh going after the leg and Chono controlling the arm. It's slow, it's methodical, it doesn't really pay off in the end but there is some cool moments, especially from Mutoh. I loved him dragging Chono back to the middle of the ring in the Indian deathlock to set up the sickle hold. He works that awhile before transitioning into a dope Cattle Mutilation (possibly the earliest example?). After Mutoh piledrives Chono on the concrete, the match shifts into the next gear, with both guys working in some bigger offense. Mutoh is able to deliver a German and a dragon suplex but misses the moonsault press, while Chono locks in the STF and hits a sick backdrop but can't finish him off before it escalates into the big back-and-forth. Loved Chono trying to sneak in the final STF attempt but Mutoh gets to the ropes. After blocking the Mutoh's moonsault, Chono powerbombs him for the win in what may be one of his best singles performances. Normally, I'm not a big fan of this layout but the build was great, both guys worked their asses off, and the crowd was buying into almost everything down the stretch. Plus, the flying seat cushions raining down on a victorious Chono. Sweet.

Giant Baba vs. Bruno Sammartino (JWA, 8/7/68)

Compared to Baba, Bruno Sammartino is an Italian terrier with a bite, backing a defenseless Baba into a corner, aggressively sinking his teeth into Baba’s arm, using his boots, elbows, and knees to strike at him, before a peeved Baba ragdolls Bruno across the ring. Terrific psychology throughout the first fall, with Baba targeting the leg and Bruno really selling it as he hobbles from ringpost to ringpost. Again, the simple nuances are what really elevate this. For example, there’s a part where Baba is working the leg and Bruno starts fighting back with strikes, so Baba traps the arm but in turn, Bruno begins to assert control of Baba’s previously worked over arm and Baba has to bail out to his feet when Bruno nearly has it. Awesome stuff. Bruno wins the first fall with an impressive over-the-shoulder backbreaker rack and throughout the second fall, he keeps going back to the bear hug, which Baba is able to avoid, ultimately evening the score with a dropkick. At the start of the third fall, Bruno is still selling the leg and Baba takes notice, going back on the attack. In a great moment of stubborn determination, Bruno tosses Baba to the outside and does everything he can to prevent him from re-entering the ring, to the point where Baba has to chop his way back inside. The finish was underwhelming but played into both guys trying to get the win via count out -- Baba succeeding with a little help from a foreign object at ringside.