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.
Showing posts with label the destroyer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the destroyer. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
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.
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.
Monday, March 5, 2018
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.
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.
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