Paid Members WeeAl Posted March 4, 2019 Paid Members Posted March 4, 2019 Inspired by the recent SCG Radio episode by @Liam O'Rourke and co, I watched this match this evening. It's well worth going out of your way to see if, like me, you haven't seen it before. Such a simple match, carried out to perfection by two masters. I know things evolve and times and styles change, but this is an example of doing really basic things, incredibly well, for maximum results. Which is an art that has gotten lost. There's nobody around today, that I can think of, that could get as much of a reaction from doing as little in a match. Maybe that's just because of the evolution of the style of wrestling that is popular today, or maybe it's plainly just because there isn't anybody as good as Funk and Lawler were back then.
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted March 5, 2019 Paid Members Posted March 5, 2019 Ha, I watched it last night too. Plus the Misawa/Tsuruta match from 1990. Completely agree with the podcast that the big takeaway from the Funk/Lawler match is the beauty of the punches. They're superb. Have to be honest, as much as I appreciate the artistry, the rest wasn't that thrilling. That crowd absolutely ate it up though. As much as you'd love to say it should be a lesson for aspiring stars, it's not. Because no fucker is ever going to be adored to that level again. Terry Funk is incredible. Goes without saying but also needs to be said. Misawa/Tsuruta did more for me. Really holds up. It feels so modern that it just hammers home how ahead of the game AJPW were in the early 90s. The finish is a bit naff but worked in that context. I've not seen enough of Jumbo. He's awesome.
Paid Members BomberPat Posted March 5, 2019 Paid Members Posted March 5, 2019 Terry Funk is the greatest of all time, for my money, and Jerry Lawler would sit comfortably in my top 5 North American wrestlers. What made Funk and Lawler stand out in that match was that, while there were a lot of guys that threw great punches, they usually had that one great worked punch that was their signature. Both Funk and Lawler had a wide variety of punches to choose from, all looked as good as the other, and both guys sold them brilliantly. Funk was also superb in selling completely differently whether working heel or face, which is an underappreciated skill. Going back to Terry being the best - I think to call someone the best ever, aside from just being immensely skilled, they also need to have longevity and adaptability, and Funk had both in spades. He could work anywhere with anyone and adapt to fit what they needed, without ever feeling like he was diluting what made him special. I love him in the 1998 Royal Rumble - he seems to have all these little mini-matches with everyone he interacts with; the obvious hardcore stuff with Cactus Jack, sure, but he also has a little boxing spar with Marc Mero, and all these other fun little set pieces, as well as doing his wobbly-leg selling, and the amazing falling backwards into the ropes bump. He's the best.
Mr Butternut Squash Posted March 5, 2019 Posted March 5, 2019 Another thing I love about Terry is that he’s a traveller that never outstayed his welcome. Whether it’s NWA, WWC, FMW, ECW or whatever, he’d keep fresh and leave you wanting more.
SuperstarNeilC Posted March 7, 2019 Posted March 7, 2019 Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith Contract Signing 1989
Paid Members chokeout Posted March 8, 2019 Paid Members Posted March 8, 2019 An unreleased WCW game for the NES has apparently been found from 1989
courageous Posted March 9, 2019 Posted March 9, 2019 When AEW talk about making it more "real sport", this could be a gimmick that might work - DQ for not taking sporting advantage
bigfoote Posted March 10, 2019 Posted March 10, 2019 I thought I'd seen every variation on a DQ...this is a new one. This could work in certain situations.
SuperstarNeilC Posted March 11, 2019 Posted March 11, 2019 Big Mami from Mexico in chilli-hot tag match
Members SuperBacon Posted March 19, 2019 Members Posted March 19, 2019 A recap on the WCW event that took place in North Korea. No idea how I stumbled across it, and had no knowledge of the event itself, but this is really well put together
Paid Members BomberPat Posted March 19, 2019 Paid Members Posted March 19, 2019 It's a mad show, but one I always really enjoyed. The announce team during the women's match are great, asking you to imagine having lived your entire life in the state-mandated, regulated culture of North Korea, and then being exposed to Bull Nakano. If I remember correctly, the Steiners were US flags in their match with Hase and Sasaki. Because if there's one thing a Korean audience loves, it's American flags and the Japanese.
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