Sky's Good Matches Thread (formerly You Decide What Sky Watches)

[Sky]

Match #79
Cicloncito Ramirez/Bracito de Oro/Mascarita Magica vs. Damiancito el Guerrero/Fierito/Pierrothito
2/3 Falls Match
CMLL Super Viernes - October 3, 1997​

Who doesn't love mini wrestling? The United States apparently, where little people are literally just jokes in the eyes of wrestling promoters. Despite this, I'm still yet to watch a minis match in this thread that I didn't like. Let's hope this doesn't disappoint.

I find it interesting, as they do the introductions, that the only one with "Mascara" in his name has lost his mask. Damiancito el Guerrero is Virus, whom we've seen before. We start off with Bracito against Pierrothito. We get a bit of mixed limbwork, with Pierrothito putting his height advantage out there and targeting Bracito's legs, while Bracito grounds Pierrothito to work the arms. Bracito pulls off one of those really nice high-angle size-difference armdrags you get in minis matches, followed by a dropkick to the face which Pierrothito sells by toppling like a redwood.

Now it's Damiancito against Cicloncito. Fierito mounts the ropes as if he's going to springboard over, but just watches like these two are his gladiators fighting for his amusement. Damiancito is so smooth, everything flows right together. He does a really interesting pin attempt where Cicloncito seems to be giving him a monkey flip, but Damiancito deadweights him and gets his shoulders down for two. Next up a short bit of Magica vs. Fierito, where Fierito tries to bring the brawling but can't handle Magica's agility. Cicloncito open-hands both of the non-legal rudos off the apron, so Damiancito slaps him down in return. Following that, a good old-fashioned "hit your teammate who is holding your opponent" spot. Two, in fact! Damiancito has to explain to his angry teammates what just happened, but it was good enough apparently, as they both cut the tecnicos off so they can't break up the first fall.

Second fall kicks off (despite the commentary team thinking it's the third fall) and it's Cicloncito vs. Pierrothito. Pierrothito's really selling his tailbone after a headscissors - if he's hurt, flying through the ropes and eating shit back-first on the floor (as he does right after) surely will not help. Bracito slides Damiancito out, and looks like he's about to do a dive, but changes his mind and just tags in Magica. Magica gets up on the corner to bash Fierito and Damiancito's heads together, then the tecnicos start a 3-on-1 assault on Pierrothito (which seems backwards). Magica really puts his face into the resulting tope suicida. I actually looked up the circumstances of how he'd lost his mask before I started the match, and I found this gif from the match where he lost it.

Fuck me, that's what I call a suicide dive. Anyway, both the other tecnicos do dives also, and there's a bit where no one is in the ring until Magica and Pierrothito get back in. Magica locks both arms for a pretty quick submission and the second fall.

Third fall now. Magica wears down Fierito for a bit, but then Damiancito comes in and starts to dominate Magica. Pierrothito tries to do the "duck under a running opponent" for Cicloncito, who stops and puts him in a camel clutch! He then gets a seated surfboard with a foot to the back, and Pierrothito really has to fight out of it! Bracito then makes Fierito look like a bit of a fool, giving the full run-around to a man a head taller. The match then descends into chaos, bodies everywhere. Magica has Damiancito in a long octopus hold but Fierito tosses Bracito into him to break it up! Seems Fierito gets the third fall on Bracito but it's not clear why he didn't. Maybe Bracito's toe was slightly on the outside or something.

Cicloncito goes for a running inverted Gory Special which doesn't seem to do anything. Pierrothito gets a LONG distance on a crossbody to the outside! Back down to Magica and Damiancito, the latter's flying forearm getting two. Damiancito attempts a hurricanrana pin but Magica counters into a sitout pin for two! Then Damiancito rolls him up for the third fall!

Really nice match. Not going to be the best match on the wheel - felt oddly low-stakes and there were some weak points particularly when Fierito was in the ring - but even more proof that minis can put on fun encounters.

 

[Alexa]

Who linked so many Lucha matches?

 

[Sky]

Who linked so many Lucha matches?

Probably @Charlie

 

[Alexa]

Probably @Charlie

Maybe, but I am also thinking Looch...his name is Looch after all

 

[Sky]

Match #80
Lei'D Tapa vs. Thea Trinidad
GFW Grand Slam Tour - June 20, 2015​

Okay, so this is a weird one. The wheel rolled a Lei'D Tapa match. I checked and some joker decided to put FOUR Lei'D Tapa matches on the wheel in a row. Hope you like Lei'D Tapa! She's not very good! And she's facing Thea Trinidad, after she was Rosita but before she was Zelina Vega. It's also very weird that this got filmed as this was effectively a house show for GFW, in a near-empty baseball field (Jeff Jarrett applying his usual TNA house show strategy to GFW). This is very much a fan cam, with shaky camera and two guys adding their own commentary trying to get themselves over. I'm expecting nothing, let's see if we get something!

One of the commentary guys is trying to get "Thea, Thea, Thea" to be a thing. I hate him already. A bit of posing for the crowd to start. Tapa tosses Thea around, and Thea launches a few strikes, none of which is sold. I'm not sure whether it's because of the size difference or because Tapa has no idea what she's doing. Tapa goes for a two-handed choke and puts Thea on the turnbuckle of the six-sided ring (with some difficulty), but Thea slips off and delivers some more strikes which Tapa at least remembers to try and sell. Tapa shuts Thea down with a big boot, then spends a minute and a half posing for the crowd and performing hair pull-based offense. She hits a Canadian backbreaker drop and does the disrespectful one-foot pin, which only gets two.

Thea fights out of a fireman's carry and gets some offense, but makes the biggest rookie mistake in wrestling: never go for a crossbody on somebody bigger than you. Tapa wastes a lot of time setting up a second rope leg drop only for Thea to dodge away. Thea's big comeback spot is a 619 which Tapa stays up for, yet drops like 10 seconds later. It's as if she remembered that was meant to be a pin spot. Less of a Flair flop, more of a forgetful flop. Tapa goes for a powerbomb but Thea rolls through for the three.

That was weak. I have no idea what a house show match is doing on YouTube, let alone on the wheel.

 

[Alexa]

Wasnt she in IMPACT for abit?

 

[Sky]

Wasnt she in IMPACT for abit?

She was and she wasn't good

 

[Alexa]

She was and she wasn't good

Thought the name was familair and yeah she wasnt

 

[Sky]

Match #81
Shawn Hernandez vs. Koichiro Kimura
JPWA Japan vs. USA Super Wrestle - April 14, 2000​

Sky reporting from my bed, because I had a pretty nasty fall yesterday and so it hurts to sit. Not much to do but watch wrestling. This is such a weird match on paper. Koichiro Kimura, one of the okayest shoot-style wrestlers of all time, facing Hernandez in one of his early-career Japan runs. He's been chosen for "Team USA" of some sort. It's interesting that Hernandez's thing in both Mexico and Japan was that he was an American representative, but in the US it was that he was representing Mexico... Also, he uses his pre-match interview time to talk about his favourite suplex types. This match is quite cut-down, missing most of the recovery time.

We get the usual puro feeling-out process, which abruptly ends when Hernandez charges Kimura to the ground out of nowhere! Kimura tries to escape and transition into an armbar but Hernandez lifts and tosses him right off. Another feeling-out has Hernandez taking Kimura out with a cradle suplex. Then at the third attempt, Kimura comes the closest he has yet to establishing a hold, but nope, Hernandez's power game wins out once again. Fourth try: Kimura just lies back and tries to goad Hernandez into meeting him on the mat. Hernandez turns him into a Boston Crab before Kimura grabs a leg and transitions into a lock of his own! He then deadweights Hernandez as he tries to get up... I suppose that's the only plan you can have.

Hernandez's American second is being especially annoying. Kimura fails to take out Hernandez's knee, which leads to another extended sequence of Kimura being underneath. No sign of any rope break, apparently. When they're done hugging on the ground, the ref calls for a break-up. Hernandez is visibly confused. Back to feet, Hernandez goes for another tackle, this time Kimura is on top and goes for what looks like the setup to a Fujiwara armbar (Fujiwara himself is in attendance). But Hernandez is just too powerful, lifting him and hitting a Samoan drop! It honestly looked like Hernandez could have rotated enough to land directly on top of Kimura (reverse Green Bay Plunge style... I wonder why no one has ever actually used that).

Kimura targets the leg but can't get a hold. Hernandez's second loudly calls for a half or full Nelson. After a bit more stalling on the mat Kimura goes into a hammerlock but can't get it fully applied. Hernandez continues to hold Kimura down, with an open palm strike or two. Again, no sign of a rope break, but the ref randomly decides Hernandez should stop dominating. Fujiwara threatens to get in the ring but Kimura warns him off.

Kimura is getting absolutely destroyed. Hernandez pulls off a belly-to-belly, then actually goes for the full Nelson, but can't lock in. After that, he hits a deadlift gutwrench bomb! This gets the biggest reaction for anything not involving Fujiwara so far. We then get a palm strike from Hernandez that cracks all the way through the venue. A bit more mat resting before Hernandez hits a big release German which Kimura seems determined to take on his head. Kimura tries to wrench an arm but nothing is giving. Eventually he takes Hernandez over with a headlock, but can't transition tjay into meaningful damage.

Hernandez hits a second gutwrench bomb! He then kicks Kimura while he's down, which seems entirely unnecessary. Kimura is barely able to apply a chinlock, before Hernandez lifts him up and gets a second Samoan drop! Kimura eventually finally gets a chinlock and is able to drag Hernandez down, but Hernandez manages to stand again! Eventually Kimura gets one kick in... and that's the finish? That was anticlimactic. The official match time was 28 minutes too, which tells me they cut out about 10 minutes of standing around. Thank fuck.

Wow, even in the cut-down version this match felt overlong and full of rest holds. A whole load of angry hugging. Admittedly, Hernandez just being a big strong bastard and lifting Kimura from the mat is very cool, but those moments are few and far between. Plus the finish was weird, Kimura getting a win out of nowhere after being ruined all match. I don't feel this match has any value as a curiosity, it's just empty.

 

[Alexa]

Man, remember when Hernadez was trying to be the biggest Latin star but no one was really having it, lol

 

[Alexa]

Welp, was going to suggest a show, but the thing to add is closed until 95, lol.

 

[Sky]

Match #82
Sgt. Slaughter vs. The Iron Sheik
Boot Camp Match
WWF from Landover, MD - June 9, 1984​

I actually picked out this one, because with the recent passing of the Iron Sheik, I thought I should commemorate his career. There are two Sheik matches on the wheel: this one, and a certain affair from 1999, which it really wouldn't be proper to talk about. So here it is, this match from 1984. It's also the third appearance from Boot Camp Bob, who's in his wheelhouse here stirring up fear against the foreign menace. Let's get right into it.

Slaughter doesn't even let Sheik take off his cape, beating him up before tearing up his turban. Because this is MURICA, and being a dick to other cultures is what faces do! Side note, the tendency to have dogshit camera work didn't start with Kevin Dunn evidently, because the first few blows are missed in favour of cutting to a kid in the crowd. Slaughter tosses Sheik into the outside, where he does the usual brawl-on-the-outside things, as well as toss him into some fans' table. 1984 was a different time, a time of no barricade. First pin attempt is obscured from camera by the ring.

Slaughter tries to choke Sheik out with a stick but Sheik breaks out with an eye rake. I notice that Sheik is wearing pointy boots, because the entire Middle East is Arabian Nights land apparently. Slaughter grabs on to one of those boots, but another eye rake takes him down. Sheik's working the eyes, even at one point trying to smash Slaughter's face into the pointed boot. Slaughter punches Sheik in the neck though, which wrecks him, then throws him on to the ropes neck first. So we have eye work vs. neck work. Double down, and Slaughter bites Sheik's ear, before Mike Tyson made it cool. We finally get the first kick from those steel tipped boots of Slaughter's. Sheik is twitching on the ground, but Slaughter has to crawl and only gets a 1-count. (Take notes, Triple H.) He goes for a stomp off the top rope but Sheik rolls out of the way.

Sheik gets a kick to the face with his pointy boots and Slaughter gets busted open. Sheik then BITES THE WOUND! This is why old wrestling is good sometimes. And Slaughter continues to be a great seller, scrambling on the ropes and staggering all over. He gets a desperation kick and there's another double down. Slaughter blocks the pointy boot again but ends up suplexed for two. Slaughter smashes Sheik's face into his steel boot! Now Sheik's busted open! Series of punches but only a two-count. Sheik hits Slaughter with a pointy boot to the nuts. Ref's making his count, and then Sheik slaps the mat three times. The referee's like "I make the count here" and starts his count again! Wish the camera could have gotten a better shot of that.

Slaughter sells being shoved into the corner like he's been murdered. It still only gets two though. Sheik whips Slaughter, goes for a back body drop... which is the stupidest fucking thing you can do when your opponent has STEEL TIPPED BOOTS. Slaughter does a really gentle backbreaker for two, then another. He pulls down his elbow pad, but Sheik punches him in the nuts. The referee comes in and Sheik knocks him out! He's looking to use the boot as a weapon, but Slaughter hits a clothesline! And then hits him with his own boot for the win!

Really nice match. Kind of a slow brawl for a bit but there's a lot to like about it, both men taking the logical shortcuts in a No DQ match, and also Sarge's selling. Maybe I should watch more Sheik matches from back when he wasn't broken down.

 

[Bobby Barrows]

Iron Sheik in the 70s is something to behold, I definitely recommend checking out some of his matches before he became "The Iron Sheik".

 

[Sky]

Match #83
Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer
I Quit Match
IWA-MS 500th Show - March 1, 2008​

This is actually one of the earliest matches on the wheel, and it finally came up. And... it's after we found out some nasty things about BJ Whitmer, and I'm not too comfortable praising anything he does. But hey, it's an Ian Rotten show, so there's probably a shitbag in every match! This match was somehow submitted three different times, so someone's enthusiastic to see this one come up.

Whitmer's in right away with the boots. They quickly end up brawling to the outside, where Whitmer tosses Jacobs into chairs that are being held up by some fans. Apparently part of the story here is that IWA fans hate Jimmy Jacobs because he trashed their belt once. He wouldn't be the last to trash that belt. Is is the most abused belt by disgruntled champions in history? Maybe. Whitmer smashes Jacobs against the wall (not that way) and fish-hooks his nose, before telling the referee to ASK HIM for the first time in this match. Jacobs manages to fight back, going for a dropkick on the outside but hitting his head on the hardwood floor in the process. Considering that it's a hardwood floor, the plancha that Jacobs then does seems ill-advised. He then chokes Whitmer with a belt, but Jim Fannin (Whitmer's manager) comes in with a kick. They then take turns whipping each other with the belt.

Back in the ring, Jacobs goes for a grounded choke, a fist drop (???) and a headbutt (??????). A fan comes in to give Jacobs a kendo stick, but Whitmer is the one who gets to use it. Fannin shows up with some tape to attach both of Jacobs' arms to the ropes. Whitmer then proceeds to smash both of Jacobs' legs with the kendo stick, but Jacobs isn't giving up! He's going limp, but he's not giving up! Fannin chokes Jacobs with the kendo stick from the outside while Whitmer delivers a NASTY kick to his face. How is it not caved in?

Jacobs kicks and headbutts frantically to get Whitmer away so he can free his hands - it works as Whitmer seems dazed by the headbutt. After smashing Whitmer's chest with some stomps and a Banzai Drop for some reason, Jacobs gets out (with the help of another fan), gets to the top rope, and latches on to Whitmer with a guillotine choke! Whitmer tries a suplex to get Jacobs off, but Jacobs just rolls over! Whitmer's fading! He manages to roll both of them outside, but that causes him to be driven on to the apron right on the top of his head! Such a gnarly spot. There hasn't even been any blood yet and this has been brutal. During the resulting double down, Fannin berates the fan who helped Jacobs.

Whitmer tosses Jacobs' face into the post, because there's not been enough head injuries yet this match. Jacobs finds a chair under the ring and gets Whitmer with it, but Whitmer grabs it and gives a nasty chairshot right to the head! Now we get colour as Jacobs is opened in what I HOPE was a blade job. Whitmer tries to beat the wound open with punches and headbutts, and smashes blood on to the camera... before hitting Jacobs right in the head with the kendo stick! So much head trauma. Whitmer applies a figure four, and Fannin stops Jacobs from grabbing the ropes. I swear, if Jacobs hadn't called out Ian Rotten one time, he'd be the babyface in this match.

More kendo sticks to the head, and Jacobs refuses to give! He passes out! And the referee stops the match! That's it, Whitmer wins...

...or not, because Fannin grabs a mic and loudly demands the match continue because Jacobs didn't quit! You've got to love the application of the rules, even if the referee doesn't.

So the figure four is back on. There's actually a significant number of the crowd chanting for Jimmy Jacobs at this point. Jacobs scrambles to his corner, and pulls out a spike from his entrance attire! Which he then applies to Whitmer! He goes for another shot but Whitmer takes out his bad knees... and Fannin gives Whitmer a spike too! Double spike shot, and double down! Both men's faces are sliced! And again! And again! BRUTAL stuff! Whitmer gets the better of Jacobs but Jacobs gets a low blow! And then he does the most brutal thing I've seen in this wheel journey so far... STABS WHITMER IN THE COCK WITH THE SPIKE! Of course Whitmer quits!

Awesome match, really intense. Feels like this was the first top 10 match I've seen in a while. And that wasn't even the feud ender looking at Cagematch...

 

[Jay-Ashley]

Probably @Charlie

I only submitted one match in this entire time, and you already did a review on it, lol.