| ARTICLE # 74, OCTOBER 1, 2003 Paul London's Rise to Superstardom Although Low Ki, American Dragon and AJ Styles owned much of the great match headlines on the indy scene during 2002, by the end of the year a new star began to join their ranks in the name of Paul London. This article takes a look at 5 of London's ROH matches that made him a rising star in the industry. Included: His street fight with Michael Shane, two great pure wrestling matches with American Dragon, and his great performance on ROH's 2/8/03 Anniversary Show. |
| ARTICLE # 73, SEPTEMBER 16, 2003 Taka Michinoku Classics He combined the best aspects of in-ring gems such as Shinjiro Otani, Koji Kanemoto and even Rey Misterio Jr., and at times came across as just as great a worker as any of them. Yet Taka Michinoku was always trapped in the shadows of his peers, primarily Michinoku Pro franchise star Great Sasuke. Since many people know of the legendary 6-man and 10-man tag team classics in which Taka often stole the show, this article focuses on some of Taka�s best singles match performances, and most importantly a collection of matches that IMO showcases his growth as a worker in the mid-90s. |
| ARTICLE # 72, SEPTEMBER 1, 2003 Clash of the Champions: Prime Cuts Before the Monday Night Wars gave us quality, marquee competitive matches every week for free, NWA/WCW brought us such matches for free a few times per year with their Clash of the Champions events on TBS. This article takes a look at 7 quality and memorable matches from these shows. Included: Ricky Steamboat's return to WCW as well as his swan song, one of Lex Luger's best singles matches, the best cruiserweight match in COTC history, and more. |
| ARTICLE # 71, AUGUST 18, 2003 Great Partners, Greater Rivals: Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada In 1992 not only did Manami Toyota and Toshiyo Yamada emerge as one of the greatest in-ring teams in wrestling history, but at the same time established a legendary singles rivalry with some classic matches. This article takes a look at two of their early classics as a team, along with the 3 matches that defined their singles rivalry in 1992. |
| ARTICLE # 70, AUGUST 1, 2003 All Japan Old School III: Early 90s Jumbo Excellence This article takes a look at 5 more great matches from All Japan during the early 90s era. Amongst a deep talent pool Jumbo Tsuruta stood out as the in-ring leader of the company with some of the best work of his career, as indicated by his constant excellence in this set of matches. Included: the overlooked Misawa-Jumbo rematch, two Jumbo-Kobashi matches and more. |
| ARTICLE # 69, MAY 19, 2003 Vintage Pegasus Chris Benoit has has long been one of the best wrestlers when it comes to having great matches in a variety of styles and settings. While many of his best matches have come against some of the best puroresu juniors, this article takes a look at some of his work against American talent, both in Japan and in the United States. This article takes a look at 5 matches, two from the U.S. and three from Japan, during the years Chris Benoit was known in Japan as "Wild Pegasus". |
| ARTICLE # 68, MAY 11, 2003 Snack on Danger, Dine on Death II This is not a tribute to the Road Warriors, it's my second look at the puroresu death match genre. In this article I take a look at 7 matches from the mid-90s death match peak era, including matches from FMW, IWA and Big Japan. Included: one of the best explosion matches ever, two of the early IWA death matches, barbed wire spider net action and more. |
| ARTICLE # 67, APRIL 15, 2003 All Japan Old School Part 2: Early 90s Here I review 6 more All Japan matches from the 1990-1992 period. Included: Stand Hansen vs Misawa, Kawada, Kobashi and Kikuchi in singles matches, one of Jumbo Tsuruta's last great singles matches, and one of the best All Japan mid-card tag team matches of the era. |
| ARTICLE # 66, MARCH 31, 2003 All Japan Old School: 1989-1992 This article takes a look at 6 great mid-card and semi-main event matches from All Japan between 1989 and 1992. Included: Two of the best mid-card tag matches ever, a young(er) Dean Malenko, Misawa and a rising star Kawada as a team, and more. |
| ARTICLE # 65, FEBRUARY 28, 2003 WCW Best of 1992 This article looks back at seven of the greatest matches WCW produced in 1992. Included: one of the best WCW cruiserweight matches, the best war games match ever, one of Cactus Jack's personal favorite matches, two great Sting-Vader clashes and two great tag team matches. |
| ARTICLE # 64, JANUARY 6, 2003 Best of 2002 Part 3: Puroresu A more normal-sized article this time around, which looks at 5 of the best and most memorable puroresu matches of 2002. Included: Kobashi's big return, two epic world title matches, a 60:00 tag team classic and the best Michinoku Pro match since 1999. |
| ARTICLE # 63, DECEMBER 21, 2002 Best of 2002 Part 2: Smackdown Excellence My biggest Credenza article yet-nearly 9000 words! But such an article was necessary in order to look at 9 of the greatest Smackdown brand matches of 2002. Edge, Kurt Angle, Eddy Guerrero, Chris Benoit and Rey Mysterio along with others produced perhaps the best year for any WWE TV show ever. Included: the classic No Mercy tag team title match, a Benoit-Angle pure wrestling classic, and 7 outstanding TV matches. |
| ARTICLE # 62, DECEMBER 14, 2002 Best of 2002 Part 1: A Phenominal Year "The Phenominal" A.J. Styles emerged as one of the breakout star workers in wrestling in 2002, and became the franchise player in the NWA TNA X division. This article takes a look at some of his greatest NWA TNA matches, along with his Ring of Honor debut and his rise to indy stardom in the final of this year's Super 8 Tournament. |
| ARTICLE # 61, NOVEMBER 28, 2002 Snack on Danger, Dine on Death The "November to Dismember" series concludes with a Thanksgiving feast of mayhem that looks at five of the best and most memorable death matches ever. Included, one of the best Onita explosion matches, two vintage IWA Japan classics, and the two matches at the forefront of the Big Japan death match revolution. |
| ARTICLE # 60, NOVEMBER 26, 2002 Caged Excellence This article takes a look at 6 of the most memorable cage matches to take place within the past decade. Among the matches reviewed are two memorable Hell in a Cell battles, two of the greatest cage matches in joshi puroresu history, Toryumon's Golden Net cage match, and one of the last memorable WWF cage matches from their "climb and fall" era. |
| ARTICLE # 59, NOVEMBER 12, 2002 Tables, Ladders and Chairs- OH MY!!! The Hardys, the Dudleys, Edge & Christian, and occasionally others worked together to create a series of legnedary matches that set new standards for innovative and daring spots and athleticism. This article takes a look at the 4 TLC matches, along with a couple ladder matches that predated but laid the groundwork for the TLC series. |
| ARTICLE # 58, NOVEMBER 5, 2002 ECW Memorable Matches III This article takes a look at six of the most memorable matches from the group that set new standards for breathtaking athleticism and hardcore action in the U.S. in the 1990s. Included: Al Snow before the WWF discovered him, two feuds converge, Justin Credible at his best, the first Stairway to Hell match, and two of Tajiri's finest performances. |
| ARTICLE # 57, OCTOBER 29, 2002 Late-80s Old School Classics A rather miscellanious group of 5 memorable matches from the late-1980s, with Ric Flair and Jumbo Tsuruta being the two constant standouts in this article. Included: the first War Games classic, Jumbo's first big singles matches against Tiger Mask (Misawa) and Genichiro Tenryu, a non-televised Flair-Steamboat classic, and Flair's memorable grudge match against Terry Funk from the 1989 Great American Bash. |
| ARTICLE # 56, OCTOBER 22, 2002 Best of WWE Summerslam 2002 For a few fleeting hours, on August 25, 2002 WWE finally clicked on all cylinders. The product in the months before the PPV wasn't all that great, nor has it been since, but Summerslam 2002 emerged as one of the greatest pay-per-view events in U.S. wrestling history. The four best matches are looked at here, including a near-perfect opener, one of the last memorable Intercontinental title matches, one of HBK's greatest miracles, and a main event that did its hype justice. |
| ARTICLE # 55, OCTOBER 7, 2002 Honorable Mention 5: The Final (???) Cut The latest (final) series of matches to fall short of "top 100 matches of the 90s" status. This article includes reviews for seven matches, six of which were eliminated from the list and thus were reviewed in 2000 or 2001. Keep in mind those reviews are much less detailed and interesting than my current stuff, but my views of those matches remain pretty much the same. Also reviewed is a classic Great Muta bloodbath from which the "Muta scale" emerged. |
| ARTICLE # 54, SEPTEMBER 30, 2002 New Japan 2001: Fantastic Finals In 2001, New Japan didn't have its best in-ring year, but produced when it counted, including its best group of tournament finals in years. Four of their major tournament finals, reviewed in this article, all produced efforts that exceeded the **** plateau. Included: Sasaki's biggest victory, the revival of Jushin Liger and the juniors division, the creation of a new heavyweight superstar, and one of the biggest in-ring miracles of the year. |
| ARTICLE # 53, SEPTEMBER 23, 2002 1991: Memorable Matches While perhaps devoid of a legit ***** match, the year 1991 did not fall short on producing a large qualtity of excellent matches worldwide. Five of the best and most memorable matches from 1991 are reviewed here, including the best tag team match in WCW history, the night Bret Hart became a true star, the first G-1 Climax tournament final, one of Owen Hart's best matches, and the model match for the concept that simplicity can be golden. |
| ARTICLE # 52, SEPTEMBER 9, 2002 Ki-Daniels-Dragon: Setting the Standard of Honor Low Ki, American Dragon and Christopher Dragon have been the cornerstones of the early excellence produced by Ring of Honor. This article takes a look at their innovative three-way match, plus the Round Robin Challenge that culminated with one of the greatest pure wrestling matches ever. |
| ARTICLE # 51, SEPTEMBER 2, 2002 Transition, Turmoil and Triumph: All Japan's Best of 2000 The year 2000 saw a great in-ring first half with a number of memorable matches, followed by the Noah split depelting them of most of their top talent. However, All Japan survived and weathered the storm, producing at least two more memorable main events despite a near scrap-heap lineup. Five of All Japan's best and most significant matches from 2000 are reviewed. |
| ARTICLE # 50, AUGUST 20, 2002 Kawada vs Kobashi This article takes a look at five matches of one of the best in-ring series in All Japan history. Included: their two 60:00 classics, their 1997 Carnival Tournament finale, the end of Kobashi's chase, and their last big singles match against each other. |
| ARTICLE # 49, AUGUST 12, 2002 Underrated Excellence: Dynamite Kansai While the likes of Manami Toyota, Toshiyo Yamada, Kyoko Inoue, Akira Hokuto and Aja Kong are praised often for their many classic matches during the glory era of joshi puroresu in the 90s, Dynamite Kansai is a name that has often been overlooked. Her number of excellent and dramatic singles matches compares favorably to the other more lauded workers, and this article takes a look at 5 of her best matches. Included: her two Big Egg Wrestling Universe classics, a legendary streetfight, her WWWA title win and her last classic singles match. |
| ARTICLE # 48, AUGUST 5, 2002 Full Circle III: Bret Hart's Tumultuous WWF Tenure 1995-1997 Bret Hart's last two years in the WWF were filled with memorable in-ring highs and controversial lows. This article takes a look at seven of the most important matches of this roller coaster ride. Included: Bret's 3rd, 4th and 5th WWF title wins, including the Montreal screwjob, and more. |
| ARTICLE # 47, JULY 29, 2002 Toryumon: The Early Classics Five of the hottest matches from Toryumon's early days are reviewed in this article. Included: a 45:00 elimination match, two of the best cruiserweight matches of 1999, arguably the best trios match in Toryumon history, and one of the hottest finishes ever. |
| ARTICLE # 46, JULY 22, 2002 Akira Hokuto: The Dangerous Queen Classics This article takes a look at several of the greatest matches in the career of Hokuto, who retired from the ring recently after a brilliant 17 year career. Included: the Dreamslam 1 epic, the Destiny dream match, her most memorable WWWA title challenge, and more. |
| ARTICLE # 45, JULY 15, 2002 All Japan vs New Japan: Triple Crown Rivalry In this article I review perhaps the three greatest matches of the All Japan-New Japan feud from 2000-2001. Included: Kawada vs Sasaki, the worldwide 2000 match of the year, and the 2001 Wrestling Observer match of the year. |
| ARTICLE # 44, JULY 8, 2002 Do You Believe In Miracles II: The 1994 Hulk Hogan-Ric Flair Trilogy Their three matches, reviewed in detail here, show two things. First, Hulk Hogan was so much better as a worker in 1994 than he is now, at least relatively speaking. Second, Ric Flair was perhaps the greatest worker even when it came to carrying inferior opponents to great matches. |
| ARTICLE # 43, JUNE 17, 2002 King of The Ring: The Good, Bad & Ugly Eight of the first nine tournament finals to air on PPV (except the 1999 final) are reviewed, including a Kurt Angle-Edge match, the launch of the Stone Cold era, and the Mabel atrocity. |
| ARTICLE # 42, JUNE 10, 2002
RVD-Jerry Lynn: Stealing The Show Whenever Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn faced each other in a major event, whether or not they had the best match (and they often did) they always stole the show. Four of their best and most significant matches are reviewed in this article, including three of their memorable PPV battles and their classic on one of the first ECW TV shows on TNN. |
| ARTICLE # 41, JUNE 3, 2002
Lucha Libre: Recent Greatness Five of the best lucha matches to air on Galavision since October 2001 are reviewed here, including a minis match, one of the best lucha matches of 2001, and the return of Rey Misterio Jr. to pro wrestling in Mexico. |
| ARTICLE # 40, MAY 27, 2002
Kerry Von Erich vs Ric Flair: The World Class Classics The NWA World Title matches between Kerry Von Erich and Ric Flair created waves of excitement in World Class from 1982 to 1985. Four of their matches are looked at here, including their first title match, the match that launched the World Class glory era, and Kerry's title win. |
| ARTICLE # 39, MAY 20, 2002
Muta the Enigma Under his real name, Keiji Muto produced some of the greatest matches in New Japan history. As the Great Muta, the quality of his work has been very inconsistent, ranging from fantastic to good to bad, often in the same match. This article takes a look at why Muta was considered an enigmatic worker. |
| ARTICLE # 38, MAY 13, 2002
WAR Games Hey, it's not what you might think! This article takes a look at six matches from the WAR juniors scene in 1995 and 1996. During the mid-1990s WAR had a somewhat underrated juniors division with a number of solid or great workers along with regular appearances from outside talent. Matches reviewed include some of WAR's most memorable juniors matches along with some more routine matches. |
| ARTICLE # 37, MAY 6, 2002
Full Circle II: Jushin Liger's Comeback 1995-1996 This article takes a look at several of the more noteworthy matches from Jushin Liger's return from a career-threatening ankle injury. Included: the first match in Monday Nitro history, Liger's great Super J Cup II performance, and his official return to glory. |
| ARTICLE # 36, APRIL 29, 2002
WCW's Forgotten Cruiserweight Classics WCW produced so many great cruiserweight matches in the mid to late 1990s that some have been virtually forgotten or have simply gone underappreciated. Here I take a look at six such matches, including three matches involving Eddy Guerrero and three completely different opponents, and more. |
| ARTICLE # 35, APRIL 22, 2002
New Japan vs Michinoku Pro The series of interpromotional matches between New Japan juniors and Michinoku Pro's finest workers produced some of the most memorable juniors matches of the 1990s. Six of those interpromotional matches are reviewed here, including three singles matches between Jushin Liger and Great Sasuke. |
| ARTICLE # 34, APRIL 15, 2002
Full Circle: The Evolution of Stone Cold Steve Austin This article takes a look at seven of the best and/or most important matches during the Stone Cold era. Included: his first great WWF match, the match that launched him to superstardom, his near-tragic match against Owen Hart, and two of his Wrestlemania WWF title wins. |
| ARTICLE # 33, APRIL 8, 2002
Lost In The Business Decline: WWF Classics In 2001 As business declined for the WWF, partially amidst a botched WCW/ECW invasion angle, the 2001 marked the best in-ring year in WWF history. This article takes a look at 5 of the most memorable matches from the first half of 2001. Included: two amazing TLC matches, the greatest main event in Wrestlemania history, and more. |
| ARTICLE # 32, APRIL 1, 2002
Sayama: The Original Aerial Standard-Setter As the original Tiger Mask in the early 1980s, Satoru Sayama revolutionized the aerial aspect of pro wrestling, setting then-new standards for creativity and quickness in the ring, especially with his foot speed. This article takes a look at seven matches, including three matches in his legendary feud with Dynamite Kid. |
| ARTICLE # 31, MARCH 25, 2002
Setting New Standards: The 2001 U.S. Independent Classics 2001 might have been the best year for high quality, standard setting matches in the history of the U.S. independent scene. The five matches reviewed in this article might not have been as a group the five best of 2001, but they rank as five of the most memorable indy matches ever. Included, an amazing match between a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old, perhaps the most innovative 6-man spotfest to date, one of the best four-way matches in wrestling history and more. |
| ARTICLE # 30, MARCH 11, 2002
In Your House: Matches That Raised The Roof! This article includes reviews of some of the greatest matches in IYH history (at least the two-hour versions). Included: Steve Austin's first memorable WWF match, another great carry effort by Shawn Michaels, one of the greatest 4-way matches ever, a ten man tag team match with an almost magical atmosphere and more. |
| ARTICLE # 29, MARCH 4, 2002
Out Of Gas: Diesel's WWF Title Reign In late 1994 and most of 1995 Diesel reigned as the WWF champion for nearly a full year. This article takes a look at six of his most important title defenses. Included: one of Shawn Michaels's greatest carry-jobs, two matches against Bret Hart, and Diesel's legendary Summerslam main event against King Mabel. |
| ARTICLE # 28, FEBRUARY 25, 2002
El Samurai: Underrated Excellence For ten years El Samurai has been one of the cornerstones and most consistent performers in New Japan's juniors division. He is one of the most underrated workers of the last ten years, which is why I decided to focus this article on him. Five of Samurai's best matches are reviewed, including three of the best Super Junior Tournament finals ever and two memorable matches against the Great Sasuke. |
| ARTICLE # 27, FEBRUARY 18, 2002
Japan's Real World As you might have guessed (if you're a wrestling fan) this article focuses on All Japan's annual Real World Tag League tournament. Six matches are examined, with detailed match reviews and commentary for most matches. Included: Kawada's jump to superstardom, three-month pro Akiyama's coming-out party, the centerpiece of the Misawa-Kobashi-Kawada-Taue rivalry, Kawada and Taue finally win, and more. |
| ARTICLE # 26, FEBRUARY 11, 2002
Balloons, Fish, Venom & Bug Zappers: Early Big Japan Insanity This article takes a look at five of Big Japan Pro Wrestling's most insane matches from their early years. None of the matches featured particularly good work, but are remembered more for their hardcore and often unique stipulations and gimmicks. |
| ARTICLE # 25, FEBRUARY 4, 2002
The Michinoku Pro 6-Man Tag Team Match A total of eight matches are reviewed in this article, which focuses on one of the true standard-setting types of matches in the 1990s. Matches reviewed took place between 1993 and 1997, and include their two Tokyo Dome matches from 1994 and 1995, all three of their classic matches in ECW from 1997 and more. |
| ARTICLE # 24, JANUARY 28, 2002
Ultimo Dragon: A Case For The Hall of Fame Dragon was one of the most underrated workers in the 1990s, and this article looks at six of his greatest matches. Included: his critically acclaimed match against Chris Jericho from 1995, his 9-belt match against Deam Malenko, two matches against Rey Misterio Jr., and more. |
| ARTICLE # 23, JANUARY 21, 2002
ECW Memorable Matches II Six more of ECW's most memorable matches are reviewed in this article, and they cover a variety of styles. Included: the final Malenko-Guerrero classic, the first Gangstas-Public Enemy match, Dreamer finally pins Raven, Rob Van Dam begins his long ECW TV title reign, and more. |
| ARTICLE # 22, JANUARY 14, 2002
Clash of the Champions: The Classics From 1988 till 1997, the Clash of the Champions series was perhaps the staple of great wrestling on TBS. In this article, I review, with nearly play-by-play detail, the three greatest matches in Clash history. Ric Flair is the constant in these three matches, with his opponents being Sting, Ricky Steamboat and Terry Funk. |
| ARTICLE # 21, JANUARY 7, 2002
Do You Believe In Miracles? My first article of 2002 focuses on some of the greatest matches that rose the farthest above the critics' expectations. Eight matches are reviewed, including Antonio Inoki's last great match, some of Shawn Michaels's greatest performances, arguably the greatest Carnival Tournament final in All Japan history, and more. |
| ARTICLE # 20, DECEMBER 31, 2001
Misawa vs Kobashi: The Classics My last article of 2001! This one focuses on perhaps the greatest one-sided feud/series in All Japan history if not wrestling history in general. Six matches are reviewed, including five Triple Crown title matches, three of which were arguably the best matches in their respective years. |
| ARTICLE # 19, DECEMBER 24, 2001
Honorable Mention Vol. 4 My fourth and possibly last compilation of reviews of near-classic matches that just missed making my 1990s top 100 match list. Included: one of the best matches in Toryumon history, the final Toyota-Kong classic, a wild 33-minute All Japan Women classic from 1997, one of the best matches in Monday Nitro history and more. |
| ARTICLE # 18, DECEMBER 17, 2001
WWF Ironman Matches: A Comparison The Bret Hart-Shawn Michaels and Rock-HHH ironman matches are given very detailed reviews in this article. No commentary, but the match reviews are each about 1000 words long. |
| ARTICLE # 17, DECEMBER 10, 2001
Misterio-Psicosis: Greatest Lucha Libre Feud Ever? This article includes reviews of six of their best singles matches against each other. Included: Arguably their best singles match in Mexico, their classic debut in Japan, all three of their ECW classics, and their first match against each other in WCW. |
| ARTICLE # 16, DECEMBER 3, 2001
One-Hour Matches: Best of the Best Five matches are reviewed here, along with commentary about each match (except for one, and a link is provided to a previous article for that match). Included: the best match in JWP history, a match emblematic of the AJW top notch workrate from 1995, one of many classic Misawa-Kobashi-Kawada-Taue tag matches, and two Kobashi-Kawada epics. |
| ARTICLE # 15, NOVEMBER 26, 2001
The Insane Luchador vs The Japanese Buzzsaw A total of eight matches are reviewed in this article, which looks at the feud between Super Crazy & Yoshihiro Tajiri, one of the most exciting feuds in ECW history. |
| ARTICLE # 14, NOVEMBER 19, 2001
Kobashi's Triple Crown Pursuit In Kobashi's case the fourth time was the charm after three previous unsuccessful challenges. Four matches are reviewed here, and commentary is provided after each match. Included: Kobashi's first four Triple Crown title shots against these opponents: Steve Williams, Toshiaki Kawada, Mitsuharu Misawa & Akira Taue. |
| ARTICLE # 13, NOVEMBER 12, 2001
Toyota! Yamada! Kansai! Ozaki! Three of the greatest matches in wrestling history were the trilogy of matches featuring Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada against Dynamite Kansai & Mayumi Ozaki. Each of these three matches (11/26/92, 4/11/93 & 12/6/93) are reviewed in this article. |
| ARTICLE # 12, NOVEMBER 5, 2001
ECW Memorable Matches Vol. 1 Reviews of six of the matches that contributed to ECW's legacy. Not all matches are classics, but all are memorable for various reasons. Included: the match that put ECW on the map, the original Malenko-Guerrero classic, the most exhilarating/best booked match in ECW history and more. |
| ARTICLE # 11, OCTOBER 29, 2001
Tanaka-Awesome: The ECW Classics Reviews of six matches that made the feud between Mike Awesome and Masato Tanaka one of the greatest in ECW history with a brief introductory piece. Included: their first match in ECW, their memorable Heat Wave '98 match, their match with Taz at Anarchy Rulz '99, and three of their classic ECW title duels. |
| ARTICLE # 10, OCTOBER 22, 2001
Wrestlemania's Unforgettable Matches Four matches are reviewed, each accompanied by commentary on the quality, background, and significance of that match. These are basically the four greatest matches in Wrestlemania history. Included: Wrestlemania III's crown jewel, Owen Hart's finest moment, the standard-setting ladder match, and the match that launched the Austin era in the WWF. |
| ARTICLE # 9, OCTOBER 15, 2001
Honorable Mention Volume 3 My next compilation of reviews of classic matches that just missed my 1990s top 100 match list. Included: a short but memorable Rey Misterio Jr.-Psicosis match, a Michinoku Pro 6-man tag team match from ECW Barely Legal, one of the best cage matches in All Japan Women history and more. |
| ARTICLE # 8, OCTOBER 8, 2001
FMW: It's DA Bomb! Six of FMW's more memorable explosion matches are reviewed in this article, with brief commentary provided along with the match reviews. |
| ARTICLE # 7, OCTOBER 1, 2001
I'ts Vader Time!!!!! This article focuses on the banner year of 1993 that made Vader a legendary superheavyweight worker. Five of his most important matches in WCW from 1993 are reviewed and commentary is provided at the beginning of the article. |
| ARTICLE # 6, SEPTEMBER 24, 2001
The Match That Made Me A Wrestling Fan For Life This article focuses on only one match, but a legendary one. The first 1989 Ric Flair-Ricky Steamboat classic was the first great wrestling match I saw and was perhaps the one match that turned me into a die-hard wrestling fan. A fair amount of commentary begins the article and is followed by a more detailed review that I've given most matches. |
| ARTICLE # 5, SEPTEMBER 17, 2001
Honorable Mention Volume 2 This is my second compilation of reviews of classic matches that just missed the cut for my top 100 match list of the 1990s. All matches are rated ****1/2 by me. Like volume 1, this is a diverse group of matches without commentary. |
| ARTICLE # 4, SEPTEMBER 10, 2001
Toyota vs Inoue: The Tag Wars This series of match reviews is somewhat of a supplement to Article 2. Only match reviews are included since I provided commentary on the Toyota-Kyoko Inoue feud in that specific article. This article focuses on their feud over the WWWA Tag Team Title, which began on 10/9/94 with The Inoues winning the belts for the first time, and kind of ended on 6/22/96, when Toyota regained the title along with new partner Mima Shimoda. |
| ARTICLE # 3, SEPTEMBER 3, 2001
Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada: Men's Feud of the 1990s Mitsuharu Misawa and Toshiaki Kawada defined and set new standards for the All Japan product during the 1990s with their legendary feud over the Triple Crown title. This article takes a look at 7 of their most prominent Triple Crown battles, with summaries of each match. In between matches I provide commentary that looks at the significance of each match as it applied to both combatants, where each wrestler was in their career at the time of the match, how the result impacted their careers, and also the quality of each match. |
| ARTICLE # 2, MAY 10, 2001
Manami Toyota vs Kyoko Inoue: Women's Feud of the 1990s? Their amazing singles feud is spotlighted here, with commentary on each match talking about the strengths, weaknesses and distinctive features of each match as well as what significance each match had within the context of their careers at their time. Summaries of all five of their notable singles matches are included, as are notes on their feud as it pertained to their memorable tag team battles. |
| ARTICLE # 1, MAY 9, 2001
Honorable Mention Volume 1: A Look at some great matches that just missed the cut for my Top 100 Match List This is my first compilation of matches that, while at one time on my list for top 100 matches of the 1990's, ultimately failed to make the cut. Almost all of these matches were rated at ****1/2, and one could make a case for many of these matches deserving recognition. This is mainly a compilation of match summaries without much commentary. |