Best of the Decade watchings:
Tomokai Honma Vs. Ryuji Yamakawa (Big Japan Barbed Wire Boards Spike Nail Boards Deathmatch - 1/2/00) - I'm not into Deathmatches but this was really good. As impressive as alot of the barbed wire moves were, the most amazing one was Tomokai Honma Barbed-wire-free running 360 dive to the outside! ****
CIMA Vs. Minoru Fujita (Mpro - 1/9/00) - Started off OK but got really good at the end. Both guys used that uppercut move from Streetfighter 2 alot. ****
Tajiri Vs. Super Crazy (ECW Mexican Deathmatch - 1/15/00) - One of my favs from late ECW. Anything goes. Both guys gets busted open and a few tables get bent. Best ECW match in TNN history? ****1/4
Kenta Kobashi Vs. Toshiaki Kawada (All Japan - 1/17/00) - Ok match. Started off good but tapered from then on. Kobashi took 3 headdrops here that should've ended his career. ***
Michael Modest Vs. Christopher Daniels (All Pro Wrestling - 1/22/00) - Pretty good match continuing their indy feud into 2000. This was for ALL the marbles, the prestigious Internet championship! Finishing move was NASTY. ***1/2
HHH Vs. Cactus Jack (WWF Streetfight - 1/23/00) - Voted #18 Best match in the PWT Top100. Mankind was getting his ass handed to him, so he left town and Cactus Jack's back! I love this match. Anything goes streetfight that helped cement Vince McMahon's favorite son's reign. ****3/4
Vader Vs. Jun Akiyama (All Japan - 1/23/00) - I think I'm the only one who likes Vader All-Japan run. Akiyama tries to take the Triple Crown early! ***3/4
DX & The Radicalz Vs. The Rock, Cactus Jack & 2 Cool (WWF - 2/7/00) - The Radicalz turncoats joined DX. So Rock and Cactus are looking for payback. The crowd heat for this RAW tag is OFF THE CHARTS. ****1/4
Naoki Sano Vs. Minoru Tanaka (Battle Arts - 2/13/00) - Shootystyle match. For some reason the commentators sound like Giant Baba and that other guy from 90's AJ. Battle Arts matches (or are they bouts) are always hit and miss for me. But this one was really good. Matwork and submission attempts to start then they finished like it was a NJ match. Very good stuff. ****
Aja Kong Vs. KAORU (GAEA - 2/13/00) - Hardcore match where pretty KAORU gets bloodied up
and Kong sells as good as any monster has ever done. Lots of plunder. ***1/2Vader Vs. Toshiaki Kawada (All Japan - 2/17/00) - Short but good match. Kawada came in with a gameplan. Ending was neat with both guys almost out on their feet and slugging it out. ***1/2
Mike Awesome Vs. Masato Tanaka (ECW TNN - 2/18/00) - It's hard to rate all these Awesome/Tanaka matches cause they'll all the same. Same spots, same sequences, same chairs and brain cell loss {yawn}. But problem is the formula kicks so much ass. ***3/4
Abdullah Jr. Kobyashi Vs. Tomokai Honma (Big Japan Barbed Wire Boards Ladder Death Match - 2/22/00) - Before the match Abdullah Jr. invites Honma to his house (for a BBQ?) and freaks him out by putting his hand in white hot sand and breaking beer bottles with his chops. Some crazy spots (such as Honma's hurricanranna going bad and ending up being squshed from the top rope to the floor and board)... but never got into this one. **1/2
Mitsuharu Misawa Vs. Jun Akiyama (All Japan - 2/27/00) - It's Akiyama's decade but first he has to put his loser ex-tag team partner out to pasture. Just an awesome match. Great moves and intensity from both guys and the crowd was hot. ****1/2
Vader Vs. Kenta Kobashi (All Japan - 2/27/00) - Vader defends the Triple Crown against Kobashi. Kobashi's got busted up ribs which Vader works over. But Kobashi won't stay down! ***1/2
HHH Vs. Cactus Jack (WWE Hell in the Cell - 2/27/00) - Voted #49 Best match in the PWT Top 100. Cactus gets another shot at the title, but this time if he loses he must retire! Jack's got the advantage though cause it's inside the diabolical cell. Great follow up to their MOTDC at the Rumble and has the drama of maybe being Cactus last match ever. ****1/4
Dick Togo vs. Super Delfin (Osaka Pro 1/4/00) - Long hard fought battle. Dick lives up to his name with help from his cronies and a chair. ***1/4
Daisuke Ikeda & Mitsu Nagai vs. Alexander Otsuka & Yuki Ishikawa (BattlARTS 2/13/00) - This was pretty much just a 20 minute squash with Nagai treating Otsuka and Ishikawa like 80's jobbers. Once again BattlARTS flies over my head. *1/2
Atlantis Vs. Villano III (EMLL Mask Vs. Mask - 3/17/00) - Wrestling Observer 2000 MOTY. Voted the 83rd Greatest Match of All time in the PWT Top 100. Only 1 Fall and both guys get wiped out and bloodied right off the bat by a dive. So the rest of the match is all drama as to which legend gets unmasked! ****1/4
The Dudleyz Vs. Edge & Christian Vs. The Hardy Boyz (WWF Ladder Match - 4/2/00) - I think this match is forgotten but it really is the first TLC match of their series as all 3 plunders get involved. ****1/4
El Hijo Del Santo Vs. Blue Panther (Monterrey - 2/3 Falls - 4/9/00) - Awesome mat match with nifty counters and submissions. I actually liked this a bit more than Atlantis/Villano III. That ref must've been a Black Shadow fan. How is the Blue Panther not in the Hall of Fame? ****1/4
HHH Vs. The Rock (WWF Backlash - 4/26/00) - This had alot of elements from the awesome Dude Love/Austin match in 98. Wasn't as good here but still lots of fun moments and many angles (Vince/Austin, Linda/Stephanie, Hebner 's return). HHH is defending the World title. Rock's looking for payback from WM. Best part was substitutes Brisco and Patterson both running out as refs and then stomping on the Rock in the middle of the ring. Rudo refs! ***3/4
Sugar Sato vs. KAORU (OZ 5/6/00) - Anything goes Garbage match. One spot had KAORU get stuffed in a barrel and Sato slammed it with a sledgehammer. ***
Dr. Cerebro Vs. Ultimo Vampiro (IWRG - 2/3 Falls - 5/11/00) - This match has everything going right but I just didn't get into it. Fans were asleep too which didn't help. ***1/2
The Rock Vs. Triple H (WWF Ironman - 5/21/00) - HHH goes one-on-one with the great one for sixty minutes. Voted the 66th Greatest Match of All time in the PWT Top 100. Smartly worked hour and a big change from the Bret/HBK no falls contest. ****1/4
Chris Benoit Vs. Steven Regal (WWF - 5/25/00) - From the Brian Pillman memorial. Short but great match. ****
El Hijo Del Santo Vs. Blue Panther (Monterrey - 2/3 Falls - 5/28/00) - At certain points this was even better than the 1st one, but the whole ref thing distracted and took away from the match. It was like Santo Jr. was the Rock from Backlash (with Stone Cold Super Porky!). ***3/4
Mitsuharu Misawa & Akira Taue Vs. Jun Akiyama & Kenta Kobashi (NOAH - 2/3 Falls - 8/5/00) - Debut show for NOAH brings out their big guns for the main event. Historical but OK match. Seeing the ref use CPR on Misawa was creepy. A stinky betrayal happens after the match! ***1/4
Tiger Mask IV & The Great Sasuke Vs. CIMA & Sumo Dandy Fuji 2000 (Toryumon - 6/4/00) - Losing team must face each other after the match in either a Hair Vs. Hair or Mask Vs. Mask. ***
CIMA Vs. Sumo Dandy Fuji 2000 (Toryumon Hair Vs. Hair - 6/4/00) - Spoiler: It's Hair Vs. Hair. Who are you to doubt Sumo Dandy Fuji 2000? **3/4
Shinjiro Ohtani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa Vs. Koji Kanemoto & Minoru Tanaka (NJ - 6/25/00) - Ohtyani & Takaiwa are defending the Jr. tag belts. Man too bad only the last 10 minutes was aired. This was awesome and had a white-hot crowd. ****1/4
HHH Vs. Chris Jericho (WWF Last Man Standing - 7/23/00) - HHH is looking for revenge after Jericho kissed his wife and kinda/sorta won the World title. Jericho's ribs are all jacked. HHH thinks it's a RAW jobber match but is surprised to find himself bloodied up at the end. ****
The Rock Vs. Chris Benoit (WWF - 7/23/00) - The Rock defends the World title against newcomer Chris Benoit. Special rule: If someone is DQ'ed the title can change hands. ***3/4
Psicosis Vs. Yoshiro Tajiri (ECW - 8/19/00) - Great ECW match. Tajiri was awesome in 2000. ****
Mitsu Nagai Vs. Alexander Otsuka (BattlArts 9/7/00) - Finals of a tournament. Kicks and things. ***1/4
Chiyako Nagashima Vs. Mayumi Ozaki (GAEA - 9/15/00) - Russo-like scenario where Ozaki comes out handcuffed with a female cop and they make out later on. ***
Toshiaki Kawada Vs. Kensuke Sasaki (NJ - 10/9/00) - Stiff war between New Japan and All Japan in the Dome. They just keep hitting each other until one guy cant get up. Don't think it's as kickass as some say but great atmosphere. ****
Toshiaki Kawada Vs. Genricho Tenryu (AJ - 10/28/00) - Great match for the vacant Triple Crown. ****1/4
Chiyako Nagashima & Toshie Uematsu Vs. Sugar Sato & Sonoko Kato (GAEA - 11/23/00) - Fun high-paced woman's tag! ***3/4
Steve Corino Vs. Cham Pain (OMEGA - 12/1/00) - It's ECW Vs. OMEGA World titles! Corino comes into town to put OMEGA out of business. ***1/2
Chigusa Nagayo Vs. KAORU (GAEA - 12/17/00) - I really liked this one. Garbage match with bats and stuff but old school Nagayo doesn't need all that stuff. Tables that weren't supposed to break do and tables that were do not. ****
Kenta Kobashi Vs. Jun Akiyama (NOAH - 12/23/00) - Revenge match Part 2. Slow at points (40 min.) but some great stuff too. Kobashi's eye is completely closed at the end like Rocky Balboa. ****
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