Match of the Day: Danielson vs Storm

ROH - Better Than Our Best, 1st April 2006

With my matches of the week, I've tried to have a variety to show different eras and, I suppose, different styles. I'm not too hot on describing the differences in styles, but hopefully I'll see it more and more clearly as the weeks go on and I see more and more matches.

I've got a few aims in doing this particular feature on the blog: I want to show my favourite matches and memories from my fandom. I also want others to have the opportunity to see these matches from different times - this is probably the most important part of it. I can imagine that I'm not alone in finding it extremely difficult in finding what to watch when it comes to wrestling. There is just SO MUCH to choose from from the last thirty years. There's obviously a lot of sh*t out there, but there's a hell of a lot more QUALITY to be found from the last three decades (and beyond).

So far, I have had matches from NXT, WWE from 2001, WWF from the early 90s and last week I began to watch the Flair-Steamboat matches from 1989 NWA. This week follows that [random] trend(?!) with a Ring of Honour match from 2006.

I was round a friend's house the other week and looking through his collection of ROH DVDs, I noticed a few matches that caught my eye: Bryan Danielson (probably better known by his current ring name, Daniel Bryan) against Lance Storm jumped off the DVD cover at me to start with.

I've already had a Lance Storm match on my 'Match of the Day' series and that's for good reason. I've heard so many good things about Storm over the years, listened to him on various podcasts, and read a few articles by him on his feelings of wrestling and how it should be approached and performed. From being a guy that I didn't really think about too much, he has become someone that I feel is a fountain of knowledge that should be listened to to further anyone's education in the world of wrestling.

This match is 28 minutes of pure enjoyment. It gives you a tonne of wrestling for your money and, in all honesty, probably hasn't been seen by as many people as it should have been.

Unfortunately, I've only been able to find a Youtube link to the highlights of this match. It's 5 minutes worth, so not too bad, but I would urge you to find the full match, either on DVD or if you have much better skills of finding stuff on the internet than me (hint: you probably have!).

I'm not too big on ROH (only watching a few of their weekly shows a few months ago), but someone like Lance Storm coming in and putting your champion over is a great thing in any promotion's history. Putting him over in a near-30 minute joy-to-watch, is even better. I'm not sure if the WWE were keeping tabs on Danielson back then, but showings like this, against proven guys, can't have been a bad thing for the guy's career.

@jimmosangle

Match of the Day: Flair vs Steamboat

Chi-Town Rumble 1989 - 20th February 1989

I've been wanting to look at the Flair-Steamboat matches from 1989 for a long while now, and after watching the Ricky Steamboat documentary on the WWE Network (thanks WWE Network!), it pushed me further to take a look at them and see what all the fuss is about.

These series of matches have been described as 'setting the bar' for matches since so there must be something to it, especially seeing as it has two of the best ever pitted against each other.

Other than the wrestling on show, the thing that stuck out for me here is the commentary provided by Jim Ross and Magnum TA. Ross, in particular, really impressed me (although, didn't surprise me) with how he stuck to the wrestling side of things throughout. I say this because I have been conditioned, for a long time now, to think that the way Michael Cole, JBL and Jerry Lawler present a show is the norm. The beauty of Ross' commentary is that he simply calls the moves, helps tell the story of the match, and rivalry - simple things such as Flair is the party-guy; rich, with all the girls, whereas Steamboat is the working man; the family man. This simple storytelling adds so much to the match and keeps you engrossed further and firmly behind one or the other. There are no 'app plugs' or other sporting/pop culture references that take you away from the match; it's to-the-point and wrestling-focused.

This match was Steamboat's defining moment as he would become the World Champion (for the only time) when being a world champion still meant something.

Dailymotion video - Chi-Town Rumble '89 - Flair (c) vs Steamboat

The icing on the cake here is when Ross concludes that Ricky Steamboat just became the World Champion by beating the best champion that the NWA has ever had... what a compliment to pay to both guys.

I'll be taking a look at the other two matches that these guys had, and will probably put them up here for all to see...

@jimmosangle

Match of the Day: Austin vs Angle

This is a few days late, as it was a busy last half to last week...

Raw - Monday 8th October 2001 - WWF Championship: Kurt Angle (c) vs Stone Cold Steve Austin

As I continue to look through the Invasion angle of 2001, I was looking through heel turns of the angle. I found this one where Commissioner Regal turned his back on the WWF by setting up the finish to allow Stone Cold to regain the WWF Championship.

This was probably "known" or "predicted" by most smart-arse wrestling fans who like to suck the enjoyment out of it for everyone, but for me it was another great twist to this angle that I enjoyed.

I loved it that Regal ejected Debra and sat at ringside himself to ensure fairness throughout. He then stopped Austin at every opportunity from getting a steel chair. As Austin retrieved the title belt and entered the ring, Regal again entered the ring to intervene, taking the belt from Austin only to turn around and smash Angle with it.

The best part about the finish for me was that Austin didn't get the job done with that belt shot, so was forced to use his ultimate trump card in using the Stone Cold Stunner - how great does it make your finish look if it ends up being more definitive than a chair shot. Superb!

Two other things of note here is that you have two of the best in the ring (three, if you count Regal) along with two of the best on commentary in JR and Paul Heyman; massively underrated as a pairing, playing off each other so well. Heyman, in particular is how a colour commentator SHOULD act - COMPLETELY on the heel's side.

@jimmosangle

Match of the Day: Lance Storm vs Edge (Summerslam 2001)

I've been watching the Invasion angle from 2001 lately, and it's some of the only stuff that has kept me hooked from my random picking of the WWE Network. There's been some really good stuff so far, with matches between guys that you wouldn't have thought about before Vince bought WCW.

With Summerslam coming up next on the PPV calendar, I started watching Summerslam 2001. This was in the middle of the Invasion era and had WWF playing catch up due to them losing the Inaugural Brawl (thanks to Stone Cold turning on them in favour of the Alliance).

Edge was first up, challenging Lance Storm for the Intercontinental Championship, hoping to bring the title back 'home' to the WWF. After hearing Storm on a few podcasts lately, and having a much bigger appreciation for his work, I was eager to get immersed in one of his matches. The tag match that he and Mike Awesome had with Edge and Christian at the Invasion PPV was decent, but the one-on-one match between he and Edge was pleasing just to see him do his thing on his own.

Summerslam 2001 - IC title: Lance Storm vs Edge (part 1)

Summerslam 2001 - IC title: Lance Storm vs Edge (part 2)

Note: Both videos are from Dailymotion. Alternatively, you can find these on the WWE Network.

@jimmosangle

Match of the Day: Cesaro vs Regal

William Regal vs Antonio Cesaro - NXT, 25/12/2013

This week I've picked something that is a little more up-to-date than the previous couple of weeks offerings. This is from over the Christmas period from the end of last year.

If you want some top wrestling action and Raw isn't quite doing it for you, you'd do a lot worse than tune into NXT (either via the Network or find it online) where wrestling seems to matter over the 'sports entertainment' aspect. This is particularly apparent with the current NXT Champion, Adrian Neville, who is undoubtedly a very talented wrestler, but isn't quite the sports-entertainer that he'll need to be to make the step up to the main roster. But I digress...

The match that I have chosen this week is a great mat-based, technical bout between two of the best - one who's been there and seen it all, and one who is just starting out with regards to the bigger leagues of American wrestling (WWE). BOTH are more-than experienced and skilled in what they do, however.

Since this match, I have witnessed similar, mesmerising encounters on the UK scene with Zack Sabre Jr taking on Pete Dunne and Low Ki (both at different Triple X Wrestling shows). I still can't put my finger on what exactly kept me enthralled. Maybe an appreciation for the story being told and the battle that was happening in front of me at the time?

Whatever the reason, I found all of these matches really easy to watch and, also, easy to get immersed in. I felt as if I would be missing out on something by missing a single hold or sequence.

First of all, watch the promos by both Regal and Cesaro, then enjoy their match (third video down):

I'm pretty sure that these guys didn't use the ropes ONCE throughout the match. How often do you see that these days and STILL enjoy a match?

Great stuff...

@jimmosangle

Hiatus: A Lot Can Change In Six Years (Match of the Day)

I want to start doing a regular 'match of the week' here on the blog and this week I came up with the idea of highlighting my falling out of wrestling and then finding it again as the focal point.

I always remember watching WWF as a kid (around the age of nine or ten) as a result of a couple of friends that lived up the road from me. They would lend me video tapes of the latest events. This would stop, for whatever reason, in about 1993. Maybe they knew how sh*t things were going to get in the next few years, and thus, saved me from it?!

Bret Hart vs Yokozuna... my last match for a few years...

The last thing I remember from that time was watching Wrestlemania IX (9), where, my hero, Bret Hart would defend his WWF Championship against the 500lb giant, Yokozuna. Now, in my mind, Bret was NEVER going to lose. He'd done the impossible at the Royal Rumble and locked the Sharpshooter on the gangly legs of Razor Ramon. Yokozuna wouldn't put up any challenge when it came to Bret's match-winning submission, would he?

Unfortunately, he did. Well, Mr Fuji was on hand to throw 'salt' in the eyes of The Hitman, leading to Yoko rolling him up for the pin and win. New Champion. sh*t.

The worst was to still to come.

Following this heartbreaking moment in my young life, Hulk Hogan would come to ringside to check on Bret, but REALLY he was there to sneak his way into another title shot. Luckily for him, Yoko and Mr Fuji extended the opportunity, and who would Hogan be not to accept? In steps Hogan and all that time building Yoko up over the months got sh*t on in a matter of minutes. OF COURSE Hogan would be the guy to EASILY knock the immovable object down?! And, unfortunately, OF COURSE he would be the one to stand tall at the end of Wrestlemania holding his newly won championship.

"What's that? A title match, you say?... see ya, Bret!!"

As young as I was, I'm pretty sure I was sick of Hogan. He always won; it wasn't unpredictable - and I was only nine-years-old?! I'm surprised that the nine-year-olds of today aren't trying to murder John Cena for his EVEN LONGER Hogan-esque run?!

Here is my last memory (without the Hogan part!) before I got back into wrestling:

Bret 'Hitman' Hart vs Yokozuna - Wrestlemania IX

Six long years passed.

I'm not sure what happened between 1993 and 1999, but that was the period of time that I didn't watch any wrestling. Maybe as a kid I had better things to do; bikes to ride; football took over? I have no idea. I will forever be grateful to my pal, Jeff, for letting me watch Wrestlemania XV (15) at his house, as it, in some ways, shaped me into the person that I am today. Despite how PG it has become, I think I'll always be loyal to watching wrestling in some form and that night, in late March 1999, amazed me.

To this day, Wrestlemania XV will always be my favourite Wrestlemania. I got into the Attitude Era a little later than others, and for them, Wrestlemania XIV (14) was the best that they had seen. For me, WMXV had everything. I'd never seen a Hardcore match, let alone a Hardcore Championship match contested in a triple threat. I'd only seen Owen Hart in matches with Skinner (losing). I'd never really seen a friend (Triple H) turn on another friend (X-Pac)... and I hadn't seen anything like the characters and attitude portrayed like that of Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. These guys hooked me in that night, NEVER to let me go.

My Match of the Day this week is that main event:

Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock - Wrestlemania XV

I think it's obvious to say that that era shaped a lot of what wrestling fans enjoyed, expected and wanted. Even to this day, them same fans, me included, want something that resembles the passion, attitude and desire to entertain week after week that the product offered back then. It's a hard pill to swallow that that might never happen due to pleasing the sponsors and shareholders, but there you go...

We'll always have the Network and Youtube to provide us with endless hours of memories...

@jimmosangle

Match of the Day: Bret Hart vs Mr Perfect

After a discussion, round a mate's house, about our favourite wrestling matches, I've decided I'll throw a few of my favourites on here. To kick this off, I'll start with the match that got me into wrestling. I'm not sure if I was a Bret Hart fan before this match or if this is what made me one, but their Summerslam (1991) match entertained the sh*t out of me and still makes my hair stand on end!

Bret Hart vs Mr Perfect - Summerslam 1991

I have always been a Bret Hart fan and this was his first crowning glory for me. It was the start of his ascent to the top of the WWF. It was also from a time when the Intercontinental Champion was a fighting champion; a wrestling champion. Whilst the main event was filled with attractions like Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior and The Undertaker, the mid-card had Bret, Perfect, Piper and eventually Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon would continue the trend of the belt being contested in the 'workhorse' match on the card. To be the Intercontinental Champion, in some ways, was more important than the World title; to be trusted with this belt was a sign of where you should go in the company. Obviously, some fell at this hurdle, too, but for the most, the Intercontinental Championship was a great challenge to see if you could make that next step up.

@jimmosangle