I was watching some old Batista stuff after hearing about his alleged comeback, and I noticed that his spinebuster is awesome compared to everyone else's, which got me thinking about other guys who made mundane moves look great. All I could come up with were Jannetty's dropkicks, Hennig's snapmares, and Benoit's suplexes, but I'm sure there were others. Who else can you think of that made a fairly basic transition move into something more?
Dolph of course sold the shit out of a monkey flip at Wrestlemania, but that's more him selling than delivering. Guys like Randy Orton do awesome dropkicks and make that into a pretty killer move, I think. Or Santino's hiptoss. Really, anything can be a great move, it's just in the delivery and sell.
Barry Windham had the best suplex in the business I think. And Steamboat made the armdrag cool.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought (just as an example, not any particular ranking) is Hunter's "high knee." On paper, it's just a stupid jumping knee, but in his heyday, it was always well timed in a match and looked good for what it was.
ReplyDeleteI've always liked the quick crispness of Rock's DDTs, too.
Orton's powerslam also looks great. His punches, too.
ReplyDeleteBret made the side Russian legsweep look devastating. Jerry Lawler can make a right hand look like a finisher. Eddie Guerrero's slingshot senton was phenomenal (maybe it doesn't count as a typically mundane move, but Eddie did it way better than Punk or anyone else I've seen use it).
Tajiri's kicks, of course. Scott Hall did a great abdominal stretch, where he'd grab the guy's foot as well.
Arn's spinebuster was killer in his heyday.
ReplyDeleteOwen Hart's belly to belly suplex
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Ziggler, someone should tell him to stop killing himself because he's not getting a main event push. I hope he realizes having a functioning brain is more important than taking an irrelevant bump.
ReplyDeleteBack to the topic at hand: I concur with Arn Anderson's spinebuster.
Savage's running knee to the back. Such a dick move.
ReplyDeleteDoes the People's Elbow count?
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of guys who can throw realistic looking punches. Funny enough, many guys who we all can agree were not exactly work rate marvels, threw awesome punches. Among them for me? Nash and Hogan.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Dusty's standing "bionic" elbow was great.
In terms of taking a basic move & getting it over....tough to top Austin's Lou Thesz press. That move would get a bigger pop than 95% of guys' finishing moves.
ReplyDeleteHis spinebuster on the Undertaker was the best non-Rock/Hogan moment at WrestleMania 18. Loved it so much.
ReplyDeleteWow, really? You think Hogan threw good punches?
ReplyDeleteI've always liked Hall's punches as well.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I mean, they got much more cartoonish as he got older; but Hogan circa 85-87 can throw some mean punches.
ReplyDeleteI always loved Jake Roberts' jabs. Lord knows why as you could always see him clearly stamping his foot. But if you only looked from the waist up they looked great.
ReplyDeleteTerry Funks were great as well. But then he was actually hitting people
Yep, it was so over that Trish was able to use it and by proxy, helped her get even more over.
ReplyDeleteIn WCW Booker T's missile dropkick looked like it could kill you, which is something that always struck me as weird because he never looked as "big" in WWF/E as he did in WCW.
ReplyDeleteHere's a really obscure one that I've only seen a few times, but Jinder Mahal has a great high jumping knee.
X-Pac's standing roundhouse kick, Scott Hall's body beal, and Goldust's punches
ReplyDelete- Hennig's sell of the clothesline is obviously the very top of the list
ReplyDelete- RVD's sell of a DDT is pretty damn good most of the time too, also RVD's frog splash is the best ever imo
- Kurt Angle's forearm blows have always ruled
I always really liked the way Test delivered his big boot. He always kept his body low so it looked like re was really rifling his foot into their face.
ReplyDeleteForget Beniot's suplexes, his best non finisher was the snot rocket of doom.
ReplyDeleteI wish Batista would come back. He was a total badass.
I loved the way that Windham would floatover after a superplex. Plus he was such a huge guy that it looked really impressive. I guess that was his finisher for a while so it doesn't count for this discussion but thought I'd mention it since your post was about him.
ReplyDeleteespecially when you consider he only has one good arm.
ReplyDeleteHe didn't use it much but I always thought that Bret had a great ddt. And although it was his finisher before he developed the Sharpshooter, he always had a killer piledriver. Also, plus one to whoever mentioned Owen's belly to belly. Contrast that with Rock's stupid "belly to belly"/greco throw or whatever the announcers called it. It basically just looked like the other guy throwing himself over Rock and taking a bump rather than Rock actually throwing the guy whereas Owen's looked like he was actually controlling the guy and slamming him to the mat.
ReplyDeleteRoad Warrior Hawk had a really nice reverse neckbreaker as well. Benoit didn't use it much once he started wrestling mostly heavyweights but he had a pretty badass powerbomb. Jeff Hardy does a surprisingly effective looking gourdbuster, or at least he did in WWE. I haven't seen much of him in TNA to know if he still does or not.
ReplyDeleteI always liked Big Bubba/Bossman/Ray Traylor's thing where he'd hang a guy on the middle rope, get a running start, slide under the bottom rope and punch the guy in the face. The physics don't really make much sense but it looked pretty cool for such a big guy to move so fast.
ReplyDeleteWCW used smaller rings so that could've made him look bigger.
ReplyDeleteTed Dibiase's vertical suplex and Hardcore Holly's dropkick to name two.
ReplyDeleteLawler's right hands. He doesn't have a big moveset so he got really good at that one.
ReplyDeleteOh wow!!! I completely forgot about that move!
ReplyDeleteYou're right in made no fucking sense but it was totally awesome.
Shawn Michaels was perhaps the greatest ever but even he couldn't make the tear drop suplex look menacing.
ReplyDeleteHardcore Holly dropkick
ReplyDeleteBret was the best at getting whipped into the corner chest first.
ReplyDeleteAlso, thought JBL made his Clothesline from Hell an actual legitimate finisher, he would knock the shit out of people.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. He threw really nice worked punches. Key there: WORKED punches. There's no art in legitimately punching people (Vader).
ReplyDeleteAs a heel, yes. As a face, he was as lame as Cena most of the time.
ReplyDeleteI think the best DDT recipient was Val Venis. He would always head-stand for a second and then topple over.
ReplyDeleteOwen would just bait the guy coming off the irish whip, then pop his hips and PLANT the guy. It was seriously a thing of beauty... and yeah compare that to Rock's where his opponent just kind of hurls himself into a back bump.
ReplyDeleteThis is probly too specific but whenever Jericho busted out that spinning Argentina backbreaker (on Mysterio), I'd pop from the couch.
ReplyDeleteKinda related, but Sheamus Brogue Kick always has me slowing down the DVR to see how they do it it looks so real.
ReplyDeleteThe superplex was...but yes, I was referring to that floatover move as a good part of it. Greg Valentine had an awesome suplex too because he never went down with the opponent
ReplyDeleteHard to call Kane's move a clothesline when he never really hits his opponent with his arm. It's more like a top rope fist or a top rope wrist than a clothesline. But I guess that's just him protecting his co-workers and not putting all of his weight into them.
ReplyDeleteBret had the best piledriver this side of Paul Orndorff. He DRILLED people with that move; if you can find a match with him and Danny Davis on youtube, it looks like he murdered him.
ReplyDeleteAnother guy we havent mentioned yet is the Great Muta: He made EVERY basic move look pretty awesome.
ReplyDeleteThat was one of my favorite spots too. Didn't he always slap his thigh on his punches to give them that smacking sound, ala Shawn with the Sweet Chin Music?
ReplyDeleteYeah I think Arn's was easily the best variation of it. It wasn't just a 'pick the guy up and slam him down' kinda spinebuster like Ron Simmons, it had some technique to it.
ReplyDeleteAnother great Bret move that people probably forgot about was his German suplex. He didn't do it often but one in particular was the Summerslam cage match against Owen: he'd grab them really high, right underneath the armpits and across the chest, and it'd look like he was driving them on their head but he did a perfect bridge with it and slid them back into pinning position really smoothly.
ReplyDeleteOne that no one remembers but was awesome was Simon Diamond had a gorgeous moonsault in ECW. He'd basically stay completely stiff and spring off the ropes, making a perfect rotation without arching his back at all. It looked like all his body weight was coming down on you.
Bobby Eaton's left hand was vastly underrated. I'm also a big fan of Sonjay Dutt's double-jump elbow drop.
Agree with both of those (Hogan and Dusty).
ReplyDeleteI always like how Raven threw punches -- he'd kind of cock his arm back and throw his whole body to it, they always looked nasty. Also Hercules Hernandez.
The Savage running elbow smash off the irish-whip was always awesome, especially against a guy who could drop like a brick against it.
I guess it's more because Shawn Michaels could sell a clothesline like nobody's business, but there are a couple of times in matches against Demolition where it looks like Ax damn near tears his head off his shoulders, just devastating.
Was thinking about this on Monday - D-Bry was delivering some killer knee drops to Santino. Snug. His European Uppercuts are nice too.
ReplyDeleteSteamboat was smooth as hell.
I wish more agents and wrestlers would look at threads like these and realize that wrestling's never about what is being done, but how it's being done. Uniqueness is key. Having that unique delivery of moves will get fans to pop DURING the matches (not just their entrances). You needn't look past people like Arn Anderson and Randy Orton to realize this. I wish more would go to them for advice and implement it. They don't have an extensive arsenal of moves, but they deliver their moves with a singular brand of conviction. The fact that fans could cheer for them from their entrance until the final bell really made being a fan a true experience and made they guys look "big time."
ReplyDeleteBasically every Benoit did looked good. I used to like how he'd catch guys coming off the ropes with either a clothesline or an ax handle type move to the chest. Just the intensity he put into it.
ReplyDeleteI remember Bret's german! He gave Shawn one during the Iron Man match and it was a thing of beauty. I always prefer the bridge into a pin than the rolling germans.
ReplyDeleteGotta agree on Rock's DDTs. Plus that spinning variation he did over an opponent was awesome, especially since he's was pretty big dude to be moving like that.
ReplyDeleteActually, I've never seen anyone do that DDT variation other than Rock.
I was always a fan of Dynamite Kid's snap suplex. I always felt it could give you whiplash just by looking at it.
ReplyDeleteHave to agree with this. Also, the Cactus Clothesline over the top rope is a perennial favourite of mine.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Valentine, it's not a move per se, but the way he would just fall straight forward on his face, like a tree being felled, was brilliant. The Flair Flop just looks farcical by comparison.
ReplyDeleteI always took it to be a play on the old flipping clothesline Undertaker used to do, only Kane did it off the top because he was bigger and stronger and better (in kayfabe terms).
ReplyDeleteI always took it to be a play on the old flipping clothesline Undertaker used to do, only Kane did it off the top because he was bigger and stronger and better (in kayfabe terms).
ReplyDeleteGolddust also did that move at times, IIRC.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. I never could stand the HHH/Rock/so many others "Lazy-Ass Spinebuster".
ReplyDeleteSometimes we do so much arguing on this blog that it's really nice to have these feel-good threads once in a while. I echo all the Bret-love. "The Excellence of Execution" is surely one of the most on the nose nicknames ever. And I don't know if it qualifies as a normal move, but I'll add Eddie's MDK-powerbomb.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the old days of WCW World Tour/Revenge and WWF WM 2000/No Mercy.
ReplyDeleteRaven in the WCW games, and any created wrestler in the WWF games (Through the Smackdown era) had that move for my use. So damn fun to spam on the CPU.
Love Arn, but I think Simmons had the best spinebuster ever. I called it the "Bitch get out my face" spinebuster.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Not a fan of Kane's clothesline.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a problem with Rock's version. It's just a different style of move.
ReplyDeleteI always prefer "release" versions of moves, though, like Angle's overhead belly-to-belly.
Norman Smiley's scoop slam with the extra wind up. I always loved how his spin on that move made it look awesome.
ReplyDeleteI can think of at least one instance where he gave the meanest looking piledriver ever.
ReplyDeleteHawk's fist drop looked like it could knock out a guy.
ReplyDeleteI always loved Foley's "stump-puller" piledriver where he'd grab the guy by the back of his pants without ever lifting him vertically like everyone else. It somehow looked way more brutal.
ReplyDeleteEl Generico's corner Yakuza kick always looks great. Looks like he is taking the dudes head off.
ReplyDeleteI know alot of people give Scott Steiner shit for his in-ring work now but his butterfly suplex and t-bone plex are still awesome. Speaking of Awesome and suplexes...Mike Awesome's suplexes were all awesome too.
ReplyDeleteI was a sucker for D'lo Brown's waving arms leg drop even if it did look a little daft. I always thought Psicosis did a great top-rope legdrop during his WCW days.
ReplyDeleteMore hard hitting that I liked was Samoa Joe's snap powerslam and his STO out of the corner. Joe could put a lot of snap into his moves when he was motivated with the right opponents. Also some of Roderick Strong's backbreaker variations have to count as making a normal move look more devastating.
I can't decide who had the best enziguri though. I liked Owen Hart's execution of it, but also like the running variations that Chris Jericho and Christopher Daniels do.
Ricky Steamboat: armdrags!
ReplyDeleteHow about the way Steamboat works those headlocks against Flair? Just cranking on it. I hate restholds, but I could watch Steamboat work a headlock all day.
ReplyDeleteDolph is the only guy in a LOOONG time that really sells the hell out of applying a rest-hold. I think his Sleeperhold is a thing of beauty.
ReplyDeleteAnd? How does he make it look so real?
ReplyDeleteDefinitely agree on the "Clothesline From Hell", and I think Ryback is the guy that could bring it back.
ReplyDeleteHurts just thinking about it.
ReplyDeleteOrton throws one of the worst punches in the business.
ReplyDeleteI really miss the regular old piledriver.
ReplyDeleteShawn did that a few times, as well, and I agree, much better than the standard piledriver that really strains credibility.
ReplyDeletePunk is pretty much the exact opposite of this. If you look at any of Punk's stuff individually, it's pretty sloppy, he's a good worker, but I think you need to look at his stuff as a whole to see it. The only really fantastic Punk move is probably his Pillman Clothesline, and that's now, after the 2006 period in which he'd ALWAYS BOTCH IT!
ReplyDeleteAlways loved the way Nash would elbow guys in the corner, especially when he'd make that "frame" with his hands.
ReplyDeleteAWESOME choice!
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree that he is probably doing too much damage to his body, I disagree about him never getting a main-event push - it may take a few years, but he'll be rewarded eventually, much like other guys his size/style (Bret, Shawn, Punk, Bryan, Benoit, Eddie).
ReplyDeleteI would like to see him ease up a bit, though, he's going to end up like Dynamite Kid.
F yeah!
ReplyDeleteRock was ridiculously agile for his size.
ReplyDeleteHell, he was agile for a lot of guys that are six inches shorter and fifty pounds lighter.
Tajiri's kicks were absolutely out of this world - even as a "smark" that understood the concept of working stiff vs. working loose, it was years before I found out that his kicks were actually worked. I always figured he went the way of Terry Funk and Vader, and was legitimately kicking the shit out of people.
ReplyDeleteI've mentioned before that Tajiri/Corino ("Hardcore Heaven, 2000") is my favorite match ever, and even after seeing it a hundred times and knowing full well that Tajiri's kicks are worked, I STILL wince in pain every time he throws one. I mean, I know that there are many wrestlers that just slap their thigh when delivering a kick, but when I watch him, it just doesn't compute. He's like a magician, he hides his technique unbelievably well.
I'll also mention that "Snap Legdrop" thing that X-Pac and Chainz (Brian Lee) did, I absolutely loved that move, it really seemed like they were trying to crush their opponents' wind-pipes.
I liked Triple H's high knee - I know he was mocked for it a lot of times, but it came in handy during his heel run when he had to shut down the false comeback. It usually looked good to, like it hit square in the face and not the chest.
ReplyDeleteBenoit's snap suplexes look good due to intensity but when you look closely Benoit hits harder than his opponent. And more of Benoit's body hits the mat than his opponent. For that reason I prefer Bulldog's delayed suplex, or Bret's superplex.
I don't think he can still do it, but I used to love Undertaker's flying clothesline off the ropes. Also his spinning DDT off the ropes. He was ridiculously agile for a guy his size in his younger years.
It's his finisher, but Bradshaw's Clothesline from Hell. Look at most clotheslines - it's just running into an outstretched arm. Bradshaw has his whole body behind it.
Michaels flying elbow always looked great.
Steve Austin had the best punches, I think.
Arn Anderson had the best spinebuster, mainly due to the spin and quickness he delivered it with. Everyone since him seems to just do the "pick him up and lay him down" version. Faarooq's was a bit more intense, though - he threw the guy down - and according to Foley's book it wasn't fun taking it.
I actually think the Valentine fall is just as silly looking -- like something out of an old Roadrunner cartoon when the Wiley Coyote hits a wall.... but I love it all the same.
ReplyDeleteYes, Hawkins' elbow-drop! It's fantastic!
ReplyDeleteGotta agree on Punk, too - he's good, but everything comes off as very loose and soft. He's very similar to Lance Storm in that sense.
He does add a lot of theatrics to his moves, though, gotta give him that. The audience knows when he's thinking of going for the "Draping DDT", for instance, and pop accordingly.
ReplyDeleteI really like both. I feel Simmons' version really fits his "tough guy" persona.
ReplyDeleteWaltman's snap leg drop is MONEY.
ReplyDeleteChristopher Daniels throws a gorgeous leg lariat/calf kick.
ReplyDeleteWhen Bret wrestled Mr. Perfect at Summerslam '91, they had a sick headlock sequence at the beginning of the match.
ReplyDeleteSome guys have tried to copy that bump but no one has been able to get it right. In Bret's book, he mentions how his shins were all scraped up because they take the first contact of the move, which is pretty cool to read about.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Booker's missile dropkick was something fierce, especially since he's so tall and lanky. Actually all his kick-moves looked great because he's like all legs.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is...Dolph isn't THAT young. He's 31 and in his physical prime. For fantastic bumpers, they don't last forever under the grind.
ReplyDeleteBret's ring-post figure-four is one of the coolest moves I've ever seen in wrestling. Especially Shawn's selling of it when Bret attacked in him in 1997.
ReplyDeleteAnd Cena. But yeah, they're good wrestlers with good movesets, but their movesets are so large and they lack specialization that while you could see them doing any move, they don't have many moves that they make their own. Cena is a little more set in his ways, but he's still just a good wrestler without any great moves.
ReplyDeleteHands down the best dropkick I have ever seen was Mr. Perfect's standing dropkick. In his prime he never really hit a low one, always got the elevation to catch guys right up top. I miss him.
ReplyDeleteI agree in general on Punk (and Cena), but I dig his Shining Wizard/bulldog combo. He always hits the knee right on the button, and I love that he hangs onto the headlock with the bulldog. I hate Jericho's loose, face-plant bulldog. Come to think of it, Jericho's another good worker who's a bit loose and sloppy.
ReplyDeleteEzekial Jackson's Body-Slam? I think Big Show's Spear deserves a mention too, given it would probably destroy any normal human being.
ReplyDelete- Goldust actually got a snap powerslam over as a finisher briefly, he does such a good, quick rotation.
ReplyDelete- Kidman's tornado DDT was always pretty sharp.
- Bob Holly's dropkick.
- Bart Gunn always through a pretty good punch, har har.
Yet, he never got booed like Cena did unless he was in a shitty match, like with Booker at Survivor Series in Philly, or in front of the ECW faithful at Hammerstein against the Big Show.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't count if you legit break someone's neck. . .
ReplyDeleteReally interesting.
ReplyDeleteI recall when ECW first got on TNN and they had a big Taz vs. Tajiri match. I was showing my brother "You gotta watch Tajiris kicks. Theyre phenomenal". Well Ive always considered myself more of a smark but he walked away from that great match completely... underwhelmed. "The Tajiri guy slaps his thigh way too much" was all he said.
Of course it's not 100% the case, I am speaking in generalities here.
ReplyDeleteAnd truth on Jericho. Though he has a pretty sweet springboard dropkick.
Honestly, I think moves are really unimportant in the grand scheme of things. There are wrestlers like Randy Orton, who have plenty of MOVEZ, but still can't wrestle anywhere near their place in the card because he just doesn't do the actually important stuff, namely playing your role in the match.
How can Owen be mentioned without bringing up the SPINNING HEEL KICK OF THE GODS. I thought we needed a "Tell Me A Lie" video every time Owen hit it on Shawn. It looked like it was killing him.
ReplyDeleteDaniel Bryan's kicks, knees, and European UppercutsRandy Orton also has an awesome European uppercut I really like Cena's legdrop from the second rope
ReplyDeleteZiggler's kneckbreakers always look great because he puts an extra little twist in them
re: scott halls sack of shit.
ReplyDeletedibiases powerslam off the ropes is a thing of beauty.
ReplyDelete+1 hollys dropkick
i liked jerichos credunzel.
ReplyDeleteand especially when he started using it, you could really go the crowd go "oooh.." because if he executes it well that knee looks like it really messes you up.
ReplyDeletealthough one can't deny that Orton is smooth as hell. as mentioned before Orton really has one of the most "harsh" movesets.... the second rope ddt, the reverse neckbreaker, that "scoop slam"... to me it's no wonder why so many people react positively to him. he just LOOKS like a million bucks.
ReplyDeleteHaku/Meng: thrust kick.
ReplyDeleteRikishis was good, Yokos was great but to me Hakus is the sole number one.
btw: does anyone remember 411s "Hidden Highlights" column? that was awesome for similar reason - hardly any bitching just giving credit to the stuff you liked.
ReplyDeleteHe's got good execution and a good moveset but I don't give a fuck about Orton matches. His character isn't likable, it's not that I want to see him lose, I just don't want to see him. Nothing about his presence or "swagger" or acting or whatever is in anyway appealing to me.
ReplyDeleteYeah, everything Bret did looked great. Looked "real" too.
ReplyDeleteThe German suplex really should be a finisher.
I dunno. Looking at that move now, it's on the same level as the Angle Slam. People just didn't sell head/spine bumps all that much in the 90s. I mean, the piledriver turned into a transition move to mid-card guys.
ReplyDeleteSurely OP will deliver.
ReplyDeleteSurely OP will deliver.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Jericho is an interesting case. Great pacing, good sense of story, strong psychology, and good moveset, though the moves generally feel, as you said above, loose (though not RVD-level loose, certainly). Still, he creates a character you care about so its all good. Not everyone is Bret Hart/Shawn Michaels.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely nuts. His punches are the best in WWE, and it's not even close. They make contact, they're thrown with force, but they're compeltely worked.
ReplyDeleteGood for you, but I (and most crowds) DO give a shit about his matches. Because they're good.
ReplyDeleteThat's a fair point.
ReplyDeleteI second that notion. Believe me, I detested Orton's presence for many years. But the Foley match, the Age of Orton run, and the whole DDT'ing Stephanie and kissing her while HHH looked on--it all slowly sold me on his character. Then I saw how nice he is to fans outside of the arena and it sold me on Orton the person. He acknowledges his bad past and he even makes fun out of his own monotonous voice--he's very self-aware.
ReplyDeleteThen, he stealthily become one of the better workers in the WWE. It was strange--I was voting for the best technical wrestlers earlier in the year, and it dawned upon me how Orton is extremely crisp in the ring and rarely botches anything. He even went from 3 chinlocks a match to just 1.
Yeah, don't get me wrong, I really like Jericho's work. Punk's too, and to a much lesser extent Cena's. Just an observation. As you said, not everyone can be Bret or Shawn. Right now I'd say The Guy as far as crisp execution is probably Bryan, or as others have mentioned, (ugh) Orton. But Punk's selling and psychology is so off the charts right now that I tend to enjoy his work at least as much, if not more (definitely in comparison to Orton).
ReplyDeleteThey're good if you like Orton. People pay attention to his offense or pay attention to the story of the match, but they seem to miss the part where he doesn't sell, hogs the offense, makes repeated comebacks when it doesn't make sense with the flow of the match, which makes his opponents look bad, and he never shows any emotion in his facials beyond his goofy "crazy eyes". The only "good" Orton matches were matches where his opponent was working to put him over and make him look good (Foley) or where his opponent was holding him by the hand and leading him through the match (Punk). Just because the guy wins and has good body posture while he does his moves doesn't make him a good worker.
ReplyDeleteThere's a big chunk of Cody Rhodes' head and Orton's own shoulder that went down to a phantom RKO that calls bullshit on "rarely botches". He just always blames his opponents.
ReplyDeleteI remember Corino complaining about taking Tajiri's kicks on his blog back in the day (before it would have been called a "blog".) Not running Tajiri down or anything, just talking about how rough they were. Maybe he was just kayfabing but I'd imagine that Tajiri was snapping you pretty good on those, and they were only safer because he wore leg pads under his pants. The pants helped too, because he could get his hands wet & slap the pleather pretty hard on the kick.
ReplyDeleteThat is one of my favorites too, just a sick looking move.
ReplyDeleteIt's not quite the subject here, but man, do I dislike the go to sleep as a finish. It's just got no flow to it and I think a shining wizard makes as much sense to me as a finisher, or the enzuigiri he pulls out as a near fall.
ReplyDelete