LogFAQs > #946678643

Hey all!

Following the G1 straight up murdered this project in much the same way that Ibushi murdered most everyone's G1 pick ems.

Steiner is experiencing a bit of burn out so I am taking over the project for the time being.

The concept here is simple - a lot of us on this board love wrestling, we want to watch wrestling matches that are good, and we definitely aren't gonna seek them out ourselves. So we have gathered three hardcore wrestling aficionados in myself, Bidoof and Iceman who will be recommending matches to each other.

I will almost always nominate something mainstream involving talent that got a pretty notable turn in one of the major american companies, so even for slightly more casual fans who aren't necessarily looking for a deep dive there will be something accessible, though so far every match nominated has certainly been something worth watching.

Some weeks will have themes. Some weeks won't.

We are also open to having guest spots on this topic to recommend matches so if you have something you want to share with the class, say so and we'll slot you in for a future topic.

Today IS a themed topic and the theme is Short Gems - a collection of fun and interesting matches that clock in under 15 minutes long, just to get us going and lower the bar of entry for at least this week.

My nominee is:

Dean Malenko vs Scotty Too Hotty, Backlash 2000 April 30, 2000
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3bid0s or use the WWE Network, it's easy to find.

This is one that came onto my radar via the Voices of Wrestling patreon where Rich Kraetsch recommended it to a fan of Dean Malenko's. I just watched it and it fucking rules.

You have Malenko here at the height of his heel powers and Scotty Too Hotty coming down from the hottest bit of his Too Cool run. The match starts with Scotty Too Hotty showing his speed and athleticism as Malenko, in full bastard mode attacking the leg methodically, keeps cutting him off and working him over. Malenko sometimes truly lacks ring charisma, but this is not one of them. He has the crowd in the palm of his hands building the support for Scotty to a near fever pitch towards the end. As an aside, I love WWF Attitude Era crowds and have missed them.

A lot of the way this match is worked will feel familiar, it's a pretty typical match formula for today, but was pretty innovative for the time. It is a hell of a showcase for the way Malenko worked. Scotty for his part actually sells the leg well and it builds logical and fun little story.

and with that I give the floor to Doof and Iceman.

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Board 8's Voice of Reason
https://imgur.com/AWY4xHy