New Japan Set

Final list is out

http://board.deathvalleydriver.com/index.php?showtopic=49841

Who all here is getting this?

Definitely.

I'll be getting it when i get the money.

I'm really interested in this, its just a matter of waiting till I have the disposable income (only just got a decent job) and finding the time for it. Lots of cool looking shit on there, and it'll be the first DVDVR set I buy, too.

Haven't watched it in a long time, but Fujinami/Inoki 8/8/88 being left off hurts my soul

I plan to do some sort of leftovers/left-out thread in the 80s forum around the time the vote ends, to see if any of the participants would have placed matches like that reasonably high on their ballots. I know I'd put it ahead of most of the matches I've seen from the list.

Are you getting a set?

FYI, here was my review of that match during the nominating process.


This was the conclusion of a pretty kick-ass tornament and featured the natural storyline of the veteran kingpin returning from injury to take on his protege, who has risen to the top spot in the company. It certainly felt like a big match, and I can't fault the effort of either guy. Both worked pretty hard for most of the 60 minutes. They did a lot of grappling but generally worked holds instead of just lying around (though the matwork wasn't top-notch.) I guess I just have a high bar for hour draws because they ask for such a commitment from me as a viewer. My complaint here was the lack of an obvious plot. I guess they were going for a story where Fujinami threw everything he had only for Inoki to parry, first with guile and later with sheer toughness and endurance. But they didn't build to big moments that got that story across. Instead, the big exchanges felt more my-turn, your-turn, with some very abrupt transitions. So it came off mostly as an exhibition, albeit an intense one, of the techniques shared by these men. That's not quite my kind of match. I actually found the post-match, with Choshu hoisting Inoki onto his shoulders out of respect for his effort, more moving than anything in the 60 minutes. So I wouldn't put it on the set, but I think it's something the rest of the panel should watch in case it just hit me wrong.

I sent in $40 many months ago because I knew it would be an incredibly good investment. First one for me, and I probably will only do All Japan after this.

As would I

Is that match online?

Phil, Childs et al would you guys say this set is better than Memphis and Mid South?

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KRUBME38

Don't think there are 175 New Japan matches better than it, but could and would loved to be proved wrong

I'm placing my order this week. I only received Memphis and Mid South after the fact so I'm excited to participate in balloting and discussing this time around.

Def. getting this. Any idea when sets will be sent out?

I'm a little biased because I worked on it, but I think it's well ahead of those two match for match. We pushed it to 175 in part because we didn't think 150 could cover the matches that we really dug. The 100th best match on this set probably dusts the 100th best on either Mid-South or Memphis.

Now, to be fair, you lose something without the studio angles and without Lance Russell narrating. But there's such diversity of great stuff on this one. You run through the list of workers and it's mind-boggling who all passed through and had excellent matches. We've spent more than a year on this, and yet I'm eager to get the set and watch the shit again.

Now, if we actually had tape covering the whole decade for Memphis, that might be a more interesting comparison.

Mike, I have a feeling you won't care for Inoki vs Fujinami. Given that you don't much like Destroyer/70s-style matwork, which is the entirety of that match.

Here is the question. Does a full copy of the match exist. Because the commercial tape version is only about 40 minutes of a 60 minute draw which is more clipped then we really prefer. It is also super fucking dull.

I'll be getting in on it, will probably send my payment after my next paycheck Thursday. Now the question of how I'll find the time to watch all the matches, that I don't have an answer to. But I'm looking forward to trying to solve said problem.

I love 70s matwork, Ditch. Anyway, thanks for the link Ben. Thought this was a pretty epic traditional strong style match. I really enjoyed the first 50 minutes, last 10 weren't that good though, seemed like they ran out of ideas. Everything felt organic and, even though the match was filled with pro style offense, it still had a "realistic" shoot feel to it. I mean even Fujinami's rope running roll-ups felt shoot-ish. Tons of great moments, such as: Figure 4 to outside that led to some great Inoki selling, Inoki getting out of trouble by locking in chokes (and Fujinami doing an awesome sell-job), the early figure 4 where it looked like Fujinami was about to snap Inoki's leg, the strike exchanges, the ultra intense amateur exchange after another Inoki choke, the backdrop suplex - especially the first...

There is a 60-minute version. I just watched it online. I can see why people like it. They did a very good job of suggesting intense struggle the whole way. And there were some neat sequences -- Fujinami's early work on the leg, Inoki getting pissed and throwing hands in the middle, the struggle over the superplex. But a 60-minute match really needs to build to some big, pivotal moments for me to feel the investment is worthwhile. And this lacked those. You know, why have Fujinami work the leg for 20 minutes if it's never going to prevent Inoki from doing anything? Why tease the superplex and the dragon suplex if Fujinami was never going to hit them for nearfalls? I felt like it was more about them showing they could go hard for 60 minutes than about them looking for ways to beat each other. I'm sure others will feel differently, but the bottom line is, the match failed to find a champion on our little panel. We certainly picked a lot of matches that were far less ambitious. But I'd rather watch a completely satisfying seven-minute match than 60 minutes of wrestling foreplay.

Also when watching it felt like the match could end at any moment. Should also mention that New Japan matches don't have the traditional All Japan style build to spots and deep storytelling.

Umm really? When it was previewed it suddenly became mandatory later on in the match? I think knowing it goes 60 before watching it, hurts the experience , as it while you're watching it, all you're thinking is how are they going to fill the time. If you don't know the outcome going in, it really helps, and like Mike I was sold on plenty of Octopi holds being the end, because, well . . . I didn't have anything else to go off of

And yes Phil, the match is in full. I really don't think the match is super dull, which is saying something because it's an hour of almost nothing but pro-style matwork. Huge fan, really think it shoulda made the comp, although apparently you may not have had the resources at the time (although Ditch's had that match up forever now it seems).

Again, if there's 175 matches better than it, fuck yeah, but I doubt it

I could swear the 8/8/88 comm has it complete. But that cap is from a DVD release:
http://www.slambamjam.com/mm5/merchant.mvc...&Category_Code=

Ben are you getting the set?