wrestling / Columns
The Wrestling Framework 07.01.11: Austin vs. Hart, Muta vs. Liger
Welcome once again to The Wrestling Framework! This week I take a trip to WrestleMania 13 when Steve Austin took on Bret Hart. Followed by a match that was suggested by a friend as being possibly one of the best Japanese matches ever, The Great Muta vs. Jushin Thunder Liger. It’s another short column because I’ve got a lot going on. I’ve got about 16 days left before I am finished with the US Marine Corps. Also my wife and I have been moving in to a new apartment which also means new internet. Annnnd our car also broke down. Been another stressful week but I do enjoy taking time to write this out as it lets me escape from reality for a little while and enjoy one of my biggest loves.
Ah, yeah, before we take off with this weeks column just going to say that I’ll be at Anime Expo all this weekend. If anyone is going to be there let me know and I’ll let you know how to identify me so you can come up and punch me in the face for whatever personal reasons you have. And you’ll notice I’m using regular pictures this week save for the Party Hard GIF. It’s because I can and I’m having my wife do the picture art because all my little paint doodles were pretty damn bad. Look for some better stuff either next week or the week after. So let’s get on with this little shindig but before hand let’s break down the Frame-scale for any new readers.
Every category is rated 0-2.
0-.5: Bad
.5-1: Okay
1-1.5: Good
1.5-2: Excellent
Then the scores are added up from the five different categories of the Big 5; psychology, work rate, crowd, spots and finish. The final score will be a number 1-10.
0-1: Unwatchable
1-2: Terrible
2-3: Bad
3-4: Passable
4-5: Okay
5-6: Not Bad
6-7: Decent
7-8: Good
8-9: Really Good
9-10: Excellent
What are you waiting for, Christmas? Let’s get to the wrestling!
Psychology: 2
Work Rate: 1.5
Crowd: 2
Spots: 1.8
Finish: 2
Overall: 9.3
Psychology: Loved it. Loved everything about it. It was both guys going from one spectrum to the other. Hart was going heel and Austin face. The fact that this was a submission match just made the psychology all the better. Because there was a lot more focus on everything gelling just right to ensure that it told the story well. By the end of the match Bret was mercilessly destroying Austin’s knee and Austin was just being the tough SOB he is and took it all. Took it all the way to the point of passing out. That finish was beautiful, but I’ll go over that later. The two men clicked, they had chemistry. On this night, they had more than just chemistry and the ability to click. I don’t know what it is about matches like this, but looking back at them compared to a lot of the stuff we have on TV and PPV these days, these old school matches just look so damn magical.
Work Rate: While not the most flashy of matches, the work rate was quite good. Some of it didn’t sit well with me out of personal preference but that’s just how it is. It was a little slow sometimes, but I mostly chalk that up to the fact that it’s a submission match and neither man was really known as a fast worker in the ring. Both men kind of had a medium paced, deliberate way about their moves. Everything they did seemed thought out. Well, except for when Austin goes in to berserker-redneck mode. But both men have a very methodical way about their move sets and that’s sometimes something I over look. This time I didn’t. And Bret really had a lot of good stuff in this match that really helped show just how good is in ring work was from technical to use of weapons, he made shit look good.
Crowd: Get the fuck out of here if you think not one person in that arena wasn’t on their feet. Besides the handicapped and fat. And the announcers. But, I guess I really just mean the fans. That constant buzz of excitement and disbelief was there. The house was rockin’ the entire time and Bret and Austin made it happen with just their telekinetic powers. Or the fact that both men were charismatic as hell and had great pushes to make help them as they made themselves in to the icons they have become. This was the start of it all for Austin. Well, okay, maybe not the true start, but this was one of the highlight matches from his early days before he started chasing down VKM and kicking his ass. And it was really fun to see the crowd easily turning on Bret and cheering Austin through out the build up and the mixed reactions from the beginning to almost near the end. When Bret pretty much just became heel and Austin the face in peril the fans were eating it up to boo Hart and cheer Austin. It was kind of weird to hear that happen at the time. It was the fans turning on the heroic good guy for the rebellious bad guy. Those fans, they’re interesting peoples.
Spots: A good amount of spots here. I think they actually had a few more than I expected first time I watched this match looking for the Big 5 scoring. Austin being whipped in to the railing and smashing his head, while possibly not a planned spot, was still one of my favorite points in the match. It had turned a brutal match in to something even more dangerous and it was a kick to the ol’ adrenalin just watching it. That’s about the biggest one that sticks out at the moment. There’s also the superplex off the top by Austin about 5-6 minutes after being busted open. Oh, and the figure-four Bret put on Austin using the ring post. That was just mad genius and looked great. On the down side I think there are a few times they could have done something a little bigger to move the match forward. There was a lot of stalling and I understand that it can be tiring and any rest time you’ll take, but this was time that could have been used for even the most simple of spots. But it hurt the score only minutely.
Finish: Holy shit, that’s one of the most badass finishes you can use. It basically protects both men without the addition of bullshit. No cheap victory here. It was just a fight that went straight to the finish. And the best part: Stone Cold never tapped, just passed out. Seriously, how badass is that? And Bret beating the ever living hell out of him to the point he just drops unconscious? Yeah, that’s pretty f’ing badass, too. Both men walk away with no stain on their character. I mean besides that there was pretty much a double turn, done successfully might I add, but seriously they both walk out looking just as cool and mean as they did walking in, if not more. I’ve just always been impressed as hell with this finish. A good way to end a match and keep both men strong in the end.
Overall: This match was fucking epic. From bell to bell both men just came out and kicked the shit out of each other and did everything they could to sell the story to the fans and keep them entertained. As Good Ol’ JR would say, “Bah Gawd! That was a slobberknocker!” This is another good example of what wrestling today is missing. This match had intensity, credibility, and just plain old fashioned pure wrestling entertainment. I’d say it’s possible going in to this that no one actually knew who was going to win. You had the side that said the hungry Texas Rattlesnake was going to make mince meat out of the Hitman. The other half you had saying that the Hitman was going to skin and eat the Texas Rattlesnake with the Sharpshooter. I remember thinking Bret would win for sure. He had to, he was the good guy. I was a bit of a naive kid back then. But this match is one of the more epic matches for both men and is yet another match that will last through out the ages.
You can listen to the show on the player below, or you can download the show here.
The show is also available on iTunes!
Psychology: 2
Work Rate: 2
Crowd: 2
Spots: 2
Finish: 2
Overall: 10
Psychology: Sometimes psychology can be rated lower by me if I’m unawares of the story. And sometimes I kind of have to listen to what the announcers are saying about their past. With this one, it wasn’t even necessary to have to know the past of these two wrestlers. You could just tell right away they hate each other and they’re here to settle it all in battle. They had such chemistry it made the match flow beautifully. Spot on and very fluid. These two guys were ring generals that melded together to create something utterly gorgeous.
Work Rate: This was the pinnacle of Japanese style at the time. Muta and Liger, to this day, are regarded as two of the best. And that day they made history. Their moves were so fluid and crisp it was just incredible. I honestly am able to look past the weapon use, which in excess I’m not a fan of, because these guys have such similar styles and work so well together. And they brought the intensity. This is just what pure work rate is all about. Knowing when to do this, how to do that, best way to execute and put on this and that. I might be praising these guys a little too much for some people’s liking, but in my OPINION, these guys are the greatest.
Crowd: I still have a hard time judging Japanese crowds sometimes. But this one was off the fucking hook. They were going nutshit crazy for this match and these two men. I mean as nutshit as a Japanese crowd gets. I really don’t have much more to say about it because it was just evident that the crowd was watching this match with intensity because that’s what was brought to the ring.
Spots: A lot of good spots so much to the point I can’t really pick one out that I would consider a favorite. Or the best for that matter. I mean Muta going lucha and trying to get the mask off Liger was pretty fun to watch. A lot of the stuff on the outside was actually pretty damn good too. And I gotta give a shout out to my favorite spot from Muta in any match; the mist(red this time). I always mark the hell out when I see it. I don’t know why but it’s always one of the coolest damn things I’ve seen. Every time I see it, it’s like the first time I’m seeing it. Never ceases to wow me at least just a little. Side note: loved it how the ‘E had Tajiri using it.
Finish: Solid finish. A bit boring, but it was solid. It was definitely the right way to end a nasty and brutal match like this. Muta dominated him right there at the end. And hit that beauty of a moonsault to finish it all. Both men came out looking like they’ve been through war, but honestly it was Liger more than Muta that looked like shit. To be honest, I think the loss like this didn’t hurt Liger at all either. Yeah, it was a clean, semi-dominant win, but you also have to think what Liger and Muta just went through. And Muta does come out looking like the stronger men, but Liger still looks like he hold his own. He just got outlasted, and that’s just barely. He was gonna kick out of the pin but his brain was a bit scrambled. Or am I just making excuses? It’s still real to me, damn it!
Overall: This match was a perfect 10. I rarely ever hand those out, but this one definitely deserves a perfect 10. It had everything you could ever want in a match. It was a non-stop thrill ride that you were going to enjoy no matter what. It’s one of those matches that you can, easier than most, surpass the fact it’s all in Japanese and know what’s going on and really enjoy it. And this match is one that set the bar for most matches in Japan. I swear, this match was so good it set the standard for everyone else who follows. Okay, I’m kidding, that’s giving the match a little too much credit. But it did raise the bar, but not as drastically as I mentioned. And again, even if you’re not a Japanese wrestling fan but you are a wrestling fan nonetheless, you’ll love this match.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I love coming on here every week and typing up a good column for you guys to read. Granted the last few weeks have been shittier than normal, but I’m trying to get my life in order and what free time I do have, which isn’t much, is dedicated to this. Two great matches I had this week. A good WWF classic and an awesome NJPW classic. Next week I have a good match lined up as a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion takes on a former WWF Heavyweight Champion. A match I actually didn’t even know existed for some reason.
So I’m gonna try a new feature here to try and make up for the suckitude I’ve been bringing lately and extend an invitation to you the readers. I’m asking you to pick your favorite match, review it like I do or use your own scaling method and really give us the details of your opinion of the match. Email it to me and I’ll ensure that it get’s posted in my column. I’m planning on trying this and testing it and if I get a decent response from it, I’ll use it regularly. So, please, I’m actually hoping at least a couple of you will want to have some fun doing this.
———————————————————–
And that’s the end of this weeks edition. As always, remember to….
More Trending Stories
- WWE Being Sued By Fan Who Claims Hearing Damage From Smackdown Taping, Motion Filed To Change Venues
- Backstage Update on When Mike Rome Returns to WWE NXT, Main Roster Brand for Alicia Taylor
- Tony Khan Says He’s Not The Best Person To Get Revenge On The Elite
- AJ Styles Explains Why He Has Retired One Of His Signature Moves
