BIG VAN DADDY

 wXw True Colors 2007: Big Van Walter vs. Takeshi Rikio

Fun hard hitting stuff. Walter plays the rookie underdog against Rikio, who was a bonafide NOAH superstar at this point. ***1/2

wXw Back To The Roots VII: Big Van Walter vs. Bryan Danielson

I have never heard anyone talk about this match, but goddamn it's absolutely amazing. The early stages see Danielson annoy Walter greatly; he pretty much outclasses him in their grappling exchanges, but he does it while talking shit & delivering some cheapshots to the big lad. Walter gets more & more pissed, but as he starts to get some offense going, Danielson attacks his knee. He targets it like an assassin throughout the match - all the while talking shit & breaking rules, too. Walter gets some brief comebacks as the match goes - even unleashing some of those brutal chops he is now famous for, but ultimately Danielson's in ring generalship is too much; he just cuts off every comeback Walter gets very quickly. Amazing stuff. Terrific psychology & an absolutely great performance by Dragon. Kind of a gem, because as I said, I've never heard ANYONE talk about it. ****1/2

wXw True Colors 2008: Big Van Walter vs. Low Ki

A very good David vs. Goliath match w/ both guys playing their roles greatly. ***3/4

wXw Broken Rulz IX: Big Van Walter vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Very similar to their epic PWG meeting that happened 8 years after this one. Of course neither one of the 2 were as polished w/ their in ring work & personas as they are now, but you can see flashes of what’s about to come for both guys. Walter dominates with his hard hitting move-set & strength advantage while Zack tries to chop down the bigger man w/ his strikes. It’s a great match between a pairing that could produce one in their sleep. ****

wXw 16 Carat Gold 2010: Big Van Walter vs. Chris Hero

A very good match. The beginning w/ Hero firing Walter up set rest of the match perfectly - he got a little too fired up himself & hurt his hand in the process of beating Walter down. Walter sure took notice & started to work that arm throughout the thing. Hero played the underdog role very well from that point on w/ some very good, brief comebacks w/ those glorious strikes of his. ***1/2 

wXw Broken Rulz XI: Big Van Walter vs. Axeman

This ruled. Started off in very energetic way as Axeman jumped Walter right away - they kept that same energetic pace to it for the whole thing. Axeman plays the role of an underdog who stunned the champ right away, but ultimately the champ gains the control & makes him pay for it. Awesome stuff. ***3/4

wXw 16 Carat Gold 2012: Big Van Walter vs. Daisuke Sekimoto

This is often pimped as one of the absolute best, if not THE best match in wXw’s history. Finally watching it for myself, can’t say I was disappointed. Two wrestlers who share same philosophies as in what they want from big wrestling matches to look & feel like putting on an absolute classic. It’s nasty, hard hitting stuff with Walter doing most of the work on top while Sekimoto fights from underneath. Worth the hype. ****1/2

wXw Live In Hamburg: Big Van Walter vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

WALTER has said that he feels like his chemistry with ZSJ works so well because all of their matches feel like FIGHTS. I think none of their matches against each other showcase that better than this one, right here. It's a classic David vs. Goliath FIGHT w/ ZSJ being absolutely excellent as the scrappy underdog, fighting with his heart to try & beat the Goliath - and WALTER is of course absolutely tremendous in his role, just bullying ZSJ around, striking him down & throwing him around. It's a wXw classic. ****1/2 

wXw 13th Anniversary Tour: Big Van Walter & Robert Dreissker vs. Axel Dieter Jr. & Da Mack

Well this was quite something. Let's get to the negatives first - most of the offense that Da Mack & Dieter Jr. hit doesn't look very good & the match drags a bit by the end. The positives though, are far bigger than the negatives; the emotion in the match is perfect & Jr. rocks the color in amazing fashion as he bleeds A LOT throughout the thing. Walter & Dreissker are absolutely amazing in it too, just bulldozing through Hot & Spicy w/ their monstrous offense - ADJ's FIP segment was unbelievably great. Like I mentioned, he rocks the color fantastically & he takes such a terrific beating from the big lads. Amazing stuff. ****1/4