This heatwave is completely destroying my sleep and the G1 Climax is still some time away, so let’s head back to 1990: a simpler time where Twitter and Kenny Omega controversies did not exist. It’s also a year where Big Van Vader was alive and well, rampaging across Japan and providing us with an endless supply of great wrestling. Let’s watch some of that stuff.
Big Van Vader © vs. Stan Hansen – IWGP Heavyweight Title (6/12/1990)
As a rematch to one of the most satisfying Tokyo Dome slug-fests of all time, this had a lot to live up to. And it did supply large quantities of quality ass-kicking, but never quite reached the heights of the previous match. I’m not saying every match needs to feature a wrestler losing his god damn eye, but this definitely felt more like a proper ‘’wrestling match’’. There were actual lock-ups, chinlock spots and Vader attempting a freaking sunset-flip. Also, rest holds! Maybe a few too many of those, as I never really felt the same sense of urgency and danger as the Tokyo Dome match.
But this was still Big Van Vader and Stan Hansen beating the shit out of each other and you can never go wrong with such a premise. The strikes were brutal, the selling was on point, both guys bled a whole bunch and they did a good job milking all the countout teases. While the non-finish to the Tokyo Dome match felt like the most logical way to end the match, the DQ finish to this one definitely felt anticlimactic. ***1/2
Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Masashi Aoyagi (6/12/1990)
This match pushes Antonio Inoki’s vision of pro-wrestling to the limit by having a real life wrestling super hero bring the fight to a serious Karate fighter and it is a BLAST. Masashi Aoyagi is a legit Karate dude that somehow ended up as a fixture on the Japanese indie sleaze scene, working everywhere from FMW to WAR and NOAH. Liger was on the rise at this point and management had the brilliant idea of sending him out there to beat the crap out of a ‘’legit’’ fighter to get him even more over. I love the wrestler vs. shooter booking when done right, and this was done right.
There was an actual round system to this thing that brought a cool real fight aura to the spectacle and each round saw a serious escalation in violence. The first round had Liger showing he could hang with Aoyagi on the mat, then Aoyagi turned into a dick for the second round and tried to rip off Liger’s mask, which led to Liger straight-up abandoning the mask and destroying Aoyagi as KEIICHI YAMADA. The last two rounds dragged a little because Aoyagi seemed on the verge of passing out from his monstrous blade job, but the visual of a mask-less Liger pounding the life out of a blood-soaked Karate fighter to a thunderous ovation was pure Japanese wrestling magic. ***1/2
Masahiro Chono & Keiji Muto © vs. Roadwarrior Hawk & Roadwarrior Animal (7/22/1990)
Rising superstars Chono and Muto working 90’s Road Warriors had greatness written all over it, but sadly a wonky DQ finish barely 10 minutes into the match ruined what could’ve been a sure-fire awesome tag bout. Everything before the DQ was super compelling: the Japanese guys working from under and looking completely outclassed by this unstoppable force of tag-team destruction. Loved Chono going for the STF as soon as he got the opportunity – he knew the Road Warriors were not to be fucked with. Also loved the Muto hot tag as there are few things in wrestling that will get a crowd going like Peak Keiji Muto. The guy already had that special Inoki/Choshu-level charisma where he could get the fans to lose their mind with his body language alone. Oh well. These non-finishes truly are the bane of 80’s and early 90’s wrestling. **1/2
Big Van Vader © vs. Riki Choshu – IWGP Heavyweight Title (8/19/1990)
Text-book example of Vader working a guy half his size and making everything come off as a real fight. Also, text-book example of Choshu being awesome at pro-wrestling. The fearlessness of this man, my god. Slapping the shit out of BIG VAN VADER right after the initial lock-up, then work-aggravating the Hansen injury by headbutting the big man RIGHT IN THE EYE. This led to Japanese hero Riki Choshu eating an absolutely king-sized beating at the hands of an infuriated Vader who laid into him with stiff punches and Vader hammers.
Choshu spent most of the match just selling his ass off and making perfectly timed comebacks (that 2nd-rope Superplex had me losing my damn mind). Choshu had such a good mind for these types of compact slug-fests, doing little things like a subtle bladejob and selling his arm after every lariat attempt on the monster that is Vader. The finish was soooo well put together: Choshu just running into Vader relentlessly with lariats until the big man finally went down after something like the fifth attempt. And what a pop for that finish – wow. ***1/2
The Great Muta vs. Hiroshi Hase (9/14/1990)
This is the prequel to the infamous ‘’Muta Scale’’ match between Muta and Hase from ’92 and bad DQ finish be damned, it’s pretty awesome stuff. It’s also the second time ever Muto used the Great Muta gimmick in NJPW so his mystique was still at an all-time high. Watching Muto work heel back then is pretty fascinating because he wasn’t yet coasting on the gimmick, he was really putting the work in and coming off as a ruthless motherfucker. On the other side of the ring, Hiroshi Hase is quite simply the perfect wrestling babyface. Hase never really reached the big time title picture and eventually drifted into politics but this guy could work a crowd like few people in New Japan.
The paybacks in this match are brilliant. Hase gets fed up with Muta’s heel bullshit so he literally SLAPS ALL OF THE PAINT OFF HIS FACE! Obviously, Muta responds in kind by pretty much bleeding the guy to death, as you do. Yes, the bladejob is an all-timer but the real treat here is the spot where Hase summons all of his fighting spirit to hulk up through a FULL-BODY CRIMSON MASK. Hase’s gradual comeback is a thing of beauty: great selling and possibly the wildest top-rope flying kneedrop I have ever seen. Muta kicking out of Hase’s two big moves, telegraphing the Mist spray and then getting DQ’ed is a real bummer and definitely hurts the match. These guys were on their way to something truly epic. ***3/4
Antonio Inoki & Tiger Jeet Singh vs. Big Van Vader & Animal Hamaguchi (9/30/1990)
At some point in 1990, Inoki decided to slowly step away from wrestling supremacy in order to focus on a more noble and attainable goal: INTERNATIONAL PEACE! This show was a celebration of his 30 years in wrestling and featured a bunch of his old friends and rivals sending him off towards his new venture. Lou Thesz, Nick Bockwinkle, Tiger Jeet Singh, Johnny Powers, Bill Robinson, Willem Ruska, Hiro Matsuda, Stan Hansen, ANDRE THE GIANT, Johnny Valentine. All of them came out to pay their respects and it feels like a real special moment.
The match itself was merely a device to get Inoki over but maaaan was it a fun time. Japanese wrestling deity Antonio Inoki putting aside his past differences with old nemesis Tiger Jeet Singh in order to take on the new monster on the block is already an incredible premise, but the wrestling was actually good stuff too. You’ll especially want to check out this match if you’re a fan of Inoki/Vader ’96, because this little tag is all about old man Inoki stepping up to Vader and getting nuclear heat from the Yokohama crowd. Inoki fearlessly slapping the lights out of Vader and trying to keep the monster at a distance with enzuigiris is THE PUREST THING. ***1/4
Masahiro Chono & Keiji Muto © vs. Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki – IWGP Tag-Team Title (11/1/1990)
Four of the best young heavyweights in early-90’s New Japan lighting up a red hot Budokan Hall with a perfectly-worked tag sprint. There wasn’t a clear cut storyline or even a heel/face dynamic, just two teams trying to outwrestle each other in an ultra-competitive back and forth. The pace was fast and furious all the way through, even the opening feeling-out process had me hooked with the high-speed rope-running and intricate one-upmanship
This was Baby Kensuke’s first appearance in my trek through 90’s Shin Nihon and he was such a BEAST in this thing. The entire crowd got instantly behind him as soon as he started manhandling Chono while also taking the time to get ridiculous air time on his sweet jumping elbowdrops. Lots of great spots, including Kensuke/Hase pulling out the Superplex into top-rope splash combination shades of POWER & GLORY (Thanks Jason)! But the moment that pushed everything over the top was Muto trying to break Sasaki’s Scorpion Deathlock, only for Sasaki to slap the living hell out of him, setting up both guys basically shooting on each other for a minute.
The last few minutes of this thing were pitch perfect and had Budokan completely losing their minds: Hase kicking out of Muto’s biggest bombs, Kensuke jumping in to clean the god damn house and setting up the Northern Lights suplex out of nowhere from Hase for the upset. Just a perfect chain reaction with the craziest heat. What a match! ****
