I finally wrote enough about wrestling to warrant another post. It’s taken forever. At this rate I’ll have another one up around September.
Misawa/Kawada/Kobashi vs Tsuruta/Taue/Fuchi – 4/20/1991
Welp, this was just The Best. The crowd at Korakuen Hall loves every one of these guys and chants for each one multiple times throughout the match. Everyone looks great. This is as much about Kobashi and Fuchi as Kawada and Taue. It goes in so many different directions and never stops moving forward. It has an absolutely incredible pace that makes 52 minutes seem like 20. Everyone shines and they all seem to revel in pissing each other off.
Taue, specifically, starts the match with something to prove. He knocks a disinterested Toshiaki Kawada off the ring apron 3 times in a row early on, eventually getting a rise out of Kawada. From there, the heat never really dissipates. Just when you think they might be nearing the home stretch of the match, a new story starts to weave its way into the match.
I have a hard time writing about this one, it’s a must-see and an all-time great match. Sometimes something is *so* good and knocks you on your ass. This is that. 5 Stars
Mitsuharu Misawa vs Terry Gordy – 6/1/1991
Between the fantastic tag match with Kawada and Dr. Death a few months previous and this, their first singles match ever, there was a tag match in May. Misawa and Kawada were able to WIN that one, Misawa pinning Dr. Death with a Tiger Driver. It’s apparently only available clipped though and I don’t want to watch it, so here we are!
This was a total slugfest. Both guys take a beating, Gordy bleeds, Misawa breathes audibly, they throw bombs, and have a few very convincing near falls. I love how quickly Gordy is willing to move onto plan B when Misawa blocks or survives plan A. Misawa blocks the powerbomb on the floor? Fine, take a lariat. They trade big moves for a while near the end, but everything makes sense, even if most of the transitions are straightforward and not particularly clever (why should they be! Have you seen Terry Gordy?). There are a couple of neat, thoughtful moments though. Namely; Gordy getting increasingly adept at following Misawa into the turnbuckles after the Irish whip to clobber him before Misawa has the chance to do one of his signature counters. Misawa getting the best near-fall of the match off of a short arm clothesline setup that worked earlier in the match is another high point. It’s all pretty straight forward, but never boring. I LIKE IT. ****
Jumbo Tsuruta/Akira Taue vs Stan Hansen/Danny Spivey – 6/1/1991
They do that thing that I like where Taue is taken out of the match for an extended period of time, so when Jumbo finally makes the tag, it’s DOUBLE HOT. I especially liked Stan getting so fed up with Taue interjecting himself in the match that he follows him back to his corner to hit him with a Western Lariat in the back of the head. SPIVEY SPIKE is a great name for a DDT and Taue gets the glory of kicking out of the first one before succumbing to the second. A fine match. ***
All Japan World Tag Title match Terry Gordy/Steve Williams © vs Mitsuharu Misawa/Toshiaki Kawada – 7/24/1991
Aw yeah. WE’RE BACK. I love watching Dr. Death apply wrestling holds. His mat game here is pretty uh…offbeat, to say the least. The champs try to take Kawada out and isolate Misawa this time. Misawa hurts his knee, which leads to some ripped tights (HE WEARS BLUE KNEEPADS UNDER THE GREEN TIGHTS, FYI), half crabs, and whatever this is:
While the hurt knee does limit Misawa somewhat, he’s still able to swing those elbows and do some crafty counters after Kawada is able to give him a bit of a rest. The crowd is really into this by the end and get sent home happy with the youngsters picking up their first tag titles together. Gooood match, though a bit unfocused when Gordy and Williams are in control. I’m not sure I’d want it any other way. ***½.
Oh, Missy got boogs.
