Tenyru vs Ole Anderson (04/05/86) - Ole & Tenryu deserve more time than this. They are a great pairing in terms of physicality. Here Ole goes berserk on Tenryu's arm. And Tenryu eventually finds some breathing room. Then there's a flurry of offense and the match is over. Weird...it makes some sense given the moves that ended it. But I was left wanting more. It reminds me of a tournament match or a fall in a 2/3 falls match. But it is a single fall. This has been recommended by some and it is definitely memorable. It is over too soon for my liking. Still it's fun. It is intense... man I just wish there was more. Hahaha have I said that yet?
Stan Hansen vs. Riki Choshu (4/5/86) This is an older review: This match could have been better & could have been much worse. The best way I can make it sound good is by saying it would be a good match for the near end of a T.V. show. The ending was awkward though...there were two lame looking lariats from Hansen and a third Riki ducked & hit Joe Higuchi. Joe obviously didn't get hit with the real deal & this now explains why the earlier ones thrown were so weak. If Hansen had thrown 2 monster lariats and the third was pathetic, it would have look tremendously odd. All in all this match put the PWF belt on Riki for his DQ victory over Hansen. Very little drama or overt excitement in this match but was a transition match. The best parts were Riki trying for the deathlock, the Riki Lariat & Backdrop. Hansen was rough on his offense but was nothing great.
Ted Dibiase/Ron Bass vs Motoshi Okuma/Rocky Hata (04/06/86) - Heck I think it's neat that a match with Motoshi Okuma & Rocky Hata made it to Samurai Classics. I see these guys at ringside and never knew their names. It's a fun, if forgettable match. But sometimes you need something like this to raise your spirits.
Kuniaki Kobayashi vs Masa Fuchi (04/06/86) - Kobayashi has jumped Fuchi at the start! Fuchi doesn't stand for that an ups the ante and pulverized Kuniaki with chairs. He rams his head into the ring posts and Double K is bleeding. Masa Fuchi dominates for awhile but Kobayashi isn't a push over. This is really good stuff and really comes together in the final third. This is more brawling than the typical athletic junior style. If you're a fan of either guy, you'll enjoy this!
Jumbo Tsuruta, Genichiro Tenyru & Tiger Mask vs. Shunji Takano, Hiro Saito & Strong Machine (04/06/86) - Oh boy! This is what I'm talking about!! An action packed 6 man match that is as good on paper as in the ring. The Takano, Saito, Machine team makes up for the lack of star power with superior tag team tactics. They're getting in quick tags, double teams, and dynamic offensive moves. Tsuruta, Tenryu & Tiger are fighting to keep their shoulders off the mat. Great match & a great post match too!
Shohei Baba, Ricky Fuyuki & Takashi Ishikawa vs Rusher Kimura, Ashura Hara & Goro Tsurumi (04/06/86) - AJPW vs IWE. Really good 6-man match. This was bordering on great when Baba & Rusher weren't in the ring. Actually Rusher was still halfway decent. Baba was still trying to be technical and it just doesn't fit the style or times. Thankfully he wasn't in that much. OK that's pretty much the ONLY downside to the match. This is mainly Hara & Goro vs Ishikawa & Fuyuki... and that's absolutely what you want!
Genichiro Tenyru vs Ashura Hara (04/12/86) - That was great!! This was way better than I thought it would be. It's probably the best singles match so far. These two were doing stuff ahead of their time in my opinion. There's an emphasis on the head lock and sleeper hold that I appreciated. It's not boring but definitely controls the flow of match. These two guys know how to work holds. And heaven knows they know how to hit each other! I can definitely see the influence Hara had on Tenryu's style. Tenryu still wrestles closer to Jumbo's style. He focuses on his technical ability. 1986 is a good transition year for Tenryu because he's slowly incorporating a little bit more attitude. I loved the Tenryu/Hara tag team. Ashura Hara is becoming one of my faves. This is a classic match!
Ole Anderson vs. Haru Sonoda (04/19/86) - Good match especially when Ole & Sonoda were trading blows. Sonoda's sleeper hold control section was kinda making me sleepy actually. But they worked out of it and got things going again. So, a good match but not something that you need to make an effort to see. This is the last appearance of Ole Anderson for '85 so I've appreciated his inclusion by the Samurai TV folks back in '99 🙂
Genichiro Tenyru & Takashi Ishikawa vs. Ted Dibiase & Ron Bass (04/19/86) - A really good showing from both teams. I thought it was best when it was Ted vs Tenryu. I'm looking ahead and it seems like that was on purpose. They have a big match later in April. I think they teased it well. Ron Bass is always fun as a hulking figure. I like when he fills in for Stan Hansen. Ishikawa was enjoyable although I think I like him better later in his career. He doesn't seem to have the fire in him quite yet.Â
Stan Hansen vs Jumbo Tsuruta (04/19/86) - This was a great big time match! Jumbo came out using Stan's fast start assault plan. Things never really let up. They were wrestling on the mat. Jumbo controlling Hansen's head & neck. Stan was working Jumbo's arm later on. I think the pacing was really good throughout. It felt like they were fighting for something meaningful. I think this was a rated highly by the DVDVR Best of the 80's All Japan project. I totally agree with that. Samurai Classics did a good job including this one.
Genichiro Tenyru vs Ted Dibiase (UN Title, 04/26/86) - Great fierce title fight! Two of the best go at it. They really bring everything here. They're technical, they're off the ropes & the turn buckles, heck! Tenryu does a dive. This was fantastic stuff. Tenryu & Ted really gel. This lived up to expectations. This absolutely is one I'm glad was on this Samurai Classics set.
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