I have put a pause on my AJPW 2002 project for the time being. In the meantime, I thought I would share some "vintage" Dr. Death Steve Williams reviews. Early 2000's AJPW has renewed my interest & appreciation for him. He's certainly not at his prime but he brings something special to every match. So below is a collection of reviews of his peak era AJPW work. I'm going to remove any spoilers that I wrote and if you're looking for stars (*) in your reviews, this one has got 'em

Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada vs. Terry Gordy & Steve Williams (07/24/91) Awesome fun stuff here with Miracle Violence Connection looking like the toughest tag team ever. They went after Misawa's face and then his leg which I'm sure both were legitimately injured. Tremendous selling from Misawa & is what made it very special. Kawada was a very good number two playing the part of being Robin to Misawa's Batman. Cool, cool stuff. **** or maybe ****1/4

Editor's note:
02/26 Gordy/Williams vs Misawa/Kawada & 12/06: Gordy/Williams vs Misawa/Kawada from 1991 are great matches as well. I don't have reviews written up for them but they are ****+ matches.

Jumbo & Akira Taue & Ogawa vs. Williams & Gordy & Richard Slinger (05/25/92) ***3/4+ A solid match by all standards and was quite entertaining. Both teams brought a lot of intensity and that goes a long way for me. It probably could have been a little shorter as the pacing was a bit askew. It was a good match nonetheless with Ogawa, Slinger , and Gordy being the standouts & Joe was the referee (the fans counted faster than he did!)

Steve Williams/Terry Gordy vs. Stan Hansen/Joel Deaton (06/03/93) ***1/4 Although it was only 6 minutes & 47 seconds this match was all action. It was rather one sided though, as Gordy ambushed Hansen and  the Miracle Violence Connection double teamed the whole time like it was a Tornado Tag match (maybe it was). Deaton tried his best to save Hansen but he was no match for Gordy & Dr. Death. There was no pacing or a match just a display of violence and Hansen's toughness.

Steve Williams vs. Kenta Kobashi (08/31/93) ***** Stiff AJPW brawling punctuated by 3 of the deadliest backdops ever! But the match is much more than the last 5 minutes it's that just those backdrops come out of nowhere and take your breath away. Rewatch: Wow! this is a fantastic, hard-hitting match. Each man gives it their all and the execution is brilliant and the timing is perfect. Kobashi would have loads of other classic singles bouts but to me this is Dr. Death's pinnacle! If one wants to know why Steve Williams is a legend, this match is all the evidence needed.

Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Steve Williams (09/03/93) **** Dr. Death held up his end of the deal with plenty of exciting moves and a palpable sense that he wanted to win the Triple Crown. Misawa did an excellent job selling but, the match lacked a real sense of direction and the finish was flat. I would place the blame on Misawa. I think his great matches come out of familiarity & rivalry...not top gaijin vs. second banana native like Kobashi. There was no real offense on his end that would warrant a comeback victory. Elbows are great especially from Misawa but, I felt they were kinda soft or maybe Williams oversold them. The one thing that was preserved was the great execution AJPW is known for but, it lacked the build that the company was known for as well. Everything can't be a classic..still a great match. The bar is really high in '93.
    
Toshiaki Kawada vs. Steve Williams Champion Carnival Finals (04/16/94) I don't know but this one is a clear re-watch candidate. I didn't like the transition from Williams to Kawada other than he must have really messed Dr. Death up with the somersault kick. It was one of the best I've seen so, that may have done it...Williams was throwing Kawada around like a ragdoll though. It could have gone on a few more minutes or with a bit more back & forth before the finish. Anyhow, Williams was just so awesome here but, Kawada probably let him have too much offense for the type of finish they went for. I don't know if that was Doc or K's decision. I could have been Doc's since he's the senior worker (I think). As it stands: ****1/4+ Re-Watch: I watched a clipped version (maybe the first 6-7 minutes cut out) and it was still very good stuff. In fact, I'm comfortable putting it up a notch. Kawada was so damn stiff where the transition was that I'll warrant that he legit screwed Dr. Death up. There was a gaff by the TV crew as they showed both guys talking on the mat in between big moves & this seemed like an "uh-oh!" regarding kayfabe. I mean I probably could have done with out it. They weren't looking at each other & the camera was zoomed in tight on their faces so maybe they were talking to Wada the ref. It sorta killed the next spot though since you just saw them talking it out...possibly. Still damn good stuff & really good in putting over Kawada's big moves. People talk about K's performance but I thought he overdid the selling a couple times but other times I wasn't sure if he was really hurt or what so it balances out. Dr. Death I thought did very good as well but, his job as monstrous gaijin bruiser is much easier to portray. Still he does a damn good job! With a little more action at the end this could have been nibbling at 4.75 stars. Still if you want to see one match with Doc and/or Kawada this is not a bad one to go with...just a very nice example of AJ puroresu. ****1/2

Steve Williams vs. Kenta Kobashi Triple Crown (09/03/94) I thought they gave Kobashi a bit too much time to get over as the budding super hero but, overall it was a pretty damn good match. Williams was really fun and dangerous, if that's possible. Kobashi really knew when to turn his offensive stuff up a couple notches. Still, he needs someone to take his suplexes in order to appear multi-faceted. Much of his early stuff was chops and leg drops. Although he did get a couple backdrops & a German on Williams, the only convincing near-fall slam was the REDACTED. I still probably would like their '93 match better but this one was a nice companion and a must own for Dr. Death fans like myself. ****1/4

 Williams vs. Toshiaki Kawada Triple Crown (10/22/94) I liked this more than the Kobashi match as it never had a big Kawada on offense section where Williams wasn't try to spoil it. It really helped that both guys sold the effects of the fight so well. To augment that, they really went after each other's weak spots and there were allusions to the Carnival match but, it went in a better, more believable direction. In fact, contrary to all other reviewers I liked this better than the 04/16/94 match although the score is ultimately equal. ****1/2

Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs. Steve Williams & Johnny Ace (03/04/95) ****1/2
The accumulation of little things brought this match-up to a 4.5 star rating. The beginning portion was rather messy as far as it's direction and Dr. Death was being rather soft and cartoonish. My feeling is: if you're not comfortable striking then don't strike.  This rule really applies to Doc in this match. In they early portion, he was really a drain. Until he & Ace started working on Misawa's striking arm, this match was looking at a **1/2 rating. It was going nowhere but did have some cool moments/moves. Then the match worked up to boil. The moves had meaning and there was some urgency brought to each pinfall cover. Even then this match was only at a *** or ***1/2 (which compared to most other leagues is acceptable). At some point in time Misawa, Ace, & Kobashi got their shit together and took this match somewhere memorable. Doc, however, simply filled a role as the interloper...knocking people off aprons, ax-handling would be pinners, and the like. Although he must be commended for some of the most deadly moves of the match! Overall though, the only ones who brought intensity were Kobashi & Ace. Essentially it was a match between them with their respective partners as seconds.In regards to the length of the match at 36 min...let's say if they cut out the crap from the start and shaved of a few seconds worth of stalling this puppy could have been great. If they had condensed it to tag matches of old at 25 minutes or so, this would easily be ****3/4 stars, telling a story of native vs gaijin & one of equality but here it's a ****1/2 by a hair... 
    
Akira Taue vs. Steve Williams - Champion Carnival FINAL (04/20/96) This is quite physical in terms of slams and moves for two guys that don’t really take those big bumps. Every move wasn’t as crisply executed as hoped for. This was due to the men’s sizes. Still, it was quite amazing because they pulled them off in a believable manner; very much in the Tsuruta/Tenryu days. It was apparent that chemistry was not working on the same level as with the other 3 or 4 big natives. Kobashi would have been a great fit with either guy but, from a story perspective, I can understand. It is definitely something different and it must be commended for that. ****+
    
Mitsuharu Misawa/Jun Akiyama vs. Steve Williams/Johnny Ace (06/07/96) A pure 20+ minute spree of excitement and nearfalls. Ace has never looked better, and his chemistry with Akiyama is what made this match so great. Doc once out of the limelight really showed his strength as a brilliant tag wrestler (again). He and Ace were such a standout team because of this dynamic. Akiyama played his role brilliantly and Misawa was ace but also big brother (again). This was his role here and it was masterful as ever and touched an emotional nerve. The dynamic with Doc and Akiyama was rough in the early going but as it became more heated, one forgot this segment of the action. It was clear this match was for Ace and Akiyama to shine and they did not disappoint. ****1/2

If you have never checked out Dr. Death in AJPW, absolutely go watch these this week. If it's been a while since you've watched 90's AJPW then, pick a match or two to revisit. 

Thanks for reading!