Superstar Sleeze

Is there anything lamer than a super heavyweight with blue fucking flames tattooed to his head doing a cartwheel when he is announced by a ring announcer? Painful. Bigelow is pretty shitty in my opinion. I didnt realize how extensive his New Japan run was but he was trash in both the Inoki and Vader matches I watched. Just had no idea how to use his mass effectively. Bigelow always seemed to work too small in my opinion. The Lawler match is his best match and that is Lawler's masterpiece. He walked Bam Bam by the hand through that match. The Spike Dudley squash that Grimmas brought up, RULES! Greatest squash ever. The one match I think saw thrown out that I do want to emphasize is the Rob Van Dam match from April 4, 1998. That is the one match where I feel like Bam Bam finally wrestles like a monster. I am definitely going to try to watch more from his New Japan run. The WWF run happens with opponents I am not that interested in watching so it will be many years before I get to that. I will keep an open mind, but Bam Bam is far more likely to end up on a Top 100 Worst Wrestlers Ever for me.

I was the high voter on Stan Lane (see my bitchin' avatar) at #64. Shame on you, PWO, shame on you! I expect better from a Southern-fried board! He does suffer from being the second best person on both his main teams. I think the Eaton thing doesnt surprise anyone. I do think Keirn was the better brawler on the Fabs but because Lane has the Midnights run and reinvents himself as a Redneck Karate stooge that lifts him over Keirn. I was watching some footage from Crockett I had not seen before for the PTBN Greatest WCW Match Project and this match really leapt off the page for me so to speak. I tend watches for the intra-match narrative and how the performances serve the match and I rarely watch with how individual is doing outside the match if that makes sense. Ultimately this is why I prefer Greatest Match Projects to Greatest Wrestler Projects. I remember earmarking this in my mind to exhibit as an individual Stan Lane performance where he outshone both Ricky Morton and Bobby Eaton in a match which is a tall task. He will assuredly make my list again in 2026. Here is the match & review in question: NWA World Tag Team Champions Rock N Roll Express vs NWA US Tag Team Champions Midnight Express - NWA Worldwide 7/11/87 I am proud to be PWO's Official #1 Stan Lane fan tonight. Not only did he kill in the ring on this night, but he cuts a bitchin' promo on the outside. Corny gotten taken out the week prior by the RNRs I think to cover for a surgery or something related to the fall from the Scaffold. Lane calls Cornette a good Christian who gives 80% of his income to charities and co-wrote We Are The World. I popped for that! Terrific match! This is the type of pro wrestling I just live for. Stan Lane gives this feud a fresh new dynamic. He sells his ass off in this match. Whether, it was letting himself be kicked in the ass through the ropes or how he sold the leg work, the man put on a helluva performance. I liked how he would maneuver the ref so he could yank Morton down by the hair after Eaton had just been falsely complaining Gibson was pull his hair in the segment prior. Morton rockets him with punches. Dropkick. Lane pinballs for the Rock N Rolls in awesome fashion. The leg work by Rock N Rolls is so good, so tight. The key is Lane. He keeps it fun and entertaining. Heel in Peril at the beginning of 80s tag whether up North or down South is a tough thing to work. Lane the way he was verbally selling everything made it. I LOVED Eaton finally getting the tag ONLY to fall prey to a drop toehold and end up right back where his partner was. Finally Eaton crashes on Gibson with a knee from behind. Lane shows that mean streak. Snake Eyes on the railing and chokes with he cord. Strong heat segment. We dont see of those Beautiful Sweet Home Alabama rights but we get some real mean, nasty work from Lane. They work a spot where Morton keeps getting so incensed they are able to hurl Gibson over the top rope which is illegal. Gibson is good about selling, but not too much peppering in those pinning combinations to give the crowd hope. Eaton finally goes up for one of his highspots. He misses a gorgeous top rope elbow. Here comes Morton. He is full of piss & vinegar. Looks great. A meeting of the minds! Morton is directing traffic to set up DOUBLE DROPKICK on Eaton but he bumps the ref. Here comes Big Bubba Rogers who plants Morton with the Bossman Slam. He throws the ref back in. 1-2-3! New World Tag Champs?!? Wait?! I thought...huh...oh here's another ref to reverse the decision. Finish keeps it from my Top 3 MX vs RNRs matches but this will safely make my Top 100 JCP/WCW matches. Check out Stan Lane's performance not far behind is Gibson who is a great face in peril. Gibson will definitely make my Top 100 Wrestlers next time. The two unsung members of their tag team give standout performances in this banger. ****1/4

Lex Luger will make my Top 100 wrestlers. I am a big fan of power wrestling and hoss-style pro wrestling and I think Luger executes that style at a high level for a long time. In the next five years, I do want to watch Luger in Florida and Luger in WWF. I know @EricR is doing a project on the hunt for the best Luger in WWF match but it might have morphed into a Tony Halme/Ludvig Borga Complete & Accurate which also sounds accurate. I think the original Crocket run is strong enough along with the fact that he was actually pretty good in WCW from 96 to the end. I really enjoyed the Luger vs Savage pairing whenever that happened, that is an underrated combination. He has the Nitro win over Hogan. He was the biggest working babyface star in the biggest company in the world in 1997. I see him in the 75-100 portion. Awesome verbal seller. Explosive. Knew how to build matches on his own easiest example is the Pillman Halloween Havoc '89 match.

PWO how you have disappointed me so! One of the best compliments I have ever gotten at work is a dude coming up to me in the lab and saying "You are the realest muthafucka I have ever met". When I saw Nick Fuckin' Gage for the first, I said to myself, that's a real muthafucka. He has AUTHENTIC charisma out the yin yang. In a world of try-hards, he is just Nick Fuckin' Gage, ALL FUCKIN DAY! I live for it. I'll put it like this... This is what separates Kenta Kobashi from being #10 on my list to being in my top two. When he does the fist pump before the Moonsault, I am emotionally moved. His body posture, his facial expression, make me come alive! Sometimes I am pumping my fist and sometimes it brings literal tears to my eyes. Kobashi is 22 years older than me, speaks a language I dont speak and is from a culture I have never experienced, but in that moment we are completely and utterly connected. Nick Gage has the exact same effect on me live. When I shout "MDK ALL FUCKIN' DAY" it is not a pithy catchphrase, it is a way of life to be the Realest Muthafucka you can be. If you arent watching pro wrestling for the "vibes" what are you watching it for?

What is people’s major malfunction against people bumping on their side? It seems like such a weird aesthetic Hangup. People should bump how is comfortable to them. There are plenty of snap backs that look stupid as shit given a certain set of circumstances sometimes bumping differently would help. I was surprised my post was about heel DDP but good on me scummy heel midcard DDP ruled! His post-Lord of the Ring win was a great era. He was the last of the stooging heels. I think he was the Best Worker in 1998 & 1999. Every match dripped with effort, had a great hook and was a titanic struggle, Mortal lock for my Top 100 until the day I die!

It is really interesting to me that Malenko is living & dying on his 90s US run when he was already 33 in 1994. What was he is doing from 1986-1993? I saw him pop in All Japan, where else? I thought the discussion was pretty fair and I won’t rehash it but I did come across a new insight recently. It was only from one match and extrapolating from one match is very dangerous but I have zero desire to watch 90s Malenko to prove myself right or wrong. It was glaring how awful Dean was in the 1989 Fantastics match. He was doing these atrocious groggy stand on your feet sells that made it really difficult to transition to the next spot organically. He reminded me of a mini-Brody. He was trying to protect himself by not bumping and not really selling. It was NOT a badass no sell. It was just this lame groggy sell. He would drunken walk into the next spot and it looked terrible. Maybe somebody who has watched more Malenko recently can confirm or deny this. Is the problem with Malenko his Brody-Esque selling and consequently the shitty transitions that happen during his matches? Jetlag seemed to allude to this. Like I said it is dangerous to extrapolate from one match but I thought I’d toss this out here and see what people think.

Joe was way better than Dean in the Fantastics match on the All Japan set. I am shocked that being bereft of charisma was being levied at Joe based on the handful of matches I have seen him in. He not only does tricked out mat work better than Dean, he’s a better seller & bumper than Dean who looks like he is doing a mini-Brody gimmick. Joe did disappoint a little with Kobashi against the Can-Ams.

BOBBY FULTON IS INCREDIBLE! His selling in the Sheepherders match would make Ricky Morton green with envy. His punch is right up there with Bobby Eaton. Rogers was the athlete, workrate guy. Fulton was the heart & soul! Tons of charisma, passion, selling and a great right just how God intended Southern-Fried wrestling to be! Bobby Fulton has undoubtedly booty-shook his way into my Top 100!

Keirn vs Flair!!! How have I not seen this? Sign me the fuck up! Best toe kick to the gut in the history of Pro Wrestling! Fabulous Ones are one of the all-time greatest brawling tag teams in history, I could watch Fabs vs Moondogs for days. I was on the Titans Dylan mentions above and that Keirn vs Saito really stuck with me as special. Keirn vs Fujinami also excellent. Very snug, very technically sound. My kinda wrestler. Will most likely place but want to see more! it appears the Georgia Titans has been lost to time but thank you again @Ricky Jacksonfor having me on!

Continental is a rabbit hole I really want to go down. It being scattered and two territories (Knoxville vs Mobile) at once can be confusing, I am sure with a bit of effort it’d worth it. This is an excuse to post this blast from last Titans: https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/Xp9m2uuwGnLLXdov9 I actually had to look up if I was on this one. Exit Jerry Stubbs, Enter Mr. Olympia and “I Gotta Talk To Tom” are iconic. I remember Kelly, Johnny and Pete talking so I couldn’t remember if I was on the line or if it was just a really bitchin’ experience listening in the car. I have vague memories of the footage that’s why I thought I was not it and I am! Thank you @Ricky Jackson for including me! Meant a lot then, means a lot now! Mr. Olympia vs Chavo from Mid-South is awesome! I can’t recall any one thing he does particularly well but someone from a territory I want to watch more of.

I was really excited to watch the Can-Ams in 1989 and they have mostly been a letdown. Kroffat has been the bigger miss. Furnas is a guy I liked at first sight but hasn’t really gotten back to the level. Him & Bam Bam Bigelow were a harbinger of the power wrestlers doing gymnastics spots. Bigelow’s cartwheel during his introduction is one of the lamest things I have ever seen. Furnas routinely did a back handspring into a shoulder tackle spot that looks like it belongs in 2021. Drives me nuts. A big bugbear I have had recently is intentionally running away from your opponent in order to create space for you to run at them (see Omega, Kenny). That’s just one spot not the entire match in fairness. I am a sucker for stocky power guys throwing people around but the Steiners do that gimmick better, I am going to keep an open mind but he isn’t there yet. I will end with a positive note: it is really hard to Military Press Slam a human. I don’t mean to pick on Bianca Belair but I am a huge Belair mark but on the surface Belair Military Pressing Sasha Banks should be easy but it was wicked hard and it was botched. That’s just the first example I could think of but there’s plenty of times big yoked up dude has trouble Military Pressing someone. Muthafuckin Doug Furnas Military Pressed stocky Toshiaki Kawada from a standing neutral position! INSANE! The trick is usual to press a dude that is in motion but he pressed Kawada straight off his feet! What a stud!

I can’t sleep and so I started with the dead last thread and am working my way forward until my tired. Besides the Liger singles match, I think I have only seen Hoshino tags, if you watch him only once, it is immediate why he is a DVDVR/PWO favorite. His punch combination are Memphis-level and that really stands out in Japan where closed fists are rare. He has a natural charisma to him. He figuratively leaps off the canvas. He was standing out in ten-man’s with people like Inoki, Fujiwara, Maeda and Fujinami! That’s insane! I cant vote for him in good conscience because I haven’t seen enough but guys like Hoshino are my favorite. They make immediate, lasting impression because they are a star. I am a sucker for stars.

All Japan Triple Crown Champion Genichiro Tenryu vs Jumbo Tsuruta - AJPW 10/11/89 I disagree with the DVDVR voters and I think that this is the second best Jumbo vs Tenryu match not the inaugural 1987 match and I dont think it is very close to the 1988 match. I like the inaugural 1987 match as a #3 and then 1988 and the other 1987 are a gulf apart. Late 80s All Japan reminds me a lot of early 2000s Ring of Honor. It is very noisy wrestling. There is a lot of action, BUT it is definitely NOT a spotfest because there is so much struggle escalation, but at the same time there is not a hook or narrative that you can really sink your teeth into. I thought this match was more sticky than the others which is why I would rate it as #2. They started the match off with scouting similar to what they did in the famous 6/5/89. These spots would serve as the bedrock for the greatness of 90s All Japan which took inter-match storytelling to its highest level. Jumbo was very expressive at the beginning of the match. He was none too happy when Tenryu did not give him a clean break and gave him a shove and expressed his annoyance to the ref. Jumbo looked very confused when Tenryu evaded the first High Knee. The second High Knee Tenryu blocked and slashed Jumbo with a chop which he fired out of. Tenryu tried to set up his Enziguiri with an elbow but that didnt help much. As Jumbo avoided that. They went to working holds on the mat. The next flash point was Tenryu chopped Jumbo high. Jumbo is left gasping for breathe and is pissed. He shoves the ref down. Then murders Tenryu with a dropkick. That extension was just explosive. Baseball slide and slings him into the railing and cracks him with a chair. Back in the ring, Jumbo justifies everything to the ref by reminding him this was all caused because Tenryu was chopped in the throat. My favorite part of the match by far. Jumbo heat segment is solid here, good Big Boot, Butterfly Suplex and Boston Crab. Wisely they transition out to the second best part of the match, Tenryu's heat segment on Jumbo. Jumbo charges and eats a knee to the midsection. He crumples and writhes in pain. In most promotion, this is inconsequential, in All Japan they love their "side", "abdomen" psychology. Jumbo is squirming too much so Tenryu kinda fucks up the first kick, second kick, he has a clear mark and COWBOY KICK! The side injury allows Tenryu to hit his Enziguiri and his fancy new move, a Double Leg Takedown Lift (hes doesnt use underhooks, think of it like someone trying to powerbomb someone who was standing upright). I wouldnt think much of it but @Matt D told me it was a thing and definitely becomes a thing. They brawl on the outside. They fuck up a crossbody reversal spot. Jumbo comes out of it and hits a Belly to Belly Suplex to go on his second run. THESZ PRESS FOR TWO! It is bomb throwing time! Another mistiming this time on a bodyslam! You know what was NOT mistimed...THAT JUMBO DEATH LARIAT! He SMOKED HIM! The plume of sweat! That was awesome! Next thing I remember clearly is Tenryu used an Enziguiri to start a comeback and hit a more ordinary Back Suplex. Tenryu tries for the Powerbomb of course, but Jumbo back drops out and does a Tenryu style stomp to Tenryu exposed head. Hows that for a taste of your own medicine, asshole! Jumbo's Bomb Away Kneedrop as Tenryu has his head slightly lifted in the prone position was cool. Can I change my pick for my second favorite part of the match? Tenryu blasts Jumbo off the top with a Lariat and follows that up by running a table into Jumbo on the outside! Tenryu cannot negotiate the Poerbomb again try as he might. I love Powerbobm struggle spots. Tenryu just kinds dumps him on his head. Goddamn man! Jumbo goes for the Back Drop Driver! Tenryu shifts his weight shades of Martin's little brother! I always mark out for that spot! Jumbo DEATH LARIAT! He got all of that! Wow! DANGEROUS BACK DROP DRIVER! Too close to the ropes! Jumbo tries for a Powerbomb/Piledriver but cant negotiate it. Tenryu goes back to the Double Leg Takedown Lift and Jumbo does a Jumbo Hurricanarana for the win! In a move that inspired Misawa for decades to come! Loved Jumbo losing his shit! Enjoyed Tenryu working the side. I thought the finish stretch was a portent of things to come, Big Bombs that were timed perfectly, that felt earned and crescendo'd perfectly. ****3/4

Thanks Brutha! So fascinating!

AJPW World Tag Team Champions Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu vs Genichiro Tenryu & Toshiaki Kawada - AJPW 8/29/89 REVOLUTION IS BACK BABY! Rematch of one of the best matches of the year right here! Jumbo & Yatsu have since won the tag titles back from Hansen & Tenryu which we do have on tape if I have time I will try to review that. Stream of consciousness baby: Jumbo and Tenryu to stat! Heated as always. Tenryu bowls Jumbo over and goes for the Powerbomb early. He gives up. Jumbo gets an armbar takedown. They trade chops as Jumbo garners wrist control. Tenryu evades the High Knee and grabs the ankles and reverses Jumbo direction which was cool. Tenryu tags in Kawada. Kawada spinning heel kick. Kawada wraps Jumbo in a front chancery. Jumbo destroys Kawada with a kneelfit. Kawada eats Yatsu knee and it is back to Kawada midsection with the kneelift and then sidewalk slam. Tenryu tags in. Yatsu cuts him off with chops and big dropkick. Yatsu believes a good offense a great defense. Yatsu headbutts in the corner. Yatsu taking it to him. Tenryu gets kneelift and wicked cracking chops against Yatsu tags in Kawada. Kawada missile dropkick as Tenryu held him. Kawada spinning heel kick and baseball slde. Kawada brings such great energy to these tags. Yatsu is selling on the outside and taking time to regroup. He is not dumb asks ref to keep Kawada back. Kawada looks for singles leg but maneuvers him back into Tenryu. They do the Footloose spot ending in a Spinning Heel Kick. Tenryu Enziguiri as they are starting to consolidate their advantage against Yatsu. Yatsu's head meets Kawada's knee, Kawada tags in. Kawada Kicks look ferocious some of the best he has ever thrown. Yatsu catches a kick into Human Capture suplex great transition! Off to a rollicking start! Jumbo tags in. High knee! JUMBO PILEDRIVER! 1-2-No. Crowd didnt buy it. I liked it. Jumbo wraps him up in a sleeper and Tenryu kicks right in the head. They trade chops in the big scuffle. Kawada comes flying in a with a Spinning Heel Kick. Tenryu Enzguiri. Tenryu German for two. Kawada crossbody on Jumbo as Tenryu holds him. Kawada headscissors on Jumbo. I have really enjoyed this match so far. Some gravitas to the workrate. Tenryu cowboy kicks to Jumbo while in the hold. Yatsu takes umbrage to this and a skirmish breaks out. That was cool, you dont see that often, the illegal man coming in to add insult to injury as opposed to break it up. Jumbo gets to his belly anad escapes. Kawada goes flying into the buckles and really sells his side. Remember all those kneelifts to the side earlier in the match! Jumbo signals to the crowd he is ready to kick ass. Kawada is such a great seller. Backbreaker focused on side. Kawada is left writhing in pain. Jumbo kneelift and Kawada's bump and selling are incredible. Jumbo abdominal stretch and Yatsu crashes down onto Kawada. Yatsu charging kneelfit. This is awesome! Again! Kawada collapses to the outside through the ropes. Kawada rules! Jumbo throws him back in. Back Suplex by Yatsu. Yatsu abdominal stretch. Tenryu slaps Yatsu to break it up. Kawada Enziguiri. Yatsu crawls but cant stop him. Tenryu Mack Truck Lariat on Yatsu. He throws him out. Yatsu slings an injured but game Kawada into the railing. Dont be bringing that into my house! Tenryu kicking the injured Yatsu. Tenryu works on an armbar on Yatsu. Tenryu swift kick and Kawada kicks pour it on. Kawada kicks into Yatsu but it feels like it might be too early for him to come back. He is still wincing and clutching his side. He works a crossarmbreaker. Yatsu escapes and they struggle on he mat. Kawada knees him in head and tags in Tenryu. Tenryu kicks Yatsu in the head and Yatsu enziguiri, great Tenryu sell. Classic Tenryu stomp to Yatsu's head that looks criminal. Kneedrop on Yatsu and meaty chops. Yatsu GERMAN SUPLEX! 2! Kawada saves. Kawada tagged in and Kawada bodyslam. Kawada kneedrop. Sneaky good heat segment on Yatsu here. Kawada tries to powerbomb Yatsu but it IS just too much. Jumbo tags in not a lot of fire JUMBO POWERBOMS KAWADA! Ok I see you Jumbo. Tenryu kick to the head to break up the pinfall and another while Jumbo is on ground. Jumbo lights Tenryu's shit up and then knocks the ref down. Jeez Jumbo dont have to get hot about it. Ref has a broken nose! What the fuck! Rewinding for that. This tag became a VERY HOT TAG! Rewound. Jumbo fucking smoke the ref on that SWAT! Jumbo Death Bodyslam on Kawada! Havent seen one of those in a while. Nobody with a better bodyslam. He does another one. High Knee Sandwich, I am pretty sure the commentator has been calling that spot a Sandwich the whole time too. Yatsu piledriver! 1-2-NO! Crowd has been pretty dead for this badass match! Dont they know there will be a Pandemic in 31 years and they have to savor every moemnt of this! Jumbo creams Kawada with a big boot. Tenryu breaks it up. Jumbo misses Kawada on a High Knee but reconfigures and clobbers Tenryu with an elbow. Kawada ROARS BACK WITH A OUT OF CONTROL LARIAT! Tag to Tenryu! Enziguiri! Tenryu chops! Slashing! Bodyslam Reverse Top Rope Elbow! Yatsu yanks him off. Tenryu tags in Kawada. Kawada Kick and Jumbo falls to his ass. Kawada Top Rope Sunset Flip! Crowd is starting to heat up. Frequent tags. Tag to Tenryu. Double shouldertackle. Tenryu blasts away with chops. Jumbo misses the elbow when Tenryu ducks. Awesome! Kawada misses the Spinning Heel Kick, Jumbo Death Lariat! Tenryu saves! Tenryu tags in. Jumbo High Knee! Jumbo is his won hot tag! Jumbo misses LARIAT IN CORNER Mack Truck Lariat by Tenryu! Yatsu breaks it up and attacks Tenryu. Tenryu slaps him. Jumping High KICK Right to Jumbo's Face! POWERBOMB! Illegal Yatsu pulls him off and powerbombs Tenryu! INSANITY! Jumbo tags out! Yatsu is clobbering with swinging lariats and knees in the corner. This matches rules so hard! Jumbo is cheerleading. Tenryu refuses to be bulldogged. Yatsu keeps trying. Kawada comes flying into the screen with a Spinning Heel Kick. MARK OUT CITY! Tenryu Enziguiri. Tenryu Powerbomb NOT TODAY SAYS Jumbo! Tenryu misses the crossbody didnt think I have seen that. Yatsu inverted Figure-4 and Kawada rifles him with a barrage of kicks. Enziguiri/Spinning Heel Kick sandwich. Kawada German for two. Tenryu BLASTS Jumbo off the apron. Doesnt look good for the champs! Yatsu catches Kawada off the top rope with a powerslam. Crazy spot! Crazy back suplex for the win! Jumbo & Yatsu retain! What the fuck how this is not as highly regarded as the first match! I think this match is just as good if not better! I thought there was a lot more selling and stickiness to the spots. The Jumbo vs Tenryu shit was red hot just ask the ref! The finish was killer. I think I need to watch both matches back to back. Wicked good! ****3/4

So follow up question, what happened to Ashura Hara? His last match for All Japan was against Taue on 10/28/88. Then he doesnt wrestle again until 1991 for SWS? What happened there? Now understanding Hara was out of the picture, the Hansen being Tenryu's tag partner makes more sense.

Genichiro Tenryu & Stan Hansen vs Giant Baba & Rusher Kimura - AJPW 11/29/89 Got a little taste of the old man team in an earlier six-man that featured Tenryu beating Fuchi like he fucked his girlfriend. Baba was Baba, such an amazing presence. Kimura seemed fine, interested to see what they can do against this Superpowers tag team. Part of the Real World Tag League and this will be done in the stream of consciousness style: TENRYU DIVES ON BABA WHILE BABA IS STILL IN THE KIMONO OUTSIDE THE RING AND KNOCKS BABA OUT COLD AGAINST THE RAILING! ALL THE STARS! What an awesome start! Kimura starts headbutting Tenryu grabbing his hair and trying to exact revenge and survive & thrive. Bulldog by Kimura for two and we are off to a red hot start! Hansen tags in. Kimura is all headbutts maybe an eye rake. Someone is checking on Baba. Lariat by Kimura on Hansen and Kimura tries to open up Hansen with punches. Hansen stymied by Kimura. Hansen tags in Tenryu. MACK TRUCK LARIAT ON THE OLD MAN! Tenryu is pelting him with shots. Kimura can only headbutt! He is tenacious and it is all he has. Kimura chants. Tenryu Enziguiri! Hansen in and throws Kimura out. He bashes Kimura's head into the railing. Sets up the announce tables and bashed Kimura head into that. Tenryu smashes the table into Kimura's head. Hansen does it again. This is a great strategy against man's whose sole offense is headbutts. Or it could backfire because his head is so hard. Hansen sticks with the bashing the head strategy. Cold spray on Baba! Kimura knows no PAIN! He makes his comeback with headbutts completely. Choking Hansen. To quote Kal Rudman THAT IS BLOOD! Kimura is bleeding not surprisingly. Tenryu attacks Kimura and it is two on one. Great heel shit against and old fucking man. Double teaming him. What a bunch of assholes. Tenryu big boots to the cut. BABA IS ON HIS FEET!!! Tenryu gets two in the ring. Tenryu runs Kimura's head into Hansen's elbow. Shouldertackle by Hansen great cover only gets two, big pop. Hansen kicks to the head. Tenryu chops. BABA IS ON THE APRON! Tenryu sees it and keeps kicking Kimura in the head. Baba stomps Hansen's head on a cover! That was awesome! Baba selling like a mutha on the apron. Tenryu is LIGHTING KIMURA UP! Tenryu STRIKES HIM DOWN! Baba is mobile. Top Rope Reverse Elbow for two! Kimura wont stay down! Tenyu's stomp to Kimura's head is fucking criminal. Hansen elbows Kimura's cut. Tenryus knees the cut. This is a mugging! Baba is winding up. Time to get involved, Big Fella! Tenryu Enziguiri. Tenryu Chops Baba on the apron. Baba tells him come back over here. Tenryu charges into the corner and runs into Kimura's head. ALL TIME GREAT TRANSITION! THE MUTHA OF ALL HOT TAGS! BABA TIME! Baba mows him down with a big boot! Big Boot for Hansen. Russian Legsweep by Baba selling the ribs! Hansen elbow to break it up! Baba attacks Hansen but here comes Tenryu. They are double teaming Baba! Baba head into knee. Baba realizes there is no Kimura. Tenryu charges and eats the chop! Baba Neckbreaker Drop! Hansen breaks it up. Baba is lying clutching his ribs. Hansen jabs the chair into Baba ribs! Baba Abdominal Stretch! Baba is a stud! Hansen breaks it up to boos. Tenryu slaps the bad rips. Overhand Chop! Tenryu tags in Baba. Hansen torpedo lunge at the bad ribs. Baba eye pokes! Baba overhand chop and big chop. Tenryu tags in and forearms to the bad side. This is kinda dragging, hate to admit it. It has been so damn good. They are belaboring the point. Hansen is tenaciously going after the ribs. Tenryu and Hansen double team chops. Baba Big Boot on a charging Tenryu gets the crowd going again but only gets two! Baba neckbreaker for two! Baba armbar takedown but Hansen saves. Baba chops Hansen who is selling like Arn Anderson for Baba and foot on ropes. Cowboy Kicks! Double Shouldertackle. Double Suplex on Baba. Tenryu tries the Reverse Top Rope Elbow but Baba Back Supelx for two! Hansen back on the bad side. Spike Piledriver! Baba had trouble with that but Bab kicks out! Kimura on his knees. They reign elbows down on Baba like Ziggler on Lawler, too soon? The Tenryu/Hansen Powerbmb double team and Baba looks down. Kimura trips Hansen! WESTERN LARIAT ON KIMURA! Well he dead. Baba kicks out. Tenryu Enziguiri on Baba. Tenryu really revs up gets a monster head of steam but eats the Big Boot! Hansen goes FUCKING FLYING on The Western Lariat! Baba back drop out of Powerbomb for two. Tenryu Powerbomb on Baba! I am terrified! 1-2-3! Holy Shit Tenryu pinned BABA~! GODDAMN HE LEFT THE COMPANY LIKE SIX MONTHS LATER! INSANITY! They are lucky Baba didnt break his neck. Tenryu powerbombs are scary under normal circumstances nevermind with old man Baba! I really loved the beginning, the hot tag and the finish! That dive totally caught me off guard and I was immediately hooked. All the Kimura stuff was super engrossing. Loved the reliance on the head, working the head and for the transition to be head-related. We all knew it was building to the hot tag. The hot tag ruled! I think they could have been more efficient. Let Baba get all his big spots in and have them break it up. Do the two on one, have Hansen take Kimura's head off and Tenryu pin Baba. I think they did too much work the side over. Baba was not a good enough seller to keep it interesting. Lets not dwell on the negative because 90% of this match was excellent pro wrestling! ****1/2

AJPW World Tag Team Champions Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu vs Genichiro Tenryu & Stan Hansen - AJPW 7/11/89 Question for @KinchStalker why did they isolate Tenryu from Revolution and Hansen from the rest of the gaijin? Why did they make this superteam? When Tenryu/Hara or Tenryu/Kawada and Hansen/Gordy feels so natural? This match did not make the All Japan DVDVR set, rather it was a nomination of the GME Project forum which you can join here gweproject.freeforums.net and the link for the nomination is here: https://gweproject.freeforums.net/thread/699/hansen-tenryu-jumbo-yatsu-ajpw No stream of consciousness because I have to watch this on my computer instead of the TV, but this one is easy to review because the heat segments last a little longer, which I like. Tenryu who defeated Jumbo the previous month for the Triple Crown tries to goad Jumbo into starting the match. Yatsu tries to persuade him. Hansen gets involved. The ref doesnt give a fuck and rings the bell anyways with all four men in the ring. I liked the chaotic start. Jumbo big boots Tenryu to win the first segment and quickly raises his arm to win the small victory because here comes Hansen. Nothing too memorable until Tenryu comes back in. I think Hansen had won the advantage and Tenryu consolidated with an Enziguiri. My recollection is Jumbo tags out and Yatsu double legs the shit out of Tenryu. Yatsu looks like an amateur stud. Hansen ends up attacking Yatsu illegally I believe which allows Tenryu to regain the advantage. Yatsu fights out of a Figure-4 headlock. When faced with Hansen, Yastu tags out to Jumbo. This when the match kicks in for me. Jumbo immediately grabs wrist control and does the over the shoulder armbreaker on Hansen. Hansen powders and Jumbo gives chase and wraps the arm around the ring. In a lot of the workrate-heavy All Japan tags, moments like this are missing. Yatsu follows up with a cross-armbreaker on Hansen which I enjoy. Hansen eventually scraps his way out and Yatsu immediately bulldogs Tenryu which I liked. Next up is Jumbo who cant negotiate the Powerbomb on Tenryu. Tenryu tags out and Hansen injured Jumbo's side. Usually it is Hansen selling his side. Tenryu is able to hot the Reverse Top Rope Elbow drop for two. Jumbo follows up with a Back Drop Driver to get himself out of trouble and tag in Yatsu. I think up until thus point Jumbo & Yatsu have always been the Super Team. Now that Tenryu & Hansen have ditched their junior partners and teamed up, Jumbo & Yatsu finally feel outgunned here and they are more surviving. Yatsu does pretty well against Hansen slamming him aroung and throwing some Enziguiris but a nasty reverse elbow gets Tenryu in. Yatsu beats up Tenryu in corner. Jumbo/Yatsu go for the Footloose spot and Jumbo is whipped in to do his customary High Knee, but he is too overzealous and goes careening over the top rope and injuring his knee. At the end of 15 minutes or so of action, we are left watching Hansen and Jumbo pick apart Jumbo's knee. I have liked this match moreso than most All Japan tags from this era because they are letting things breathe more. Next five minutes rock! Hansen & Tenryu are relentless on the knee/leg. Yatsu saves more and more frequently as the heat segment wears on and as the situation looks more and more dire for Jumbo. Tenryu works a legbar which he had been throwing out randomly in a lot of matches in the late 80s but makes a lot more sense here. Then an inverted figure-4. A mini-climax in all this is Tenryu hits Jumbo with a Powerbomb! Jumbo kicks out and Yatsu saves simultaneously. I love how Jumbo is always looking for the tag and keeps getting cut off. I love how Yatsu starts interfering as soon as a hold is applied after the Powerbomb. No time to waste! The best one is Yatsu attacks Tenryu who is legal. Hansen walks right over them and literally drags Jumbo out of the ring by his injured leg and goes to town with a chair on it all the while Tenryu & Yatsu are scrapping. Hansen clubs a young boy who is trying to pry him off Jumbo. Yatsu sees red and just snaps with the chair attacking Hansen jabbing into his throat only for Tenryu to make the save. That was just glorious. It was raucous mayhem at its finest. Tenryu ends up sitting in a Single Leg Crab on Jumbo after all that. Hansen directing traffic says lets up the ante. They do a Double Team Powerbomb! Yatsu is in full Kobashi mode trying to save Jumbo as best he can but keeps getting swatted away. He comes in and CLOBBERS Hansen with a chair while he is sitting in a Single Leg Crab. Hansen & Tenryu walk him out into the crowd. Weird spot as there is literally no highspot. Jumbo fires up! He hollers to the crowd and lets him know he is making his comeback. He foolishly hits a High Knee on Hansen. This causes a momentary hesitation and BANG~! WESTERN LARIAT! He who hesitates is lost. NEW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS! Tenyu has all the gold! Really enjoyed this one and shocked it didnt make the AJPW DVDVR Set. Was it not available at the time? The reason it stands out is that it less workrate-oriented and more focused on narrative-building and the characters. The leg work on Jumbo really gives you something to sink your teeth into and it is paid off so well! The finish surprised me as I thought Jumbo & Yatsu were World Tag Team Champions all year so I wasnt expecting the title switch! Thanks @Boss Rock for the recommendation, loved this! ****1/2

This disappoints me greatly. Doane was one of the best parts of the original Beyond Unchartered Territory series. He was one of the best live heels I have seen in years. He had that wild-eyed, unhinged look in his eyes that really made you believe he might take a swipe at a fan or clock a wrestler. Then he could flip a switch and have a yellow streak a mile wide, bumping and feeding for babyfaces. He had a great punch to transition to heat. Heels should be cruel and cawardly. He had that in spades. If he can articulate what he did in Beyond that will be a big boon for WWE, but if he is like a lot of wrestlers and doesnt even realize what he is good at, it will be a waste.

Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu vs Dan Kroffat & Doug Furnas - AJPW 11/29/89 I wanted to see how Kroffat & Furnas would hang with the heavyweights. This is towards the end of the Real World Tag League. Jumbo & Yatsu were the dominant heavyweight team all year and the Can-Ams were pretty dominant in the junior ranks. Lets see what happens! Stream of consciousness: Yatsu is wearing headgear that would make the Dog Faced Gremlin jealous. Yatsu and Furnas to start. Yatsu gets a hammerlock early and reversal by Furnas. Stump puller by Yatsu and Furnas kangaroo kick off. Jumbo asks to come in. Jumbo headlock takeover. Jumbo wrenches the headlock. Furnas gets his typical shine sequence of dropdown, leapfrog, dropsault, back handreping but he over overshot and kinda lands on the ropes and then he fucks up the shoulder tackle nad Furnas sells his own knee. Jumbo works the leg but Kroffat breaks that up Jumbo tags in Yatsu who works Furnas' leg. Furnas gets an enziguiri and tags in Kroffat. Yatsu bowls Kroffat over on a criss cross. Yatsu armwringer. Kroffat Nice overhead takeover into a crossarmbreaker but Yast clasps his hands. Yatsu grounds and pounds and Kroffat goes to the eyes to get the crossarmbreaker. Kroffat chop. Kroffat clothesline when he cant get him over on a hiptoss. Kroffat tags in Furnas. Furnas jumping reverse elbow but Yatsu too close to the ropes. Furnas Fujiwara armbar on Yatsu. Yatsu dropkick Furnas. Jumbo back to wok on Furnas leg. Holy shit they are carrying psychology through more than one segment. (It was not to last sadly!) Korffat big boot to break up a Boston Crab. Jumbo is pissed and he slams Furnas head into the buckles right in front of Kroffat who tags in. Lets see how wise that is. Lockup, Jumbo headlock, Kroffat top wristlock, Kroffat hiptoss! Kroffat Enziguiri! Impressive! Jumbo slams Kroffat gets a Semi-Death Lariat that knocks Kroffat out of the ring. Jumbo brings Kroffat over to Yatsu. Double Chop. Yatsu suplexes Kroffat. Yatsu bulldog. and Saito Suplex. Yatsu loves his bombs. Furnas breaks up pin. Kroffat stomps head and Yatsu BIG verbal selling. (This ends up being the differentiating point of the match while Can-Ams working Yatsu's head and him hollering in pain and agony). Double headbutt to Yatsu's injured head. This is great. I am loving Yatsu's selling. This feels big and important. Jumbos pleading with the ref. Great stuff. The Furnas dropdown into the Kroffat superkick is a great spot. Kroffat stomp on Yatsu's head. Yatsu powder and Kroffat drops and elbow on head. KROFFAT SLAMS A CHAIR ON YATSU HEAD! That was insane! Holy shit! Kroffat dropdown into a Furnas powerslam and Jumbo saves. Yatsu was crawling for tag but Furnas pounces into a front chancery then back stomping the head as the ref tries to break it up. Furnas bodyslam on Yatsu. Kroffat misses the Superfly Splash. Hot tag to Jumbo! HIGH KNEE BY JUMBO! ANOTHER ONE FOR FURNAS! HELL YEAH! Jumbo abdominal stretch on Kroffat. Banana split rollup but too close to the ropes. Yatsu tags back in. High Knee Sandwich! Yatsu belly to belly suplex on Kroffat. Yatsu powerslam. Yatsu is out-Furnasing Furnas. Jumbo top rope high knee on Kroffat. Kroffat kicks out. Jumbo attempts piledriver but Kroffat deadweights him and Jumbo comes back with lariat and double axehandle. Yatsu kneelift on Kroffat. Butterfly suplex by Yatsu. SPIKE PILEDRIVER! Furnas breaks it up. Jumbo Boston Crab this time on Kroffat and switches to Single Leg Cab. Furnas big meaty Lariat knocks Jumbo off his base. Yatsu Kneecrusher on Kroffat and then into his own version of the Figure-4. Furnas uses his sucky kick to break it up. Kroffat DDT. Kroffat tags out. Furnas comes in fiery and dropsault on Yastu. Military Press on Yatsu who is a big boy that was impressive. Yatsu headbutt which seems like a bad idea given his condition but he is all in. Kroffat comes in illegally kicks the back of Yatsu's injured head. Kroffat tags in and it is back to the head. Hart Attack Dropkick Style! Furnas dropkick on Jumbo but pinfall still interrupted. Double DDT ON YATSUt! Jumbo saves! Double shouldertackle on Jumbo. Jumbo big boot while in Full Nelson. Yatsu Germans Furnas. Kroffat Big lariat on Jumbo and Spinning Heel Kick and Superkick. Jumbo throws his ass down. DONT BE BRINING THAT IN MY HOUSE! I wish Jumbo did the Dikembe Mutombo Finger Wag. DANGEROUS BACK DROP DRIVER! Jumbo wins! After a year of just workrate, workrate, workrate that was only differentiated by character work and charisma we finally get a match with some narrative built around Yatsu's head injury and which is why he has the headgear on. Kroffat and Furnas finally show what they can do with a story. Kroffat cracking Yatsu with a chair was nasty. Jumbo killing everyone with High Knees ruled! They did go back to the head. I am not surprised they did the quick finish given that Jumbo was much higher on the card and I liked the definitive finish. Strong match. ***3/4

Masa Fuchi, Dan Kroffat & Doug Furnas vs Kenta Kobashi & British Bulldogs - AJPW 11/19/89 BABY KOBASHI~! is a big draw also is watching the British Bulldogs in All Japan. Furthermore, I think watching more Masa Fuchi and the Can-Am Express is important too. This is on the same night as the opening of the Real World Tag League. It is a Late 80s All Japan tag match so I will be doing this stream of consciousness: Dynamite looks ghastly as a skinhead. Davey Boy looks pretty normal. It has been a long time since I watched a Dynamite or Davey Boy match. Fuchi and Dynamite to start. Dynamite wins a shouldertackle battle and a snap suplex with not as much snap as normal. Fuchi arm wringer and drag. Dynamite elbows out. Fuchi front trip and armbar but tag out to Kobashi and Fuchi responds by tagging out Kroffat. Kroffat throws some stylized karate kicks to psyche out Kobashi. Headlock, Headscissor get it again. Stand off. Greco-Roman Knucklelock. Kobashi is the first to bridge. Reverse leg sicssors by Kroffat into a legbar. Kobashi scoots to a tag to Davey Boy. Davey Boy vs Furnas should be a lot of fun when that happens. Davey Boy vs Kroffa first. Davey Boy tackle and Kroffat tags Furnas in. They knew where the money was! POWER VS POWER! This should be good. Davey Boy headlock. Shouldertackle stalemate. Furnas dropdown, leapfrog on repeat until a Furnas dropsault. Furnas shines first. Davey Boy tags in Dynamite. Dynamite headlock on the powerhouse. Shouldertackle stalemate. Furnas leapfrog and dropsault and heres the back handspring, three point stance tackle by Furnas on Dynamite. Definitely a regular Furnas spot. Kobashi tags in. Kobashi knucklelock overhead takeover for two. Furnas struggles back into his own corner. Kroffat tags in. He throws some nice kick combinations on Kobashi. Kobashi punts on the telegraphed backbody. He works the back drop/bridge sequence with Kroffat. Kobashi Argentine Backbreaker. Furnas DECKS Kobashi on an illegal lariat to kelp out Kroffat. Kobashi punches on a leapfrog, but Kroffat get an armbar takedown. Dynamite saves. Fuchi tags in and now Davey Boy. Fuchi chants! Davey Boy throws him down on a lockup, Fuchi sells this well and crowd seems delighted. Fuchi headlock takeover. Davey Boy Military press. Furnas Military Press on Kobashi. In stereo. Standoff. That was badass! Really cool spot. (One of the two coolest spots of the match).Fuchi breaks that up with a dropkick, which go way to keep the match moving. Davey Boy press him halfway across ring on the pinfall kickout. Koffat tags in but Davey Boy wants Furnas. Very cool Kroffat flip and land on his feet on the back body drop. Davey Boy lands on his feet on monkey flip. Koffat Thesz Press off top but Davey converts that into a Boston Crab. Fuchi breaks it up. Dynamite hooking clothesline on Kroffat. Kobashi boydslams Kroffat on the foor. Dynamite hits a Diving Headbutt on the floor. Dynamite whips Kroffat so hard into the railing he fucking breaks the railing. Snap Splex on the floor. Kobashi chop overhand Kroffat in the corner. Kobashi Kappou Kick! Furnas tags in. Kobashi cuts him off at the pass. Furnas fights through it. Snap Belly to Belly Suplex. Kobashi gets foot up on charge. Kobashi lunging shoulderblock knocks Furnas and himself loopy. Furnas tags out to Kroffat. Dynamite chops Kroffat. Spinning heel kick by Kroffat who gets some offense in. Dynamite catches a kick into a Dragon Leg Screw. Dynamite has been lacking his customary spark and snap to his moves. Dynamite legdrop. 15 minute time call. I expect the match to pick up. Davey Boy and Fuchi in. Fuchi chants. Fuchi hiptoss. Short Arm Scissors by Fuchi. Davey Boy does the Bob Backlund spot! KOBASHI MISSILE DROPKICK WHILE DAVEY BOY HELD FUCHI UP! Worth it for just that spot alone! So cool! Dynamite misses a charge, Fuchi crucifix for a very close two. Fuchi tags in Furnas who powerslams Kobashi. Furnas bodyslams Kobashi. Kroffat Superfly Splash. Furnas dropdown into a Kroffat Superkick. Kroffat DDT on Kobashi. Fuchi dropkick on Kobashi. Pretty sustained heat on Kobashi. Kobashi/Fuchi suplex struggle that Koashi wins. Kobashi tags in Dynamite. Dynamite forearm shivers but Fuchi enizguiri! Fuchi punches to Dynamite's nose. Davey Boy shoves him off. Fuchi slam on Dynamite. Dynamite Superplex! Davey Boy Press Slams Dynamite onto Fuchi! Super Oklahoma Slam by Davey Boy wins the match. Davey Boy and Furnas get in a shoving match. Bulldogs & Kobashi win the match. Feels like they may be building to the Bulldogs vs Can-Ams in the All Asia Tag Team division. I dont know if that comes to fruition. The dueling Military Press Slams by Davey Boy and Furnas was very cool. Dynamite didnt look good. Kobashi didnt feel special which is weird because he felt very special in July. Davey Boy definitely carried it on his team. I like Furnas, Kroffat still doesnt do much. This was a pretty standard All Japan tag tea match with a lot of frequent tags and action. The two Davey Boy highspots put this in the very good category. ***1/2

All Asia Tag Team Champions Dan Kroffat & Doug Furnas vs Toshiaki Kawada & Ricky Fuyuki - AJPW 10/20/89 The third iteration of this matchup which is highly regarded that has not yet blown me away. I feel they are in good to great status. The Can-Ams underwhelmed me against Kobashi & Joe Malenko too. Always have an open mind, lets see what they do here, it is a 1989 AJPW Tag team match, stream of consciousness: Interested to see what the crowd dynamics for this are. Kroffat shoulder tackles Fuyuki. Kroffat works a crossarmbreakr on Fuyuki. It is 1989 so this is not sold properly. Fuyuki stomps his way out. Tags in Kawada. Kawada has been great in so much of 1989. Really want to see a great performance here from hm. Double shoulder tackle. Bodyslam/Senton combo. Kawada kicks kicks in the corner. Kroffat nails him right on the button with a superkick. Kawada throws his ass down. Furnas comes in. Fuyuki tags in too. Furnas knucklelock no? Fuyuki slaps him and Furnas does not take liking to that. [EDIT: This was the spark that led to the heated Can-Ams/Fuyuki interactions throughout the match] Furnas has Fuyuki on the ropes and slaps him and then kicks him through the ropes. It is mugging on the outside. They thrash Fuyuki. Furnas tags in Kroffat. Double shoulder tackles by Can-Ams. Kroffat Single Leg Crab on Fuyuki. Kroffat DDT on a telegraphed back drop by Fuyuki. Gets two and Kroffat wraps him in a chinock. Crowd has been pretty dead thus far. Another fine match so far. I liked the Furnas/Fuyki stuff the most so far. Kroffat spinning heel kick on Fuyuki. Fuyuki Lariat. Kawada Hot Tag, Spinning Heel Kick, Snap Suplex! Kawada brings some energhy! Kroffat covers up as the Kawada onslaught continues. Kawada throws him out. Kawada whips him into the railing. Fuyuki hard chop. Spinning Heel Kick sends him over the railing as Furnas checks on hom. Kroffat throws A ROW OF CHAITS in anger. Fuyuki throws them back! It is mugging of Fuyuki in the crowd! This sick! Kawada throws Kroffat in. Furnas tags in. Furnas Belly to Belly Suplex! Furnas drops into a cross armbreaker. Again this is treated like a resthold in 1989 which sucks! Terrific Military Press Slam of Kawada, Furnas back handspring so he can create more space for a lunging shouldertackle. What is this 2021? Kroffat Superfly Splash, Kroffat spits at Fuyuki. Double DDT on Kawda. Kroffat works a headlock. Kroffat Guillotine catapult on Kawada. Kawada Mack Truck Lariat! Fuyuki tags in. FOOT LOOSE CHARGE TRAIN! Furnas comes in and attacks Fuyuki to buy Kroffat some time. Big Furnas/Fuyuki brawl! HOLY SHIT! ARGENTINE BACKBREAKER GONE AWRY! Kroffat tries one, which is Furnas' forte and ends dropping Fuyuki like an out of control Razor's Ede. Damn. Furnas dropsault. Dropdown into a Kroffat spinning heel kick. Great double team chemistry. Crowd is wicked dead. I thin this is a step down but still pretty good. The Furnas/Fuyuki stuff has been great. Furnas Lariat in corner leaves Fuyuki slumps down in corner. Kroffat kicks in the corner. Nice Kroffat LARIAT! Kawada saves. Kroffat gets a version of the Rocking Horse submission. Lots more holds in this match but because they are not doing sustained heat segments they dont feel like they mean as much. Kawada finally has enough and kicks Kroffat in the face. Fuyuki suplex on Kroffat but Kroffat is the one up first. They do the ol double noggin knocker on a criss cross. Kroffat sells it well to tags in Furnas. Furnas needs to work on his kicks. Furnas powerslam. 15 mnutes time call expect this one to pick up. Fuyuki tags out. Kawada missile dropkick. Spinwheel kick by Kawada. Somersualt splash on Kroffat. Powerbomb by Kawada popped me. Furnas breaks it up. Furnas gets distracted beating up Fuyuki. Kawada Lariat. Kawada decides to save Fuyuki with a crazy slingshot plancha. They do a Thesz Press Doomsday Device and Kawada blocks Furnas...1-2-3! New All Asia Tag Team Champions! I will say this Kawada is definitely NOT the problem in these matches! He is the one that consistently brings the energy and the fire. Furnas has been kind of downhill since the first match. I like Furnas more than I like Kroffat who has not shown me much. I think the big disconnect for me is that they act like Fuyuki is this ultimate little shit, heatseeker but he is not even like a Top 50 prick in Japanese wrestling history. I liked seeing him get mugged and bringing some fire out of the Can-Ams but I dont really feel that heat. It seems like it is a me thing because the June crowd loathed Fuyuki and I didnt really get that either. It was a very good workrate tag but nothing super special. ***1/2

Stan Hansen & Genichiro Tenryu vs Terry Gordy & Bill Irwin - AJPW 11/19/89 I do not understand why but Hansen & Tenryu have become a regular team, when Hansen teaming with a fellow gaijin and Tenryu teaming with a Revolution team member makes more sense. This left Terry Gordy out in the cold. I wonder if they wanted to elevate Gordy to the level of Hansen so he needed to have have his own team. Wild Bill Irwin is someone I have seen very little of so this caught my eye. I believe this is the beginning of the 1989 Real World Tag League. Late 80s All Japan Tag stream of consciousness: Irwin and Hansen have a bullrope vs bullwhip fight that leads to an out of control tussle outside the ring! This is definitely off to a rollicking start. Hansen still has his assless chaps on. I love how he grabs that headlock and brings him over to Tenryu. Tenryu lariat on Irwin who kicks out and tags out. Tenryu Enziguiri on Gordy repeatedly but Gordy shrugs them off and shouldertackle. Gordy tries for a powerbomb but Tenryu powers out. Gordy lariat. Hansen breaks up the cover as Hansen is wont to do. Gordy smashes Tenryu into Irwin's knee. Irwin hits a Scissors Kick and Hansen saves again. I was not expecting that all from Irwin especially in jeans. Gordy hits the suplex. Cowboys in Japan just feels right. Gordy is obsessed with the powerbomb and Tenryu powers out again. Again into Irwin's boot. Tenryu bullies IRWIN INTO Hansen. Double Shoudlerblock on Iriwn. Hansen bodslam elbow combination. IRWIN GOUGES the eyes. Hanse tags out. Tenryu reverse elbow bowls Irwin over. Wicked chop on Irwin. Gordy saves. Gutwrench suplex by Irwin. Irwin slams Tenryu into Gordy's boot. Tenryu tags in Gordy. HANSEN VS GORDY~! Big meaty tussle! They are throwing haymakers! Gordy clothesline gets two. Irwin tags in and clubbers Hansen who sells on his feet. Cross chop to throat fells Hansen. Hansen kicks out. Hansen punt on telegraphed back body drop. Tags in Tenryu. Tenryu enziguiri ad Irwin does a Flair Flop bump. Gordy saves. This is a solid Hoss Fight. Hansen tags in and as Tenryu holds him and Hansen big boot. Hansee keen drop. Hansen chinlcok. Irwin another Scissor Kick but Hansen tags out. Tenryu beats him back into the corner and Hansen is pissed and embarrassed gets more licks in. Tenryu suplex out of the cornre. Tenryu front chancery but Gordy breaks it up. Irwin gets the big boot up in the corner and tags in Gordy by bringing Tenryu overt to slam Tenryu into the knee of Irwin. Gordy dropkick! Tenryu gets up knee in corner somersault tag in Hansen. Rushing in Elbow and bodyslam and misses elbow drop. Gordy slams him into Irwin's buckles. Iwrin comes in and attacks Hansen. Irwin wrangles Hansen into a front chancery. No Tenryu save. Hansen shoulderblocks in the corner. Hansen tags in Tenryu after slamming Irwin into Tenryu knee. Wicked slashing chops by Tenryu to Irwin as Hansen holds. Gordy needs to get in there. Hansen whips Tenryu into a Footloose Lariat. Tenryu abdominal stretch on Irwin but Gordy saves. Gordy tags in. Gordy slugs Tenryu in the corner. Irwin attacks Tenryu in corner. Irwin misses the charge in corner. Hansen tags in. Gordy tackles Hansen off Irwin thats how you break a pin, take notes kids! Nice tussle there but Hanse gets Gordy out. Tenryu misses Top Rope Reverse Elbow. Gordy, who is not legal, just comes in and tries to hit that Powerbomb but Hansen breaks it up. Irwin wants a Northern Lights but Tenryu powerbombs Irwin and Gordy saves. Tenryu tries again...Gordy shoves Tenryu backwards. Irwin is sitting on Tenryu cheat. WESTERN FUCKING LARIAT! AWESOME FINISH! Gordy is late on the save and that was an excellent finish. Hansen breaks up the Gordy/Tenryu brawl post-match as if he friends with both of them thats interesting. They kept Hansen vs Gordy to a minimum which was interesting I wonder if they wanted to really save that as a big money match. Irwin got a lot of time thought he was a solid hand. Standard Late 80s All Japan tag structure with very frequent tagging but this was a good hoss fight. Loved the finish! ***1/2

Dont be discouraged on Hashimikov! He put it together against Vader in July 1989. He was insanely over and it was like pro wrestling just clicked for him. You have to remember he was a legit Soviet sambo shooter and I think this was like second pro wrestling match ever. Definitely give the July match a shot, he gets himself over huge!

NWA International Champion Jumbo Tsuruta vs PWF & United National Champion Stan Hansen - AJPW 4/18/89 I foolishly watched the match from two days before again. I was watching thinking goddamn this is a heated, stand & bang brawl, oh great they are bringing in the chairs again. Then they started doing the spots I remembered like Hansen injuring his side and Jumbo Lariating the post. I was like this is perfect a carbon copy of the 4/16 match with a proper finish was my dream for the Unification. Then it ended in a double countout and I realized I had watched the same match twice. Parv I feel you. I have now seen the match proper and this is a definite comedown from the 4/16 match. There are some heated moments but they sprinkled throughout as opposed to the whole thing being kickass. There is a little stand & bang before Jumbo takes it to a double wristlock then a headscissors. They work holds at the beginning. Jumbo works the headscissors and cravat. Hansen works the front chancery and the chinlock. Hansen brutally gets out of the Cravat with stomps to the head. I know there was a Jumbo high knee in there somewhere for the first highspot. Hansen is the first one to gain a real advantage. Standard Hansen grind it out offense. Jumbo sprinkles in some great elbows but it is mostly Hansen. I really liked that symmetry of the two transition spots they both involved missing charges into the buckles. Hansen missed wildly with a Bionic Elbow and took a crazy bump to the floor. Jumbo did a great job working over his left side. Lots of hard, stiff shots and an abdominal stretch for good measure. Hansen tried to tuck tail and run, but Jumbo gave chase and brought him back. Now it is Jumbo turn. He runs hard into the buckles ala Bret and ricochets off into a Back Suplex. Hansen gets two. He drops a wicked knee. Jumbo powder. Hansen smashes him with elbows and a chair and somewhere in all that busts Jumbo open. He works the cut great. All his strikes even busting out a middle drop fist drop are against the cut. He hits a piledriver. It looks like he has the match in hand. He winds up for the Western Lariat and Jumbo sidesteps him, he hits the ropes full speed and repels backwards. Jumbo dives on him! 1-2-3 TO BECOME THE FIRST TRIPLE CROWN CHAMPION! History has been made! Hansen drops an elbow and the Lariats the shit out of some Young Boy to get his heat back. I dont mind the finish at all, in fact I thought it was quite creative. I like finishes like this leaves it open for rematches and protects Hansen. I thought 4/16 was the most entertaining, bust ass match, but this was still pretty good once Hansen hits the buckles and they do a Jumbo then Hansen control segment matche picks up a lot. It is both historic and very good so a must watch for any Puroresu fan. ***3/4