Superstar Sleeze

Tatsumi Fujinami vs Bruiser Brody - NJPW 12/10/85 Well the bloom is off the rose quickly for Brody as this was Brody absolutely at his dirt worst. He threatens crazy, awesome violence swinging his chain, barking HUSS and throwing the ref out of the ring. He lightly wraps the chain around Fujinami's neck and then drops it. He throws a couple big boots. He just doesnt sell. He kinda registers. He sort of does an Undertaker sell on the run but then he just stops and does nothing. Fujinami has no clue what to do. It is jarring and ruins the rhythm of the match. Hansen shows how big man can do wounded bear selling and Austin brings up Taker's selling on the run, but Brody just does not sell. Brody is fine on offense. The piledriver on the floor looked awesome and love his knee drop. I dont even mind the fact that he doesnt bump that much as I think that should be done more. His selling choices are terrible. He just does not react to things organically and he halts the momentum of the match. They look like they are going to do an awesome brawl in the stands and Brody just runs away and parts the crowds. It was a really cool visual watching hundreds of Japanese fans flee from one big crazy behemoth, but thats all Brody is a visual, smoke & mirrors. I will watch the Inoki rematches because I liked the original so much, but this was terrible and I felt bad for Fujinami.

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Tatsumi Fujinami - NJPW 6/11/85 VinnyMac is here to officially sanction this as a WWF Title defense. It is a good, solid match. Hogan takes the vast majority of the match which is very surprising for anybody that has watched a lot of WWF stuff. He does it scientifically. If you have watched enough Hogan, you have seen him bust out his Cross-Armbreaker takedown and his drop toehold. The Bow & Arrow might have been new for him. Because Hogan was dominating scientifically which is Fujinami's game. Fujinami countered with speed instead. When Hogan would miss a move, he would nail some dropkicks or try to chop down the big tree trunks that were Hogan's leg. The big finish alright. It ever quite ramped up to the fever pitch. Hogan had some awesome power moves: I loved his double axe-handle, his take JYD Thump Powerslam was wicked and the AXE BOMBAH~! in the corner was great. Fujinami got a couple quick moves like a crossbody and applied a Scorpion Deathlock for a split second. The finish should have the Axe Bombah but they kept it going. Hogan won with another lariat but it wasnt hit as clean. This match does more for Hogan's resume than Fujinami, who kinda felt along for the ride. Good Hogan match. ***1/4

All-Asia Tag Team Champions Shunji Takano & Shinichi Nakano vs. Toshiaki Kawada & Ricky Fuyuki - AJPW 9/15/88 This series ushered in the golden age of the All Asia Tag Team titles which climaxed with the very famous red-hot Can-Ams vs Kobashi & Kikuchi match. It really started with Footloose. It became more of a juniors/young lions division which gave it such a vibrant energy. There was a pretty big gulf between this and the first match on the 80s All Japan DVDVR rankings, but I through it was pretty comparable to the first match. Either we dont have Takano & Nakano title win on tape or it didnt make the set, they had just won the titles six days prior. Samson Fuyuki has shorn his locks but none of his powers. He and Takano engage in a heated slap fight at the beginning which is in line with their heated exchanges in July. Kawada gets trapped first being bowled over by the bigger Takano. Nakano dropkick. They work chinlocks on Kawada. Kawada wriggles free and converts into a Dragon Sleeper. Kawada tags out. They work a control segment on Nakano again nothing too special. They start working the back after a whip into the railings but much like the July match, the beginning is pretty pedestrian. Just like the first match it really kicks into high gear during Fuyuki's heat segment as they work the back. Nakano gets his receipt as he whips Fuyuki into the railing and then SMASHES a chair into his back. Great back work with plenty of abdominal stretches and they do another Torture Rack which I love. Some great Kawada saves just ripping kicks to the back I am really blanking on the transitions, but I picture Takano missing a charge and Fuyuki rolling through and tagging Kawada. Red-hot, rip-roaring Kawada HOT TAG! Back Handspring Elbow, Out of Control Lariats in the corner, Fuyuki hit his this time. In a very strange move, Nakano drops down with a legbar on Nakano. It resets the heat segment. It is double FIP with the same FIP which is unusual and also strange as that hot tag really felt like the final one. They work the leg here even better than the back. Nakano uses his knee as a fulcrum placing Fuyuki's ankle there as Takano crashes down on it. Great figure-4 and single leg that really like it could be it until Kawada comes in and Takano hits his decapitation savant kick. That thins looks great. Flying clothesline by Nakano gets two. Theres some great clubbering in this. Nakano piledriver gets two! In the best spot of the match, Kawada pushes Nakano in the way of Takano's Bomb Away Knee Drop and then Fuyuki wrangles Takano, Kawada spinning heel kick and Fuyuki rolls into the pin for the win to regain the titles! Not as memorable as the first match which I think was more efficient and done in a way where the highspots really popped, but the it had many similarities with the hot heat segments on Fuyuki and exciting finish runs. I just think July had the better, more effective finish run. ***3/4

All-Asia Tag Team Champions Toshiaki Kawada & Ricky Fuyuki vs Shunji Takano & Shinichi Nakano - AJPW 7/15/88 I had never seen Takano and Nakano before. By listening to the Japanese commentary very closely, I am 99% sure the first one who is the smaller of the two. Takano is actually pretty big, by far the biggest guy in the match and kinda surprised nothing ever came of him. Excellent all-out action, workrate tag with just enough smoky Southern flavor to sink your teeth into. Kawada is boosting himself here. I think going through watching all that 90s All Japan I was taking Kawada for granted. Seeing him in this setting not against fellow GOAT-contenders, the little things he does really stands out. The way runs like he is totally out of control on Lariats, hurling his body into everything and just how his performance drips with effort. Kawada & Fuyuki come out firing on Nakano, but Takano proves himself to be a game changer. I am glad Kawada dumped the back handspring Elbow. It is fun young plucky junior move because he hits out of control but it would not fit him as Dangerous K. It is interesting that Nakano does the famous Kawada spinning heel kick in this match. Takano & Nakano love their legdrops. They work Kawada's back with a Boston Crab and a Camel Clutch. At some point Takano and Fuyuki get into a great slap fight. Takano was definitely the more interesting of the two. In the second heat segment after the Back Handspring Reverse Elbow, Takano drops down into a knee bar and they work the leg, up until this point. I thought this was a fun Juniors tag but they kicked up into next gear when Takano catches Fuyuki coming down in a crossbody with a gutbuster. They work over the abdomen like pros. This total Southern style. Fuyuki is a great FIP. Nice abdominal stretch on Fuyuki. They beat his ass on the outside whipping him into the railing. I am a mark for the Torture Rack and Nakano does it and then Takano jumps off the top rope onto Fuyuki. That was killer. Takano misses a charge. HOT TAG! KAWADA COMES IN WITH AN OUT OF CONTROL LARIAT! Fuyuki tries to do the same thing and gets decapitated by a big boot from Takano! MARK OUT CITY! POPPED HUGE FOR THAT! Kawada German for two! Kawada tries the Spinning Heel Kick but Takano throws his ass down. Nakano & Kawada trade hot Steamboat-esque nearfalls. Fuyuki gets tagged in and Takano press slams him off the top! People love picking on Fuyuki! Takano hits a massive Bombs Away Kneedrop! Kawada saves! Fisherman Suplex by Nakano gets two! Northern Lights Suplex! Crazy diving save by Kawada! Kawada slingshot press to the floor but Takano moves and he eats CEMENT! Takano massive missile dropkick on Fuyuki! Big German from Takano but Kawada saves! Takano tries again and Fuyuki slips under to cradle him for the win! Is it me or was Shunji Takano really damn good? I see he went to SWS/WAR so thats probably why I am unfamiliar with him. He and Nakano seemed more over with the crowd as they were getting chants even though Fuyuki played what Americans would traditionally see as face in peril. I thought the beginning was kind of all over the place but the heat segment on Fuyuki and the finish run was crazy awesome. A **** and a ***** ending, so lets take the average. ****1/2

Jumbo Tsuruta vs Tiger Mask II (Mitsuharu Misawa) - AJPW 3/9/88 Jumbo is the NWA International Heavyweight Champion, but this is non-title. He had some interesting title defenses that I do want to track down in this run. This match sneaks up on you. At first you are like this is a solid match and then all of sudden you are whipped into frenzy love it. This is very much proto-90s All Japan. Tons of Big Bombs and High Drama down the stretch. The first half Misawa works the headlock and doesnt deviate from this strategy. Jumbo is able to get momentary respites through kneecrushers or European Uppercuts but Misawa always clamps it back on. Misawa hits an awesome reverse crossbody headbutt that looked amazing, usually that spot looks shitty, but that was the best one ever. Great dropkick too. Then it happens. Jumbo finally DEMOLISHES him with the Back Drop Driver out of the headlock. I love a great transition and this one was juicy. Total All Japan style big highspots but here is the ticket THEY STICK WITH YOU! Thats the difference, kids. Big High Knee! Jumping Piledriver! Butterfly Suplex! All presented in such a way to let the fans sink their teeth into it. Misawa slips down the back on a vertical suplex attempt which would be become a pivotal spot in their legendary 6/8/90 encounter. Here it sets up Misawa's crazy Tiger Mask offense. He does a Springboard Top Rope Somersault to the floor and then a High, High Top Rope Crossbody to the floor, he landed on Jumbo head & shoulders instead of chest which was a crazy visual really wiped him out. Big missile dropkick! It is so, so weird watching Misawa do all this offense under the Tiger Mask guise. It is so obvious now where 90% of his offense came from. It was from being Tiger Mask. Frogsplash eats knees! Again the transitions are sold so well and mean so much. I am such a huge mark for that. Jumbo is relentless on the abdomen. He goes for the kneelift and Misawa changes into schoolboy! He rattles off a bunch of hot nearfalls like he is Ricky Steamboat including the O'Connor Roll, Hurricanarana, and a small package on an attempted Back Drop Driver. Jumbo just keeps drilling him. Guillotining him with a hotshot which is a Jumbo staple but usually is a bump he takes. Third Back Drop Driver vanquishes Misawa! Very much a window into the future! ****1/4

Jumbo Tsuruta, The Great Kabuki & Takashi Ishikawa vs Ashura Hara, Toshiaki Kawada & Ricky Fuyuki - AJPW 3/11/88 They beat the ever-loving shit out of poor Ricky Fuyuki. I always presumed that Tenryu & Revolution were the heels and Jumbo's Army were the babyfaces, mostly due to the senior hierarchy. Perhaps, it was more like they let the fans decide who they wanted to root for and each team was just presented as a team. Any thoughts? The reason I bring it up is because the Jumbo team came across very heelish to me. Matches like this are so important to watch because they show the evolution of certain wrestlers in this case, Jumbo Tsuruta. I will have to check my notes but this Jumbo is completely different from 1987 Jumbo. This is the first signs of Grumpy, "Get Off My Lawn" Jumbo as he just THRASHES poor Ricky Fuyuki. Fuyuki really does not nothing to deserve it. Jumbo was throwing closed fists in the corner during the first heat segment on Fuyuki and I was gobsmacked. You barely ever see punches in Puroresu and when you do it set up as a big deal. Jumbo was just ripping into him. The first heat segment was all about trying to take Fuyuki's arm off and beat him with it. Fuyuki tagged out to Hara, who let me tell you after watching this match is no Tenryu. He was totally outgunned in this match and he just left poor Fuyuki to fend for himself. In that first tag to Hara, Hara comes in and really tries to get something going. Jumbo sticks him arm out. Hara runs straight into it. Let me tell you something in the war between Jumbo's arm and Hara, Hara lost bad. Hara manages to wrestle Jumbo over to his corner. Footloose double teams Jumbo. You gotta love Kawada's Out of Control Lariat. Fuyuki doubles up. Jumbo sees RED! He takes Fuyuki down to the mat and PUMMELS HIM! The second heat segment on Fuyuki was worse than the first. It was a mugging. I think Kabuki's gimmick sticks out like a sore thumb in strait-laced All Japan and would fit better in New Japan where there is a definite freak show vibe, BUT I do remember from watching definitely one maybe two Kabuki matches from this time period, that his strikes are AWESOME! Kabuki comes in and PULVERIZES Fuyuki with some of the best punch combinations you will ever see. Those lefts were insane. He kicked Fuyuki out of the ring. Ishikawa slammed him with a chair. I was waiting for it and we get the JUMBO DEATH BODYSLAM! Jumbo always had a great bodyslam, best ever really, but HE THREW FUYUKI DOWN WITH AUTHORITY! They did a bunch of back submissions and finally Hara acts like a leader and breaks them. Kawada actually tried first and Ishikawa STRUCK HIS ASS DOWN! Fuyuki got a reverse crossbody, but went for the pin instead of the tag and Kabuki damn near kicked his head off. Kawada is the one who got the tag and had himself a great little hot tag stretch against Ishikawa. He nailed a nice German. You could already tell what Kawada lacked in size he more than made up for in his intensity and energy. He was way better than the bigger Hara. Hara hits a legdrop on Ishikawa and nonchalantly tags in Fuyuki which allows Ishikawa to tag in Jumbo, cmon Hara! Fuyuki comes in all piss & vinegar firing off slaps and Jumbo POPS him with an elbow. Jumbo hates this pissant. I dont know why but he does. TWO WRECKING BALL HIGH KNEES! The second one wrecked the kid's shit. THEN A JUMPING PILEDRIVER THAT WOULD MAKE BOB BACKLUND JEALOUS! This was insane! Fuyuki avoids a second bodyslam, O'Connor Roll, Lariat takes Jumbo down, KAWADA MISSILE DROPKICK ON JUMBO! 1-2-NO! Jumbo has to tag out. That was a great payoff to Jumbo being a prick the whole match. Kabuki is in. Melee ensues. Kawada Missile Dropkick Fuyuki and Kabuki pounces on Kawada to win! Jumbo vs Fuyuki was fucking awesome! Grumpy Jumbo ruled so hard! This instantly made me to want gorge myself on 90-92 All Japan. Jumbo & His team beating the piss out of Fuyuki was great. Kawada doing his best was great. Hara was kinda useless. I loved the progression of the match. I love that after Jumbo just owning these dudes he ended getting knocked out with a missile dropkick. Awesome match! ****1/4

PWF & United National Champion Genichiro Tenryu vs Stan Hansen - AJPW 7/27/88 Hansen vs Tenryu definitely blows Hansen vs Jumbo out of the water. I know that 90s All Japan will always be more famous than 80s All Japan but the Hansen vs Tenryu feud needs to be in the discussion as an all time great pairing. I knew I loved them but when I went back and checked out my March 27th review, I forgot how much. This match is not quite on that level, but is another classic in the series. It is the tale of two equally great matches. Hansen attacks the Double Champion in the aisleway and draws blood. I always love a red hot start to a match. Tenryu taps a gusher. Hansen beat him with one of his two belts. Hansen is laying the badmouth and once Tenryu enters the ring. Hansen is all over him. Cowboy kicks, jumping elbows, vicious back elbows that cause Tenryu to fall ass first through the ropes, punches, knees. Tenryu gets a smattering of hope spots, but they are fleeting. The best is a lariat and Hansen's response is to just lunge and bowl him over. More on this in a second. The climatic sequence to this first half is an exposed knee drop which gets two and then Hansen beats Tenryu on the powder specifically knocking off the apron and causing him to take a gnarly bump and Hansen is ready for his killshot the Lariat, but but Tenryu at the last second gets a toe kick to the midsection. GAME CHANGER~! This leads to the second half which is sublime. Hansen is all-time great reactive wrestler. I love how reacts to different situations so organically. I love his combination of selling the ribs and just lashing out in pain as he tries to protect himself. Tenryu who is wearing the Crimson Mask knows his only hope is to be laser-focused on the ribs if I remember correctly...this is common trope in 80s Hansen is that his ribs/midsection/abdomen is vulnerable, his soft underbelly if you will. Tenryu goes for his kill the Reverse Top Rope Elbow misses. Hansen ducks on the Enziguiri! HANSEN ENGAGES TORPEDO MODE! I love Hansen torpedoing opponents. He knocks Tenryu out of the ring. Chair shot! Blasts him with a bottle of something! Just like that Hansen is back working the cut. Tenryu rattles off a string of Enziguiris! High drama! God I wish his powerbomb was better, but we love Tenryu for who he is not who we want him to be. Hansen flails and wriggles free from a second powerbomb attempt. Tenryu is looking to climb the top rope and HANSEN CHARGES LARIAOTOTOTOTOTOTOTOO! TENRYU GOES FUCKING FLYING INTO THE CROWD! Countout victory and in All Japan the PWF & United National Titles both change hands on a countout so Hansen is the new Double Champion! Terrific match! Hot angle to start, awesome killer beatdown from Hansen, I usually dont love grinding Hansen but this was pretty good especially the apron bump, but the best was when Stan started selling, that wounded bear selling where he is even dangerous in pain, Tenryu was laser-focused on the ribs, the brawl on the outside and then Tenryu just throwing head shots looking for a Home Run Kill Shot to KO the Grizzly only for the Grizzly to knock him out of the park literally into the stands! ****1/2

I was at the end of a night shift and it was 1:30am, I may have been a little cranky when I wrote the response to you. Eek. I agree with your last sentence. I agree with the majority of your points. It is Hansen vs Morton and frankly it should have been better, but I enjoyed it for what it was. As ol Stone Cold would say it was what it was. Swig of an Arnold Palmer for the working man.

Matt, if the match went down the way you wanted it to go down then it would just be Rock N Rolls vs Joe Blow & His Midnights Wannabe Partner. You would rob us of the uniqueness of HANSEN VS MORTON~! I think you point to a lot of valid criticisms of why this match is only very good as opposed to excellent, but you far oversell the negatives like you are a mid-match Kenny Omega wrestling in the Dome. To say the Rock N Rolls should only do Southern tag style formula is ridiculous. They should be allowed to experiment and adapt to their opponent. Your well-known anti-Japan bias can be a little bit much and is very excessive here("an environment where none of that matters" got an eye-roll so deep from me I am surprised my eyes came back down). I think what smacks me most bizarre about your criticisms is Hansen kill these guys. If it anything I didnt think Hansen was violent enough. I was expecting more of a shitkicking. The problem was Hansen was too giving. "It's a shine and it's working, at least right up until the point where Hansen storms in for no reason and starts to kill both guys." This didnt even happen! He played one of the most entertaining cat & mouse games with Morton that climaxed with Morton punting him on a back body drop attempt. He did not kill anyone! The match was herky-jerky and lacked a coherent, linear narrative, which I know is important to you and thats important to me too. The Lariat to the post leading nowhere is a glaringly obvious fault. To pin this all on Stan Hansen is ham-fisted. How the hell are you blaming Hansen for Morton hitting a dropkick twice on Kroffat. Hell one of the most egregious errors is Gibson WALKS KROFFAT OVER TO HANSEN TO LET HIM TAG IN! ZERO STRUGGLE! HE ACTIVELY PULLED HIM TO STAN! Cmon Matt, call a spade a spade, brutha. He wasnt even in the ring! Is the match underwhelming to lofty expectations? Yes. Do I thank the Wrestling Gods for blessing me with HANSEN VS MORTON~! OH HELL YEAH! Rock N Roll Express vs Stan Hansen & Dan Kroffat - AJPW 10/26/88 The Japanese vociferously chants "Rock N Roll" three separate times at the beginning. Making me even more depressed that my hometown of Boston is seemingly the only place that didnt get the Rock N Rolls. This is the closest we ever got Hansen & Bobby Eaton vs Rock N Rolls. As Kroffat is a great stand-in for the Midnights with a ton of stooging and nifty offense. Morton drop toe holds Kroffat to start and he sells like he faceplants. Dropkick by Morton. Here comes Stan! You gotta love Stan! He doesnt take anything lying down. What ensues is the greatest game of cat & mouse you'd ever see! In a shocking moment, Morton gets one up on ol Stan, punting him on a back body drop. People say Stan is selfish. In fact, I thought he was far too giving in this match. He let Morton small package him, buck him off with an armdrag and even sold a dropkick. We never got the true Hansen shitkicking of Morton I wanted. Kroffat takes over for a hot second but ends landing balls first on the knees. Anyone who seen a RnRs or Midnights match could see the spot from a mile away, but it doesnt make it any less pleasant. Morton hits a suicide dive, which I got see in person at a New Japan show in Lowell in 2019 which is forever seared in my memory. I feel so lucky. Then comes a string of disappointing moments from otherwise great wrestlers. Gibson walks Kroffat over so Hansen can tag him in. That's kinda generous, he pulls him over to Hansen is more like. That's just sloppy as shit. Where's the struggle. Hansen comes in and you ready for the mutha of all heat segments to commence and a curious thing happens. He wraps his arm around the post with a lariat. It would be an interesting wrinkle if the rest of the match is worked around it, but it is not. He sells it for a bit and then just powers out after 30-60 seconds. It kinda grinded the match to a halt. Hansen gets control of the match for his team and Kroffat does hit some nifty Midnight-y offense. Hansen and Morton have a back & forth. Lots of Morton hope spots like I described before, but because Hansen never really kicked his shit in it came off too frequent I would say. It just didnt feel that dramatic. I love Stan's full court press, but they never really built it to the next level. The finish was an oldie but goodie from Hansen he misses the first attempt at the Lariat but boomerangs annihilates Morton for the win. Underwhelming but still very entertaining, the Hansen & Morton cat & mouse is worth seeing. Hearing the "Rock & Roll" chants in Japan and the Rock & Rolls do their thing in Japan is worth the price of admission. Plus it is fucking Hansen & Morton wrestling that's cool no matter what. ***1/4

Antonio Inoki vs Riki Choshu - NJPW 7/22/88 HOT SHIT~! Total sprint! Inoki was on offense a lot in this match and I cant believe that didnt sound alarm bells in my head what would happen. They start with a King of the Mountain at the bell with Choshu in the ring and Inoki on the apron. Choshu wont let Inoki in. Inoki trips Choshu and Choshu fends him off from dragging him to the outside. Inoki immediately comes in but is met with a powerslam. Inoki fires off an enziguiri but Choshu roars back. Great struggle over a suplex than an armbar. Inoki wins into a Short Arm Scissors. CHOSHU DEADLIFT~! Into a fallaway slam! Nice deep headscissors by Choshu, but Inoki has a ton of energy comes right out and works an Indian Deathlock and plays to the crowd. The crowd was eating it up. Choshu runs him over with a hybrid shouldertackle/lariat for two. Choshu winds up for the big one, INOKI GERMAN! 1-2-NO! Inoki cant believe and seems a little dazed...AXE BOMBAH~! 1-2-3! CHOSHU BEAT INOKI CLEAN! THIS WAS FUCKING AWESOME! ****1/4

Antonio Inoki vs Vader - NJPW 2/7/88 Vader has his black mask now and still has the Elephant Steam Helmet that he worships. This coming off the heels of his December debut where he demolished and squashed Inoki in 3 minutes flat. Very tentative match from both. Vader was not as unrelenting and vicious as he would become. Inoki bumped and sold for him. Selling shock at Vader's power on lock ups and powdering a lot. Vader was using the standing arm bar as a base which is fine but not Vader's forte. The real key to this match was to advance how Inoki could beat Vader. It was a match to give fans hope and show them where the opening lay. The opening was Vader could hurt himself and that Inoki needed to evade and create those opportunities for misses and capitalize. I t took three big misses before that happened. Two charges in the corner and a missed elbow drop and finally Inoki could hit an Enizguiri that rocked the Big Man. That is why this match is crucial to watch. It is not a great standalone match but it provides key progression to the climatic July encounter. They tumble to the outside. Vader smashes Inoki's back into the post, but then Inoki is able to push Vader into the post. This triggers a double countout. The Man In Hockey Mask & Pantaloons Is BACK! According to @KinchStalker, it is Black Cat and he successfully attacks the correct man, Inoki this time with powder and a cane. He ends up leaving. Was there ever a blowoff? Or a reveal? What is with this dude? Anyways, Vader kicks Inoki's ass post-match. He brings in a table and sets it up in the corner, but of course due to rule #607 of pro wrestling, he who sets up the table, eats the table. Vader is escorted out of the ring by Masa Saito as Inoki was looking to get the turnbuckle as a weapon. Inoki has made progress. Not a great match, but a meaningful match, I wish we had more of these type of matches to help bridge us throughout feud or series. ***

That’s really interesting so the plan was to have Inoki/Saito align against the younger generation oh and that’s why Sakaguchi was used in the embrace. Jericho of all people covered this last year in his podcast. He covered the Island Death Match and the Japanese fan he had on explained the intergenerational feud you mentioned. If you have not listened to that podcast it is worth a listen.

Yes! I was hoping you’d see this! Black Cat handcuffing the wrong dude is so classic and makes so much sense why the angle felt so confusing. Thank you!

IWGP Heavyweight Champion Antonio Inoki vs Riki Choshu - NJPW 2/4/88 In 1988, Antonio Inoki turned 45 and he had one of his hottest years of his career. He had long feuds with Riki Choshu & Vader and an hour draw with Tatsumi Fujinami. In 1989, it would be the Soviet invasion and he would be tied to a Georgian judoka. I feel like the early 90s was a short bridge of Fujinami/Vader/Choshu to the Three Musketeers. So 1988 feels like Inoki's swan song. This would be Inoki's last IWGP title defense as Cagematch says the upcoming Vader match was not for the title and he vacated the title due to a foot injury, whether it was kayfabe or not just to get the tile off Inoki without doing the job I do not know. This is a humdinger to go out on. Riki Choshu was firing on all cylinders. Big dropkick right at the beginning! I love the hot start. Choshu beats the ever loving shit out of Inoki for five minutes. Great King of the Mountain. He bashes Inoki's head repeatedly into the post and turnbuckle and surprisingly does not draw blood. The ref breaks up one of the King of the Mountain spots on the apron and that dickwad Inoki nails an Enziguiri. Inoki lets the fists fly on Choshu's head and he is the one to bloody Choshu with a railing shot, which is again surprising given how much Choshu bashed his head in. Inoki gets an abdominal stretch but Choshu hiptosses out. Choshu roars back with a Saito Suplex and into the Scorpion Deathlock. Inoki makes the ropes and on the second attempt, Inoki rips Choshu in the head with fists, fucking wicked. Choshu winds up for the lariat and Inoki lunges at him and headbutts him in the head. It looked like it could have been bad and Choshu kinda had to bend over for him. Inoki figure-4. Wicked hot action, lots of asskicking, blood and big time submission. Very little downtime. Inoki ENZIGUIRI! iNOKI OCTOPUS STRETCH! Choshu falls over to break it. CHOSHU SAITO SUPLEX! 1-2-NO! Great nearfall. Choshu steals Inoki's Octopus Stretch! Inoki Dropkick. Inoki steals the Saito Suplex to set up the Octopus Stretch. Choshu gets a finger on the rope but the ref doesnt feel like it counts and calls the match for Inoki. I dont know if the basis for this was the old school interpretation of the rule that the two combatants needed to be tied up in the ropes as opposed to contact with the rope by one combatant. Or if it was intended to be controversial as Saito came out to bitch and moan. I really like this style of match. It reminds me of All Japan King's Road where it is big bomb after big bomb (which makes sense as Choshu was in All Japan from 1985-1986). The difference between this and 90s All Japan is Choshu is much more efficient. This clocked in around 12ish minutes and theres no fat on this. From the King of the Mountain to Inoki bloodying him to all the BIG BOMBS & SUBMISSIONS! This is really my kinda wrestling. Everything mattered and felt important. ****1/2

Before there was ECW, there was fucking New Japan in 1987 BABY! Right out of the ECW playbook, this was a series of impromptu matches that led to a mega-hot debut and apparently a riot at the Sumo Hall. New Japan World has an excellent 38 minute video up covering it all. So it begins with Saito cutting a promo in the ring with Choshu and Vader. This is after the very famous Island Death Match. I am presuming Saito is introducing Vader as his assassin. Inoki comes out. It is a bit confusing but we end up settling into a tag team match pitting Masa Saito & Riki Choshu vs Tastumi Fujinami & Kengo Kimura. Masa Saito & Riki Choshu vs Tastumi Fujinami & Kengo Kimura A match that wont really change your life but there is one very strange moment. Saito & Choshu dominate the match. Outside two flurries of offense for the babyfaces, the heel dominated. Choshu blasts Fujinami with a lariat to send him to the outside and then winds up and crushes Kimura to win. What was weird? How unruly the crowd was! They were chanting something that I couldnt understand they would not relent. They seemed angry. A couple minutes into the match, Choshu puts on the Scorpion Deathlock on Fujinami and the crowd morphs into a 1997 Nitro crowd and litters the ring with drinks and trash. It was so bizarre and electric. They never did it again, but they were not as vociferous as the match wore on but they would still chant. So Choshu immediately gets on the mic and yells for Inoki. Super hot. Inoki comes out, Choshu bails. Inoki tries to call him back out. Choshu trots out but Inoki has left. Inoki comes back in. That was a lot of wasted time. Antonio Inoki vs Riki Choshu. The ref is trying to pull Choshu out of the corner for crowding and Inoki nails him with an enziguiri which is a dick move that only like Hogan or Dusty could get away with as a babyface. He bloodies Choshu on the outside. Back in the ring, Choshu is lunging, but collapsing at Inoki trying to hit him as Inoki beats him up. Choshu hits one Saito Suplex in defiance but basically gets owned by Inoki who slaps on the Octopus Stretch. There is some commotion but it looks like Hase throws in the towel. Hase bowls Inoki over to break Choshu free. His reward, Choshu giving him a hard shove out of the ring. A bloody Choshu is pissed at Hase. Inoki now calls out Saito but Saito has back-up in the form of the Mastodon, Vader! Vader has the silly looking Elephant Steam Helmet but no mask but he is in great shape. Antonio Inoki vs Big Van Vader. Inoki tries a surprise attack, but Vader shrugs it off and DEMOLISHES INOKI! He squashes him like this was nothing. Outside of the famous Brock squash of Cena theres nothing like this maybe Vader vs Sting at GAB 1992. After watching a shit ton of Bam Bam Bigelow in New Japan I am so glad they picked Leon over him for this gimmick. The Vader whistle, his cockiness and his ferocity were on display. He fucking rocked. He kicked Inoki's shit in. Inoki fucking MADE VADER! This is how you get a monster heel over on night 1. Insane string of impromptu matches leading to one of the hottest debuts and angles in pro wrestling history! Something every wrestling fan needs to see! Also I invite anyone who knows more about this night to please further elaborate on what happened!

Antonio Inoki vs Masa Saito - NJPW 6/12/87 Inaugural IWGP Champion The winner of this will be crowned the inaugural IWGP champion. Before the G-1 Climax, there were annual round robin tournaments in New Japan since 1974 about a year after the founding the company. They were first called the World League then the MSG League and finally the International Wrestling Grand Prix which is a fucking badass name for a tournament. As one would suspect, Antonio Inoki won the vast majority of these, but other winners included Seiji Sakaguchi, Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan, a pretty illustrious list. Inoki would defend titles such as the NWF Heavyweight Championship a title out of the Buffalo/Cleveland area and the WWF World Martial Arts Championship but this was the first time New Japan would promote their own singles heavyweight title. I really like both Inoki & Saito as singles wrestlers but again I found this match to be peculiar even though I enjoyed the work for the most part. Saito dominated Inoki for the vast majority of the match and the conclusion of the match is not very satisfying in my opinion. At the outset of the match, Inoki throws a wild mule kick that catches the ref and then hits a rainbow spinning heel kick and an Enziguiri to force Saito to powder. Saito return is able to get a trip but Inoki working into some arm work. Saito counters into the inverted figure-4 he used in the March pull apart brawl to injure Inoki's leg. Inoki comes up hobbled and Saito catches him with a lariat. Saito works a nice, tight Boston Crab. Great power out from Inoki sending Saito into the buckles as the crowd roars. Inoki works some heabdutts and then a tight chinlock, but Saito goes back to his inverted figure-4 and again upon the break clobbers Inoki with a lariat. As Inoki tries to get back in, Saito rams Inoki's head into the turnbuckle repeatedly and then hits not one but two Saito suplexes. This is where the match goes off the rails for me. I felt like Saito poured it on too much so that any Inoki comeback would not be credible. Saito went for the sleeper I presume as to not kill off his finish. They work the sleeper well, Inoki makes it to the apron and when Saito has to let go Inoki slumps to the floor. I think I have asked this before, but why do Japanese refs call the match in English when two Japanese wrestlers are working? I have heard this before and it always surprises me. Inoki comes in and eats another Saito Suplex and this time a cover for two. Saito goes for another and Inoki shifts weight and wins the match. Funny enough, this was my preferred finish when wrestling my younger brother. The Saito Suplex is the safest suplex in my opinion and I would do it all the time to my brother but the finish would always be him finally reversing the weight and picking up the three. I thought the match was anti-climatic and I thought the Saito heat segment was overkill. ***1/4 The post-match was confusing. Choshu clearly calls out Fujinami and Maeda who were on commentary. I am sure of this because I understood him calling out their names. The rest of it I couldnt make out, but it felt electric. These are five megastars no matter what I think of Maeda he was over. The weird part is Inoki/Sakaguchi/Saito hug it out, but Inoki & Saito have an island death match soon. I thought Choshu & Saito were buds. I dont know. Anyways a solid match but anti-climatic.

Antonio Inoki vs Masa Saito - NJPW 3/26/87 Masa Saito is BACK BABY! Saito had served his time, finished out some work in AWA and was ready for the big money feud with Inoki. This would be match one in a series that would culminate in the famous Island Death Match which may have been the pioneer in cinematic pro wrestling. Saito became Inoki's main rival for 1987 and along side the return of Riki Choshu ensured that the New Japan would continue its hot streak after the return of the UWF workers in 1986. The April match is a wild, red hot match, this being the first match in the series is more of the technical match then turns into a Vince Russo Wet Dream Angel. Front Half: I enjoyed the work. There was not really a sense of progression per se, but there was a lot of tight, snug work, lots of close quarter grappling. They worked some good NWA championship style grappling with Inoki working out of Saito's headscissors. Tempers flare a little. Inoki smacks Saito. Saito headbutts and Inoki returns in kind. Inoki hits a great explosive dropkick and Saito powders. Saito comes back with a Scorpion Deathlock. I was surprised how quickly they went to that. Great struggle over it. Inoki powdered. Tried for the working from his back strategy. Amazing leg kicks and ENZIGUIRIS from his back. Inoki was an insane athlete. SAITO SUPLEX~! Demolished him! They are bringing out the big bombs. Inoki used his insane leg strength to whip Saito off on the next Scorpion Deathlock attempt. Inoki throws another headbutt in there and some great suplex bombs. Hitting a top rope kneedrop. Peculiar that Saito nailed suplex shortly thereafter. It wouldnt be a long Inoki match without an Inoki Short Arm Scissors, which coincidentally is a favorite move of mine. I really enjoyed watching the work of this and it was breezy action. I wish there was a better constructed narrative, but I have enjoyed this so far. Saito breaks free and Saito Suplex! Inoki retaliates with his own Saito Suplex. This is red hot shit and then the Inokiism kicks in... Second Half: Maybe this would be improved if I understood Japanese, but here we are and I will describe what I saw. Anybody that has any more information, I would be very interested. All of sudden there is a commotion in the crowd and the entire crowd has their heads turned to an aisleway as if this was WCW 1998. Saito drops Inoki repeatedly three times on the top rope balls first. Then it happens. I thought it was going to be Riki Choshu's big return. It was a man dressed in a hockey mask and pantaloons. It looked like something Tiger Jeet Singh would wear. They mystery man handcuffs himself to Saito, which I think is a play off Saito's jail time. Then it was weird, heatless stretch of time. Saito and Inoki took shots at the hockey mask but neither get it off. It was lame and weird. Saito is dragged to the back. The crowd chants Saito as if they want an encore at a rock concert. Saito comes back with the handcuff cut off, but the cuff still on his wrist. Inoki feeds to have Saito hit him in the head with the cuff. It is very clear they are trying to draw hardway blood and it is gnarly to watch. At one point the ref throws a toekick to Saito's gut and throws a left kick. Saito clobbers him. What the fuck? They finally get it so Inoki undoes the top turnbuckle which happens in the April match. Saito wraps Inoki in an inverted figure-4, what the fuck? Inoki cracks him with the turnbuckle and draws blood. They slap each other a little. It was a pretty tepid brawl. Nearly impossible match to rate. The match was ~**** but the angle was convoluted and heatless. It was a Vince Russo. Wet Dream. So Bizarre! Does anyone have any info on this?

Riki Choshu vs Victor Zangiev - NJPW 12/31/89 Moscow Of course Inoki was the first promoter to run pro wrestling in the Soviet Union that is so on brand. I am really bummed there is no 70s/80s wrestling of a Kennedy’s trio that have won the Six-Man tag tiles and are gunning for the World Title saying they’re gonna bring it back to Wall Street and that they love to steal from the proletariat, so sad. Talk about killing a town besides Hashimikov going over Manny Fernandez and the Georgian Judoka teaming with Inoki going over Rhenigans & Saito all the Soviets did jobs. Fucking Bam Bam Bigelow won his match. Jesus. I love Choshu but this is the Zangiev show. So many awesome bridges and tricked out mat work. He gets one of the most amazing Germans I’ve ever seen. He misses a top rope splash and Choshu TRUCKS him for the win. Heavy sigh. Zangiev should have been a massive star! ***

IWGP Heavyweight Champion Vader vs Bam Bam Bigelow -NJPW 9/20/89 These two have zero chemistry together. Totally heatless match. Inoki is the special guest ref and does nothing of note. Bam Bam might be the original super heavyweight who tries way too hard to be a cruiser weight. He does that silly somersault evasion. He executes a very nice drop toehold but do I really want to see Bigelow. He runs through an enziguiri (teachers pet!), bodyslam drop kick to send Vader out. Bigelow works a boring hold. Vader comes up swinging no transition. He is just like fuck it we are boring them and he beats the shit outta him and shows him how to do a proper super heavyweight drop kick. Vader works boring holds. Choshu totally laid this out as it very symmetric but Bigelow has zero charisma and Vader doesn’t know how to carry a match yet. They trade drop kicks and chest bumps. Bigelow gets a brief flurry. Vader hits a power slam and a lariat to win the match to crickets. Bad match.

IWGP Champion Riki Choshu vs Vader - NJPW 8/10/89 HOSS FIGHT! Bill Watts eat your heart out! Good God Almighty, this is the wrestling I fucking live for! It is a step down from their 6/27/89, which finished #19 on the DVDVR rankings, but curiously this one which is a title change did not even place. This was fantastic! Vader dropped the title to Hashimikov in May, Choshu picked it up in July and now Vader has won it back. My theory is they were billing this tour as Japan vs USA vs USSR. I think they felt the need to throw the USSR a bone and have one of the Soviet Shooters win the title. They ultimately wanted to proceed with Vader as the Champion. After the Bigelow and Hashimikov matches, this reminded me why a good Hoss Fight is like nothing else. They immediately just bring it and are teeing off on over another. The intensity, the struggle, and the stiff shots are all here. Choshu wrestles Vader down with a Fujiwara armbar. When Vader comes up, he closes the gap and DEMOLISHES Choshu with a short-arm clothesline. He pauses to adjust his hip flexor and then works a Scorpion Deathlock. Using Choshu own move against him. Big Vader Splash in the corner and another beefy lariat. VADER CHARGES AND EATS THE BUCKLES! Back body drop! Enziguiri! Cut to Inoki on commentary. Love the transition! Only Vader can hurt Vader. Great way to generate a hope sequence with a ton of heat for Choshu who works a cross-armbreaker but Vader gets the ropes. Choshu wins a suplex struggle! Great bump here by Vader who rolls through it to make it like he was really launched. Vader tries to fight back and eventually lands a suplex. He goes for the Giant Splash, but CHOSHU LANDS A SUPERPLEX! VADER FUCKING BOUNCES OFF THE CANVAS! HOT DAMN! MACK TRUCK LARIAT! Choshu signals this is it! Crowd bites huge! Choshu beats him up on the outside. The tease a countout win for Choshu after another lariat. Choshu Lariat in the ring, but it only rocks the Big Man, he winds up for the kill MUTHAFUCKIN AIR VADER DROPKICK! Pops me and Hiroshi Hase huge! Hase couldnt believe it. Vader got up high and full explosion on the dropkick like he Jim Brunzell and decapitates Choshu. Vader follows up with a huge sunset flip for the win! I love how exaggerated the Sunset Flip was. Some great Vader offense, but really it was two big stretches of Choshu's offense and how Vader bumped & sold that did for me. Vader's dropkick was massive! This is the HOT SUMMER SHIT! ****1/4

IWGP Heavyweight Champion Salman Hashimikov vs Riki Choshu - NJPW 7/12/89 Excellent Riki Choshu style match and performance. Choshu is so economical and he makes every highspot count and feel huge. Even though Hashimikov wrestles exactly the same as the Vader match, this match is a lot better. Hashimikov still has zero charisma but thats ok because we have RIKI CHOSHU! Very symmetrical match. Each man gets two throws at the beginning. Choshu gets two back drops out of a test of strength. Hashimikov gets two reverse bodyslams, the announcers get into an argument whether it was a brainbuster or a fisherman, which popped me. Hashimikov gets a nice single leg pick up transitions into an Indian/Scorpion Deathlock hybrid. Choshu follows suit with a Scorpion Deathlock as I said very symmetric. Hashimikov hits the move that won him the match against Vader. It hoists him over the shoulder and then slams him backwards. Would be a cool move to do in the pool or lake. Choshu powders. Hashimikov does it on the outside and falls back. Gnarly. Hashimikov looked in control and as he is charging, Choshu kicks him suspiciously low, hard to say if it was in the balls or inner thigh, which is perfect for wrestling. Choshu was still aligned with Masa Saito who is looking like a beefcake stud on the outside. I think Choshu is still a heel so it fits well. AXE BOMBAH~! MACK TRUCK LARIAT! CHOSHU WINS THE IWGP TITLE! Hashimikov was not doing it for me. I love Soviet Shooters, but he was not for me. Happy to have the belt back on Choshu. Fun hoss fight. ***1/4

IWGP Heavyweight Champion Vader vs Salman Hashimikov - NJPW 5/25/1989 Nothing like seeing dying days USA VS USSR feud play out in Japan. :p Inoki, after a couple years of wrestling traditional heels such as Masa Saito, Riki Choshu and Vader, is going back to a well he is familiar with SHOOTERS, specifically SOVIET SHOOTERS! He was embroiled in a feud with Shota Chochishvilli, a Georgian gold medalist in Judo. I was watching the Olympics this year and the World's Strongest Man is from Georgia. Forget Gabel Steveson, somebody needs to hire that big muthafuck ASAP. He was pressing insane weight over his head. He would be a killer monster heel. Hashimikov is a Chechen who is a four-time World Freestyle champion in the heavyweight division between 1979-1983. I am sorry to report Hashimikov is no Volk Han. He is not some great lost Soviet Shooter. He was pretty bland. He didnt seem to fully understand how to leverage his credentials into being a great pro wrestling. The did some Greco-Roman pummeling, he had some nice takedowns. Great belly to belly throw. He upended him with a single leg and then into a crossarmbreaker. He was crazy strong. He hoisted Vader up onto his shoulder and fucking threw him backwards for the win. It just lacked that je ne sais quoi. Just no charisma or fire. Vader was Vader. He rocked. He fucked Hashimikov's shit up after the first takedown. He rocked him with some wicked shots. Pressed him above his head and threw him down like a sack of potatoes. Hashimikov had to powder. Vader could only do so much. He threw some good shots. Nice JYD style powerslam got two, but that was his nearfall. Another letdown but again not Vader's fault, just in there with two dudes with no charisma.

Vader vs Bam Bam Bigelow - NJPW 9/12/88 Very underwhelming hoss fight. Bigelow doesnt do it for me. You think a dude with fucking blue flames tattooed to his head would be more menacing but here he is fucking cartwheeling again. Vader is getting excited about the puffs of steam coming out of the helmet. Bigelow decides to wrestle this like he is Steamboat doing somersaults to avoid locking up with Vader and playing to the crowd. They fucking do a dropdown, hiptoss counter hiptoss as Vader powders and Bigelow soaks in the cheers. Flair & Steamboat eat your hearts out! Vader does a test of strength and thankfully cleans this punk's clock. BEEFY SHORT-ARM CLOTHESLINE! Belly to Back Suplex! Massive splash in the corner. You know bare minimum Vader's offense would look sick. Bigelow takes a HARD Flair Flop bump. I think he surprised himself there. Vader does his best to kick ass, but Bigelow is just not returning fire. Vader eats his railing bump as he is just wrestling himself. They do a ref bump for no reason. Bigelow's offense is so fucking weak. Vader backdrops him over the railing. Vader vaults the railing but lands short so has to bunny hop splash Bigelow in the seats, which is a microcosm of how silly this match is. Double countdown. Nothing to see here folks, Bigelow is just not very good.

Masa Saito vs Akira Maeda - NJPW 5/18/87 IWGP Tournament Insane bloody angle here! Super Strong Machine jumps Maeda before he enters the ring and takes him to the woodshed. Awesome, uncooperative beatdown here. Hirata slams Maeda from pillar to post. Maeda eats some nasty fucking shots to the post and railing. Maeda taps a huge gusher. I don't know if Super Strong Machine hated Maeda or was aligned with Saito, but this was a terrific hot angle. Per usual, I am woefully ignorant on New Japan booking & backstory, any suggestions? Saito DEMOLISHES Maeda with a Saito Suplex. Maeda kicks out to a massive pop. Saito TRUCKS with a Lariat, another kick. Saito tries pouring it on. Scorpion Deathlock and Maeda does the proto-Austin with the push-up and the Crimson Mask! THIS IS SICK! Maeda powers out of a Boston Crab. WALKING TALL MAEDA! Maeda's best asset and in my opinion only asset is his tree trunk legs. He starts throwing kicks and that Rainbow Spinning Heel Kick gets a huge pop. They end up on the outside. Saito BASHES his head into the post and then ANNIHILATES him with a Saito Suplex to win by countout. This was a part of the tournament to determine the inaugural IWGP Champion. Super Strong Machine comes out and attacks again. Maybe the feud was personal rather than an alliance with Saito. Fujiwara runs him off without laying a finger on him which is a boss move. Match defies rating as it is just an ultra-hot ***** angle and I really dont even like Maeda. I still think he could have been more charismatic, but it is hard to fuck up being incredibly bloody, getting your shit wrecked and making a comeback. Even Maeda can pull that off. Saito is an offensive juggernaut. As an anti-Maeda fan, it was a lot of fun watching his shit get kicked in. Lets go ****, but like I said this is more of an angle and everyone needs to check it out!

IWGP Heavyweight Champion Antonio Inoki vs Bam Bam Bigelow - NJPW 8/2/87 Inoki is the newly minted IWGP Champion having defeated Saito two months ago to become the inaugural champion. He is defending against cartwheeling, wet behind the ears Bam Bam. Look I can’t cartwheel, it is impressive that he can. But cmon it just makes him look silly. I mean nothing says menacing like a well-executed cartwheel right? Gimme a break. Whoever told Bigelow to knock off cartwheeling was a wise man. This is not the Lawler classic but this is still a pretty fun Inoki vs generic monster match. Bigelow looks really green at the beginning with Inoki basically feeding him and directing traffic but Bigelow gains confidence as the match wears on. Bigelow working holds dragged. I did like his hollering while Inoki broke his clasp and turned it into his own arm bar. Bigelow’s highspots looked great. I liked the double leg drop banana split. The missed flying headbutt looked gnarly! Massive belly flop. Inoki felling him With three clothesline’s looked good. Bigelow’s big flourish missing the diving headbutt was great. Inoki’s death enziguiri knocking Bam Bam out of the ring and drawing blood was awesome. Bombs away kneedrop gives Inoki the clean win. A pretty bulletproof formula Inoki is so damn charismatic and his great timing he had this down Pat. Bigelow is very athletic and was game for this match. ***1/4