Superstar Sleeze

Best of ECW Part 1 I forgot to post this here. To the surprise of no one, no ECW match really warrants much consideration for a Top 100 Greatest Wrestling Match Ever, but I would also say that is a terrible way to watch ECW and a pretty terrible way to watch wrestling overall (in large part I think the decline I've wrestling can be tied to presenting Great Wrestling instead of compelling characters & angles that lead to great wrestling). I implore people to watch ECW in context of its promos and angles, which are addictive especially in 1995-96 Paul E was firing on all cylinders and creating an engrossing week-to-week product. However, I am stuck in my ways and it is quicker for me to make a list of the Top 12 ECW matches I enjoyed the most. Should have Part 2 up soon. https://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2020/05/pro-wrestling-lov-vol-59-best-of.html

Mitsuharu Misawa, Kenta Kobashi & Satoru Asako vs Toshiaki Kawada, Akira Taue & Tamon Honda - AJPW 6/30/95 I have seen Asako once before in a random six-man tag, besides his unique lime green trunks, I dont remember much about him. Honda would become more famous in NOAH especially for a great Kobashi match. Honda shows a lot of personality here and actually gets over pretty big with Korakuen crowd for his headbutting barrage. I think if he filled out a little more (he was a bit boxy and young at the time) he could have been pushed right along with Akiyama, but as his heel antithesis. We lose about ten minutes but this is still worthwhile. It is All Japan at their peak workrate, bomb-throwing, sprinting style. There's some creeping in of the style that would inspire the 2010s workrate style with the overly elaborate sequences. I did really like the sequence where Misawa does his stock spot of sliding out the back of a suplex but Taue immediately wrangles him into DDT only for a Misawa to do a Northern Lights Suplex. There are times after this where they get a little too fancy for their own good in some spots. The majority of what we is Kawada in a heel in peril segment. Great suplex struggle win by Kobashi to see it. Kawada had some real zip behind his elbows. You can see how Taue is a veteran and Honda is a rookie. When Kawada gets Kobashi to the floor, Taue immediately pounces and throws Kobashi in the railing. Taue always looking to win Henchman of the Year knows exactly what to do. Just like when Kawada ends up knocking Kobashi off the apron, Misawa comes in and attacks Kawada. These are vetrans that know how to help their partners out of a jam and not let the match get a way from them. The last 5 minutes or so is a blur of action. I think the real highlight is Honda just going wild with headbutts. There is one sequence on Kobashi where he gets a nearfall that he is over like a rover. There's amazing Roaring Elbow from Misawa at one point on Kawada. Kawada goes head-huntin' and SMOKES Misawa in his bad eye. Great sell and the ref checks Misawa, but I would have liked Misawa to get a little more pissed in his retaliation. The finish is a great suplex barrage, Tiger Suplex on Kawada and German on Taue with Kobashi hitting the winning Dragon Suplex on Honda. Really fun action-based sprint, I would say Kawada and Honda are the standouts. Honda gets over way bigger than push due to his crazy headbutt onslaught and his physical charisma (great uptempo energy). Kawada was in the majority of the match and did a great job selling & kicking ass. It did not get as heated as 6/9/95. I would have liked Misawa to have gotten more pissed at the head-hunting. It is hard to rate missing nearly half the match. I bet it would be around ****-*****1/4, Dave was out to lunch with his ***** talk.

Not just the central part of his gimmick, it was the central part of the WrestleMania gimmick from 2008-2014. Obviously, there were other selling points to Mania, but Taker's streak was always at least #2.

To be fair to Flair, he held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for 3,116 days second only to Lou Thesz, 501 days as WCW World Champion and 118 days as WWF Champion for a total of 3,735 days as World Champion which is 10 years collectively as the Champion. I dont know where you got Bruno's 12 year run from, I think it was just 8 years '63-71. Bruno is at 4040 days, which puts him at less than a year ahead of Flair. Thesz is at 3,749 days as National Wrestling Alliance World Champion before that he was the National Wrestling Association World Champion for 835 days for a total of 4,584 days. Hogan is at 3,362 days as Champ (I forgot how lengthy his WCW Title reigns were). Ed "Strangler" Lewis is at 3,073 days. It is possible that Jim Londos is also over 3000 days if you add up the different versions of the World Championship he held. I forgot the AWA and Verne! Verne Gagne - 4,677 days (if Thesz/NWA wont put me over, I will start my own promotion and break his fucking record :P) Lou Thesz - 4,584 days Bruno Sammartino - 4,040 days Ric Flair - 3,735 days Hulk Hogan - 3,362 days Ed "Strangler" Lewis - 3,073 days Nick Bockwinkel - 2,990 days (10 days shy of 3000, I was looking for any minor World Championship he won, but nada. Still impressive) I know they blabber on and on about Flair's 16 reigns, but these are not cup of coffee reigns Flair had. There were some meaty reigns in there.

That's a very interesting take on what I wrote. It is not what I intended but I see what you mean. I know I am in minority and this is going to sound weird but I can feel heat without crowd. We always talk about crowd heat and all this jazz, but I can feel heat even with a dead crowd or no crowd. Honestly I have found dead crowds to be worse than no crowd. For me two great examples of this have been Charlotte vs Rhea Ripley at Mania. I thought that match radiated heat. I didnt need a crowd to tell me that it was hot. I think Angel Garza vs Kevin Owens where they worked it as a sprint and Garza shamelessly attacked the knee may have been on the first RAW to have a crowd but I didnt need NXT plants to tell me that match had heat. The workers were working with heat. That Powerbomb would have had Hydrogen Bomb Heat in my eyes regardless of the Budokan's reaction, now the Budokan did confirm and validate my feelings and it added to the moment, but I dont think it would have killed the moment. I see crowd heat as a bonus. I dont penalize great work for dead crowds, but if I do think your work is contributing to the dead crowd, I will call you out on it.

6/9/95 It still makes me cry every time. Yes, it has been 25 years since the greatest match of all time: Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue for All Japan Pro Wrestling in the Budokan Hall on 6/9/95. The match is so famous, so epic, so notorious it is simply known by the day it happened: 6/9/95. There are only two moments in the history of pro wrestling that have made me cry. Oddly enough, both moments always make me cry. No matter, how many times I have seen them or how many years removed I am from first watching it, they just tug at the right heartstring and all of sudden the room gets very dusty. The first moment is Miss Elizabeth hopping the rail at WrestleMania VII to save "Macho Man" Randy Savage from Sensational Sherri. The second is, from a tag team match that took place on June 9, 1995 in Budokan Hall for the All Japan Pro Wrestling Promotion, Kenta Kobashi crawling to put his body on top of his friend/mentor, Mitsuharu Misawa to save him from the merciless beating at the hands of the Holy Demon Army, Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue. 6/9/95 is an emotional tour de force that transcends language, culture and time. It is a human story the story of Toshiaki Kawda and his loyal henchman, Akira Taue, so obsessed and consumed by jealousy to finally topple and pin the valiant champion Misawa and his emotional protege, Kenta Kobashi that they shamelessly, ruthlessly and mercilessly exploit an eye injury of Misawa and leg injury of Kobashi. This pro wrestling match marries world-class athleticism with emotional roller coaster storytelling like many try to, but few if any have ever achieved. It is the greatest pro wrestling match of all time. It is 6/9/95. https://ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com/2020/06/pro-wrestling-love-vol-60-6995-25-years.html

AJPW World Tag Team Champions Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue - AJPW 6/9/95 On the eve of the 25th Anniversary of the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever (I really wish Edge vs Orton was on 6/9, this comment will not age well), I am watching this match again for the first time in gosh at least ten years. I vividly remember the ending but I kinda forgot how they get there and the Kawada BLASTS Misawa off the apron and it all comes rushing back. This Misawa vs Kawada at their most heated. Kawada calmly lets Kobashi reverse his Irish Whip so that he could rule full steam ahead and nail Misawa in the bad eye. Watching all of '93, '94 and the front half of '95, I have found Kawada the hardest of the four to connect with, which is weird because when I was a teenager I was all aboard the Kawada express and that big boot teleported me back to High School watching this on Youtube. I thought that spot was so cool and at the time I didnt even know about the orbtial bone. Misawa is rightfully pissed after some selling (dont sleep on Kobashi being aghast at what happened) and demands to be tagged in. Kawada nails him with another boot, but Misawa keeps going. They do a great criss cross sequence and then Kawada nails Kobashi off the apron! Oh Hell Yeah! Corners clear and this shit is crazy. Things settle down and Kawada tags out to Taue. They work a short five minute heel in peril segment on Taue which I totally forgot about. Misawa looked pissed the whole time and was just ripping into Taue. Kobashi was also dishing out the leather. They work a great dive sequence. Misawa does his Tiger Mask distraction act and it is all diversion for Kobashi to nail a shouldertackle from the apron. Misawa SMOKES Kawada and then ELBOW SUICIDA! Great climax to the face shine. Kobashi misses a shoulder tackle from the middle rope perfect timing as the shine had peaked. Kawada wastes no time progressing the match to the next Act by rifling the injured leg of Kobashi with kicks (the thigh/knee was all taped up, my understanding is from a six-man tag on 4/15). Kobashi fights back because he is fucking Kobashi. He kicks Kawada in the face, but his bad leg is the plant leg and stumbles backwards and collapses. A great moment. I love that is a Kobashi move that actually cements Kobashi's own heat segment. Strong heat segment on Kobashi. Taue Scorpion Deathlock. I watched the 60 Minute Broadway from January which features a 19 minute heat segment on Kobashi so I was shocked how quickly this was over, but I know they come back to it. Taue goes for the Kneecrusher, but Kobashi chops his way out of trouble. Misawa dispatches Taue with Elbows but he wants his receipt on Kawada, Kawada drops down from the apron. Misawa lulls Kawada into a false sense of security and DECKS HIM! Misawa applies a Boston Crab on Taue with his back to Kawada who comes up from behind calmly and KICKS Misawa right in the bad eye. Was that an allusion to the Maeda shoot kick on Choshu?!? It feels like they are playing on shoot-y feelings in this match. All these words and we are only 15 minutes into the match! This match still does the trick. The stretch after the Maeda-style shoot kick until Kobashi powders in agony is one of the best stretches in pro wrestling. Misawa had powdered after the kick to the face. Taue rolls Misawa in and tags out. Kawada kicks him in the face and Misawa bellows in pain. Kawada just pummels him in the corner, relentlessly. He throws the ref back. It is insane You get this feel he is shoot pissed off. Misawa FIRES UP! Elbows for everyone! Kawada sells so well. Taue needs to win Henchman of the Year for what he is abotu to do . Misawa is on a roll when Kawada BLASTS him with another kick to the eye. Here comes Kobashi to join the fracas. Taue eyerakes Misawa down and then dropkicks the injured leg of Kobashi to save Kawada. Henchman of the Year. Kawada stomps and stands on the injured leg. Misawa breaks free. Kawada kicks. Misawa NO SELLS! Kawada kicks! Misawa ELBOW BARRAGE~! Taue saves and THROWS MISAWA DOWN BY THE EYES! Taue sweeps Kobashi's leg and stomps the bad leg. Then in the greatest moment of the match thus far...Taue Nodowa on Misawa ON KOBASHI'S BAD LEG! HOLY SHIT! I FUCKING LOVE IT! KAWADA COMES CRASHING DOWN WITH BOTH KNEES ON KOBASHI'S BAD LEG! Three fucking glorious minutes of chaotic wrestling action. TAUE FUCKING RULES! The heat segment on Misawa is really great. Kawada is such a fucking prick. Spinning Heel Kick! Forearm pressed against the eye or standing on it. Wicked lariat at one point! He is just out of cave in Misawa's face. Kawada hits the First Powerbomb at 20 minutes and Taue intercepts Kobashi and hits a kneecrusher. Kawada launches Misawa. 2 count. Should have been a bigger nearfall I just dont think Budokan thought this was only going 20 minutes. Great Stretch Plum on Misawa now Kobashi has recovered and attacks Kawada. Kawada clubs him with a right closed fist but they clothesline each other down. Misawa tags out to Kobashi. I thought Misawa/Kobashi were fucked. Kobashi holds his own against Kawada. Kawada sweeps the leg but tags out to Taue. Kobashi is able to actually get control of Taue and they hit a double Tiger Driver at around 25 minutes to a bigger reaction. Kobashi fist pumps but Taue breaks up the Moonsault. Here comes Misawa who is all piss 'n' vinegar. He is just fucking Taue's day up with this Elbow Onslaught. Tiger Driver for two. Kobashi detains Kawada as Misawa goes for the Facelock. I really love All Japan and think that comes through in all my reviews. I think what makes this match so special is how much hate there is in it. In 6/3/94, I saw the desire to win consume both men and the competitive spirit was very high. This is different this is anger and hate; it is translating into something really special. So every previous time I have watched this match, I cry at the end. I thought I was prepared. I knew what was going to happen. I just stopped crying and now I am thinking about it again. But man when they pull Kobashi off Misawa, it is too much man. Fuck Kawada and Fuck Taue! Man I cant believe the fucking bad guys won. I need to compose myself. I will finish this. But yeah this is the Greatest Match of All Time. I got some sleep and I am back to review the last 15 minutes. Kawada drills Misawa with a Dangerous Backdrop Driver after he pulled him off the Facelock. Kobashi charges across the ring and knocks Kawada off the ring apron to stop Taue from making the tag. Kobashi scores a German for two, but cant get the moonsault but Kawada attacks the leg and chokeslams him off the top. Kawada/Kobashi struggle for control and Kobashi shifts his weight on the Backdrop Driver. I have no clue how Kobashi and Misawa are still in this match. Back suplex by Kobashi but his leg is shot. I think that thats another thing that adds so much drama to this match is that Misawa/Kobashi's "lead" or "control" is tenuous at best and it is so fragile that any moment you know they could lose control, it builds a lot of tension in the viewer. Kobashi tries for the mooonsault two more times. First time Taue detains him, but Misawa says "Fuck this" and just Crashes down with all his body weight on Kawada from the top rope. Kobashi breaks free of Taue. Tries again. Again is detained so Misawa hits a Senton on Kawada. Kobashi lands the Moonsault but lands hard on his knee and he is in a lot of pain and he cant hold Kawada down. Great job by Kobashi selling and Misawa is in full fuck you mode. Kobashi tags out. Misawa comes in with assured look that he is going to end Kawada. Tiger Suplex, Kawada steps into the ropes. So Misawa folds him in half with German and SLUGS Taue with an Elbow. TIGER SUPLEX~! 1-2-NO! Big Time heat at the 35 minute mark. Taue breaks up the pin on the Tiger Driver. TAUE CHOPS THE EYE! NODOWA~! SUPER NODOWA...KOBASHI SAVES...KAWADA SLIDING KICK TO THE BAD LEG...SUPER NODOWA~! Taue is the game change. The Chop to the Eye is very reminiscent to the Carnival Final. Kawada Clubs Misawa with a right to the bad eye, KOPPOU KICK~! Misawa rolls to apron. Oh shit that can only mean one thing NODOWA OF DEATH! Kobashi tries to save. Kawada SWEEPS THE BAD LEG! Kawada clubs Misawa in the back and it is the NODOWA OF DEATH~! We get out first instance of Kobashi crawling to place his body over Misawa to protect his friend. Taue clubs him and pulls him off and then throws him down. It is all just entertainment, Martin, it is just entertainment. Misawa log rolls out of the ring to avoid being pinned. Kawada cant wrangle him. He gets him back in and its only 2. The crowd didnt bite on that one. Then Kobashi crawls in and holds Misawa's leg in order to avoid him being Powerbombed. What a great moment! It is getting dusty in here. I do have a dust allergy. Iconic moment the stereo NODOWA and Powerbomb. Misawa backdrops out of the powerbomb...theres life in the Ace. Kawada is stomping mericlessly in the bad eye. Kobashi crawls and puts his body on Misawa. They yank him off and Kobashi is struggling against their will to cover Misawa again. Fuck I am crying again. How the fuck does Chad watch this every year? DANGEROUS NODOWA/Back Drop Driver COMBO on Kobashi! ROARING ELBOW~! ON TAUE! GO MISAWA GO! KICK THEIR ASSES! Jumping High Kick by Kawada for 2! Things look bad for our heroes. Elbow to Kawada...cmon...DANGEROUS BACK DROP DRIVER! 1-2-NO! Kobashi is dead to the world. Misawa is on his own. Jumping High Kick to the bad eye! POWERBOMB~! Taue holding Kobashi back 1-2-3! Fuck I cant believe the bad guys won. Baba, why did you have to do me dirty like that. I like being unique and I like being original. I really want to hold up a different match and say that is the Best of All Time. But no, this is the Greatest Match of All Time and I am not even sure it is close. Three things stand out to me that take the normal All Japan epic ***** baseline to a whole new level. 1. They ratcheted up the hate to pretty much as close as they could to shoot levels. The credit here goes to Kawada and Misawa. Kawada was the instigator, but the key was Misawa sold it very subtlety but if you watch enough Misawa you know he is fucking pissed. Misawa doesnt take cheapshots to opponent on the apron, he is focused on the win. Kawada had gotten under his skin. Kawada kept it going with the Maeda Shoot Kick to Eye and pummeling him in the corner. Kawada's obsession reached a fever pitch here and Misawa played his role perfectly. 2. Akira Taue's exponential improvement during the 1995 Carnival. This match would not be as good in 1993 or 1994 because Taue needed to find himself. He is best Henchman of All Time. Loyal, despicable, shameless. He will do anything for the cause which is to ensure victory for his team. In addition, the NODOWA Of Death (off the apron) is so critical and it was developed as a game-changer during Carny '95. It was Taue's Chop to the Eye that was the Point of No Return for Misawa/Kobashi. 3. Kenta Kobashi's emotional performance. Kobashi has amazing facial expression. The beauty of Kobashi is he is such a natural, organic actor. Nothing feels wooden, forced or hollow with him like it would with Shawn Michaels let's say. You truly believe that his only instinct is to get to his friend/mentor and put his body on top to stop the beating. I am getting choked up again just thinking about it. Four men with four distinctly different performances that come together to create the Greatest Pro Wrestling Match of All Time! It is 6/9/95. *****

AJPW World Tag Team Champions Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs Holy Demon Army - AJPW 1/24/95 The Super Generation Army was on quite a roll having won the back to back Real World Tag League in 1993 and 1994. They beat the Holy Demon Army on 12/3/93 and 5/21/94 but drew them in the Real World Tag League of 1994. So are the Holy Demon Army getting any closer? First 15 minutes: I really like how tags were used at the beginning. Any time one man tags out, the non-fresh man works pretty quickly to tag out to his partner to avoid a control segment being established. It is worth noting Kobashi and Kawada just went an hour Broadway 5 days prior to this and they are the ones that start out. Again to their credit they do not telegraph that this will also being going hour Broadway because they come out guns blazing. Again, it is Kawada stunned that Kobashi is standing tall after absorbing a lot of blows to the head. Misawa vs Taue is fun lots of nifty takedowns by Misawa. Misawa goes for a dive to the floor too early and eats a big boot on the floor. Before this can become a control segment he tags out to Kobashi. Kawada vs Kobashi is very scrappy and chippy, I guess it is residual heat from their Triple Crown match. Kobashi uses a closed fist. Kawada unleashes some wicked headbutts that he ends up selling and forces him to tag out to Taue who headbutts Kobashi again, before this can be a control segment, Kobashi tags out. Our first almost control segment is on Taue, but he back drops out of a Kobashi headlock and Kawada tags in. Kawada smokes him with his classic Spinning Heel Kick Kawada shows the back of his hand to Kawada in the corner and Kobashi uses a Closed Fist in response to this blatant disrespect and tags out to Misawa. We get our first Misawa/Kawada interaction and Misawa is a house afire, kicking ass and smoking Kawada. Big dive to the outside lands and then sets him up to head a baseball slide from Kobashi. Taue tries to save and eats a Double Dropkick. Misawa SPINNING PLANCHA! Diving shouldertackle by Kobashi on Kawada on the floor. First big highspots of the match! Hell Yeah! We needed big time fun babyface spots and stereo dives are great. Kobashi starts pelting Kawada with chops and stomping him into oblivion. Kobashi lands a big standing suplex and then converts into a deep Single Leg Crab. We have our first official control segment and it is on Kawada. Definitely a solid opening 15 minutes to this match and looks like the action is ratcheting up. Second 15 minutes: This feels like a match that did not need to go 60 minutes rather they just wanted it to go sixty minutes. This middle portion is filled with three heat segments that roughly go about 5 minutes each. The leg work on Kawada is solid based around strikes and single leg crabs. Kawada's selling is better than offense and he is just awesome. Taue tries to help out on a monkey flip attempt in the corner but eats an elbow for his troubles. Misawa does his Blind Springboard Reverse Elbow but Kawada nails a Jumping High Kick. The Misawa heat segment starts out auspiciously with Taue DDT and then rolling Snake Eyes to boos on the top rope, steel railing and Kawada's good knee. Best stuff. Kawada lights up the down 'n' out Misawa with kicks & chops. Taue hits the rest holds. Kawada comes back in hits some wicked head kicks. Taue comes back and they do some Nodowa/Tiger Driver teases, which is the first time they have even teased a finisher and this is about 25 minutes in. Misawa snatches a Butterfly Suplex. Kobashi comes in and is all fired up taking both down. He settles into an abdominal stretch. When Kobashi is working holds like this, you know your match doesnt have to go so long. Misawa his a slingshot splash for two. They are definitely holding back on the fireworks. Stiff elbows and chops to Taue as he looks in dire straits as Misawa/Kobashi have him trapped in their corner. Taue throws Kobashi down in the corner. Taue fights through the chops and piefaces Kobashi! Here we go some heat! Kobashi fires up! Taue catches him in a Firemans Carry and rolls Snake Eyes! Nice! Tag out to Kawada. Well the only one who has not had a heat segment is Kobashi so I think I know where this is going. Third 15 minutes: They saved the heat segment for last! It is an absolutely delectable 15 minute heat segment on Kobashi. I loved how Kobashi made Kawada earn this control segment. They were both rocking each other with knees but both men kept firing up until Kawada chopped high! Kawada went for the knee. Kobashi responded with a desperation round kick to the knee that Kawada absorbed. Kawada fired back. Kobashi went for the dropkick to the knee and Kawada pulled out his leg and avoided. KAWADA SWEEPS THE LEG~! Kobashi sold his leg like a million bucks. So much great verbal selling and hollering. Kawada and Taue put on a fucking clinic on how to work the leg. Any hope Kobashi had they would quash. Misawa started to try to help but Kawada was out for blood. Big kick and then smoked him with a Jumping High Kick and Misawa powdered. A second time Misawa tried to help was when Kobashi looked like he has a chance to make a tag, but Kawada came in illegally and started to drag him away from Misawa. Kawada/Misawa got into scuffle and Kawada just SLUGGED him with a punch that sent Misawa reeling to the floor. This when it went from leg work to finish the punk off. Kawada TRUCKED him with a Lariat! Kawada THROWS KOBASHI DOWN WITH A POWERBOMB! This may turn out to be the biggest mistake of the match as Kawada is blind with rage goes to the outside finds Misawa and POWERBOMBS him on the floor. By the time, he gets back in the ring, it is too late to win. Taue comes in. Remember at this point, Taue has not yet innovated the Nodowa Of Death (Nodowa off the Apron) nor the Dynamic Bomb. He hits a normal Nodowa and Kobashi just freaks out. He is scrambling to get away, flailing like a fish out of water. He makes it to his corner, but there is no Misawa! High Drama! Taue hits a Super Nodowa but loses control of Kobashi in the crash landing. Kobashi powders and Taue sells. Misawa has rolled closer to Kobashi but is still hurting. Kobashi looks dead to rites and Taue has recovered and is stalking his prey. The first 30 minutes is pretty bland, but business has picked up in a big way. Final Fifteen Minutes: I smell a Dangerous BackDrop Driver! I am right, but they dont use that as their nearfall. Instead Kawada goes back to the powerbomb and stacks up Kobashi. At the very last second Misawa bowls them both over to break it up. NUCLEAR NEARFALL! It makes sense because the first Powerbomb was broken up by Kawada going after Misawa. This time they could use the Powerbomb as a nearfall. Great way to get the most out of the Powerbomb. Kawada goes into the Stretch Plum, which makes sense while Taue tries to detain Misawa. The one problem is Taue is overwhelmed by Misawa elbows and Misawa starts firing off on Kawada. Kawada goes for a punch, but it is a glancing blow and Misawa roars back with an Elbow. After NINETEEN minute heat segment, Kobashi makes the tag. At first, I thought Misawa was going to be gobbled up the pack of hyenas, but he catches each of their kicks and ROARING ELBOW~! I was openly cheering! Misawa hits an insane over the top rope SPEAR on Kawada! He looked like a fucking heat-seeking missile. Whats weird is Misawa does not go for the Tiger Driver or the Tiger Suplex, but settles for the Facelock. Once the Facelock has played out, he teases the Tiger Suplex but cant get it and tags back to Kobashi who is ready to unleash Hell on these assholes for the 19 minutes of punishment he took. Whats crazy is that 55 minutes in we have NOT seen a Tiger Driver, Tiger Suplex, Moonsault or a Kobashi powerbomb. Kobashi goes for the Moonsault, first one results in a crash landing. An illegal Misawa ends up hitting an illegal Tiger Driver on Kawada in the only Tiger Driver of the match. Kobashi connects with the Moonsault for the first big nearfall for the babyfaces. Kawada kicks Kobashi in the back of the head as Kobashi is running the ropes and this allows Taue to tag out. Kawada Axe Kick! Misawa elbows to prevent the Stretch Plum. Kobashi gets one last nearfall by doing the rolling cradle about 57 minutes into the match which was a fun spot. They look exhausted. No Kobashi Jackknife Powerbomb. Kobashi wisely tags out. Misawa and Kawada stare each other down. Misawa leaps for diving elbow but Kawada catches him with a jumping kick. Misawa says fuck you and German Suplexes him. Misawa's first big nearfall. Misawa responds wisely the next time with a Spinning, Twisting Elbow/Headbutt Thingy From the Top Rope. He did it to avoid Kawada chance to kick him, which worked but it did look ugly, Taue saves. Taue breaks free from Kobashi and breaks up the Facelock. Time call for 1 minute left and Misawa hits a Twisting Frogsplash with amazing precision for 2. With 30 seconds left, Misawa is grappling for the Tiger Driver, Kawada is sandbagging him and Taue tackles Misawa to break it up and the bell rings for a 60 minute draw. The first 30 minutes are not bad per se they are just pedestrian. If you joined this in progress at the 30 minute mark right at the beginning of the heat segment on Kobashi, I think you would think this was ***** that's how amazing I thought the last 30 minutes was. The heat segment on Kobashi was so compelling. I liked how it morphed from leg psychology into bomb throwing seamlessly. I liked how Misawa kept trying to intervene and Kawada just got more and more pissed off. The Second Powerbomb on Kobashi was a fucking awesome nearfall. The finish stretch was so much fun with the babyfaces desperately trying to finish off the Holy Demon Army and exact some revenge for getting their ass kicked for the previous 20 minutes. It is amazing how they actually left stuff off the table in this match...the Holy Demon Army never even attempted their Nodowa/Back Drop Driver finisher...Kobashi didn't do his Jackknife Powerbomb....Misawa did not do a Tiger Driver or Tiger Suplex. I think they could have spread things out and spiced up the first 30 minutes to make this a true classic. I cant go higher than ****1/4 given the first 30 minutes but the last 30 minutes is excellent.

Mitsuharu Misawa vs Akira Taue - AJPW Champions Carnival Final 4/15/95 There are two sleeper picks for best 90s All Japan matches of all time, this and the Doc/Misawa title change. In a world where the canon is so explicit: 7/29/93 (Kobashi/Hansen), 12/3/93, 5/21/94, 6/3/94, 6/9/95, 12/6/96 and 1/20/97, these two Misawa/Doc and Misawa/Taue stand in defiance as possible challengers to the throne. I know most people give this ***** and Loss ranking this as #14 in his best matches of the 90s is a huge win for the match. I don't know where I will rank it, but this is my favorite match of the bunch. 2012 Martin Take it Away! I am just going to get this out of the way. This is one of the greatest matches of all time and in top 10 of the greatest All Japan matches of all time. Full Stop. Don’t pass Go and collect $200, sit your ass down and watch this match. I was skeptical of the rep this match has because I did not think Taue as a singles competitor could deliver that time of performance. Who am I to doubt Akira Taue? (2020 Martin: Jeez dont have to get hot about it. I think most people think this match is awesome. Don't worry a lot of people underrate Taue at the beginning, as long as you have seen the light, all is forgiven.) The match begins with a series of counters to put over their familiarity with each other. Taue side-steps a Misawa flying lariat and drives him into the ground sending Misawa to the outside. (2020 Martin: The scouting here was really choice. Taue evading Elbows. Misawa catching himself on Snake eyes and armdragging out of NODOWA. Misawa takes more damage because he misses two flying moves and hits the mat hard. Also on the leaping lariat, Taue drove his face into the mat, it looked like it bothered Misawa's injured eye) All of sudden, we get Air Taue as he dives onto Misawa on the outside and Misawa chants begin in earnest. I loved this because it established that with both men so familiar with each other that they would have to wrestle outside their moveset to keep their opponent off-balance. (2020 Martin: Air Taue was a good way for Taue to get the first offensive move of the match) The hook of the match is Taue aggressively attacking the injured eye of Misawa (remember Misawa legitimately broke his orbital bone in match with Kawada earlier). Taue utilized this tactic to cut off Misawa offensive flurries and to setup his own offense. A good example of this is when Misawa slides over the back of Taue on a suplex attempt only to receive a stiff elbow to his eye. (2020 Martin: Lets break this down further, Misawa tries to trap Taue in a facelock shortly after Air Taue, but Taue grabs at the eyes and Mares him over. The attack on the eyes are the beginning was not overt but if you watch closely Misawa was wincing and touching his eye. We get Dragon Sleepers but they are not around the neck but around the eyes and nose. Taue had a game plan. As for the stiff back elbow that I did mention it is genius because it plays into the scouting aspect of the match. How many times have seen Misawa use the slide down the back on a suplex to start his Comeback, here Taue has it scouted and stiffs him right in teh injured eye. This is when Misawa really starts selling.) Misawa for his part puts on a offense clinic of his own. Against Kawada and Kobashi, Misawa is more than willing to let them have their spotlight, but against Taue Misawa has more free reign to take larger chunks of the match to himself. Misawa actually taking so much offense is indicator to the viewer that his normal rope-a-dope strategy would not work here because the injury is that much of liability. Thus Misawa is looking to end this match much earlier rather rely on his normal strategy of extending his opponent and then taking advantage. This gives a different feel from normal Misawa matches as he is much more aggressive and urgent with his offense. After a flurry of spin kicks, elbows, two elbows dives and a ROARING ELBOW~!, they actually tease Taue losing by countout. (2020 Martin: I never give credit to Misawa for his kicks but he has some nice kicks especially his spin kick. There is a great moment where he has started his comeback and has Taue stunned but he does not immediately follow it up because hie eye hurts...once he gathers himself he hits the Spin Kick and then Elbow Suicida) I have to mention the normally stoic Misawa seems a bit pissed that Taue was so willing to take advantage of his injury. (2020 Martin: That Roaring Elbow was fucking HUGE! I have to say it caught me off guard because it came so early in the match. I can buy that Misawa wanted to get out of this match sooner rather than later because of his injury). At around the 12:00 minute mark, all hell breaks loose as Taue claws Misawa’s eye repeatedly to stop his elbow flurries. This culminates with Taue stepping on Misawa injured eye. The Japanese crowd and announcers collectively lose their shit at the ruthlessness and audacity of Taue. I have watched a lot of Japanese wrestling and never remember a crowd actually booing a wrestler that is how heated this got. Seventeen years after the fact that spot is still fuckin sweet. (2020 Martin: I was waiting for this moment. This and when he claws at the end. I forgot how lusty those boos are. The Japanese crowd was pissed and the Japanese announcer could not believe at the shamelessness of Taue. Taue was a desperate man and desperate man do desperate things. This is the moment where Taue's strategy became overt; he was going to target the injured eye.) Taue tries to negotiate his kill shot: the Nodowa off the apron to the floor, but Misawa elbows his way out of it. (2020 Martin: Before that Misawa fought to regain control only to be picked up from behind and hit with a back suplex off the apron. Never turn your back on an opponent especially one as ruthless as Taue. The tease of the Nodowa off the apron is an excellent spot). Misawa in desperation runs through more of his arsenal: spinkick, senton, frogsplash, german suplex, Tiger Driver, but can not garner the victory. Then we arrive at the spot of the match and maybe my favorite sequence in all of pro wrestling. (2020 Martin: I was thinking the same thing! TWINNING!) Misawa floats over Taue back on a vertical suplex attempt and lands on the apron. UH OH! Taue immediately takes the edge of his hand and drives it into Misawa’s injured eye. (2020 Martin: I love how Taue holds his Chop Hand frozen to brazenly demonstrate to the world what he did. Was he proud or was he shocked? We will never know) Taue goozles him, but Misawa is clinging to the ropes for dear life, but Taue chops his hand to break his clasp. (2020 Martin: Shawn Michaels eat your heart out. This is how you do high drama!) NODOWA TO THE FLOOR!!!! (2020 Martin: The crowd, the announcer and me 25 years later collectively lose our shit). Now the entire ending is in doubt. Before, Misawa was the favorite even with eye injury because he was the ace and none of the Four Corners had beaten him. However, this is the move that killed Kobashi and Kawada dead. This is the move that signals the end is nigh! Either ending is totally satisfying to customer as Misawa will either overcome this adversity as before or Taue will prove to be the Misawa-Slayer. As a smart wrestling fan, I can predict 95% of the outcomes of all matches because I have just watched that much wrestling. Sometimes the journey is more fun than the ending. However, then there are matches like these when the irresistible force (Nodowa on the floor) and the immovable object (Misawa) meet and I don’t know who will win, but fuck it is going to be one helluva ride. (2020 Martin: I didnt think about it in this way, but it is true. If I was watching this for the first time and didnt know the outcome, I could buy into either finish. Great work!) Taue runs through his offense (German, DDT, Atomic Legdrop) and punctuates this run with a DYNAMIC BOMB~! MISAWA KICKS OUT!!!! O SHIT!!!! NUCLEAR NEARFALL! Built so well in this Carnival! That was the payoff to Taue pinning Kobashi and Kawada. What a payoff! The ending is a great illustration of why Misawa one of the best ever. John Cena would have hulked up and ran through his offense to get the win, but Misawa presents his twist on the babyface comeback. (2020 Martin: 2012 Martin is wrong. Cena became the Misawa of Comebacks in WWE. More apt would have been Hogan. I am sorry for my ignorance in 2012). Misawa strikes with his elbows, but with each elbow he is falling down or powdering. He is using these desperation elbows to create breathing room for himself to recover. (2020 Martin: You nailed it, 2012 Martin) You get the feeling as a fan that he just did not stop being injured or fatigued, but that he is fighting through it. Taue is both dazed by these vicious elbows and fatigued from running through most of his offense. Taue is still able to kick out of a german suplex and a Tiger Driver. Taue, sensing that the end is near, tries one last ditch effort by clawing at the eye and the crowd is molten with heat at this. (2020 Martin: Another iconic moment in an iconic match) Misawa elbows through the claw and TWO Tiger Suplexes finish it for Misawa! Misawa perseveres and overcomes! One of the greatest matches I have ever seen. (2020 Martin: Damn straight!) It is one of those matches where you feel like you reached a Pro Wrestling Nirvana as a pro wrestling fan. This is one of the best individual Misawa performances I have ever seen as he puts over Taue as a force to reckoned with and himself as a resilient wrestler that overcomes adversity with his heart and elbows. Taue stepped up his game huge throughout the Carnival and there was no brighter moment than this match where he ate Misawa’s offense well and was totally ruthless against the eye. This match represents what pro wrestling should be: the simulation of human struggle. Taue is struggling to step out from Misawa’s shadow and is willing to do anything to finally end his “Reign of Terror”. (2020 Martin: I think added element of this is Taue is plagued by self-doubt. He is driven to shameless, ruthless tactics because he does not believe he can best Misawa on his own merits. He needs to exploit a weakness with illegal tactics. Clawing the eyes is illegal regardless of health. This was not merely taking advantage of an injury, this was combining cheating with kicking a man while he is down. It is offensive and should be resoundingly condemned as unsportsmanlike conduct and savory. The beauty of this is the levels. Taue does not come out attacking the eye. It is only after he struck with a vicious Roaring Elbow. It is out of survival and lack of self-confidence to get the job done that he resorts to these blatantly disgusting tactics. He is desperate because he does not believe in himself. He is shameless because he values the victory over human decency. Desperation + Shamelessness = Ruthless. This is best type of heel work.) Misawa is struggling with overcoming his broken orbital bone and an opponent willing and able to exploit it. (2020 Martin: Misawa is the valiant hero overcoming two big obstacles and ultimately triumphant. It is not his offense but rather his selling that wins him the day. His decisions to pause and and take the time and let us know his pain allows to become a part of his journey. He let us in and in doing so made us all the more invested. Vulnerability humanizes and the humanization process creates empathy & understanding. Misawa tapped into that. If Taue's performance is the greatest heel performance, then Misawa's was the greatest babyface performance) When pro wrestling is done right, I do not think there is a greater medium of entertainment. On April 15, 1995, Mitsuharu Misawa and Akira Taue did pro wrestling right. The only question is this the Greatest Match of All Time? The answer is I dont know, but it is in the Top 10 of all time. *****

AJPW Triple Crown Toshiaki Kawada vs Kenta Kobashi - AJPW 1/19/95 It looks like it has been almost 8 years since I last watched this bad boy. My 2012 takes are trash, here's a fresh set: First 15 minutes: I think they do some interesting things to establish Kawada as the subtle heel champion who is slightly inferior to his challenger. They actually start out doing the typical All Japan workrate (lots of movement combined with stiff strikes). It is a stalemate and Kobashi stood toe to toe with the Champ and may have hit a little harder. We are left with a staredown and Kawada looks like a man who has realized that this is going to be a lot tougher than he originally thought. Kobashi's hand print is left on Kawada's chest for some time. I also like that this gives them a excuse to slow it down instead of telegraphing they are going long. Kawada doesnt think he will doing the King's Road style so he goes to Tests of Strength which does seem kinda dumb as it plays into Kobashi's wheelhouse, but Kawada had a trick up his sleeve. Both times he terminated the test of strength to hit offense, first time to take a swiping kick at Kobashi's leg, the second time to hit the first big head drop of the match, a German and then chop blocks the knee. Kawada does a great job working over the knee while Kobashi sells like a champ, but what I really liked about this is that they didnt go over board since they were going 60 minutes they had time. Kobashi used the chops to block a Single Leg Crab and the Kneecrusher. They can get those in later and also now Kobashi's selling doesnt have to be quite as intense. It also adds struggle and a sense of earning the offense to the match. As the first quarter of the match comes to a close, Kobashi is in control with lots of leg drops and I mean lots of leg drops from different angles. Kobashi needed a go to hold like Misawa had the Facelock and Kawada had the Stretch Plum. Second 15 minutes: Weird to see an offensive juggernaut like Kobashi resort to standard pummeling offense and holds around the head/neck. He did work a mean side headlock at one point. Kawada's selling was the best part. He does sell fatigue/attrition really well. Kobashi's sleeper (which he used against Hansen a lot but hadnt seen him use much outside of that series) causes Kawada to get his ass in hear. They start jockey for position. Kawada starts to NO-SELL some chops and hulk up. This is the most dominant Kawada has looked. Kobashi starts to hulk up in a similar fashion to Kawada's chops, but Kawada chops high and Kobashi sells this so well! Collapse, gasping for breathe. Kawada double stomps the hell out of him a couple times. Great stuff. I thought the Powerbomb came too quickly and too easily and they didnt get the pop they wanted. Everything in this match had dripped with struggle I think because they had 60 minutes they really took the extra time to make it worth it. There was a great suplex segment about five minutes before this that really felt earned. The Powerbomb came off feeling transitional. Kobashi sells it like death, but what's weird is he able to back drop out of the second one. Kobashi is overselling in my opinion. He is doing a lot of glassy-eyed selling at 30 minute mark. If you die now, it will undermine his comeback and the match. Kawada is selling fatigue much more tastefully. Kobashi hits rebound shoudlertackle but Kawada SMOKES him with a lariat on the apron. Kobashi uses a PUNCH to end this King of the Mountain nonsense but Kawada catches him with a kick as Kobashi comes off the top. Here's the kicker, the joke is Kawada as he injured his leg on the kick. Kobashi dropkicks the knee! To a surprisingly big pop! For most of my 93/94 rewatch, I feel like Kobashi has been the better wrestler, but in this match I have enjoyed Kawada more and I am excited to see where this knee work goes. Third 15 minutes: I need to say this at some point...Kobashi is over like rover! It has to make Baba smile knowing his #2 face is so damn over. The lge work was great while it lasted and it was too short, not that consequential. It was about 5 minutes I'd day. Kobashi wrecked that knee. Kneecrusher through the timekeeper's table. All the classic holds including a Single Leg Crab with a foot steeping on Kawada's head. Kawada resists one hold and swipes at Kobashi's bad wheel and this re-establishes Kawada for a bit. Kawada sells exhaustion well but he has given up on knee selling. I think that first Powerbomb was a mistake. It was an awkward Powerbomb like he didnt expected Kobashi to go up and when he did he just sort of had to throw him. Ever since then Kawada cant hit the powerbomb and Kobashi keeps reversing so they are building to the Kawada Powerbomb even though it has already been hit so it is weird. Kobashi uses a closed fist AGAIN to stymie Kawada. He hits his own Powerbomb. He THREW KAWADA DOWN! Dangerous Back Drop Driver by Kobashi! Kawada looks in rough shape. They are starting to lose me as they going into workrate and everything is starting to blur together. I dont think there is a Kawada comeback stretch. I think they go to a Kobashi moonsault sequence. First Kawada rolls away and Kobashi bodyslams him. Kawada rolls out and Kobashi crashes and burns on the moonsault attempt. This triggers the Kawada comeback. Kobashi PUNCHES again!?! Kawada responds with a Jumping High Kick and it is TIMMMMMBAAAAHHHHHH by Kobashi. Kawada gets a couple covers off this. Then it is back to struggling over the Powerbomb. I really think that first Powerbomb was a mistake. There are huge Kobashi chants at this point. This match is pretty all over the place. They badly need a hook, but with 15 minutes left, they are just going to do their standard 15 minute close, but yeah this is definitely not a classic, I am not sure it is even great. Last 15 minutes: I am surprised everyone including 2012 me hated the finish. I thought this was by far and away the best part of the match. They just worked their usual finish run and it was incredible. I think they psyched themselves out for the first 45 minutes and in the last 15 they just did what they do best, really well-thought out bomb throwing. Kawada gets big nearfall heat on the Powerbomb. There are diminishing returns on the Dangerous Back Drop Driver and Stretch Plum. He wants the Dragon Suplex, which would have been something new. Kobashi resists and busts out the Rolling Cradle to NUCLEAR heat! The crowd was rabid for Kobashi. They wanted him to win desperately. The Jackknife Powerbomb and Moonsault get huge heat. Now it is Kobashi that wants the Dragon Suplex. KOPPOU KICK~! (Nobody told me I was spelling it wrong for years!). Kawada unleashes another wicked Koppou Kick and it is he who hits the Dragon Suplex for two. Great nearfall. Kobashi nails a bridging German for huge heat. He goes again but Kawada hits his usual twisting kick to avoid that. Kawada sends Kobashi flying with a German Suplex. Kobashi does his flailing, discombobulated selling trying to avoid a loss while Kawada is scrambling to put him away before time expires and it does with Kawada trying to hoist Kobashi up for a powerbomb. Admirable effort, even though I dont think it is a great 60 minute match but it was not from lack of trying. I think it was more a meandering layout that tempered my enjoyment. There was no hook. It was just action and them trying to find their way before the ultra-hot finish. Kawada paced himself better. His selling was pitch perfect so many great facial expressions. He really sold fatigue and general attrition well. He built to his offense better like the Powerbomb and the Dragon Suplex. Even though Kobashi didnt build to his offense as well, the crowd was so rabid for him they bit on everything and every nearfall had HUGE HEAT! Kobashi also oversold a lot in his match. He was dying too much and should have scaled it back until the end when he needed that extra level in his selling. Like I said they needed a hook. It didnt have to be a body part psychology but maybe Kobashi working from underneath to build to those nuclear nearfalls or Kawada working from underneath with Kobashi getting close but the Champ is too strong. I just thought it was too even and they would do 5 minute spells of something new. I will defend the finish. Conventional wisdom is the challenger is scrambling to win before the time limit expires but this is Kawada's first defense and I think they wanted him to look strong. The 60 minute draw elevates Kobashi, but Kawada being the one who probably would have won with 5 more minutes protects him. It is very good match, but when you go 60 minutes it feels like a failure (it is not!), but I hope they can improve on this in October 1996. ***3/4

Surprised ya’ll liked this I thought this was a horrible Hogan match. He had a knee brace on his left leg and was visibly hobbling the whole match. He almost fell twice on his comeback. Hogan is usually a ball of energy even as late as early 99 against Flair. Did he have knee surgery? Crow Sting fucking sucked. He was pretty useless in this match. Sid & Rick Steiner as your top 2 heels is the clear problem. DDP needs to get pushed harder and you turn at least one of the top 4 babyfaces and you can’t do Hogan or Goldberg. I guess you might as well do Sting but Sting sucked so much during this time period.

I liked this song. My Dad and I found the chorus catchy. It is not as great as With My Baby Tonight but it’s the GOAT. The Rednecks are a perfect midcard heel stable. Easily identifiable gimmick.

Stizzing in the hizzouse...it does come off as your Dad trying to be cool BIT I’m going to cut him some slack because isn’t that part of how you speak Carny. The real question is how did Carny speak seep into Hip Hop Culture. Luger looks like has aged ten years between 1997 and 1999. Based on the Buff Bagwell interview on Austin’s podcast, Luger was on a pretty heavy Soma regimen at the time. Booze & drugs will do that to you. Back in 1999, I could see all this drawing ire but watching it in a vacuum it’s a great Luger promo. Is he being genuine or is he manipulating Sting? Will Hogan turn? Will Luger turn? Of course this being WCW Sting turned oh well. Compared to 2020 WWE booking this shit is high end drama. 2020 WWE booking there are no angles or hooks to matches. It’s just here’s another wrestling match! I guess the benefit to that is there is no continuity to fuck up because there’s no such thing as a story.

I’m a huge KISS fan, definitely one of the best live acts I’ve ever seen. It is impossible not to have a huge smile on your face while Paul Stanley does his schtick. The Network cut this from Nitro? The episode was already 2 hrs 7 minutes, did they go over? Does WWE not want to pay KISS royalties. The KISS Demon wrestler is very Gene Simmons.

People need to recognize that after three stellar performances that Johnny Ace was a great wrestler. He should have been a consistent challenger to the Triple Crown. AJPW World Tag Team Champions Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs Dr. Death & Johnny Ace - AJPW 3/4/95 I really enjoyed their matches in 1994 especially Johnny Ace's performance lets see what we get. Kobashi and Ace start and Ace holds his own. Misawa tags in. Doc wants in bad. Pleading "Let me have him". I said it before and I will say it again the biggest difference in Doc is his confidence. He wants that spotlight and he wants to lead. Ace eats a dropkick and Doc will not take no for an answer. Ace tags in Doc. Misawa lands the most blows but Doc will not go down. They do a pull apart brawl with the Junior tag partners holding their senior compatriots back. The Budokan popped pretty big for this spot. Of course, Ace lets Doc go so he can club Misawa from behind, good cheapshot. It is back to Kobashi and Ace, but Doc is the difference maker as he lands a King-Sized Brainbuster on Kobashi and we go into heat. They throw Kobashi to the outside. Ace legdrops Kobashi on the ropes. They do a lot of neck cranks. In the first ten minutes, nothing super interesting besides how revved up Doc has been. Doc wants the Dangerous Backdrop Driver...Kobashi resists knowing that would spell doom for him...Ace interferes...ref breaks it up...allows Kobashi to get to his corner and tag in Misawa. That was a good example of heel interference backfiring and allowing the tag. Doc vs Misawa gets a big reaction. Misawa losing to Doc helped Doc's star power a lot. Did Misawa ever get his win back? They tussle, Doc starts using lopping jabs, Misawa goes for a punch of his own but misses and Doc sends him ass over tea kettle with a wicked over arm armdrag. They work Misawa's arm. It is solid top wristlock work. Again, the best part of this is Doc creaming his lungs out on the apron "Rip it off!". Ace gets a nice spin kick/DDT nearfall but it is just solid arm work. Misawa hits his own spin kick to tag Kobashi in. Solid Kobashi hot tag, but nothing too explosive. Halfway through this has not been as good as the 1994 matches, but it has been solid. Doc cheering "Ace! Ace!" complete with clap-a-long as if he was going to get the Japanese faithful to cheer on a Johnny Ace comeback. The best part of the Heel In Peril was the the Powerbomb/Crossbody combo. At around the 20 minute they really turned this on. Did Big Dave give this the fully monty? I feel like he would be bored by the first 20 minutes or so but the action has definitely picked up to Big Dave levels. Kobashi wants the moonsault and it does seem time. Ace fights back and Doc Helps out. Ace does the Kobashi Moonsault Fist Pump, but he does not snap it off like in December 1994. Doc helps him out and then he hits the moonsault. Doc throws Kobashi around with some vicious suplexes. They do a a Top Rope Belly 2 Belly spot that I am shocked didnt injure or kill one of them...totally out of control. I will say this again Barbarian in All Japan instead of Nitro would have been insane! Misawa bails out Kobashi with a Tiger Driver, but Misawa cannot cover because he is not legal! BOOOOOO! Big Kobashi chants ring out. The Budokan crowd has bit on this match and they are invested. Doc tags in Ace who steps on Kobashi and leaps onto Misawa in a great spot. Uncle Slam by Ace and then an Ace Crusher! Ace does the Doc Boomer Sooner Stomp! Ace goes for the Doctor Bomb but Kobashi reverses the weight and Ace falls backwards. Hot Tag to Misawa! Ace has really kicked into high gear down the stretch. Wicked big boot by Ace and Misawa says Fuck You with an Elbow and goes to Sleeper and then Facelock! Is it weird that I think the Gaijin have outworked the Japanese? Kobashi has seemed subdued. Misawa has been pretty good. Doc and Ace have been fired up for this. Misawa goes for a monkey flip out of the corner and Doc comes up from behind and sends him ass over tea kettle in the most insane spot of the match. Misawa landed squarely on his neck/shoulders that was wicked. They pay tribute to Ace's brother with a Doomsday Device! Misawa looks in rough shape all of sudden. Ace cant put him away. Doc, the illegal man, tried two different slams but each time Kobashi dropkicked the knee of Doc. Great selling by Doc who acted like his Knee had been blown out. They do a double team Tiger Driver, but Misawa was shot and he tags in Kobashi. I like how it was Kobashi who has to save Misawa as opposed to 12/3/93 when Misawa handed Kobashi the victory on a silver platter. The Kobashi moonsault only gets two, Ace was in the match for the last 10 minutes and looked great. If you remember he started on offense, but the last 8 minutes he took a great shitkicking. Fighting back to make Misawa & Kobashi earn but each time he got owned. Great Tiger Suplex by Kobashi. Doc would make saves but Misawa started to tackle Doc. I also really liked the tug of war over Ace with Doc and Misawa each pulling at a body part to try to drag Ace to their respective corner, nice spot. Misawa attacks Doc's knee after Doc lunged at Misawa. I dont think I have ever seen body part work on the illegal man and Misawa to pick up on that thread from Kobashi was genius. Doc has to watch Ace get Powerbombed to Hell by Kobashi. As soon as Doc breaks free, he attacks Kobashi but Misawa saves. Doc hits a MASSIVE PLANCHA on Misawa to the floor that takes himself out. Kobashi hits the top rope John Cena style leg drop for the win! Johnny Ace took a helluva beating but he ate it like a champ and made Kobashi look like a champ. Ace looked great in this with his charisma shining in the middle and then playing tackling dummy for Misawa/Kobashi, which is bit of an exaggeration because he did make them earn it. Doc also looked like a world-beater in this. He came off as dominant and confident. The only reason Misawa and Kobashi won is they kept Ace isolated for 10 straight minutes. I liked Misawa & Kobashi playing defense against Doc by going after the legs. The first 20 minutes was just solid, but last 15 minutes is pretty incredible. I still prefer the 1994 matches, but yeah this picked up and kicked ass. ****1/4

AJPW Triple Crown Champion Stan Hansen vs Mitsuharu Misawa - AJPW 3/4/92 Well guys, I pulled a Parv. In my defense, the video on DailyMotion was mislabelled. I intended to watch their 1995 Triple Crown Contest as was described on DailyMotion but the video is mislabelled and it is actually this match. I should have known based on the length of time and there was no clipping. I knew the match was 25 minutes long based on Cagematch and the video on Dailymotion was only 22 minutes. The best part was I thought right up until the end it was the '95 match so when Stan hit the second lariat...I said to myself "Wow Misawa is going to kick out of two lariats! That's insane!" and then was a three count...I have never been so shocked in my life! lol :p The first 12 minutes of this were pretty tepid. Misawa worked a terrible armbar at one point, but I liked his side headlock. Hansen was trying to get the Dragon Sleeper over. The crowd was very behind Misawa and booed Hansen whenever he did something to Misawa in the ropes. At about the 12 minute mark, Stan turned on a switch and said FUCK IT and just charged at Misawa and bowled him over and like that it was ON! Hansen kicked the shit out of him on the floor. Powerbomb! Insane Back Suplex...scary head drop angle. Misawa would keep on clutching the back of his neck...but I do NOT think he was selling, brutha. As soon as Hansen went to suplex him, I called the slip out the back door, elbow spot. I am getting pretty good at Kings Road. Great Misawa comeback! Another clue that I should have known something was up was that Misawa FACELOOOOOOCCCKKKKKK was wicked over. I even remarked to myself "I cant believe the Facelock is still over in 1995". The finish is the best part. They are just struggling and tussling so hard in the corner. You have no clue which way it is going to go and then BANG LARIAT! WOW! Misawa gets the foot on the ropes and Hansen is besides himself. Misawa gets a great nearfall for himself based on his Big Elbow. You can see the power of the Elbow growing. It is not quite the KO punch it would be in August but it is getting there. Hansen blocks the diving elbow. I like the escalation does not work on the ground, lets take it to the air. As Misawa gets back up, He cocks the Elbow and Charges and HANSEN DEMOLISHES HIM WITH THE LARIAT! It is a ***** ending but the first 12 minutes is such a chore. The Stock Hansen Heat Segment and Stock Misawa comeback get this to the good range, and the finish takes us to very good, but it was too little too late to be great. ***3/4

AJPW Triple Crown Champion Toshiaki Kawada vs Stan Hansen - AJPW 3/4/95 I have become very interested in these Triple Crown defenses with no hype. Are there hidden gems hiding in plain sight? I have watched the first ten minutes and I will say this is definitely entertaining and definitely has its moments of heat, but whats weird is the crowd is so dead even in spots I wouldnt expect. Hansen uses a closed fist to break up a nearfall and Kawada sells it like his jaw is broken and not a peep. There were two tackles by each men that felt heated to me, but whole lotta nuthin from the crowd. Hansen busted out a diving shouldertackle through the bottom rope within the first minute and an out of nowhere elbow drop as Kawada was on the outside that was great. There were some really damn good highspots. There was no heat. Besides what I mentioned I liked Kawada responses to two Cowboy Kicks was to hit a Spinning Heel Kick and rifle him with his own Cowboy Kick. Just as Hansen looked to be running away with it, Kawada dropkicked the knee. They worked on that for a few minutes and then Hansen uses the aforementioned punch to break up the pinfall. 90s Hansen was forced to grind in these matches because of the length. When you are a guy Hansen's size and age, you cant do your "Bull In A China Shop" routine for 30 minutes so there was more of a grind to his work. He picked his spots and he had two big highspots. I liked the shouldertackle on the floor. Yeah so far, so good. It is definitely not a 5 star classic, but I am enjoying it. I have some thoughts on 90s Hansen...much better at selling. When I watch these 90s Hansen matches, I find his wounded bear selling to be the most enjoyable part of his matches. His grinding offense is good but I know it be better if he was in a spirited barroom brawl so I like his selling. I will say before the arm psychology hook I thought he was overselling exhaustion around 12 minutes. He made it seem like the match was even based on his selling but he was dominating. I liked the off camera lunge into the picture wiping Kawada out and then he hit two powerbombs, but like I was saying even though he was dominating he was acting as if he was every bit as worse off as Kawada. He goes for a third but Kawada starts hitting Jumping High Kicks. I like the head hunting strategy. I like Hansen's instinct is to go for a desperation Lariat to end the rally but Kawada ducks and hits another one. Kawada starts charging big booting Hansen in the mush. Hansen is great at selling but also struggling piefacing Kawada at one point or dumping him on his ass. Kawada was thinking powerbomb but couldnt make it happen. Hansen really started firing off those closed fists to the face. All Japan is really into having the heel use a punch to get heat when they are desperate. This crowd is dead as a door nail and I have given up on them because this match is great. Hansen is thinking Lariat, but Kawada kicks the Lariat arm! Jumping High Kick connects with the Lariat arm! Hansen does his wounded bear selling on the outside. He comes back in to the ring and is greeted with a kick so hard that Kawada sells his own foot. Great shit! Yeah this match rocks! I really enjoyed Kawada's work on the arm. The Fujiwara Armbar Takedown and the Cross Armbreaker should have had nuclear heat. That was great. Hansen goes back to using the closed fists, but not as much pep behind them. Kawada desperately wants the Powerbomb but he just cant get the big man up. He goes for a suplex, but nope Hansen reverses I thought the end was night but they go back to Kawada who hits a top rope kneedrop. They loses me here. They just run out of steam and the crowd is so dead. Hansen guts through and hits his first Lariat but it doesnt have any swing to it. It is just a concrete wall. Kawada sells like death and then he hits the Swinging One and he sells like he broke his arm to do it and after like 30 seconds makes the cover for the win. Besides being totally bereft of crowd heat, I thought this match was great. Hansen was throwing his body around with reckless abandon and there were some great scraps at the beginning. I liked Kawada trying to kick Hansen's head off and then moving to targeting the arm. I have theory why there may have been no crowd heat. I think the crowd wanted to cheer for Hansen but the match was not designed in a way to make it easy for them to do it. Hansen had become Baba's tag partner and he was the senior guy on the roster. I think Baba assumed in a native vs gaijin match that Kawada would be cheered but I think Hansen had truly become one of them and add that Kawada is a heel native, I think the crowd wanted to cheer for Hansen, notice there are Hansen chants during the Fujiwara Armbar. Or it could be that this was heel vs heel which is the worst type of match because the crowd hates both men and does not cheer for anyone. I dont know but the crowd being dead is a reason I suspect this match is lauded. I did feel the finish was a bit flat and they did not crescendo into the Lariat. The first 28 minutes or so are great and that's worth something! ****

Kenta Kobashi vs Toshiaki Kawada - AJPW 4/13/95 2012 Martin take it away... In January, Kobashi extended Kawada to the limit in his only successful defense of the Triple Crown in a one hour draw. This is their first meeting since that match with both men eliminated from a spot in the finals these men will be battling for personal honor and the fact they plain just don’t like one another. Kawada immediately indulges Kobashi by engaging in a test of strength, which Kobashi wins. Kobashi delivers a Tiger Suplex out of it and some of his patented leg drops across stuff (guard rails and the middle rope). (2020 Martin: I really liked the traditional All Japan Surfboard test of strength leading to the first big bomb, a Tiger Suplex). Kobashi has a lot to prove remember because he is yet to garner a victory over any of the other members of the Four Corners of Heaven. At the same time, Kawada is looking for some positive momentum, but the early going indicates that Kobashi is the aggressor. Kawada fires off some kicks and then backs Kobashi into a corner before unleashing a barrage of vicious knees to the face. I’m sorry, Mr. Kawada for thinking you were not the aggressor. Kobashi is able to connect with a favorite All Japan spot the rebound lariat off the guardrail. Then we arrive at the hook of the match, Kobashi in his overzealousness high knees the guardrail. (2020 Martin: The first ten minutes are a blur of workrate. Misawa and Taue inherently bring structure to their singles matches that is a framework for these two workrate horses. Left to their own devices, it can just be whirlwind action, I like the addiiton of body part psychology to give this match some focus.) Kawada works it really strong. Kawada delivers a shinbreaker onto the neighboring timekeeper’s table another favorite All Japan spot. I approve, Kawada. Kawada works over the leg some more with a half-crab and Scorpion Deathlock. Of course when Kobashi makes him comeback, Kawada immediately cuts that off with a dropkick to the knee. God Bless Dangerous K! Kobashi dropkicks Kawada’s trick knee (hurt it back in 1993) and then delivers his own shinbreaker onto the announce table. I love the symmetry as now Kobashi utilizes a half crab and Texas Cloverleaf. (2020 Martin: Dueling Leg Psychology I am definitely down for this.) I am just excited about all this because it means Kawada gets to sell the knee. Kawada on jello legs and his fall across the ring after a Kobashi Irish whip is some of the best wrestling theatre ever. Lets take this bad boy home! Kawada manages a desperation DANGEROUS~! Backdrop Driver, but Kobashi blocks the stretch plum attempt. (2020 Martin: There was also a pair of Kobashi powerbombs) Kawada gets a 2 off one powerbomb, but his leg buckles on the second and Kobashi gets a 2 count just from landing on top of him. Kobashi sets up for the moonsault, but Kawada rolls away. Finally Kobashi connects with a moonsault and it only gets two. The expression of shock on Kobashi’s face says it all. Kobashi runs through the rest of his bag of tricks: the Burning Lariat, the Rolling Cradle and another moonsault, but he misses that time to give Kawada a near-fall. Kawada delivers another powerbomb and DANGEROUS~! Backdrop Driver for nearfalls, but Kobashi keeps crawling away as the time limit expires. (2020 Martin: It was a very workrate heavy last ten minutes that was underpinned by great selling by both men which did not let it become overwrought) All Japan was doing its damndest to prove these two men were exact equals with multiple draws in 1995 and 1996. Once again, Kawada was in control when the time limit expired, but did not have enough to put his opponent away. This match is a lot of fun because the symmetrical leg psychology, (2020 Martin: there is not enough of it) Kawada’s selling and the great finish run. I would place this behind Kobashi/Taue and Kawada/Taue (2020 Martin: I'd put this behind Misawa/Taue Carny round robin match too) because while it was heated, it did not have the emotion of the three Taue matches. (2020 Martin: 2012 Martin is right. This is workrate fireworks display, but I dont think it will stick with me in the long run). ****1/4

Mitsuharu Misawa vs Akira Taue - AJPW 4/12/95 Unfortunately, no 2012 Martin for this one as I skipped during my re-watch and I have never seen this match before. I was getting used to having 2012 Martin around, it was saving me so much time. From babyface Taue standing up to that bully Kawada to shameless Taue being a prick working the injured eye, this Carnival is the many faces of Taue. The first 10 minutes or so they work this like a WWF House Show Time Limit Draw, everything is solid and snug, but not very exciting. The only exciting thing at the beginning is Taue takes Misawa down via an eyerake and puts his boot up against Misawa's eye. The ref admonishes him. Misawa begins his comeback through one of his favorite spots, he slips out the back door of a suplex and starts rocking & rolling with some elbows. He does some fancy Tiger Mask II bullshit to lure Taue in position for the Elbow Suicida! Tiger Driver gets two, which is a good nearfall. I like how when Taue claps his leg together to kick out Misawa clutches the eye. We have seen that style kick out a million times for sunset flip, I liked that wrinkle. Because they are going long Misawa works some more holds like a Figure-4 around the head. Taue his backdrop driver out of a headlock and then a leg drop. Now the match picks up. Elbow pressed against the bad eye and then a foot. Alright some fucking heat to finally warm me up. Misawa hope spot, but Taue side steps the middle rope dropkick and looks like it is all aboard the Taue express at the 15 minute mark. Taue was fucking over. I have never seen anything like this. Without a doubt, the MOST HATED move in Japan from 1993-94 was Taue's Snake Eyes. It was literally the only thing Japanese fans would consistently boo. In this match, Taue rolled Snake Eyes on Misawa and the crowd popped like no other. There were chants of "TAUE! TAUE!" ringing through the arena. That's the other thing is in native vs native matches even Kawada & Taue are ostensibly heels the Japanese crowd is usually pretty respectful akin to a tennis crowd and will cheer whoever is losing in order to get a better, longer match. They were actively cheering Taue when was on top kicking Misawa's ass. They didnt boo Misawa when he made his comebacks but they werent happy either. It was very weird. They should have had Taue drop the Powerbomb right after that Snake Eyes. The heat for that nearfall would have been nuclear. Instead, Misawa worked a comeback based around Spin Kicks to the back and ultimately led to a German Suplex. It was pretty weak. Misawa ends up missing a move from the top and Taue bulldog. Now we get the Powerbomb kickout and it is a hot nearfall but they definitely mistimed it. Misawa goes back on top. This is a tone deaf match. They clearly had a plan, but the crowd had a fever and the only cure was more Taue! Again it is not a very interesting Misawa comeback. Taue ends up hitting a NODOWA~! Another hot nearfall, Misawa rolls out, which is bad business in a 1995 Taue match because you know the Apron Spot is coming. They work the apron but Misawa avoids Doom, Death and Destruction by dropkicking Taue in the gut on the apron, but Taue rises and Sweeps The Leg with a clothesline. Rough Misawa Bump on the apron. NODOWA~! on the floor! Rolls back in but too much time has elapsed. Only a two count. DYNAMIC BOMB~! 1-2-NO! INSANE! There is about one minute to go in the time limit after this and surprisingly they work a Misawa comeback with a Tiger Driver nearfall at the bell to make Misawa stand tall at the end. Very weird if you are going to do the time limit draw why give away the Dynamic Bomb nearfall. Now that being said they did NOT give a way the NODOWA off the apron. I think that's the real key. In both the Kobashi & Kawada matches, it is the NODOWA off the apron that signals the end is night and the Dynamic Bomb just polishes them off. Misawa did not wrestle his best. It was a very lukewarm performance from him. Besides the middle of the match where he busted out that fancy Tiger Mask shit, he did not seem motivated, but that's probably due to being in tremendous his pain from his eye. Some people really liked this match, but I see a great Taue performance and a crowd really hot for Taue. ****

Toshiaki Kawada vs Akira Taue - AJPW 4/8/95 It is very interesting in both tag partner vs tag partner they went into full bore with no reservations. THE HOLY DEMON ARMY EXPLODES~! Had to. Taue has a victory on Kobashi and Kawada has drawn Misawa thus for Kawada to advance to the Champions Carnival he needs a victory here and a victory over Kobashi and hope Taue does not beat Misawa. This match is wrestled with this idea in mind. Kawada needs the win more than Taue and thus goes out there and wrestles more aggressively than his partner. Taue, much like in the Kobashi, does his usual throwdown defense, but Kawada catches him early with a wicked, short spinning heel kick. (2020 Martin: I think I was underestimating Taue's will to win. Taue CRACKED him with a slap triggering a great Kawada stumble on his ass sell. There was a great throwdown Nodowa that Kawada sold the back of his head well on the outside. Honestly I thought Kawada was getting routed until the kick to the head in the corner and the aforementioned spinning hell kick) Kawada is on offense for the majority of the match and employs some wicked submissions, which is something that All Japan matches lacked. (2020 Martin: I am disappointed in myself for not making an auto-fellatio joke given how Kawada was stretching him at one point). This works twofold to put Kawada over a sadistic sum bitch who needs the win and Taue as a sympathetic underdog. (2020 Martin: I do agree that Taue became very sympathetic in this match). Taue times his hope spots well using a Tenryu-style enziguri and his snake eyes moves well, but Kawada remains in command. (2020 Martin: I am underrating the Taue clothesline on the outside and the Snake Eyes on the guardrail) Kawada relies heavily on his explosive kicks to stymie any Taue flurries. (2020 Martin: Kawada uses the Spinning Heel Kick and Cowboy Kick twice. Stretch Plum is used as a mid-match nearfall of sorts) The tension in the match is derived from Kawada’s urgency to win, but Taue is not letting it become a Kawada exhibition. (2020 Martin: Kinda right. I think the other part of the tension is we all know Taue has these huge bombs and hasnt hit them yet and when he does hit the series of NODOWAS around the 15 minute mark business picks up. The way they set it up with Kawada hitting Kawada kicks and Kawada knees and eventually Taue just gets so fed up that he shoves him on his ass popped the crowd huge. It was like the little kid finally standing up to the bully. It was a great moment!) Taue does deliver a DDT onto exposed concrete and a couple Nodowas. (2020 Martin: The Exposed Concrete DDT was a huge spot. Really cemented Taue's advantage) In the ultimate display of desperation in puroresu, Kawada uses a closed fist to quash this turn of events. (2020 Martin: I didnt see this. I rewound and everything I saw a Spinning Heel Kick turn the tide and then a Jumping High Kick cemented the advantage resulting in a hot nearfall of a Kawada powerbomb.) I never thought I would say so-so is the greatest wrestler at using apron, but Godamnit Taue is the greatest apron wrestler ever. The best sequence of the match is when Kawada Yakuza Kick (high kick to face) on Taue on the apron. Taue returns the closed fist from earlier to set up Taue’s big bomb: the Nodowa to the floor!!!! (2020 Martin: Terrific sequence! High drama as they walk the tight rope! Whoever wins that apron sequence wins the match...great stuff!) Kawada, similarly to Kobashi, sells it like death and the end is inevitable for Kawada as he falls to Super Nodowa (rolls away) and ultimately the DYNAMIC BOMB~! (2020 Martin: Terrific finish!) Best match of the Carnival so far, it does not blow away the competition, but I liked this match the most because of Taue coming from behind and besting Kawada in the upset. (2020 Martin: I disagree with myself. I liked the Taue vs Kobashi match better more urgency & energy, but I dont dispute my own point that come from behind victory for Taue was satisfying). As these two are partners, I think Kawada busting out new tricks was his way of keeping his partner off balance. However, Kawada was not able to wrangle Taue into his powerbomb or DANGEROUS~! Backdrop driver, which are his bread and butter. (2020 Martin: 2012 Martin is wrong, Kawada did hit his powerbomb after a Spinning Heel Kick & Jumping High Kick. It was a really strong nearfall because Kawada was the odds on favorite to win). Taue kept his offense very true to form and used his size advantage over his partner to connect with his moves. (2020 Martin: I wouldnt just say size, but all his tenacity. He would just get fed up and ROAR~!) It almost felt like some an act of hubris with Kawada willing to engage his junior partner on the apron knowing full well what happened to Kobashi. Taue with two victories is guaranteed a trip to the finals with this victory, who have thought Taue would be the one 2-0. Taue is definitely on fire in this tournament. ****1/2

Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada - AJPW 4/6/95 The famous Kawada breaks Misawa's eye socket match and Misawa wrestles for another 29:30 minutes. This would lead to a great hook for the Carny Finals and the Misawa/Kawada 7/29/95 match. I would hate this to be the first Misawa/Kawada match anyone watches. It is such a classic rivalry and this match disappoints. It disappoints because about 30 seconds into the match Kawada breaks Misawa’s orbital bone legitimately. It is off a kick that does not even look all that bad. Misawa takes an extended break in the corner. The ref checks on him. Twice the young boys try to give him an ice pack for his eye. This obviously causes Misawa immense pain and it is a real tribute to his actual toughness that he continued on for the next 29:30 of the match. It did cause him to botch a couple moves of his routine and for the match to start a bit slower, but he did find his groove eventually. The spot of the match is Kawada actually busting out a dive onto the outside of his own, which made me go nuts. (2020 Martin: I thought the same thing. It was not very graceful but it was crazy!) Misawa blocks a piledriver on the floor delivers a Tiger Driver for the first big move of the match approximately 12 minutes into the match. (2020 Martin: Up until that point, they did seem to be buying time, the AJPW Surfboard spot and some holds. I am surprised I didnt mention how good Kawada's selling at some points. Misawa threw some fierce kicks to the core and Kawada did a great job doing doubled over selling.) Kawada still goes after the eye, which makes me cringe. (2020 Martin: Nothing has changed) As I mentioned earlier, Kawada had never pinned Misawa before. The injury forced their hand to structure a match where Kawada would be offense for a majority making it feel like Kawada would eventually get that victory. Kawada is really good at nuances like the struggle over a powerbomb. (2020 Martin: Three attempts, Misawa-rana and Misawa kicks to the head stymie the first two. I liked Misawa getting a brief run before Kawada turned to Double Stomps to earn that Powerbomb. He really launched him too. Not quite as much heat as 6/3/94 Powerbomb but this was top notch work). Kawada keeps going back to the stretch plum because of the pressure it puts on the eye. Misawa lands a spin kick and goes through his offensive arsenal and the Tiger Suplex gets a good pop as a false finish. (2020 Martin: The key to this is that once Kawada gets the powerbomb they move to Misawa on offense which is smart. They work it as Misawa trying to avoid a suplex by clutching the top rope and when he lets go his elbow recoils and snaps back to hit Kawada. Then they work Misawa finish run. They work it so convincingly that I thought Misawa was going to stand tall when the bell rang for the draw) My second favorite spot of the match is when Kawada is clutching the ropes for dear life fending off a sleeper suplex attempt (Misawa's new favorite move as it put away Kobashi) and then fires off this nasty chop to Misawa’s throat. (2020 Martin: I dont know what your favorite spot was but that was the spot of the match, dude. Same recoil spot as Misawa's elbow earlier.). It was a perfect confluence of desperation, fatigue and dickishness. (2020 Martin: The Jumping High Kick was crucial here after the recoil spinning back chop) Kawada lands a brainbuster and a powerbomb but time expires with him desperately trying to hit a Back Drop Driver. The general theme of Misawa/Kawada matches is Kawada getting closer and closer to pinning Misawa. In 1993, Kawada worked over Misawa’s arm to eliminate Misawa’s vaunted elbows. In 1994, Kawada worked over Misawa’s neck and was even more aggressive in his stance. In this match, he was in control of the match before time limit expiring looking that with just a minute more and a successful Back Drop Driver he would have secured his first victory over Misawa. This was a great effort from both men given the circumstances of Misawa’s unfortunate injury so early in the match. The first 15 minutes or so is pretty rough, but once Misawa finds his groove the back 15 minutes are really, really strong. It is an unfortunate injury but the silver lining is that the injury adds a ton of heat to Misawa's classic matches of '95. ****1/4

Mitsuharu Misawa vs Kenta Kobashi - AJPW 3/26/95 The following is a 2012 review from my re-watch of the 1995 Champions Carnival. It is important to note that Stan Hansen is the Triple Crown Champion at this point not Misawa. It is easy to forget as they were using Hansen as a transition champion from Kawada to Misawa. Kobashi just lost a hard fought battle to Taue. Kobashi will look to get himself back on track against his tag team partner while Misawa will be looking to prove he is the Undisputed Ace of All Japan. I was surprised at how vicious Kobashi was towards Misawa. (2020 Martin: Kobashi came to play. This was no exhibition. He wanted the "W" and was chopping Misawa hard). Even after Kawada left Misawa for Taue, Misawa always seemed to wrestle Kawada diplomatically. Going into this match, I expected Kobashi and Misawa grapple until it got to a boiling point and then they went balls to walls. Instead, Kobashi came out to prove a point and he made it loud and clear with his thunderous chops on Misawa’s chest. Misawa and Kobashi work well together because Kobashi wants to do a ton of shit and Misawa wants to take a lot of shit until he gets to make his extended comeback. (2020 Martin: I still agree with that assessment) Kobashi’s opening shine segment is fun with lots of good moves and plays to both men strengths. Cool spot at the beginning with Misawa doing a monkey flip out of the corner as a hope spot because I had not seen that before. Misawa, of course, goes to his trusty elbows when in doubt. There is this fuckin wild sequence out of a surfboard that just has to be seen to be fully appreciated. (2020 Martin: Nothing has changed. I was going to rave about that sequence but 2012 Martin beat me to it! Awesome stuff!) A great instance of Misawa selling is when Kobashi roundhouse kicks in him the gut and he begins to cough. (2020 Martin: I missed that! I know the kicks but I missed the cough.) This is a great exhibition for how stiff and violent the strikes in All Japan can be as Misawa delivers some great Fuck You Elbows and Kobashi with Burning Lariats. (2020 Martin: Those Lariats are not quite Burning yet, but those Elbows were wicked) Kobashi begins to pour it on with Backdrop Driver and German Suplex, powerbomb and moonsault triggering “Mi-Saw-wah” chants and a loud pop on the kickout from the moonsault. (2020 Martin: Misawa took a lot of head drops in this match. I have not been keeping count but I would say there were more here than in 93/94.) I was shocked to as I expected a foot on the ropes rather than a straight kickout. (2020 Martin: I agree. I think this shows the gap between Kobashi & Misawa. Kobashi hit Misawa with all his best moves and still couldnt put him away. However if he did hit the Moonsault against Taue you think he could have won. It is goo to have that doubt in the fans' minds.) Things are looking bleak for Misawa as he rolls out and trying to extend the match. ROARING ELBOW~! From Misawa regains control for Misawa. (2020 Martin: I would not use a Tilde Bang there. This match lacks the awesome Nodowa off the Apron spot. All Japan was so great at "Tide Turner" moment. There's none here. Misawa catches Kobashi with two elbows and a Tiger Suplex and then that's when the end becomes nigh. Not big enough in my opinion). Tiger suplex, frog splash get near falls and trigger “Ko-Bashi” chants. I do not know if it was a split crowd or if they just respected the hell out of both men. Kobashi does his dramatic crawl away but a Tiger Driver followed by a Sleeper Suplex finishes off Kobashi. (2020 Martin: Was this the debut of the move? I have watched 93/94 pretty extensively and never seen it. I know Misawa would settle on Emerald Flowsion as his ultimate finisher but was the Sleeper Suplex supposed to compete with the Dynamic Bomb?) This is a great match to get a feel for the All Japan style if you are a first timer. There is pretty of fantastic sequences full of heated strikes and big bombs. (2020 Martin: I agree with this is a very solid, typical All Japan match with stiffness that knocks you to your knees, big bombs, well-paced and a very dramatic home stretch.) Kobashi comes off once again as a wrestler on the cusp of making it big, but doesn’t have enough to put away one of the big guns. Misawa does a good job giving Kobashi a lot before making a typical great comeback although a bit shorter than his usual (2020 Martin: I noticed that too). I greatly preferred Kobashi/Taue for the interesting story and heated struggle. Some people really liked this, but to me this falls into the category typically great "fall out of bed All Japan" match. ****

Glad you liked it as much as I did!

Akira Taue vs Kenta Kobashi - AJPW Champions Carnival 3/21/95 The 1995 edition of the Champions Carnival is my favorite Carnival of all time (even though 1994 has made a serious play for number one when I just watched it a month ago). To me this is when the Four Corners were all peaking together, Taue was a bit of a laggard, but in 1995 he took a big step forward and was every bit their peer and it all starts with this Carnival run. Dr. Death is to 1994 what Taue is to 1995. The most important thing to note is Kobashi has never beaten Taue, BUT he does hold a time limit draw against then Champion Kawada and several big Tag pins. If you were setting odds, this was a push 'em, but I'd say whoever does win this match was getting the big push for 1995. I reviewed all these matches in 2012 and actually wrote one of my very first blogs on the 1995 Carnival. I will throw in some editorial notes from 2020 as I watch the match. The first match is a contest between the two junior partners in their respective teams. It really feels like both these men are out there with something to prove (2020 Martin: Effort level is very high). This gives this match a real sense of struggle as both men are making each other work for their moves (2020 Martin: Damn straight). Everytime, Kobashi looks like he is putting something together, Taue will throw him down (2020 Martin: Noticed this theme of Taue being very reactionary. Kobashi was fire up and Taue would have to just defend himself from being overwhelmed). There is a theme among most Kobashi matches of his macho posturing costing him matches as he gets too involved in one up manship that he loses sight of winning the match. Taue, for his part, avoids getting sucked into this like Kawada sometimes will by avoiding the test of strength and going for shortcuts like eye-rakes and throwdowns. Taue is going his best to disrupt Kobashi’s offensive flow. For his part, Taue looked his best on offense that I has seen up to that point. His Jumbo high knee and enziguri combo looked fantastic. He delivered some stiff blows a particularly vicious lariat comes to mind. (2020 Martin: I know the exact lariat that I am talking about. I marked out for that again and I would add the Taue elbow drop from the top was a great highspot). 2020 Martin: I would add that there is a fist fight that breaks out mid-match that Kobashi actually starts when they scrap to the ground. Then Taue comes up swinging. You can tell how badly each man wants it. There is a desperation to win in this match unlike almost any other I have seen. It makes for very engaging viewing. Kobashi continues this theme of struggle by doing his best to cut off Taue during his offense. Kobashi comes off like a warrior with dogged determination to press on even in bleak circumstance. My favorite spot of the match is when Taue does a throwdown to stop a Kobashi flurry into the corner only for Kobashi to rebound off and lariat him to a great pop. (2020 Martin: I would no longer say thats my favorite spot of the match, but it is a great spot. Noticed how Kobashi needed a Spinning Back Hand Chop, this lariat, and a DDT to just level the playing field.) Eventually string together two pinning combinations off of a bridging german suplex and a powerbomb, but then misses his put-away: the moonsault. This gives the feeling that Kobashi was one move away from his getting his big victory. (2020 Martin: Always smart booking. I am an advocate for missing the finisher. The finisher-kick out is one of the most damaging trends in pro wrestling). As part two of my favorite spot of the match, Taue Irish whipped Kobashi into the guardrail and Kobashi went to do a rebound lariat only for Taue to catch him this time and throw him back into the guardrail. That was sweet! (2020 Martin: This is my favorite spot. 2012 Martin seems like a good dude. ) Taue follows this up with a HUGE Nodowa off the apron onto the floor! (2020 Martin: This would become a theme throughout the '95 Carnival and a signal that end is nigh. This being the first match we didnt know the pattern yet). Kobashi sells it like death. (2020 Martin: Kobashi's selling from here on is sublime). Taue has to bring him back in to get the pinfall, but Kobashi kicks out. Kobashi is working under the “lights are on, but no one is home” guise just trying to extend Taue to a 30 minute draw by rolling to outside. Taue obliges him by POWERBOMBING him on the floor. There is no safe haven! Taue is such a prick and the fans love it oddly enough as they cheer his name. Kobashi desperately trying to avoid the NODOWA~! EPIC! Taue polishes him off with the DYNAMIC BOMB~! This is Taue’s new and improved finisher to add a bomb to his arsenal. I liked (2020 Martin: I believe the word you are looking for is "LOVED") this match a whole lot as Taue really blew me away with his performance. He reigned Kobashi in and made sure that Kobashi never ate him alive with all his offense. Taue worked hard to impress and deliver some great offense. The match did a great job to put over two moves: the Nodowa off the apron and the Dynamic Bomb. In addition, it really Taue over as a scrappy, ruthless competitor that would never let a match get too far out of control. Kobashi was able to work his moves in a logical fashion and his facial expressions added to put over how much of a struggle this match was. His most important role was selling like he dead after the Nodowa to the floor and really putting Taue over as a threat. It felt like he was one moonsault away from winning, but at the day he went for one too many rebound lariats and got caught. That was turning point because it allowed Taue to set up the Nodowa to the floor. A fantastic start to the tournament and I think one that places the bar very high for all the matches to follow. (2020 Martin: Wants to add the effort level was extraordinarily high, I loved Kobashi's dogged determination to keep charging & Taue's equally dogged determination to keep throwing him on his ass. I came in thinking we going to start with a kickass match, but this could be the second best match of the tournament). ****3/4

Toshiaki Kawada vs Gary Albright - AJPW 10/25/95 I've this match a couple times and I thought it was great, but not necessarily a classic. They instantly blew my expectations out of the water with this kickass match. When I was watching this 10-15 years ago, I didnt get how big of a deal UWFi was. I watched Vader vs Takada and knew about the UWFi invasion of NJPW, but I didnt fully grasp. Now that I have I become more steeped in puroresu history and watched a lot of UWFi, I get it, but I also part of the novelty is that 90s All Japan did NOT do matches like this. It was the Four Corners and later Akiyama with the top gaijins of Hansen, Doc and Ace in a mix and match. So this was the closest thing All Japan did a big money interpromotional dream match in the 90s. I prefer Hashimoto vs Takada to this, but this blew Mutoh vs Takada out of the water. Huge Fight Feel! Budokan is rocking! It feels that Albright is instantly over as a monster. Holy shit! Listen to the reaction of him grabbing a reverse waistlock! You think he just hit the greatest highspot in the world! He just wrapped his arms around a person's body. That's when you know you are fucking over. I like how Albright evaded the typical Kawada kick to get out of the German Suplex. Then Alright just pounced and Kawada retaliated with a deep heel hook. Loved the urgency set the tone for the match. Kawada did a greta job playing by Albright's rules respecting his size advantage and his shoot credentials without looking overwhelmed. Kawada brought the fight to Albright early on. That enziguiri rocked him and that flurry of strikes was so over and I dont think Kawada looked better in the 90s. Then Albright finally got hold of him. The takedowns and suplexes took their toll. An early cross-armbreaker caused Kawada to powder. I liked Albright immediately going for the Fujiwara armbar. I liked how they built to the German Suplexes. He was hitting other suplexes but Kawada was avoiding that one. After a belly 2 belly and a powerslam, Albright hit the massive German. Kawada did one of his classic selljobs and collapsed to the outside. That was his only saving grace as by the time Alright rolled him back in, Kawada could kick out. With the German not winning him the match, Alright tried to up the ante to the Dragon Suplex but Kawada hoists him into the Back Drop Driver. STRETCH PLUM~! Watch the Stretch Plum, you can tell Kawada is having the time of his life. I think he is out to prove to Baba and everyone there's more to wrestling than just King's Road. Also he feels like a super duper star. He was first in the shadow of Misawa and then Kobashi, but in matches like this and against New Japan in 2000 that Kawada feels like a huge star instead of second fiddle. He was so over on this night. After the Stretch Plum, he goes for the Powerbomb, nothing doing and MACK TRUCK LARIAT! Albright does not bump. That was just man on man! Wow! Albright counters the next Lariat with a kneelift. They go to the ground, Albright gets a double wristlock and then rides a harmmerlock on the bad arm of Kawada. Albright wants the Dragon Suplex. Kawada breaks free, Spinning Back Chop, KAPPO KICK! Albright armdrag goes for a Cross Armbreaker but Kawada counters into his own for the flash win. I think the finish was a little too easy and quick. Albright had wrist control and almost the cross armbreaker applied it was too easy for Kawada to just stand up and apply his own. One thing I am forever grateful towards Shoot Style wrestling is how it forced pro wrestling to respect the cross armbreaker. So at least the hold was feared, sold well and used as a finisher in this match. Kawada going over was the right call but I thought Albright looked great in the loss and no reason why he couldnt be used the down the line. I am interested in Misawa's 96 title defense against Albright. Albright's size and suplex arsenal was on display but Kawada showed off his striking game and his ability to counter. A big feather in Kawada's cap proving he could classic matches outside of his Four Corners opponents and in a different style. Check out his match against Naoya Ogawa from Zero-One 2003. I'll be honest I had been enjoying the other three Corners a lot more when I was watching '93 and '94 back. I think the other three has such big personalities. Kawada just wasnt clicking with me. He really did here. I saw the fire in his eyes and pep in his step. He had been missing that in some matches. If you want to make the case for Kawada being the best of the Four Corners, it starts here and showing his versatility, urgency, passion and asskicking nature. ****1/2