soup23

Burning Day 9 Steve Williams vs. Mitsuharu Misawa 9/3/93 Watched this one not too long ago and my thoughts stayed true on this watch: Really enjoyed this one given the context. Doc had to look strong given that a. Gordy had OD'd and the writing was on the wall b. Hansen was supposed to be winding down. No one gave Doc a chance I assume in this match but they do a good job of establishing him early on. Misawa had been the man for a while now and really established himself lately. Here, he is reeling a bit and looks like he can't quite figure out Doc and must avoid the Backdrop Driver. Misawa does however have old reliable and that is the elbow which he uses to great effect throughout this match peppering it in and cutting Doc off time and time again. I agree with JDW that the BDD was hit in a way that didn't emphasize the full impact and make it become the death move it can be. One of those great matches that may not be top 10 for All Japan for the year which is more an indication of how great their year was overall than a reflection of the flaws of the match. **** Steve Williams vs. Kenta Kobashi Carny 1994 One of those weird matches where it feels pretty fresh but it has been close to 4 years since I tracked this for the yearbook. Kobashi starts off right away with a flurry much like 8/31/93. This was the final round robin match so the winner here advanced to the final night. Strikes get opened up fairly early after the test of strength stuff. Kobashi is mixing up his strikes with chops and forearms. Some more mano stuff on the outside between both. Kobashi maintains control with a legdrop over the guardrail and he has taken the vast majority of the match so far. Back inside, Doc hulks up and tries to take over but Kobashi remains dominant with a stretch hold. Doc is finally able to mount some offense in a similar manner as 8/31 with the powerslam and elbow drop. Kobashi tries to fight back but Doc just decides to powerslam him again this time outside of the ring. Doc gets vicious with a double posting and sends Kobashi back inside. Doc locks on a bearhug to continue the work on the back. Kobashi fights back and they are making a conscious effort of getting him to dominate a lot here. It helps build up Doc for the finish but also shows Kobashi placement throughout the years. The sleeper gets locked on only for a bit before Kobashi hits a powerslam on Doc. Doc catches Kobashi on the top rope and hits a huge throw to really feel like the tide has changed in the match. Kobashi prevents that narrative by reversing things again and hitting a huge German. Kobashi also does a running big boot that seems unique for his regular repertoire. Powerbomb and moonsault get really close nearfalls from Kobashi. That shows a lot from Doc and he is knowing that he has to hit a big move to survive. Naturally, he starts looking for the backdrop driver. He has to settle for a gutwrench powerbomb for his nearest nearfall. Both guys are wobbly as they exchange strikes. This shows the bravado that these two men portray so well around this point in time. Doc is able to dive and squish Kobashi into the corner and then get a big running powerslam that Kobashi is barely able to escape from. Kobashi locks on the sleeper and then gets absolutely smashed with a Backdrop Driver. Those continue to look disgusting. Kobashi is out on his feet struggling on the ropes. Doc pounces and hits another to put him away. Really great match that makes Doc look really strong as he survived almost everything Kobashi has in his arsenal. **** Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Steve Williams 7/28/94 Misawa has had the title for nearly two years at this point and just put away his greatest rival the month before in his toughest test. There is a good contrast to the opening of these matches compared to the Kobashi series. These have a more tentative start and each guy being cautious of the other whereas the Kobashi series is all about throwing caution to the wind. Misawa hits a crackling clothesline early on and is really crisp in this match. He tries to hook on the chinlock but Williams gets throwing him off like a wild bull. Misawa is really great trying to ground out Williams. His elbow is used as a huge weapon to gain control and everything else he does is calculated. Williams gets sudden spurts of offense and hits a nice dropkick in the corner and his big elbow drop for a two count. It may just be a matter of mood, but the restrained performance here by Misawa is hitting my tones more than the bravado macho aspects that Kobashi brought to those matches. Both are great series but this match seems so restrained and special and a really great job of Misawa knowing the end outcome and the history of wrestlers working on getting themselves over in defeat. Now Williams continues his work and he is really taking over on Misawa. Misawa can of course get in some offense using the elbow to build to other stuff but I find it intriguing how highspot heavy the high spots of Misawa have been. Elbow suicidas and dropkicks are both used in abundance. Once again, Williams just snapped and hits a big spinebuster. Nothing is working for Misawa here and the crowd is really starting to sense that. Crowd really is trying to clamor behind him. Belly to belly suplex again keeps the focus on the back and Williams just dumps Misawa outside. Williams gets most of a stampede and then hits a wonderfully crisp powerslam. He follows that up with a big Boston crab and the work here has just been engrossing and tremendous. Nothing feels rushed and everything has evolved wonderfully. Misawa avoids hitting the turnbuckle pad and throws one big elbow to gain a bit of breathing room. The crowd explodes but Williams comes right back with a splash in the corner and another bear hug. Misawa throws some kicks and Doc just slams him down like a kid. A huge punch to the face sends Misawa down again and now Doc is mugging for the crowd. Doc looks for the backdrop driver and the crowd shrieks in horror. Doc decides to do a big dive to the outside showing he is letting it all hang out to win the Triple Crown. Flying shoulderblock and a gutwrench powerbomb get a nearfall. Doc nearly gets the backdrop driver but Misawa is able to grapevine the legs. Misawa works the momentum and tries to get the big monster to sleep with the front face lock. Roaring elbow and now Misawa is gaining some momentum and seems to have stunted Williams. Misawa really has to fight for a Tiger Driver and he hits it but only for a two count. Misawa hits his frog splash for another nearfall. Misawa goes up again and hits another frog splash and really seems to be out of options of how to stop Williams. This has been a majestic performance by him in showing how strong Doc can be. How does one react when stuff that works for two years doesn’t now. He spins for the roaring elbow again and gets the backdrop driver. This is when the king falls. Misawa tries to jump to his feet to assure the masses that he is ok, but he is not. He spins out the ring and is laying there motionless. It is without question one of my favorite sell jobs of all time and really feels years in the making. Doc picks up his limp body and throws him back inside where he kicks out at 2.999999. That was great as it was around a minute since Doc hit the move. Doc knows he just needs to hit one more of those so he goes for the move again. Misawa fires off two more elbows which are the last bullets he has in his chamber. Doc goes for the driver again and Misawa kicks off the ropes to stop the move from having the full affect. This is really gripping stuff. Doc burst through with a stampede and Misawa kicks out. Doc riles himself up and hits another backdrop driver to end the epic reign. I have always loved this match before but I really thought it was a masterpiece here. ****3/4 Kenta Kobashi vs. Steve Williams 9/3/94 Kobashi’s first attempt at the Triple Crown and the crowd is pumped. Kobashi fires off the rolling cradle quickly and Doc has a perplexed look on his face. We get a traditional test of strength and this match is worked much slower paced than the previous encounters between these two. The match opens up with Kobashi hitting the DDT and a slam on the outside. I continue to be surprised at how much of these matches Kobashi takes. Kobashi hits a huge dive that looked great onto Williams. Kobashi hitting a suplex on Doc was an impressive feat. Doc gets a brainbuster at around the 14 minute mark and Kobashi must retreat to the outside. Doc works over the back a good bit and hits his high spot moves including the bearhug and the bearhug. At the twenty minute mark, Kobashi is given an opening by hitting a lariat on a charging Doc. The action so far hasn’t been bad at all, but the narrative has been lacking when watching this match right behind the Misawa one. The action now is advanced after the feeling out process. Kobashi gives Doc a backdrop suplex as a big FU. He charges in but eats a huge punch. With Doc draped over the ropes, Kobashi hits a big legdrop as a different play on one of his moves. Doc gets really pissed off and gives a vicious powerslam to the outside as the 25 minute mark is called. Kobashi fights back from that but gets caught again with a top rope belly to belly suplex. Gutwrench suplex and Kobashi kicks out but I would have bought that as the finish for sure. Kobashi takes out the legs and has an opening now. Kobashi is able to persevere and hit the moonsault that crowd is pleading will be the finish. It only gets a two. Kobashi is able to further damage the knee but he is exhausted and cant really capitalize. One thing I will say is that this match doesn’t really feel like it has went on for 35 minutes. Kobashi climbs to the top and hits a huge top rope legdrop. Kobashi fights for a suplex but gives that up to hit a powerbomb and a really close nearfall. Doc is able to muster up the energy to charge out of the corner and waylay Kobashi. Doc is running on fumes now but throwing everything he can at Kobashi. Like usual, he knows that the Driver is his ticket. Kobashi misses a chop and Doc is able to land it. There is again a good amount of distance between the move being hit and the cover although this is again another point where the finish could have occurred. It is pretty cool how much Kobashi is mimicking Misawa with his selling now and pulling himself up on the ropes. He goes after the knee again and Doc looks like a wounded animal. Doc is able to fend off Kobashi and hit a driver into the turnbuckle. He then delivers another with a bridge to gain the win. This match was excessive at points but really well done. **** A great series vs. Doc. I am a bit surprised the Misawa vs. Doc from 94 was my favorite of the series watching them in succession. I still get the feeling that Kobashi couldn’t have the type of nuanced performances Misawa is throwing out at times.

Hope you check out Michaels vs. Masters from Unforgiven before the vote. A match that helps both guys.

That is something that I have accepted but I would be lying if I didn't roll my eyes seeing a +7 for Sheik in the A category compared to a +2 for AKiyama. I think it might be beneficial to see how many people he has given the +3 to and rather that really deserves that high of a bonus. For example, I think +3 to work as ultimate ace of a promotion would be more exclusive and worthy of the deep bonus. I wouldn't even advocate for Akiyama as a +3 in that regard either.

Burning Day 8: MVC vs. Misawa/Kawada 1/30/93 Kawada and Gordy start things off. Kawada gets dumped to the outside and pounded on by Dr. Death. This is one of the last highpoints for both MVC and Misawa and Kawada as a team. Misawa tags in and is matched up with Doc. The action here is very solid. There is a wrestling base, but the moves are executed with highpoints to mix in enough energy. A suplex from Misawa ends the segment and Kawada gets tagged in. Kawada goes to work on Gordy and dumps him now in a revenge spot. Misawa takes Gordy down with a nice chinlock that is locked on tightly. Misawa and Kawada are really cranking things along here and making the match more enjoyable as a result. For once, the fight is being taken to the MVC and that will make the balance much better when they will inevitably take over. Just as I type that it happens with a Gordy lariat in the corner. Williams locks on a chinlock and we are getting a lot of mirror spots as revenge in the early going here. Kawada gets hit with the guardrail right across the throat on the outside. Williams follows that up by doing it on the ropes on the inside. Double shoulder block and the MVC has worked over Kawada quite a bit now. It isn’t the best control sequence I have ever seen but also far from the worst even in the MVC canon. Williams shows some good fire punching back at Kawada after he gives Doc a flurry. One nice swift kick from Kawada allows himself to tag Misawa. Misawa runs through Gordy and hits the elbow suicida on the outside. Tiger Driver gets thrown out pretty early for a nearfall. Williams involves himself and drills Misawa back first into the ring post. Big powerslam from Doc from the second rope has Misawa in trouble. Doc cranks in with more of an arm and back submission to wear Misawa down more. Gordy follows up with an STF. In the biggest mis-step of the match, Gordy targets the legs now. Doc redeems this by applying a crab which emphasizes pain on both parts. MVC is tagging in frequently and dishing out a lot of punishment. Misawa’s elbow is used to great effect as he fires one off and tags Kawada. Kawada runs through his offense and locks on the stretch plum. Misawa comes back to hold Doc at bay. Misawa dropkicks Doc when he goes for the stampede on kawada. We now enter the finishing stretch and Misawa helps bail Kawada out of a lot of damage. Doc does nail the Backdrop driver by himself and Kawada is able to narrowly kick out. Kawada fires back with some kicks. Gordy and Misawa come in with both of their partners wounded. Gordy runs through his running lariats into the corner and that gets a two count. He works towards a powerbomb but Misawa reverses into a German for two count. Front Facelock is applied to Doc that is broken up by Gordy. Gordy does a great save on a Tiger Driver that Misawa delivers to Doc. Gordy comes flying in right at the last moment. He also gives Misawa a rough powerbomb. Gordy looks for another powerbomb but Misawa fights out. He does get hit with a lariat from the back by Doc. Doc then follows it up with a stampede that gets broken up by Kawada. Gordy sends Kawada to the outside to neutralize him and Doc hits another Stampede to win the tag titles and essentially end the Misawa/Kawada partnership. ****1/4 Steve Williams vs. Kenta Kobashi 8/31/93 I have always loved these two matched up with one another. Two uber alpha-males that refuse to back down from any challenge. The match starts out that way exactly. A series of shoulder blocks and an early spinebuster from Doc. They ape the Jumbo vs. Misawa test of strength spot but Kobashi fires off a quick German. This match certainly has big shit popping right out of the gate. Kobashi gives Doc a DDT on the floor and hits a diving lariat from the top rope to the floor. Kobashi works over Doc a good bit here. Doc is able to reverse an Irish whip and he squares off with Kobashi for a brief exchange. Doc hulks up and takes over on a huge powerslam sending Kobashi to the outside. Williams does a good job following that up with enough interesting work to keep the match humming along. Much like in 1/31/93, Doc wont ever be the best at this but he was evolving from being offensive and boring that we saw in corckett Doc to being competent here. The comeback Kobashi makes is great with his fire on the outside into the guardrail. It is short lived as he gets powerslammed into the floor. The final sequence is one of the more famous ones in AJ in the 1990’s. I do really like Kobashi catching a charging Doc in a sleeper. The ending is certainly dramatic with the huge backdrop driver and the subsequent kickout. This is a moment where some will think Kobashi went a bit too far into excess but I was fine with it giving the break before the pin. Doc does put Kobashi away with two more backdrop drivers that are sick. The only thing for me that keeps this match from being as good as something like the Carny 94 final is the middle portion with Doc in control. I thought Kobashi was great here. ****1/2

Baron is a true maestro then, just a dreadful worker in my book.

In watching the stuff WWE Network has of World Class, he comes out as my favorite guy in the promotion and has more moments of strength in those clips shown than the Freebirds who are married to the Von Erichs constantly.

How would you compare the rep Rufus had to someone like Johnny Weaver in Charleston?

Burning Day 7 Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Mitsuharu Misawa 6/8/90 So today is a day that should favor Misawa so it will be integral for Kobashi just to not be completely outclassed. I like how Jumbo establishes himself early in this match. It would have been stereotypical for Misawa to come in and get a nice shine sequence. Jumbo boots, lariats and slams Misawa down showing this was not going to be an easy fight at all. Misawa is able to show an early bout of resourcefulness reversing the backdrop suplex attempt. He gets a running dropkick off the apron and now has a bit of offense under his legs to propel as momentum. Running plancha by Misawa showing that his Tiger Mask arsenal isn’t completely ignored just because he dropped the mask. The slow pace the match resembles at the five minute mark is interesting and I think a strategic choice to show this match as something different from the young lion vs. ace affair. It is much slower with Misawa getting an even chance on transition moves than we saw in the 1988 TM vs. Jumbo match. That small shift watching those two matches in quick succession is extremely rewarding. Things start getting chippy when Misawa slaps Jumbo. Jumbo is willing to return the favor. Misawa has really used the dropkick as a big equalizer in this match. Jumbo starts going for pins after every high impact move around this point and has a look that he tired of screwing around with this young punk. He even busts out a big dropkick of his own. Jumbo pulls his kneepad down to inflict that much more damage into his knee strikes. Jumbo hits a big knee off the top that gets Misawa some good applause as he kicks out. This also starts the Misawa chants going. Powerbomb and a two gets Misawa even more respect as he is really giving Jumbo all he bargained for. Misawa gets a backslide for a quick two count and then puts Jumbo down with an elbow strike. Misawa’s elbow is getting made into a deadly weapon right before our eyes. Baseball slide and big splash from the top show Misawa knowing he has to empty out his arsenal now to defeat his former mentor. Misawa goes for the frog splash but crafy Jumbo is waiting with some double knees. He pounces for the pin but Misawa kicks out to more loud chants. Jumbo no applies a crab. Jumbo goes for the backdrop but Misawa ricochets off the turnbuckle and Jumbo takes a lot of damage as well. German by Misawa is a crackling nearfall with Jumbo now reaching down deep to kick out. Jumbo stalks Misawa going for the knockout blow. He finally catches Misawa coming off a high risk move with an elbow. Jumbo goes again and Misawa shows great resourcefulness moving out of the way. This is so awesome how he casually steps awa and Jumbo goes flying in. We then get the reversal sequence with Misawa winning and the crowd losing their shit. Kobashi and Kawada lift him on their shoulders and all is right in the world. The slow moments prevent this from reaching the tip top tier of All Japan stuff, but the story and work of both in this match is sublime. ****1/2 Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Mitsuharu Misawa 9/1/90 jUmbo starts out really vicious in this match knowing that he has to bring his best to defeat Misawa and prevent the embarrassment that happened last time. Him kneeing Misawa around the ring and focusing on the stomach is a good way for the tone of the match to be set and show how Jumbo is treating it. A good reversal roll up that Jumbo escapes also shows that he doesn’t expect to get caught with that trick this time. Jumbo goes for the double arm back stretch but adds a bit in this match by putting the boot in the back. I like the little moments where Misawa is able to dictate the pace as Jumbo wants the action to go outside and Misawa goes immediately back inside the ring. Jumbo applies the crab early and now seems focused with the back as he follows that up with strikes and an abdominal stretch. He rolls tha through and applies a leg lock submission which is unique and has both guys twisted like a pretzel. Misawa is able to respond with that and set the tone and feel even more even than in the June match. He delivers some pretty vicious strikes to Jumbo’s face. Jumbo retaliates and gets pissed right off. A little rabbit forearm gets a nice nearfall for him around the 15 minute mark. A lot less high flying from Misawa in this match. Misawa eats a piledriver. Jumbo delivers a butterfly suplex. Misawa does hit a crossbody for a two count now. Misawa goes for another dive but Jumbo grabs his hair and drives him straight to the mat. Thesz press and we are seeing tons of stuff get busted out here that was not present in the June match. Amazing that these guys can have a great match with new wrinkles that also feels different. They tease the first match finish in a great way as Jumbo this time is able to kick out. Jumbo clubs away and keeps looking for that back suplex. Misawa fires back and Jumbo goes medieval on Misawa just clobbering him with strikes in one of the most vicious 20 seconds in wrestling history. Misawa rolls to the outside and he gets slung intot he guardrail and table as you can see now Jumbo has snapped. All these ungrateful bastards are trying to take his spot and he has had enough. A chair shot just drives that point home. Misawa takes Jumbo’s best shot and comes firing back. Diving elbow from the top and now Misawa is ready to resort back to his cruiser ways with a baseball slide and a plancha. Jumbo shakes it off on the outside and this has the feeling of a big boxing fight with both guys just throwing whatever they have in the tank at each other now. Misawa is able to hit another diving elbow from the top for a nearfall. Misawa pounds away as a friendly reminder to Jumbo that he is there to stay. The rana pin attempt off the powerbomb was another smooth way to show Misawa being resourceful and Jumbo this time being ready. Misawa does hit the German afterward for a really long two count. Misawa goes for a victory roll which shows more desperation than he has so far. Jumbo seizes this opening. We then get a great spot that plays off years as Jumbo narrowly escapes his kryptonite by escaping the hot shot. He catches Misawa off the top with the superplex and is feeling it lifting his hand triumphantly in the air. Backdrop Driver. 1. 2. Kickout! What a beautiful sequence. Misawa throws out a desperate elbow that connects. Jumbo shakes it off and we get an elbow exchange with the mano vs. mano feel you want. Jumbo kicks Misawa down and hits a second backdrop suplex with a bridge to gain some sweet revenge. This is the final coronation for Jumbo and the last iconic match of his career that was a true MOTYC. This was the first for Misawa. Even in defeat, the torch was passed in some ways. This match always has an amazing opening and then 10 minutes that are good but I wonder if I overrated it a bit. Then we get the tease of the first match and from there, this match is just majestic wrestling. ***** Kenta Kobashi vs. Jumbo Tsuruta 8/31/90 One day before the last classic, Kobashi steps up to the plate. A very tentative handshake starts things off. Kobashi is off to the races before being brought down a notch by Jumbo. Jumbo is fired up and mugging for the crowd. Kobashi comes back with his spunk and a swift spinning kick right to the mush. Kobashi is able to work over a headlock in a big surprise and good show of restraint for young Kenta. Jumbo is finally able to break free and hit a ferocious lariat. He pounds his head and spikes Kobashi down with a piledriver. Jumbo locks on the crab and sits down on it. Kobashi gets overzealous and crashes and burns. Luckily he is able to kick out. Kobashi is able to gain an advantage and project a king of the mountain spot on Jumbo and hit a big splash onto the outside. Kobashi gets more offense in on Jumbo with a crab and Texas Cloverleaf. To complete the trifecta, a figure four is applied. This is a lot of offense for Kobashi but the crowd is honestly fairly mundane here. This is another example of Kobashi not being quite at the level of Misawa here. That is fair as Kobashi is 3 years in with Misawa 8 years in, but it is worth noticing when that transition may take place. We get a clip of Misawa watching the match from the background. Jumbo tries to elbow his way out of the submission attempt but he gets caught with strikes from Kobashi. Double arm suplex is busted out by Jumbo for a two count. Kobashi shows resiliency off of this series from Jumbo as he hits a back suplex and a moonsault for a good nearfall the crowd does bite on. Jumbo catches kobashi up top and hits the Thesz press. Kobashi is able to escape a big suplex. Again, Kobashi’s kicks aren’t as on point as they would become later on when he used them more sparingly. Jumbo gains the advantage and hits his big high knee. Jumbo goes up top and delivers the top rope knee that Kobashi barely kicks out from. The crowd is cheering Kobashi but it does pale to the previous two matches heat wise. Powerbomb from Jumbo and Kobashi gets to kick out of that. Jumbo hulks up and hits the back suplex for the pin. This was one I ranked too highly on the yearbook. It is certainly a very good match but didn’t have the heat or intensity of the Misawa matches at all and it suffered being watched right behind them. ***1/2 Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Kenta Kobashi 5/24/91 We jump in with Kobashi and Jumbo tied up and Kobashi getting to the ropes. Kobashi is already sweating quite a bit and it looks like Jumbo may be targeting the leg of Kenta. Kobashi does already have better crowd support in this match than in the 1990 one. The action spills outside and Kobashi does a vicious one handed bulldog variation driving Jumbo to the floor. Kobashi gets a big moonsault again and Jumbo has to put a foot on the rope which does prove to be effective in getting over the move for Kobashi’s sake. Jumbo delivers a big boot that is vicious to take over the onslaught. He follows that up with a huge knee. We are seeing the grumpiness really come out now. Kobashi comes back with a backdrop suplex and locks Jumbo in the octopus hold. Kobashi has grown in his spots and him gaining the advantage feels more organic here than just taking over to create a story within the match. Jumbo is able to catch Kobashi going up top and superplex him. That is proving to be Jumbo’s opening for success tonight. The big Jumbo dropkick gets a two count. The fight for the back suplex is really solid with Jumbo finally able to hit it and secure the win. I liked the stuff we saw here better than the 1990 match. ***3/4 Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Kenta Kobashi 2/27/92 Glad that this is in full as I think I may have only seen it in clipped form before. Kobashi relies on his trusty headlock early. One thing that is cool is that the headlock stuff is becoming a Jumbo vs. Kobashi spot like the test of strength stuff was for Misawa vs. Jumbo earlier. Jumbo does start working over the midsection much like he does in 9/1/90. We get some more familiar spots with these two but due to the passage of time and Kobashi rising up the ranks, it again feels better earned than it did in the 8/31/90 match for me. However, as different as the two Misawa vs. Jumbo matches felt at times, it does feel like all three Kobashi vs. Jumbo matches have had similar makeups. Kobashi does add in a few touches like the crab on the floor. Things pick up with Jumbo shoving Kobashi’s knee onto the table. Now, I think we will see Jumbo take over and this match and really series will work to truly play to each person’s strengths at this point in time. Kobashi fires up and hits a flurry but that is just going to upset Jumbo as he clotheslines Kobashi into line. Kobashi shows good fire and fight here and he locks a sleeper onto Jumbo that equalizes him efficiently. Kobashi also is able to DDT Jumbo on the floor. Jumbo does his shaking selling to put that over. Kobashi really feels like he is needing that one big move. Jumbo reaches down and hits the backdrop suplex and now we are all even again. The guys go outside again and Kobashi tastes the table again. Jumbo hits his big splash from the top for a two count. Powerbomb from Jumbo gets two again. Kobashi is able to hit the backdrop suplex and the moonsault to get his cloesest nearfall of the series so far. Kobashi runs through a powerslam and German but gets hit in the midsection on the way down from a dive. This gives Jumbo a second win and he wastes no time doing the lariat into backdrop suplex combo to win. I was hoping for a classic here but got a great match with some progression instead. **** As I said in the beginning, Misawa has this series pretty handily. One reason why I was considering Kobashi as #1 was that he didn’t really have any disappointing matches in my memory like 6-6-97 and Misawa vs. Hase and Misawa vs. Hansen sometimes did. The 8/31/90 match lingered on that at times as I thought Kobashi got too much offense and control in but it barely skirted. Overall, Kobashi and Jumbo never had a classic, but nothing was awful. Misawa vs. Jumbo was transcendent though and one of the five best AJ feuds of the 1990’s.

Really good sleezy heel with a great gimmick in the Biggest Little Man in wrestling. He had a run in the territories and feels like someone that would have fit right in and been a mainstay in the 70's/early 80's if he had been around. The thing that I likes about his stuff in IWA-MS is that he can mix it up with both the workrate heavy guys like Hero, Punk etc (that 2/8/03 Hero match is really damn good) and he can also fit right into the big angles involving brawls and storyline development (vs. Ian and Mark Wolf).

Todd Morton: Harry Palmer vs. Todd Morton Harry starts us off with a promo and looks to be on the verge of saying his goodbyes to the IWA faithful. Morton seizes the opportunity and attacks him from behind. Morton gets increasingly annoyed at the crowd chanting Harry on. Harry fires back for a bit and gets some added support with Mark Wolf coming from backstage. The flurry of offense is short lived as Morton goes back on the offensive and even has a moment to cut a promo on Harry mid match. This has been a squash match with Morton talking smack to the crowd between every shot and Harry writhing in pain. The crowd pops big when Harry gets a school boy as a result of Todd popping off too much. Some skinny black guy in the crowd gets so pissed off at Todd, he takes off his shirt and starts walking around the ringside area. Harry mounts his comeback and has the crowd behind him. Harry goes for a cover that has to be broken up by Hero. Wolf pounds on Morton outside a bit. Morton results to going into his trunks and retrieving a chain. He pops Palmer with that and picks up the escape victory. This was a good story driven opener match to start out tonight. The guys were given a lot of time to work with and the crowd was amped and behind Palmer throughout the match. **1/2 Todd Morton vs. Mark Wolf I guess Wolf has already turned which is unfortunate as we have missed that but I am amped as we see one of the great rivalries in IWA-MS. Morton has some really unkind things to say about my girl Donna before the bell rings. Morton runs down Wolf before Wolf offers a quick rebuttal. Everyone is getting in jokes on Morton’s height. That never fails to not be funny in my eyes. This is a taped fist match and Morton starts the match teeing away on Wolf with some good looking punches. Wolf responds and Morton bails to the outside. Not much to say from a blow by blow standpoint here but both men punch and kick each other throughout a tough contest. When Morton takes over he keeps pounding away with rapid succession. Morton does mix it up with two big front boots to the forehead of Mark. Wolf is busted open from the damage and looking rough but still kicking out. Wolf makes his comeback and gets a nice pop from the crowd after Morton took him around ringside beating him up. Back in the ring, Wolf hits his clotheslines and pounds away on a begging off Morton. Morton is able to get out a chain and he blasts Wolf with it to pick up the victory. Another solid outing and the feeling that we have only seen the beginning of this feud. **3/4 The Resistance (Chris Hero, Mark Wolf, Todd Morton) vs. The Gold Bond Mafia (Paul E. Smooth, CM Punk, Colt Cabana) You probably know some of these guys but let’s talk about the three lesser known competitors. I touched on Wolf a little earlier but he was always a great complimentary piece in the promotion that could be relied on in big feuds as we will see vs. Morton and especially Mitch Ryder down the road. Speaking of Morton, he is one of the top five people I am most interested in watching throughout this whole process. A person personifying qualities from Doug Gilbert and Bill Dundee, Morton is an undersized loud mouth that earns the moniker “the biggest little man in professional wrestling” by bringing legit heat and intensity to numerous feuds. Paul E. Smooth (later renamed Chuck) is the #6 guy in this match IMO but he has a lengthy run in IWA throughout the next few years. Cabana and Punk look much younger here than Hero does by comparison. Punk has just started the process of letting his hair grow out a bit. Cabana is sporting frosted tips hanging on to that trend of the late 90’s. Dave Prazak is the manager of the Gold Bond Mafia. Punk is on the mic beforehand and calls Hero a monkey, Wolf a referee and Morton a midget in a funny moment. Wolf is wearing a Disturbed shirt to prove to us this is indeed 2001. Morton starts a fight with a Brian Knobbs doppelganger as the bell rings. The opening exchange between Morton and Punk has some comedy stuff but unlike the previous two matches, they don’t let it wear out its welcome and intersperse those moments with some good wrestling exchanges. That is a key difference in making a match drag and in this case feel like an homage to a M-Pro six man from the 1990’s. Cabana and Hero come in and also have a good sequence with everything worked at a faster pace and smoother than what we have seen so far tonight. I liked the trope of tagging in Smooth and Wolf and they just bump heads instead of having an escalating sparring showdown like the previous competitors. This results in all six entering the ring and the match breaks down. Hero and Punk are now paired off on the outside. After a few minutes of this, a traditional six-man results with Morton and Smooth in the ring. The Resistance takes over on Smooth and does a good job of cutting the ring off and making frequent tags. Hero is able to hit a big time tilt a whirl suplex and the pin attempt is broken up by Punk. Todd Morton goes for one of his own but Smooth gets a hope spot by hitting a dropkick. Morton regains his bearings and takes over with a suplex as Punk rallies the crowd to start a “Hero’s a bitch” chant. Smooth hits a hurricanrana off the top rope and should have tagged out but he instead goes for the early 2000’s staple, the Bronco Buster. Wolf gets a boot up right into the testicle region of Smooth and hits a bridging back suplex. The referee counts the pin and informs the Resistance that both Wolf and Smooth are eliminated from the match due to Wolf having his shoulders down as well. Cabana and Morton start off what has now become a tag match. Hero hits a really good clothesline on Cabana and I am impressed with the fluidly these guys have shown in this match. I will reveal that I have seen some 2001 stuff so far most notably the 8/11/01 eight man tag and this has been much more cohesive and smooth than that match on last viewing. Hero mixes in some nice suplexes and the Resistance is once again in control working over Cabana. Cabana mounts a comeback by hitting an awesome piledriver on Morton that was made by him popping his head right off the mat. Cabana is able to tag in Punk and him and Hero square off. All four men enter the match with the Gold Bond Mafia firing away. Morton is able to send Cabana out and seizing the opportunity, Hero and Morton hit a backdrop/neckbreaker combo on Punk to put him away. Refreshing elimination off a nice double team move without excessive kickouts. Cabana is out there alone now and to add insult to injury, Harry Palmer returns to offer assistance to the Resistance. Hero locks on a Rings of Saturn variation submission onto Cabana but he is able to break free. A jawbreaker allows Cabana a moment of rest but Hero is able to make the tag to Morton. This doesn’t slow down Cabana who makes his comeback and hits an underhook suplex move that forces Hero to break up the pin attempt. Morton stunts the comeback with a backbreaker and double stomp to the knees. Both Morton and Hero are in the ring but Cabana pushes Hero into Morton sending Morton to the outside and allowing himself to hit a schoolboy on Hero to pin him. Morton immediately drags Cabana outside and posts him. Morton with an atomic drop onto a chair in a nasty spot. He follows that up with an elbow smash from the apron and some steel chair shots on the floor. Cabana does a good job firing back and this is not an easy role for him to be the face in considering the size advantage he has over Morton. Morton hits a splash but Cabana is able to float over and pick up the pinfall in around 23 minutes. Resistance jumps Cabana and it’s an attack until the Gold Bond Mafia makes the save with Smooth doing a wild dive onto Wolf and Hero on the outside. This match may have been a tad long and the crowd heat dwindled but it showed a lot of promise and range and was clearly the best thing on the show tonight so far by miles. ***

Burning Day 6: Kikuchi/Kobashi vs. Tsuruta/Taue 1/26/92 Kikuchi and Kobashi bum rush their opponents to gain the early advantage. Kikuchi and Taue have a decent segment here but it doesn’t really have quite the sizzle as Kawada and Taue. It is good mind you but shows the difference from someone like Kikuchi who will be one of the last ins or cuts in my top 100 and someone like Kawada who will be top 20 even if I don’t think he quite reaches the peaks of Misawa and Kobashi. Jumbo comes and has quite the delight in destroying Kikuchi. Taue does a wild giant swing where they run into the ropes to stop the swinging. Kobashi finally gets tagged in and actually shows some restraint at first which was kind of odd. He opens up quickly with chops and a crab for Taue. Taue is able to get a suplex on Kobashi on the floor and now he is in a world of hurt. Kikuchi has the highlight of the match when he elbows Jumbo on the apron and does so with such authority that he nearly topples over the ropes. The remaining portion of the match has a good many tidal shifts with Kobashi being worked over and the ending stretch with Kikuchi being able to kick out of things like a Jumbo powerbomb. I enjoyed this match overall but did see it as Kikuchi and Kobashi not quite comfortable with what role they were going to portray against the super team of Jumbo and Taue. ***1/2 Kikuchi/Kobashi vs. Furnas/Krofatt 5/25/92 Crowd is molten here. Krofatt punks out Kikuchi with one elbow, Kikuchi responds with a flurry in the corner and the crowd absolutely erupts. Kobashi gets the tag in and the chants erupt again. This match has that electric atmosphere that push it over the top even disregarding the action. Furnas comes in for the first time and they get a double shoulder block onto Kobashi. Double leg lariats from Kikuchi and the Can Ams have to regroup to the delight of the crowd. Furnas decides that dragging the match down is a smarter strategy and he grabs a headlock. Furnas then hits a ferocious shoulderblock and takes over with some dick kicks. Every hope spot from Kikuchi gets a huge reaction. Kobashi is able to take over on Furnas and him and Kikuchi hit a double dropkick. Now the Can-Ams have enough of all of this and take over. Kikuchi gets press slammed onto the table outside and Kobashi is forced to consult his buddy. A big clothesline from the top rope with Furnas having Kikuchi elevated is bought as the finish right here. Krofatt locks on the crab and three really snap suplexes that continue to focus on the back. Kobashi breaks up the pin to the delight of the crowd. Kikuchi gets a glimpse of hope with a back suplex but Krofatt grabs his hair and tags out to Furnas. Tilt a whirl suplex again focusing on the back. Furnas decides to apply a nasty crab of his own leaning way back. Kobashi tries to kick it free but it takes a swift slap right across the face to get the job done. Fireman carry slam by Krofatt and they are a machine right now destroying Kikuchi. High impact moves followed by sick looking submissions. A bow and arrow is the next submission of choice and Kobashi again has to break with a leg drop on Krofatt. Now we get the hot tag to Kobashi, but both Can-Ams are ready. Kobashi hits a double lariat to break up their double team and then gets a back suplex on Furnas for a two count. He goes for the DDT off the ropes but Krofatt is able to hit him with a powerbomb. Krofatt mugging for the crowd here is tremendous. Now Kobashi is able to get worked over a bit but that gloating Krofatt messes up going for a big splash and he hits some knees. Kobashi is narrowly able to get the tag and Kikuchi does a diving headbutt for another crackling nearfall. Krofatt gives Kikuchi a hellacious kick in the corner and then just dumps Kobashi over the top rope. This is the best Krofatt has ever looked for sure. A doomsday lariat is next and the Can Ams are flabbergasted that doesn’t get the pinfall. What an awesome spot and an awesome match. This is the magnum opus of southern tag wrestling happening in Japan. Krofatt does a choke submission next and Kikuchi is being flung around like a rag doll. Kobashi makes it get broken to the delight of the crowd. Kobashi is then able to DDT Furnas on the floor and here he is to save Kikuchi. Doomsday dropkick with the crowd coming UNGLUED. Back suplex splash and now they can’t believe that doesn’t pin Krofatt. Frankensteinter by Furnas and Kikuchi just dives in recklessly to break up the pin. His momentum rolls him to the outside as the crowd drowns out the wrestlers with Kobashi chants. Kobashi starts looking for the moonsault now. That is stopped by Furnas but Kikuchi gets him away. This does give Krofatt enough time to move and Kobashi crashes and burns. A roll up pin and Kobashi essentially just does a momentum kickout. Krofatt and Kobashi do a mirror sequence culminating in a unique DDT from Kobashi and a two count. Kobashi is now able to hit the moonsault for the win and a ginormous pop. This is without a doubt one of the greatest matches I have ever seen. ***** Krofatt/Akikyama/Ogawa vs. Kobashi/Kikuchi 1/24/93 This is a nice pairing at this point and time and a really young look at Akiyama. The opening between Akiyama and Kikuchi is really good and has some wrestling mixed in with intensity. Akiyama and Ogawa are able to work a nice headlock against Kobashi. Kikuchi and Kobashi are working really well as a team here again and they feel fully fleshed out as a unit. They are able to control a lot of the action but they aren’t that far ahead of Ogawa or this wonder kid in Akiyama. Akiyama does get worked over for an extended amount of time and it is good to see Kobashi in this role as it is something we are unacquainted with. His aggression and offense work well. Akiyama is able to go nuts on Kikuchi to change the advantage and Ogawa suplexes him on the floor so now Kikuch is going to be in peril for a bit. Akiyama delivers a nice piledriver but I do like how when Akiyama gets a bit overzealous, Kikuchi is able to tag out. Kobashi does the chops and charge in the corner on Jun. For one of the first interactions between Kobashi and Jun, this does feel like it will be a legendary feud. The finish here is of a relentless pace with almost twenty minutes into the match. Rolling cradle and pump handle powerbomb are busted out by Kobashi. Akiyama rolls through a roll up for Kikuchi for a nearfall. Akiyama does a super northern lights suplex that gets a really close nearfall. Kobashi actually comes in on his own and delivers some punishment. He then gives a doomsday dropkick and the back suplex splash move to Akiyama that Akiyama kicks out of to the delight of the crowd. A German from Kikuchi and Akiyama survives again. You can tell they had super plans for Akiyama. A second German wins for Kikuchi and Kobashi. A great match with Kobashi and Kikuchi showing they could work on top for a lot of the match given the opponent. Kobashi’s innovation with the pump handle was super. **** Kobashi/Kikuchi vs. Kawada/Taue 5/12/93 Look who has decided to team up here. Kawada and Kobashi go right after each other here in the beginning. I thought Kawada and Kobashi really becoming mortal enemies was integral in making the tags between Kobashi/Misawa and Taue/Kawada that are coming up really work. Kikuchi and Taue come in next and I realize that isn’t a pairing I am really that familiar with. Kikuchi shows his usual fire and gives way to Kobashi who takes over. Kobashi and Taue’s respected levels at this point in time are pretty equal. Kawada looks like a man possessed really dismantling Kobashi. Kawada and Taue are tagging out with each other well for this to be their first big match since joining forces. Kobashi does his chops in the corner but Kawada has no time for that shit and he slaps the taste right out of Kobashi’s mouth. Kawada delivers a big brainbuster and Kobashi is in some big trouble now. DDT by Taue and they are really targeting the noggin. Double submissions by the H D A and it is great to see them come together. Kobashi and Kikuchi are in big trouble and Kikuchi throws up a hail mary of strikes to try to sneak out the win. That is unsuccessful and both Taue and Kawada now are kicking the shit out of both. Kawada holds Kobashi at bay and Taue hits the nodowa to win in impressive fashion. This match really served its purpose. ***3/4

Two thoughts while watching: 1. I think the TC lineage may be tougher because you are skipping a lot of those title changes that seemingly were kind of disappointing compared to the other AJ stuff in the 1990s. Stuff like Kawada's win, Hansen beating him, Misawa beating Hansen, and Taue beating Hansen. 2. I think the lariat for the 9/5/96 match is sufficient because as you will see going forward, the lariat for Kobashi becomes almost equal to Misawa's elbows. It really becomes one of his main go to finishers for 98 and 99 with the Burning Hammer being brought out for only special occasions.

Hansen is not gonna make my ballot. Is Flair?

You didn't bold Muto but I think he is in danger. I think for a lot of people that have watched Japanese footage he is too inconsistent.

Burning Day 5 Mitsuharu Misawa/Toshiaki Kawada vs. Jumbo Tsuruta/Akira Taue 9/30/90 Jumbo wants to start things off right away vs. Misawa and the crowd approves. After they go back and forth, Kawada tries his hand. We get an early back suplex from Jumbo and Taue comes in to take over. Taue gets sent to the outside where Misawa starts peppering him with elbows. Taue is busted open now. The early portion of this match has a ton of shifts. All four guys get pairings and a chance to shine against each other. Jumbo and Kawada becomes a point of emphasis and they seem determined to help juice up that series of the feud now that Jumbo vs. Misawa is firmly stabilized. That isn’t to say Jumbo and Misawa cant have great sequences as twenty minutes in, Misawa starts beating up Jumbo and even posts him on the outside. At this point, it is no longer a surprise to see Misawa get that type of advantage on the ace. Taue’s cut gets revisited in a big way with Kawada throwing his whole arsenal at it. Taue sees blood and freaks out. I loved Kawada kicking out of a pin attempt by kneeing Taue in the cut. Misawa does some short kicks to continue the carnage. All four of these guys and Kobashi and Fuchi as well have reaffirmed a deserving spot on my top 100 after the last couple of days. Jumbo checking on Taue was a considerate moment. Taue is really get worked over here which was a precursor to those extended sections in the six man. As a result, the crowd starts building up sympathy for him which was essential as he was the least formed character coming into this match. Taue gets a desperate lariat on the outside on Misawa and is looking to regain his bearings and tag in Jumbo. He is unsuccessful but after a few more minutes of weathering the storm he is able to make the long awaited tag. Jumbo is not a happy camper and he unleashes a ton of rage on both Kawada and Misawa. A big powerbomb gets a nearfall and now Taue is ready to dish out some punishment although he is still sucking wind from the attack. It is around this time that I realize we are 35 minutes into the match and it has really flown by. Much like the beginning sequence, all four guys are interspersed with segments now and there is even more desperation with the time limit counting down. Ending is really dramatic in the last five minutes with the time calls coming, the crowd getting anxious and the announcer raising his cadence. Misawa hits the tiger suplex at the 44 minutes mark but Taue is able to get a foot on the rope in a good save of the finish. This ends the match and all four men get respective applause from the crowd. The time really does fly by in this one and this is one of the more underated gems in AJ from the 90’s. Now, it does get a bunch of praise but I see it as one of the 20 best matches of the decade. ****3/4 Jumbo Tsuruta/Akira Taue vs. Mitsuharu Misawa/Toshiaki Kawada 12/7/90 RWTL time. Misawa wants to start out with Jumbo but Taue tells him to deal with me first. Jumbo seems even extra pissed off here as he elbows Misawa off the apron and really cranks back on the half crab applied to Kawada. The pace feels much more like a sprint with nearfalls being tossed around early in the match. As we saw in the six mans, Taue vs. Kawada became a hate filled feud on their own and they evolve that here before their singles stuff in 1991. Misawa adds a new wrinkle by doing the running elbow off the apron to Jumbo. The carnage on Taue continues. Jumbo gets the tag in and does his usual fired up comeback now. Kawada gets sent to the outside and Taue slams him on the concrete. Superplex by Taue and this has been a great preview for their feud to come. Jumbo shouting encouragement for Taue is great. He even climbs the ropes and delivers a big top rope knee that Misawa must break up the pin attempt for. Misawa charges in and meets a huge elbow from Jumbo. Jumbo then gives Kawada a big back suplex that he barely kicks out of. In a reversal of fortune, Taue eats an elbow from Misawa. Misawa dropkicks Jumbo out of the ring but he comes flying back with a vengeance. Misawa and Jumbo are just teeing off on each other. Kawada is able to hit the powerbomb and win the fall. Great finish. ****1/4 Mitsuharu Misawa/Toshiaki Kawada vs. Akira Taue/Jumbo Tsuruta 9/4/91 Kawada and Taue start off and at this point that have had their singles feud and gotten over the hate of each other to be a compliment to Jumbo vs. Misawa. Misawa and Jumbo square off and Misawa does a really good bump where he lands right on his side going for a dropkick where he really sold it. Kawada is worked over a bit but Misawa is quicker than usual in coming in to make a save. He comes flying off the top rope when he gets tagged in with a diving elbow and he goes to work over Taue. One thing about this match being watched in close proximity with the others is that no one takes that extended a beating in this one. Misawa probably comes closest but it makes it tougher to get as invested as a result of that. Still, Jumbo is wrenching back on an ab stretch and destroying Kawada with a lariat so the match is still really, really good so far. This is the first time we see Misawa’s arm become a target a bit. The nodowa/back suplex combo continues to be a nice double team move in the Taue/Jumbo arsenal. Just as I typed my thing before about someone not being worked over, Misawa really has been now for a long while and that will make the finish approaching more rewarding. Jumbo really dumps him on his head with another back suplex that Misawa barely kicks out of. Now Miswaw is able to reverse his fortune and mount his comeback. He locks on a front facelock but the arm is still wounded. Jumbo hits the powerbomb but Misawa kicks out again. They are giving Misawa a lot of kickouts on Jumbo’s big moves. German from Misawa after Kawada clobbers Jumbo. Misawa goes back to the front facelock and wins! The crowd goes ape and the finish was great. This match was a slow burn but with a delicious payoff. ****1/4 Mitsuharu Misawa/Toshiaki Kawada vs. Jumbo Tsururta/Akira Taue 12/4/91 Jumbo and Misawa start out which is something different. This is one of their better early exchanges in a while with fired up action and going to the outside before settling things down. Kawada and Taue also get a chance to have a long sequence culminating in an early powerbomb that Jumbo must make the save on. A bit after that Jumbo and Kawada go after each other and this match is the bridge between their big TC matches together. Jumbo is able to go to work on Kawada and he is in the FIP role in this match. Misawa tags in and gives one of the biggest FU dropkicks he ever has to Taue. Jumbo is not paying attention and gets elbowed off the apron. Jumbo just decides to come in the ring and punch Misawa in the face in retaliation. After being pummeled for a bit, Taue hits a really smooth DDT out of a suplex attempt and tags in Jumbo. Jumbo is pissed off and gives Misawa a powerbomb that is broken up by Kawada. Taue in general has been really smooth and when he excels in this series, these matches have just a little bit more oomph in them. Misawa is a beast with the offense here with the front fkp senton and a Tiger Driver. He hooks on the front facelock and Jumbo knows he better makes the save. He does it in a dick way of digging into the eyes of Misawa. Jumbo then rakes Misawa across the top rope. Jumbo is going heel here. This is really some of the most dickish Jumbo you will see as after Taue works over Misawa a bit, he drags Misawa out and posts him. He has drags his face across the guard rail. Time ticks down and Misawa is able to roll out and tag Kawada. Kawada comes in a house of fire and tries mightily to win. He is able to get a choke on Taue that he is able to fight to the ropes for. Kawada is not able to hit his powerbomb and Jumbo gets a series of nearfalls including a really good one off the Thesz press. Misawa gets the tag with one minute to go and locks on the front face lock that Taue is able to break up. A German gets a crackling nearfall and the front face lock gets hooked on again with the crowd losing their shit. Jumbo goes to the eyes to break! Desperate Jumbo here is amazing and Misawa really is looking like the ace here. A super quick backslide by Misawa gets one more great nearfall as time expires. That was quite the ride. ****1/2 A legendary feud and Misawa showed he could captain a team and have a variety of roles to keep each match fresh. All four of these guys were amazing here.

Burning Day 4: Akira Taue/Masa Fuchi/Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Kikuchi/Toshiaki Kawada/Mitsuharu Misawa 8/18/90 Taue has switched allegiances now with Yatsu gone to SWS. Kikuchi starts out and he gets brutalized by Taue with a clothesline. Kawada comes in and the future Holy Demon Army have no trouble beating the crap out of each other. Kawada shows more fire vs. Jumbo here than he did in 7/7/90. Jumbo gives him a huge running knee that Kawada does a great staggered sell job off of. Misawa tags in for the first time and he goes nuts with a great sequence on Misawa including a drop kick and a senton. Fuchi rakes the eyes and tags in Jumbo. The crowd is pumped for this encounter. It feels like Misawa has discovered the elbow as he starts peppering Jumbo with those. Kawada tags in and we get another great spot where he slaps Jumbo repeatedly until Jumbo has enough and gives him a hellacious slap to take over. Taue is working well as Jumbo’s partner. Kikuchi comes in and he gets hammered first by Taue and then by Jumbo. Jumbo puts Kikuchi in a half crab and Misawa comes in and slaps Jumbo right in the face to break that. Jumbo vs. Misawa does feel like a hate filled transcendent feud at this juncture with electric heat every time they tease interaction with each other. Not to be outdone on the dickish behavior, Fuchi slams Kikuchi on the outside. Misawa gets the tag and he is a house of fire firing off. Kawada and Misawa start double teaming Jumbo and this has just been a whirlwind of great stuff. Kikuchi fires off on Jumbo and Jumbo says “not you brother.” They take over on him again. The hierarchy already being displayed is a great touch. Fuchi is able to get a gutwrench on Misawa and here comes Jumbo to dish out some punishment. Kikuchi responds by pounding on Jumbo until Fuchi discards him outside the ring in a complete dick, nonchalant fashion. A really great nearfall with Kikuchi giving Taue a fisherman suplex only for him to kick out at the last second. All six men are going crazy now with everyone doing everything they can to break up the nearfalls with Taue and Kikuchi. Taue is able to hit a back suplex and finally secure the win for his team. One of the best six man matches I have ever seen and tough to find many flaws in Misawa’s performance. ****1/2 Kenta Kobashi/Toshiaki Kawada/Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Akira Taue/Masa Fuchi/Jumbo Tsuruta 10/19/90 I had this ranked even higher than the last six man when I plowed through the 90 yearbook. Kawada is in his traditional black and yellow tights now. Kobashi and Taue start off and things are getting chippy with Taue taking cheap shots at Misawa and Kawada on the apron. Misawa and Jumbo squaring off still have the electricity even though they have had plenty of interactions with each other by this point. The evolution of Misawa’s elbow becoming his primary weapon is one that is fun to watch. Jumbo Is really shaking out the cobwebs after Misawa blasts him with one early on. Jumbo goes to work on the midsection of Misawa in a nice set of forearms to the region. Kobashi gets tagged in a brutalized by Jumbo. The Jumbo team seems to be taking more of the offense in the early going here compared to the previous match. Kawada and Taue really go after each other in this match. Taue ends up slamming Kawada on the floor. Kawada has been a bit of a subtraction in his matches in previous days but he has shined so far today as his vicious self. After being worked over a bit, Kawada gets some sweet revenge on Taue and suplexes him to the floor. Kobashi pounds on him for good measure on the outside. Kobashi locks on a half crab on Taue. So far I enjoyed Kikuchi as the strict underdog more than the level Kobashi is portraying in this match. He is the 3rd on the team still, but presented strongly which kind of mashes up with the overarching story and muddles things. It is like he isn’t at the level of Jumbo or Taue for the most part but he also isn’t a huge underdog either. Taue is able to DDT Kobashi and tag in Jumbo who wrecks him with a lariat. Things heat up here when Fuchi grabs a chair and hits Kobashi right in the eye. He follows up with short kicks right to the eye. The crowd is now firmly behind Kobashi and he is generating the sympathy I had hoped for. Fuchi being an ultimate prick doesn’t hurt. Taue comes in and continues the carnage. Kobashi has a bloody nose. Jumbo is great as positioning as he puts himself between Kobashi and his corner even when Kobashi hits him with a kick and staggers him a bit. Kobashi is able to hit a back suplex on Taue and tag in Kawada. Tosh tees off but Taue responds. This match has been much more about the other guys instead of the Jumbo vs. Misawa focus of the previous matches. That may become a theme as at times in tags, Misawa will take a backseat. I generally see that as a positive at points in that he is willing to push other agendas and help get other people over. Here it felt appropriate as him and Jumbo had two singles matches and other tags by this point. Still in the end, Misawa fires off on Jumbo and the crowd erupts. They did a great job building up to this sequence in this match. One other things about these six man tags is that the time flies by. We are twenty five minutes into the match and it feels like it just started. Taue and Misawa fire away with a stiff exchange. Misawa really has Taue staggering after an elbow but he gets a desperation lariat on a charging Kobashi. Fuchi comes in looing to put Kenta away but he gets caught in the rolling cradle for a nice nearfall that the crowd bites on. Kenta hits the moonsault but Taue is there for the save. The match breaks down now and it looks like Kenta and Fuchi are the ones left. Kenta hits a German for a long two count. Fuchi is able to tag in Jumbo who takes Kenta’s head off with a lariat. Jumbo is also able to elbow a charging Misawa. Jumbo hits a powerbomb for an awesome nearfall that I would have sworn would have been the end of the match. Now Kenta is firing away on Jumbo and going for a moonsault. Jumbo back suplexes Kenta and gets another nearfall. One more and Jumbo secures the win. Another great match although that parity thing of Kenta being the underdog but not too much of one played into the finish a bit as it did feel like more of the same whereas in the 8/18 match, Kikuchi did about as good as you could have possibly have hoped for. ****1/4 Kenta Kobashi/Toshiaki Kawada/Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Jumbo Tsuruta/Masa Fuchi/Akira Taue 4/20/91 These six are at it again and this is the most famous of all of their matches together. Baba is on commentary for this one looking like Mr. Rogers. Taue slaps Kawada off the apron before the match begins proper. Those two were really after each other at this point with the 1/15/91 and 4/18/91 singles matches. Kobashi and Taue begin and Taue gets the early advantage and then clotheslines Kawada off the ring. What a douche. Misawa and Jumbo have an early exchange here that is shockingly very good. Taue keeps knocking Kawada off the apron and I keep smiling every time it happens. Jumbo delivers some man sized knees to Misawa in the corner. The great revenge spot of Kawada comes back as he beats the shit out of Taue. The match breaks down a bit as each team pulls the two apart. Misawa fires away and then everyone is able to take over on Taue on offense. Misawa again is using his elbow more and more as his primary weapon and you see the slow morphing of him becoming the man. His interactions with Taue aren’t as even as they used to be. Kawada fires away at Taue again but Taue is able to grab a DDT and now Jumbo’s team is able to take over on him. Jumbo takes him to the outside and piledrives him right on the floor. The work over on Tosh is great. Everyone punishes him in their own way and it is equally brutal. Kobashi pops in to stop a headscissors submission that Fuchi has applied. Taue clotheslines Kawada over the guardrail outside. This has been the longest and best beatdown we have seen on this series so far. After 10+ minutes of the beatdown, Kawada is able to get a kick and tags to Kobashi as quickly as possible. Kobashi takes out both of the apron members and goes to work on the inside with Fuchi. The rolling cradle comes quickly and if I didn’t know how long this match was, I would say we were nearing the end. In fact they do the breakdown type sequence we have seen previously around this point of time to allude to that. An amazing spot results as Misawa does his TM dive fake out for the first time in a while and then he elbows Fuchi coming in as Kobashi finishes the dive to Jumbo on the outside. Kawada is back with strikes to Jumbo and he is reeling. Jumbo is able to take out the weakened Kawada but Kawada grabs an armbar and Jumbo is in big trouble. Kawada is really working on the armbar and the submission focus that will take a focus over the Summer in All Japan and has a genesis here. Kawada puts Taue in a chokehold and Kobashi applies a half crab. The pace now has reached another level and we still have twenty minutes to go. Fireman carry role for Kobashi which is a different move we have seen from him. Twisting clothesline for Misawa and Taue is now taking the beating. In a great level of revenge, Kawada slams Taue on the outside. After some more punishment on Taue, Kawada goes for a powerbomb on the outside until Jumbo has had enough. Misawa locks on a camel clutch variation and we get some tips from Jumbo on the apron shouting to Taue how to escape. Kawada comes in and locks on a half crab and now Taue has taken a huge amount of punishment. Kawada flicks off Fuchi and Fuchi looks like he wants to murder someone. These six are taking me on a roller coaster ride of emotions that I don’t want to end. Misawa’s elbow are popping wit Taue’s head snapping back like he was shot with a gun. Some more stereo moves from Kobashi/Misawa with a baseball slide and Misawa assisted Kobashi dive to Taue on the outside. Fuchi kicks out the leg of Kobashi and now he takes over while staring down Kawada and daring him to come in. Can this match get any better? The work on Kobashi’s leg gets intense with it being slammed onto a chair on the outside. STF is a perfect move for Fuchi to use to slow things down. This has been a brutal battle and it is astounding that this beatdown of Kobashi’s leg can overtake the Kawada and Taue ones that happened previously. Taue with a big elbow drop from the top rope onto Kobashi’s leg and he cranks away. Kobashi is able to reverse a suplex but Fuchi hangs on to the leg and Kobashi is unable to make the tag. Man, take away everything that I complained about Kobashi in the last match as he has been fantastic here. Kobashi is finally able to make the tag and the crowd erupts. Kawada getting the tag is perfect as now we have Fuchi and Kawada who have been snake eyeing each other for the last twenty minutes. Fuchi fires back and even punks out Misawa when he comes in. Everyone is rising to the occasion here. Jumbo and Taue hit a back suplex/nodowa combo to get a big nearfall on Misawa. Misawa fires off a Tiger Driver, Kobashi a moonsault and those both get nearfalls on Taue. Taue delivers a great nodowa on Misawa for a nearfall but Misawa’s elbow helps him regain the advantage. Kobashi and company occupy Jumbo and Fuchi and Misawa delivers a tiger suplex to pick up the win. This is the best six man match of all time. ***** Masa Fuchi/Jumbo Tsuruta/Akira Taue vs. Mitsuharu Misawa/Toshiaki Kawada/Kenta Kobashi 5/22/92 Here we go again! We start in progress with Kobashi and Fuchi. Kobashi gives a bulldog on the outside to Fuchi. The three youngsters do stereo dives on the outside. Jumbo and Misawa do a fired up elbow exchange and two years into the feud at this point, it still doesn’t feel stale. Jumbo starts chopping away on Misawa and sends him to the outside. Taue gives Misawa a big time nodowa on the floor and Misawa is in deeper shit than we have seen in these series of matches. In dishing out punishment, Taue hurts his own leg. It is amazing how different all of these matches feel as Misawa is really thrusted into the point of peril right here and he is performing wonderfully. His hope spots where he gets in an elbow here and there on Jumbo are performed with great precision and desperation. Misawa waits for Taue to come back in and then goes after that injured leg. This is his opening to tag out and that was an awesome build. Kawada comes in and him and Taue still aren’t on the best of terms with each other. Kawada slams Taue’s knee onto the table on the outside. Kobashi as shown some nice flash here in going after Taue. Taue is getting his leg pretty much dismantled. Taue fires back and is able to knock Kobashi off the apron but he has to contend with Kawada cranking on his leg and kicking his face at the same time. Jumbo has enough of that and clubs Kawada allowing Taue to tag out. Kawada gets sent to the outside and Jumbo is PISSED piledriving Kawada on the concrete floor and sending him back inside where the grinder Fuchi goes to work. Kawada gets his neck worked over for a bit and is able to clutch on a sleeper against Jumbo. That was ill advised as Taue stomps on him and they continue to work Kawada over and punish him for not tagging out. After getting a bit more offense in on Taue, Kawada does tag out this time to Kobashi. Kobashi fires off with chops for the first time that we have seen in the corner. We get the fiery, confident Kobashi here that is a trademark of his career for the rest of his career. Jumbo and Misawa get together again and go after each other with extreme vigor. Match enters the final stage with all six pairing off. Taue charges at Kawada and gets a kick to the face. Kawada locks on the stretch plum. Powerbomb narrowly is kicked out of by Taue. Kawada locks on the stretch plum again and Taue taps. This is probably the second best six man match I have ever seen. ****3/4 Yeah, this was a pretty damn good day of wrestling.

No that is still on the network show, weird occurrence for sure.

The prison dynamic and discussion was interesting as it does feel like a venue that would be utilized more.

It isnt about Hogan necessarily defending the title but more that it is brought up from time to time that Hogan was "gone" from the show a lot to film Attack of Devils Island and whatever. In watching the footage, even on the weeks when he wasn't at the arena, you would get footage of Hogan on set most weeks to remind people who the main big bad was. This was mainly an argument I got into with a lot of PTB contingent when we were hashing out the Real World Champion winner for 1997.

Burning Day 3 Tiger Mask II vs. Kenta Kobashi 3/6/90 Humble beginnings for this rivalry. We get a pretty bad botch in the early going on a neckbreaker. First portion of the match has Kobashi working over Misawa’s leg. We get a different glimpse of Kobashi here and he is effective at switching things up and controlling the tone. The rolling cradle attempt by Kobashi also gets botched good bit. Kobashi does a good job of covering by working over the leg again. Kobashi does a Texas cloverleaf. Misawa dives to the outside and I am not enthused with how much he is running on that leg. He does work it out a bit on the outside after the big dive. Back inside, we get some back and forth before Mask puts Kobashi away with a Tiger Driver. Not great, not awful, just there. **1/2 Masa Fuchi/Great Kabuki/Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Akira Taue/Mitsuharu Misawa/Kenta Kobashi 5/26/90 Two months later, Tiger Mask is unmasked and in green and white. Kobashi has dropped the red for orange tights. Taue is teaming up with them. This seems like the official start of the All Japan 1990’s that we all know and love. Jumbo has no times for these kids and smacks them around. The Jumbo vs. Misawa sequence that results is really intense. Kobashi vs. Fuchi is a good bit of fun but we get the pivotal moment of the entire year in All Japan when Misawa elbow’s Jumbo from the apron to the floor. Jumbo sells this like a king as someone that is half in shock and half in pain. He gathers his senses and then loses his shit as the match breaks down and both guys have to be torn apart from each other. What an awesome sequence. The next meat of the match is Kobashi taking a man sized beating. He has both his arm and leg worked over and creates a ton of sympathy for himself. Fuchi in particular seems to take great delight in destroying the leg of Kenta. The finishing stretch is amazing with tons of nearfalls and each team struggling to gain the advantage. Misawa puts away Fuchi and it feels like a huge win for the youngsters. Wow, both Kobashi and Misawa were pretty awesome here but Misawa being seen as comparable to the other side was the key ingredient to making the whole feud work. ****1/4 Kenta Kobashi vs. Toshiaki Kawada 6/30/90 This is about a year from their last encounter so we can track if there is any improvement. The opening is very energetic with a big exchange on the outside with Kobashi side leg sweeping Kawada into the crowd and following up with an absolutely huge crossbody. Match slows down with a good looking headlock applied by Kenta. Kawada breaks that and they go nuts with a strike exchange reminiscent of the intensity Jumbo and Misawa had in the six man previously. Kawada takes over and the match dips a bit for me. I think throughout this process that Kawada will have higher votes than Kobashi and Misawa. I can see a case for that and Kawada will finish in my top 15 but little moments like these is what takes him out of top contention for me. I do feel there are instances where Kawada doesn’t have the energy of Kobashi or the overall psychology and structure of Misawa. Kenta does nearly whiff on a spinning kick when he makes his comeback. Kenta starts working over Kawada’s leg and he locks on a big half crab that he wrenches in well. Kenta sends Kawada to the outside and the knee eats the announce table. Kenta is really cranking on this leg with a cloverleaf and other half crab variations. Kawada starts making is comeback and Kenta is reeling. In an interesting botch to a degree that actually works out, Kenta dives to the outside but onto the injured leg of Toshiaki. Kawada can do some amazing sell jobs of limbs. This isn’t in his upper echelon but it does feel like him developing what works and what doesn’t when isolating a limb due to damage. He does do some things to betray the work including a springboard flip dive to the outside. I really do think Kenta is pretty clearly the stronger worker in this match. Kenta goes through his arsenal of big moves that results in a ton of nearfalls. We see Kenta go for the moonsault but Tosh is able to get the knees up. Kobashi goes for a quick pin attempt but Kawada reverses it and wins the match. I did like the finish in that Kawada escaped with the win and that put Kenta over strong. Kenta had a real strong showing here and this match was a big improvement over the 1989 effort. ***1/2 Jumbo Tsuruta/Yoshiaki Yatsu vs. Mitsuharu Misawa/Toshiaki Kawada 7/7/90 This is the last rodeo of Yatsu in All Japan. After a basic start with Tosh and Yatsu, Tosh goes nuts and even has a shot for Jumbo who was picking his nose on the apron. I liked Jumbo patting Yatsu on the chest with a “you got this” motion. Jumbo comes in and returns the favor to Misawa on the apron. Misawa gets the tag in and the crowd is electric for this encounter with wild Misawa chants. This was just a month after 6/8/90 which we will get to later in this series. It may just be a bad day for watching, but the quality and heat does dip when Kawada comes back in. Yatsu starts targeting Misawa’s leg in the next section of the match. Yatsu is really cranking on the arm and the crowd is losing their shit. Now Misawa fires back with a lot of kicks before he tags to Kawada. This was interesting in that he did just get his leg worked over a bit. However, I didn’t think it was such a focal point or for such a prolonged period that it required him to sell it for an extended period of time. I have found Kawada more enjoyable in this match after the opening stance than in the Kobashi singles match. He throws a bevy of kicks and you can see the sweat fly off of Yatsu on a big clothesline that he delivers. Kawada/Misawa also are working as a very good tandem with frequent tags and saves with each other. The match really builds to Jumbo and Misawa getting tagged in. Misawa does a roll up in a real clever move playing off past surprise history. Misawa also does a big tope over the top rope unto Jumbo. Finishing stretch was fine but resulted in Jumbo getting his win back on the upstarts by pinning Kawada. This was a really good tag match overall. ***1/2 After a sort of rocky start for both Misawa and Kobashi in the disappointing 3/6/90 match, they both turned it up the rest of the day and really delivered some great performances. I may have Kobashi narrowly ahead based on the 6/30/90 performance but it is really close.

Cena, Dustin, AJ, Brock look probable for me. Good shot for Sami Zayn and perhaps Cesaro.

Don't know if this is directed at me or not but I enjoyed the Suzuki match a good bit last time I watched. I had heard 6/12/98 being a Kawada carry job and I disagree with that motion. I dont think in their high matches between the four pillars, anyone really carried anyone else and hence why three out of those four will be in my top 15. On the other hand, Kobashi does have the best match in the career of a lot of top end guys including Hansen and Misawa. Misawa has it for Taue and Kawada.

G.B.V.A.I would be my ratings for most important to least important in my eyes with a good size gap between G and B and the rest.

I call bullshit on the "get" of Misawa. Just because a few people on this message board don't connect with Misawa as much as other individuals, that doesn't mean he wasn't an icon in numerous cultures especially in Japan. Misawa was universally a bigger star in Japan than Abby was anywhere. I get Misawa in the way Will had nightmares about Abby. Contrarily, I thought Abby was a sloppy, fat black man when I saw him as a kid in 1991. Misawa got the legend reaction you would expect at his ROH appearances. I just think you could give a +1 for Misawa to deliver in championship matches that Abby wouldn't have but yet we just are throwing a +2 on Abby because he was nomadic. It feels like the most strongman of your arguments and a detriment to Kobashi, Misawa, and Taue more than anyone else as they will only have AJ and NOAH to cling to.

Im still really struggling with the bonus points. It is an easy example to point to but it does strike me odd to give someone like Abby more bonus points than Misawa.