Ditch

More '2nd tier' All Japan worth considering (ie. maybe some of them will strike you or Will as worth putting on) Jumbo vs Kawada, 1/21: A notch below their '91 match, but I think it's the best Jumbo singles match of his last relevant year so that should mean something. Jumbo, Taue & Fuchi vs Misawa, Kawada & Kobashi, 1/24: This pairing can't go wrong. That said it's not at the elite level of the other three iterations that got taped. Kawada vs Kobashi, CC: Similar to the 6/30/90 match in that they get really chippy for tag partners. Kawada vs Taue, CC: Taue rudos it up like mad and is quite the magnificent bastard. Jumbo vs Fuchi, CC: More "fun" than "great". It's these two doing their thing, it couldn't NOT be good. Jumbo, Taue & Ogawa vs Gordy, Williams & Slinger, 5/25: Ogawa and Slinger are good at eatin' a beatin', and you get a rare 'big name drops the fall' finish, and the crowd is hot (albeit not at the same level as the All Asia tag). Jumbo & Taue vs Gordy & Williams, 8/22: Jumbo sells a fake leg injury better than pretty much anyone you'll find. The guy was on the last run of his career but he could still bring it at a world-class level. Kobashi & Kikuchi vs Can-Am Express, 10/7: It's heavily JIP but that might help it. The rematch of the 5/25 classic is clipped down to the hot finish so it's not like you're necessarily having to leave something out for its sake. Kawada & Kobashi vs Hansen & Ace, 10/11: Way more intense than you'd expect, and my pick for the best Johnny Ace match before he started teaming with Doc. Misawa & Kawada vs Baba & Kobashi, RWTL: A big-match feel and a good first taste of "Baba tries to hang with the young guys" that would become a staple over the next two years.

As am I. Why do the burial and involve Nexus?

All Japan Kawada vs Taue, 1/15: I have a soft spot for this and I'm not alone. Taue's constant cut-offs of Kawada are logical and brilliant, they manage to find a balance between match structure and intensity, the finish is memorable, there's bloodshed, there's not a heck of a lot of flaws, and it's a huge step up for Taue as he effectively controls most of the match. And it even sets up a bunch of things for Kawada going forward. Hansen vs Misawa, CC, second half or just-the-finish. The finishing spot is unique, brutal, and even returns in their August '92 title bout. Second half is good throughout. First half drags though. Misawa vs Gordy, 6/1: The second half is a great demonstration of Misawa's elbow-based strategy, and that also ties in strongly with Misawa's TC win the next year. Jumbo, Fuchi & Ogawa vs Misawa, Kawada & Kikuchi, 7/26: I like the way this flows, and it also has enough in-match continuity, call-backs and a BIG finish to make it stand out. Hansen vs Kobashi, 9/4: A dramatic start leads to a dramatic match. Misawa & Kawada vs Jumbo & Taue, 9/4: One of the most famous matches in the feud because of the finish, but not in the top tier because of downtime and a couple other flaws. The last half is high-end enough to merit the nomination, and the finish really is something special. Jumbo, Taue & Fuchi vs Misawa, Kawada & Kikuchi, 10/15: A match I've been touting for a long time now because it always gets second-tier treatment in discussions of All Japan and it deserves better. I would rate this top 5 for 1991 and maybe as high as #2. Hardly any flaws, loads of intensity, loads of crowd heat, a memorable story, everyone plays their role effectively (especially Fuchi), and I think it would be easy even for new fans of puro to get into. This holds up so much better than the WON MOTY it isn't even funny. Hansen & Spivey vs Misawa & Kawada, RWTL: A big start and lots of Hansen surliness to enjoy. Misawa & Kawada vs Kobashi & Kikuchi, RWTL: The wonders of Japan's "ranking"-based booking are apparent here. Kikuchi's fearlessness and long odds against success make his effort compelling. Jumbo & Taue vs Misawa & Kawada, RWTL: The fourth and final iteration of this matchup. Similar to the 9/4 one in that it takes a bit to get going and rewards your patience with a hot second half, but I think both halves of this are better than 9/4. Jumbo & Taue vs Hansen & Spivey, RWTL: This recently aired in full on AJ Classics. Incredibly heated closing stretch. Gordy & Williams vs Misawa & Kawada, RWTL: My pick for the best Miracle Violence Connection match, and I'm far from alone in that opinion. Their tags tend to have a certain 'sameness' to them, with good impact moves and passable structure but not a lot to distinguish them. This stands out thanks to the intensity and drama they're able to build down the stretch. New Japan Vader vs Hashimoto, 7/19: Hashimoto hits Vader's arm, hard. Vader hits Hashimoto's face, hard. Need I say more? Vader vs Mutoh, 8/10: Because it's handheld, this went under the radar. It's one of the best Mutoh matches, worked in the same vein as Vader vs Sting. It's very watchable vid quality, Vader dishes out a huge beating, and the finish is plenty big. Choshu vs Hashimoto from the same handheld also might merit inclusion but I wouldn't go to the mat for it. Other Japan Sano vs Suzuki, PWFG 7/26: I don't think this would particularly appeal to those who are unfamiliar with shoot-style, but I could be wrong. Good matwork, good strikes, and a certain 'bigness' about it. Fujiwara vs Lato Kirawarik, PWFG 8/23: This isn't "good", but it's short and very memorable. Fujiwara has fun with the much bigger Lato, who seems lost. Someone described it as "Fujiwara beating up Cleveland from Family Guy", and that's not entirely inaccurate. Tenryu & Fuyuki vs Yatsu & Nakano, SWS 7/26: Oh man. So much hate and stiffness and HATE. If you're looking for a bunch of BIG MOVES, keep moving. If you're looking for DUDES WHAILING ON EACH OTHER, this is what you want. Tenryu vs Yatsu, SWS 10/29: See above. Tamura vs Kakihara, UWFi 5/10: The first UWFi match, and maybe the UWFi MOTY oddly enough. You can tell the future is bright when it comes to these two. Nakano & Burton vs Tamura & Miyato, UWFi 10/6: The first visual you get of the teams is all you need to know what the story is (size vs speed). Burton died not too long ago and I'm reasonably sure this is his career match, maybe Miyato's too. Matches I assume will be on: Steiners vs Sting & Luger Warrior vs Savage Jumbo vs Misawa 6-man, 4/20 Mutoh vs Chono, G-1 final Perfect vs Bret Jumbo vs Kawada

I haven't watched a single Hamada UWF match...

All Japan Jumbo & Taue vs Kobashi & Kikuchi, 1/26: One of the better 'Kikuchi in peril' matches. He was as good as anyone in the underdog role. Kobashi/Kikuchi really shouldn't be competitive, but they keep surviving and surviving... Hansen vs Kawada, Champions Carnival: Stiff, chippy, smart, well-paced, there's a lot to love about it. Their 1993 match is better known but this is on par with it. Misawa, Kobashi & Kikuchi vs Taue, Fuchi & Ogawa, 7/21: Quite memorable thanks to a legit injury about halfway through, but also thanks to lots of intensity from all parties involved. Misawa, Kawada & Kikuchi vs Jumbo, Taue & Ogawa, 8/20: The last stand-out 6-man of the Jumbo vs Misawa feud. Jumbo returns from his "leg injury" and tears it up in the second half. Hansen vs Misawa, 8/22: Lots of smart work, much of it based on Misawa's shoulder injury from the month before. Also worth watching is the closing minutes of Misawa vs Gordy from '91 in terms of seeing how Misawa goes about bringing down a bigger opponent. Kobashi vs Akiyama, 9/17. Just a heck of a debut for Akiyama. Misawa & Kawada vs Taue & Akiyama, RWTL. Akiyama continues to look good in his first big main event. Not jaw-droppingly great, but very good and IMO important enough to get in. New Japan Hase vs Sasaki, 6/26: I really like the intensity and the story they tell, as Sasaki tries to prove his worth against higher-ranked partner Hase. Hashimoto & Hase vs Fujinami & Sasaki, 7/31: My pick for the best Hashimoto match of '92, and it also continues the Hase/Sasaki rivalry. Chono vs Koshinaka, 7/31: These two feuded for so long and almost nobody talks about it! Plenty of heat and hatred, and I think this is much more watchable than the downtime-heavy G-1 final. Tenryu, T. Ishikawa & Kitahara vs Koshinaka, Kimura & Aoyagi, 11/23: Yessir, NJ vs WAR was in full swing at this point. Unheralded wrestlers like Ishikawa, Kitahara and Aoyagi really shined in this feud, wrestling a simple, hard-hitting style that fits perfectly with the raucous crowds. Liger & Kanemoto vs Ultimo Dragon & Orihara, 12/11: New Japan versus WAR! Lil' Kanemoto and Baby Orihara show spunk, Liger and Ultimo do their thang, and the crowd is way into it. Tenryu vs Koshinaka, 12/14: Bloooooood, but in a different way. Koshinaka really shined in the NJ vs WAR feud, and this match features hardway juice and a bucketful of stiffness. UWFi Anjoh vs Tamura, 8/28. Long shoot-style matches rarely hold my interest, but these two are so good and so creative that it works. I suppose the length probably works against it getting on... Yamazaki vs Tamura, 10/23: Yamazaki dominates in stand-up, while Tamura is deadly on the mat. More compact than the Anjoh match, so this is my pick for the easiest UWFi match to justify for '92. WCW Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham vs Steve Austin & Larry Zbyszko, Superbrawl: Austin and Larry Z. are great in controlling the middle, while Dustin and Barry one of the great babyface teams in US history. Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham vs Terry Gordy & Steve Williams, Saturday Night 10/3: Gotta love JR on commentary in this slobberknocker. Matches I already assume will be on there: Royal Rumble Bret vs Piper Liger vs Samurai, BOSJ final Jumbo, Taue & Fuchi vs Misawa, Kawada & Kobashi, 5/22 Can-Am Express vs Kobashi & Kikuchi, 5/25 Jumbo & Taue vs Misawa & Kobashi, 6/5 Sting vs Vader, GAB Toyota vs Yamada, Hair vs Hair Misawa vs Kawada Toyota & Yamada vs Kansai & Ozaki Muta vs Hase

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8obwy_jo...ap-battle_sportAbout 2:30 in. And yes, Show definitely gets the better of it.

Good, logical booking =/= predictable

All Japan Kawada & Taue vs Kobashi & Akiyama, March 2nd. As usual with notable All Japan matches, it's great by itself and great as part of a larger story. In this case it's the start of All Japan's big focal point of the year, Kawada vs Akiyama. While they had some great exchanges in the April 6-man, this has a bit more to it and really helps make Akiyama's emergence in the May tag title match that much more special. Fuchi vs Kikuchi, July 24th. A long-overdue payoff to their title bouts early in the decade. It's a bit slow at times, but as a MATCH it's a lot better than the famous quasi-squash from 2/28/93. Kikuchi vs RVD, October 12th. I'm not sure why or how but RVD was exponentially better at stringing offense together in All Japan than in ECW. It can't just be his opponents, because when you're on offense typically you call the spots, especially with RVD being experienced at this point. Anyway, they tell a story as RVD frustrates the champ with his unusual-but-effective style, and the finishing run is good. Not on par with Kroffat vs RVD from the year before but waaaaaaaaay better than anything RVD did in ECW through '99 or so. Kobashi & Patriot vs Albright & Sabu, RWTL. A favorite of Dynamic A. There's not much reason for this to work considering the variety of styles, but it does. More 'fun' than 'great'. Misawa & Akiyama vs Williams & Ace, November 30th. This seems like it would be better than the broadway from two weeks earlier in the context of a comp. A rare TRUE sprint from All Japan. Other Japan Hashimoto & Ohtani vs Yamazaki & Nagata, May 28th Hashimoto, Hirata & Nishimura vs Yamazaki, Iizuka & Nagata, June 5th. The June 12th tag title match is special because of how the Hashimoto vs Yamazaki rivalry is built up. The way Yamazaki goes after Hashimoto in the lead-ins sets up Hashimoto's explosion on the 12th. Tanaka, Kuroda & Nakagawa vs Kanemura, Hido & Hosaka, W*ING June 12th. A very enjoyable sprint at a raucous Korakuen Hall. Chono & Tenzan vs Hashimoto & Norton, October 20th (I think). Neat story as Hash/Norton have some miscommunication that later sets up an extra-hot tag and a very satisfying finish. Tenryu & Araya vs Yamazaki & Iizuka, WAR November 9th. I love that this match exists. I'm a mark for the Yamazaki/Iizuka team, I'm a mark for Tenryu, I'm a mark for Araya, and I'm a mark for split NJ/WAR crowds, and I'm a mark for hot action at Korakuen Hall. This match has all those things. I *really* think it's a match any fan of puro can enjoy. I also think it helps show the incredible versatility of Tenryu. Watch him get all kinds of fire out of the oft-passive Iizuka! Hashimoto & Hirata vs Choshu & Sasaki, December 1st. Very nice 'bridge' between Hashimoto in the G-1 and the 1/4/97 Dome show. Hashimoto & Hirata were a reliable team, Hash vs Choshu is a reliable matchup, there ya go. Chono & Tenzan vs Yamazaki & Iizuka, December 1st. One last notable match for Yamazaki/Iizuka, and there's a clear face/heel dynamic that's often missing in Japan.

"Ripple?" Classic.

There's actually a fair amount of downtime in Misawa vs Kawada 7/95. But it's essentially all in one strech of the match and the rest of it is 'sprinty', certainly a lot less methodical than the '94 match.

The only problem here is that I don't think anyone else, with the possible exception of Bix, would be brave enough to try and follow lines like "although like many Dragon Gate performances, sometimes her histrionics may have gone a little long."

Muta vs Hase, while a lock for a hypothetical '92 yearbook, wasn't actually a title defense. However it might be considered part of the Muta reign I suppose. Not sure "Mutoh wasn't a good champ" is something that's important to revisit, that consensus is pretty well locked in and having more people endure those defenses is just sadistic

Whereas, I think the element of Naniwa trying to survive added drama in a way other MPro bouts didn't.

When was the previous match? Skydiving J.

Were those old-school guys on TV for a good 20-30 minutes every week? It's *really* hard for a gimmick/character to stay fresh/interesting in the modern era. I think a Cena turn could be used to elevate a younger star, or several. Plus, as I just said, Cena vs Taker, which is just about the only matchup anyone will really buy as putting Taker's streak in peril.

Or build to Cena vs Taker.

Yes, some were works, though it's often conjecture or guessing. Suzuki's win over Shamrock in '95 is said to be a work.

One wonders just how much Baba had things planned out. Here's the Kawada vs Akiyama feud through the year. -March 2nd (not on the set) has Akiyama in his first high-profile match in a while, taking on Kawada & Taue -April 20th also has Akiyama in a high-profile match, and his interaction with Kawada is the highlight -During the CC, Kawada beats Akiyama in no time flat (wasn't taped) with the jumping high kick- which would be a very important move in two future matches -Akiyama's big win in May -The July tag title rematch, which isn't as big a highlight but is still important -The November RWTL league match -The RWTL final The matches hold up on their own while also building to a tremendous climax. This match is, IMO, better than anything that's happened since.

What I really enjoyed about this is the way it puts a spotlight on the potency of The Misawa Comeback. And you're right about it being distinct from the others. It adds yet another dimension to the year-long story.

Vince has some serious issues with women. It's incredible that the boss of a huge corporation never has it explained to him that calling any woman who isn't rail-thin a hog/pig/fatty in the year 2011 is beyond the pale. I know it's pro wrestling and all, but still. I'll never forget the ridiculous crap they did with Molly Holly.

I find it interesting that Rock supposedly turned down all WWE offers because he wanted to be "family-friendly", then he returns and cuts the dirtiest promo (in WWE) in years. If all he's going to do is be a "guest host" or special ref or something, why bring him back so far out from the event? But if it's to wrestle, somehow I can't see him spending all that time getting into 'wrestling' shape for the sake of one match. But would he really go from "I won't do anything" to wrestling multiple times? Great coup by WWE, nobody can tell where it's going!

Watching it JIP for the first time it looked like a MOTYC. Then watching the full version it's clearly NOT.

Hell, Flair wanted a match with Tenryu because it would be stiff/snug, and went on to have a series with him. So after Ron Garvin and Tenryu, plus Hashimoto, what would be scary about Finlay?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Malenko He's wrestled across four decades, a wide variety of promotions, and is arguably better than his brother. I'm only 'so' familiar with his career, so before I interview him I'm hoping to get some better questions than "hey remember that one time you wrestled (Fujiwara, Takada, etc)?"

He used it on Stevie Richards, I think that's it. And IIRC Stevie was gung-ho about taking it.