[1993-10-02-AJPW-October Giant Series] Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi vs Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue & Masa Fuchi

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Kikuchi takes an incredible beating in this match. The bodyslam from Kawada off the apron to the floor is insane. Fuchi also finds new and interesting ways to torture him, including the most ridiculous camel clutch in the history of mankind. But the highlight of this is Kawada and Kobashi beating the shit out of each other at every opportunity. Their match later in October is at this point the most anticipated of the matches I have left, as they've really built quite the rivalry just through brief exchanges in tags and six-mans since Kawada switched sides.

 

One other thing worth noting is that you can track Taue's growth in 1993. It shows in this match. He clicked with Kawada from the beginning, probably because they worked together so many times. And he and Misawa had really strong matches, but with Misawa carrying him. Here, in the Taue exchanges, he seems more confident working with Misawa than earlier in the year. And while Misawa is still leading, Taue feels like he's contributing much more than he was then.

 

In terms of AJ six-mans, this is one of the better ones on the set, on par with 7/2 and probably just below 6/3. Great match!

[Kevin Ridge]

I like the body slam off the apron by Kawada. I also think he reasonably protects Kikuchi in the move since he does actually release him for the slam until Kawada's feet land on the floor. So it almost a regular body slam on the floor if there is such a thing. But it looks cool in real time. Kobashi versus Kawada was definitely the highlight. Kawada seemed even more in a bad mood and looking to beat people up.

[PeteF3]

Another decisive victory for Team Kawada, as they control most of the match before brutalizing Kikuchi into defeat. Probably the #2 6-man of the year for All-Japan.

[garretta]

I might just be getting tired of these six-mans, since I've been watching them for four Yearbooks straight, but this didn't do a lot for me. Kikuchi's beating was frightful, especially the slam to the floor and Fuchi bending him back over the top rope for what seemed like forever, then releasing him almost on his head. But not much advances here; nothing is set up to change. We already know everyone on the Misawa side hates Kawada because he turned on them, we already know that Fuchi's probably the flat-out meanest bastard in wrestling today, and we already know Kikuchi's the Japanese Ricky Morton. So what else is new?

 

I liked these matches better when they were leading to Misawa taking down Jumbo. Would this be the day he finally got a pin or made the master submit? If it wasn't Misawa, would Kawada or Kobashi score a huge upset? How would Kikuchi and Kobashi continue to develop? There was a sense of urgency to the work in the ring that just isn't there anymore.

 

Misawa isn't in the matches enough for Kawada or Taue to put him in much danger, and we already know Fuchi's not getting anywhere near the Triple Crown; he's too old. Kenta's a nice number two, and his feud with Kawada looks tasty, but it doesn't mean anything if he wins, because outside of a tournament setting they're not going to run Misawa-Kobashi, at least not yet. I've had it with Kikuchi; his career's stalled at the punching bag level, and any win he'd get over Kawada or Taue would look like a total fluke by now. His performance in this particular match was his best in quite a while, but he still ended up taking the pin after teasing a huge comeback. If Kikuchi getting pinned was going to be the finish, why not do it after Taue put him through the table? Why waste our time?

 

For those who see the work in the ring as almost the be-all and end-all, I know why these matches are still popular, because there's plenty of good stuff. But I'm a big-picture guy, and a match with the six biggest native stars in the promotion should move the needle, or at least threaten to, more often than not. That's not happening in AJPW very much these days. New Japan feels much more urgent, with Tenryu trying to run roughshod and everyone seemingly jockeying to be the one who beats him and runs him out of town. Maybe AJPW needs a shot of Tenryu-esque new blood, but where is it going to come from?

[soup23]

There is something therapeutic about watching this on a Saturday morning. Tons of great stuff throughout this but the Kawada/Kobashi showdowns and the beating of Kikuchi are the top narratives. Kikuchi's expression after the slam on the floor is great as he can't fathom the amount of pain he suddenly has found himself in. Misawa took a backseat in this one a bit but him and Taue also did some tasteful stuff that never made the match dip in excitement when they were involved. A great six man. ****1/4