1991 Recommendations

[FLIK]

My top picks for AJW in 1991 list is here http://flikreviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/aj...op-10-list.html

 

To exspand on this, other matches that didn't make my top 10 list but I still think are set worthy

 

1/11/91 Toyota vs Hokuto

3/17/91 (Noriyo Tateno Retirement Match) Noriyo Tateno vs Takako Inoue

3/17/91 Aja vs Hokuto

3/17/91 Bull Nakano & Kyoko Inoue vs Bison Kimura & Mika Takahashi

 

http://flikreviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/aj...uary-march.html

 

4/29/1991 (3WA Martial Arts Title) Bat Yoshinaga © vs Akemi Torisu

4/29/1991 (3WA Title) Bull Nakano © vs Monster Ripper

5/26/1991 Aja Kong vs Manami Toyota

5/26/1991 (2 out of 3 Falls) Bull Nakano & Bat Yoshinaga vs Akira Hokuto & Sakie Hasegawa

6/5/1991 Aja Kong & Bison Kimura vs Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada

6/5/1991 Bull Nakano & Kyoko Inoue vs Akira Hokuto & Mariko Yoshida

6/18/1991 Takako Inoue, Mariko Yoshida & Manami Toyota vs Esther Moreno, Cynthia Moreno & Mika Takahashi

 

http://flikreviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/aj...april-june.html

 

8/18/1991 (AJW Title) Takako Inoue © vs Mariko Yoshida

8/18/1991 (JGP Semi Finals) Aja Kong vs Bison Kimura

9/7/1991 Manami Toyota vs Toshiyo Yamada

 

http://flikreviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/aj...-september.html

 

10/4/1991 (Tag Leauge The Best 91) Toshiyo Yamada & Kyoko Inoue vs Bison Kimura & Aja Kong

10/26/1991 (All Pacific Title) Suzuka Minami © vs Bison Kimura

11/15/1991 (AJW Title) Takako Inoue © vs Debbie Malenko

11/15/1991 Toshiyo Yamada & Kyoko Inoue vs Akira Hokuto & Manmi Toyota

12/9/1991 (Tag Leauge The Best 91 FINAL) Toshiyo Yamada & Kyoko Inoue vs Aja Kong & Bison Kimura

 

http://flikreviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/aj...r-december.html

[MJH]

To second/add to what Flik has:

 

1. 4/29/1991 (3WA Tag Titles - 2 out of 3 Falls) Aja Kong & Bison Kimura © vs Manami Toyota & Esther Moreno

2. 6/18/1991 (3WA Tag Titles - 2 out of 3 Falls) Aja Kong & Bison Kimura © vs Bull Nakano & Kyoko Inoue

3. 9/7/1991 (3WA Title) Bull Nakano © vs Kyoko Inoue

4. 1/4/1991 (3WA Title) Bull Nakano © vs Akira Hokuto

5. 1/11/1991 (Hair vs Hair) Bull Nakano & Kyoko Inoue vs Aja Kong & Bison Kimura

6. 4/29/1991 (All Pacific Title) Suzuka Minami © vs Akira Hokuto

 

Definite yes to all. These are your six essential matches for the year without question.

 

7. 5/26/1991 Toshiyo Yamada vs Yumiko Hotta

 

Maybe... I think this benefits from being such an improvement on their earlier match. Aja/Toyota 30:00 is a massive overachievement and should be nominated. I'd also put the Kyoko/Debbie vs. Moreno/Yoshida match on too, which was just so so much fun.

 

8. 8/18/1991 (JGP Finals) Kyoko Inoue vs Bison Kimura

 

Leaning no. I prefered Aja/Bison which is worthy of some consideration... and Kyoko/Toyota makes an interesting time mark for what they'd do later.

 

Neither are what I'd call essential, but both are certainly worthy of considering depending on how much of the set you want to dedicate to a company who - let's be honest - is interesting to watch them develop into their late '92-onward form rather than (those above half-a-dozen matches aside) a great consistent product.

 

That said, and I think Flik will second this, watching the era through is essential for anyone with as much as a passing interest in the "golden" 92-94 era. The Bull/Aja feud was known about, stuff like the 1/11 Double Hair match was revered etc, Hokuto/Bull and Hokuto/Minami had taken plaudits, but the Jack vs. Toyota/Moreno tag blew me away watching it, and Bull vs. Kyoko in September was just so much fun.

 

9. 12/9/1991 (Tag League The Best 91 Semi Final) Bull Nakano & Akira Hokuta vs Aja Kong & Bison Kimura

10. 11/15/1991 (Elimination Cage) Bull Nakano & Monster Ripper vs Aja Kong & Bison Kimura

 

Wasn't terribly keen on either of these. Solid/good for the time, but by no means essential.

 

***

 

I'd throw Hokuto/Toyota vs. Kyoko/Yamada on (11/21). Messy in parts, but I definitely got the feeling as I watched the era through that this was one of the key matches in terms of seeing how they were developing. With the post-match celebrations, too, it really feels like a new generation coming to the fore... for me this is the seventh "must have" match on the set.

 

Summarising:

 

(I guess this would be my own "top 10" of sorts)

 

Flik's Top Six +

Kyoko/Debbie vs. Moreno/Yoshida 5/26

Aja vs. Toyota 5/26

Aja vs. Bison 8/18

Hokuto/Toyota vs. Kyoko/Yamada 11/21

[DocSarpolis]

I just watched the SWS Tokyo Dome show from 3/30/91. I may just be hopped up on coffee, but I thought this show had some matches worthy of consideration:

 

Ted Dibiase & Haku vs. Kabuki & Ishikawa

Masaharu Funaki vs. Naoki Sano

Tenryu & Hulk Hogan vs. Road Warriors

[Death From Above]

Tenryu/Hogan vs. Road Warriors seems like it should make it simply as an oddity/significant happening since it headlined the Dome and all.

 

I've never actually seen it, mind.

[MJH]

Reading Loss' posts about 1992 UWFi reminded me of Tamura/Anjoh from the second UWFi show (6/6), which has long been a favourite of mine.

[FLIK]

That said, and I think Flik will second this, watching the era through is essential for anyone with as much as a passing interest in the "golden" 92-94 era. The Bull/Aja feud was known about, stuff like the 1/11 Double Hair match was revered etc, Hokuto/Bull and Hokuto/Minami had taken plaudits, but the Jack vs. Toyota/Moreno tag blew me away watching it, and Bull vs. Kyoko in September was just so much fun.

For sure, so many forgotten about classics that year

 

(I guess this would be my own "top 10" of sorts)

 

Flik's Top Six +

Kyoko/Debbie vs. Moreno/Yoshida 5/26

Aja vs. Toyota 5/26

Aja vs. Bison 8/18

Hokuto/Toyota vs. Kyoko/Yamada 11/21

So what'd you like about the 5/26 tag so much? I agree it was really fun but I wouldn't go close to top 10.

 

I guess to narrow things down a little more. My top 10, + the 4 MJH added is 14.

 

I'd for sure add these for 20-21 to work with which is plenty

 

Yamada/Kyoko 8/18 which would have been my #11.

Besides being really great matches the JGP run is what firmly cemented Kyoko as a main player in the company

 

3/17 Bull Nakano & Kyoko vs Bison & Mika Takahashi - seeing how good Takahashi was was a big discovery for me watching early 90's AJW and this is easily her best match.

4/29/1991 (3WA Martial Arts Title) Bat Yoshinaga vs Akemi Torisu - Just an awesome spectacle, the only one of these they ever ran that I really liked.

6/5/1991 Bull Nakano & Kyoko Inoue vs Akira Hokuto & Mariko Yoshida

9/7/1991 Manami Toyota vs Toshiyo Yamada

10/4/1991 (Tag Leauge The Best 91) Toshiyo Yamada & Kyoko Inoue vs Aja Kong & Bison Kimura

12/9/1991 (Tag Leauge The Best 91 FINAL) Toshiyo Yamada & Kyoko Inoue vs Aja Kong & Bison Kimura

[Loss]

There is room to do more "setup" type stuff on this yearbook. 1991 was a good year for wrestling, but it wasn't a great year. So there is space to play with, especially because WCW was wildly inconsistent. I'm thinking we can use the extra space to help paint the picture for things later in the decade -- specifically in All Japan, New Japan and AJW. So if anyone has recommendations, please share them, even if the matches are more interesting than "great".

[Ditch]

Fine: more marginal '91 matches!

 

Fujiwara vs Wilkins, PWFG 5/19: My pick for the top Fujiwara match of '91, as he gets a capable opponent and thus can really do his thing.

 

 

Jumbo/Taue/Fuchi vs Misawa/Kawada/Kikuchi 1/27: In the second tier of JvM 6-mans, and it continues the Kawada/Taue rivalry quite nicely.

 

Fuchi vs Dean Malenko 3/2: Uber babyface Dean must be seen to be believed. Only a couple minutes aired.

 

Jumbo vs Taue, CC: Their only match, so there's novelty. And the finish is hot.

 

Kawada vs Taue 4/18: Another good outing for them.

 

Jumbo vs Kobashi 5/24: Similar to their other matches, which means it's good but not epic.

 

Hansen/Spivey vs Jumbo/Taue 6/1: A hot, compact tag title match at Nippon Budokan, AND Taue's first title match. Yeah!

 

Kawada vs Fuchi 7/18: Some good technical wrestling and some hatred, as you'd expect.

 

Gordy/Williams vs Misawa/Kawada 7/24: Good match and a milestone for the Generation Army.

 

Misawa & Kawada vs Hansen & Ace, 8/17: Stan Hansen just plain rules in this match.

 

Jumbo & Taue vs Misawa & Kobashi, 8/18

Jumbo & Taue vs Misawa & Kikuchi, 9/1: These two are quintissential All Japan lead-in matches. I go in depth on them about halfway down this page: http://theditch.biz/testim.html

 

Jumbo, Taue & Fuchi vs Kawada, Kobashi & Kikuchi, 10/20: Solid lead-in for Jumbo vs Kawada AND a continuation on the story from 10/15.

[FLIK]

I'll second or third the love for Panther/Atlantis 8/11, one of the best lucha matches i've seen.

 

Also want to recomend Satanico, Perro Aguayo Sr & Cien Caras vs Octagon, Vampiro & Konnan from the same show. Really good hate filled brawling match

 

I uploaded both matches earlier this year if anyone wants to take a look

http://board.deathvalleydriver.com/index.php?showtopic=54926

[Ditch]

Reading Loss' posts about 1992 UWFi reminded me of Tamura/Anjoh from the second UWFi show (6/6), which has long been a favourite of mine.

It's actually the show after that from July. And after having just watched it I say, PUT IT ON THE YEARBOOK! Tamura is incredible, the crowd is incredible, Anjoh is solid in sticking with/feeding Tamura (who would have obliterated him in a shoot), it's faster-paced than the '92 match, and there's even some storytelling as spunky young Tamura gets fired up and manages to keep hanging with the more experienced Anjoh.

[MJH]

Glad you liked it. I haven't watched it in years: it came on a bunch of 20-odd UWF/UWFi VHSs a guy in Japan sent me in about 2003 and, especially being such a big Tamura fan, it's one of the ones I've really wanted to go back and re-watch only we don't have a VCR anymore. As a package, I always preferred those early Korakuen UWFi shows to the big shows they'd run in '94, and that was a match made for such a setting.

[Ditch]

Kobashi vs Kroffat 4/18 just aired in full on AJ Classics and is really fun, well worth including. Same DVD has Kawada vs Taue 1/15 in master VQ.

[Frankensteiner]

Atlantis/Dandy/Fiera vs. Emilio Charles Jr/Herodes/Vampiro - 3/17/91

 

I just watche this. It's not a MOTYC for Lucha or anything but if you are to include the Atlantis/Emilio title match from 3/24, this would be a good setup match to show. Those two guys take center stage and do some cool brawling throughout.

[JerryvonKramer]

Anything from King of the Ring 1991.

 

I've always wanted to see that 15-minute Steamboat vs. DiBiase draw.

[Ditch]

Anything from King of the Ring 1991.

 

I've always wanted to see that 15-minute Steamboat vs. DiBiase draw.

This isn't "recommend matches you haven't seen but think might be good"...

[jdw]

Anything from King of the Ring 1991.

 

I've always wanted to see that 15-minute Steamboat vs. DiBiase draw.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x93v9r_ri...d-dibiase_sport

[Frankensteiner]

Couple of more lucha recs.:

 

Atlantis/Lizmark/Rayo de Jalisco Jr. vs Los Dinamitas (Cien Caras/Mascara Ano 2000/Universo 2000) - 7/21/91

 

Pretty great little brawl at Arena Coliseo. They started hotter than they finished but this is still well worth it.

 

Dandy/Black Magic/Dantes vs. Pierroth/Javier Cruz/Blue Panther - 8/18/91

 

This wasn't as good as the previous match but still pretty good. I would include it for the great showdown between Dandy and Panther. This was the week after Panther's title match with Atlantis.

[JerryvonKramer]

Have any of the DiBiase vs. Tito Santana matches ever turned up?

 

Anything from King of the Ring 1991.

 

I've always wanted to see that 15-minute Steamboat vs. DiBiase draw.

This isn't "recommend matches you haven't seen but think might be good"...

 

Yeah I know that, but thought it might be pertinent given that to my way of thinking it's a "dream match". Doesn't seem all that spectacular though. Thanks for the link jdw.

[FLIK]

12/29/1991 (LPWA Tag Titles - 2 out of 3 Falls) Leilani Kai & Judy Martin © vs Rockin Robin & Wendi Richter - Not something that's gonna make Loss' top 100 but still a very good match, probably the best non Jumping Bomb Angel Glamor Girls tag i've seen.

[Frankensteiner]

Atlantis/Mascara Sagrada/Octagon vs. Pirata Morgan/Pierroth/Kendo Nagasaki, 8/25/91

Great, heated brawl to set up the feud between Mascara Sagrada and Pirata Morgan. Third caida was a little bit of a letdown but I still give this a strong recommendation for the set.

 

Atlantis/Kevin Von Erich/Mascara Sagrada vs. Pirata Morgan/Chris Adams/Kendo Nagasaki, 9/1/91

I was hoping this would be good, picking up where the last match left off. It's also a cool looking match on paper with Kevin and Adams involved, but I didn't like this very much. You would think since Adams and Von Erich were good in working chaotic 6-mans in Texas that this might be a good match-up, but it was a styles clash (though I think Adams was okay). I wouldn't include this even for the novelty.

 

I also watched Dandy/Mendoza/Dantes vs Salvaje/Moondogs, 8/25/91 and didn't think it was very good. Match just kind of dragged.

[FLIK]

11/2/1991 - Owen Hart vs Danny Boy Bollins - Europe, CWA i'm guessing?

 

Absolute hidden gem. It's a rounds match and the first 2 are made up of some of the best chain wrestling i've seen in a while and the rest of the bout is a masterpiece of back & forth counter wrestling. Really feels like something that should be put up thear with the Bret, Bulldog, Liger, etc... stuff as something that gets talked about as one of the very best Owen Hart matches ever. Danny's a guy I REALLY should start paying more attention to too. He randomly keeps poping up in footage I watch, be it WoS or random other Euro feds or Michinoku Pro and no matter what setting or year I see him in he's never anything but awesome but i've never taken a deeper look at his body of work.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L4j1jAZer0

[smkelly]

Some things I've found online that look intriguing:

 

Jerry Lawler vs Eric Embry - cage match

USWA TEXAS 3/91 - 4/91 PT #3

 

Bill Dundee vs Eric Embry - Thunderdome torture cage match

USWA TEXAS 3/91 - 4/91 PT #2

 

EDIT:

 

1/21/91 MSG VG/EX EX(Savage vs Warrior steel cage match)

6/3/91 MSG VG EX (Hogan vs Slaughter desert storm match)

06/30/1991 Rick Steamboat vs. Barbarian (Providence, RI)

10/3/91 London England EX (Flair vs Santana) 24/7

WWF PHILADELPHIA PA 10/19/91 "Flair vs Piper"

 

 

I'm thinking one of the Flair/Hogan matches warrant inclusion, 10/25/91 being their first match against one another.

[MikeCampbell]

Slickster and I watched the 11/30/91 MSG show not that long ago, and I think a couple matches from there warrant consideration.

 

Hogan vs. Flair: The obvious follow up to Flair costing Hogan the title at Survivor Series (which I'm sure is earmarked to be included), and it features Flair KOing Hogan with knucks for a three count (followed the decision getting reversed).

 

Nasty Boys vs. Rockers: A good match in itself, and also adds fuel to the Rockers dissension when Shawn accidentally (?) causes Marty to get pinned.

[GSR]

I have had a bit of a resurgence in watching wrestling and am half way through the 1991 Superstars set and will post a full list of things that may be of interest when I have finished. Whilst the shows are predominantly squashes, there is a really good Rockers vs Nasty Boys TV match (thought it has a cheap and shitty finish) and also a Roddy Piper vs Rick Martel match. Outside of that it is predominantly interviews and angles such as the Warrior getting rid of Brother Love, an episode of the Funeral Parlour where the Undertaker locks the Warrior in his custom built casket and agents Lanza, Garea and Goulet try to get the casket open as the Warrior 'struggles for air', Earthquake 'killing' Damian, vignettes for the Dragon (not very long and all the same) and IRS (boring), the introduction of Col. Mustafa, some funny skits of the managers trying to get Andre into their stable and some pretty heated Slaughter segments.

[jdw]

Dan came out with a 1991 G1 set that has every match from the tourney along with other matches from the series that were available. Anyone else get it and want to take a quick run through it for recommendations before the Yearbook gets locked in? I've got it, but it's a little lower on my long list of things to watch.

 

John