[1990-06-08-AJPW-Super Power Series] Mitsuharu Misawa vs Jumbo Tsuruta

[drew wardlaw]

Hmm, I haven't watched this match in years. It's only the second time I've seen it. The first was definitely a watch after a "best Japanese matches" search, so I had no idea what was going on. There were the two slaps in the ropes, but outside of that, the match stayed pretty under control, which was disappointing. I wanted a bit of brawling here, which may have undermined the whole point of the match, but oh well, after the 6 man pull apart I expected a bit more hate here. Anyway, I love the contrast in style of young vs old, and you can definitely feel the landscape shifting. I don't know if it was for this match or a different one, but I remember reading, probably on here somewhere, someone describing a moment where Jumbo gets a look on his face where he comes to the realization that he's being passed by, and that his role is changing. Definitely a match where the meaning and story outweighs the work itself, since I agree that the middle portion is a bit meandering. That's the hardest part to keep the people interested isn't it?

[JKWebb]

http://placetobenation.com/countdown-top-500-matches-of-the-90s-200-151/2/

 

#169

 

Went through this not too long ago with the yearbook and loved it! Second favorite match of the month for me, and it's a great match. I watched it again tonight after reading through the comments. Funny, I had to rewind the three count at the end too. But, I think he had him down. Anyway, this is just an amazing moment coupled with a really great match. Yes, the body language is key and the crowd ate it up. So did I. Sure, there was some meandering, but it wasn't enough to take away from the moment for me. I loved the finishing stretch. I think I'd go around ****1/2.

[Jetlag]

Misawa was so fascinating to watch here. Athletic and graceful like Super Astro, but equipped with razor sharp strikes. Jumbo was really great getting Misawa over here. He just ate one dive after another, sold his elbows like death and stooged for his spots like a seasoned rudo. However, Jumbo's eventual comeback was little lacking: Misawa had totally one-upped him in the opening and then to add insult to injury slapped him like a bitch, so he was in need of a real assbeating, but Jumbo just went his usual route. Maybe that was part of the story, that Jumbo didn't have the fire or inventiveness to put Misawa in his place that night, and in a way the somewhat dry routine middle portion adds to the match as it feels like a necessary testing for Misawa. When Jumbo went for the 2nd rope kneedrop the match started getting really good and gained a unique flair that was befitting for a build to a legendary moment. Some sequences here, such as the desperation elbow that knocks Jumbo outside or that fucking dropkick into the ropes felt really magic, and outlining Jumbo's defeat. The criticism for the match is deserved, but acknowledging all that there is still a strong match here.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Jumbo Tsuruta vs Mitsuharu Misawa - AJPW 6/8/90

 

Battle of generations is one of the oldest stories but I don't know if it was ever told better than Jumbo vs Misawa. I think argument can be made for this as the most important match in history. Launched Misawa into superstardom in turn creating the Kings Road style which along with the NJPW Juniors is probably the strongest influence on today's wrestling worldwide.

 

The match itself tells the great story of youthful resilience and elderly stubbornness. I love the beginning because Jumbo is not taking Misawa lightly he wants to beat as quickly as possible trying the high knee and back drop driver. A quick victory would be more damaging and embarrassing to Misawa than toying with him. Great psychology!

 

The problem is Misawa is no chump so he can thwart these attempts and the take to air. He hits multiple dives and an elbow that rocks Jumbo. This is Misawa I'm here to play and I won't go quietly.

 

They settle into more customary All Japan stuff the surfboard, ab stretch and slaps on rope breaks. It does meander. Jumbo runs through his offense and the idea is that the beginning established Misawa as a threat now can he take Jumbos best shot and keep on ticking. Such as butterfly duplex, which put away Jack Brisco. As the Match as settled down so has Jumbos intensity. He is taking his foot off the gas pedal and is content just throwing him up the air. The second time he gets caught with a dropkick. Surprising how aerial Misawa is but shouldn't be the announcers are calling him Tiger Mask still. By being so aerial it makes for more contrasting styles than mid 90s Misawa would. Misawa gets a frogsplash for two but then gets HOTSHOTTED! Funny seeing Jumbo do the move. Now Jumbo pours it on STIFF lariats, knees, powerbombs and piledrivers. Establishing the youthful resilience and the extended comeback which would be Misawas calling card.

 

Culminating in that vicious high knee from the top and just when Misawa seems out it is his ELBOW that saves the day. I don't know when Misawas Elbow became MISAWAS ELBOW but it is funny how in both the Six-Man and here it is a game changer. Jumbo sells it like death and rolls out. Big dive to the floor. Misawa feels like he is ushering in a new era.

 

Misawa goes for a German but settles for flooring him with a spin wheel kick. That kick was way better in 1990. Jumbo finally has some defense for the aerial moves when he gets his knees up in the frogsplash. Jumbo starts clobbering him with stiff lariats. No finesse trying to blast his way through. Back drop driver but Misawa kicks off ropes and Jumbos head hits first. Great selling!

 

It is funny Misawa did all those fancy moves but what kept him in this match was those head rocking elbows. Fancy moves almost cost him the match. Gets that German but no on Tiger Driver. Jumbo gets high knee but hurts himself playing Misawas game of elbows and aerial dropkicking the ropes. Which was cool basically Misawa can play Jumbos game and add stuff but the Old Dog can't play the new kids game. The finish makes little sense other than they wanted Misawa to win in a clean finish but not too decisively. ****1/2

[superkix]

I agree that the midsection of the match is a little long-winded and that it could've benefited from a few more pissy interactions, i.e. their previous six-man, but this was still a great match with Daddy Jumbo in the "I'm too tired for this shit" mode and Misawa playing the disrespectful teen incessantly looking to snatch away dad's pick-up truck keys. There are plenty of moments to love on, like the plancha tease>apron dropkick and the look on Jumbo's face after Misawa slaps him on the ropes. The longer the match goes on, the clearer it becomes that Misawa ain't laying down easy. This is especially evident after Jumbo powerbombs Misawa as dad's getting a little frustrated that Misawa's staying up past his bedtime. I liked the finishing stretch, with Jumbo bouncing off the ropes with the missed dropkick, allowing Misawa to score the miracle pinfall.

[SmartMark15]

It's a classic for a reason. Simple story sustained throughout as we cling on to see if Misawa can really topple the Ace. The answer is yes and no. Misawa gets the pinfall here, but it's not a decisive one by any means. He caught Jumbo on a counter and he didn't put the man down decisively quite yet. Agree with everyone that the middle stretch is a bit nothing. Not a big fan of the hold reversals myself. But the real meat of this match is the finishing stretch and that was fantastic.

 

****3/4

[KB8]

I haven't watched this in close to fifteen years. I imagine that, like a lot of people, it was my gateway to 90s All Japan. I remember reading back then about the deep storytelling and how you really needed to watch a lot of it chronologically to pick up on all the intricate details they were weaving into these matches. 6/9/95 is the pinnacle of pro-wrestling but you better check out these fifty three matches that came before it to REALLY get a handle on the tale they're telling. It was kind of carny in retrospect, but the passion folk had for writing about it was infectious and it's certainly a major reason why I started watching stuff outside of my WWF/WCW comfort zone. This always made sense as the place to dive in. You got the ageing ace of the 70s/80s and the future ace of the 90s. You got to see where Misawa cemented his spot. You got to see King's Road in its infancy. Plus you needed to see this for the sixth interaction between Misawa and Kawada in the fourteenth Misawa/Kobashi v Kawada/Taue match to truly resonate the way it should so really it was the perfect place to start.

I don't remember exactly what I thought about it on last watch, never mind the very first watch. In 2019, at a point where I've mostly closed the book on 90s All Japan, I thought it had a great opening five minutes and a great closing five minutes, but like a lot of folk here it had a middle fifteen that didn't really do a ton for me. I guess I'd rather be watching Battlarts? The opening ruled and I thought they did a solid job establishing both guys' strengths. Misawa wrestled more like a heavyweight than he did as Tiger Mask, but he only shed the hood a couple weeks ago so he still had some of those tricks up his sleeve. He had to get squirmy to escape a backdrop, reversing it into a pinning situation which I guess is a cool bit of foreshadowing for the finish. Then he went to the fake-out tope and dropkicked Jumbo into the barricade. That was an awesome spot because Jumbo obviously wasn't seeing anything like it from the heavyweights he was used to wrestling. It established a point of attack for Misawa that Jumbo probably didn't have an answer for (yet). Jumbo hitting the high knee and 'OH'ing with the crowd felt appropriately dismissive, but then Misawa slapped him across the face because he's here to stay. At that point you expect Jumbo to maul him, but they mostly settle into a steady wrestling match and Jumbo working from above wasn't the most compelling. I remembered Misawa's strikes playing a bigger role as well, especially after the six-man that started the whole thing where he was scrambling Jumbo's brains with elbows. Or maybe it was the rematch where they really played that up. I did like that Misawa's flying bailed him out a few more times in the body of the match and the big plancha to the floor down the stretch looked killer. Even when Jumbo was dominant there was always that danger of Misawa being agile enough to pull *something* out the bag. That of course plays into the finish and I still think it works really well, as does the set up with Jumbo taking the crazy bump into the ropes (which I'd forgotten about). Misawa managed to hang with him and it always felt like he was in with a chance, even if it was because of how different he was to Jumbo's most recent rivals. He may not have won decisively, but he used that athleticism to best Jumbo when he needed to and a three count is a three count. I always thought the rematch was the real classic so maybe I'll check that out again soon. I haven't seen that in about fifteen years, either. 

[cactus]

Jumbo ruled the 80s and is the ace of AJPW. The recently unmasked Tiger Mask II is now going by his real name and has something to prove. Jumbo bullies the new guy unmercifully. Tsuruta never had the most flashiest arsenal, but every strike and slam looks brutal. He ain't giving up his spot that easily. The crowd eat up every nearfall, they are all rooting for the underdog in Misawa. Misawa mixes up his strikes and flashy dives to put him near the level of Tsuruta. The middle portion slows the action right down, with many holds outwearing their welcome. The finishing stretch picks things right up and Misawa using his superior athleticism manages to get the pin was a genius bit of pro-wrestling. The finish wasn't completely decisive, leaving the door open for a rematch, yet it still made Misawa look like a big deal. 

This was the first ever AJPW match I watched and I was hooked on anything Misawa/Kobashi related and I'm happy to say this holds up. 

★★★★½

[Tenese Sarwieh]

A masterpiece of a match telling the simple story of the youngster trying to take his place as the new ace of All Japan while the old veteran is not ready to give up his spot. A lovely contrast of Misawa’s fancy attack and gracefulness meshing perfectly with Tsuruta’s grumpy no nonsense bomb throwing offense. Everything built to a memorable finishing sequence truly making this one of the greatest wrestling matches of all time.

[Makai Club #1]

Hot crowd from the start. As the legend goes, Baba changed the result once he heard the crowd’s chants of Misawa and his pre show merch sales, so this crowd was full pro-Misawa. Jumbo was popular, too, amazingly. 

The match started off pretty heavy with Jumbo clubbing Misawa with some brutal offence but Misawa outsmarts him and gets the better of him, before catching him with his elbow, followed up by a pescado. Misawa slapping Jumbo after the stalemate spots was pretty cool, Jumbo seems rather stunted but he kept his composure which is classic Jumbo. The best part of the match was Jumbo beating down and working over Misawa for me. The spot where Misawa went for a cross body only for Jumbo to catch him and drop him on the rope was both visually nasty and amazing, as was the rest of the work on the neck of Misawa. Misawa fighting from beneath was good, he sold well and made great use of his offence whenever he could. The crowd was totally on Misawa’s side, being so loud so it was easy to rally behind him. Everytime Misawa would kick out of Jumbo’s moves, the crowd would stamp their feet on the floor, making rumbling noises, adding to the atmosphere. Misawa blocking the backhold driver by pushing off the ropes and stunning Jumbo’s momentum of the hold was great and an awesome transition to the closing third. The finish wasn’t particularly great but it did its job, it built suspense and that’s all you can ask for. Great match - history making. ****1/4
 

[SmartMark15]

Here's my video discussing this plus the rematch. 

 

[cactus]

On 3/6/2019 at 10:07 AM, cactus said:

Jumbo ruled the 80s and is the ace of AJPW. The recently unmasked Tiger Mask II is now going by his real name and has something to prove. Jumbo bullies the new guy unmercifully. Tsuruta never had the most flashiest arsenal, but every strike and slam looks brutal. He ain't giving up his spot that easily. The crowd eat up every nearfall, they are all rooting for the underdog in Misawa. Misawa mixes up his strikes and flashy dives to put him near the level of Tsuruta. The middle portion slows the action right down, with many holds outwearing their welcome. The finishing stretch picks things right up and Misawa using his superior athleticism manages to get the pin was a genius bit of pro-wrestling. The finish wasn't completely decisive, leaving the door open for a rematch, yet it still made Misawa look like a big deal. 

This was the first ever AJPW match I watched and I was hooked on anything Misawa/Kobashi related and I'm happy to say this holds up. 

★★★★½

Rewatched this for the GME project and I definitely was overthinking it when I watched this last year. I think I was being overly critical and trying to look for flaws, but I didn't think the middle portion dragged at all on this viewing, and they were essential for the crowd to really vouch for a Misawa comeback. Essential viewing for anyone wanting to get into 90's AJPW.

★★★★★

[fxnj]

I interpreted the story as this: Misawa knows going in that there's 3 ways he can approach things. He can try to win by wearing down Jumbo on the mat (definitely not happening), trade bombs with Jumbo (likely not happening), or try to bait Jumbo into making a mistake and knock him out like he did on 5/26 (his most likely route to victory). Misawa manages to gain the upper hand at the start by blitzing Jumbo with his flying offense, but his big match inexperience kicks in when instead of dealing further damage he just tries to contain Jumbo with a front chancery. He ends up getting baited into a grappling match and more or less squanders his early advantage. Realizing it's not working out, he slaps Jumbo on the ropes to try to provoke him. Jumbo is able to keep his composure, though, and gets the better of Misawa after some impact move trading. Towards the end, Jumbo finds he has Misawa deep in the hole and becomes overconfident which, somewhat ironically, finally opens up a path to victory for Misawa. First with him throwing some weak elbows to mock Misawa, leading to Misawa landing his knockout elbow, and then later he misses a dropkick on the ropes. He's tipped himself out of the zone just enough that Misawa is able to regain his footing in the match with his high risk offense, and a small lapse in concentration from Jumbo shortly thereafter leads to the upset.

I find the match is really well done in making you want more out of the feud while still functioning as an epic on its own. Lots of credit has to go to the production for the constant close-ups on Misawa's face to catch his great facial expressions. Each close-up told its own story, from the quiet confidence to start, to the look of anguish when Jumbo gains control, to the dizzy blinking when Jumbo starts to go for the finish. Complaints about the middle point dragging look to me like they come from a place of not really paying attention to what was going on. Even when the action turned basic, there was a lot going on in terms of struggling for holds, selling, and advancing the match's story. That sort of calm before the storm also serves to make the stretch run and especially the finishing pin feel all the more satisfying. It's so fun to just watch the reactions of the crowd members here as they progressively realize this isn't going to be an easy Jumbo win and Misawa actually has a shot.

Complaints about the match needing a Jumbo flare up also miss what they were going for here. Jumbo is the ace of 10 years with a moveset that partially functions as a reference to the multitudes of legends he's wrestled/trained with, so there's no reason for him to lose his composure against a guy whom he spends the match thinking has no shot at beating him. Misawa's attempt to make Jumbo lose his cool fails, at least initially, but Misawa successfully maintains his own composure and is able to snag the win when the opportunity presents. It's partially a fluke but also not a complete fluke, because Misawa reached that point in the match not through trickery, but through sheer championship-worthy grit against a Jumbo who'd mostly wrestled a smart match. Jumbo losing his cool here would have cheapened both that victory and the later moments in the feud when he finally does let his rage take over.

My own big nitpick would be that despite the action being mostly tightly executed, there's two pretty noticeable moments during the surfboard struggle, one right after the other, where Misawa's hand slips but Jumbo keeps pretending that Misawa is holding him anyway. It's something that you can't unsee once you notice it, and it just keeps getting funnier with every subsequent viewing to watch how Jumbo's arm tenses up whilst there's nothing but air fighting back. A different, more general, thing would be that the production's emphasis on close-ups also means there's some pretty noticeable moments of spot calling throughout the match. It's not as bad as John Cena match where you can audibly hear things, but you don't have to look too hard for it either. These sorts of business exposing things give the match a feel of being more rough around the edges compared to what would come later. Though I would still call this a masterpiece, I think I prefer the top tier 6-mans and maybe their 2 other big singles as overall packages.