[1991-06-01-AJPW-Super Power Series] Mitsuharu Misawa vs Terry Gordy

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

After being down on the Misawa/Kawada vs Williams/Gordy tags, I wasn't expecting much here, but this I enjoyed. Gordy bleeds early, then the match becomes a series of big moves and nearfalls. There wasn't much more to it than that, but it was different from the usual bland matwork, so I was entertained.

[Childs]

I've always really liked this match and regard it as a contender for Gordy's best singles outing in All Japan. Nothing deep, just a heavyweight bombfest that got the crowd rolling. It might have benefited from being JIP.

[PeteF3]

Maybe the first instance of Misawa's elbow being put over as a killer in its own right. I'm guessing the first 10 minutes weren't too special so it's all for the best that they were cut, as the bomb-fest at the end was really good.

[shoe]

I enjoyed this. It had a real rugged heavyweight battle with the bombs being thrown, the blood added to the drama. I really got caught up in this battle.

[Kevin Ridge]

Editing off the first few minutes probably worked out for the best. Gordy looks good here and him and Misawa trade big moves. Ended up being a good match with some exciting sequences towards the end. Misawa picks up another big singles win on his way to the top.

[soup23]

Exciting finishing stretch with the win feeling like Misawa's biggest acomplishment since pinning Jumbo. I do think the blood added to the desperation overall and Gordy looked better here than he does in some All Japan matches because we just got the finish and his big power moves.

[garretta]

Misawa overcomes one of Gordy's best performances in AJPW to get a big win. It's impossible to tell the quality of a clipped match unless you've seen it in full, so I won't get into how good it is, but Gordy looks like more of a buttkicker here than he has since he left Watts; even a nasty cut over his eye doesn't slow him down for long. Maybe trying to trade matwork with the natives simply wasn't his strong suit in Japan, although I know it's expected. But his big bombs aren't enough to beat Misawa, who knocks him out for the count with what looks like a forearm-style lariat.

 

What's the name of the hold I've seen Misawa use in his last few bouts? It's similar to a cobra clutch, but it's applied when the other guy's already in a down position. It's an effective way to set up another finisher, but I think it would be a killer finisher of its own as well.

 

Nastiest move of the match goes to Gordy's drop of Misawa directly on his forehead. I don't know exactly what it was, but it looked for a moment or two that Misawa was legitimately knocked loopy by it.

[PeteF3]

I think you're thinking of the stepover facelock. Uh...yeah--that hold definitely plays a major role in 1991.

[garretta]

Thanks a lot, Pete!

[G. Badger]

My review from few years back when I was watching the Jumbo-Misawa stuff for the first time:

 

Now if you want a viable AJ MOTYC for this point in 1991, this would be one of mine. So, far nothing except 4/20/91 has been a blow-away classic unlike the 1990 stuff but, there's been a lot more singles matches & more matches in general that I've watched so, that could be misleading. Anyhow, this is the Triple Crown match of the year thus far & top singles match. It's more Gordy's style than Misawa's but, those aren't too different other than the pacing. The beginning & middle are fairly basic but each transition is pretty seamless & the ending gets great but, in a little different way than Misawa's King's Road style he was developing. Reading Ditch's AJPW comments, I agree that this was Misawa's match to step out from underneath Jumbo's shadow, showing he could have great matches without him. The same kinda goes for the Hansen carny match. It shows he didn't need the feud's heat, his ringwork could get attention for him. Gordy's a real pro too. Best AJ singles match thus far in '91. ****1/2

[dawho5]

Misawa's elbow is on it's way to becoming a deadly strike that can end matches against anyone. This is, to my recollection, the first time he's gotten a pinfall over a big name guy with it. Fun bombfest without all the usual Gordy boring stuff.

[Richeyedwards]

This match was given to me by Jmare007

 

Misawa vs Gordy AJPW 1/06/91

 

This is on the same show that one year earlier Misawa pinned jumbo in the greatest starmaking match ever. This year Misawa is facing off against another big heavyweight in Terry Gordy a man who had pinned jumbo, baba and might have pinned Hansen all in the last 18 months. Since the win against Jumbo 1 year ago Misawa has not beaten one of the absolute top pushed guys, this is his moment to do so and also to rebuild after loosing to jumbo for the second time a month before.

 

We start with a hot crowd and a lockup followed by an extended struggle for a break by both men which is done extremely well showing real intensity from both to start the match. The problem with doing something like this early on is that now they have set that president they have to keep it up throughout the match. An elbow is thrown by Misawa and they lock up again now Gordy throws some elbows, Misawa fires back with elbows of his won every Misawa elbow is worth 5 Gordy elbows this is established fairly early on.

 

They go on to establish that Gordy is largely in control but Misawa is using his superior striking and speed to make counters while Gordy relies on size and a whole lot o’ clubberin. Gordy takes control and unloads with a brutal lariat to the forehead of Misawa. Misawa comes back with elbows and his jumping kicks one of which looks to catch Gordy right in the mouth. Later in the match Misawa hits a nasty enzugiri and busts Gordy wide open Misawa therefore just starts kicking him in the face again and again. A tiger driver on the floor is reversed the mats are pulled back and Gordy goes for a powerbomb, Misawa kicks to gets out and in doing so gets Gordy’s blood down his back and onto the camera lens before getting lariated again.

 

Gordy then for some reason keeps putting Misawa in a sasorigateme or sharpshooter, its not a very good sharpshooter. Things pick back up again with a DDT from Gordy, Misawa comes back with some pointed elbows to the cut really nasty work. Gordy hits a powerbomb for the first big nearfall which Misawa grabs the rope to get out of. FACELOOOOOOOCCCCCKKKKK FACE LOOOOOOOCCCKKK, Gordy hits a cross body which Misawa rolls through in a callback to the Jumbo Match for a two count and we get my favourite sound in wrestling the sound of the crowd in the budokan all stamping their feet which sounds like a seismic rumble. German gets a two and we are back to the facelock which gets a two after Gordy goes down. One giant running elbow later and Misawa gets the three.

 

This was great it was heated throughout with some real struggle and some very good bomb throwing at the end, once or twice Gordy threatened to bring the match down by sitting in holds like he would sometimes. I think the blood really helped, Misawa’s performance was impeccable he is the best wrestler ever and his selling offence and timing and crowd connection were all brilliant in this match. Certainly one of Gordy’s best singles offerings but for Misawa this is buried under a Barrage of outstanding matches. ****1/2

[superkix]

Very solid match-up - admittedly, I haven't seen much of Gordy outside of tag matches but he looked strong. Great clobbering lariats, big elbow exchanges with Misawa, and yeah, the blood added a little something-something to the overall struggle. The fans were eating up the finishing stretch - the nearfall off of Misawa's German suplex hold was especially great. Gordy did a good job selling for Misawa's offense, and Misawa's ultimate win felt huge.