[1991-10-29-SWS] Yoshinari Asai vs Bestia Salvaje

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Nice all-action sprint, with Asai continuing to look really good even without the mask. Salvaje worked hard, jumping Ultimo at the opening bell and going highspot for highspot with him. Probably not something I'll remember much about, but this was executed very well. Fans throw money in the ring after the match, which is cool.

[PeteF3]

Very effective coming-out party for Asai on a bigger stage. He hits some spectacular dives and gives Salvaje enough of the match to make this worth Bestia's while, with some great late kickouts on near-falls. Seeing Hakushi do an Asai moonsault in 1995 was mind-blowing--I can only imagine the reaction people had to seeing it in the early '90s.

[Kevin Ridge]

Asai seems more confident in trying the bigger moves compared to earlier matches. Lots of dives in this one. Problem with my Asai matches right now is I keep thinking how much better he looks under the mask.

[soup23]

An all spot showcase. Not my favorite type of match at all but most was hit cleanly. Good early look at Asai if nothing else.

[El-P]

Really good Nitro match. It's always odd to see Asai without the mask, as he's clearly one guy who didn't need one (although the Dragon one remains one of my all-time favourite), good looking guy and all. He really gets the star treatment from SWS, who badly needed one other than Tenryu. The announcer actually call him the Ultimo Dragon, so I guess that was his nickname even before he put on the mask. Not familiar with Salvaje, but he looked like a really good worker too.

[garretta]

This looked like a squash for the Dragon at first, but Salvaje impressed me; I'd never heard of him before this bout, but he looked like a nifty junior worker in his own right, getting a particularly big nearfall when he turned an attempted Dragon headscissors into a powerbomb. In the end, Dragon was just a little too good for him and scored a surprisingly hard-fought victory.

 

My favorite Dragon dive was the moonsault off the apron, which looked particularly snazzy. How Vince couldn't figure out a way to use someone this good at least as a midcard attraction on a couple of American tours a year I don't know

 

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[Tim Cooke]

Salvaje will have some really strong trios and tag performances as you get to 1996-1998 but he was slotted lower than Emilio Charles Jr. (who is really only available in trios matches for his standout performances) for most of his career so not many standout singles matches.

[G. Badger]

Thanks on the date for this match as it appears they has a match in '92 SWS as well...01/06/92.

 

Anyhow, this was all kinds of fun and excitement but, with enough drama to keep me guessing the outcome. The speed and high flying technique was excellent and wasn't marred by a dozen false finishes. Reminded me of Rey vs Psicosis WAR J-Cup '95. Very high recommendation

[dawho5]

Fun spotfest. I felt like some of the timing that you need to really get something like this right wasn't there between these two. Small details like Asai running before he is whipped by Salvaje or little pauses where there should have been action. But overall a very good match for both.