Akira Taue

[highflyflow]

Does talent alone make you a better wrestler though? And I say this as someone who has Taue 4th amongst the pillars.

[HeadCheese]

11 hours ago, ohtani's jacket said:

Taue is awesome, but it's this constant cycle of people falling head over heels in love with him then overrating the crap out of him. I know this because I did the same thing back in the day. Taue is fun to root for, but there's no way that he was as talented as the other three. You may like him more than the other guys, but let's not get carried away. He was a decent athlete with a lousy work ethic who appeals to fans because of his everyman qualities. He produced good work within the All Japan system, but the dude was along for the ride. He was not the driving force of  that style. People can vote for him super high if they want, but as far as I'm concerned a good comp for Akira Taue would be Akira Maeda. A personal favorite of mine, but can I really make an argument that he's better than Fujiwara or Tamura? Probably not, but it's an argument that doesn't have to be made. If I'm picking Maeda over those guys it's because of intangibles. 

I might become lower on Taue and honestly not sure he goes on my list. 

I think Akira Taue would be a less compelling and maybe worse wrestler if he was more naturally talented and he fit in. He feels like CM Punk (someone who is currently in my top 5 mainly due to emotional connection). Part of his charm for me is he doesn't fully fit in.

[Ma Stump Puller]

 

10 hours ago, HeadCheese said:

I might become lower on Taue and honestly not sure he goes on my list. 

I think Akira Taue would be a less compelling and maybe worse wrestler if he was more naturally talented and he fit in. He feels like CM Punk (someone who is currently in my top 5 mainly due to emotional connection). Part of his charm for me is he doesn't fully fit in.

Taue absolutely had natural talent in regards to being his size while also doing topes and top rope spots, not to also mention the fact that he barely if ever actually seriously trained as he himself has recounted. He didn't take to wrestling perhaps as easily as the other Pillars (nor had their tremendous peaks) but made up for it by his physicality and wide range.

 

 

 

[ohtani's jacket]

1 hour ago, Ma Stump Puller said:

 

Taue absolutely had natural talent in regards to being his size while also doing topes and top rope spots, not to also mention the fact that he barely if ever actually seriously trained as he himself has recounted. He didn't take to wrestling perhaps as easily as the other Pillars (nor had their tremendous peaks) but made up for it by his physicality and wide range.

 

Taue was a decent athlete. He could have made it to the makuuchi division if not for his feud with his stable master, which, reportedly, was largely fueled by Taue's distain for training. He was a big guy and physically strong. However, I'm not referring to natural talent. I'm talking about overall talent, including the type of talent that can be developed through studying and training. Misawa, Kawada, and especially Kobashi, didn't walk into the dojo on day one as the finished product. They worked their butts off (some would say to their detriment.) Taue wasn't like that. He was like an NBA player  that coasts during the regular season then explodes in the playoffs. They used to call him Tagami Volcano because of the way he'd fire up for big matches. Taue was charismatic and lovable. It was easy to sympathize with him. However, there are clear reasons why he was never the ace of All Japan despite having the height and size that Baba valued. If Taue had possessed the right work ethic there is a reasonable chance that Baba would have pushed him as the next Jumbo and Misawa would have never gotten the push that he did (or at best would have been a perpetual challenger to the champion, Taue.) Personally, I like the version of Taue that we got more than that idealized version, and I'm quite happy with the way things played out, but I think that's the reality of the situation.