[1999-10-30-AJPW-October Giant Series] Vader vs Mitsuharu Misawa

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

After a rough start, I’m fully on board the Vader train. The matches are the right length for his style and he’s getting to show his stuff in the best way possible. I wish Misawa didn’t take the powerbomb on the floor but it’s become kind of a standard Vader in All Japan spot and it is consistent with where the overall style of AJ was at that point. Vader takes Misawa’s head off with a great punch right before finishing him off with a powerbomb in 12 minutes! Awesome short match.

[Tim Evans]

Misawa takes so many bumps on his head from Vader's german suplexes. It almost gets uncomfortable watching.To his credit, Vader takes some bumps too. Good match

[TheU_2001]

For such a short match (only 12 minutes +), this was pretty brutal. It had been quite a while since I had seen this match, and remembered that Vader was rather dominant. Misawa defends his Triple Crown title against Vader. After watching this again, it reminds me a lot of the Brock vs Cena match from Summer Slam 2014, with Vader playing Brock. Vader takes Misawa to Suplex City early on, with some brutal, cringe worthy German suplexes. Misawa has just brilliant selling throughout, as usual. Misawa gets in a few hope spots, with his famous elbow strikes and a few dives to the floor. The dives eventually backfire however, when he gets viciously power bombed on the floor. I was surprised when Misawa was able to get Vader up for the Tiger Driver towards the end of the match, but Vader battled back with some clubbing blows, and a great punch, before finishing Misawa off with a folding powerbomb. This was a great match for how short it was, and is worth checking out. ****

[Zenjo]

I approve of these shorter match times. It's like going back to the early 90's where things were less predictable. They briefly teased a slow build before Misawa was dumped on his head with a brutal release German. Not such easy viewing in hindsight. A hard hitting sprint unfolded. The action wasn't flawless, but they did deliver a satisfying main event. The lack of narrative was a limiting factor. Vader kicked out of the Tiger Driver '91 and somewhat surprisingly regained the belts with a powerbomb. It's great to see the big man back on top after his shameful treatment in America.

[tim]

Really great match. This definitely had the feel of the two guys in wrestling who throw the biggest bombs unloading on each other non stop until one prevailed. I really liked the struggle in the corner over Vader's first German suplex in the beginning, after which the match took off. Big German suplexes in general in this match from Misawa and Vader. Misawa's Tiger Suplex here looked especially nasty. With the nonstop huge moves, which were never shrugged off and all felt as big a deal as they should, this really felt like an epic triple crowd title match in just 12 minutes. This has to be up there in Vader's best Japanese matches. THE best?

[Superstar Sleeze]

The Hashimoto match from 89 and Mutoh '91 I like better for singles and Vader/Takada is the best Vader in Japan match for my money and the 98 Real World Tag League Final is probably my favorite though.

 

AJPW Triple Crown Champion Mitsuharu Misawa vs Vader - AJPW 10/30/99

 

Rematch from the May match sees an even shorter contest with Vader actually defeating Misawa going back to the tradition of gaijin transitional champions between natives (a role Taue & Kawada had been playing for Kobashi). I am a total sucker for these matches. They are big, dumb and tons of fun. I love Vader landing a haymaker in the corner. Trying to get the German but Misawa resists applies a sleeper for a little bit and then sends him fucking flying on a German. He launched him on another one. Holy shit! He looks to end it early with Vaderbomb, but Misawa tries to attack so he punches right in the face between his legs. Damn! Misawa elbows through this all, and sends Vader flying with Germans goes flying with a top rope elbow to the floor and a somersault placha. Then eats a huge foot on another diving elbow and massive powerbomb on the floor. BRAINBUSTER! You cant powerbomb Misawa in the ring though, he escapes, elbow, missed charge and wicked back elbow. I love Misawa's flying bodypress. HUGE ELBOW ONLY FOR TWO! TIGER DRIVER '91! HOT DAMN VADER FUCKING TOOK IT LIKE A CHAMP!

 

After years of being caught with the bodyslam off the middle rope, Vader catches Misawa and then sits his fat ass on Misawa a couple times. I love when wrestlers just use their body weight. Misawa looks to mount a comeback but Vader is took much man and he catches with a huge bear paw that knocks him silly. HUGE FOLD UP POWERBOMB AND VADER WINS! I would call this an upset. I really liked that Vader finally got to catch someone else with a bodyslam. Tiger Driver '91 was sick. As was all the suplexes. There is really not much thought that went into this. It was Vader the Mastodon vs. Misawa The Ace and they just threw bombs for 12 minutes. If you don't love that, you should get your motor checked. ****

[PeteF3]

Better than the tag match we just saw, maybe the #2 AJPW match of the year behind the March tag. Just a war--there's a slow feeling-out process that lasts for about 15 seconds until Vader pops Misawa right in the fucking face and then this is basically a 12-minute closing stretch. Usually if someone says "this match went 12 minutes but felt a lot longer" it's not a compliment...but this felt longer than 12 minutes in a way that's actually a positive, and I'm not sure if I can think of another match that fits that description. These two brutalized each other and the way it goes, you can't really envision this lasting any longer than it did.