[1996-07-24-AJPW-Summer Action Series] Masanobu Fuchi vs Tsuyoshi Kikuchi

[PeteF3]

A long-overdue payoff to their title bouts early in the decade. It's a bit slow at times, but as a MATCH it's a lot better than the famous quasi-squash from 2/28/93.

 

[PeteF3]

A little on the disappointing side--the first half of this was wrestled in slow motion, and not in a subtle '70s-style way. There were just stretches of neither guy doing much of anything, without even any cool work from Fuchi taking apart one of Kikuchi's limbs. The drama down the stretch is better, and this pays off a VERY long-running storyline and rivalry that stretches back 6 years, but it's clear that Kikuchi has lost several steps since his peak.

[Owen Edwards]

My note:

 

Fuchi has taken the belt off Ogawa in first reign. The old man still has it, just about. One of his two meaningful rivals is back, though, and it’s the one with the most baggage – Kikuchi. They start incredibly slowly. This could be shaved by five minutes and not suffer. It’s strange, and partly reflects Kikuchi slowing down (he will be comfortably better 8 to 10 years later – it’s very peculiar). The middle of the match is good build, though, with Fuchi both stretching Kikuchi out in nasty funky innovated holds and cutting off any attempt to shine. Kikuchi does backdrop him a couple of times, which is plainly a reference to 1993; Fuchi, though, builds up and hits about six backdrops in response, slightly interspersed by breaks and foiled comebacks. Kikuchi does look stronger and smarter, he’s making more tactical decisions, moving to the ropes and the rest, but Fuchi sems to have the advantage. Kikuchi isn’t flying too much, which maybe adds to this. However, a combination of surprising good elbows and Leg Lariats set up what ends up being seven German Suplexes, worked rolling – the crowd pops as, in the final set, Kikuchi turns round for the third. This gets him the win and a gigantic pop. Like the Triple Crown match later in the evening, the context and the payoff add to what is otherwise just a good match. 3.5/5

 

It is strange that Kikuchi will be obviously better in 2002-2004 and even after than he is here. His  following match against RVD is similarly just "pretty good", where Kroffat had put together a really good match in 1995 - partly that's ring smarts, but I do think it's also conditioning and work (Kroffat by 1996 is tubby like Kikuchi and they both are slower and less interesting for this reason).