[1984-05-13-AWA-St. Paul, MN] Jumbo Tsuruta vs Rick Martel

[Superstar Sleeze]

AWA World Heavyweight Champion Jumbo Tsuruta vs Rick Martel - AWA 5/13/84

Thank God for the Japanese without them we would have such little footage. This is an AWA World Title defense taped for Japanese TV because Jumbo is the World Champion even though Jumbo will be dropping the belt in this bout. Basically, Jumbo was utilized like a gaijin would be in All Japan as a transitional champion to bridge between two major stars. Conventional American booking wisdom would have Martel take the title from the longstanding heel champion, Nick Bockwinkel,. but I liked the wrinkle of using Jumbo. I think it adds a little spice to the Bock/Martel series that Martel never beat Bock for the title and thus has to prove himself over the course of a series of matches. Of course, it helps Jumbo & All Japan shed the choker label in their home country where Flair and Bock kept coming in and escaping with the title.

As expected this wrestled mostly as a straight face vs face championship match with subtle heel actions from Jumbo Tsuruta to make sure the pro-Martel crowd is really hot for his coronation. The story in the match seemed to be dueling limb work, but I will admit this match was a bit all over the place. It was very entertaining from action standpoint because there was always something going on, but it did feel like a hodgepodge of spots rather than a clear narrative. We started with Martel working the arm out of the initial chain wrestling and Jumbo in turn working the leg with Jumbo getting the best of it early with spinning toe holds and his trademark Boston Crab. Martel is clearly the better seller so the match tends to be better when Jumbo is on offense and Jumbo is a great offensive wrestler so that helps too. There is some nice storytelling early like Martel using movement (leapfrog, dropkick) to create opportunities, but with his bum wheel he can't follow up and Jumbo is afforded the time to regroup on the outside. Martel is able to get a drop toehold and transitions back to the arm. We get out first high spot with Martel hitting a reverse crossbody for two. At this point, they depart from the original limb work behind. I don't think you necessarily have to stay on the same body part, but it felt pretty random and it did not play into finish so it just rendered it all moot. Martel misses an elbow and then Jumbo starts working on Martel's arm. I like the spot when a wrestler rolls up on an armstretcher and we see that from Martel. Jumbo hits a kneecrusher out of a side headlock and wicked high knee. Now they go all New Japan Juniors on us and go into bomb throwing. European uppercuts by Jumbo sets up his piledriver, which only gets two and now we get his abdominal stretch (I know it is a standard Jumbo spot, but it reeked of getting your shit in). Martel switches the ab stretch and works the back to set up for his dive, but he eats knees. They collide in the middle of the ring to reset the match. Jumbo dropkicks Martel into the ref and hits a Back Drop Driver, but no ref to get his highway robbery finish to protect him for the Japanese TV audience. Jumbo is ripshit. He is emotionally compromised when he goes for the Thesz Press, which ends with a hotshot and cross body for Martel to win the championship.

I feel like I was harsher than I should have been on that match, which I did enjoy. I thought the finish stretch was really excellent in a vacuum. The Jumbo falling prey to the hotshot is classic and Martel gets a really pure babyface win. I liked the dueling psychology early and don't understand why they deviated it in the middle only to go the bomb throwing route later. Both have better matches on their resume, but this is a fine Martel championship victory. ***3/4

[Makai Club #1]

Verne Gagne, a rigid old promoter, did something wild and used his overseas connections to bring Jumbo Tsuruta to the states, making him his champion. Jumbo, being the foreigner, got booed for the ring announcements but he was pretty much classic Jumbo. Stoic faced and menacing. Even throughout the match, barring a few subtle heel spots here and there, he wrestled fairly straight. One thing I love about AWA is there is a ton of emphasis on good wrestling. The first half of the match is Jumbo and Martel struggling for holds with Martel just being outmatched by the combination of strength and speed Jumbo possesses. Martel is adept enough to keep up and is able to get control via his mobility, using Jumbo’s momentum to get the better of him. For example leapfrogging him and then drop-kicking Jumbo, and then later using a reverse crossbody. We get some cool spots like Jumbo hitting a knee crusher, trying to escape a headlock hold, only for Martel to just hang on but still selling it brilliantly. Jumbo’s high knee looked so brutal as well. There is a good reverse abdominal stretch spot as well that leads into the finish nicely. Jumbo gets a visual three count but the ref got KO’d briefly after a dropkick sent Martel into the ref. This protects Jumbo to the Japanese audience (who would see this on their TV) while still giving Martel a big victory after a hot shot on the ropes. A good match. A novelty seeing Jumbo work in the States. Martel is awesome as well. Not a blow away match but I liked it a ton. ***1/2